Brainstorming Business Ideas: 3 Ways to Make Money the Smart Way, Not the Hard Way

[Today’s article was written by freelance writer, Arlene Chandler.]

A couple decades ago, people’s dreams of owning their own company involved a brick and mortar business, hours of hard physical labor, and usually just enough money to get by. The recent surge in technology has led to a dramatic change in the way things are done, and it has led many people to be able to fulfill their dreams of working for themselves. Earning a successful living doesn’t necessarily mean that someone works hard now, it means they work smart; they get things done in the fastest and most efficient way possible. Most people only ever dream of working for themselves, but here are a few ideas to help inspire you to stop dreaming and start living the life you really want.

Play off Your Passion

Never follow a trend just because it’s making money. If it’s of no interest to you, drop the idea and focus on something you enjoy. This is the time to dig around and come up with an idea that you can market to the world and feed good about it. When the organic market came around, many companies chose not to get involved with it because they thought it was going to just be phase. However, instead of dying out, the demand for all-natural products has exploded, and the people who followed their internal urge to deliver healthy, GMO free foods to the world are raking in the cash. The lesson here? As cheesy as it sounds, follow your heart. Use your vision of a better world to deliver a product the people are missing; let the days of being a slave to something you don’t believe in come to an end.

Cater to the Underdog

It might seem as though focusing on what the majority of people want is the smartest way to go, but everyone else is already serving them. Try to focus on a group of people whose needs or desires aren’t being met, and give them a product they have been missing. It might seem as though you’re limiting your options, but you’ll have a steady client base off that demographic instead of having to compete with other businesses.

For example, many people love ice cream, and nothing tastes better than an ice cold cone on a hot, sunny day. However, for those who are vegan or have dairy allergies, ice cream is only a fantasy. Starting a vegan ice cream shop, or delivering vegan ice cream products to other ice cream parlors would allow you to have a demand of that area.  Also, dairy is being widely criticized by health experts everywhere, so it could target the health conscious as well. The point here is not to start a vegan ice cream company, but it’s to look outside the box and see who is being deprived of certain services or products and find a way to cater to them.

Work from Home

Many people dream about being able to work from home, but there are so many scams out there that it can be hard to read between the lines. Skip the scams, and work from home yourself. There are millions of services online that people look for, and you can get paid from anywhere around the world. The internet has opened up so many windows of opportunity for interests of all kinds, and if you can think of it, it’s probable that there will be people out there who would enjoy it. Think about what you’re really good at, and spin that into something worthwhile. If you’re good at a specific subject or language, start an online tutoring website and give lessons via webcam. If you’re good at sewing or knitting, start an online company making personalized baby blankets, or collect rare items at antique stores and sell things on EBay to make a profit. It’s so easy to make money working for yourself with how far out the internet expands and how far you can reach people. The more creative, the better; there are unlimited opportunities.

For any prospective business owners out there, now is the best time to alive. The internet has created so many opportunities, and past limitations have been struck down and destroyed. New ideas are being thought of daily, and there are more self-employed people than ever before. With the endless sea of possibilities, your idea is out there ready and waiting to come into existence.

Arlene Chandler is a freelance writer who enjoys a nice cup of coffee with a good conversation. She currently writes finance and career advice for Suncorp Income Protection.