Every attempt I ever made at fishing resulted in temper tantrums and tangled lines, but I can see the appeal of getting out in the open air. I’m therefore a little sceptical about Robofisher, a new web based service that takes angling indoors.

The platform enables users to purchase “fishing” hours at a tranquil lake in Romania. Starting at $9.99, users can spend ten minutes controlling a robot, rigged with fishing rods and loaded with bait and float. Users control the depth and how far out their bait is set, and when they think they have a catch, they can pull up the fish into a net. The whole scene can be viewed via two different camera angles in real-time.

Perhaps there’s a market for this amongst people who can’t get to a regular fishing spot through health or disability issues. Or maybe it will appeal to the terminally idle. It’s an interesting idea though and poses the question of whether there are other essentially outdoor activities that can be brought into peoples living rooms through the power of technology.

Website: www.robofisher.com

We’re at that time of year where people are looking to make improvements in their lives – it could be stopping a bad habit (like smoking) or starting a good one (like regular exercise). Whatever the goal, it can be hard work, particularly if you’re doing it on your own. And that’s where Partners in Grind comes in. It’s a matchmaking service that puts people together who share a common goal.

The idea is that social accountability is key to successful habit changes. Service users create a profile and detail the life habits they want to begin or improve. They are then matched with someone with similar goals. It’s an interesting idea. The success of programmes like Weight Watchers is based on a very similar premise.

Perhaps it’s a service you could use, or thinking more broadly, what other business could you create, bringing people together with similar aims and goals?

www.partnersingrind.com

Here’s the truth behind a very simple business opportunity – plenty of people need stuff towing, but don’t want to do it themselves. It could be a caravan, a trailer load of rubbish,  a car, a boat, a motor bike…even a mobile toilet! Towing needs  the right vehicle, special equipment, a bit of messing around and a certain amount of confidence that you’re not going to end up in a ditch or scraping a wall.

If you have a 4×4 and a tow bar, you could be in business. Your new freelance towing service could be marketed online, in the local press and by contacting caravan companies, boatyards and local councils directly. It’s a pretty simple business, but one that could yield plenty of repeat business once you’re up and running.

It’s January and the media is awash with exercise and weight loss advice. The market for health and fitness related products and services is bigger than ever – but you need a unique angle to be successful. Driving to work this morning, I heard about a gym based in Sheffield with a twist – it’s run by serving fire officers, and the equipment and programmes are based around firefighter training. The two guys behind the business say that membership is expanding rapidly and they hope to open new branches in the near future.

We’ve featured military –style  training programmes in the past, but I haven’t seen anything , Fibased on firefighter training before. There’s little doubt that conventional exercise equipment becomes pretty boring after a while, so there’s always a gap in the market for a new approach. What other occupational, sports or interest groups might hold within them the seeds of a new exercise craze?

http://www.firehousefitness.co.uk/

Sometimes I think we underestimate the incredible tools at our fingertips. You…anyone…can have your own TV channel on Youtube, accessible by millions around the world.  Some videos have millions of views – more than many of the cable television shows out there. You are also able to put advertisements on your videos and receive a portion of the ad revenue. This is where many YouTube personalities make their money. However, they can also make money through endorsements and appearances as their fame grows.

The key to a successful channel is to have fresh and original content that comes out on a regular schedule. Subscribers come to expect videos from you, just like they expect a television show to run on a certain day. Some people have daily shows, others have a video a week, and some even have several videos a day.

In addition, try to have the best production value you can afford. You could film everything on your phone, and that may be all you need. However, you should also consider getting better quality equipment if you have the chance.

Ultimately, what will make or break your channel and differentiate it from the rest is you! It’s your take on the world. Make it unique and interesting and success is all the more likely to come.