22 Business Ideas: An Entrepreneurial Retrospective

How many business ideas have you had over the years? What topics or causes are you passionate about? What special skills do you have? What are some opportunity areas or gaps in the market that you’ve seen?

As you read through this, grab a pen and paper and write down some ideas that you may have based on some of the topics, experiences and principles that I discuss. You may get a flurry of new business ideas along the way!

I am Andrew C. Belton, MBA, a Marketing and Licensed Financial Services Professional, Writer and Entrepreneur from Philadelphia, PA. I’ve worked in the digital marketing field for over 7 years and have worked in finance for 5 years. We’re going to discuss a variety of the new business ideas that I’ve had over the years, along with some commentary about their progress, potential outcomes and feasibility.

I’ll start this article by featuring the businesses that are either active, in development or were successful to some degree and then discuss ideas that had less substance or are unlikely to ever be successful. Keep in mind that the majority of these ideas are from the past, so my knowledge and understanding of business was much more limited, in addition to the fact that some of these ideas were never fully planned to the point where they could be an actual business. I wouldn’t be surprised if a few of these ideas re-appear or are reimagined at some point in the future. They may just look different in their execution.

I would also add that the 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss (that I read at some point in 2018) significantly changed my perspective on the type of businesses that I’d be interested in managing, as well as how I’d want to spend my time throughout my life in general. Even though I would say that a literal 4-hour work week isn’t realistic, I think the principle in the book that was the most impactful in my case was promoting the ability to pursue businesses and projects that provide you with the resources to control how you spend your time (oftentimes referred to as financial freedom). The productivity tips and resources were also very helpful. Even though I’m not interested in leaving my current job or being a digital nomad and theoretically working 4 hours per week, I am interested in creating diversified income streams via sustainable, low-risk, cash-stable businesses that require low capital or hands-on input to manage and could be operated/supported by employees or outsourced talent, therefore freeing up my time to do whatever I’d like (which would likely be working on something new, as a Serial Entrepreneur).

1. Symmetrical Media Marketing: Digital Marketing Consulting Company (2016-Present)

During the summer after my freshman year of college in 2015, I worked a social media marketing internship at HR Tech Advisor where I studied and created social media marketing strategies with a focus in the B2B (business to business) sector. At that time in 2015, their was a lack of understanding in the B2B sector about how to leverage social media to reach decision-makers, build brand credibility and promote awareness. Once I completed the internship, I created my own unique social media marketing strategy designed primarily for the B2B industry called the Symmetrical B2B Social Media Marketing Strategy and launched my own social media marketing consulting company called Symmetrical Media Marketing. I’ve had the pleasure of being able to work with companies in a variety of industries such as management consulting, e-commerce, retail, restaurants, arts, professional services and real estate. The social media marketing strategies that I create are customized and actionable for the companies that I work with. I work directly with business owners (or their designated decision-maker) to identify their digital assets, business objectives, suitable digital marketing resources and create an efficient social media marketing strategy that is designed to reach decision-makers, nurture professional relationships, generate leads, build brand credibility and promote awareness.

I’ve participated in a variety of content projects with Symmetrical Media Marketing such as writing on Medium (with features on Startup Stash and Venture), Business2Community, LinkedIn Pulse, participating in interviews (Authority Magazine, Montco.Today, Montgomery County Community College), specialty articles (like my extensive study on Recruiting and Retaining Millennials or Why the Sixers new Center City Philadelphia Arena is the right decision), podcasts, (guest hosting and participating in) Twitter Chats, creating a digital course (which was originally designed to be a ‘Quick Guide’ E-book) and more. Even though Symmetrical Media Marketing isn’t my full time job, I've been able to help a wide variety of businesses, it has created many opportunities for me over the years. It has aided me in getting multiple jobs since I launched it, meeting business leaders and provided enough income during college that allowed me to move out of my parents house when I was 21 and buy my first house at the age of 23. So I’ll continue to operate Symmetrical Media Marketing in the way that it is for the foreseeable future, as I always think that their will be a need for specialized small business digital marketing services and my knowledge of the industry is a valuable asset to any organization. In the future, the reputation, relationships, digital presence and digital marketing tools that I’ve created are going to be helpful with any future business that I start or am associated with. If you or someone that you know would be interested in working in the industry, I have listed a variety of helpful resources on my website that will provide contextual information, industry-leading trainings and tools that would be helpful for entering the industry. Please contact me with any further questions. 2. Only 1 Brand Company (2014–2015) / Only 1 Originals (2020–2021): E-commerce and Media Company (In Development)

