I had previously written 2 similar articles with “Business Ideas that You Can Steal” - Part 1 and Part 2 but I want to extend this series and drop a new one every once in a while.
Since I always have new ideas, 99% of which I will never pursue because you know - time, bandwidth, money, etc… I figured why not share them with my readers?
As always, if these already exist, send them my way, I’d love to see them.
BTW, if you aren’t subscribed to my other 2 newsletters, please check them out, they’re free, and they are GREAT! I make sure to pack as much value into each one each week. 👇
The Woof 🐶 & Not Your Mama’s Travel Guide 🇬🇷
Ok, let’s start:
Filled Croissants 🥐
Everyone loves a filled croissant, right? If you answer no to this, we can’t be friends.
There was a place I used to go to in Connecticut where they made killer croissants filled with chocolate or pistachio or vanilla or raspberry or otherworldly delights that would make the average person’s heart sing in joy. They had a ton of other baked goods but their croissants always stood out to me. I love the Crumbl Cookies model of having one product with 5 variations and changing that every week or two versus having 30 or 50 SKUs on hand.
I think this model is applicable here. These are low-cost items with high markups. Figure out a great recipe, add some creative branding, fun marketing, and a smart social media strategy; this could be a money-maker!
Copy and paste widget
Copy paste is just Command C & Command V but all you can do is paste the last thing you copied. What if there was a widget you could download that would allow you to paste one of the last 5 or 10 things you copied or perhaps had a favorite option or even AI suggestions? That’s the idea in a nutshell, a right-click option for more than the last thing you copied.
AI tool that spits out killer headlines
Let’s face it - headlines (or hooks) are everything. Current AI tools give you generic headlines or lackluster ones at best. The idea is to build an AI tool where you could upload an entire blog post, tweet, or newsletter and within seconds it would give you 3 killer headlines (or hooks) that would help drive traffic to your content. If your headline smacks, the people will tap. (This likely exists, but I haven’t seen it yet).
Grass-fed, grass-finished organic pet food 🐄
Dog food is going through a renaissance period. However, most pet parents still feed their dogs kibble and most meat in dog food still comes from leftovers from factory farms. The idea is to create a food company or treat company that would be firstly organic, secondly, come from small family farms, and thirdly have a transparent supply chain so that you know where your food comes from.
This is a premium product but with pet parents worrying more about the environmental impact their dog food is having and the health benefits this could do very well in some segments of the market.
Dog food from an invasive species
Another dog food idea. There are hundreds of invasive species all across the world. Instead of using the standard leftover meat from factory farming. Use invasive species, use local hunters, and put dollars back into the local economy. Save the environment, and help local economies, while still delivering high-quality protein? Sounds like a win-win-win to me.
Fishing newsletter
Fishing is huge! Newsletters are huge! Do the math! 🎣
I don’t know anything about fishing but I do know there is a massive community of people that love fishing more than the fish like water. I think there is a big opportunity to build a community around the hobby/lifestyle. If you’ve never talked to a fishing hobbyist you won’t understand how much they love it and how much they are willing to spend on equipment and finding the best fishing spots. If you are a halfway decent writer and know your fishin’, start this today.
Schnitzels - A fast food chain
Schnitzel has historically not had as much success in the US as other chicken products (I’m looking at you wings). However, I don’t see why if done right it shouldn’t be an absolute hit - all you have to do is Americanize it a little bit.
Picture this - a soft fresh baguette, and 10 different schnitzels (different delicious seasonings like Mediterranean, Mexican, etc…) to choose from with all the fixings.
Yes, I know, delicious.
Set it up with the same service line Chipotle has and give it some of that Daves Hot Chicken branding. Again one protein, 5 -8 seasonings, a few different baguettes, some add-ons - banger!
Liquid death model
Take a product that has historically been packaged in one way and package it in a completely different fashion. You still have to do everything else since the CPG space is hard, competitive, and often expensive. However, packaging that stands out on shelves will get attention and attention translates into free media which translates into SALES!
Some examples:
Wine in a can
Milk in a plastic bottle
Olive oil is a squeezable bottle
Cake in a can
Water in a beer bottle (Liquid Death)
Non-alcoholic beverage store
Seltzer, kombuchas, lemonades, energy drinks, canned mocktails, non-alcoholic aperitifs, cold brews, juices, sodas, ice teas, etc… There is a wide world of beverage brands out there that are not readily accessible. You either have to go online and order more than you want and wait a few days and pay shipping costs, or, try and find it at different grocery or specialty stores. Just like you have alcohol stores, you can do the same but for non-alcoholic beverages. This category is HUGE!
A go-to beverage spot with all the best drinks. Start in a few locales, test out the market, build a brand then expand into new markets.
AI Travel Itinerary
Ok, hear me out. A website that scans, scrapes, integrates and collects data points from different travel websites and reviews. Put in your prompt and ask the AI assistant to not only plan and schedule a whole itinerary based on your interests (and price range) but book it for you as well.
Example: Planning a weekend in North Carolina for a family of 5. You want to go to the best beaches, eat at gluten-free restaurants, see a comedy show, stay in a cute boutique hotel near the water with a good coffee shop close by, and enjoy some family activities. Your price range is $4000. The AI Assistant lists the itinerary and asks you to confirm the places it populates, and once you confirm, it books it all for you.
“I Failed” Podcast
Every business podcast interview is the same. Interviewing successful people who talk about, well, their… successes.
While that’s great and inspiring, personally, I want to feel the grime. I want to hear those same people open up about their failures, upsets, and their lonely and long nights when they thought about quitting (and trust me, they’ve all had those nights).
I think being a successful person makes it easier to talk about your failures. You’re on the other side, you went through the fire, you’ve learned your lessons and now you are ready to share it with other entrepreneurs. I honestly believe you learn just as much from “failure” - maybe even more - than you do from your successes.
A good podcast host is crucial to make this work.
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