Free Business Ideas

#19: Airport Lockers

2005-08-26T09:44:00.000-07:00

Almost off the airline travel kick.

So I travel a lot, as do many people. Barring the security risk I could use a locker from time to time. You come into the airport with your heavy ski jacket or rain coat and are headed to Florida. It sure could save me some space on the cramped little seat if I could store it. For me, it would be home away from home. Sad, but true.

Maybe I could build a business that sells secure "home-away-from-home" temporary living quarters as well.

#18: Motrin Placebo for Kids

2005-08-26T09:43:00.000-07:00

"But Daddy my leg hurts".

Kids grow, and they play hard, and they like candy. Guess what Children's Motrin tastes like?Most kids would eat 2 Motrin every night before bed if they could. Do they all need it? So why not a little placebo. I am sure my kids are asleep well before it would ever kick in, so it must be the flavor. You could even charge just 1$ less than the real Motrin and make a killing.

#17: Keep the Silence in the Air

2005-08-26T09:41:00.000-07:00

While we are on the topic of air travel, do I need to start a coalition to stop the legalization of cell phones on airplanes? Just tell me what I would need to do and how much it would cost. The peace in the sky is golden. Please do not support this legalization.

Just consider what this would do if it were legalized. You could listen to the person next to you recite their last visit to the Dr. and then listen to the teenager on the other side of you like talk about "stuff", and then overhear the play-by-play, third hand as 'mom' talks to the stay-at-home-husband as he deals with the kids and dogs. I mean come on. I have yet to hear a deep meaningful cell phone conversation. I mean, deep and meaningful. Closing business does not count and getting and giving status does not either.

Do we think anyone would ever sleep on a plane again?

Would the pilot be allowed to talk and fly? Sure, why not?

I'd outlaw them in restaurants if I could. Hmm, sounds like a good cause to take up in Boulder.

And if we can enable cell phones in the air then why are we waiting to enable a wireless network on every plane, I mean come on.

#16: Starbucks in the Sky with Diamonds

2005-08-26T09:35:00.000-07:00

Man I travel too much. Many, and I mean many, people ask me "so where do you work" once they learn what I do. I now reply with "5F". Most laugh. But that has been my life for the past many years. And along the way I have become accustom to the "Stabuck's Mocha", how else can you get off a plane and walk into a meeting and then deal with 30+ people in the morning. And how an out all those airline bankruptcies? What if we put all this together and brew it up with an extra shot of "let's make some money.

How about the "United State Room" on all 777's and 747's. Here is what you get to enjoy in this exclusive room:
- Fine mixed drinks (Top Shelf, not the crap in 1st class)
- $10 - Mocha's, Latte's, Fraphuchino's
- $3 premium above Stabuck's pricing (rounded to the whole $)
- A decent magazine (Road & track, SI, etc.)
- Colors - Well beyond the toupe walls of the aircraft. Maybe a picture or two. How about a digital display of the view from the cockpit and the rear vapor trails.

And you can get all this with an annual membership fee (some obscene amount)

Now the question would United just whore this idea out to more of a "just keep on walking sir" approach and have Juan brew it all up in a bathroom sized stall with a window, handing out the yummies?

#15: Everyone sounds sexy!

2005-03-23T16:22:00.000-08:00

How many times do you talk to someone on the phone? Quite often I bet. And how many of you have a special ring tone that you downloaded for $1.00 of your favorite phone provider site? I bet you have more than one. I personally like the Mission Impossible one, I use it for my staff. Anyway, what if you could do a similar thing but with voice synthesizers? This would allow you to make your voice sound the way you want. I personally would like the "Scarface" voice pattern. I think that would sound cool. This would allow you to have your own 'unique voice' that no one would forget.

Now the corollary, means consequently for those of you non technical types, would be to allow you to treat voice tones just like ring tones. This would allow you to have certain voice patterns on your phone and you could pre assign them to phone numbers that you have on your phone. I would of course have the "Marilyn Monroe" voice pattern for that special someone. But this gets a little silly since you cannot always predict who would be calling from that particular phone number. I mean what if your mom called from the Benny Hill or the Sharon Stone sounding phone, euyew.

Figure $50 a voice pattern and you could make a mint off the choices of today's actors, and my own I might add. I am thinking I could sell this right away to all the call centers for every telephone company and telemarketing company for starters.

