We are long time redditors and received a lot of advice from /r/entrepreneur over the years. We want to give back to the community. Everyone thinks the ideas are what makes people successful. Morninghead had been done before and FareHarbor (our current company) had been done before. Now, Morninghead brings in $25k/year automatically, and FareHarbor is worth over $100MM. It's not the idea, it's how you execute it.

Post your idea below, and we'll tell you exactly how your can turn that into a reality (and quit your day job if you want).

Proof: http://i.imgur.com/peZXgsy.jpg

Lawrence Hester - CEO FareHarbor

Max Valverde - CCO FareHarbor, (aka Morninghead Guy)

Our company is FareHarbor and we do online reservations for the tour and activity industry (ex. shark diving, walking tours, Segway tours, downhill mountain biking, snow tubing, sailing charters, etc. We've grown the business of every client we've worked with and we're crushing all of our competitors. We're bootstrapped and they've raised a combined $100 million plus. They can't seem to figure out how we're doing it with no money.

__

EDIT: u/jacksonium PM'd me and recommended that I post this link to Lawrence's Blog post about the early days of FareHarbor. Before you get your pitch forks /r/hailcorporate, set them down for a second and realize that we could give two fucks about blog post traffic - we get all of our clients via traditional sales. It's just a cool story about how we did it and how backwards silicon valley is.

EDIT 2: Lots of people are asking about how to interact with manufacturers to get products made. Here's a permalink to a post I did last year.

EDIT 3: 3:20 EST - 17 coffees later and we're still here baby! Keep them coming, we'll keep answering (You guys have effectively ruined our day... we've been relegated to reddit commenting for the rest of the fucking day. You guys have some legit ideas - we're creating the future in a reddit thread.).

EDIT 4: 4:05 EST - Still beasting responses! Here are some of our favorite ideas so far. Pumped to see them grow their ideas!:

Migrant worker dirty sock fetish company

Destruction Therapy

Dragon Dildos

Toys for Children with Motor Skills Handicap

EDIT 5: 5:40 EST Going on 7 hours of pure carpaltunnel.

EDIT 6: 7:22 EST Still answering! A little slower now... We're eating for the first time in 9 hours. Lawrence almost fainted. We're going all night! Keep posting - we're the opposite of Woody Harrelson or Morgan Freeman (if you've been redditing long enough to remember those)

EDIT 7: 8:45 PM EST This guy has the distribution figured out but he's 63 years old and needs help. If there's someone who wants to run with him, PM him. He's down to do like a 35% - 65% split for profits. You can rock out the website on squarespace and do the online marketing. PM him!

EDIT 8: 9:29 PM EST Still here! Because FareHarbor's revenue funded we can be on Reddit doing shit like this for 10 hours and there's no investor board to ask us why we're on "that reddit thing all day."

EDIT 9: 10:22 PM EST We are going on 12 hours here. What the fuck is wrong with us? http://i.imgur.com/7bZegmY.jpg We're going through the night until the UK wakes up. Our 75 employees are going to ask why we're dragging ass tomorrow... Keep the ideas coming. We'll keep answering.

EDIT 10: 11:46 PM EST Fucking beat but still going strong! http://imgur.com/1F9IEBX

EDIT 11: 12:22 AM EST #cantstopwontstop http://i.imgur.com/AcdwXZV.jpg

EDIT 12: 2:06AM EST RIPPPPPPINNNNNGGGGG

EDIT 13: 3:21AM EST On our last leg. You guys are the sickest. http://imgur.com/Fus8ghm

EDIT 14: The following morning... We fell asleep on the couch last night. We'll try to get to as many more that were posted today as we can. This was awesome guys! Let's do it again in a month or two and maybe we'll bring some other entrepreneurial firepower with us.

Comments: 8492 • Responses: 60  • Date: 

trevdak23996 karma

Ok, so I have a business idea that I've been trying to launch lately, but I'm not sure about the legal aspects of it and could use some advice.

There is a home depot near my house with dozens of guys out front looking for work. If you need something done (landscaping, moving, etc), you can pull up, make an offer, and they'll usually do it.

I'm not looking to employ those people directly, but I've noticed that their footwear isn't the most hygienic. Many are barefoot, many don't have socks.

My idea was that I could provide them with new, clean socks in the morning, collect the socks in a bag at night, then sell the socks to sweaty sock fetishists on ebay. It's a real thing and some soiled socks with a good backstory can sell for upwards of $20.

If my idea was successful I could expand nationwide with operations at every major hardware store in the country.

The workers get better foot hygiene, the ebay dudes get sweaty socks, and I get money. Win-win-win.

Any advice for me?

shreddor3410 karma

This is a super awesome (super weird) fucking idea. The advice: Just do it.

