hey, im busy. You may or may not be.
here are 3 ideas that if i werent so … busy, I might take a flier on.
1. Txt messaging for 911 and Hospital Emergency rooms.
Most phones have text messaging. Soon, all will. Every city should have an emergy room SMS number that anyone can text with info saying, who they are, what happened, and that they are coming.
It could easily be extended so that anyone could go online and register their phone number and insurance info, so that when a txt was received from your phone number, it automatically pulled up any insurance information and/or patient history so that the entire process can be shortened in the hospital.
it obviously wouldnt work for everyone, but if the process is sped up for some, its sped up for everyone.
And for 911, of course, straight from any horror flick, the 911 for the time you cant or dont want to make a sound, or when a whisper isnt loud enough. TXT 911 with the problem and information. They can text you back.
2. Many high end cars are coming with navigation systems. Put in an address and find it. At least in my car, its connected to a DVD in the back of the car. Someone who is smart, could open up the specs for the DVD and create custom DVDs with the basics like information on the closest 7-11, but also customized information as well.
And if car makers are smart, they add a USB port and a rack so that hard drives can beused and then they publish the specs so that all sorts of cool apps could be created. Or better yet, they could make it IPOD compatible, and chop out 10gbs of the IPOD for this application and the rest could be piped in for music or back seat video.
3. if i had no money, i would start a business going door to door with a laptop and a scanner and scanning peoples pictures for a buck a pic for up to 10, then discount from there. Beats the hell out of mowing lawns or shoveling snow and any kid or adult could do it. If you want to think big time, set up a service with the local drugstore and have people drop off their pics and you go by every day and return them the next day.
Easy money
For anyone who loves idea #3, there is a lot of money to be made here. The Wall Street Journal predicts that the digital imaging trend is going to be an 85 billion dollar market. It is currently 95% untapped. If you are open-minded enough to look at some information, go to http://www.HeidiCarlson.com and send me a quick email. I’ll get back to you within 24 hours and set up a time for you to interview.
Comment by Heidi -
Mark,
What if I told you there is a patent already on idea #1 and that this patent also provides solutions for ideas #2& #3?
I think the inventor is presently working on bringing the technology to the market place that will do what you say in your blog and much, much more…there have been at least three global companies that have expressed interest and have initiated talks…
And get this!!..For ideas #2 & #3 the patent mentioned above provides for customized applications and eliminates the need to scan thereby speeding up the process, respectively.
What do you think about that? Let me know.
Comment by KL -
Mark,
What if I told you there is a patent already on idea #1 and that this patent also provides solutions for ideas #2& #3?
I think the inventor is presently working on bringing the technology to the market place that will do what you say in your blog and much, much more…there have been at least three global companies that have expressed interest and have initiated talks…
And get this!!..For ideas #2 & #3 the patent mentioned above provides for customized applications and eliminates the need to scan thereby speeding up the process, respectively.
What do you think about that? Let me know.
Comment by KL -
if i had the money, i would still invest in food industry. i think investing such business in food and beverages worth it. but anyone who has interested with topics and ideas above can give it a try, the question is how passionate you are?
Comment by ikabon -
mark, please buy my team!
Comment by kevin mcclatchy -
mark, please buy my team!
Comment by kevin mcclatchy -
one more thing…
This is a great blog for one core reason;
If billionaire Mark Cuban can share ideas and get blasted by some, it frees me, kids, you name it to share ideas and not take comments personally.
All young kids need to read this blog and learn this one character skill–
THERE WILL ALWAYS BE INSECURE PEOPLE!
NO MATTER HOW GREAT AN IDEA, NO MATTER HOW ESTABLISHED SOMEONE IS, NO MATTER NO MATTER
…SOMEONE WILL ALWAYS SHOOT YOU DOWN!
Those coming from families that are toxic have it the hardest, but if they can get over the hump…in fact, toxic families prepare one for toxic personalities. It’s a school nobody ever chooses to enter, but for many, it’s a free class daily.
Comment by Joe -
As for idea #3…photos are good, but don’t forget the kids art work, and all the other stuff you can scan and preserve.
* Kids report cards
* Kids class pictures, especially elementary students
* All important documents
* Take digital pics of a house’s property for ins. purposes (obviously there has to be a developed trust factor, but you can offer this service)
* Old magazine covers or articles
As for the door-2-door, the flyer idea is best. Make a high quality flyer along with a blog offering your services.
Go to senior clubs, ask grandparents where they hang out, etc. Once you get a client base like my folks Italian club, you can do scans in the club during a Sat night dance. All seniors bring their pics (they have them already counted) and you set-up with file folders for ea. client (look professional) and when the dance is over, you made CD’s/ DVD for each client with a price total. Knowing seniors, they will count their photos before paying…so what?
Comment by Joe -
Hmmm there had been several more commetns here but they disappeared. Interesting.
Cat
Comment by Cat Muldoon -
Great ideas. Might take a person from zero to success.
Jim
Comment by Jim Savage -
i really like your comments. I used tovery well in the medical business but thanks to some bad stuff im now lwft to start all over. Thats if in fact I win my current legal battle against the goverment. I have a lot of envy for you sir. I hope to one day be as sucessful as you! I like your ideas and
I welcome any more that you would have. Thanks again sir.
With Respect,
Andrew J. Hillman
Dallas, TX
http://www.optimizedus.com
Comment by Andrew J Hillman -
CUBAN’s # 3 POINT: Here is a site for exactly that in the Dallas area. http://www.allofyourmemories.com If anyone you know would be interested in having their pictures backed up. This service is by far the most reasonable and simple model out there, and they go to your house and do it at your kitchen table so that your pictures never leave your house. If you know people who would like this service, I will guarantee you a commission for each lead.
