Five Offbeat Startup Ideas That Are Worth Their Weight In Hits
Startups are springing like mushrooms everywhere; and they offer just about everything from conferencing services and cool groomsmen gifts to domain names and engravable cufflinks. Before you jump into the fracas, however, and create a startup of your own, take the time to draft a plan. While all startups have no problems coming to life, most have trouble surviving. In fact, more than half of all startups established annually die quickly, sputtering out within months of business. By creating a business plan, you make sure you are not going into the market with rose-colored glasses.
The first rule of startups is to be first. If you can’t, then be the best. If this isn’t possible, then be the cheapest. If even this is out of the question as well, then the least you could aim for is interesting.
Here are five startups you most likely have not heard of. By virtue of being first and interesting, these startups are sure to be huge moneymakers.
1. http://www.bagborroworsteal.com
What if you were not born rich but need to look the part? Well, you Bag, Borrow, or Steal. For a monthly fee, this designer handbag shop lets customers choose designer handbags online and borrow them for as long as they need to. Monthly fees could be anywhere from $20 to $175. This might seem pricey to you, but it’s small change to those who are trying to buy or befriend their way into the Fendi lifestyle.
2. http://www.peasy.com
Finding parking space can be a bitch, and this is precisely what peasy.com is counting on. An online marketplace for parking space, Peasy.com lets you search for parking spaces and book them even before you could leave the house. Peasy.com utilizes a network of homeowners with unused parking spaces to increase slot availability for clients.
3. http://darknessradio.com
What’s the one thing better than ghost stories? Going on spook tours, of course! Tim Dennis of Burnsville and Circle Pines’ Dave Schrader take groups on spook tours to haunted hotels and cruise ships. Travelers shell out between $180 to $250 for each trip, and this fee is non-inclusive of lodging and transportation
4. http://www.pickydomains.com
Want to sell engraved Zippo lighters online but can’t think of a catchy name for your site? For $50, this risk-free domain naming service can flood you with domain-naming options.
5. http://www.newyourkey.com
If you’re a New Yorker and you’re always losing your key, go to this site. For a small fee, they will keep copies of your keys and deliver these to you the moment you find yourself locked out of the apartment!
These five creative startups are proof that in business, if you can’t be first or best, then you should aim for quirky.