During my first year of college, myself and a group of fellow entrepreneurial college students launched the Only 1 Brand Company. We wanted to turn it into a t-shirt company that would create unique and fun designs for merchandise that would be great to wear to parties. In all honesty, there was very little thought put into the original strategy and the whole thing pretty much ended as quickly as it started. The design itself looked great but that was pretty much as far as we got. We did sell through all of the shirts that we originally ordered (since print-on-demand services were much more rare at that time and we were focusing on ordering in bulk and then selling the inventory to then fund a re-order). Ultimately the reason why it failed was because our original order was supposed to arrive to debut at the beginning of the summer but we ran into a ‘supply-chain’ issue that resulted in our overseas merchandise being held until the end of the summer therefore not allowing us to sell the shirts during the time that we viewed as our ‘peak season’ and then our group quickly disbanded. I always loved the original Only 1 design since I always received great feedback on its unique design and I wanted to bring it back. In early 2020, I began working on bringing Only 1 back to life in the form of Only 1 Originals! I had the original design digitally recreated, created a few newer designs, started a Teespring shop that listed shirts, phone cases, pillows, towels and more including masks (as they became popular during the pandemic). I ultimately didn’t do enough to re-launch the company and it hasn’t sold enough merchandise for me to pour more time or resources into it at this point. I do plan on having some version of it return in the future. It could go in a variety of directions, including hopefully adding a podcast where I’d talk about business while mixing in some news, sports and lifestyle topics while focusing the podcast primarily on promoting individuality and encouraging the young and innovative to pursue their professional/life goals. I’ve even floated the idea of an Only 1 Gaming or Sports media branch, but I am very well aware that these kind of businesses are not the greatest in regards to effort-to-output value financially and I do have other more lucrative projects in the works so this is not a priority. There is no timetable for its return. It was always designed to be a lifestyle brand so whether I am ever able to make it successful financially or not, it is still a passion project.

Only 1 Originals merchandise is still available (including the original 2014 version of the shirt) on the website that was created in 2020 and it may be made available on Redbubble at some point in the future. 3. Real Estate Property Management & Airbnb: Short-Term Rentals (2019-Present)

When I purchased my first house in 2019, I started to rent my spare bedroom instead of getting a roommate. I heard of the earning potential that Airbnb had before I started hosting but I was shocked about the earning potential of it when I started hosting. Admittedly, the demand and supply of Airbnb rentals are highly variable based on a variety of factors (typically the seasons are the most significant source of variance). There were some months in which I would only have a few sales and there were some months where the sales covered well above and beyond the mortgage, which is great seeing as how the rental was just for a spare bedroom. Overall, I would recommend using Airbnb depending on the approach that you take towards managing it and I think rental arbitrage (renting a property from a landlord and subleasing it) is another potentially great opportunity.

