Unusual Ways To Make Money

Money Brainstorming

Unusual Ways Newsletter
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If you are like myself, you enjoy seeing and reading about all the different business ideas people have successfully used. But what if you want to dream up your own ideas? That is what this issue covers. It's time for a bit of money brainstorming.

There are dozens of specific techniques that can be used for brainstorming, problem solving and generating ideas in general. All of them can be applied to business, investment, employment and anything else having to do with money. For now we are going to look at just two of these techniques.

Concept Combination

This is one of the best, or at least most entertaining, techniques for solving problems and creating new money ideas. Just start combining ideas and things, and voila, you're having fun - and maybe creating something new. Let's look at a real life example.

"Rock" + "pet" = The pet rock. My younger subscribers may not remember, but there were actually millions of "pet rocks" sold in the late 1970s. My brothers "pet sock" idea didn't do nearly so well, but then at 14 he wasn't the best marketer. In any case, you can see what the essence of this technique is.

But let's be realistic here for a moment. You can combine all sorts of different things to come up with new products and new ways to make money, yet many of the resulting ideas just won't be suited to your skills and experience. For example, "tree" and "billboard" might lead to a great idea for creating cheap billboards using existing trees,but you might know nothing about the billboard advertising business. It's fun to dream up these ideas, but how do you increase the odds of having some that work for you?

Start with things that you know something about, and combine these with other concepts. For example, if a man had a job driving an ice cream truck (the kind that stops on each street), he might combine this concept of "mobile sales vehicle" with a hundred other things to see what results. He could end up selling pizza from a truck, or even comic books and magazines. He already knows something about the running a route and selling out of a truck, so these ideas are more practical for him.

Let's look at the whole process. First, you list your skills, areas of knowledge, and jobs you've had. we'll assume your list includes "comedy" as one of your skills or interests. You start looking around the room at things and thinking of anything that comes to mind to combine with this concept. Get wild in your ideas. The time to judge them is later. For now, you simply ask questions like, "How would that work?" or "How can these two concept go together to make money?"

"Comedy" and a "restaurant?" It may seem like there is nothing there, but we eat at a pizza place that has a magician on Friday nights. He may not be paid much, but he gets to hand out cards, and gets booked for a lot of parties this way. A comedian could do the same perhaps.

"Comedy" plus "computer" may generate some more useful ideas. For an investment of just a few hundred dollars you could be creating and selling your own comedy audios (downloadable onto MP3s) online. There is currently at least one "how to be funny" ebook being sold online right now as well.

Another example: If you have a struggling taxi business, "taxi" and "pets" might lead to a successful arrangement with a kennel, to pick up and deliver their client's cats and dogs. Combining "taxi" with "famous people" might lead to some sort of tour of the town, like they do in Hollywood.

Don't worry about where the ideas come from or how "creative" they are. "Job" plus "phone" could lead to an idea about how to make money on the phone, or may just remind you to call around to see what other jobs are available. That alone could be worth thousands more per year to you, and you want results, not just clever ideas, right?

Here are a few random combinations of things to play with, just for money brainstorming practice: Book + Your Job ... Justice + Advertising ... Car + Bank ... Investment + Your Knowledge ... Singing + Food ... Food + Loan ... Computer + Car ... House + People ... Tired + Light ... Writing + Gambling ... Vacation + Delivery ... Hat + Billboard ... Opinion + Store.

Problems As Money Opportunities

Start looking at problems differently. Every one is an opportunity for someone to make some money, so why not you? If you or anyone you know runs into the same frustration several times, there is almost certainly a money-making solution.

For example, if you hear your parents and others complaining about stairs in their home, it's probably time for someone to make money with a single-floor housing development.

Is everyone where you work complaining about the lunch they get at the sandwich shop next door? Maybe it's time to create some great sandwiches to bring to work to sell.

Having a hard time with your boss? Are the other employees too? Perhaps it is time for a few of you to start your own business, and run it the way you think it should be run.

Problems with your children? If you set up a seminar and hired a well-known child rearing expert for it, you might solve your problem and make some money too.

Real Life Example

A common problem: How to remove various carpet stains. What money making ideas does this suggest? Invent a new stain remover? Write a booklet on removing stains, to and sell in quantity to carpet stores, for them to give away as a bonus? Here's what I did:

I bought lunch for a professional carpet cleaner, and asked him how to remove every type of stain. I spent a week or so setting up a website based on this interview (http://www.HowToRemoveCarpetStains.com). It only makes a couple hundred dollars per month, but I haven't put any real work into it for years now. That's an example of finding money ideas in common problems, and of money brainstorming.

Note: This is part of the "Unusual Ways" Newsletter.
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Unusual Ways To Make Money | Money Brainstorming