#14: Mood Lighting on a DVD

2005-03-07T08:21:00.000-08:00

Ever wanted to get that special someone in the mood? Lighting, lighting, lighting. You know how bright that 30" LCD is in your bedroom. Well, put it to good use! How about a DVD full of colors. You could select specific colors or allow it to run in a few different random modes (strobing if you into the hard and fast stuff, or slow red to orange to yellow transitions for those slow times.) Figure $6.99 a disc. As my friend says "All I want is a $1 for each one", cause we know we would sell a million + of them.

Remember lighting sets the mood!

#13: Prime the Economy: Sell Your Sex

2005-03-01T08:03:00.000-08:00

Hey lucky #13. We all know sex sells. So go out and sell it. Yep, go whore yourself out for one event. Figure $1000 a pop. Just think what that can do for your local economy; everyone spending some extra cash. (But most importantly, think of the joy!) Don't forget to claim your taxes tho. Come on folks, that will be the only way we can get this thing to fly is to pay Uncle Sam his $270 portion. What IRS agent would have an issue with that? So what would you do with an extra $730? Maybe you need to gross up your rate to cover the inflation or taxes in your local area.

So next time you need the 'really nice tablesaw' or the 'ice maker in the door feature' just remember some extra cash is right there in your pocket, literally.

#12: Wine Cellar Slot Sized Humidor

2005-02-28T16:52:00.000-08:00

Do you have a wine cellar? Does your friend? And do you like a nice cigar once in a while but that spouse of yours will never let you light that thing in the house nor would they want to ever smell it? So why not a small humidor box for your wine cellar? How about one that is the exact size of a standard wine bottle opening? Now what would you pay, $100? Just think you could pack in 6-12 nice Cuban's in the few empty wine slots. Little labels on the ends of the humidor are extra and allow you to label each one. Add $50 for the clear Plexiglas version.

Ah I can smell one now....

#11: Stroller Tuning

2005-02-28T16:39:00.000-08:00

Gee I must be on a 4x4 kick...
It seems these days you can lift any thing 2" (ATV's, Jeeps, Trucks, Bikes, etc.) So why not my stroller? We have this cool stroller with some slightly larger than average tires, for a stroller, and some very minor shocks. I am sure you have seen them around or physically tripped over them in the malls. Why not give the kiddies a better view, offer them more protection, keep them safer, just by adding some bigger tires and a 2" lift. They might ride smoother too when pushing them over the parking lot curbs.

#10: Local 4x4 Trips

2005-01-24T09:14:00.000-08:00

Have you ever wanted to take your Jeep or truck out onto a trail and just see what it could do? Be careful, you will need a buddy and it is extremely addictive for the thrill hounds out there. I was in this situation a few years ago with my Jeep Grand Cherokee (WJ). What a capable vehicle and with a 2" lift and larger tires I was set to hit some of the easier local trails. I soon graduated to a Jeep Rubicon (TJ) with axle lockers, 7" of lift and 35" tires. And where did I do all this work, at my local 4x4 shop of course. Those guys are great and they love to see me come in to the shop for the next modification. I approached them about sponsoring local trail rides in the summer. After I gave them the business parameters they were able to put together 5 monthly rides a year. What a great way to get the new customer out onto a trail and get them addicted to the sport and your local 4x4 shop. This drove business for them on the first trip as attendees came back in the following week to tune up their vehicles for the next trail ride. Keeping it exclusive to 'new customers', meaning anyone who has spent $'s with the shop over the past 6 months, has increased customer satisfaction and driven sales higher.

Just think how cool it would be to have your mechanic along with you on your first trail ride. It is a lot of fun and can be very family oriented. Take this idea to your local 4x4 shop and see what they say. Tell 'em Pony Haired Fool sent ya.

#9: 4x4 Land

2005-01-24T09:07:00.000-08:00

I love to go 4-wheeling. There is just something about climbing over large rocks with a vehicle that gets me psyched. Your senses are all a tingle, your bum is all in a pucker and your heart is up in your throat as you crest large hills and worry about what was just torn off your vehicle from the last 'thunk'. But with all the conservationists and activitsts these days there are becoming fewer and fewer locations to find these thrills and loose these important car parts. As more and more areas are closed down folks are forced into smaller areas which result in more damage and abuse in those areas as well as unapporved areas.

My idea is to create locations where folks can go and enjoy the sport. There are a few options in this approach. The first is very conventional; purchase some land in the high country, craft the trails, and advertise. This is a very expensive approach and is very location dependent. Having a dedicated and managed area is a good way to draw folks away from the out-of-bounds areas and provide more safety.