As my financial objectives have evolved, I’ve become less interested in flipping houses and more interested in the acquisition and management of properties to provide sustained and diverse income. Real Estate is definitely one of the better businesses to have as a part of your asset portfolio. According to the Internal Revenue Service, the average Millionaire has 7 major forms of income and real estate rentals are oftentimes in the mix. 4. Notary Public (2015–2019)

In 2015 I became Notary for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania which provided me with the authority to take affidavits, verifications, acknowledgements and depositions, certify copies of documents, administer oaths and affirmations. I was also a member of the Pennsylvania Association of Notaries. My goal at the time was to create a mobile notary business. I did complete some signings but I ultimately didn’t complete enough to justify renewing my commission so I allowed it to expire in 2019. I think the mobile notary public business could be a good side hustle or be helpful if paired with a complimentary service such as having a role in real estate, business services or working at a logistics facility like The UPS Store. 5. Quartermasters Business & Development Group: Entrepreneurial Accountability Group (2020 — 2022; In Development)

Quartermasters was a monthly business-entrepreneurial accountability group that I started in January of 2020 that ran through April of 2022. This was one of the things that was really helpful for staying on track during the pandemic while also creating a small community of business-minded young professionals. At our peak it was a 5 member group and it was intended to be a small group that would be able to keep each other accountable, help each other think through our ideas and identify resources. It certainly was successful for our members as we were able to support each other through creating new businesses, life events, collegiate journeys, moving to new locations, job searches, starting new jobs and etc. Unfortunately by April 2022, most of the group members because too busy and the group became inactive. It is something that I’d bring back, but if it is going to be the same group of people it would probably need to be a Quarterly meeting (ironically). Even though this specific group is now defunct, I still believe in the monthly accountability meeting model and I think that it was beneficial during its time. There never was a monetization plan for this specific group, but I do think this would be an awesome idea for a podcast/blog series or it could be taken in a completely different direction with a paid exclusive community approach. 6. Business Capital Group (In Development)

In late 2022, I discussed a few different business opportunities with a friend and we both had an interest in some of the same sort of businesses. Specifically, we are both interested in low-risk, cash-stable businesses such as vending machines, ATM machines, self-service automated car washes, storage units, laundromats, etc. These are great businesses to have in your portfolio because they generally produce a profit every month consistently, usually aren’t limited by seasonal demand, are considered to be low-risk and as a collective group would create significant long-term sustainable income along with the opportunity to scale further. Out of respect for my friend, I’ll leave any further details in the business plan out of this article, but I do think that starting a capital group designed specifically to focus on these kind of businesses aimed primarily at driving income at a low risk is a fantastic business model (which could also branch into Venture Capital) that I am looking to execute on in some capacity whether it be organized together as a capital group or as independently-founded companies.

7. Wash Kings Laundromat: Laundromat Business Concept (In Development)

In late 2017 I started to create a business plan for a laundromat. Laundromats have gained a reputation as being one of the simplest, sustainable and consistently profitable businesses to manage. The advantages include the consistent nature of laundry cleaning demand, potential for additional services, few inventory concerns, limited potential customer issues and recession resistance. Common challenges include managing profit margins, monitoring variable utility expenses, limiting labor expenses, cash flow management, securing or maintaining favorable lease conditions, and maintaining laundry machine functionality.

Laundromats generally have a 25–40% gross profit margin (depending on a wide variety of factors), which would typically generate $5,000–$7,000 in gross profit per month. It isn’t exactly ‘passive’ income since there are a variety of operational considerations, however many self-serve laundromats are absentee managed. Laundromats could cost anywhere from $200,000–$500,000+ to purchase or anywhere within or beyond that to construct a brand new one. The value is likely to range significantly by area, it’s financial health, existing assets as well as whether the laundromat is leasing or owns its location.

What things come to mind when you think about a Laundromat? Laundromats are typically very simple, not very interesting or special, may lack some character and have a empty or generic feel.

