Homework help. Entrepreneur class

[basslover1]

Entrepreneurs are looking for opportunities all the time. Given that the United States has recently experienced what was one of the most difficult of economic conditions in decades, how do you think you as an entrepreneur could capitalize on this? Describe at least three business opportunities that you see now that may not have existed 5 years ago?

I'm having a creativity crisis right now. Every idea I can think of, had already existed before the economic crisis.

Basically any idea I've thought of is related to finances, and I can't help but think that those ideas aren't feasible during economic uncertainty, or they already existed at the time.

So throw some things at me that you see exist now but didn't at the time. It can be as innovative or as stupid as you'd like.

 

[IronWing]

Disability qualification advance loans

 

[evident]

I mean it existed before the crisis, but cash 4 gold stores have really boomed (and busted i guess) since then.

 

[purbeast0]

just watch an episode or two of sharktank.

uber
candy crush
bitcoin

there are 3

 

[Belegost]

Any of the modern "treat labor as independent contractor slaves because there is a huge glut of desperate people" businesses come to mind. TaskRabbit, Uber/Lyft, etc.

Oh, it helps to describe these businesses as "engaging in the sharing economy" it gives people warm-fuzzies.

 

[xochi]

Amazon Mechanical Turk

It started around 2007, but it has really taken off since then. It may not fit exactly but I think it could fit your project.

 

[manimal]

The average age of the automobile is over 10 years now and people are keeping them for longer and longer. Automotive is a growing sector a decade now and going strong.

Miniaturization for cell phones has impacted tons of similar industries like drones and VR and has started impacting everything from childrens toys to prosthetics. People are starting drone companies in there garages. A guy just patented a battery technology from his garage a few months ago.


Mash ups are growing as a trend where businesses are cohabitating spaces with non competing companies and innovation centers are popping up all over. How about a company that takes start ups and pairs them with existing businesses sharing space and sharing overhead costs. Take say a group of trunk slammers and give them a place to showcase their wares with parralel needs for the consumer like a flooring company and a countertop company sharing a showroom with a light fixtures designer.


5 years ago Carbon nanotube were really hard to make. Recently a few companies have figured out a way to make carbon nanotubes more efficiently and have started selling it to institutions who used to labor very hard to make it themselves. Another obvious one is VR from software to hardware the segment is exploding. Commercial drone applications and design. etc...

Commercial space exploration has definately become less scifi in the last 5 years as well. Five years ago spacex seemed so far away from a viable product. Now they seem pretty close.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Well, rule #1 is "make people like you and they'll give you money," while rule #2 is "make people feel good about themselves and they'll give you money." So...

Financial services and/or advisers that wear jeans and meet you in bars?

Edit: Pursuant to rules #1 and #2, there are also unexploited opportunities in the stockbroker and prostitution industries.

 

[basslover1]

Thanks for some of the ideas everyone.

Can anyone think of anything that stemmed directly from the recession? I like the idea of crowdsourcing, basically cheap/free labor for simple tasks.