Here’s an approach to aggressive marketing that I don’t recommend, but perhaps there’s something to take from it.

Police in the US said that a woman they dubbed a real-life “cleaning fairy”, broke into a house and a left a bill for the housework she did. According to police, the woman entered the residence while homeowner Mallory Bush slept, did some light cleaning and then left a bill for $75 on a napkin before leaving. Unfortunately for the “cleaning fairy,” crime didn’t pay and she was arrested.

Now obviously you can’t go breaking into houses. Nor can you force work or products on people and then charge them. But if you can find a way to ethically give your potential customers a ‘free sample’ of what you sell or what you do, it could be a great source of new business. I’ve experimented with this by giving away free books, and people really seem to appreciate it and respond well.

I’m always getting an ear bashing for staring into the fridge several times an evening, looking for something unhealthy to eat. Maybe I’d get less flak if I had the fridge recently created by S Home. It has a transparent door so you don’t need to open it, and let the cold out, to see what’s inside. Makes you wonder why nobody thought of it before.

I’m sure you don’t want to go into fridge manufacture, but it raises an interesting question – what other products would benefit from some transparency treatment? I own watches with display backs and I’ve had cars with transparent engine covers. So what else would people like to see working, or alternatively, what else would they like to be able to see the contents of without opening a lid, cover or door? Is there anything in the market or markets you know about?

Of all the reasons I hear for people not following through with a business idea, a lack of funds comes right at the top of the list. There are always options though. Here are a few to consider:

1. Get A Business Partner With Funds To Invest – There are plenty of people out there with money but no ideas for investing it.

2. Investigate Government Initiatives – The government offer numerous financial incentives to entrepreneurs. There could very easily be something in your area, sector or situation.

3. Try Crowdfunding – Very easy to try out online and there have been some major success stories. Yours could be the next.

4. Charge Up front – Insist on your customers paying in advance for your product or service. Not always possible, but it will depend on the market.

5. Keep Your Job – Working part time on your idea while retaining your job, is tough, but it can provide funds for that difficult start up period.

6. Strike A Deal With Suppliers – If you can get your suppliers to give credit, it will help get over the initial cashflow problem. They will only do this if they expect you to become a significant customer though.

7. Get A Loan – Family is probably the best place to start with this.

I think just about everyone suffers from flatulence at some time or another, but what do you do about it? Well most of us don’t do anything, but if it’s a real problem, maybe you order a Flat D flatulence deoderiser. It’s a chair pad packed with charcoal which apparently absorbs the odour of any indiscretions. At first I thought this was a joke, but when I searched on the internet, I found a whole range of flatulence related products available.

I’m not sure what kind of person orders one of these chair pads and thinks “Right that’s me sorted, I can let rip all day now!” but maybe there are some. In any event, it’s further proof that there’s money to be made in the most unexpected places.

Most of the products in this field seem to be US based – maybe it’s the diet. Could this be something to bring to the UK perhaps?

I just read about a California based company who discovered an unexpected niche in the motor scooter business. Sunset Scooters were asked time and again for help finding transport for people who had lost their driving license through drink driving. Eventually they sourced a product from China which could travel at up to 20mph, and most importantly, didn’t require a driving licence to use. The electric scooters are sold on the back of a sign in the dealership window that reads “DUI Scooters”.

I mention it for two reasons:

1. Because there might there be a similar niche to be exploited here in the UK?

2. As evidence and inspiration that in a crowded market, there is often an opportunity to exploit a special angle or niche.