Now consider how your experience in a laundromat would differ if it was visually appealing, had complimentary features and amenities, while making a conscious effort to be eco-friendly and engage with the local community. My business plan for Wash Kings Laundromat includes a variety of new concepts that you likely wouldn’t see in your average laundromat. The laundromat is going to have auto-dimming lights, energy efficient machines and a large recycling depository. The laundromat will also include the following (most of which are additional revenue streams): ATM machine, vending machines, arcade machines, laundry supply dispensary, folding station, high speed internet, book swap, local community/small business board and more. It will also feature ‘pop-up’ shop booths every week where a local entrepreneur will be able to have a place to engage with their customers in person similar to what you’d see at a farmers market (such as a food service, an artist, clothing creator (like Only 1 Originals hmm...), etc.), and a comprehensive local business advertising program designed to provide local small businesses with very affordable and efficient local visibility in-store (on screen) and online (a complimentary service facilitated by Symmetrical Media Marketing). The laundromat will also sponsor local events and host (or co-host) recurring networking events.

Since the laundromat is going to be highly differentiated from its competition by going the extra mile to enhance customer experience, the goal would be to progressively expand the local presence of the laundromat and take market share from less-engaged competitors.

I published a small preview slide further describing my vision for the laundromat. I don’t have a specific timeframe on when I would be able to acquire a laundromat primarily because of its extraordinary initial price tag, but I am reviewing capital opportunities. Feel free to contact me with any questions.

8. Honey Bell Brewing Company: New Concept Brewing Company (Never Launched)

When was the last time that you had a good honey beer? Think about it. I recall having one from Blue Moon that I enjoyed but it didn’t really taste like honey. I’m not talking about Mead, which is a beverage based primarily on fermented honey, water, fruits, grains, hops, spices, etc. I’m talking about creating a ale (or preferably a Ale-Lager hybrid similar to what Sam 76 by Samuel Adam’s was, which unfortunately was discontinued) that would be a lite refreshing drink that would actually taste like honey. I’d also want to include fruit purée (cherry or strawberry) and lavender buds. My guess would be that it is probably very difficult to create this kind of beer because of the unique substance/texture of honey being so thick and reactive to heat, which would explain why I have yet to find a honey beer that genuinely tastes like honey. I went as far as actually getting a home brewing kit from a friend, but never got further than that. Over the years I’ve learned that even though sometimes it is worthwhile to try new things, it may be more effective to focus on amplifying your strengths instead of trying to focus on fortifying your weaknesses. I’m not the best at making drinks, so I figure what would make the most sense is to bring my idea to a brewer who would be willing to give it a try either with their own brand or as a joint venture of some sort.

This business could be managed a few different ways. It could go the traditional brewery-pub route, or I could try to create a brand and mass produce it for distribution via retail or I could create limited batches every year and release them quarterly. I think an additional aspect of this that would make it even more interesting is if I were to promote the beer by discussing its food pairings, being visible at local events and providing education about bees, honey, history, etc. It all sounds great, but this is going to require an incredible amount of time and hard work as well as experience that I do not have.

I’d love for the idea to come to life one day, I’m just not sure that I am the person to create this specific product. I recently listened to a podcast (How I Built This with Guy Raz: Dogfish Head Craft Brewing: Sam and Mariah Calagione) and it gave me some helpful insights and ideas. Sam Calagione even mentioned a brewers trick about adding ingredients (like fruit puree) during the brewing process to alter the taste of the beer. I highly recommend listening to that episode if this idea sounds interesting.

And why did I choose the name ‘Honey Bell’?

The Liberty Bell!

The logo would be a Liberty Bell with a honey pot on it and I’d want to use locally-sourced honey from the Greater Philadelphia Area to make the beer.

Like I said, I think this idea has merit so if there are any individual brewers who would be interested in this or even a local industry-leader like Victory Brewing Company or Troegs, than that would work for me too. Please contact me. 9. The LinkedIn Leverager: LinkedIn Account Consulting (Never Launched)

The concept (which was never fully developed) was to be a LinkedIn influencer, create content on how to craft the best possible LinkedIn account and provide advisory services. I wrote a lengthy article in 2016 highlighting LinkedIn account tips (18 Tips for creating a well optimized LinkedIn account) that was featured on LinkedIn Pulse. This business concept is already a component of my services with Symmetrical Media Marketing so I won’t be moving forward with this specific business. The furthest that this business idea went was the creation of a logo. Also for legal reasons, it is unwise to name your business after another business. 10. Virtual Internship Advisor/Consulting (Never Launched)

