| Sometimes you just get stuck for ideas. Your mind is | | | | use as: personal stationery, certificates, presentation |
| a blank. It makes it even harder to come up with the | | | | scrolls, printing paper for manually operated printing |
| goods if your present or future business rests on | | | | presses etc. |
| your ideas. A little help and inspiration for a new | | | | 15. Bring out a selection of lucky charms which are |
| article, a new product, or a completely new business | | | | for hanging from the windscreens of cars, vans and |
| wouldn't go amiss in these circumstances. | | | | lorries. The charms might be mini horseshoes, rabbits' |
| The purpose of the ideas in this series of articles is | | | | feet, wooden or plastic number sevens, four leaf |
| to get your brain thinking. The ideas may seem a bit | | | | clovers, etc. Package your charms and distribute to a |
| crazy and unrealistic - almost too simple. But.... the | | | | wide range of retailers. |
| intention is for these ideas to act as a trigger, making | | | | 16. Begin a business which manufactures kits for |
| you say something like: "That idea's ridiculous, but if I | | | | making mosaics. Each kit has a pre-designed mosaic |
| change it around a bit I could..." So, use one or more | | | | and people have to complete it like a jigsaw puzzle. |
| of these ideas as your starting point and brainstorm | | | | Use ads in craft magazines to sell the kits by mail |
| your way to a new opportunity. | | | | order. |
| 1. Begin an enterprise which sells garden gates door | | | | 17. Set up an enterprise which sells greenhouses door |
| to door. On your sales trips, take with you a smart | | | | to door. Buy the greenhouses from manufacturers at |
| folder which has a large photograph of each gate | | | | trade prices. Produce sales literature and recruit sales |
| you are selling. Provide potential customers with a | | | | people to sell the greenhouses for you. |
| price which includes installation. Your target houses | | | | 18. Start a postal business which rents out war |
| should be easy to spot! | | | | gaming model soldiers and other accessories. War |
| 2. Start a home based computer bureau. There are | | | | gaming enthusiasts around the nation can use this |
| hundreds of business computer programs available | | | | service to play war games of any size from any |
| such as wages, record files and accounts. Buy and | | | | period of history. |
| use these programs to provide a computer service | | | | 19. If you have a spare room, take in a lodger, or |
| to local businesses. | | | | start a small scale bed and breakfast business. If you |
| 3. Set up a business which promotes the making of | | | | choose the latter, either place a sign outside your |
| lampshades. Lampshade making can be sold as either, | | | | house which reads 'Bed and Breakfast', 'Vacancies', or |
| an interesting new hobby, or a business opportunity. | | | | advertise in the window of a main newsagent. |
| Produce a mail order catalogue of lampshade making | | | | Currently you can earn a useful tax-free sum from |
| equipment and supplies. Advertise your catalogue in | | | | this method. |
| craft magazines. | | | | 20. Make money from anatomical charts. Use the |
| 4. Begin a computerised dating service. Operate this | | | | charts to: 1) make stylish framed prints; 2) make |
| service like a traditional dating service, but hold all | | | | unusual designs for T-shirts; 3) decorate household |
| your records on a computer and use the computer | | | | products such as wastepaper bins and lampshades; |
| to aid your search for compatible partners. Have | | | | 4) make decorative or educational posters; or 5) |
| leaflets about your service printed and place them at | | | | make a collection of educational slides. |
| shops in your area. | | | | 21. Make decorations for wine bottles. Each |
| 5. Be a sleep consultant. Large numbers of people | | | | decoration is slipped over the neck of a bottle. These |
| have difficulty in sleeping at night. This is not usually a | | | | decorations are either wood carved or metal |
| medical problem, but can be corrected by using a | | | | engraved with the name of a restaurant or family. Or |
| suitable method or attitude of mind. Provide people in | | | | make floral decorations: the scent of the flowers |
| your area with confidential advice about how to sleep | | | | complementing the bouquet of the wine. |
| soundly. | | | | 22. Start a craft business which makes unusual table |
| 6. Start a venture which designs and manufactures | | | | lamps. Each table lamp might feature a stand made |
| portable theatrical footlights. Potential buyers of | | | | of a conch shell or Victorian bottle. If you hit upon a |
