Editor’s note: This article was first published in January 2015. It is a snapshot of these businesses as of that date, including ChocoVivo, Custommade, Fundrise, the Instagramers Gallery and PhotoMoto. Custommade’s photo-based mobile app was then only being prepared.
Continuing our roundup of business ideas from other countries, we turn our attention back to the Americas with some interesting and original small businesses that are already working and could be profitable elsewhere in the world.
See also: 6 business ideas that started in the United States
1. ChocoVivo
ChocoVivo is a chocolate and coffee shop that goes back to basics and the classics.
Its owners think of chocolate the way it was originally presented by the Aztecs and the Maya: as almost pure cacao, with no additives or preservatives. Processing is minimal, and there is no milk powder or soy lecithin. ChocoVivo’s products come in different forms, from bars to nibs, powder and butter.
Sales in the shop have been booming. After all, as the saying goes, whether it’s a recession or a broken heart, nothing beats chocolate for that low feeling (in Spanish, it even rhymes :-)).
2. Custommade
A website that helps you get practically anything custom-designed for you.
The site connects makers with people who want a custom-designed product, from jewellery and furniture to motorcycles.
They are currently preparing to launch a mobile app in which a user simply takes a photo of a product and sends it to Custommade, so that professionals can make one just like it.
3. Fundrise
A company that uses crowdfunding to finance real estate projects.
See also: 7 questions entrepreneurs should ask themselves before starting a business
Fundrise gives individuals the ability to invest directly in local real estate projects, cutting out the middlemen and putting the enrichment of cities in the hands of the people who live there. You could say that, thanks to this company, control of the city passes to its own citizens. Undoubtedly an excellent idea, and one that could put an end to many cases of corruption in urban development.
4. Instagramers Gallery
The idea for the Instagramers Gallery was originally conceived by several Madrid-based artists, who took the concept to Miami in 2013.
Photographers and artists, and even photography enthusiasts, can show their work. The best Instagram photos from around the world are displayed in the shop window, and their authors can win prizes for them.
5. A gift shop for the LGBT community
This shop is aimed at a gay clientele, with all kinds of gifts, items, T-shirts and more.
The shop proudly displays the colours of the LGBT community and has become a landmark in Columbus.
6. PhotoMoto
This business idea is a mobile photo booth inside a restored 1978 Volkswagen bus. Customers can book it for events and parties, or simply to take quirky photos just as they would in a traditional photo booth.
7. A café on wheels
A really original concept. Everything needed to serve a good coffee fits on this tricycle, with a wide selection of espresso drinks and a fridge for cold drinks.
8. The green gym
At this gym, customers generate more than sweat: they use the power of their workouts to create sustainable energy. In other words, you don’t just get fit, you help save the planet too. The gym was built with environmentally friendly materials. Every time the machines are used, they generate energy that supplies the premises, and any surplus is stored.
Further reading
- The 20 best new business ideas
- 6 fascinating business ideas that started in Asia
- 8 innovative business ideas from around the world
Featured image: Sir James, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
