There’s no money in poetry, or at least there didn’t used to be. But I just read about a trio called ‘The Haiku Guys’ who are hired by corporate organisations to provide entertainment at events. Their corporate client list includes Bloomberg, Google, Barnes & Noble, Steve Madden, and J. P. Morgan.

The trio dress to the nines, and sit behind old fashioned typewriters in front of a sign that says “Free Haiku”. The idea is to entertain guests by writing them poems carefully tailored to their mood or interests.  Charging between $200 and $250 per hour, The Haiku Guys are able to rake in serious money by attending up to six events  a week.

This is a labour intensive business, and therefore something that’s difficult to expand. It would be quite easy to copy in another area though, provided you have the right skills and personality. Big companies are always on the look-out for something different to entertain their employees and clients at corporate events.