So I have a notepad full of potential business ventures I could probably manage alone, I have the funds for all of these but I was mainly wondering if any of you successful business owners here have any tips
For context this is all tech related, because I don’t really know anything else other than development and security (mainly the latter with a focus on breaking said security)
Some of my ideas are:
To establish a list tracking site for anime/manga/light novels
To create a restaurant ordering system based on QR codes (think the Wetherspoons app, but no requirement for an app)
I have some more written down on my notepad at home, but for now this is in my head and I’m at work, I’ll update this later to add them
From a business perspective you need to obviously think how to monetise what you’re doing.
So, looking at your tracking list idea, where would the income come from there? It could be as simple as advertising on the site/app (however you approach it), but will that generate enough to cover running costs and generate a profit?
Not all businesses turn a profit for a few years, Amazon didn’t turn a profit until around 2001, but it’s good to have a plan of sorts.
The restaurant idea probably has a clearer path on the face of it, assuming it would take a stand of charging a subscription fee of some sort to the restaurant. Would this be web based rather than app based? There is one like this that Whitbread users for Brewer’s Fayre that may be worth looking at.
For any business idea, I’d say market research, however boring, should play an important part. Research competitors, speak to potential clients or users, gain an insight into the market as a whole.
I’ve thought about it for both, but for the tracking idea would start out doing affiliate programs with something like Kobo or Amazon for eBooks/Books/Blu-Ray (the manga/anime/light novels)
On top of that since the cookie remains for a month, I’d get income from anything else they buy in the meantime.
The market itself is generally quite middle class so shouldn’t be a problem relying on consumption.
Eventually I’d want to introduce a subscription fee with some bonus perks, like maybe they could insert custom emoji into their posts (subject to their approval) as well as maybe introduce my own translation program of manga/light novels to sell directly to consumer or to include in the subscription to add value
Yes, the idea would generally be to scan a QR or tap the QR (it would have NFC capabilities too) and then it would open something in your default browser (you could use Apple/Google Pay for ease) and then you’d order and pay through the app
With high adoption it could remove the need for at least one waiter/waitress (as they would essentially have their job changed from taking orders, providing service and taking orders to taking orders to table and providing better service); this would save a lot of money for the business
Yep, I’ve been speaking to an ex-restaurant manager for a steakhouse I know to see what would have been useful to him
Some potential USP could be: a POS system with an attached “rent a server” program for people trained with the POS. This would solve the “shift starts in 2 hours and I’m a server down” problem as well as using high utilisation of the platform to estimate how much is required shopping wise (for the area), this could then let me order in greater bulk and give reduced prices to customers
I’ve also been speaking to some Japanese about the expected payment methods there, as well as learning about their (lack of) decent competition
I established potentially useful markets as: the French speaking world, the English speaking world, Spanish speaking world, German speaking world, Russia and Taiwan. Vietnam could potentially be a decent market too, but the country is very conservative in a way I think the government could potentially ban some series
Basically, he has an idea, he tries it, see’s where it goes and then either pushes on or gives up with it. If you can code and make these things, then you’re 90% of the way there.