  • Buy 100 socks for the cheapest you can find.
  • Go to these guys and tell them you've started a company called Cheap Socks for Men or whatever.
  • Tell them you're running a coupon for the first week and they're free. All you ask is that they bring the socks for tomorrow. If they bring the dirty socks the next day you'll give them another free pair. "Normally it costs $20 to be a part of the program," etc.
  • Then try to sell them on ebay, and then make a URL using top keyword using google keyword planner tool, like "Dirty sock fetish" etc. and get a URL close to that.

The real money will be in the sale of the socks, and you can get people to use the dirty socks for free using the coupon model.

Also, get hefty ziplock bags with a sticker with your logo on it

But that can come later. JUST START. Who cares if it's ghetto. JUST START. Get these socks on those dudes' feet TOMORROW MORNING. Be a champion and the mogul of dirtyworkinmansocks.com

-Max

Topforms2295 karma

wtf did i just read?

shreddor6814 karma

You'd fuckin buy a pair for $15 with free shipping you dirty bitch

dtvhr2207 karma

Heres my idea that I developed in college but don't have the funds to start yet. I'm saving up for a building, insurance, etc

A business for Destruction Therapy.

What is Destruction Therapy? Simple, you come in, pay the fare, you get a baseball bat or sledgehammer and a room full of wooden or foam furniture, you go in and smash every piece that you can reach.

I researched and tried this in college, it was proven to reduce stress levels, gave the people involved a good work out and every test subject was wearing a padded jumpsuit, gloves and eye protection, the only injury we has was when someone tripped and bruised their shin.

You can choose to have music playing and some even brought photos of their old bosses to put on the furniture.

It ran for a month during a college project, had over 600 students in the college take part and made about 720 euro.

I'll gladly take any advice you have.

EDIT: HOLY COW THIS BLEW UP. Cheers for whoever gave me gold :) Edit 2: Spelling error fixed and removed extra 0.

shreddor1886 karma

Ok, sick idea. You are a brilliant man. Please call me when this is live I want to do it.

  • Partner with a construction company that does a lot of teardowns/mcmansion build ups

  • Sign up for smartwaiver.com. Consult an attorney to make a bullet proof waiver. This is essential for the construction companies too. They will need to be a rider on the waiver.

  • Once you have this dialed you have a "product."

  • You can probably actually fucking use fareharbor for online booking. Set up availabilities based on when the construction firms need them smashed. Give them a 20% cut of your profits.

  • Then once you have the product, market the fuck out of it. Honestly, one GOOD viral video could help in a big way. At FareHarbor, we have some clients SORT of like this. Check out https://tanktownusa.com/

  • This is the type of idea that can go viral on its own. Work to set it up ASAP and then spend a lot of time on the ecommerce marketing.

  • Come up with a simple tag line, "Smash shit, feel good."

-Max

dtvhr384 karma

Thanks very much Max.

I'll definitely check out smartwaiver and find a construction company, if they're doing a teardown, we could really destroy things a lot easier and probably cheaper.

Haha I'll give you a bell, hope you dont mind flying to Ireland though

shreddor41 karma

Hell yeah, let me know. Here's the thing about this idea though - you probably won't help with the demo... you'll probably get in the way of the construction firms. This is about them making a little extra profit on the side. Chances are they do the demo with a big ass excavator cat. Try to find one construction firm open to it. Ideally residential because they'll probably be more receptive to this idea.

ironsoul1737 karma

I had an Idea of putting radio on the Internet?

shreddor2531 karma

Awesome idea Mark Cuban from 20 years ago!

th4ne678 karma

After two successful kickstarter fundraisers for clothing and backpacks, we have fulfilled our contributors' orders and had a small order through urban outfitters. Whats the best way to go about increasing sales?

shreddor1455 karma

Save this for later because this is some straight Facebook marketing gold below. "Online marketing firms hate us!"

Someone helped me on /r/entrepreneur with Morninghead. Here was his awesome advice on optimizing Facebook ads (and after you follow the below FB ad testing - do Adroll, it's the shit):

1) Facebook Ads

a. This is where I think you could really get some real sales.

b. The name of the game here is demographics and interests. If you can

lock these one of these down, you can produce a goldmine. If you can

lock both, then you’re even better off.