The second approach to this is to build dedicated 4x4 areas out of actual trash. Ok, I know this sounds weird but hang on. Take some commercial property that is on the outskirts of town, fence it, and haul in some of the larger trash from your local dump: Cement pipes, Wire spools, fridgerators. Then build a series of courses. Also plant lots trees around the perimeter and along the course. Be sure to cover much of the course with cement and dirt. This allows for a better look and keeps the course in shape much longer. This business can be much closer to towns and will attract a lot of spectators($'s). Vendors are able to access the area much easier too, allowing your business to grow. This would also be a good location to provide 4x4 training courses at all levels. Keeping it open on weekends allows the weekly employed to run a hobby on the side and keep the conservationists at bay. (I did read an article in a 4x4 magazine about a very similar event that was put on recently, so this one is not that new, but more of an awareness.)

#8: Mmmmm Donut...

2005-01-24T08:27:00.000-08:00

Man I like donuts, don't you? There is nothing like a 'Hot One' at 2:00am on the way home from the bar. Just the smell of the dough boiling in oil can make the tummy rumble. Every town needs a donut shop, especially those small mountain towns. Just think of driving into town from hours of traveling and smelling those hot glazed gut bombs. Mmmmmmm. This is where Dunkin Donuts fell down. Re-invent your business guys, come on, service the smaller populations and create miniature monopolies. But then comes along LaMar's. Wow, these are good and they taste more 'home made'. Feels like a good candidate for the smaller towns.

I really hope folks take up this idea, I could really use a donut next time I am up in the high country.

I'm off to a bear claw now...

#7: OpenSource Your Business Ideas

2004-12-08T13:25:00.000-08:00

My intent with this Blog is to use it as an actual tool, to communicate ideas that I have had over the years but have not had the time nor energy to implement. Many of you may be wondering why would I do such a thing. I would encourage you to look at a trend that has emerged over the past 15 years called Open Source. This was a movement in the computer industry to help facilitate the creation of software. Basically someone would begin to write a program and then make the source code available to others. The other people would improve upon the code and return it to the author. The author would then re-package the improvements and release it back to the public for general use. This has become so popular, as it allows for the addition of value added ideas building upon the original in a well manage process, that it has been applied to an actual operating system called Linux.

Maybe someday this blog could be seen as the genesis to emerging business ideas. Maybe these ideas could be piloted by venture capitalists, or maybe just used as test cases for business school professors. In any case I did not want the ideas to go to waste so I thought I would set them free, as well as me free from thinking about them. (However, what I have discovered is that as I free myself from the last idea new ones seem to creep into my head.) I think I'll invite all you readers to the party when I post my 100th idea. ;-)

Ok, some are more far fetched and fantasy based than others, but you need to start somewhere.

#6: HiLift for SnowMobiles

2004-12-08T11:59:00.000-08:00

Do you have a lot of toys at your vacation home? Not enough room for all the family snowmobiles in the one car garage? I have heard of scooters that can be used to move the sleds around, which is a great idea. How about a smaller version of the car port that hoists the second car on top of first? These guys are close but need more altitude. If you were able to double your storage space, now what would you pay? $400-500? I suspect most folks would want one or maybe 2 of these.

If someone builds this, email me.

#5: LiquorLand - Where an adult can be a drunk fool

2004-11-29T14:42:00.000-08:00

While part bar, part McDonald, part amusement park and part liquor store, LiquorLand has everything needed to please the fun loving alcoholic in all of us. As an adult, where can you go to let loose in a ball pit shaped like a 5000 gallon keg or drive a 1/3 scale car under intoxication, all while remaining perfectly safe? Would you like to sample some of the newest beverages on the market in a comfortable setting? Bean bags, shag carpeting, and disco balls can be found in 'Retro Kingdon', acrylic chairs, laser lights and foggy floors can be found in 'Future Kingdon'.

I think this would be best run and managed by the state gov't. I know this sounds really far out but they are the only ones that could afford the insurance premiums, and what a money maker. Think Lotto.

Come on down to the LiquorLand nearest you.

Every state needs one of these.

#4: Oh So Trashy

2004-11-29T14:39:00.000-08:00

Ever been in a remote area for several days or with several people and needed a trash can? Several vacation communities have a similar issue. My vacation home, which I frequent 1-2 times per month, is in a high altitude Colorado town where trash management comes at a premium. We have elected, like many others, to not purchase waste removal and do it ourselves. This equates to an inconvenience and sometimes a smelly ride home. For others it has turned into an opportunity to hammer-throw the trashbags into the wilderness. No better way to attract bears, mountain lions and moose than a half eaten donut or some smelly fruit peelings. Littering just drives me nuts.