Comment by David Charney -
CUBAN’s # 3 POINT: Here is a site for exactly that in the Dallas area. http://www.allofyourmemories.com If anyone you know would be interested in having their pictures backed up. This service is by far the most reasonable and simple model out there, and they go to your house and do it at your kitchen table so that your pictures never leave your house. If you know people who would like this service, I will guarantee you a commission for each lead.
Comment by David Charney -
New Ivention U.S.patent 6,986,186
Good opportunity for investor or partner.
How would you like to have your windows exterior clean just by pressing one switch on/off with out the need to call anybody to wash your windows exterior you can see that new product on my website and live me your feedback .thank you
Cordialy Stephane Dube
http://www.windowwashingsystem.com or you can go see my profile at Startup Nation
Comment by Stephane Dube -
You People are Nuts… Each idea is great.
#1 – Is every 911 call routed to the ER? No. Is drinking poison and losing your voice count as an emergency? Yes. When did an option for an EMERGENCY become a bad thing!
#2 – Forget semantics people! Its the end result!
#3 – HS kids could make bank during the summer! Did you know before memory chips they had this stuff called film. It has been made for well over 100 years. Imagine that! If I had to guess, and im going out on a limb here, there is quite a bit of print film out there that people would want preserved. Just a wild guess.
Comment by RJB -
>82. Posted Aug 9, 2006, 4:54 PM ET by Cashflow Business
Good post this week, Mark. There’s a buttload of good business ideas out there just starving for someone to come along and run with them.
Nice to see that you haven’t stopped thinking like an entrepreneur despite becoming one of the fat cats.
————
That’s because he’s from Pittsburgh which makes him very down to Earth and practical. 🙂
Comment by Alexander -
Some additional idea from net, which is very nice:
“The idea is to create a New child safe web site, similar to MYSPACE, but in a secure environment I want to offer families a safe place for their children to talk with other kids their same age without the threat of sexual predators. The business idea is already going through the patent process. Now I need the capital to start the marketing for this multi-million dollar idea. This idea is HUGE but it is at a stand still without funding. It is something to keep our children safe from child predators; everybody wants that for our kids….”
Comment by Div -
MARK PLEASE READ MY MOVIE THEATER IDEAS FROM YOUR PREVIOUS POST…
Here’s a good business idea…
PIZZA GIRL
You order a pizza and a HOOTERS-caliber girl shows up to deliver your trendy california-pizza-kitchen-esque food. Of course she’d better have pepper spray if she delivers in my neighborhood.
If you give me a job you can pay me in Mavericks tickets LOL
I wanna sit next to Don Carter’s son.
Why does he dress like a professional wrestler?
Comment by Nate Miller -
Mr Cuban I’ve got an idea. I like to pitch it to you.
Comment by Jonathan Kapner -
Hey Mark,
I thought I might throw in one of my ideas for a new invention. It ties in along with the ideas mentioned in this most recent blog. Me and my friend have been kicking around ideas and designs for a car-deck player that would have a usb-port installed on it that would be able to read flash memory sticks. Since so many people now-a-days carry around memory sticks at all times (College students in general, even my father who is 55!) it would be nice if you could just plug in a memory stick to your car-deck player and have the player recognize all the music files that you have saved to it. I have done some slight searching and haven’t found any other product that would do the same thing. Of course the deck would have to be pre-programmed to read the card and sort through and pick out only music files and then categorize them, but that seems simple enough to do. Just hoping to get some feedback on this idea or if it has already been implemented, thanks.
Comment by Albert Rhee -
*Photo Scanning Kiosk in Drugstores.* Why not create automatic scanners in kiosk form. Insert your pictures like you would a dollar in an automatic change machine and the kiosk spits out a CD, a data DVD, or a DVD with an automatic slideshow of your photos. Technically-speaking this should be easy.
Comment by Peds GI Doc -
Good post this week, Mark. There’s a buttload of good business ideas out there just starving for someone to come along and run with them.
Nice to see that you haven’t stopped thinking like an entrepreneur despite becoming one of the fat cats.
Comment by Cashflow Business -
the whole text mssg idea is good but what if the nurse needs more info?
plus if you want an easy job with 100% profit.
watch peoples dogs. I do 5 dollars a day and make a lot of money. also i am young so i dont need 75000 a year. i would gladly take 5000. heck Id take a job from Mark to work at the mavs games for alost free.
Comment by david wood -
The Mavs got spanked,,
YEAHHH!!!!!!!!!
Comment by alex leton -
I can’t believe the negative comments. It’s just Mark’s personal thoughts on how one could go about making money. Extra money that is. I know a number of developers and I am actively working on promoting the TXT 911 idea now.
http://www.seleniumsoftware.com/
http://www.seleniumsoftware.com/images/big-picture.jpg
BTW, buy the Pittsburgh Pirates and Penguins Mark! 🙂
Comment by Alexander -
I can’t believe the negative comments. It’s just Mark’s personal thoughts on how one could go about making money. Extra money that is. I know a number of developers and I am actively working on promoting the TXT 911 idea now.
http://www.seleniumsoftware.com/
http://www.seleniumsoftware.com/images/big-picture.jpg
BTW, buy the Pittsburgh Pirates and Penguins Mark! 🙂
Comment by Alexander -
I have a great Internet advertising idea that targets ultra-small businesses & can be started with less than $3000 worth of equipment and software. But I am not going to share it with y’all: I’m already doing it myself.
