Tag: new business ideas

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Smashing the myths of smooth operator entrepreneurs

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(Copyright © 2014 by Chesney Bradshaw, all rights reserved)

Why is it that the popular papers paint a picture of successful entrepreneurs as almost smooth operators that have somehow made their money through fast talking and conjuring up sleazy deals?

Is it just because the popular media need to conjure up a story that seems wild and fanciful? You know the kind of story, the one where the entrepreneur is something of a misfit, unable to fit into any company let alone society. The person who bangs at doors trying to get into the business world that keeps getting doors shut in his or her face. The old, familiar story of someone who is rejected and has to find a specialised or overlooked niche to make their mark or even has to leave the country of their birth to find more fertile ground for their entrepreneurial flair. Continue reading “Smashing the myths of smooth operator entrepreneurs”

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Which is your path to new business ideas?

(Copyright © 2014 by Chesney Bradshaw, all rights reserved)
(Copyright © 2014 by Chesney Bradshaw, all rights reserved)

Every creativity guru out there has a different process or description for generating and developing new ideas. But which ones of them work? Do you have to play on all sorts of levels of creativity to come up with a viable business idea?

The latest process I saw was one that breaks down creativity into five levels:

– idea preparation
– idea generation
– idea development
– idea enhancement
– idea activation

If any of this makes you want to fall asleep, I don’t blame you. I am extremely wary of these so-called success systems that claim to be helpful but are not nearly as new as they make out to be or are just simply unclear and filled with impressive abstract terms. Continue reading “Which is your path to new business ideas?”

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Barbie becomes an entrepreneur in this economy

BarbieOver many years Barbie, that cute little doll, has taken on many roles. She’s worked at “pink-collar” occupations such as candy-stripper, ballerina, aerobics instructor, nurse, flight attendant and model. Barbie has been a doctor and various kinds of chefs including a cookie chef, sweet chef, pancake chef, pastry chef and pizza chef.

In this tough economy, Barbie has become an entrepreneur. The Washington Post reports that Entrepreneur Barbie is clad in a tight, hot-pink dress and sky-high black heels. She carries a patent-leather briefcase, pink clutch and what seems to be a knock-off iPhone and iPad. She comes with her coterie of “Chief Inspiration Offices” and has served own hashtag #unapologetic. Continue reading “Barbie becomes an entrepreneur in this economy”

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Have you ever longed to do business under the radar?

BatmanWhat is an under-the-radar business? It’s not a business that does dubious activity but rather a business that is not out there in the gaze of the public eye.

For a fictional example think of Wayne Enterprises, the corporation owned by Bruce Wayne which is tucked away manufacturing special gadgets such as Bat Poles, Batarang rang, Bat Sleep Gas, Bat Rope and Bat-analyst. This is just a tiny list of the numerous gadgets that are produced by the The Wayne Foundation which helps the Caped Crusader fight crime and criminals. Continue reading “Have you ever longed to do business under the radar?”

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Where do you get the best business advice?

Copyright © 2014 by Chesney Bradshaw, all rights reserved
Copyright © 2014 by Chesney Bradshaw, all rights reserved

On the road from Aliwal North down to Cradock in the early morning crows are picking at roadkill on the tarmac. Two white breasted crows swoop down and devour the fresh flesh from a small jackal who didn’t make it across the road. Three other white breasted crows are perched on a telephone wire waiting their turn to feast on the jackal.

We arrived in one of the small towns struggling to survive in this economy. It was a town with no large fast-food chains. We had to ask a man at a petrol station where where we could find a take-away food place. We drove down the road to the small take-away that he suggested and that from the outside looked dodgy but they serve the most delicious hamburgers and chips, at a good price, better than anything you could get from a fast-food chain. Just before we got back in the car I noticed two dilapidated buildings that displayed a hand-painted car wash sign. In one of the buildings five men were sitting around but but no cars had stopped there to be washed. Continue reading “Where do you get the best business advice?”

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Can you really learn how to come up with new business ideas in seven days?

Copyright © 2014 by Chesney Bradshaw, all rights reserved
Copyright © 2014 by Chesney Bradshaw, all rights reserved

You see it all the time. The guru experts who come up with programs that can, for example, build self-confidence in seven days guaranteed. What do you make of this? How is it possible to develop self-confidence in only seven days?

Yes, perhaps a program like this can show you how to become more self confident. Maybe it takes just seven days to inform you how to do it but to go from low self-esteem and a shaky self-confidence to high levels of self-esteem and self-confidence in just seven days is a claim that is hard to believe. Continue reading “Can you really learn how to come up with new business ideas in seven days?”

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How would you solve this business challenge?

Photo credit: Wikimedia commons
Photo credit: Wikimedia commons

It’s everything you want. You’ve got a new idea and it holds great potential but you don’t know how to turn it into a viable business. What you do?

A skateboard maker Ted Hunter, a 62-year-old furniture design Professor at a Canadian university and founder of Roarockit Skateboard Co. with his wife, Nora Jackson, has come up with a new way to shape wood veneer. He found a way to “punch” layers of wood veneer to make them ripple like the surface of the ocean but at the same time strengthening the product and still preserving the flat, rideable side of the board. The conventional process involves inserting pieces of veneer to create contours. Although he has patented the pinch process in Canada and the United States, Ted has to work out how to use this new process. He wants to start manufacturing but doesn’t have a lot of cash. He could also use the process in furniture and housewares. Continue reading “How would you solve this business challenge?”

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Traps for first-time start-ups

2014-04-05 10.37.06I went on a trip down to Bloemfontein en route to a game park in the Free State where the Caledon and Orange Rivers meet. On the Saturday morning we went shopping in Bloemfontein in the smaller suburbs and came across a small burger business called Burger Mania that is doing very well.

On the way to the game park we came across a roadside stall that is doing a thriving business despite being situated in a remote area along the N1 highway. This roadside stall mainly stocks home-made food products and crafts that are made by locals. You won’t find one packet of branded chips there. Almost everything comes from small suppliers. The business owner told me that she’s been running her roadside stall for seven years and is doing well. Continue reading “Traps for first-time start-ups”

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3 stories of small business owners who have survived the recession

Graffiti Monster Eating Human
Graffiti Monster Eating Human (Photo credit: epSos.de)

In tough times the best small businesses learn how to survive and thrive. Small business owners who don’t want to come up with new ways to run their business, new business ideas and systems simply close shop. Each business owner will find their own solution to the challenge they face – the best solution for their business circumstances.

Here are three stories of small business owners and entrepreneurs who faced huge challenges in this downturn but have come out better for it: Continue reading “3 stories of small business owners who have survived the recession”

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Getting out there and looking for ideas

7-day-crash-course-231x300In this tough economy some small business owners have seen their turnovers collapse. Instead of giving up, they have gone out in search of new business ideas. Some have found new opportunities to revitalise their business lives.

Where do business ideas come from? They can be triggered by your personal circumstances. For example, you may have a problem and you find a solution for it. Ideas can also come from your experience with customers. They may be looking for a new way to solve a problem and their complaints spur your thinking. Others may try one of the many idea-generation tools and techniques that help find “white spots” of opportunity that may have been overlooked. Yet others go walkabout. They may visit local shopping centres, morning markets, or even travel to other towns and cities. Continue reading “Getting out there and looking for ideas”