c. So create ads, and test 5 different images (of your product, or

something at least related to MH, which I would classify generally in the

beauty category as something to help you ‘get ready for the day’), and

keep the text copy the same. Test $1-$5 on each image to see if one

stands out as being the most effective in terms of getting clicks (better

known as clickthrough rates). Once you have a winning image, then

create a new ad using just that image, but target demographics of 5 year

windows and gender, so something like the following

Ad Number Gender Age

Ad1 Male 20-25

Ad 2 Male 26-30

Ad 3 Male 31-35

Ad 7 Female 20-25

Ad 8 Female 26-30

Ad 9 Female 31-35

Etc…

Repeat this for all relevant age groups. Then spend another $1-$5 or so

testing to see which groups best respond to your ad. Whichever groups

don’t respond well, cut them out of your advertising – they are just a waste

of funds. Once you land which group works best, then you can focus your

advertising on them and spend as much money as you want, so long as

there is a positive ROI. And similarly you can target ads to people who like

specific interests (such as “fashion”, “jewelry”, “men’s wearhouse”, etc) to

see which groups respond best and give you a positive ROI.

d. This is the general idea with facebook. Keep playing with and testing

until you hit the jackpot(s). With 1billion+ people on the platform, you’re

not likely to run out of customers there any time soon.

e. One other note when advertising on facebook – sidebar ads tend to not

do so well, so focus your investment on ads that are in the newsfeed. And

while I would start out only displaying ads to desktop computers and not

mobile devices, test it out and see what your audience responds best to.

MisanthropeX636 karma

My mother runs an erotica company. My best friend is a dominatrix. I collect Japanese toys.

Is there a market for blind packed collectable themed dildos and sex toys? If so, is a couple of 3D printers enough to get off the ground?

Will people be willing to buy like ten clown dicks before getting the chrome plated shiny dragon dick they've been looking for?

shreddor780 karma

Everything I've learned is that if you're unique and can do a little online marketing to help you build a brand you can carve out some space in the market. What is unique about your dildos? Does the dragon head go into the vagina? Does it look like a dragon in it's den? A single viral image can launch the platform. Think about the marketing you consume... how would you end up buying said dildo?

dansfrivolity485 karma

I work in a toy store, a man approached me who had a 12 year old boy who has to use a wheelchair and had very very basic motor function, he was asking for help to find a cool toy for his son as the only ones his son is really able to use are the fisher price type and of course his son resented that they were for babies. I would love to design cool toys for children with motor function difficulties. How could I make this possible?

*Edit : some words may have sounded insensitive.

shreddor472 karma

  • Find toys that already exist that are perfect for peoiple with limited motor function.
  • Contact wholesaler to see if you can rebrand them yourself
  • Research keywords people are searching for, etc.
  • Make a website specifically geared toward this niche.

Love this idea. Just realize your function is to find toys that already exist and resell them. Actually.... fuck, you could do an amazon affiliate model here. You could just find cool things on Amazon and make a website called, toysforhanicapped.com or something. Like this: https://www.reddit.com/r/Entrepreneur/comments/30b81x/amazon_affiliate_website_earning_550_a_month_and/

NASCARFRIEL452 karma

What's the best advice you could give to an aspiring entrepreneur?

shreddor878 karma

Try to find a market and a problem that your are passionate about solving.

dnm514 karma

This. I'm reading an interview last week with the guy that sold Waze to Google. I don't think I got past the picture of the seller. He's wearing a t-shirt that says "Fall in love with the problem, not the solution." Being a developer for over 30 years, I think I know why I never came up with my own idea. I've been completely enamoured with the solutions. Not the problems.

shreddor594 karma

100% dude. Problem first. Lawrence and I both have 2 failes startups under our belt... because we got some cute solution to a problem we THOUGHT existed. Find the problem first, know the market... and only sell to a market you understand.

-Max

emily_strange429 karma

How can my sister expand her business? She takes childrens drawings of animals and such and turns them into real life stuffed animals.

shreddor323 karma

Awesome. Make sure she takes a photo of every animal and every one she makes. Also, get into google keyword planner tool to see if people are searching for this already. There's a good chance that people are searching to get this made. Then have her get on etsy and get a URL based on your findings... maybe the URL is "Stuffedanimalsfromdrawings.com" and then post the photos on pinterest and social media.

ston8123423 karma

Ok. Bear with me.

It has always been my dream to open a food truck that specializes in night life shenanigans. Gourmet Grilled Cheese. Have a base price for a basic grilled cheese. Then make additions extra. Add ham or bacon for a dollar or 2. Add Jalapeno's for 50 cents. Extra cheese. Another slice of bread for the double decker. The list continues. The gimmick for the night life being a breathalyzer tied off to the front. If you can prove that you are the designated driver, we will give you half off. Want to just show off to your friends how drunk you are? 25 cents to blow and then you can sign your name and BAC to the board on the side of the truck.

