Editor’s note: This article was first published in January 2023. Many of the businesses it cites may have changed or closed since. Kopi Luwak prices (up to 350 dollars per kilo, and 100 grams for 50 euros on Amazon “right now”) are from that month.
Let’s look at some foreign business ideas that, given how original they are, we could import from other parts of the world. They can also serve as inspiration, or give us an idea or concept we could copy. We’ve put together a collection of businesses that started in Japan, China, the United States, London and Canada. If the concept doesn’t yet exist in your country (Spain or Latin America), they could certainly be original ideas.
See also: 17 business ideas to start if you live in a small town
Business ideas to import from China and Japan
No one can doubt that Japanese creativity is astonishing, from the first underground bicycle car park to the idea of air-conditioned clothing. Here, though, we show some rather peculiar products that may even seem a bit silly, although they could actually be useful.
1. Modern Toilet restaurant
Innovation and originality taken to the extreme. Eating poop-shaped ice cream while sitting on toilet-shaped chairs may seem disgusting to us, but in Taiwan it is apparently a big business. This original restaurant was founded in 2004 by an entrepreneur who had previously run an ice cream parlour.
Since then, the venture has been so successful that it has opened 12 more restaurants with the same theme, where drinks come in very original containers and food is served in bathtub-shaped dishes. It’s not at all unusual for themed restaurants to succeed in Taiwan, since there are other extravagant restaurants inspired by hospitals, car repair shops and so on. A business idea worth importing.
2. Air-conditioned clothing
Kuchofuku is a Japanese company with a well-established reputation for its innovative products.
In this case, the garment has two built-in fans powered by a lithium-ion battery that lasts up to 12 hours on a single charge. So besides being ideal for beating the heat, it saves energy, as it’s much cheaper to run than conventional home air conditioning. Sony has now also launched its own models of air-conditioned clothing, so we’re getting close to the day when the heat on the street in the middle of July is a thing of the past.
3. Silent karaoke
We all know how passionate the Japanese are about karaoke, so they’ve designed this kind of silent microphone that lets you sing at the top of your lungs without waking your neighbours. We don’t know how much it actually reduces the noise, nor what the user experience is like when you’re shouting into a tube. Some karaoke venues in Japan are already soundproofed using this method.
4. A machine that turns office paper into toilet paper
This business idea is honestly excellent and could mean considerable savings for a company. The machine collects used paper, shreds it and turns it into toilet paper. Now, more literally than ever, your boss can tell you: “I’ll wipe my a… with this report.”
5. A “sound-catching” pillow
Ideal for listening to the TV while lying down. The makers of this product have given it an ergonomic shape to keep your back in the right position when you’re lying on your side. The pillow or cushion also has a device that picks up the sound and plays it from the top, so all you have to do is cover your free ear and enjoy your TV’s surround sound. It’s not exactly marvellous, but it is interesting. Personally, I’d rather use wireless headphones.
6. Selling canned air
While in the West we fight against all the hot air sold on the internet, in China they sell the air itself. Air quality in China has become so bad that one businessman is making a fortune from it. The compressed air is sold in cans the same size as ordinary soft drink cans. The inventor of this business idea is said to have sold 8 million cans in the first 12 months at a price of 5 yuan (about 0.50 dollars). Part of his success lies in donating a percentage of the profits to the poorest regions of China.
7. The most expensive coffee in the world
The most expensive coffee in the world is Kopi Luwak, which comes from the droppings of a rather peculiar Asian animal, the palm civet (often called a civet cat). This long-bodied mammal, which lives in the jungles of southern Asia, eats the coffee cherries. After the beans ferment in the animal’s stomach, they come out in its droppings, which are cleaned and roasted. And there you have your coffee.
A kilo of this coffee can cost up to 350 dollars on Amazon, while luxury restaurants can charge up to 35 dollars for a cup of this exquisite product. Right now, 100 grams of this coffee cost 50 euros on Amazon.
8. Ashes of the deceased turned into beads
When we talked about the most original funerals and cremations in the world, we already mentioned something similar. In South Korea, this business idea has received government support, because turning the ashes of our loved ones into jewellery or gemstones saves space in cemeteries, which are full and short of room.
Several companies have bought the Korean technology for turning ashes into gemstones. This kind of cremation business is booming, as it’s a way to carry your loved one with you without keeping the ashes at home.
Foreign business ideas to import from the United States
Some of these business ideas were born during the crisis, and most of them belong to people who lost their jobs and were forced to start their own business. Others simply saw the opportunity to give shape to a business they had been thinking about for years.
