CREATE A PET INSURANCE COMPANY

According this article in the New York Times, there are less than 600,000 insured pets in the US. That is less than 1% of the more than 160 million dogs and cats in the country. There are fewer than 20 companies that offer pet insurance (at the time of this writing).

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/10/jobs/10starts.html

UNDERSTANDING HOW MONEY IS SPENT IS A METHOD TO GUIDE WHAT NEW BUSINESS IDEA TO PURSUE

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2008/09/04/business/20080907-metrics-graphic.html

THE BASEMENT CAN BE THE HOME FOR A BUSINESS

a surprising number of homes with basements are used for random storage and are not finished or renovated. This square footage could cost effectively be converted into home based business. Don't waste space...

CREATE A WII FIT GYM FOR KIDS IN YOUR HOME

Child obesity is a significant problem in the US. Increasingly, parents are looking for local, low cost ways to help encourage their children to exercise.

U.S. INTELLIGENCE IS LOOKING FOR GOOD IDEAS

Are you an out-of-work scientist or engineer with a creative idea that you think could provide the nation with an overwhelming intelligence advantage? Do you want the opportunity to turn your idea into a revolutionary capability? If so, consider joining IARPA as a Program Manager. The Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA) invests in high-risk/high-payoff research that has the potential to provide the United States with an overwhelming intelligence advantage over future adversaries.

www.iarpa.gov

CREATE AN ONLINE REPUTATION MANAGEMENT PRACTICE

As the number of malicious posting about individuals and business grow, its becoming increasingly difficult to manage reputation. A few false blog postings can spiral into a "truth" in mainstream media.

Start a practice that helps people and businesses stay aware of how they are being perceived in the blogsphere. Here are a number of tools that can help you find and manage mentions of you or your company online. These sites earch blogs, myspace, news sites, twitter, phootos and videos send alerts when you are mentioned online.

www.backtype.com

www.blogpulse.com

www. boardreader.com

www. google.com/alerts

www.icerocket.com

www.search.twitter.com

www.tweetdeck.com

technorati.com

GENERATE EXTRA INCOME BY RENTING OUT A ROOM OR APT

This new service assist home and apartment owners in managing and marketing their rooms to short term renters, so that they can focus on doing what they do best - making their guests feel comfortable and completely at home.

http://www.guesthousenetwork.com/

NETWORK OF STARTUP INVESTORS

The Go BIG Network is an on-line marketplace that connects the startup and small business community. The company allows startup companies, funding sources, adivvestVESTsors, job seekers and service providers to post requests for help on-line and have those requests routed to other members of the Network who can help them. Funding, business plans, advice.

http://www.gobignetwork.com/funding/

CREATE YOUR OWN FLEA MARKET

People are increasingly looking for well designed and organized venues to buy and sell their used goods. We still want to consume, and in an era of cost savings, flea markets are booming.

Creating a modern venue where people can set up their "garage sale" in a communal setting. Treat it as a co-op. This is the new mall...

http://www.brownstoner.com/brooklynflea/

START A COMPANY THAT TRAINS DOCTORS HOW TO "GO DIGITAL"

A national paper-free medical records an prescriptions initiative aims to change completely the way doctors prescribe and practice medicine, by digitizing the entire medical record-keeping process, from patient charts to lab reports and test results.

Part of the newly passed economic stimulus package, as much as $21 billion is devoted to e-health records. The goal of modernizing our health care system by 2014, once a long shot goal, may be attainable with the new health care funding. Doctors should jump in now, they qualify for $40,000 to fund their upgrades over several years if they adopt electronic medical record systems.

"Electronic health ambassadors" will be needed to visit every doctor's office, no matter how big or small, and teach its entire office staff how to keep electronic health records on the computer.

Lead: Allscripts is the leader in this area and is looking for sales reps...

www.allscripts.com

UN LAUNCHES A NEW, FREE ONLINE UNIVERSITY

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=30848

University of the People (UoPeople), launched in May 2009, is the world’s first tuition-free, online academic institution dedicated to the global advancement and democratization of higher education. The high-quality, low-cost and global pedagogical model embraces the worldwide presence of the Internet and dropping technology costs to bring collegiate level studies to even the poorest and most remote places on earth. With the support of respected academics, humanitarians and other visionaries, the UoPeople student body represents a new wave in global education.

http://www.uopeople.org/

CREATE A VIRTUAL CALL CENTER FROM HOME

When you call Office Depot or Verizon for customer service, you may speak with a home-based agent. Agents often say they like their work: schedules are flexible, and pay ranges from $8 to $16 per hour. A relatively new company, OnState, will set you up with a virtual call center for $49.95/mo. If you ask you can get set up with a free trial, too.

http://www.on-state.com/

http://www.saas.com/

JOBS AND INFO IN THE CLEAN TECHNOLOGY SPACE

CleanTechies.com is a leading career services forum providing insight, orientation, and opportunities for the CleanTech community. Focused on clean technology, renewable energy and resource efficiency, CleanTechies covers industry trends and facilitates career opportunities for job seekers.

GET FREE LEGAL FROM HARVARD LAW SCHOOL STUDENTS

Harvard Law School requires all J.D. students to contribute at least 40 hours of law-related PRO BONO work as a condition for graduation. Subjects range from cyber-law amd intellectual property to sports law.

http://www.law.harvard.edu/academics/clinical/clinics/index.html

INSPIRING WALL STREET JOURNAL ARTICLE

This was a terrific article from the May 11, 2009 issue of the Wall Street Journal, about 5 people who have started small businesses after being laid-off. A good read...

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204475004574127134005990974.html

SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP RESOURCE

Headquartered in California’s Silicon Valley, the Skoll Foundation was created in 1999 by Jeff Skoll, the first employee and first president of eBay. The Foundation supports social entrepreneurship. Skoll chairs the Foundation, which today makes grants in excess of $40M per year. Its mission is to drive large-scale change by investing in, connecting, and celebrating social entrepreneurs and other innovators dedicated to solving the world’s most pressing problems. The Skoll Foundation invests in social entrepreneurs through its annual Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship and grants to support the ecosystem around social entrepreneurs, including the Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship at Oxford. It connects social entrepreneurs through its online community, Social Edge, at www.socialedge.org, as well as via the annual Skoll World Forum on Social Entrepreneurship in Oxford.

EXCELLENT BLOG ON MICROFINANCE

Interested in global micro-finance, or starting your own "mini-bank"? This is a very informative blog on the subject...

http://www.microfinance.ws/weblog/

BING...GOOD LUCK. CHECK OUT THIS GOOGLE STRATEGY DECK: VERY INSIGHTFUL

All about Google

View more presentations from Ouriel Ohayon.

START A BUSINESS IN CHINA

PTC is a specialist consultant in guiding non-Chinese, small and medium sized businesses to start operations in the China market. PTC are intimately familiar with the current Chinese economic situation and understand the law, culture difference and challenges of living and working throughout this region. They have people on the ground in most major cities in China and access to alliance partner specialists who can help with start-up issues and handle it confidentially and professionally.

http://www.pathtochina.com/

CHECK OUT GOTTAMENTOR

This new site is designed to help dislocated people find a good job and connect them with mentors. www.gottamentor.com