Always thought it was a great idea, just can't ever scare up the capital for it.

shreddor406 karma

Love this idea. I started a sandwich card in highschool: http://i.imgur.com/tbXxqfD.jpg

We built this fucking thing out of wood and put skateboard wheels under it. Got it insured and licensed by the City of Portland (it had hot and cold running water + power). Honestly, just build it and start making sandwiches. We used 2 marine batteries with an inverter and a sandwich press. We would post up outside of the Civic Center when concerts let out. We'd make a killing. Don't get too gimicky with the pricing. If you place your cart in the right spot you'll have a line around the block.

How about if they blow that they're too drunk, they have to pay $20 and you'll make them a dirty dirty special sandwich with awesomely nasty shit in it. Drunk people will pay for anything you say they won't eat. (like a 2lb brie + shrimp + BBQ po boy)

ston812398 karma

Brilliant. I like the dirty dirty special.

How long ago was your cart in front of the Civic Center? I worked at the Rose Garden some time ago. I love Portland.

shreddor56 karma

Yeah man, rock it out!

It was Portland, ME in 2002.

bj_good409 karma

How is morninghead doing??

frshmt2210 karma

Depends on how my gf feels. Usually I have to talk her into it a bit but some days she just gets right on it without me saying anything.

shreddor1416 karma

We're hiring in the innuendo generation department, please submit resume with cover letter. You're fucking hired.

shreddor358 karma

It's going well! It's on autopilot with Amazon fulfillment. It's a dumb product that really fucking works. So I'm glad that I did it. When Shark Tank reached out to me I was like... shitttttt. This is not my life's work. But when you get that call, you gotta go pitch it.

-Max

jacksonium246 karma

I have an idea and want to quit my job. The thing is I work 40 hours/week Do you recommend saving up and quitting or starting it on the side?

shreddor533 karma

On the side whenever possible! Someone once told me "If you want to be an entrepreneur you need to be prepared to work some 90 hour weeks. So if you're working a 40 hr/wk job... you should have an extra 50 hours to devote to your idea!" I loved this and it motivated me to FIND the time. We cancelled cable and joined /r/cordcutters, we looked at what was actually important to us. So I would recommend to start the company now (And read 4-hour workweek by Tim Ferris to learn how to become a master of this).

CAPTAINLOCKS221 karma

I've made a word processor that doesn't let you delete/edit your work until you have a completed first draft. One piece of advice that a lot of successful writers give is: write forward. If you have to edit while you write you'll never finish. So to combat the urge, I've developed a no-distractions word processor that will only let you write forward. No fancy font, no text color, and you can't open any other programs while the text editor is running. When the user is through with their first draft, she can export it to Word and edit the crap out of it.

I was originally going to make this a donation-based software because I feel bad charging for something that doesn't actually do much. Since the selling point of this software is it's minimal features, how can it be profitable?

shreddor166 karma

This is a sick idea. Love it. Grow balls and realize you can charge for it!! What is fair? Find that out. Ask 50 writers what they'd pay for it... maybe $5/month? $10/month? A low recurring fee is where it's at. I love this idea for writers. Try to get writeforward.com or something similar.

Xeno_phile172 karma

I, like many, many people I'm sure, have an idea for an app, but have zero coding/developing knowledge or experience. It's unrelated to my current job so I also don't know anyone personally who has that knowledge/experience.

I don't even know enough to know if it's actually a good idea or not, but in my mind it would involve both mobile and pc versions of the app, along with significant, hopefully subscription based, data storage and networking.

How would I even start? I feel like learning to code myself wouldn't be the proper way, since the complexity would entail years to be able to handle, but I also don't have capital to hire someone to start writing it for me.

shreddor149 karma

If you can't find funding, you can search for a technical co-founder that's willing to put in sweat equity. Attend some dev meetups in your local area and pitch developers on your idea. -LH

drewp3155 karma

Hey I'm really good at catchy puns for products. What can I do with that? Because that's about all I got goin for me haha.

shreddor178 karma

Enter Morninghead! haha All you need to do is identify a market that needs something. In your day to day... over the next month, when you come across something inefficient, or stupid, save that idea somewhere - save it in a notebook. Then one day in a a month or so you'll have a list of problems. From there you can make a list of invention ideas. Then your punny ways can come into play. Think about the stupid product Morninghead... the product actually works... but it's too stupid looking for it to ever sell. The sexual innuendo in the name is how we've been able to sell over 20,000 units in over 100 countries.

McdMaint5150 karma

I have an idea for a bra that comes in 3 parts. The strap, and a left + right cup. This will allow women with different sized breasts to find proper fitting bras. I've made a few prototypes (as I'm, using my wife as a model and hacking Walmart bras and sewing them). I'd like to implement a t-clasp or something like it so the cups are easy to replace.

