Just as some people need help being neat, perhaps some obsessive types need help being sloppy. Business-wise, the great thing about this service is employees would be a snap to find. Then again, such help is probably widely available for free. Everybody has a friend who’d be only too happy to come and leave stuff Read More …
National or international event: It’s like getting a wrong number on purpose. You sign up with your phone company that you’re willing to place and accept a random call. You call on the event day (best to have it during some miserable month, like February) and get connected to someone somewhere who sees your picture while Read More …
Disclaimers seem so formulaic, seems like you could build a form that generates disclaimers. It’d have a disclaimer, of course.
Posted this idea on the Millions of Hundred-Dollar Ideas website, because its madcap maven, Drew Anderson, was nervy/nutty/nice enough to invite some folks to do a little ghostbloggging while he was on a trip.
That’s my new guidepost as I refine some board and card games I’ve designed. For an idea to succeed, it has to be simple enough to immediately grasp. And not just grasp the concept, but what it offers the user/player/buyer. It’s OK if complications ensue. Take Monopoly. A game of buying and selling real estate. Promises you’ll Read More …
Want to outdo the Truth Booth? Right next to it, set up the Praise Chaise. (OK, I’m committing another Rhyme Crime.) Anyway, a silver-tongued host stands by a lounge chair, and invites people to lay back and relax, while getting effusively flattered (an ego massage). Bet this would do better business than the Truth Booth, but they might complement (and Read More …
Caricatures. Palm readings. Balloon-tying. Face-painting. And once upon a time, kissing. Many are the arts and gimmicks people have provided in booths at fairs and malls, for profit and nonprofits. But how about a Truth Booth? Basically, somebody sits there and when someone pays a buck or two, gives a truthful answer to a question. Could be about the asker (“Is Read More …
Ever notice how many current and once-popular brands sound like baby talk or nonsense? Google. Barbie. Madonna. Sudoku. Bambi. Yahoo. Howdy Doody. Coca-Cola. Pokemon. Pop-Eye. Wham-O. Oreo. Goobers. iPod. eBay. Frisbee. Gumby. ABBA. Barbra. Pizza. The Doobie Brothers. Dydie Diapers. Tutti frutti. The Bee Gees. BVDs. Jeep. Fuji. Hula Hoop. Uma. Oprah. Subaru. OK I’m exaggerating, but simple nonsense is (a) simple, (b) Read More …
Make-a-Box cardboard comes in several sizes. Small is perfect to make a box for a deck of cards. Run it through your inkjet, printing not only your designs, but the faint dotted lines where you need to cut or fold. Larger sizes are perfect for ties and other gifts, CDs and DVDs, any use your mind desires. You’d Read More …
What if stores had PhoneZones where customers could tap into all kinds of customer service options through their cellphones? Rohit Bhargava starts a discussion on his Influential Interactive Marketing blog, saying a photograph of a barcode could give shoppers immediate access to all sorts of price and product information. I’d like to see it do even more, like fetch a salesperson, tell what’s in Read More …
Few newspapers ever do the kind of nitty-gritty detail surveys that really reveal what readers actually read. Oh sure, there are phone surveys and focus groups, but who’s going to admit, “Well, I always read the comics and horoscopes, never the national news”? And with so much content to cover, what survey gets into this columnist vs. columnist, this Read More …
One worry I have is that many of the ideas here are tricky to turn into a business. But here’s a way to make money right away, have income to write off expenses, get feedback, find possible collaborators, and collect information that could become a book: Teach an evening class at a local high school. Want to write a Read More …
The Great American Idea Book. OK, it’s out of date (1993) and out of stock, but spending $2 for a used copy online could be a great investment. Surveys almost all the ways to turn ideas into income, from music to inventions to starting a business. A surprise to me: Writing books ranks high for reward vs. risk. Your biggest expense Read More …
World’s easiest job, right? Probably not, but doesn’t everybody think so? “I drive a car, so why couldn’t I tell Ford or Chevy how to improve cars, and get paid for it?” Well, let’s give a bunch of regular people just that chance. Each week, they visit another major corporation (can you say sponsors, boys Read More …