Remember that you can't reinvent the wheel, but you can come up with new ways to use it. Just because some of your ideas are already present doesn't mean that you can't put a new spin on them to reach a market that current providers aren't.

For me, engraving isn't a new field, but I concentrate on niche's that tend not to get marketed to. I come up with niche specific ideas for those markets.

Research what is out there and you will find that there are always areas for improvement.

 

sandy,

 

what is your core competency? what is your advantage over someone else? what do you enjoy? find overlaps in all your answers as a starting point.  there is so much out there and you can be successful with pretty much anything you want as long as the ethic and diligence is there.  your choice matters as well but then again success is relative isnt it?  doing something you truly enjoy will reward you with the best results in my opinion.  have you considered web design? writing software for something in much need? (facebook application, something for cell phones?). i thought id suggest those seeing as you are a programmer and can probably do many things just the average joe can't.

 

what have you done so far? any experience? what about an information based website to make money from ads? what about selling a product you know a lot about or have a good source to get good deals from?

 

keep us posted on what you do and where it takes you!

 

good luck