The beauty of this idea is the fact that when a piece wears out, women will buy a replacement part. The band will eventually wear out, so they come back for another. The problem I have is, I don't know where to go from here. I have no experience in building a business at all. I'm very far away from going anywhere with it, but in general, what should my next steps be?

shreddor142 karma

This is a very cool idea, but I'm not sure I've heard of this being an issue. My wife has bras that seem to last many years with no issues. Make sure there's a market that really needs to before you get too deep. I'd go to Google Surveys (link below), and pay for 1,000 people to answer 3-5 questions about if this is a problem for them. ASK VERY LITTLE ABOUT THE SOLUTION. Just see if people have this problem and for the last question ask about the solution

http://www.google.com/insights/consumersurveys/home

Awww_Yee147 karma

I had this idea to make something that turns off your radio and plays sirens at a specific volume(so it doesn't blow you away if you are listening to loud music) while also having a small red/blue, red/white lights when police, fire, ems are within a certain area with their sirens on. I thought of it because while they have lights and sirens, I can never hear them inside my vehicle because of current insulation/sound on the inside of my car and often you can't see them coming from places you aren't directly looking. This would give people both and audio and visual cue to be more vigilant/slow down/pull over. It could save lives... Not only by getting people out of the way quicker but by making people stop at intersections even though they have the right of way... How should I start?

shreddor121 karma

This is really fucking interesting. Ok, first off, make a ghetto version. Are you an engineer of sorts? Handyman? Research switches that are powered by decibel levels. You may need to tweak them a bit, but the best way to start is trying to build yourself a frankenstein of sorts. If you can find a switch that is being sold retail that shuts the circuit on and off based on decibel levels you're halfway there. You'll need to make sure it's rated for the level of power in the car stereo, but once you find the switch, buy a used car radio, or take your car radio out of your car and see if you can cut the power with this switch. Then rig it up in your car and see if you can cut the power to your stereo by honking an airhorn into the thing (placed outside your car). Heck, you can probably rig up the switch in your fuse box panel.

Once you have a ghetto prototype, see if you can find these switches in bulk. Then once you know how much the thing will cost you, make a kickstarter and rock it out!

oniondoan109 karma

I'll give this a go. Thanks for doing this!

My friend and I are going to be pharmacists soon and want to create an app that basically will help patients understand what medications are doing to their body in a Layman's sort of way. What do you think? Sorry if it's vague, tight on time!

shreddor181 karma

I like this a lot.

  • Fuck the app, go with a mobile friendly webpage which can also be a web app.

-Use Squarespace, Weebly, or something similar.

  • Start with the 50 most common medications and make the website.

  • Use google keyword planner tool to find the best search terms. Things like "What is lipitor" and stuff like that. Then base your URL around this theme... I'd probably go with whatismedication.com or something to help your SEO. Then Make custom landing pages for each term so the URL reads, whatismedication.com/lipitor - you may be able to rank well for "what is lipitor" eventually. Then once you get some traction, you may get picked up by the press. Start using a small PR firm to get the word out.

The one thing you may want to do is consult a lawyer early to ensure your TOS and stuff protect you in the event that you get sued. You MAY need to have people click something that says, "I understand that this is not medical advice... etc"

b4mv102 karma

Hmm. What's a good way to go about surveying a certain community of people? Say I wanted to send a survey to 200 gay men. What are good services for something like this?

shreddor207 karma

Google Consumer Surveys: http://www.google.com/insights/consumersurveys/home

You can segment ANYTHING. Men, women, age group, etc. And you only pay for the people you want. I love this. Another idea is to become a member of the reddit community you seek to learn more about. AND BECOME A PART OF IT. Don't suck the life from them. Join /r/cordcutters and engage in the comments. Post things, help people.

nuggstein74 karma

Not an idea, but...how do you think the Shark Tank crew feels now after they laughed at your product?

shreddor189 karma

They are awesome. I was in the Tank for 1 hour. Only 8 minutes made it to air. All of that laughter was actually at the product name. While it may have appeared they were laughing AT it... they weren't. Barbara hated it, everyone else loved it. Especially Cuban. The Sharks are actually super awesome in person. Amazing fucking experience. (btw, Cuban is the fucking man)

shreddor74 karma

Someone just PM'd me his idea and didn't want his name posted: Thank you for doing this. I hate that I have two remote controls... and I only use my TV remote for the power button and the volume. My idea is for a stick on remote control... basic remote control with volume and power only... then you can stick it to the back of the roku or apple TV remote.

shreddor64 karma

I love this idea. I recommend shooting for a "MVP" minimum viable product. Basically a piece of shit product that gets the job done. I'd research buying tiny remote controls at wholesale and then buying some powerful two way adhesive foam stickers and assembling it yourself. For branding... you can put a little decal on the side, or just put it in a bag with your logo and URL on it. This is a perfect one for kickstarter. Check /u/entrepreneur for some of my posts on how I kickstarted Morninghead. Here's an example of a tiny remote: http://www.thinkgeek.com/product/9a06/

nahfoo41 karma

You sure he wanted his idea posted?

shreddor174 karma

Fuck him. jk yeah he asked for it to be shared. He just didn't have a throwaway account. All good!

