TRY SOMETHING STRANGE!!!

Hello Everyone, It’s the first Tuesday in the month of February and the very first post for 2014. How was January??? Happy February to you all!!! 

Indeed, it feels so good to pause for a while, reflect, re-strategize and plan for greater, effective ways to engage with you all. Every click you make when opening up a blog post is important to us and all we want this year is to always have you coming back on Tuesdays at noon. 

ColourmeAmba is back revamped, refreshed and ready to explore with you this year. Our fresh ideas are waiting to unfold and we look forward to making Tuesdays’ noon more engaging and worth looking forward to. This is because we have loads of information, ideas, exceptional stories and events waiting to be unleashed. 

Now for some of us who wish to become great entrepreneurs, there’s a lot to learn here. The Youwin Business Plan Competition was postponed. Again. This time to Valentine’s Day, the 14th of February. The competition is open to young Nigerians home and abroad hoping to start or expand businesses right here in Nigeria. So if by now you haven’t considered applying, what are you waiting for? 

Okay, just in case you are still having problems arriving at a business idea, or you think that strange idea you have may not hold water? Well, what you see below may be able to help! While carrying out a bit of research, I arrived at a 3 to 1 countdown of strange but creative business ideas you may not have thought existed, but have earned millions abroad. These ideas could inspire you to innovating something relevant right here. ..So, let’s begin!!! 

Starting at No 3 is the Cube Water Melon business drawing lots of profits in Japan. This was an innovative idea showing where consumers demanded and producers listened. As normal round-shaped watermelons proved harder to stack, and could barely be accommodated in smaller supermarkets and refrigerators, the cube-style water melon was created as a solution. Today, these farm products are grown, handpicked and shipped all over Japan. 

Rent-A-Cow comes at No. 2, a business idea which involves renting a cow for a month or a season to produce milk and/or cheese for the person who rents it. The business was created on 2010 because many people wished to own a cow but did not have enough room, money or time. Their main cow farm based in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada has become the largest cow retailer in the world, shipping rare cows like the elusive Flying cow and the Brown cow that gives chocolate milk. Buyers have to be over the age of 16, and the company has the right to fine anyone who injures, starves, abuses or kills a rented cow. 

The Chocolate cow gives 5 gallons of chocolate milk a week,
loves mango juice and is scared of loud noises. 

The flying cow is rarely spotted because
It can cruise to a height of 15km.
It can fly long distances and can go up to 90 kph

Finally, ending at No. 1 is the cheapest tool you probably didn’t think could aid small businesses. This is ‘Star Toilet Paper'– Affordable marketing brought to the bathroom.

While Bryan Silverman was in High school, mid-2010, his older brother, Jordan, came to him with an idea. “He was reading in the bathroom on his phone and came out and said, ‘Everyone reads in here. Let’s make a toilet paper that you can read.” Jordan later found research showing that Americans respond favorably to advertising in public restrooms, including signage above urinals and came up with the idea to print coupons on toilet paper. The siblings went to work, building this business with less than $1000 of their own cash. They bought recycled toilet tissue rolls in bulk and had a printer place coupons on the top ply with harmless vegetable oil-based ink. With this great idea, Bryan and Jordan have been able to offer small businesses the unique opportunity to reach a distraction free audience.

... And there you have them - Ideas that could inspire you to perhaps start something strange and watch it work. 

So, have you thought of any strange business idea that could be lucrative in our present economy? What do you think of the ones shared above? Please add your comments below, and if you wish, share some idea you think may be useful to help inspire someone. 

Until next week, same day at noon, Adios!!!