The concept (which was never fully developed) was going to be to create a resource website and blog to provide information about virtual internships. In retrospect, I’d say that this could’ve been very helpful for a lot of companies during the pandemic, but this idea was from originally from 2015. It was inspired by my experience working with HR Tech Advisor as a Social Media Marketing Intern which eventually lead to me launching Symmetrical Media Marketing. This could actually become a business if there were a consulting service element to it or even potentially a digital course. Ultimately a blog is not a business and this idea had no clear monetization strategy or specific target market. I did create a logo though. 11. CSR Advisor for Small Businesses (Never Launched)

The concept (which was never fully developed) was going to be to create a blog featuring small businesses that are practicing good CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) and provide good CSR insights for lean startups and small businesses. Even though it may sound good, it still really isn’t a business and it would be even more challenging to pitch this as a consulting service without having extensive experience in the field, which I didn’t have at the time. 12. Emailigator: New Concept Professional Network (Never Launched)

This idea is going to seem very different than the rest. The business concept (which was never fully developed) was to create an advanced email list/resource tool. I referred to it as an ‘interactive email aggregate’ in the business plan. It would have been a free online portal where professionals could list their company information, staff structure by department, industry, company size, location and company needs. It would’ve also had a LinkedIn integration and I would’ve also wanted it to have an integration with email marketing leaders like MailChimp, Aweber and etc (for the purposes of targeted email list-building). Therefore instead of it being a competitor of an email marketing tool or social network, it would’ve been something in the middle, like a network database. I described it as a ‘professional net’ that would facilitate hyper-targeted email marketing. The logo would’ve featured an Alligator with a paper letter in its mouth (which I still think sounds pretty cool. Clearly I was taking a lot of inspiration from MailChimp as I wrote this plan).

I must admit looking back at this 7 years after I originally had the idea that it is interesting, the name is unique, the logo idea is cool but I wouldn’t even know where to start if I was going to try to make this come to life and getting the API access to social networks AND email marketing services would probably be extraordinarily challenging.

13. Movie Theater with buffet-style moving carts (Never Launched)

I would say this is a far-fetched concept, however the dining + movie experience has become more popular over the years (at least where I live with Movie Tavern, and I believe some of the larger movie theater chains are moving towards an offering that combines the film and dining experience). Personally I’m not as interested in managing something like this just because of the incredible amount of capital that it would take to start, associated liability and licenses involved with food and alcohol services, staffing requirements as well as the abundance of competition in the movie theater sector (which isn’t doing well to begin with). I’d also imagine that buffets aren’t doing too well since the start of the COVID-19 Pandemic. I have never seen a movie theater buffet before, so I am assuming that their are some valid reasons why. It is definitely unique, but I personally will not be pursuing this. 14. Prodigy Snapbacks: Headwear E-Commerce Shop (Never Launched)

The business plan for prodigy snapbacks would’ve been extremely similar to Only 1 Originals except it would’ve been centered solely around creating snapback hats. I’m a huge fan of snapback hats and probably own more than I’d be able to count. As a hat person, witnessing the popularity of stores like Lids that primarily just sell hats, I figured that there could be a market for an e-commerce store that sells snapbacks with inspirational phrases (‘For the young and innovative’ just like Only 1 Originals). The reason why I probably won’t move forward with this specific business plan is because of how similar the business plan is to Only 1 Originals, in addition to the fact that selling only snapbacks is going to severely limit the potential customer base who may like the message on the hats but may be uninterested in purchasing a snapback hat specifically. Also, the e-commerce websites that create custom print on-demand snapback hats usually have relatively tight profit margins that would make it difficult to charge a high enough price to make a suitable profit for this to be a sustainable business independently.