LadySiberian54 karma

All my life (I'm 25), I've dreamed of opening my own animal shelter. This is not a profitable idea, but it will take a lot of business know-how, which is why I'm here.

Starting a shelter would involve purchasing land, building or renovating a building that would be state of the art, registering as a non-profit (and whatever else is involved with starting up a non-profit business), hiring employees, volunteers, and Veterinarians, getting them employee benefits, protecting ourselves legally, and so much more.

Problem is, I have zero business experience. Did you guys know everything you needed to know/researched independently, or did you have advisers? If advisers, where/who did you go to? Where do I start!?

Thank you for any time you can spare!

shreddor48 karma

Good for you. Love this. Find yourself 2-3 people who are "doers." Ideally they are business or sales people... but more important than that... they're fucking finishers. I'd take someone who renovated their entire house to be energy efficient by hand than an MBA with no real-world experiencing finishing anything other than a case study. So your mentors don't necessarily have to be business people (but an MBA who renovated his house to solar by himself is the best!).

Ok, after mentors, read 4 hour workweek (or audiobook it). And then just do a shitload of research on how to start an animal shelter. I don't know jack about it, but everything we've learned is to ALWAYS start with an MVP (minimum viable product). What is the MINIMUM you can do to get this thing launched and approved by the state. When you have awesome ideas about it being state of the art... SAVE them somewhere... in a book. But realize what you need to get this thing launched, and do ONLY that until you have the shelter open and accepting animals. Start ghetto and small with an MVP, and THEN go state of the art once you know what you're doing.

Mikulicious51 karma

What kind of questions should I be asking?

What tips do you have for the young people just getting life started?

shreddor138 karma

Keep a repository for ideas. 100%. When you're driving, when you're shitting, when you're at the beach, problems, and then in turn spontaneous ideas WILL come to you. If you don't have a repository for them you're fucked. You're letting your brilliant ideas go out the door. Then maybe in 5 years you've been making $60k for too long and you have some money saved and you "want to start something" then you see an AMA thread like this... if you don't have an idea you'll never be able to capitalize on it. Have a repository of ideas you can act on in the future.

dbomb220648 karma

I have an idea that I think can be a goldmine... It has to do with the medical field. I only stumbled onto this idea because I'm in a wheelchair. The most common problem amongst people in wheelchairs are skin breakdowns. Pressure sores and general skin issues. Pressure relief is incredibly important.

The problem is that no great wheelchair cushion relieves pressure automatically. Wheelchair cushions are expensive and don't do that great of a job. With everyone getting older this is a problem that's going to grow. That's just the symptoms. The recovery itself if you get a serious pressure sore is to completely off load. Which means lying in bed all day regardless. So I thought the idea could double up into something like a premium wheelchair cushion, and a seating cushion that you can throw on any lay-z boy or living room chair. So hypothetically you are injured then you wouldn't have to spend all day in bed. You could get up and sit for a few hours without totally destroying recovery. This would also help with national health care costs everywhere since it is a pretty common problem.

The idea I had is based off cusions they already have. Something that would need to be single cell so it can isolate any injury. Single replaceable cells could be something that saves people a lot of trouble vs. having to replace an entire cushion when it breaks down. Average price of a cushion is anywhere near 500$-2K every time. It would have to be on some type of fanny pack pump that you could strap to your chair. Something that requires a battery. Obviously aesthetics would be important so people would want to use it. But there is no real great solutions out there. And there's nothing that allows you to change single individual cells. So if something broke down then the client would be able to buy 4-5 replacement cells. So not only are you building a brand that could be the best in it's field, but you're giving people options to buy a 2nd and buy replacement cells as issues arise.

My problem is that I'm not an engineer by any stretch. So designing this. Testing this would be difficult. I could only put a limited amount of funding behind it, but I truly believe that this would change peoples lives.

So my questions is where do I go from here? From the I just have an idea stage to where to start...