🙂
Comment by Robin 'Roblimo' Miller -
Another good business for someone with a limited amount of money to get into would be securing wifi networks for people. There are thousands of homes with insecure wifi in any area. Steps involved are pretty simple considering most people have the main 2 router (linksys or netgear). Take a few hours to develop a sales pitch that you feel works. Get yourself some magnets and business cards and let the people know that you are doing affordable computer support also (virus, spyware, reformatting, software installation and networking). From my experience there are millions of people who just need a “little” help with their computer and would be more than happy to pay you a few extra dollars to fix their computer problems. Most of them end up buying a new computer instead. Then from there your possibilities are limitless considering you can also profit from hardware sales (newegg.com + 25% markup). Once you have developed what you feel is a good system (read e-myth about how to develop systems and why they work). Alot of times tech people are not very good with people so if you do not feel comfortable makign cold calls find a friend who is and pay them for leads.
Comment by Brandon -
good
Comment by imdb -
yes@ good!
Comment by imdb -
Great ideas along with marketing dogaloose and the puddin branded products
Comment by snxs -
1. the 9-11 idea is a terrible idea. why wouldn’t anyone just call in?
2. the navigation idea is a terrible idea. cars right now have bigger issues than stupid navigational DVD’s
3. your scanner idea is actually good, maybe i could use your laptop and scanner to do the task?
Comment by John McCarthy -
I dont see the 911 text idea being viable. How would the hospitals determine which texts where legit?. That is a huge issue with 911 in geneeral as it is. You would have to budget a staff just for that issue and there would need to be legislation introduced to make a false 911 text to the hospital a crime just as it is for 911. It would be a logistical nightmare.
Comment by Brian -
In response to:
61. Posted Aug 7, 2006, 8:19 PM ET by Phil
Phil, how is my comment about your ignorance any different than you asking what Cuban is smoking? I call that a ridcule as well. I was being sarcastic about how long you spent researching because you wasted your time even if it was 5 minutes. It only took me 3.5 minutes on Home Depot to find mine.
And whether it is considered a stereotype or not, am I wrong about what ethnicity most lawn mowing employees come from? You know I could have used some derogatory names that are much more offense. Instead I said ‘Hispanic’. And I think your last run-on sentence is a copout. Dont say your not going to waste your time, just say what you think about the subject. I know there is a difference between a scanner and a lawn mower, but my point was that scanners are becoming more common in households. And that the parents are the ones who buy both (lawn equipment and computer hardware). That is in response to your comment that if they have no money, how will they buy a laptop and scanner. I didnt hear you comment on that. Stop trying to avoid the issue by worrying about whether or not I offended you. My point is still that your comment makes no sense, because the kids will not have to spend money on a laptop or a scanner. well?
Comment by Bueller -
Ive done the mowing but for free lately. first time i have heard that hospitals are converting to an SMS feature and #2…im not quite sure i understand it
Comment by George -
The only problem with the idea of door to door scanning is that it will die out. Yes, in certain areas you can make money off of old folks, but how many of these pictures and people will you get. I guess it all depends on the area.
Mark … I like the idea of you posting “If I had no money”. I would suggest making it a regular post (once every 2 weeks) and idea from Mark.
Comment by BizMord Marketing -
I think #1 this goes along with the push for Electronic Medical Records. Integrating todays technologies into the way we service the public is vital to becoming more efficient and provide better quality healthcare. SMS is an interesting tool for emergency situations.
I think #3 is being done, but so is mowing lawns. Personally, I had a mowing business when I was in High School and college. There was a lot of competition, but if this “kid” wants to take a more direct sales/grass roots approach I am sure there is money to be made.
Comment by GolfersWired -
customising the satnav DVD/hard drive is a great idea, although I think it has already been done, the latest mercedes S-class has around 20Gb on the hard drive available for future applications/upgrades – nice ideas though!
Comment by cars stuff -
I wouldn’t call #1 a business idea, since – at least in Germany – a thing like the emergency infrastructure is built by the government. And I’m really sure they will not hire a small and talented venture to do this, but an enterprise company like Siemens together with some consultants from Accenture.
#2 is already on it’s way and I actually thought about starting something similar – not for built in navigation, but for Smartphones.
I would rather do IT consulting again than doing #3. Sounds like an absolut boring and non-appreciating job.
Comment by Andreas Berg -
The first idea sounds good, if your voice portion of the phone is not working, for emergency purposes. Yes, although it is a definite way to confirm an emergency if the phone disconnects. It’s just the typing while your nervous if your are in a situation.
HOW ABOUT A 911 BUTTON ON YOUR PDA? HIT 2 BUTTONS IN UNISON AND A 911 MESSAGE GOES TO EMERGENCY RESCUE ALONG WITH A CONFIRMING TEXT MESSAGE AND YOUR GPS SENDS THE LOCATION WHERE YOU ARE. For all the reasons I can come up with. (Intellectual property again.)
The vehicle idea is great, Yes,
PDA for upgrades, beam it. Beam it to upgrade your printer options. Beam it like fedex and ups. Beam your atm and beam ticket purchases. (I.P.)
Don’t like the door to door if your are speaking for kids. No.
They can put their computer and scanner to better use. Like start their own company, perhaps.
Clearwater Sales Seminar years past. Some of the ideas sound familiar.
Tell us your progress on the movie pursuit of increasing attendance and what ideas you have for quality viewing.
Looking forward to a positive response.
Comment by S. -
Hi Mark!
