Editor’s note: This article was first published in December 2012, and the five companies it profiles (Nature Maker, Mannequin Madness, Something Store, Eternal Reefs and Mavachamoi) are described as they were then; their status and business models may have changed.
Here are five original business ideas that already exist elsewhere in the world and might succeed in your town, region or country. Originality, creativity and plenty of imagination are sometimes all an entrepreneur needs, as the following examples show.
1. Artificial trees
Some will think there is nothing original about this idea, since plastic plants and even fake trees for the home are already on sale. And that is exactly what the company Nature Maker did at first. Business was going well, but they struck gold with a different kind of creation that made them millionaires: “artistic steel trees”, which make a striking visual impact and can be shaped any way the customer wants without difficulty.
Their main customers are shopping centres, museums, libraries and zoos, not forgetting private customers and offices.
2. Mannequin rental
The founder of this business started by negotiating with big brands over the price of the mannequins they no longer planned to use, and then rented or sold them to newly opened shops.
The company Mannequin Madness has won an award from the Environmental Protection Agency thanks to its business model. Its main business is renting out mannequins previously used by big brands, although it also sells mannequins of every kind.
In the same way, riding the booming pet business, it also sells and rents out dog mannequins, which is certainly something new in the sector.
3. Something for €10
Would you buy something for just €10 ($10 in this case)? And what might that something be? It may sound silly, but buying something without knowing what you are going to receive is what has made Something Store a success.
The gift can be anything: a book, a bracelet, a gadget, a toy… What they do guarantee is that whatever you receive will have been worth the $10 it cost you. In other words, they are not going to send you a drawing pin :).
4. Eternal life on the reef
As we can see, death is one of the most profitable and safest businesses there is: it is the only business where, crisis or no crisis, the customers never stop coming. We have already covered the “death tuning” business idea. This time, the company Eternal Reefs makes the cremated person’s remains part of the reef landscape, built into artificial reef “rocks” like the ones in the photo at the top of this article. Of course… do the people swimming off that beach know they are floating above an underwater cemetery?
5. Put a cow in your life
First came the business of renting out laying hens, and now there is Mavachamoi, a company that rents you a cow. Not for the milk, but as relaxation therapy for stressed executives, and for non-executives too. Michael Izor, the Swiss creator of this idea, has managed to get a lot out of this business, and he claims that after 30 days with a cow, stress disappears. He also has a business model for sponsoring cows… or something like that.
As we can see, with a little imagination and creativity, you can build a business out of any idea.
Further reading
- 2 social business ideas at the edge of the law
- Organic co-op stores: businesses that create wealth in the provinces
- 4 business ideas worth 100 million
Featured image: Louisiana Sea Grant College Program Louisiana State University, CC BY 2.0, via Flickr.