It sounds stupid but living with a pressure sore is defeating. Especially in a wheelchair. You run into serious issues like other bed sores, depression, anxiety, withdrawal from society, pain, infection, sepsis, etc... I've been thinking about this for a few years but wouldn't even know where to start with it... Thanks for doing this AMA. I hope Reddit approves of my idea. ;)

shreddor23 karma

Ok cool idea. Even though I went to school for mechanical engineering... I didn't learn shit about how to invent things or start companies. We studies rocket engines and fluid dynamics. Don't sell yourself short. You can make this thing. Start by buying ghetto ass eva foam, or some other type of foam that can work. Good thing is... foam is cheap. Buy cheap ass foam, and make something that works for you. Once you have the ghetto version you can begin working to build a protype with manufacturers. Follow this: https://www.reddit.com/r/Entrepreneur/comments/20zkwk/i_said_id_do_one_this_morning_its_max_from/cg872t7

Anonytorious32 karma

Is there a way to compete in a market that's already established? For example, the POS (Point of sale) systems at fastfood/restaurants/supermarkets (the software they use when they ring up your items). What would be your suggestions to that? I'm not sure how to go about presenting a software to a chain that already has that established. Any words of advice would be awesome!

shreddor40 karma

Absolutely! But start small. Find a local restaurant to try your product first. You want to make sure you've seen every problem and had real users testing your software before you make a pitch to the establishment. -LH

1day231 karma

How do I find the right partner for my idea? I am shipping manager for the third largest online supplier of ingredients for ahhh... let's say... brownies. (It's not brownies but I don't want to give my niche away.) So, I can get all the ingredients for any "brownie" recipe at wholesale cost and have the ingredients put together into a kit for an extra 10% of the costs. This is a huge niche with hundreds of dedicated sites, some having thousands of recipes and thousands of followers. But! Not a single site offers a kit to put it all together. Here is my problem, I don't want to do any of the online stuff. I'm 63 and about to retire and want to travel, a lot. I can do most of the online stuff needed but am not interested in the time it takes to build this product. I am having a website built at this time but am not sure how it's going to turn out with the fellows I have building it. I don't need a lot of money, I lead a small life and travel on the cheap so, I am willing to give the lions share of profits to who ever I partner with. I also have what I consider a small budget, a couple thousand dollars, to get this thing rolling. So, how do I find the right partner in what I am pretty sure will be over a million dollar biz a year? Just some back ground, I helped build the supplier I work for into what it is today, from deep in dept to over 2 mil in sales this year. EDIT 1: Thanks to Mornighead for the post and to all of you who have replied. The response was, as expected, overwhelming. I will try to reply to everyone and not leave you hanging. It looks as though we might be able to build a team and help out a bunch of people. I am humbled.

shreddor14 karma

I will post this to the top. Maybe a young redditor can help you run with this. Be ready for hundreds of people reaching out to you.

superajoto28 karma

It's disgusting, but creating a porn website where you can facial match porn actresses, both professional and amateur, to an image uploaded by the user. SO MANY CREEPS WOULD USE THIS RIGHT?! How would I go about sourcing the workforce to go about doing this? FAP to someone who looks like OP's mom. Should I try to pitch this to an existing site?

shreddor19 karma

/u/donkeygraves has a decent start on the implementation here below. I'd only add that you can add the photos yourself with some google searching. You don't need to find a database. Just dive in and try to not get cum on you.

iddn22 karma

What's Shark Tank and Morninghead?

shreddor127 karma

It's a new carnival game where you get a morning blowjob whilst trying to not get eaten by a Mako

bjarmeister16 karma

I want to make an apple watch app that simple sends one emoji to another Apple watch for quick no-text conversations. I know nothing about app development or coding and I don't know anyone who does. Would you learn the skill first or something else?

shreddor20 karma

I would try to learn as much as you can - even if you get a technical co-founder you'll want to know enough to be dangerous. Once you know enough, you can go on elance.com and hire some developers in india to actually built it out. Unless you have a technical co-founder, you'll need to learn a little bit first. Then you can design it out and not get taken advantage of when you shop it out.

shreddor13 karma

If you're interested in owning the idea yourself, learn the basics of app development. Otherwise, search for a technical co-founder and have a monetization strategy prepared. -LH

subsonic8710 karma

I've had this idea for manufacturing high-quality sunglasses. Sure, there are lots of sunglasses manufacturers. But so few of them fit a wide range of people. Most sunglasses aren't even offered in multiple sizes.

I want to make and sell sunglasses that are sizable, with various points where the fit can be adjusted. Like a belt, which has multiple buckle holes.

I have no idea how to get into manufacturing, whether it would be in China or elsewhere. I also have even less of an idea how to make a prototype, which would be necessary to launch a Kickstarter campaign. And, of course, I don't have any capital. Any advice?

shreddor34 karma

Ok, I love this problem because my head is like fucking DK mode in goldeneye. Even though this idea is cool... you need to reframe it. It's WAY to capital intensive to do this and if you think about it... why do the sunglasses need to be adjustable? Your head doesn't change shape and people don't usually share sunglasses. You're trying to solve a problem - fit... so let's do that and get you some revenue.