As to how to people to get out of their house and go to a movie. Here’s what works…
FREE BEER AND CHOCOLATE BARS given to each movie goer. This works for most people. I am thinking about applying this idea to my Draw And Paint School website. I’m thinking of using virtual gift certificates to some store that everyone has access to. Know of any 7/11’s in foreign countries? lol
Cathy
Comment by Cathy Friesenhahn -
First of all, 51 made the best point. It’s great that you shared your own thoughts and made other people think, and I hope it will become a trend here…interesting possibilities. I’m amazed at the number of idea-killers, pretty symptomatic of people who aren’t going to succeed. As for 57, that’s an inaccurate comment about people being reluctant to pay for such a 911 txt service. You’re telling me that people are willing to pay to vote for American Idol or a trivia question (constantly) but they wouldn’t spend two or three bucks on their mobile bill because of a serious health emergency? LOL. And as for scanning, there are a lot of commenters here who aren’t putting themselves in the shoes of people who would pay for it. My mom, for one. Of course you’re not looking for the tech whiz who already has a digital camera or gets photos on CD at the Wal-Mart. You’re looking for people like my Mom — or anyone! — with pics from their lifetime before digital. That’s most of us, including me. And you’re also talking about a kid in a neighborhood who is NOT some stranger that people are afraid to share their that with…they would be helping a young neighbor just as if they let him/her mow their lawn. Keep the ideas coming, Mark, the wilder the better. You can tame a wild tiger, but you can’t make a tame tiger wild.
Comment by Mark -
Posted Aug 7, 2006, 10:18 AM ET by Bueller
This one goes out to Phil (#17) back on Aug. 5th and all the ignorant people who have said something similar to his response.
Phil, before you go and waste half of your day researching the cost of laptops and scanners and then pasting your findings, try thinking the situation all the way through. Who has the reputation for mowing lawns? kids…thats right. So his audience are kids looking for a summer job. sure Mark mentioned “any kid or adult could do it.”, but lets face it, not many adults mow lawns for a living. Although there are some that do (hispanics mainly), I am pretty sure that the mow enough lawns in one week to buy a cheap IBM laptop to get the job done, but this is besides the point.
Your argument is, if they have no money to begin with, how will they purchase all the hardware. Dont you think 90% of the kids who read this are reading it off of there own computer?? Dont you think that their parents bought it for them?? Dont you think that if they dont already have laptop, that their parents or grandparents could buy them a laptop? Dont you think they could borrow their parents scanner?? I mean seriously, think before you speak. How does the same kid mow lawns?? Dare I research how much a lawn mower, a weed-eater, an edger, an extension cord, a broom, some trash bags, and gas cost?? But wait, how will they get all this, if they dont have any money to begin with???
Total cost of yard supplies = $714.39
My response to you = priceless
**********************************************
Bueller,
I’m one to play nice, but you’ve left me no option to respond. Even though, you’ve succumbed to name calling people as “ignorant” in your post; I will not lower myself to your level in my response to you.
*
Excuse me while I take a pause before I continue speaking.
*
First, I’m not sure how you surf the web, but I spent about 5 minutes total in my response from the 5th. That five minutes included about 3 minutes at Best Buy.Com. If what I did would take you half a day, then you either have an old 14.4 modem or maybe you should take a class on how to search the web.
As for kids borrowing a parent’s scanner, I’m not going to waste anymore of my time explaining the differences between lawn equipment vis-à -vis scanners to a person who so easily ridicules strangers, name calls others, and makes racial stereotypes to the general make-up of those employed in the lawn care industry.
Comment by Phil -
I agree with # 57. The 911Txt service does not really sound like a way to make money. For example when you call 911 you do not get charged for the call, so why should a person get charged to text for an emergency?
But you could tweak the idea a bit and make it into a profitable solution if used for another industry… (Just use your imagination)
About Idea #3, it could work if you initially invested into it but your ROI could take a while since some people would not want to share their pictures with strangers…
Idea #2 has been in the works and a great example would be the Street Deck (http://www.streetdeck.com)
-Lak
Comment by Lak -
Ben said: “Are you kidding me? I’m shocked at how many people are looking for ways to poke holes in these ideas, rather than opening their minds and thinking abstractly of unique and new ways too actually bring one of these to the table.”
What percentage of the population is actually self-employed? Maybe 5% tops? There’s a good reason for this low percentage. Most people focus on the potential problems instead of the opportunities.
Comment by Beef Jezos -
Ben said: “Are you kidding me? I’m shocked at how many people are looking for ways to poke holes in these ideas, rather than opening their minds and thinking abstractly of unique and new ways too actually bring one of these to the table.”
What percentage of the population is actually self-employed? Maybe 5% tops? There’s a good reason for this low percentage. Most people focus on the potential problems instead of the opportunities.
Comment by Beef Jezos -
Always nice to see you posting these types of ideas, but in this case I dont really see any of them turning into profitable businesses.
TXT 911 is not a business. It might be a nice feature the cell-phone company adds, or it might be a feature the Goverment ads, but a business?
And also the scanning business, I think someone who is were tech savy might want their pictures in digital form, but if they were tech savy to begin with they would know how to do it themselves.
I would love it if someone proved me wrong…but just my thoughts.
Comment by E P -
#3 is a great idea look at all parents because is a child goes missing they could give the police disk with a picture it would be
quicker the get the imformation out to find the missing children.
Comment by kari -
#3 is a great idea look at all the parents of missing children who could give the police disk with a picture it would be quicker the get the imformation out to find the missing children.