15. Co-working Space/Business Center (Never Launched)

I was interested in creating a business center that would be intended to host frequent networking and corporate events, provide a specialized B2B connection service, coordinate entrepreneur/community events, include a job posting wall/forum, resume review, paper shredding service, business consulting, notary services and etc. Each of these offerings are available in a lot of co-working spaces and since the industry is very cluttered and competitive, I probably wouldn’t want to enter this space unless these offerings were being built into an existing business that it could provide additional value to (like a Laundromat…hmmm).

Ironically, a few years after I came up with this idea I attended Delaware Valley University and played a role in the creation of their small business and entrepreneurship center, while also serving as the Administrator. 16. B2B Connection-Referral Service (Never Launched)

I had an idea during the early days of Symmetrical Media Marketing that I could create some sort of B2B connection service, which would connect decision-markers at different companies that had the potential for some synergies or service opportunities. I think that it could be added to any business that specifically services B2B clients in the form of referrals. There was never a formal business plan or monetization strategy and it isn’t something that I have plans to move forward with. 17. Food Subscription Box for Businesses (Never Launched)

As I continued to dive further into the B2B world, I started to think about the kind of businesses that exist in the B2C world that don’t really exist in the B2B world.

The subscription box business model has gained significant popularity over the years, whether it be for items that are scheduled to be delivered regularly such as shaving supplies via Dollar Shave Club or household items (or really anything) via Subscribe & Save with Amazon.

I am not aware of any services like this in the B2B industry, so I got the idea of creating food subscription boxes for businesses. I think it would an interesting way to engage the staff of small businesses in something interesting and fun. It would allow employees to try new things, and allow brands to sample their products to a much wider user base than they’d usually have via samples in the subscription box that would feature a variety of new and unique self-stable snack products. I think the idea has some merit and I like the subscription business model. I think managing the processes and logistics could be challenging though. I also acknowledge that this kind of business isn’t really solving a problem, it’s just changing an existing offering to tailor it towards businesses. The reality is that if a small business wanted something like this, they could just order from any of the existing subscription box services. 18. Allergen-Free Subscription Box Business (Never Launched)

Continuing with the subscription box theme, I had the idea to create a subscription box specifically for consumers that have food allergies. I have a food allergy which can make it challenging to find specific kinds of foods that are generally associated with an allergen. Over 10% of Americans have a food allergy and there are far more people that either have food sensitivities or self-imposed dietary restrictions that force them to avoid specific kinds of foods.

I think it would be interesting to launch a company that is specifically designed to serve consumers that have food allergies or sensitivities by exclusively providing a selection of food that would fit into their constrained dietary needs. I would think that specializing with one specific kind of food allergy would make the most sense (Such as peanut-free, dairy-free, gluten-free, egg-free, wheat-free, soy-free, etc.), with the potential to grow to accommodate other allergens. I would want to focus on primarily using American-based vendors and only include shelf-stable products (to simplify the process and decrease waste). I also think it would be nice to donate a specific % of annual profit towards allergy research to add a social entrepreneurship aspect to the mission of the company. I would also want the subscription boxes to include allergen-appropriate recipes and samples. I would want to make the subscription box available for a regular monthly charge, with the ability for consumers to also purchase a one-off box.

I did some research recently, and it does look like their are some competitors in this space, but that doesn’t mean that it wouldn’t be worth further investigation since I would think that this is still a growth-market. I’m not planning on moving forward with this personally, but I definitely think it could work and if someone were to reach out to me about starting it, I’d be happy to support it and bring fresh ideas to the table because I think it’s a great idea. 19. Community College Ambassador (Never Launched)

The business concept (which was never fully developed) was to create a community college student advocacy program. When high school students graduate and go to college, their is a huge difference of excitement and energy when you compare going directly going to your dream-school institution versus going to a community college. It is unfortunate, but I think all students should have some level of excitement with going to college. So the idea here was to create some sort of programming that would broadly get community college students more involved, engaged and excited about their educational experience. It is unfortunate that this business plan was never completed, because I think that their could be an opportunity area to make an impact but I honestly wouldn’t know where to start specifically.

