Useful Links for Business basics and ideas

Below are some links that I visit frequently. You will find some very helpful information in these links. No agenda , just plain advise.

Entrepreneur.com
Kauffman.org
Small Business Administration
Tool Kit
IRS

Merge: I got this idea while I was writing about the “Intermediate” idea. Have you seen those nail cutters that have knifes and openers attached to it. Get the idea!. Yes. If you can find two or more products that you think will go together (who knew nail cutter will go with a bottle opener) then pack them up together and sell. Sounds simple right? It does to me too. Let me think if I can find another example……hmmmm….. thinking……… looking around to see if I can find anything. Wuhu , I found two examples. I see this picture in front of me which gave me these two ideas. I see some people working in sun , they need cooling glasses and hats. I saw stores selling glasses and I saw stores selling caps , but I think there are very few stores , if any , that sell both in a bundle. That’s a great idea isn’t it? Ok , may be its not something new for you. How about this. Selling tops for girls along with beads or chains that match the top. This one is new I haven’t seen stores doing this.

Intermediate: I was eating my cereal this morning and I got this idea. I was having cereal and the spoon wasn’t big enough to get a mouthful of cereal. So I went back to kitchen and picked up another spoon , came back to the table and now the spoon is picking up more than mouthful. Then came the thought of having a spoon of intermediate size, dont laugh. Of course there are spoons of all sizes that we can buy. But the idea is , if you know of some product that has only one size or shape and seems to have need for more than one size or shape you might have a million dollar idea at you hand

Hobby

Yes, if you have hobby think if you can build a business out of it. I have been watching Big Idea on CNBC and thought i should post this idea. It's really a great idea. If you love what you do then you will nail it. One guy on the show apparently became millionaire by cooking some thing he likes. Another lady became millionaire by catering tourist guide service to high end customers. So think if your hobby can make you a millionaire.

I am working on mine.

Good Luck.

Transparency

Do you wish things be more transparent in this world?. I do. And i think you do too. Are you thinking, why in the world does this guy think that i like transparency?. What does he mean. Not only you, everybody likes transparency. I am talking about news sites like msnbc.com, cnn.com and all the other news channels that you visit everyday to see what's happening around you. What do you think they are doing?. They are making things that happen around us transparent to everyone. I am not saying you have to establish news channel. There are other things you could make transparent.

Need an example, here it is. Earlier people used to wonder how much their neighbours home is worth, how much are the home values in a certain area. Zillow.com is a home value publishing website. The idea of making home values transparent to public apparently pulled lot of users to this site

Transparency is what people are looking for in products and services surrounding them . People want things to be see-through. Long gone are the days of black box concept.

Transparency is about making a system more open to the public. Think if you know of a product or service that is not as transparent.

Good luck.

Plagiarism Works

Don't take me wrong but copying good business ideas does really work. But make sure you are mimicking a idea that is not copy protected or patented.

Great example for this idea is, Blockbuster& NetFlix. NetFlix tried but was not able to stop Blockbuster from entering into it's market.

Remember to take the idea that's proven successful. Make sure the idea fits your personality.
When applying a idea that worked in one business or industry to another business or industry consider the pros ans cons as some ideas work only for certain businesses .

Look for ideas that are implemented in other countries or business that are successful in other regions.

Remember copying is an art and only few people can do it right. So take the idea and tweak it to you and your business.

Good Luck

Doing it for free

Having a business idea is just not enough these days. It must be proven superior over competition. It's hard to get customers in the beginning. A easy way to start a business is doing it for free for your friends and family . Make sure your first customers are satisfied, so they can spread the word. When you get good feedback start charging a nominal fee. More the demand more you can charge.

As an example, if you are good at math then teach math classes for free. Once the students like your class, boom goes your business.

That's what many successful entrepreneurs has done .

Good Luck.