Tag: new business ideas

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This is the kind of business adviser I would trust

Cover of "The Trusted Advisor"
Cover of The Trusted Advisor

I heard a small business adviser on the radio the other day dishing out advice on starting your own business. He was talking about the many people who have got retrenched from large companies in recent months and now might be considering starting something of their own.

He started out positively enough but soon he was making starting and running a small business seem such a terribly difficult thing to do that I began to wonder what his potential consulting customers must think when they hear all of this.

When he selected an example of a well known US small business adviser I had my doubts. Couldn’t this person who claims to be a small business adviser of standing come up with local examples of business people? Yes, small business owners may hit walls in the growth and management of their operations but to talk about banging their heads on desks in pain and frustration makes it all sound so negative. Continue reading “This is the kind of business adviser I would trust”

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Finding business ideas for special needs children

Hartford Hospital Mental Illness Campaign
Hartford Hospital Mental Illness Campaign (Photo credit: adwriter)

It’s hard enough for any would-be start-up business owner or entrepreneur to find new business ideas in any economy but have you ever considered how hard it is to come up with business ideas for special needs children?

I know of two young men who despite their mental disabilities have come up with an idea for a small service business of their own. The business began work from very humble beginnings but slowly they have painstakingly and with much determination and ingenuity come up with a computer repair and servicing business. One of the biggest challenges is to find customers who will take them seriously and let them do the work. With no money to advertise their service, they rely on word-of-mouth advertising and making business connections in their small personal networks. Continue reading “Finding business ideas for special needs children”

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Be mindful of opportunities now that mindfulness has gone mainstream

Mindfulness
Mindfulness (Photo credit: darraghoconnor12)

I was surprised to see in a recent TIME article that 477 scientific journal articles about mindfulness were published in 2012. This is a leading indicator of just how rampant mindfulness has become as a concept in society as people try to focus or concentrate but are continually distracted by technologies such as smart phones, tablet computers, laptops emails and social media. The article in Time declares that there is a “Mindful Revolution” and that mindfulness has gone mainstream.

How can you as a small business owner take advantage of this trend in mindfulness? What products or services do you have that you could tie into this new trend? How can you take advantage of the opportunities that this new wave presents? Continue reading “Be mindful of opportunities now that mindfulness has gone mainstream”

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What advice would you give this cash-strapped teacher?

Teacher
Teacher (Photo credits: www.myparkingsign.com)

The other morning I was listening to a radio show and a teacher came on with a terribly sad story. She said all she could expect as a pay increase this year was a 6.5% salary adjustment, which would amount to R250 ($23) a month.

She didn’t elaborate. I think all she wanted to do was to draw people’s attention to how poorly paid teachers are. The DJ expressed his sympathies.

I wonder what will happen to this teacher who sounded as though she was in her early 30s. There is an education crisis and people like this who are in the education field trying to improve the lives of many children are not recognised for the work they do.

It’s sad to watch on the sidelines, after your children have left the education system, and see how it continues to deteriorate. Teaching has never been a well-paid job anyway but from what this woman was saying it looks as though it is another leading indicator of entropy in the educational system.

What can a teacher like this do? How can she improve her circumstances? Should she leave or stay? Continue reading “What advice would you give this cash-strapped teacher?”

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Simple products sell

English: Mosquito on finger This image is part...
Mosquito on finger (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

When we have high temperatures here in Johannesburg in the day and at night getting a full quota of sleep is difficult. It’s enough coping with 30°C during the day and up to 27° as late as 11 o’clock in the evening but the real challenge comes in the early hours of the morning.

You’re sleeping and are suddenly awoken by a sharp singing sensation on your shoulder. Then you hear a buzzing around your head. Next thing a mosquito has bitten you on the nose. That’s where it really hurts because of the many nerves in your nose. It feels like you’re in a dream on the Mosquito Coast.

Continue reading “Simple products sell”

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Starting something from scratch – fear trip or adventure?

English: ladder and sky.
English: ladder and sky. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Sometimes we get trapped in our fears. No place to turn to. Or so we think.

A middle age woman wrote to an agony aunt telling her that she hadn’t been romantically intimate with a man for five years and asked how she could get out this cage she had trapped itself inside of. The agony aunt recognised and acknowledged the woman’s situation. She praised where the woman crying out for help was in her life and acknowledged how difficult it was to get back into relationships and feel intimacy, friendship and trust again. If she continued creating greater mental barriers, the more difficult things would become.

The agony aunt advised the woman to take small steps such as signing up for a dance class where she would be able to hold hands with men and press some flesh, practice talking to strangers, harmlessly flirt with men in appropriate situations and perhaps even sign up to an online dating agency. Continue reading “Starting something from scratch – fear trip or adventure?”

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What have you lost recently?

English: Title of the tv-series LOST. Français...
Title of the tv-series LOST. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Have you lost something recently? Something valuable. Perhaps an object, a bunch of keys, your wallet, a memory stick that you looked everywhere for but just couldn’t find?

A few weeks ago I “lost” my swimming costume. I looked everywhere but couldn’t find it. I was very disappointed because it fitted me well, dried quickly and has lasted for several summer seasons. Lo and behold, the next day I found it hanging up outside the shower on a railing. I must have left it when I got back from swimming and forgot all about it. Continue reading “What have you lost recently?”

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Keep trying until you get the recipe right

A photograph of Fried calamari (squid).
Fried calamari (squid). (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I haven’t made calamari for a long time and while I was on holiday I went to a fishmonger to buy some and asked him for his best recipe.

The calamari from the fishmonger was fresh and a perfect white colour. For frying the calamari I used a vegetable oil – sunflower seed oil – and coated the calamari rings in flour. The only problem was that the fishmonger had said that the calamari should stand in meat tenderiser for about 20 minutes and then be washed off. I lost track of time and let the calamari stand for about one and a half hours, thought nothing of it but when I had fried the calamari it tasted too soft. The entire 600g of calamari was completely wasted.

The next time I fried calamari again I made sure that I had all the best ingredients and only used the meat tenderiser for the stipulated 20 minutes. This time the calamari came out golden brown and the texture was pleasing and soft but not unnaturally so.

How often have you found that you have the right recipe for something but perhaps don’t have all the necessary ingredients or do not correctly follow the recipe to the letter and come up with something that is not pleasing to the palate? Continue reading “Keep trying until you get the recipe right”

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Does it pay you to hire an architect?

Sosua, Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic Villa ...
Sosua, Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic Villa For Sale – Marvelous dream house (Photo credit: International Real Estate Listings)

A reader who wants to find a business opportunity asked me to tell him about a specific business he could pursue in the city where he lives.

It’s not possible for anyone to tell you what business to go into just as it would be foolish to choose a house for you. Imagine that.

When you are in a financial position to buy a house of your own you will go searching for properties until you find one that you really love. It may take several weeks or even months before you find what you want. You could look at 10 properties or more than 20.

You are going to be very excited about the new home you have found for yourself. You will tell your friends and family. You will begin to feel proud about what you have bought. Your home tells a lot about you and your values, hopes and dreams. Continue reading “Does it pay you to hire an architect?”

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Need business ideas in a hurry? Reach for this grab bag of tools

Bright Idea
Bright Idea (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Ideas flow naturally when you’re deeply interested in something. You stay informed and thoughts turn in your mind about possibilities. Your best ideas often come at times when you least expect them to: in your car singing a song, walking in nature, watching a movie, reading a book or magazine or just before you fall asleep or wake up in the morning.

But what should you do when you’re stuck for new business ideas? Do more research in your area of interest? Talk to others? Spend more time thinking and imagining possibilities?

Continue reading “Need business ideas in a hurry? Reach for this grab bag of tools”