How A Costly Water Utility Bill Inspired A New Business Idea

Veteran Employment Project

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When a monthly water bill proved too costly for
the salary of one veteran he found a way to solve his
financial problem and create jobs for other soldiers.

Whether or not one has an interest in growing vegetables
the valuable lesson in this Charlie Rose interview
can be applied to other circumstances.

Lesson: Finding a solution to a personal problem
may be the basis for a profitable business that
embodies important values.

References
Huffington Post
Show Don’t Tell
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dylan-ratigan/show-dont-tell_b_3342494.html

Charlie Rose/facebook May 24/2013
Dylan Ratigan & Retired Major General Melvin Spiese
https://www.facebook.com/CharlieRose/posts/10152161727362923




New Product Ideas

One Way to Profit from Consumer Complaints
People with disabilities couldn’t find the entertainment books they wanted to read through public libraries, such as cookbooks, thrillers, and romance novels. The publishing industry routinely offered bibles and health-related subject matter for that market segment. 

A large print publisher decided to solve the problem and profited handsomely by producing the wanted materials.

Lesson: Stereotyping or making assumptions about consumers can be a costly business mistake.

Reference
*Self-Publishing Manual: How to Write, Print, and Sell Your Own Book, 11th edition. Dan Poynter, ParaPublishing, 1999.  

*There is a more recent edition.




Hail Caesar

Cocktails Anyone?
Whether you drink or not, there are useful take-away lessons illustrated by a Canadian product manufactured in Manitoba. It’s Caesar’s cocktail drink packets.

Transplanted Canadians know that ordering their favorite cocktail outside of their mother country is a frustrating experience. The drink can’t be created authentically outside the Canadian border due to the lack of an ingredient called Clamato juice, a product available only in Canada.

According to fans, a Bloody Mary makes a poor substitute. For Canadians living in the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom, having the canned juice shipped in was prohibitive, so the problem inspired the creation of a Clam packet mix weighing less than 4 ounces.

Lessons:
Transportation issues can sometimes roadblock good business ideas.

The redesign of an old product can solve a number of problems, including expensive shipping costs.

Reference:
http://www.canadianfavourites.com