On the way out of town a trash management station could be placed to allow the tourist or short-timers to drop off their trash before heading home. $1 per bag. Maybe a vending style machine to reduce the cost of supporting the station? There must be a more cost effective way and more efficient manner to clean up these areas. This is just one idea of many on the topic.

#3: Is Large Support Just a Snap?

2004-11-13T11:02:00.000-08:00

Ok Bali, Playtex listen up...

This idea comes to us via my friend's new girlfriend. While out on the town one night with a good friend of mine, his girlfriend, who is well endowed, was complaining that she has never been able to find a large bra that has 'just one clasp'. The single clasp is a core requirement for women in the dating scene; easing access and decreasing time to pleasure.

So the idea is to create a single clasp large cup bra. While the women I have surveyed about this idea are willing and eager to drop $150+ for such a solution, the concept posses an engineering challenge. How do you make a clasp strong enough but yet comfortable enough? Would a snapping sort of solution work? Not being 'in the biz' of knowing the science of supportive women's undergarments I leave this for the the experts. If such an expert is reading this, please enlighten us all as to why this is still a challenge today. Is $150/bra and the volume of large breasted women a large enough total addressable market (TAM) to support such a solution?

Best of luck.

#2: ET for the Masses

2004-11-10T07:58:00.000-08:00

Have you ever watched Entertainment Tonight? Well it seems that most of the US population does at some point or another. I have not watched much tv given the evolution of Tivo, Digital Cable, DVD's and having some nice LCD and Plasma screens around. However, I was thinking, what would get me and most of the rest of the US public watching a show like this? Is it a hotter chick, a hotter guy? Nah, well maybe, but that gets old and the mgmt is put into a continual 'upgrade' situation. The upgrading becomes very costly and it is hard to find the right degree of pretty vs intelligence. I think in general the content is decent, you can tell a lot of research has gone into discovering, tracking and documenting our beloved idols, with little harassment. So how do you twist ET a bit and make it more interesting, retain the valuable content, while keeping costs down or even greatly reducing costs?

You pitch the hosts/anchors, sorry Mary Hart and Mark Steines. And you open these 2 positions up to the up-and-coming actors. (I think you can still retain the commentaries of Leonard Maltin and the others for their parts.) So now you get musitians, artists, actors and directors into the scene and give them a shot at the tv viewing population. For these folks the face-time is key and it gives an avenue for discovery of talent. ET could even drive utilization of their web-site by posting a poll for feedback on the anchors. I would also give each anchor a 3-5 minute spot to talk about their 'topic'. So a bit more open than usual and it would entice the anchors, hence reducing the cost.

The only issue I see is attracting enough interest from the up-and-comers to fill 6 nights a week. Ok, first off how much of this can we American's take? Maybe this is a spin-off to a Friday night only show, keeping the effort down to once a week until enough traction can be made. Is this too much like MTV? Well what has MTV become? Geez, all I want is a music video once in a while (don't get me started.)

Hmm, I might even start watching ET or visiting the site to see who is coming up next with this sort of model.

#1: Denver Grand Prix RC Track

2004-11-09T20:17:00.000-08:00

This business idea came to me when I attended the Denver Grand Prix in the summer of 2004. Thanks to my 3 friends and the round of drinks to get me into that zone which brings out my creative juices.

We noticed an excellent new attraction at the Denver Grand Prix this year; go-carts. And not just little my-7-year-old-can-drive-this-go-cart. These were multi-hp, loud, wide-tire, helmet-required go carts that could do 45+ mph on the back stretch. And the track, well it was an exact scale replica of the Denver Grand Prix, right across from pit-row. Well worth the wait in line and the ~$25 for 10 minutes with 3 other drives. What a rush and I'd do it again next year.

The business idea is to take this model and scale it down yet again. Drop in a scaled down version of the track yet again and run remote-controlled (RC) cars on it. I suspect we could come up with a similar level of investment-to-return ratio. Why not hit both of these events as you are walking past the entrance? Why not scale this to have a small track at each entrance(3) ? After having this epiphany I did notice a very small RC track inside the infield part of the track, however it was very small and the cars were stock cars that handled very poorly. I suspect at a $350 per car investment we could do well with 4-6 cars and charge $10/10 minutes. The track creation is straightforward; paint and haybails at a minimum.

If someone from the Denver Grand Prix or the City of Denver reads this and likes the idea, let me know and maybe I could spend some time helping you size it up in more detail. I know several people who fir the DGP demographic who would wait in a 20 minute line for this level of entertainment.