Comment by kari -
I drive a Lexus, the navigation system isnt far off from whta your talking about. I think most navtech systems are like this. I know Google is getting ready for a big increase of ip addresses for mobile devices, cars and such. Adding a hard drive is the next logical step, but can you imagine the tech support issues for auto makers when they cant figure out how to use the maps, audio and video function on their cars… The mass public is a hard group to please but a simple ipod like interface would be nice. Maybe sync the map with google maps and get local info via the web real time. Im sure people are working on this.
Comment by Scottsdale -
Sally,
You just raised the bar for the local beer lady at the golf club. I’m thinking $10 for a body shot is much better than $5 for a screwdriver.
And if you live in a college town, you’ve got a gold mine.
Maybe you can partner with a bike taxi. They drive the taxi, you do body shots in the back.
Comment by PSC -
Idea #3? Come one…the first thing I learned when I bought my home is to not open the door when some stranger approaches selling God knows what…..door to door? no thanks!
Comment by ace -
Are you kidding me? I’m shocked at how many people are looking for ways to poke holes in these ideas, rather than opening their minds and thinking abstractly of unique and new ways too actually bring one of these to the table. I’m hoping that those glass half-full folks(I’d like to include myself in that group on most days)are spending their time mashing these ideas around in their minds and not taking the time to rant about the impossibilty of these ideas. That would explain the imbalance of positive reinforcement that is sometimes hard to find in these comments. p.s. If I hear one more person say they don’t have the time…I’m gonna throw up!!
Cheers
Comment by Ben -
I would take #3 idea and change it to a laptop, digital camera and a nice wireless printer. Advertise in the phone book and paper for wedding pictures. Everyone wants to have their picture taken with the bride and groom. The great thing is that not only would people like taking pictures with the bride and groom, but think of all the friends and family that never gets to see each other, it would be a great time to get pics with each other.
After taking the picture you give them a price sheet of the sizes of portrait paper that you carry. They pick a size and print it right there to give to the person or people that just got their pics taken.
Add a digital video camera to that and burn cd’s or dvd’s of the wedding to give to people that want it right there at the wedding.
This is just to start, after that go to all kinds of events. People love to have pics taken at events or parties then to have them right there is even better.
Comment by caine -
http://www.weiterempfehlen.einemillioneurohomepage.de/
Comment by Einemillioneurohomepage -
Great Site with very good informations
Comment by Einemillioneurohomepage -
My business idea:
First, buy a professional baseball franchise.
Second, apply the principal of specificity to developing and training pitchers to all levels of the organization.
Third, use all these 95mph arms to dominate the league for the next 20 years.
Fourth, profit.
Comment by Lifesrichpageant -
I don’t know if I would or could knock on a randoms person’s door and ask “Hey can I scan your photos?”
I’m going to flesh this out for the critics!
1. Develope a brochure (tri fold), advertise the benefits and the blah blah blah..
2. Pass this out and wait for calls. Make appointments (this fixes the logistics problems)
3. Sort into packages,
10 pic minimum, $1 ea
11-20 pics, $.90 ea
21-30 pics, $.80 ea
31+ pics, $.70 ea – Base minimum
—————
Okay so lets say you already have a laptop, but have to buy a scanner, Lets say $200.
Printing out 300 brochures locally… $40
You get 15% reponse with the average job quantity of 21 pics.
45 Calls x 21 pics @ $.80 = $756
-$200 Scanner
$500 bucks profit
— The next week if the same, would be …
+$200 becuase of no Scanner cost!
– “But we dont have time!?”
Mon – wednesday Print and Pass out Brochures.
Thursday – Sat Go to contacts and Get money
Sunday – Relax.
(“Only one day off?!”) what you wan’t a easy life? You have to hustle to get yours!, I am working on it with a concept that is New, Local and simple. sellmycarok.com
Comment by Richard Bowles -
Ha, I thought about that picture idea too. What a pain in the a$$. Im here in Arizona right now and maybe the heat is getting to me but door to door soesnt sound like too much fun. Good idea though overall. The issue is with customer service and getting big. While that would work for awhile you are lmited to your local area and do you scan the pictures at their home? Do they have dogs, cats, grandma talking to you for hours?
Maybe good for the sub 16 year old to get some experience selling and work but after that a customer service job would be better for most.
Comment by Manager Assistant -
Mark-
RE: #2
Much of this is being developed and parts of it are in the process of being rolled out. The Chrysler MyGig system to be offered on several 2007 models and will feature a 20 Gig HDD and will likely receive map updates on the HDD rather than DVD’s. Other manufacturers should follow suit. As for points of interest (POI’s), Navteq currently offers POI’s on select products, and has recently opened its API that will allow developers to create new and appealing functionalities tailored to specific uses.
Comment by David Niederman -
Sally,
Where do I sign up?
Comment by ken -
This one goes out to Phil (#17) back on Aug. 5th and all the ignorant people who have said something similar to his response.
Phil, before you go and waste half of your day researching the cost of laptops and scanners and then pasting your findings, try thinking the situation all the way through. Who has the reputation for mowing lawns? kids…thats right. So his audience are kids looking for a summer job. sure Mark mentioned “any kid or adult could do it.”, but lets face it, not many adults mow lawns for a living. Although there are some that do (hispanics mainly), I am pretty sure that the mow enough lawns in one week to buy a cheap IBM laptop to get the job done, but this is besides the point.
