Business Ideas
From Entrepedia: The Entrepreneurship Wiki
A sound business idea is at the heart of every successful venture. Sometimes it can be difficult to know where to spot the areas with the most opportunities. Below you will find a list of "Hot topics" (such as Green Enterprises and Cloud Computing) which present significant opportunities to the current generation of emerging entrepreneurs. Each section will provide a brief overview of the area and explain the main ideas behind it, and will explain some of the opportunities that it presents for start-ups, but the focus of the information will be on case studies with real-world ventures in these areas which will provide practical advice from experienced entrepreneurs.
Good entrepreneurs are distinguished by their ability to allow their idea to develop and change: often they'll avoid too fixed an idea of where they want to go and will be able alter their approach quickly and sometimes drastically in order to make their venture succeed. Of course they are passionate about their idea and what they do, but this passion is always counterbalanced by their business acumen.
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Hot Topics
Cloud Computing
Cloud computing has become one of the hottest areas for Informatics startups in recent years and the opportunities presented to entrepreneurs are enormous. Add to this that cloud ventures can be run from a personal laptop and have minimal costs and the potential seems unlimited.
Green Enterprises
Environmental sustainability has become a central aspect of all of our lives, with many companies vying to appear as green as possible. As a result of this there are numerous opportunities for entrepreneurs to take advantage of this trend
Social Enterprises
Social enterprises are enterprises whose main concern is to serve a social or environmental purpose; instead of trying to maximize shareholder value, they look to generate profit in order to serve their interests.
Opportunities on the Internet
It goes without saying that the Internet offers huge potential for Entrepreneurs. Microgeist has published a list of eight opportunity/growth areas on the Internet They are[1]:
- Small Businesses in Niche Areas: exploiting the potential of subcultures and small communities.
- Information Products: e-learning and offering interactive multimedia courses over the Internet.
- Better Peer Based Searching: indexing information and making it relevant and specific to small groups of users.
- Peer, Life and Work Partner Matching: marketing and social interaction over the web.
- Auto-Customized Products: giving the user/customer more control.
- Cottage Industries: Previously small and specialized industries now have access to an unprecedented market.
- Media Production: technology favours ever smaller design studios.
- Internet Presenters/Actors: new media personalities who can work the web.
Evaluating and Developing Business Ideas
Often the hardest part of entrepreneurship is finding that elusive gap in the market and coming up with a creative and eye-catching idea. This however, is just the beginning of a long journey that will see the idea change and evolve as it follows the path to success.