9. Archie McPhee: the “mecca” of toys for children and adults, and a few other things
This shop (Archie McPhee) sells all kinds of toys for both children and adults. The secret of its success is its wide range of products and services: it prides itself on having the most original and bizarre toys and gifts, not just the usual ones you can find in any shop.
It also sells joke items, a catalogue for stag and hen parties, and costumes, and it organises parties and birthdays. You could call it a mini shopping centre of fun. Thanks to a good social media marketing strategy, the business was profitable within its first few months, as it quickly made a name for itself.
10. A handbag rental company
Bag Borrow or Steal is devoted exclusively to renting and selling designer handbags. We’ve talked before about the rise of second-hand businesses and of wedding dress and suit rental; in this case, the shop lets people try a bag before buying it, or rent one for a social occasion where they need to look like they have “status”. If this business idea were diversified further, for example into all kinds of luxury clothing and accessories, it could be even more profitable.
11. A social holidays website
This website, Gatherball.com, works like a social network where you share what you’re looking for in your holidays with all the network’s users: tastes, hobbies, interests and personal budget. This way, people plan social trips where they get the chance to meet others. Where’s the business in this website? In the contracts with travel agencies, hotels and so on. This kind of holiday is becoming more and more popular in the United States.
12. Hot tub boat rental
If you’re looking for a business for this summer and you live in a coastal city, the days of renting out the usual pedal boats and jet skis are over. Hot Tub Boats is a company that sells and rents out, by the hour, boats fitted with a jacuzzi or hot tub, so you can relax as a couple, on your own or in a group. A huge hit on American shores.
13. Bon Castor: local products from local makers
A shop that sells only handmade local craft products. It’s an excellent way to boost the local economy and give local suppliers the chance to earn some extra money and find an outlet for what they make, from handmade furniture to artisan clothing. It’s also a place to relax, as there’s even a spa at the back.
14. Dashing Bicycles & Accessories: a bike shop by women, for women
A modern bicycle boutique created by women, run by women and focused on women. Whatever their age, this boutique offers customers a wide selection of handcrafted bikes designed specifically for women. The company aims to make cycling safe and accessible in the city of New Orleans. The owner says that right now she’s focused on making her customers feel comfortable and isn’t worried about how much money she’s making, although the business is profitable.
15. Gasa Gasa
A hybrid business that combines an art gallery and concert venue to showcase local talent. The city’s artists and performers of every genre can show their work and talent there. It’s also a place where other kinds of artists can exhibit their work (paintings, sculptures…). Certainly something that works very well, in the United States at least.
Small business ideas to import from London
16. The Vintage Emporium and Tea Rooms
This place is a Victorian-style café and antiques boutique with an excellent selection of teas, coffees and quaint cakes. Downstairs there’s also a shop selling everything related to the 1950s, from clothes to all kinds of accessories. According to these journalists, every piece is unique, which is also why it’s expensive. Without doubt, a place that has been very well received in the city. It’s worth remembering the case of the Spanish entrepreneurs who decided to build a business by reviving vintage fashion.
17. Persepolis
You can’t miss this large, bright yellow shop, which has even become a landmark people use when giving directions in the city. It specialises in food, kitchenware and home decor from the Middle East, as well as some vegetarian cookbooks from the region. Its website offers a wide variety of products to buy. Today, thanks to the internet, most of its turnover comes from online sales.
18. Onefinestay
This business is an imitation of Airbnb, though smaller and supposedly better, as it offers visitors and tourists in London the chance to stay in the city’s “coolest” houses and flats. Unlike Airbnb, Onefinestay makes sure every home is cleaned before and after each guest’s stay, that the beds are made and that everything is in order. Naturally, the homeowners receive more than generous compensation.
The company, which started in 2010, has been so successful that it is already in Paris and some US states.
19. The Bowler
A burger and hot dog truck that has won the hearts of Londoners. Originally decorated with grass, it aims to show that the meat in its burgers and hot dogs comes from grass-fed animals rather than animals raised on artificial feed. We’re aware that in many cities around the world some kind of red tape would prevent this business idea. Where there are no such obstacles, having a “mobile establishment” that can go wherever the crowds are could be a good idea.
20. A tech-fusion Asian restaurant
This restaurant pioneered the use of E-Table technology worldwide: customers can 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 touchscreen you can call a taxi or even order a round of shots. This original restaurant is a real sensation.
In the following article, you can take a look at another 8 business ideas that don’t exist yet and could be very profitable.
See also: 15 original business ideas that are still untapped
Featured image: riNux, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
