40 Ways to Start a Great Boomer Business
By the time you’ve put in twenty-five years or more working for a living, you’ve seen and experienced many things in your life.
Along the way you may have developed a strong entrepreneurial urge, but feel stumped right now because you can’t seem to focus on a solid business idea you can bring to life as a great new business.
To help you find a winning idea from what you’ve already done and know, We’re pleased to share with you 40 ways to use your experience and your knowledge to find a great business idea specially suited to this stage of your life.
For any of the 40 ways that seem to click for you, write down the specific business idea that comes into your mind. Let’s get started!
1 What skills can you sell as a freelancer?
EG: Accounting, computer programming, project management.
2 What opportunities does your most recent employer seem to be missing in the marketplace?
EG: Drapery accessories, pneumatic accessories for forklift trucks, refurbishing services for used equipment.
3 What skills can you sell to your most recent employer?
EG: Total quality training, bookkeeping.
4 What consulting projects might you complete for your most recent employer?
EG: Annual report design, electronic cash register installation.
5 What products could you possibly sell to your most recent employer?
EG: Computer software, mobile snack service.
6 Do you have a hobby product that you can offer as a business?
EG: Christmas decorations, gift baskets, baby cradles.
7 Do you do something as a volunteer that others would pay for?
EG: Transportation for medical appointments, meeting planning.
8 Is there a service you need personally that you cannot find?
EG: Taking kids to after school activities, finding odd pieces of china.
9 Can you provide a product or service your friends can’t find?
EG: Home delivery of live seafood, pet sitter.
10 Could you sell an improved version of an existing product or service? EG: Baby carrier or toothbrush products, grocery-shopping service.
11 Have you invented a product for which you can document market demand?
EG: New medicine cabinet, accounting software for non-profits.
12 Is population growth in your area creating new business opportunities?
EG: Laundromat, locksmith, home health care products store.
13 Do you see an opportunity for a new franchised business in your neighborhood?
EG: Quick sign shop, mailbox store, children’s play area.
14 Do you have the experience and knowledge to buy an existing business? EG: Dry cleaner, greeting card shop, home security installer.
15 Do you know of opportunities to sell to local, state or federal government?
EG: Office furniture, time management training, construction services.
16 Is there some kind of knowledge or information you have that others might pay for?
EG: Stock picking tips, trout fishing techniques, job application verification.
17 Can you do something with computers that others would pay for?
EG: Install wireless networks, broker used computer equipment, medical billing.
18 Do you know how to do something in telecommunications that others would pay for?
EG: Business phone installation, cellular phone sales, private pay phones.
19 Do you have a manual skill that others would pay for?
EG: Bricklaying, woodworking, stained glass design and installation, asphalt paving.
20 Are you especially talented in working with children?
EG: Computers for pre-schoolers, music lessons, tutoring, special field trips.
21 Are you experienced and talented in teaching/training?
EG: Foreign languages or English, space organization, job social skills.
22 Do your friends rave about your cooking or baking?
EG: Wedding cakes, ethnic breads, chocolate specialties.
23 Are you talented at organizing?
EG: Time management, seminars, keeping your budget straight, controlling the family budget.
24 Are you an experienced salesperson? Could you become an independent sales rep?
EG: Industrial safety products, metal stampings, clothing for the larger woman.
25 Are you experienced at importing or exporting? In what product areas?
EG: Scientific equipment to Eastern Europe, hand-carved decorations from Asia, used lathes to India.
26 What knowledge can you turn into a booklet, guide or special report?
EG: Internet marketing, parenting of special needs children, genealogy.
27 Are you really good at financial planning and management?
EG: installing and using Quicken, reviewing health insurance options, saving money buying and repairing cars.
28 Do you possess talent in graphic or fine arts design?
EG: Designing websites, painting decorative murals, custom painting of clothing.
29 Do you have special business management skills?
EG: Recovering from a business disaster, recruiting hard-to-find employees, negotiating trade deals in Asia.
