You might recall that back in late June, we sent you a bulletin headed ‘Free Money From Betting’.  It concerned the fight between Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor and highlighted the fact that the odds in no way reflected the chances of each fighter.

When I wrote that piece, I fully expected the odds on a Mayweather win to become less attractive as the world woke up to the fact that McGregor had little or no chance. In reality, the odds actually became a little more favourable as the fight approached and gullible punters fell for the McGregor hype.

As you probably know by now, Mayweather won the fight as expected, after doing a good job of giving people the impression they saw a real fight, without actually getting hit!

We’ve heard from a number of customers this week who made money on the fight, and that got me thinking – I wonder who made the most and what was the total? If you won money, we’d love to hear from you.

Opportunities like this are few and far between – ones where the chance of a loss is almost non-existent – but if there’s another one, we’ll be sure to let you know.

A lot of great business ideas arise out of personal adversity, and that was certainly the case for  Vanessa Cowan. In 2014 noticed she was losing her hair. It was a traumatic experience that ended with her being completely bald. She looked around for help and was dismayed by what she found. It was then that she decided to turn her condition into a positive.

Glamorous Butterfly is now the nations premium supplier of custom cut and dyed wigs. The range runs from free wigs, for those who can’t afford them, to £10,000  tailor-maid creations. Venessa’s success has been driven by fully understanding the practicalities and emotions of the problem, and being determined to help.

So what’s bothering you and what could you do to solve the problem for other people? The answer could not only help thousands, but also be your passport to prosperity.

www.glamorousbutterfly.co.uk/

I just read about a stackable drinks tray called Muggi that is guaranteed for 88 years. That got my attention in a way which a 10 year guarantee or even a Lifetime Guarantee,  wouldn’t have. Why? Because I’ve never seen an 88 year guarantee before.  It’s an unusual number and it stopped me in my tracks, as it would most people I think.

This is something worth thinking about when you’re attaching numbers to anything business related – prices, guarantee periods, service periods or whatever.  Use the same numbers as everyone else and they will just wash over your potential customers unnoticed.  But do something a bit different and it will give them pause for thought. And while they’re paused, they just might buy something.

www.muggi.co.uk

Peer to peer services are big news, as is anything with eco credentials. Here’s an idea that combines the two.

Anyone who is signed up with TiMMi Transport in Leipzig, Germany can offer to transport packages in and around the city. The key to the service is that deliveries must be taken by someone who had already planned on going to the destination. This helps prevent the need to book additional journeys, for both retailers and consumers. All transactions and journeys are logged through the TiMMi website, making tracking and safety easy to manage.

A Peer-to-peer delivery service reduces costs for the consumer and  improves the environmental credentials of various methods of delivery. It seems like there’s an opportunity for an ambitious entrepreneur to do something similar in UK cities.

www.timmitransport.de

Here’s an idea from Australia which could definitely work in the UK.

Whilst it’s easy to find  customer reviews for cafes, restaurants and plumbers, it’s not so easy to find reviews of services that help those with disabilities. That’s where Clickability comes in.

Choose a bad restaurant and you get a bad meal, but the implications of choosing bad products or services for the disabled are much more serious. The idea is to give users with disabilities much better access to care and services and a wider, more informed choice based on user reviews. It’s an online directory, like Yelp, but for people who are disabled. Clickability now covers two Australian states – Victoria and New South Wales – but the plan is to go nationwide.

clickability.com.au