Proven business model and a lot of people trying to do exactly this.

Google around for a story of the two German brothers. They are copying everything under the sun to introduce to Euro markets - and willing to pour XX million into each attempt. They have some big successes also.

Samwer brothers, iirc there were 3 of them though

For me that really drove the point home that execution is everything

Not saying the plot is exactly the same, but it would certainly make people remember of this movie and the book it was taken:http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098084/

What do people think about this idea:

Retweets for Sweets (resweets.com)

We're running this competition at the moment:
https://twitter.com/Scirra/status/217565827904442368

And after doing it I think it'd make a cool web service, as a company looking for promotion on Twitter you pay resweets.co.uk £20 or whatever, and they will host the competition for you, randomly pick winners and dispatch the prizes.

It would be fun/quick to develop, but I just don't have time to. If someone else makes it please PM me URL when it's done so I can use it

It depends where you live but I think for some markets there would be a market for Gluten Free products...My folks can't eat gluten and they go to like 6 different groceries stores to get different stuff....plus there is all sorts of products they can't get in Quebec that they could get in Ontario/NY state...If you delivered maybe 10-15 of these items plus price club/costco you could probably over charge for delivery.

With this kind of thing, I'd go much more for B2B companies than a lot of the high-press consumer internet startups.

My thinking behind this (and it's paraphrased from an article I read somewhere so hopefully someone else remembers where and can link it) is that there basically gets to be one Instagram. They win, and their competitors are almost all going to die out and earn little to no money in the process.

On the other hand, think about Square doing mobile payments. They are growing rapidly in America and have proven there is a need for this kind of technology. However, they can't be spending time right now learning the ins-and-outs of financial regulations in 150 different countries. So start the Square of South Korea, or Central Europe, or whatever. You see that people want and need this who are willing to pay for it. And when Square is ready to move into these new countries buying an existing firm is likely to be much easier for them.

these guys

http://www.businessweek.com/articles...-copy-machine/

Just stepping back a bit, I really don't think ideas are worthless.

Telling people their ideas are worthless is probably fine to tell people starting out, but the definition of an 'idea' is grey, and somewhere along the line an idea turns into an execution but it's hard to put your finger on where exactly. For example, is a patent application an idea or an execution? Patents certainly have a lot of value.

Also, to demonstrate that ideas are not worthless, which idea has more chance of success?

a) A mobile phone for elephants
b) A service which sends you an SMS when your website goes offline

Obviously B. Because of this, B has more value than A. Worthless things have the same value, zero. Because B holds more value than A, at least one of them is not worthless.

Telling people starting out 'ideas are worthless' is all well intended in my opinion, but in actuality I think ideas do carry some value. It's far too easy to abuse and overvalue these ideas though which is why people probably keep reciting this mantra. My problem is that people are starting to take the "Ideas are worthless" as a logical truth when infact it is not.

Sorry but the elephant phone is already done.

http://www.environmentalgraffiti.com...elephants/2736

These are all fair points, and they deserve a serious response as the thread title is obviously hyperbolic.

But I can't get over the elephant phone.

I think a web app that detects your position within a Wal-Mart/Target type store, then directs you toward any specific product you search for, would be awesome.

Reception is abysmally poor in a lot of places.

On top of that, most stores do not want anyone to use this kind of stuff. There was a big outrage during the Amazon $5 promotion where they gave people $5 to scan-in local store prices, for example.

I've heard that some bigger stores are starting to block data connections or restrict it heavily. Not sure if this is true. But they will do their best to restrict this sort of behavior somehow.

Speaking of odd ideas, I recently ran across a guy's site who sells DNA tests to people in Singapore who want to find our whose dog is evacuating on their lawn?!?

Is there a big market for this? (or is this some sort of elaborate joke???)

Any way if you want to see his site, google SingDNA and click the first link...

100% percent sure, that I don´t have the time and money to do this, but it could work culturally in here and it would actually contribute a little to society.

We have this generation of (great)granfathers and -mothers who survied the German and USSR occupation and a lot of them were shipped to Siberia in train animal-waggons by USSR officials. So it´s sick of how much of them like and almost like feel the need to do hard labour and work even after retirement.
Basically, they are like almost not used culturally to just enjoying the life.
And it´s even problematic to the faimilies, because it seems that they work too much, although I have masisve respect to that mindset.

So, i thought that a line of portable DVD-players (Simpler than working with media files on computers) with a well-liked presenter/trainer by their generation releasing simple excersising dvd-s. So that they could take the DVD to parks or outside to their gardens and have fun with the technology and excercise so they feel less need to work around the clock just because they are used to it.

Do you still think that putting the idea in the open is benificial for feedback if the execution of the idea is insanely easy?

I own a business that makes very good money, that requires little time, and I could teach anyone to do it in an hour and they'd start making money same day.

I tend to hide the idea when people ask me what I do for fear of being ripped off locally where it would hurt.

Here we go again.

http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/30...thers-1113984/

I live in Canada if you need a franchise

Edit: It is now clear buys hookers at wholesale price and sells then at a retail premium. Quite ze niche market indeed.

I was watching hdnet (now axs).

They have a show where a guy has a bikini barbershop. I was like OMG THIS IS GENIUS.

I am a big believer in the hot half naked girls business model.

Restaurants there are ton of em with hot half naked girls. Same with coffeeshops. Bars. Almost all restaurant related.

But a haircut place I have never seen before. Why can't I try and open up my own salon and do this?

The biggest obstacle I see is that it might be difficult to find girls who have a license, are hot, and willing to do hair in a bikini.

But in places like LA, (I live in so cal), vegas and NY. This shouldn't be a big problem?

What other things am I overlooking?

Sports Clips kinda does this (cute girls, targeted towards men with lots of TVs, etc) but doesn't go so far as bikinis models.

They've got over 900 franchises, so obviously it's working

http://www.sportclips.com/index.html

interesting. Never heard of sport clips. There are a couple near where I live. I might have to go to one to check how it is.

Sure it could happen...

There's an article in the NYT about Manhattan pizza wars. Basically, the supply is so saturated and has become so competitive that all the pizza businesses end up struggling and having a hard time.

But this is pretty rare. Usually, even if someone thinks your idea is the best, they don't want to setup shop right next to yours. They usually want to setup shop in an area where you are not even operating instead of trying to compete with you.

This is soooo dumb if true. Gotta make things easier for the customer or someone else will. Any store that can save me 10 minutes shopping is gonna get my business.

They want you to wander around aimlessly so you impulse buy more crap. It's a good idea though and would use it if I shopped at walmart.

What Sports Clips are you going to? The ones I go to never have any cute girls working.