Write a blog article about it, but don't just provide the address and phone number, provide VERY specific instructions that one actually needs and doesn't get anywhere else, almost like turn-by-turn GPS. For example: "park by the X retail location, go inside the doors of the building under the Y sign, walk 50m just past the elevators, go up the stairs 1 level (the elevator takes forever), and you're there. You can park for free 1 block East on Y street."
I've done this for a few government offices. The earnings aren't high per month, but they have been consistent for 7 years, pretty good for an hour's work. It's doubtful the Yellow Pages, navigation providers or government website will provide such useful and detailed instructions.
I really see it as publishing my thoughts and notes, and things I would have liked to have known in advance. Typical entrepreneurial thinking, "Solve a problem that I actually had", but at a micro scale. Sometimes I end up reading one of my own articles in a few years time because I've forgotten the precise details of the process when I have to go back again.
(This has been one of my highest-upvoted posts on HN so far)
Success of this service was based on working with our local brewery, and local radio station to advertise it, and of course public transport. Happy Hopper did run two times during the Freimarkt and Osterwiese fair. So you also need a date, where you can expect lots of people who enjoy to get drunk.
you still owe me a free shipment for endorsing you ;-)
In seriousness though, this is excellent advice - have a taste of something that's just not local.
I know a well known YC company founder wanted to do something similar with whiskey... but ran into way too much overhead and administration issues with customs - costs, legality, shipping and way too much to list. Great wee idea if executed perfectly.
I wasn't sure if you were joking about promising a free shipment or not, so I sent you a gift card over email just to be sure :)
I've also been looking online for various toothpastes I bought in Croatia. They have these nice herbal flavours that make me feel like I brushed my teeth with a Ricola cough candy. Everything in North America is mint or cinnamon, and many of the interesting esoteric flavours are fluoride-free :(
edit: removed joke offer of ketchup chips from Canada.
I used to live a few blocks away from one in Seattle and it was awesome. Just a couple workbenches, a 3D printer, hand tools, wifi, and some electronic components can go a long way and get people in the community stoked. :)
I've thought of this many times - mainly cause I'm too poor to buy all the tools I want and even the tools I have I wish it were easier to lend them so they don't die of rust before their otherwise useful hours have been used up ...
But, I've always thought that this would need to be a government supported social enterprise, never that it could make enough money to pay for rent+wage(s) and equipment, upkeep, insurance, etc..
Anyone actually done this and willing to share some figures (privately if needs be)?
Thanks.
You could try contacting them and ask how they did it:
In brief you need a market of "kinky people", and you need a market of people who wish to lose weight, stop smoking, or similar.
You agree on challenges, you "punish" them if they fail, or succeed, on a case-by-case basis.
Very hands on. But there are a subset of people who will be in your target audience who are extremely wealthy..
* Please don't hate me, I'm quoting lyrics.
As well as money from ticket sales there is also money as per the directory model. A side benefit is that you will have a wonderful social life with all of those gallery private views to go to.
- Flag the taxi down - all the same price
- Hailo which loads of people use all the time now
- 20% discount taxis
- 25% discount taxis
So I don't think we really have a taxi problem
Seems it is easier and cheaper nowadays to buy a printer than replace an ink cartridge. Looking at £50 a time. I just don't print enough to warrant it.
None of the supermarkets / high street stores do bog standard A4 printing for a few pence.
I've found a print shop that will do it, at a cost, but the quality is far too good for simple stuff, hence the price.
My 'right this moment' problem.
Beer OTOH has been completely revolutionised in recent years.
From what I read, the idea was very sound and validated by some great initial success.
That's a good idea. I always wonder: what if the site is already set up correctly or what if you can't make any movement in search rankings (due to competition, industry, anything)
By rotating where you sleep among your clients, you build stronger relationships and have better insight into their business.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VAT-free_imports_from_the_Chann...
I can easily imagine a lemonade-stand lemonade that would seem underpriced at 1 euro; but obviously they didn't take that approach!
