Just heard a guy on local radio who runs a company called ‘Small Car Big City’ in London. The company run personalised tours around the capital. There’s nothing unusual in that other than the mode of transport – all the tours are undertaken in classic iconic British mini’s from the 1960’s.

This seems to be a great way to differentiate this tour company from competitive ones,  and is something that’s likely to appeal to overseas tourists looking for the full British experience. It’s an idea that could be copied in any area of the UK, or indeed the world, using area-appropriate transport. I can easily see a Beatles inspired tour working around Liverpool in a classic mini, or how about using a psychedelic Rolls Royce instead? Maybe a tour around the Cotswolds or other rural area in classic British Land Rovers would work. If you’re in New York, Yellow Cab tours are an obvious choice.

Perhaps it’s worth thinking about what would work in your area.

http://smallcarbigcity.com/

When you’re operating in a crowded market, you sometimes have to come up with an angle. And that’s what Danish brewer, Rocket Brewing Co. have done with their Problem Solver Beer.

The company claim that creative thinking and problem solving can be aided by beer, but only in specific amounts. The magic figure is 0.075%, and the company provide an indicator with each bottle showing how much you would need to drink for a given bodyweight to achieve the desired effect. An 85kg man can drink a full bottle, whereas a 65kg woman only needs half a bottle for example.

I’ve no idea whether this works, but it’s an interesting marketing approach that differentiates the product from competitive ones. Is there some way you could use this idea with your product?

Could you legitimately say that it could enhance  thinking or problem solving? Or could you claim that it has other unexpected properties? You have to be careful with this for obvious reasons, but sometimes there’s a legitimate story hidden away and waiting to be told.

I’ve just read about a company in the United States called Redline  that offers personal training sessions for kids run by local athletes. It’s a win-win for all concerned. The athletes get to make some extra cash doing something they love and the kids get the benefits of their experience and the health benefits that regular exercise brings.

When I was growing up, such an idea would have been laughable – you got all the exercise you needed just through play. But that’s no longer the case, and the dramatic rise in childhood obesity is evidence of that. I can  see something like this working well here in the UK as worried parents look to ensure that their kids get enough exercise now, and are set on the path to good health habits for their adult lives in the future.

If you have experience or expertise in the area of exercise, health and nutrition, this could be an interesting niche to investigate, and something of a relief from the crowded adult market.

According to Entrepreneur magazine, if you’re struggling to make money through your own entrepreneurial efforts, it could be because you’re too clever for your own good. Apparently smart people are better at almost everything, until it comes to running their own businesses. Here’s why: