Do you have expensive pieces of  equipment which get used rarely? Of course you do, everyone does and that’s the premise behind  Peerby, a Dutch app that helps people engage with the sharing economy and live a little greener and cheaper.

To begin, users download the app and list all under-utilised items they would be happy to lend out. It can be anything from a lawnmower to a disco ball. Then borrowers can search the database for a particular item they need or browse categories for nearby offers. When they find what they are looking for they can negotiate with the owner within the app and arrange to meet and borrow the item. Borrowers can also create posts with requests for items that they haven’t been able to find.

This definitely sounds like something that could work here in the UK.

Some of the best business ideas combine money making with a social purpose, and an idea I just read out from Panama City  seems to do just that.

The Fortaleza Tour of the Old City was conceived by former members of the Ciudad de Dios gang, after they completed a 10 week rehabilitation programme. The tour begins at the American Trade Hotel in Casco Viejo, an area which has been central to gang culture. The tour guides tell the history of the area and their personal stories, as they show the visitors around the district. Tours last 80 minutes and cost $15.

Many major cities have a history of gang culture, so might this work elsewhere? I’m sure that it would.

Website: www.esperanzasvc.org/fortaleza-tours