Editor’s note: This article was first published in June 2014, and the business details, such as YPlan’s $13 million funding in 2013 and Onefinestay’s expansion to Paris and some US states, reflect that time; several of these businesses may have changed hands, moved or closed since.
We continue collecting some business ideas from other parts of the world. This time we head to London to look at some small businesses whose owners have managed to give them a touch of originality and distinction, in some cases exclusivity, and to create a pleasant and distinctive experience for their customers.
To do this we rely on the excellent work by Melissa Stanger and Melia Robinson for Business Insider, who rounded up some of the most striking small companies in the city, companies that could inspire many entrepreneurs in other parts of the world. It is a matter of working out whether businesses like these could be profitable in your city.
1. The Vintage Emporium and Tea Rooms.
This establishment is a Victorian-style café and antiques boutique with an excellent selection of teas, coffees and quaint cakes. On the lower floor there is also a shop selling everything related to the 1950s, from clothes to all kinds of accessories. Each piece is unique, according to the two journalists, which also makes it expensive. Without doubt, a place that has been very well received in the city. Remember the case of the Spanish entrepreneurs who decided to start a business by reviving vintage fashion.
2. YPlan.
YPlan is an iPhone and Android app created in London that finds the best happenings and events in the city, whether music, sport, theatre and so on. Through the app, users can find and pay for the event they want to attend quickly and easily (in just two clicks).
Last year YPlan received $13 million in funding to expand to New York and San Francisco, so it has proven to be a thoroughly profitable business model.
3. Persepolis.
You can’t miss this large, unmistakable bright yellow shop, which has even become a landmark people use when giving directions in the city. It specialises in Middle Eastern food, cookware and home decor, as well as some vegetarian cookbooks from the region. On its website you can see a wide range of products to buy. These days, thanks to the internet, most of its revenue comes from online sales.
4. Onefinestay.
This business is an imitation of Airbnb, though smaller and supposedly improved, as it gives visitors and tourists in London the chance to stay in the city’s “coolest” houses and flats. Unlike Airbnb, Onefinestay makes sure that every home is cleaned before and after a guest stays there, that the beds are made and that everything is in order. Naturally, the homeowners receive more than generous financial compensation.
The company started in 2010, and it has been so successful that it is already in Paris and several US states.
5. Alice Looking.
This shop is inspired by Alice in Wonderland and is full of all kinds of curiosities and trinkets, framed illustrations, top hats, chess pieces and clothes. The shop has a (real) rabbit living in a small burrow, which is the main attraction: it makes mothers stop to show it to their children, and so the children end up wanting to go in and buy something. Without doubt, a rather original idea.
6. The Bowler
A mobile burger and hot dog truck that has won the hearts of Londoners. Originally decorated with grass, it is meant to show that the meat in its burgers and hot dogs comes from grass-fed animals rather than animals raised on artificial feed. We know that in many cities around the world some kind of red tape would get in the way of this business idea. Where there are no such obstacles, a “mobile outlet” that can go wherever the crowds are may be a good idea.
7. Drink, Shop & Do.
This is a place where you can sell and buy the “merchandise” and designs of local designers. It is also a tea room, and at weekends it turns into a bar, pub and dance club. And as if that were not enough, it also offers craft classes, coffee tastings and all kinds of events likely to be attended by fashion figures and successful designers of the future.
8. A high-tech Asian fusion restaurant.
This restaurant has been a world pioneer in using E-Table technology, which lets customers see the menu on the table itself and place their order with a couple of clicks. Customers can also interact in different ways, changing the colour of the virtual tablecloth or watching the chefs prepare their food in real time. From the same touch screen you can call a taxi and even order a round of shots. This original restaurant is quite a sensation.
See also: Five original restaurant ideas
You can also read our article on some companies that started in Asia, which will not leave you indifferent.
Further reading
- The profitable businesses we will see in the short term
- 18 business ideas you can start with almost no money
Featured image: Andy Li, CC0 1.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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