Editor’s note: This article was first published in November 2021, in late 2021. The references to Uber and Cabify’s problems and to which businesses “don’t exist” reflect that time.
In our previous article we presented business ideas that were still untapped (or at least some of those ventures were). This time we’re going to look at some business ideas that don’t exist yet, and that could be as innovative as they are profitable.
They aren’t easy businesses to execute, but some of these ideas fall into the category of businesses for thinking big.
Some of them can be started with very little money, and for others we’ll obviously need more capital. As we always say, it depends on your creativity as an entrepreneur.
8 business ideas that don’t exist yet
1. An Uber-style business model, but for services
This is one of those “think big” business ideas. There would be various bureaucratic hurdles to overcome, and I imagine it wouldn’t be free of problems. Uber and Cabify themselves have their own problems.
What we’re proposing is a service similar to Uber, where you can use an app to get hold of a bricklayer, an electrician, a plumber and so on: as many services and professionals as it makes sense to offer.
It would work much like these Uber-type companies. You open your app, request a plumber according to the type of problem you have, and the nearest plumber in your area can accept the job at a fixed price, paid directly through the app.
The problems with this business idea are the professionals’ availability, whether they would need to be self-employed, and the fixed prices. Not to mention the legal problems that might arise. Even so, it’s the kind of business we’re sure someone will one day make work. It won’t be easy. In fact, if this business doesn’t exist, it must be because it’s complicated.
2. A national parking network for a monthly or annual fee
Parking has become a problem in most cities these days. This business idea came from a flatmate of mine more than 20 years ago, during one of those nights spent rambling about business ideas.
Would people be willing to pay a monthly or annual fee to have dozens or hundreds of parking spaces available in any city or town in the country? Possibly yes, possibly no. But nothing is lost by doing the market research and analysing whether an idea like this could really turn a profit.
The other, harder part of this business idea would be how to bring a network of parking spaces into the company.
More than 20 years ago, my old flatmate talked about private individuals swapping parking spaces. Today, thanks to advances in technology, it could perhaps be done in several different ways:
- Negotiating with companies that already run large car parks in cities, so that they reserve a certain number of spaces for the app, which is similar to what they already do with some hotels that have no parking of their own.
- Letting private individuals join a programme where, for certain hours, they make their own parking spaces and garages available through the app. It could be a way for them to earn passive income from their garage spaces.
See also: Innovative business ideas
It’s all a matter of analysing and studying it carefully to see how viable a business idea like this really is.
3. A programme to help children discover their vocation
This business idea strikes me as genuinely interesting. And no, this business doesn’t exist.
One of the most common problems among university students is discovering, once they’re on the course, that they don’t like it. In other cases it’s much worse: they finish their degree and only find out it isn’t for them when they do their work placement or once they’ve already joined the job market.
What if we lowered the age so that young people can work out what they want before they get to university, and so make a more informed choice of degree?
The business idea we’re proposing is a programme in which children could do a kind of short internship for a week or several weeks at different companies. Basically, they could shadow people in the business world and work side by side with professionals in a given sector.
That way we could whet these children’s appetite for careers they might not even have known existed, or that might catch their interest. At the same time, we’d be giving them hopes for the future and sparking their interest in going on to study something they might want to do for a living. And all of this before they choose their university degree.
I usually give my own example. I would have studied law, but luckily I attended several trials and realised that a trial wasn’t exactly like what you see in the films. I lost interest in studying law. If I hadn’t attended those trials, I might well have ended up studying law only to realise it wasn’t what I should have studied.
See also: 17 profitable businesses to start in a small town
4. A business idea based on the Netflix model, but for clothes
What does Netflix do? You pay a monthly fee and have every film and series at your fingertips. Imagine doing the same thing with clothes: paying a monthly fee and having all the clothes you need for every occasion at your disposal.
We’d need to look more closely at how this business idea would be put together to make it profitable, and find the right balance so that users also feel the fee is worth what they get. Would it be a kind of rental where you return the garment? How would you handle shipping the garments? Would it pay to have several physical shops where customers could use their subscription to pick up clothes? These are all questions to be analysed, but once a few details are ironed out, the idea could be quite innovative.
More business ideas that don’t exist yet
5. A divorce party company
This business idea does exist, but it isn’t being properly exploited at the moment. So far there’s a whole profitable world around stag and hen parties, but we can’t ignore the fact that we’re breaking divorce records, at least in Spain. So there are more potential customers on the divorce side.
With this kind of business it would be a matter of good advertising, a good image and a good slogan that shows potential customers that a divorce doesn’t have to be unpleasant and is sometimes a reason to celebrate.
It could certainly be a good present for the friends of the ex-husband or ex-wife to give the “unfortunate” one to cheer them up.
What services would you include in a divorce party package? What would it involve? We’ll leave that to your creativity.
Just make sure it’s fun, or the person might get the urge to marry again.
6. A Santa Claus delivery service
Although this business idea is seasonal, we’ll add it to the list. We’ve already shared some business ideas for making money at Christmas.
What if Father Christmas could come to people’s homes over the holidays and hand the presents directly to the youngest members of the family?
Simple as this kind of business idea is, let’s not forget that a man once got rich with a business in which, for $5, he wrote to children as if he were Santa Claus himself.
It’s a simple idea to execute; the main difficulty is promoting it to make it known.
7. A fridge/freezer/microwave unit for the car
Being able to carry a fridge and a microwave in the boot of your car could be a good idea, especially for people who spend a lot of time on the road. And, why not, for people going on a trip.
Being able to heat up food, keep food safely and cool drinks would undoubtedly make it one of those original products people could be really interested in. Bringing these appliances together in a single all-in-one unit, ideally one that could fit into a small space, could be a product that makes a difference.
The only problems to solve would be installation and the power supply. As far as we know, the product we have in mind doesn’t exist at the moment.
8. Business ideas based on subscription models
Quite a few companies use subscription services. In fact, even Amazon already offers this kind of service.
One company that has generated hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue is in the business of selling clothes by subscription. The customer pays a monthly fee and every month receives three good-quality shirts and an accessory, plus a gift.
This business is aimed at executives who need to refresh their wardrobe often. That way they don’t have to worry about going shopping. Every month their order arrives at home, and the company itself takes care of varying the style or colour of the shirts.
Subscription businesses are growing in all kinds of industries. Not long ago I read that there’s already a company with a subscription service for cat litter. Another one for organic food. It’s a matter of finding a product that doesn’t exist and launching a subscription model for it.
Still, here’s an idea: a mystery box subscription service.
We’re proposing a subscription service where the customer receives a surprise box without knowing what’s inside. Sometimes it might be a tie and a wallet along with other things. Other times it might be a book and a perfume, and so on. The idea would certainly be original. Would this business idea catch on? I have no idea; I suppose it would all depend on how you promote it.
And these are some of the business ideas that don’t exist today, where it will be up to your ingenuity and creativity to get around the obstacles and fill in the gaps in some cases.
See also: 23 business ideas you can start while working full time
Featured image: Plumberondemand, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
