If you want to start a business, you don’t necessarily have an idea. You just know you want to make some money, and you need to figure out how. However, when you’re trying to come up with something, you can only think of the same old stuff. Selling products from clothes to electronics or offering a service you’re skilled in probably come to mind. Finding a niche is essential, and that’s easier if you’re willing to think outside of the box. Consider these unusual ideas and whether they could work for you.
Cash in on the Sharing Economy
Starting a business that caters to the sharing economy isn’t all that unusual anymore. You can find sites to share property, vehicles, and equipment. However, there’s still plenty of room to figure out something that hasn’t been done yet. Being able to think creatively is extremely helpful if you want to come up with this kind of idea. What do people have that they don’t use all the time, and other people might pay to borrow? It’s been done with spare rooms, RVs, and parking spaces. You can even rent chickens. If you can come up with something no one else is doing or that you think you can do better, you could be onto a winner.
Open a Parking Lot
When people have some land, they usually think of what they can build on it. But what if you don’t have to do much building at all? If you’ve acquired some land, or you’re thinking of doing so, paving over it could give you a business. Of course, you’re going to need a few more things to turn it into a proper parking lot. That is, unless you have bought an existing parking lot. After ensuring that any legal issues are covered, you’ll have to develop the lot so it’s suitable. Painted lines will keep everything in order, while LED flood lights and security cameras will keep it safe at night. You might have a parking lot attendant with a boot, or you might rely on machines for it to operate without any staff.
Hyper-focused Retail
Have you ever heard of the store that only sells purple things? The Purple Store sells a huge range of items, but every single product is a shade of purple. This Seattle online store might seem strange and quirky, but it’s very successful. They have managed to capitalize on people who love all things purple. They have everything from jewelry to teddy bears and kitchen appliances. You could come up with a similar idea that focuses on something specific. It doesn’t have to be a color or anything along those lines. Some businesses choose to sell just one or two products, but they ensure those products are as good as they can be.
Delivered to Their Door
People like when things come to them, instead of them having to leave the house. You can see the success that apps such as Soothe, the massage app, have had. Not only do people want to get a service to come to them, but they want it to be instant. They want to be able to tap a couple of buttons on their phone or computer and have what they need within the hour. Of course, you can get plenty of businesses to bring you food. But there are even services that will come and clean your house the morning after a heavy party. In fact, Hangover Helpers in Colorado do just that, and they bring you a burrito and a Gatorade to perk you up. There are surely still many ideas along the same lines that you could come up with.
Subscriptions
Similarly to having services that turn up at your door within minutes, people love subscriptions. They can sign up to have something delivered to them every month, or even every week. It works well for things people don’t have time to do. It can also be for people who want to explore something new, or a regular purchase it can be tedious to keep ordering. For example, you can get a subscription for an organic, recyclable cat litter box. Women can order boxes for their periods, with everything from sanitary products to chocolate. You can buy subscriptions for coffee, beer, and groceries. If there’s something you could turn into a regular delivery, it could work as a subscription service.
If you can identify a need for something, you could come up with a successful business idea. Think creatively to come up with something unique.