This was an interest of mine since I attended Montgomery County Community College in Blue Bell, PA from 2014 to 2016 before graduating and transferring to Delaware Valley University in Doylestown, PA where I studied from 2016 to 2018. 20. Window Cleaning Business (Never Launched)

I didn’t have a formal business plan for this, and I don’t think this would be the best use of my time based on my existing work experience, but if their is a need in the market, I think window cleaning (which would eventually include power washing) could be an interesting low-cost local service business to operate. 21. Diamond Deals: Affiliate Marketing on Social Media (Never Launched)

Diamond Deals was going to be a social media-based affiliate marketing company. Once I started using Hootsuite (Social Media Management Tool) for Symmetrical Media Marketing, I realized that it could be used to help manage the digital presence of any new business that I start, alongside of the businesses that I was managing the accounts for. The business plan (from 2016) said that the plan was to “leverage social media to sell Amazon and other affiliate programs from direct links as ‘deals’ on a daily basis.” The plan at the beginning would’ve been to start with posting the ‘deals’ on Twitter and Facebook.

The business plan also discussed leveraging my Symmetrical B2B Social Media Strategy as the system that would drive the publishing strategy, alongside appropriate RSS Feeds to vary the content that would be published on each account. I also mentioned that a blog could be added to the content marketing strategy. The business plan also noted some competition/models who are already doing something similar to this, as well as the Affiliate programs that I had intended to join including Amazon affiliates, Commission Junction, Clickbank and etc.

I think that Affiliate Marketing can be effective for people that already have a strong and targeted digital following, but if that is lacking then oftentimes it isn’t going to be a worthwhile endeavor because of the amount of time and resources that it would take to scale into something that would generate substantial income. I think it could work in the right context, but it’s not really a business that interests me anymore.

22. BuzzBelt Batteries: Battery Drop-shipping Business (Never Launched)

For many years I have read very positive things about selling batteries online. I am referring to typical consumer goods batteries that you’d list and sell on Amazon. You’d purchase the batteries on Alibaba in bulk, create a white-label to differentiate the branding and then list them for sale on Amazon via the FBA (Fulfillment By Amazon) program. I would be open to managing a business like this because it is likely low-maintenance and low-risk. I think the greatest hurdle would be the initial capital commitment and then optimizing the listings to get as many sales as possible (with high sales volume, like a paper plate-strategy). Besides the initial setup and branding, the temporal investment probably isn’t as high as most businesses. So I reflect favorably on this idea and believe that it has merit, but it isn’t on my list of priorities at this time.

"Rarely are opportunities presented to you in a perfect way. In a nice little box with a yellow bow on top. 'Here, open it, it's perfect. You'll love it.' Opportunities - the good ones - are messy, confusing and hard to recognize. They're risky. They challenge you." - Susan Wojcicki,CEO of YouTube

As you can see, I’ve had a lot of interesting business ideas. Some have merit and some would probably never work. Just like anything in life, business is all about processes and trying out new ideas. Writing your ideas down is a great way to get your creative juices flowing and can help you to think of ideas for new concepts or thoughts that may be helpful for an existing project that you are working on. What are some business ideas that you’ve had? Feel free to contact me if any of these businesses sound interesting to you. The best way to connect with me is on LinkedIn and Twitter. Interested in starting a business? Check out these helpful digital marketing resources for small businesses, startups and entrepreneurs in 2023. Andrew C. Belton, MBA is a Marketing and Licensed Financial Services Professional, Writer and Owner of Symmetrical Media Marketing where he helps small businesses to create effective digital marketing strategies. He has been featured in LinkedIn News, LinkedIn Pulse, Startup Stash, Venture and Business2Community. He is a Philadelphia native, West Chester University of Pennsylvania graduate and is passionate about helping small businesses, education and challenging the limits of technology and communications.