Your argument is, if they have no money to begin with, how will they purchase all the hardware. Dont you think 90% of the kids who read this are reading it off of there own computer?? Dont you think that their parents bought it for them?? Dont you think that if they dont already have laptop, that their parents or grandparents could buy them a laptop? Dont you think they could borrow their parents scanner?? I mean seriously, think before you speak. How does the same kid mow lawns?? Dare I research how much a lawn mower, a weed-eater, an edger, an extension cord, a broom, some trash bags, and gas cost?? But wait, how will they get all this, if they dont have any money to begin with???
Total cost of yard supplies = $714.39
My response to you = priceless
Comment by Bueller -
I think the picture idea is a good one for kids… When we were kids, my brother adapted the old lemonade stand and sold ice. He made good money… go to an event and sell ice. Frozen water — the margins are pretty good.
Comment by Clarence Bennett -
Mark – You’re a genius, and I’m doing it. Forget what all these negative nellies are saying – the scanning idea is brilliant. It may need a little tweaking and fleshing out (though Im sure you know that), but there is more than enough potential there to run with it and find out.
Now all I have to do is buy a scanner…
Comment by Jim Squires -
Text Hotline for Photo Scanning service and if they don’t show up at your door in 20 minutes, you get half the price.
Comment by Milo Riano -
#2 is not that great of an idea. First of all, most in car navigation systems are going to hard drive and are already offering real time information via XM or Sirus or through FM channels. Soon, you will be able to get information wirelessly through wifi and will allow cars to communicate with each other.
Comment by totoro -
Idea 1 is silly. I work in registration at an ER and I can’t picture this helping.
The real delay at the ER is due to the 1) required (human) verification of all info and 2) the wait due to more severe cases. SMS would not help either case.
Life threatening emergencies are treated prior to registration anyway.
Comment by steveo -
I doubt you could ever get a drugstore.. or any store for that matter, to agree to your obviously undeveloped third idea. Number one– no one is going to give their pictures to some random person. Think of all the privacy concerns and potential legal problems. There is no way. As for lugging a computer and scanner around the neighborhood… I’ll take mowing lawns. In the end, it’s quicker (scanning photos and burning who knows how many CD’s becomes old very quickly– especially with some illiterate breathing over your shoulder), and it pays better. Who cares if there is a little sweat involved– it builds character, right?
Comment by Kevin -
I use my PocketPC cell phone! It got Bluetooth, InfraRed Beam, Wireless Modem, mobile phone, and a flash camera. Having a simple PocketPC, I can walk into any room, car, airplane, anywhere and I have access to all my data, music, and video all accessible using my pocketPC/internet. I can have my latest music play on the local radio devices using Bluetooth. I can connect to the Internet and upload music/files/streaming video using my personally built PocketPC wireless modem either connected to my laptop using Bluetooth or Infrared Beam. I can send a text to my VOIP listener extended vonage and tunnel my cell phone as the originator of call to 911 emergencies. I can take a photo of a printed picture using my PocketPC, and upload it to my photo server to enhance it and store it. If anyone has a cell phone camera can do the same. I can listen to XM-Radio, local Radio, and watch Local TV channels using my PocketPC cell phone. I can remote control my laptops, Personal computers, and servers using my pocketPC. I can connect to Googlemaps, yahoo mobile, Yahoo messenger, MSN-messenger, msn-myspace, and more…. All possible, and big players in the Telecom industry know it. May be able to make some money up front before big players come out of the closet and takeover.
Comment by Mitchell -
I use my PocketPC cell phone! It got Bluetooth, InfraRed Beam, Wireless Modem, mobile phone, and a flash camera. Having a simple PocketPC, I can walk into any room, car, airplane, anywhere and I have access to all my data, music, and video all accessible using my pocketPC/internet. I can have my latest music play on the local radio devices using Bluetooth. I can connect to the Internet and upload music/files/streaming video using my personally built PocketPC wireless modem either connected to my laptop using Bluetooth or Infrared Beam. I can send a text to my VOIP listener extended vonage and tunnel my cell phone as the originator of call to 911 emergencies. I can take a photo of a printed picture using my PocketPC, and upload it to my photo server to enhance it and store it. If anyone has a cell phone camera can do the same. I can listen to XM-Radio, local Radio, and watch Local TV channels using my PocketPC cell phone. I can remote control my laptops, Personal computers, and servers using my pocketPC. I can connect to Googlemaps, yahoo mobile, Yahoo messenger, MSN-messenger, msn-myspace, and more…. All possible, and big players in the Telecom industry know it. May be able to make some money up front before big players come out of the closet and takeover.
Comment by Mitchell -
#3 is not easy. I’ve thought about it and even setup a business based on it years ago. There is too many logistical issues. A local company tried it… together with guarantees to hold backups at a secure location. The company never did take off and I think it belly flopped.
Thanks anyway…
I’ll stick to mowning lawns, cleaning garbage bins and taking out the trash for the elderly.
Comment by Marco - Share Trading -
easy money? In fact, everybody wants to say that. Right now, I am doing educational consultant business. I don’t think it is easy to make money even though lots of people think that education must have the brighter future.
To some degree, the money is good. The way to earn is hard to figure out.
Bless everybody
Comment by herbert -
People already offer the service of scanning photos. Going door to door might create what is known in the business as a “Red Dragon” situation. While we need the service being done, do we really want a stranger to get that much insight into our family? Would you feel comfortable letting some guy who knocks on your door come inside and flip through your family album?
Comment by Joe Corey -
Mark,
I think you must be related to my 92 year old grandmother. She has every drawer in her home stuffed with pictures. My folks were at her place for two weeks cleaning up, and my Mom thinks she gathered most of the pictures. The plan now is to scan all of them and have her tell us who is in the pictures and stuff. Should be a few TB by the time we’re done!