SW Only
1) An all-in-one transport app. You'd have a single credit wallet you could re-charge on a monthly/weekly/as-needed basis. You set in your profile for how long you are willing to wait for a ride(lets say +/- 15min), and how far are you willing to walk from your current location(lets say r500m) + other criteria if you please(like ferraries-only:). Rates could be something like few cents/km for "civilian" drivers(standard car-sharing - could be problematic depending on the legislature/generated profit for the driver), few bucks/km for cabs, pub transport based on routes/times and - dynamic pub transport routes per km as well. Lets say there is a after-work beer with colleagues planned so you can't drive to work by your self. During breakfast you just choose a destination(predefined for freq. places), desired time and a "hitchhiker sign". All drivers doing the same/similar route(with criteria compatible with yours) would be notified .. a few "accept" clicks away/maybe a quick look at the drivers profile(badges/km driven/reviews etc) and your off to work. No drivers available? Your app would show you all public transport possibilities(color coded based on compatibility with your criteria) + cabs in your area - few clicks away and you're set(either buying a ticket or ordering a cab). Double-validation for payments based on transport type - no more waiting on a bus stop for 2 hours watching 100's of driver-only empty cars going your direction + a public API would mean that bus companies could also use small 6-8 passenger buses and dynamically create new/amend existing routes based on the demand(200 people heading to a business park across town(C) from destination A, 100 from B to D(which is near C) between 0800 - 0900 > change route via B .. if time intervals are met(like 1h from A - C) ) ++ all the data flowing your direction could also be used as a waze alternative for even better routing +++ you could profit by selling api data/on % from commercial transport partners) + have awards for car-share folks like free oil/filter changes after 10k km/free coffee after 20km between 2200 - 0600 etc..). If you are in EU, these projects are highly welcomed..
2) We need a distributed decentralized(p2p), no-authority write once read many storage solution for "our civilizations data" like news/general knowledge. It has to support versioning, encryption, deduplication, store synapses between relevant data, be self-healing, layered, nodes monitoring/promoting(demoting)/caranteening each other if needed, role-based - build on premise that all* of the nodes are/can become malicious actors(..). Everyone should be able to run a node on his nas @home/mobile device, assign roles to his devices etc .. general storage for all things public.. + it should support anonymous document uploads(lets say an indenpended journalist from syria wants to get his/her story published / someone working in a big-co comes across some very interesting public-interest documents he;d like to publish and doesn't trust honey-pot assange/media) - all big problems on their own .. regardless of the client app using the data(if you are running a auto-moto/pro-(enter political party) website, you may apply as much filtering as you wish), the user should still be able to get/contribute to the "publicly-generated" synaptic nw of a news story as stored on the backend + this is the bare minimum for other systems we desperately need to reform(the "no-trust" premise of it) so a good way to dive into this problematic
3) services on top of 2) .. and there are many ..
4) DNS, routing, ssl/alternative, smtp replacement! .. + ton of things you could do to make this world a better place.. please just don;t waste it on another twitter app
5) Clouds are here to stay, what has to change is the way we look at and work with data + connected with 2) + a few old concepts ms thought about pioneering a few years back, maybe its time for - yet another - linux distribution, combining best of today's storage array internals, embedded systems, containers/vm technology and security(..). In combination with some dedicated (hopefully usb-sized) hw .. could be a interesting time-waster
SW + HW
1) Easy-to-use/build RF-net kits for low-bandwidth applications(irc/messaging fe) - pick a protocol/design your own, design a hierarchical topology of clients, ap's, retransmitters, keep an eye on per-country rf encryption restrictions and hope you'll never have to use it as your primary means of communication(eg no "accidents" on our main optic backbone)
2) HW keys to your cloud data/apps - turning your PC into an accessory/treating it the same like a cloud service provider with computing/storage services available based on the pc-os setup .. maybe the x-server architecture could finally become applauded ..
"HW" Only
1) The idea of public work-places is great! soldering sets, measuring gear, 3d printers, tools for lease, benches for alu/wood work etc - would probably be a hit anywhere(+ that equipment costs too much/takes years to gather at home.. ) - there is a hobbyist in most of us + in combination with a caffee/"fun" area/library and city funding, you may even get into some green numbers
2) In combination with 1) - electronics tuning shop - if you like to get your hands dirty(building hw slider switches into phones/nbs, custom cases/hw customization - router fw's etc) - you could get some traction if you;d presented your self as something underground/anti-establishment .. these days..
3) bio and localized farming - huge opportunities, really bad business models(we;re talking about real bio producers struggling with the rising regulatory pressure lobbied by the big guys, not the so-called bio farmers selling out to those big-co's) - monthly payments with 2x/4x a month "basket" deliveries of seasonal food to your doorstep with some it tech in the mixture + insurance coverage for the farmer +++ .. ok I'm hungry - sry for this half-baked not thought through / naive / unfeasible list and good luck ..
