I’ve always believed the only thing that differentiates us from animals is our ideas and our ability to execute and develop them. Everything excellent that humans have ever achieved was at its conception a rough unpolished idea. With that said, ideas are a dime a dozen; everyone who has ever taken a shower has had a (potentially) great idea. The question is how are you going to move forward with your idea - which is where most ideas reach their sudden and unfortunate end.
This is why I’ve always been very comfortable giving out my ideas, cause while they may (or may not) sound great, pursuing them is a whole different ballgame.
Here are 14 ideas that I’ve had for a while that I have no particular interest (at this time) to pursue. So if you do end up deciding to pursue one of these, I hope you absolutely kill it! I think they all have merit and may or may not already exist in some capacity.
If you love this, let me know - I’ll release more in the future as I have a large list of ideas just idling. The few that I actually do intend to pursue I’ll keep a secret, for now.
Biggest Story of the Week Podcast - Ideally I would do this with another host. Focus on good banter, and good chemistry. We break down the biggest story of the week in a fun & informative way. A 30-minute show. Since I already have my own podcast and have experience hosting, this should be pretty easy to do. The hardest part is finding someone that you can authentically generate great on-air energy with.
Privatized dog parks - Public dog parks are rife with problems. If you are a dog owner, I’m sure you’ve experienced it yourself. The idea is to create a membership-based dog park, one that is weatherproof and can work year-round. Limit the number of dogs allowed in per hour, screen dogs in advance to make sure they are sociable, have attendees on hand to help with social skills (if owners are interested), and give both owners & dogs a safer (and cleaner/more sanitary) experience. A LOT of upsell options here.
Soofgi - a Sufganyah Store - 365 days a year of sufganiyot. A Sufgayah (singular) is a delicious Jewish dessert that is only served for 2 months out of the year, around Hanukkah time. It is not easily found across the US, but in Israel, it is extremely popular around November /December. The idea is to open up a store, similar to the Crumbl business model, offering 5 different sufganiyot every week or two. Small store, one product, multiple SKUs, great branding, strong social media presence.
Sunblock for men - Most men are averse to putting on sunblock, not sure why, we just are. While women tend to lather it all over, we brush it off as unnecessary or perhaps unmanly. The idea is to do what Dr. Squatch did for soap; make it manly. This is a pure branding/marketing play. Give the sunblock a manly branding, look, voice, & overall aesthetic. Make it fun, and playful, while still voicing the importance of it. I think the right packaging with the right tone could kill it.
Gifting Website - This is an affiliate marketing play. Answer 10-20 questions and the AI-based website will redirect you to the best places based on the algorithm to find a gift for anyone on your list based on your answers. You collect a small % for every user that purchases from multiple sites.
A B2B2C platform to connect tenants in buildings - I’ve lived in a few buildings over the last few years and while paying rent has become digitally easier, communication from the building to the tenant has not. The idea - An app where tenants can communicate between themselves if they want to sell items, create a party, find a dog walker, or do any other thing they wish. It is also the place where the building can notify tenants of upcoming events, issues, office closing dates, etc. This would be free to tenants - you would sell the software to large buildings for a monthly subscription fee.
Recipe social media - When my grandmother unexpectedly passed away many years ago, she took with her a wealth of recipes that were in her head and that nobody really knew how to recreate. There are countless family recipes out there, and home chefs, who are more than willing to share their amazing recipes, but no platform to do it on. The idea is to create a social platform where you follow your favorite people/recipes. A creator website that is focused on food. Easier than Youtube or TikTok since you don’t have to create videos. Simply list out the recipe in full, add a picture and the category it belongs to. Your growth and popularity will be determined based on how many people like it/upvote it. The main page is where people can scroll through the most popular recipes of the day.
The Honest Company version for dogs - Most dog food/toys/products and really anything else they put in their mouth, is frankly crap. There are a handful of food companies out there offering quality products but no one that I’ve noticed has focused on really offering a healthy, natural, holistic dog brand by creating high-quality, chemical-free, organic - chews, beds, clothes & obviously food - that is top-tier.
Sauna Place - Saunas are extremely popular in Europe (and the rest of the world) but haven’t caught on as much in the US, unfortunately. Saunas have many health benefits that we are simply missing out on. The idea is a membership + drop-in type brick & mortar, where you can come in, get into different types of saunas for x amount of minutes, and reap the health benefits.
A drone that can safely detect and blow up land mines. There are still millions of landmines across the world. Injuring more than 10,000 people annually. One estimate guesses that the cost of removing all existing mines would be $50 - $100 billion. One way they’re currently detecting them and blowing them up is by using landmine-sniffing rats (no, seriously). I always wondered if the technology was available to use drones to detect them via some technologically advanced sensors and cameras and then blow them up while safely in the air. You could sell the drones (or technology) to NGOs or governments.
A Moving App - Moving is the worst! From the moment you call the movers for the first time til you settle in in your new home, it’s a hot mess. While this idea does not fully cure that, it at least aims to give you transparency from the onset. An AI video app that scans your house & furniture and calculates the exact cubic footage & volume & quantity of furniture then sends that to the moving company so you get an exact quote. I have personally seen so many people get misquoted when they use a moving company, this would “regulate” that and make sure people get the right quote with minimal shenanigans.
A HotSpring Youtube Channel - Hotsprings, the natural ones, are notoriously hard to find and often to reach. A fun, exciting, well-shot, Youtube channel showing & documenting all of the hot springs in the US. Bi-weekly videos and perhaps even a website that would allow people to easily search & find the existing & available hot springs. I think this would be a really fun and popular Youtube channel.
Healthy gas stations + EV charging - Gas station food is notoriously cheap, bad & unhealthy. An alternative gas station chain that would offer healthier options at a similar price point, with a focus on, but not exclusively, EV charging.
Stand Up Fighting League - This one is a bit out there but I’ve always thought this would be very cool. Think, UFC but no ground game. It would simply allow any and all striking, clinching, chokes, everything. The idea is to keep it on the feet, if your opponent manages to throw you down 5 times in a round, you’re out. I think it would make for an exciting & entertaining fight. A lot of the criticism that the UFC currently gets is that (sometimes) a fighter will grab another fighter and pin him to the ground leaving the rest of the round with little to no action. Some fighters have built a career around it, which makes for let’s face it boring fights. This would allow you to use any type of discipline you want as long as it is standing. With the explosion of MMA’s popularity, I think there is space for great fighting leagues to emerge and capture an audience that is not necessarily a fan of wrestling, BJJ, or any of the ground disciplines. There is an abundance of talented fighters across the world right now. Starting a league is a massive undertaking, but if someone can pull it off, I think there is boundless potential.
If any of these get your creative juices flowing, feel free to try building them. If you want more info about any specific idea, or maybe you want to do something together, reach out!