Some self employment opportunities and ideas that I come up with may not be something I can pursue (lack of sector knowledge is the usual reason) but if someone out there has the know-how, feel free to take it and make something of it.
I'm changing my approach for this blog because, firstly, I've decided to throw as many ideas for self employment in it as I possibly can so others may use them. It's called the Self Employment IDEAS blog after all! Some might not be feasible but the reader can decide for themselves. Maybe one of my ideas here can spark a better idea for a new business. Go ahead and use any ideas you find here. Secondly, I've noticed some advertisements on self employment opportunities on the sidebar are about 'making millions without doing any work'. If I didn't start writing positively about self employment and offer up ideas, I'd be encouraging this type of advertising.
Anyway, I was in Brighton on Sunday and my visit coincided with the London to Brighton Bike Ride organised by the British Heart Foundation. Around 27,000 people did the 54-mile trip. Apart from raising a lot of money for charity, the event also showed that cycling was a viable way of getting around, and it's fun too. The participants were from all walks of life. You don't need to be Tour de France fit to be able to do it.
This got me thinking, with public transport strikes popping everywhere, the rising costs of fuel and vehicle maintenance, growing emphasis on fitness, cycling could soon be even more popular. This is especially true in cities. Try noticing if this is happening where you live. There could be an opportunity to achieve self employment there as more and more people take up cycling and road space is being claimed from cars.
A conservative approach would be to open a bike shop. Typical charge for mountain bike servicing is about £45 (~$75) around where I live. Fixing a broken chain is £5 ($8) for labour only. That's not bad for 5-10 minutes work, is it? There are also more creative ways to cater to the needs of a growing cycling population. How about the idea of a call-and-collect-a-bike repair service, with a 'courtesy bike' service? That way you don't need to start with a physical shop. And did you see the bamboo bike that was on the news the other day? How about new bike accessories you can source on B2Bs and market online?
Anyway, I don't know much about bikes although I've just bought an old bike from eBay last month to cycle to the gym. The chain's just broke today after giving me trouble for a few weeks. (I'm not blaming the seller) Therefore it's not an idea I capitalise on.
So, as usual, do tell me if the you don't think the cycling revival holds some ideas for becoming self employed?
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