30 Are you particularly adept at home repair or maintenance?
EG: Handyman services, brick sidewalk construction, inside telephone and computer wiring.
31 Do you have a talent for tasty cooking?
EG: Gourmet chef to go, catering, pre-cooked meals.
32 Do you have a special gift-related idea?
EG: Talking pictures, drawings of pets, rustic picture frames.
33 Are you good at fashion work?
EG: Professional clothing shopper, jewelry appraiser, distinctive window treatments.
34 Have you gained legal knowledge that can help others?
EG: Negotiating credit payments, finding Abandoned Property, locating government grants.
35 Are you talented in buying and refurbishing people’s possessions?
EG: Antique renovation, photo retouching, oriental carpet repair.
36 Do you know a lot about business security?
EG: Investigating job applicants, setting up commercial security doors and cameras, protecting trade secrets.
37 Can you sell your talent in a sport?
EG: Rock climbing trips, running soccer camps, a guide to the NFL for women.
38 Do you have experience in New Age disciplines?
EG: Fung Shui consulting, spiritual readings, past-life regression analysis.
39 Can you assist people in buying a home?
EG: Home inspecting, discount decorating, finding local home services.
40 Do you have a particular talent working with pets?
EG: Dog breeding, fashion accessories, pet photos.
<p><b><a href=”http://www.bizstarters.com/pages/ultimate.html”>Learn how to master your own business, in just a few weeks</a></b></p>
Jeff Williams
Filed under: Abandoned Property
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what do you think of my short story?
I had to write this short story for class and i only had about 2-3 days. Please tell me honestly what you think and i know it isn’t my best work! please don’t steal this even if it is sucky!!
“Boomer! Go to the potty!” called human mom. My ears perked at my name. Is it time to go? I looked to see my human was getting out of the car. I yipped. We were at the place my human was so excited to go to! She said it was going to be great! Cinder my human turned around and unlatched my seat belt. “Let’s go girl!” I jumped out and started to run. The grass was so tall it whipped my legs. Oh, and the trees! So many trees! I lifted my head to see a large house. It’s a blue color like the sky and has lots of windows. People were going in and out carrying huge boxes marked with my humans’ names. That’s odd. I only remember that when I first came to live with these humans. The house was stacked with boxes just like these but I remember them to be even bigger. I stopped running. What did this mean? Was this where we were going to sleep now? But what about the old home we lived in? I don’t want to sleep here. Suddenly a more urgent matter caught my attention. I sniffed for a good place to go potty and though about the problem of staying here. I took care of that business and decided that I needed to find Cinder if I had to find out what was going on. I went through the house following her scent until I got to the stairs. I ran up and found her in the first room. I nudged her and whined. What where we doing here? How long are we staying? At times like this I wish she could understand me more. She looked up from the box she was unpacking.“Do you like my new room Boomer? Mom said I get a bigger room because I’m older now.”She said. For the first time I looked at the room. It was bigger than the room Cinder had before, which meant I got more room too. But I didn’t care because I wanted her old room back. The room without the big window and pink walls that decorated this one. I whined again. Maybe if I made it clear I didn’t want to stay here we would go back. But she just gave me that look. The one she gives me if I want another treat after she’s already given me two. It means no. It was final. We were going to be here for a while. I have to look on the bright side. Well if I was going to be forced to live here I might as well go explore. Since I was in the house I decided to go around there first. The couple rooms upstairs were completely and utterly huge and empty. One room had a bathroom attached. But there was nothing interesting at all. All the other rooms in the house were exactly the same except boxes and people unpacking them. They were all boring. Just then I got a better idea. I spent so much time inside, why not try exploring outside? Maybe there were squirrels in all the trees out here. I loved chasing squirrels. Their fluffy tails were always my target. I trotted past human mom and human dad over to the back door. It was left open even though the other people who were helping were long gone. Now it was a getaway entrance