Looking back a decade ago, one would not be wrong to say we are living in new times; So noticeable has been the remarkable shift in the economy that the usual security that comes with working in a big company or government institution has slowly eroded to the point of job uncertainty or the euphoria of job security. As a result of this, the craze for self-employment (aka creating a startup) is now being acknowledged as “lucrative” today.
Being a startup means preparing to become a company; this means that before you become a company, you should’ve been a startup. What exactly do startups do? They look for small problems to solve; usually the ones that are commonly shared by several other people. A startup invents a shortcut, less costly or innovative way of solving a problem while simultaneously raking in revenue. What differentiates a typical everyday “hustler” from a startup is that the latter is scalable; it is repeatable on a larger scale.
In as much as every startup is expected to have a website or some sort of online presence, its core value offering MUST NOT be overly dependent on it. In that case, the website is reduced to an ordinary delivery channel or alternative customer relationship interface. Therefore, it would be right to say that non-tech startups are the ones whose products not softwares, a website or an app, but they utilize all these to draw in and serve their customers.
Listed below are a few examples of non-tech startups you may want to consider creating:
1. You can turn your grocery shopping and bargaining skills into a startup; working mothers can have you shop for them and pick up on their way home from work. This service can further be extended into restaurants and hotels.
2. You can come up with new ways to consume everyday food like rice- rice soup, rice cookie, rice noodle, rice juice etc Rice juice for example, can stand next to Pepsi and Coca-Cola in refrigerators across the world.
3. You can convert your barber shop or beauty salon from a pay-as-you-go to a monthly subscription-based membership model. This opens the door for more patronage and even franchising opportunities to new cities and countries.
4. You can create a startup in the fashion industry by building a website that showcases your original fashion design. This will move your business from your neighbor-hood to the global village.
These are just a few ideas to get you started; however, if you’re still in doubt as to what a startup really is, drop a line in the comment section and I will be sure to respond.
Till next time!
Author: ChuQ Dennis
Image credit:socialmediatoday
