Your EnterQuest Bulletin - Issue 192
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| Thought for the week: "From a commercial point of view, if Christmas did not exist it would be necessary to invent it." Katherine Whitehorn |
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A few suggestions to help relax your business brain |
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Seasonal greetings and best wishes to all our subscribers from the EnterQuest team.
Rather than bore you to death at this time of year with a bulletin full of tedious stodge about red tape, administrative burdens, tax and other Government poop about small business, we're going to keep this issue a little more undemanding and frivolous.
Just to let you ease up a bit.
The last 12 months has been a bit of an ache in the gluteus maximus in many respects, not just for business owners and entrepreneurs, so here, in our journalistic opinion, is a review of some unusual, unreal, unforgettable and unexceptional stories, news and airings that have been knocking around in 2006.
Best business start up advice
Generally, business advice encourages you to find that great business idea and go for it, but that's not quite the approach on this guy's blog post.
Best business start up success story (probably ever)
Started up in 2005, and 18 months later bought by Google for $1.6 billion or something unbelievable like that, YouTube is undoubtedly the ultimate website populated with user-generated content. Just to prove that it is possible.
And if you're new to YouTube, check out this link from the site to get a flavour of one person's interpretation of the 'special relationship' between the UK and the US.
Best urban legend
This video clip, from the excellent Snopes.com website, shows Russian miners being interviewed by a local TV news crew who ask if a recent accident may have been caused by men drinking on the job. You don't need sound to get this, but be patient as it may take a minute to load.
Worst thing in our lives
Gambling on TV.
Who the heck wants to put their feet up in front of the box last thing at night and watch a TV phone-in where you witness skint people trying to win £10k or so but ending up even more skint with a nasty phone bill? Well, obviously plenty of us, as programmes like The Mint are on air just about every night.
Worst Government-funded website
Despite all the fanfare about the overhaul and revamp of the Department of Trade and Industry's (DTI) site in May, the site is extremely difficult to use, with critical business information tricky to find.
In a recent interview, Chancellor Gordon Brown said that if he becomes Prime Minister, he'll abolish the DTI. We can't wait.
Best Government-funded website
If you've got an idea or invention and want to protect it and exploit it properly, the Government can get it right.
The Patent Office, with its excellent homepage and its practical, step-by-step, beginners' guide approach for those new to the concepts and issues surrounding intellectual property, gets our vote.
Please keep it, Gordon.
Best interactive online game (and business opportunity)
The Second Life computer game has become famous for creating its first millionaire as a result of trading in virtual reality. A player earned a real-life fortune by developing property for rental and resale in the game's virtual world. Stand up comedian Jimmy Carr has even announced he'll perform a virtual gig on Second Life in the New Year!
Most popular business start up opportunities
Based on downloads and purchases from our various websites and other services over the last year, these are the top ten business ideas that people like you and other EnterQuest readers are starting up or hoping to start up in 2007.
1) Coffee shop
2) Children's day nursery
3) Recruitment agency
4) Smoothie and juice bar
5) Delicatessen
6) Children's indoor play area
7) Sandwich shop
8) Beauty therapist
9) Micro-brewery
10) Hairdresser
Fastest-growing business sector/activity (allegedly)
The market for photography goods jumped by a whopping 244% this year, according to a report on which products are hot and which are not by Management Horizons Europe.
Best business magazine
Before you ask, we don't get commission from them or advertise in this particular rag...it's genuinely just streets ahead of anything else in this particular field.
Check out Real Business magazine.
Some niche business ideas
Here's a list of some of the more unusual new business ideas that we've profiled over the past year:
Internet businesses have grown in popularity in a year that's seen the biggest festive online spend ever - here are two examples of niche web-based ideas:
Concierge services that make life easier for cash-rich, time-poor consumers have never been more popular - try these as examples:
Food and drink services are always among the top business profiles downloaded by our subscribers. Here are two of the more niche ideas in this area:
This year has seen a big boost for 'ethical business', including organic and Fairtrade goods, together with environmentally friendly services such as the following:
Best business book
There's a book about advertising, originally published in 1964, which to many people is the best marketing book ever written. The author, Eugene Schwartz, died a number of years ago and up until recently it was virtually impossible to get your hands on a copy of the book unless you found one on the Net and had around £500 to spare.
In 2004, US publishers Boardroom Inc did a reprint of Breakthrough Advertising, with the permission of the author's wife. Depending on how flush you're feeling after Christmas, you can now fairly easily buy a copy for around $125 on Amazon.com, or for slightly more on Amazon.co.uk.
While the book specifically tackles advertising in great practical detail, it is still a useful book for any business owner looking for those breakthrough marketing and business strategies that will smash your sales records.
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Good luck
The EnterQuest Team
This information is meant as a starting point only. Whilst all reasonable efforts have been made, the publisher makes no warranties that the information is accurate and up-to-date and will not be responsible for any errors or omissions in the information nor any consequences of any errors or omissions. Professional advice should be sought where appropriate. |