Comment by Brad Hutchings -
Yes, the first idea is cool… sometimes, aa SMS message could be faster than a phone call.
Comment by LinkGratis -
If I may add a ques. How many job ideas under 1000k are there that might help kids learn the basics of business? In the 80’s I bought lawn equiptment for two of my sons. They paid a % of their income to cover those costs. I absorbed some costs like transportation. The idea that Mark has suggested is focused on basic tecnology available today. Gary
Comment by Gary Ongley -
Mark doesn’t have to sit around and think of business ideas; that he does (even if it’s hit or miss) is something some people should take note of.
Comment by Chris -
Great ideas and a real keeper. Thanks for such a creative look at business through 3 different lenses! Loved the first two … but the third one would take a bit of motivating — even if I had no money:-) Seems to me that it is a seed idea that could be developed though… and it would be fun to hold a think tank for creative thinkers to push it into a plan that might work.
Comment by Ellen Weber -
As to idea #3 — you can have your pictures put on CD when you have them developed, so why would you want to scan them instead?
Comment by Vicki -
You would have to scan 300 pictures a day to make good money…Thats like 800 houses a day..
Comment by Keith -
The idea for FreelanceMom came to me when I was searching for work from home myself. I remember the frustration of coming upon website after website with either a clearly bogus opportunity, or a website filled with advertisements for other work at home websites and no real
content, or a website that did claim to have the answers but you had to purchase them.
Comment by Tai -
I hope your O.K. It sounds like you came up with this blog while you were visiting the ER, and thinking about loved ones, wondering where their pictures are…etc. Get well soon!
Comment by David C -
Phil (#16), you said in your argument
“If I were to charge $1 for 10 photos, I would need to scan 10,000 photos just to break even! That would take me close to 167 hours to complete, again just to break even.”
What I interpreted Mr. Cuban as saying was he would charge $1 for each picture, up to 10 pictures ($10 for 10 pictures) and then give discounts from there.
Comment by Alexi -
Not bad ideas Cuban, however, if you would check your email address, you would see an Idea I passed along to you about a week ago, and trust me, with the right kind of people running it, you could make more money than all three of those ideas combined!
Comment by kevin -
Sorry, but first idea is nonsence. I won’t print SMS, if I can call in fast way and explain everything. It will be much faster and easier
Comment by Bary -
This sounds like the start of an “Idea Bank.” Now that’s a great idea.
Comment by Joel Cohen/RestaurantMarketing.com -
Mark said, “If I had no money, I would start a business going door to door with a laptop and a scanner”
Mr. Cuban, normally I have the utmost respect for you and your ideas, but this time I just hold my head in ignominy and wonder what you’re thinking or smoking.
If you have no money, how do you purchase a laptop and a portable scanner good enough for bulk scanning that can be done quickly and efficiently?
Let’s look at the facts:
New Computer: $579.99 (not including tax) Hewlett-Packard – Pavilion 410 Notebook dv5218nr Intel® Celeron® M processor 410; DL DVD±RW/CD-RW drive; 15.4″ widescreen; 80GB hard drive; 512MB PC5300 DDR memory
New Portable Scanner: $299.99 (not including tax)
Visioneer – XP 200 Strobe Sheetfed Scanner SXP2001D Up to 600 dpi resolution; included software scans photos, text; business cards to legal
CD to give to customer of scanned photos: $16.99 (not including tax) Dynex – 50-Pack 52x CD-R Disc Spindle DX-50CDR
For not having any money, start-up including tax would roughly be $1,000. Now that I have the equipment, let’s get to work. Using the above equipment it would take close to 1 minute to scan each photo. (This minute includes scanning time, saving time, and burning time of all completed photos to CD.)
If I were to charge $1 for 10 photos, I would need to scan 10,000 photos just to break even! That would take me close to 167 hours to complete, again just to break even.
I’m also looking at making under $6.00 an hour in this scenario (that is if I don’t report this income to Uncle Sam.)
Mark, you must have a pretty big yard and a super-speedway sized driveway if this idea “beats the hell out of mowing lawns or shoveling snow.”
Comment by Phil -
I want streaming radio in my car…not just satellite. Stations I can’t get on Sirrius like KEXP.org
Is there an application where I can rotate my internet home page every other day? Sometimes I like Yahoo and sometimes I like MSN…would be nice.
Comment by Brandon -
Mark,
While I don’t know anyone working on idea #1, ideas #2 and 3 are already getting some traction. There is an article on Red Herring (http://redherring.com/Article.aspx?a=17823&hed=iPod+Rides+Shotgun+in+New+Cars) announcing that Ford, GM, and Mazda will integrate iPod features into their 2007 cars.
Also, a good friend of mine has already built a scanning company that does exactly what you mentioned. Check out his site: http://acentra.com/. The thing that makes him different is that his reps carry around the highest-quality scanners in their trucks. Most people don’t want to send their pictures to get scanned — the pictures themselves mean too much to them (and the people are afraid that something might happen during the process.) The best way to do it is going door-to-door so that the pictures don’t leave the house. After 1 year in the business, they are having great success.
Brock
Comment by Brock Blake -
Idea #3 would work becauase there are many different scams you could run with different identification.
Many, many, many
Comment by JR Ewing -
I’m a hot blonde, former Hooters waitress. I’m thinking of selling tequila shots door to door, complete with salt and lemon. I’ll wear a bikini top and hotpants. A body shot on your front porch will cost you 10 bucks. Wacha think?
Comment by Sally -
Great Idea’s Mark
I like number 3 but I would put a little twist on it.