Don't reinvent the wheel just rebrand other things SPECIFICALLY for this problem. Find a sunglasses importer or manufacturer. Possibly here: http://www.thomasnet.com/

Search for sunglasses, but also promotional items. Fuck it, you could start an ENTIRE company using the shitty glasses that people give away for free (the ones with the color on the sides). The thing is (think Mommy Hook: http://themommyhook.com/). Think about it, if you found big ass sunglasses, and got the url bigfuckingsunglasses.com you could be the place where people buy glasses for big heads.

clipmann4 karma

Thanks for your IAmA,

My sisters make really good soap,, its simply better/just as good as the best in the market. How can I start off sales? and ramp up the numbers?

I think that the "quality soaps" out there got it wrong, they have zillion different flavors, and that takes away the shopper's time at point of sale. The idea is to perfect one scent for women, one scent for men, makes the whole thing easy.

shreddor11 karma

Ok cool idea. Soap is a very crowded market. What's unique about it? What's your niche? You need to not sell to EVERYONE. Try selling to a very specific subset of people. Maybe people who like designer soaps. Maybe people with soap allergies. From 4hr workweek - Don't sell to all dog owners, sell to a small niche and own it... ex. sell to "German Shepherd Puppy owners"

DeleteTheWeak2 karma

I have a bunch of ideas for a business. They aren't all inventions, but great ideas for regions/markets that are lacking. One of the biggest hurdles is getting startup capital. I have great credit (well over 800), some cash, but zero collateral. The last time I went to my small business organization, they said I needed to show two years profit before I can even apply for a small business loan. What can I do to overcome this obstacle? Thanks for your time

shreddor-1 karma

Hit me with the idea. It's the best way to help you - to talk about the actual idea. Hit me.

scifishortstory2 karma

I'm 23 years old and aspiring to become a multimillionaire (or better). Right now I have some health issues that prevent me from working properly and I have to deal with those first (in the mean time I am studying business seminars and reading books etc.) The hardest thing for me is to actually decide what I want to do. I can't come up with an idea that I feel is interesting enough or that I am passionate about. So this is my question:

What is the process for deciding what to do or coming up with an idea that I am inspired about?

Thank you.

shreddor2 karma

Write down every idea you have for a business in a notebook before you go to bed. And don't make the jump if you aren't inspired. Don't force it. As long as you are thinking, something will eventually spark. -LH

drunkstatistician1 karma

I have an idea for a website and associated mobile app which I think would be pretty handy and nothing quite like it exists currently. The problem is I know next to nothing about coding. Can I pick up a book and learn enough in 6 months to get things up and going, or will I be way over my head?

shreddor2 karma

Coding is like learning another language. It's not a bad idea to learn, but it might be easier and safer to find a technical co-founder. -LH

BluShirtGuy1 karma

I have an idea for an "X of the month" venture, and a quick online search shows very few competitors.

I believe there is a market for this simple product, plenty of vendors, but I personally don't have a ton of passion for this particular product, it just kind of feels like a niche that should be explored.

Would something that I don't find much interest in be worthwhile in exploring, if it meant satisfying a market that does, if done well?

shreddor2 karma

I tried my luck at starting a crouton company in the past. It all made sense on paper but I wasn't head over heels for the business. Getting off the ground takes a lot of perseverance. Even if your idea looks great on paper, it might hit a wall at the first sign of trouble if you aren't extremely passionate. -LH

quarter-dollar1 karma

I want to sell legal services to tech startups, including IP advice and help with IP filings. I can also assist with employment agreements, contracts, and negotiations with other businesses. I am open to accepting equity. I have the credentials and background - how do I start my business, get clients, and grow?

shreddor4 karma

Write a blog about legal challenges and startups. And then attend local entrepreneur meetups. Find one person/company to work with and use them as a referral/validation. Make sure your first client is somebody you can meet in person. -LH

snow_m0n0 karma

Hi, thanks for doing this! Finally caught a live AMA that I like. 1. What are the top three books you would recommend reading? 2. What are some things you do every day that you think makes you (or helps you) be successful? 3. Do you think you could start again from scratch? Pretty sure we all know the answer, but what would be your steps?

shreddor1 karma

  1. The Art of Start, 4 Hour Workweek, The Power of Habit.

  2. Don't use a to-do-list and tackle your least favorite tasks first thing in the morning. And spend at least an hour outside every day to think about the bigger picture and your goals.

  3. It would be tough to sleep on a couch for another 6 months, but yes! The difficulty would be finding another idea that I am as passionate about. -LH

404forlife0 karma

Is Mark Cuban an ass in real life?

shreddor1 karma

He's the fucking man. You want to be his friend.