We say dog’s are man’s best friend, so surely our furry companions should be treated with the love and compassion that comes with best friend status. Swedish company Wonderboo, created by Magnus Rosengren, takes this ideology one step further, and offers health conscious dog lovers and their pampered pets’ premium quality canine cuisine from the convenience of the side of a van. The truck sells two varieties of high-end dog food made from Swedish beef with added vitamins and calcium, at an asking price of $4-5.

The luxury pet market is thriving, and this idea meshes Britain’s love of dogs with a novelty consumer experience – a winning combination.  It would be particular successful in affluent areas, with an estimated one in  twenty concerned dog owners spending an eye-watering  £10k a year on pampering their pooches.

‘Bliive‘ is a Brazil-based website that brands itself as the world’s largest online time-exchange platform, based upon the concept of the sharing economy. Its users trade services, including guitar lessons, air conditioner repairs and tarot card readings, without any cash or credit card transactions. Instead, for each hour of service provided, the user receives Time Money, with which they can buy another service. Each person offers their help in one-hour chunks, and people who have “exchanged” Time Money can rate and review the quality of the service provided. The website has helped exchange more than £2m worth of services and all of this has occurred in a legally tax-free manner, as authorities cannot tax the barter economy.

There is a gap in the market for a website with similar foundations to ‘Bliive’ in UK today. While currently the website is free for regular users. I believe money could be made by anyone who wished to recreate a similar kind of bartering platform, by selling advertising or launching a paid service for corporate clients.

Okay, this isn’t going to make you a fortune, but some people base their summer holidays around it.

The Bank Of England estimate that over £5 Million in currency is lost each year. The combination of sand and shorts means that a fair proportion of that is lost on beaches, particularly in summer. Experience beachcombers say they can make over £50 a day on a busy beach.

I can’t say it’s how I’d want to spend my spare time, but I don’t suppose keeping an eye to the ground hurts. And it does lead to a wider question – are there other situations in which people lose, waste or give away things that you could capitalise on?

When I was a kid I used to make money selling lost golf balls. I’ve heard of  businesses that make money by taking waste/rejected  food and turning it into soups and broth. And plenty of people make money selling stuff on eBay they got for free on freecycle or by raiding skips.

Hardly the top of the money making food chain today, but this might spark off an idea in someone.

In 2011, actor Nicholas Cage sold an original Superman comic for a record £2.16 Million. It wasn’t something he’d had knocking around in the loft though. The comic was from 1938 and Cage had paid  $150,000 for it 14 years earlier. It does highlight how lucrative so-called alternative investments can be though, and in these days of ultra-low interest rates, many of these alternatives are going through the roof in value.

So what? Well I mentioned lofts earlier. What’s in yours? Maybe nothing of great value, but you don’t know until you look. The great thing today is that  you can very easily check the value of anything online. As anyone whose ever watched the antique road show will know, the most valuable items are often not immediately obvious.

And if you do find a $2 Million comic? Don’t worry, I only want 10%!

Breaking up with a partner is never easy – unless you’re Australian. Why? Because there’s a service there called ‘Sorry It’s Over’ who will do the dirty deed for you. Prices start at $5.50 for a simple text but then rise steeply to $66 if you want to soften the blow with a gift hamper.

I’m not sure I approve, but if you want to copy it here, that’s up to you. Thinking more widely though, it does highlight the fact that people will pay someone else to do their dirty work for them. Are there other difficult situations or confrontational situations that people would pay to outsource?

www.sorryitsover.com.au