for me.I raced out into the dark. The bright green grass and brown trees were now in shades of gray, black and blue. The sky was a starry milkshake. The squirrels were sure to be asleep now, but other night creatures come out and of that I was sure. If it was like this all the time I wouldn’t mind living here. I scurried over to the forest. The underbrush was thick but I managed to get through. Little mice and insects shimmered away from my muddy paws. Clods of grass and leaves matted in my fur. I was having so much fun I didn’t see the other dog coming my way. Something growled and I let out a sharp warning bark. I hoped I didn’t have to fight but that we could be friends. But another louder, fiercer, growl was the one that throttled my insides. I jumped to action and started running hard because whatever was following me and this new dog wasn’t very happy. Thorns and tree trunks came swirling this way and that in my path. I soon became aware of all the little scratches on my skin that even my fur couldn’t protect. The bear soon began to fall back after its lazy attempt to chase two dogs in the thick undergrowth. I began to slow down but didn’t want to lose the other dog because now I wasn’t on familiar grounds.“Wait!” I called. The other dog turned around. I looked over it closely. It was about the same size as me with big paws and had matted thick fur. It looked to be a couple of years younger than me and was a Collie. I was a German Sheppard. I only know this because Cinder had lots of books about dogs. I looked up to see the collie still looking at me but for some reason it was staring at my neck as if it was amazingly strange. I could tell it was suspicious.“What do you want?” answered the female Collie. She was still looking at my neck. Suddenly I realized I was wearing a collar and she wasn’t. She must be a stray. “Could you help me get back
? After that bear chased us I lost where we were going. I live in the house over in the clearing. We just moved here today.” Of course I could find my way home but then I might not get any friends here. I hoped I sounded friendly, not a like stupid dog that couldn’t get home. She looked at my face.“You do something to your nose that you can’t get home? This forest here is my home.” I thought about that. Well maybe she could come to my home.“Can you get me home? I want you to meet my owner Cinder.” I slowly followed her through the forest and soon I recognized the surrounding trees. We were getting closer to the new house. I hoped Cinder wasn’t too worried about where I had been. I also hoped me and this new dog could get to be friends. I suddenly realized I didn’t know her name.“What’s your name? My name is Boomer.” We were almost to the clearing and I could hear Cinder calling me in for dinner.I could smell chicken.“Want to stay for dinner? I think its chicken.”
t went. But when human mom came out to see me all dirty and trying to get the bristles out of Venus’s fur, I think it melted her heart. Though I don’t think Venus appreciated it at the moment I was sure later that that was why she stayed. So now I and Venus try to both steal Cinder’s bed and we chase squirrels together. We are best friends.
.” I was trying my best efforts to become friends with her. I didn’t have any friends at the old house we lived in.“Are you always so nosy? I don’t have a name. I lived in the woods my whole life…Can I really come in your home? Humans don’t want a dirty thing like me,” answered the Collie. Just then Cinder came dashing out of the house and gave me a huge hug. She looked at the collie before giving her a hug too. I licked Cinder’s face. Her face had chicken all over it. “Where have you been Boomer? I was worried about you. I have a bowl of chicken for you but I think maybe we have enough for this new doggie here.” Cinder scolded me like I was younger than her. She turned to the collie and started to scratch her chin. “What would be your name? How about Venus? Because you have a white big hearts shape on your chest!” Cinder turned and ran inside. The whole time hollering to human mom about how since I found the Collie and she named it we have to keep it. You can imagine how well tha
that went. But when human mom came out to see me all dirty and trying to get the bristles out of Venus’s fur, I think it melted her heart. Though I don’t think Venus appreciated it at the moment I was sure later that that was why she stayed. So now I and Venus try to both steal Cinder’s bed and we chase squirrels together. We are best friends.
I enjoyed it. Good imagery and detail. It had an imaginative plot line and ideas. Keep writing other stories.
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