| these footlights include: amateur theatre and dance | | | | design which is popular, and there are no problems |
| groups, pop and rock groups, children's entertainers, | | | | with obtaining raw materials, this can become a full |
| variety entertainers, nightclubs and mobile disc | | | | time business. |
| jockeys. | | | | 23. Take up the craft of jewellery making and as |
| 7. Create an enterprise which rents computers to | | | | soon as you acquire a basic skill, start selling what |
| private and business users. The computers you rent | | | | you make. Begin by sending for a catalogue issued |
| out might be new and second hand. Also rent out | | | | by a mail order jewellery making supplier. |
| peripherals such as printers, stands and feeders. Use | | | | 24. Start a mail order firm which sells equipment and |
| local media to inform people about your hire service. | | | | supplies to weavers and spinners. An important |
| 8. Buy original computer games programs from home | | | | market for your products will be those taking up |
| computer enthusiasts. Find these programs by | | | | weaving and spinning for the first time. Place ads in |
| advertising in computing magazines. Produce a | | | | craft magazines which are directed at this group. |
| compilation of the programs on a master tape. Have | | | | 25. Produce souvenir children's height charts which |
| copies of this master tape duplicated on cassettes | | | | feature postcard type views of local scenery. Or |
| and sell from ads in home computing magazines. | | | | make souvenir suntan charts. These suntan charts |
| 9. Produce a series of low cost audio cassettes which | | | | have the complete range of skin shades. A holiday |
| help school pupils revise for public examinations. You | | | | maker buys a suntan chart to make a 'before' and |
| might give these cassettes a brand name like | | | | 'after' comparison. |
| 'Personal Revision Cassettes'. Get these cassettes | | | | 26. Put together a postal course which teaches |
| stocked at newsagents and bookshops. | | | | people how to cut silhouettes. The course might |
| 10. Set up a firm which publishes a monthly computer | | | | include instruction on how to cut all kinds of |
| cassette program for home computer enthusiasts | | | | silhouettes such as landscapes, animals and people. |
| who want to improve their program writing skills (e.g. | | | | These silhouettes can be framed or mounted to |
| C++, html or web design). Each cassette might give | | | | make attractive wall hangings. |
| ideas, examples and tips about how to become a | | | | 27. Start a venture which organises courses about |
| better computer programmer. | | | | how to build your own house extension or loft |
| 11. Start a firm which organises educational holidays | | | | conversion. Hold the courses during the weekends at |
| and weekend breaks for computing enthusiasts who | | | | the construction site of an extension or conversion. |
| want to further their programming skills. The courses | | | | Or a bed and breakfast house could be hired out of |
| might be held at a bed & breakfast house out of | | | | season for a week long course. |
| season. Advertise your holidays and breaks in | | | | 28. Begin a craft business which makes either |
| computing magazines. | | | | souvenir or normal tea cosies. Find suitable retail |
| 12. Design and publish diaries for each star sign. The | | | | outlets to stock your cosies. You might, for example, |
| special feature of these diaries is that a star reading | | | | make souvenir tea cosies for tea rooms and cafes |
| is given for each day of the coming year. Have these | | | | to sell to their customers. |
| diaries mounted in a special display rack. Get | | | | 29. Earn money from selling cheap toys door to door. |
| astrological shops to accept one of your racks. | | | | Visit neighbourhoods which have an above average |
| 13. Use luminous paint (the kind used on watches and | | | | population of children. |
| alarm clocks) to highlight features on natural | | | | 30. Learn how to make soft toys with the long term |
| ornaments such as starfish, coral, colourful rocks, pine | | | | objective of being able to earn money from teaching |
| cones, etc. Place these ornaments in a UV illuminated | | | | others. Eventually, teach solo students, classes or use |
| display case to illustrate the luminosity. Get these | | | | diagrams to teach by post. Also, bring out a postal |
| cases displayed at gift shops. | | | | course which teaches people how to design their |
| 14. Start an enterprise which makes high quality, | | | | own soft toys. |
| home-made paper. Sell the paper at a premium for | | | | |