Everybody likes a picture of their house.
So the kid goes around takes 10 pictures of ten houses and takes them home and converts them into sketches with photoshop.
Puts a cheap frame on them and calls back in the evening.
Tell me who isnt ging to buy a framed color sketch of their house.
Hit every time I bet
Comment by Pat Phelan -
Items 2 and 3 are already businesses. Check the forums for hacking software and customizing it for your car. I have a Honda Pilot and within 10 minutes of getting home with the new purchase, found out how to hack the system and customize everthing. Beats paying $200 for the upgrade DVD with the latest.
I’d prefer to have a hard drive that records the live radio while I”m driving. So I can pause and rewind ala DVR.
Lastly, being an XM subsciber, why can’t I browse what the other stations are playing like I can on my Dish Network?
Comment by Pat Crofoot -
For everyone who says they’re bad ideas, congrats on stating your opinion, it’s meaningless.
At least this is coming from someone who’s tried ideas, fail or succeed, he’s still one of the richest people in america.
good ideas, I like them
Everyone with initiative will look at those progressively.
Comment by Sam -
I’ve been telling people for years that there needs to be a sunscreen + insect repellent hybrid. Everytime I’m on vacation in a tropical place I put both on, and I’m never sure which one to put on first.
A week ago I saw a Bull Frog ad for the product I’ve been waiting for. They beat me to it! If only I was a chemist…
Comment by Bryan Peters -
I think the idea of the TXT and 911 TXT are great. Especially, if you can link up all the pertienet information to the number. Anyone who’s been to an emergency room knows that the whole insurance thing is a hassel. Now, older folks that aren’t tech saavy probably wouldn’t be able to use it quite so well but younger adults that ARE tech savvy could benefit greatly from it and they could get moved through faster. Unless you’re really REALLY life threateningly injured, you’re shuffled out to the waiting room for two reasons: 1. Because there’s someone (or several someones) back there in much worse shape and 2. They’re trying to get your insurance nailed down. I did a rotation in Health Occupations through the ER and that was pretty much the most important thing I learned.
The 911 TXT is a fantastic idea too. It would especially be great for high noise environments and for the hearing impared to use. I think more and more deaf adults teens and kids are resorting to using Sidekicks (I see them with them all the time at work)and TXT anyway so that would fit right into what they’re already doing.
Kids in Japan are so adept at TXT that some schools have replaced traditional keyboards with a keyboard that looks like a cell phone. I wouldn’t be surprised if that happens in this country as TXT becomes more of the norm. I don’t know why I mentioned that but I have to stray off on a tangent at least once…
The scanning idea though… that’d be a good idea for someone with computer know-how to make a buck or two of his non-tech savvy neighbors. I know there are still ppl who can’t scan anything though scanners have become much simpler that they used to be. All in all, those are some spiffy ideas. It’s just if someone with the right resources decides to use them.
Comment by Rebeccalee Coventry -
On the scanning concept, take a look at this company: http://www.britepix.com/about-us.htm it’s one of dozens in the space already. As for the summer job, door-to-door style of selling, this kid already took the ball and ran with it: http://houston.craigslist.org/cps/186182060.html I agree that this is a low overhead/high margin knowledge and labor intensive business that most people would rather pay a kid to do than do themselves.
Comment by Marc Nathan -
On the GPS Hard Drive issue, the big companies in the space http://www.tomtom.com/ and http://www.garmin.com are already there and most of the major automakers have announced USB and/or iPod ports built in to many 2007 models. It’s a surprise that the satellite radio companies haven’t been able to integrate mapping and points of interest into their hardware offerings.
Comment by Marc Nathan -
I have seen a few companies here in Houston that can tackle the SMS911 problem: http://www.hyperalert.com and http://www.tendenci.com/mms/firstresponders/ are the first that come to mind.
Comment by Marc Nathan -
Mark,
All good ideas here. Another one might be for a blog run by investors and decision makers that posted ideas about what they would like to fund or see. It would be a way for startups to gauge wether their idea has a valid market before spending a lot of time and effort an idea that won’t see a dime of funding. As an angel investor, I see a lot of great deals and great ideas, but sometimes not in the same business plan. Sometimes I would rather originate the business ideas that I want to see in the market (just like you did here) and then match them with a team of capable entrepreneurs in order to make them viable.
Comment by Marc Nathan -
Like he said, it beats mowing lawns.. Plenty of people would like to have their images scanned. My parents for one.. They know how to get online and check email and that’s it. if I dropped off a scanner they stare at me like I had a hole in my head. I know they’d love all of their old photos digitally stored. I think it’s a good idea for a kid on summer break.
The 911 thing makes some sense, mostly just for speeding up the process (recalling previous records before the patient arrives) but I think it would be more difficult to text your problem rather then say it.
As for #2.. I think something like that is in the works. We’re just starting to integrate our newer technology into our cars (like how Apple just signed a deal to make all new Fords and GM’s iPod compatible). #2 has the most potential but would need some serious bank to get off the ground. Mark, how would you recommend a person starting out a small business? I’ve got tons of ideas but need some investors!!
Comment by Tim Taylor -
Re #3- What kind of loser would do this? Why would anyone want their pics scanned? Mark, I love you and all, but sometimes I know this about you: you keep your best ideas to yourself. For example, when you asked recently for our idea re the movie biz, I know damn good and well that if you got your golden idea, you sure as heck wouldn’t have shared it with us. You’re too smart for that…
Comment by Ben Reebs -
Mark, if one had no money (#3), I think a scanner and laptop are pretty far down Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.
Comment by Anand -