Top Business Ideas | Springwise trends that always satisfy....

When you don't have any new ideas - you can still find inspiration on the internet. If you love looking at trends, you found the right post - Springwise is premium roast coffe for your business caffine needs [how about that for allegory?]. Enjoy!!

Collaborative photo books help groups tell stories
Media & publishing / Lifestyle & leisure

A new photo book service allows groups to pool their photographs
and collaborate online to merge their memories and create multi-
faceted, story-telling books.

Bicycle-powered stand serves up coffee hot and cold
Food & beverage / Eco & sustainability

Brooklyn-based Kickstand Coffee uses two bicycles, a fold-up stand
and a hand-cranked grinder to serve up sustainable hot and cold
coffee at events around the city.

Project marketplace connects businesses and
MBA students
Education

31Projects helps connect graduate students with companies and
organizations in need of business expertise.

Online tool helps families begin planning funeral
Life hacks

Aiming to prepare families and make the process easier, death-care
provider Stewart Enterprises has launched an online tool called the
Virtual Arrangement Conference.

Paperless mobile ticketing, no scanners required
Telecom & mobile / Life hacks

Mobile ticketing may offer myriad benefits for both event managers
and consumers, but most options still require specialized scanning
hardware to read the ticket from the user's device. Not so Twicketer.

With every box of dog food, a meal for a homeless pet
Non-profit, social cause / Marketing & advertising

Attached to every Darford box of treats and food is an extra meal of
the company's Zero/G dog food intended specifically for donation to
a dog in need.

Location-based app for sharing social plans
Telecom & mobile / Life hacks

Just as Foursquare allows consumers to keep tabs on each other's
current activities, so Plancast lets them track what their friends are
planning to do in the future.

PDX installs bike assembly station for travellers
Tourism & travel / Transportation

Located on the airport's lower terminal roadway, the bike assembly
station will enable people travelling with bicycles to more easily
assemble and disassemble their bikes before and after flights.

App lets consumers open and pay a bar tab by phone
Telecom & mobile / Food & beverage

Similar to the way RideCharge lets consumers book a taxi and pay
their fare by phone, TabbedOut lets them open a tab at their favourite
bar and then close it out by phone when they're ready to go.

iPad app turns social content into personal mag
Media & publishing

Flipboard bills itself as "a social magazine that brings to life the
stories, photos, news and updates being shared across Twitter
and Facebook.

Our contact details
Springwise BV, a 53rd Floor BV company
Address: Laurierstraat 71, 1016 PJ, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Web address: http://www.springwise.com/
Email address: info@springwise.com

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Some BIG Ideas | Twelve smart new business ideas from around the world

Online marketplace for $5 tasks
Life hacks

Israel-based Fiverr lets anyone sell virtually any type of service for $5.
Categories on the site include 'Fun & Bizarre' and 'Silly Stuff' along
with more staid classics such as 'Graphics' and 'Social Marketing'.

Double-decker 'bustaurant' serves up high-end cuisine
Food & beverage

World Fare is a Los Angeles-based double-decker bus with a kitchen
downstairs and a rooftop restaurant above. Patrons are served a
variety of high-end dishes from around the world.

Domino's recruits fans to sell its pizza
Marketing & advertising / Food & beverage

A Domino's Pizza web widget lets consumers serve as marketeers
for the brand through social networking pages and blogs. In return
they get a commission on any orders placed through their pages.

Gadget-friendly sash holds personal devices
Fashion & beauty / Style & design

The Bandee is a multifunctional sash designed to hold mobile phones,
iPods and all sorts of other gadgets that otherwise fill up pockets or
get lost in handbags.

Charging infrastructure for electric vehicles
Automotive / Eco & sustainability

SemaConnect has developed an automated solution that lets parking
operators run networks of vehicle charging systems with web-based
management tools and customer authentification using smart cards.

London and Mumbai compared and contrasted
Tourism & travel / Marketing & advertising / Media & publishing

British Airways' Metrotwin focuses on comparing and contrasting city
'twins'. Recommendations for the best neighbourhoods, businesses,
attractions and places to visit are rewarded with air miles.

Inflatable car booster seat for kids
Automotive / Style & design

BubbleBum is an inflatable, safety-approved car booster seat,
providing a lightweight, portable alternative to more cumbersome
counterparts, and ideal for holidays, school trips and car pooling.

Helping minipreneurs sell their expertise
Education

Estonia-based Traindom is a platform for information entrepreneurs
to market their expertise by means of its easy-to-use product creation
interface, client management tools, and payment systems.

Supermarket builds 'bee hotels' to improve pollination
Retail / Eco & sustainability

To help address bee decline in the UK and its impact on local crops,
British retailer Sainsbury's has announced it will install eight 'bee hotels'
on land around their new eco-store in Dursley, Gloucestershire.

Platform to create and monetise online schools
Education / Media & publishing

Users of San Francisco-based Supercool School can create real-time
classes and make them available to an unlimited number of students
around the world.

Web simulator for trying on virtual tattoos
Fashion & beauty

California-based TatMash overlays tattoo designs onto users'
photographs to allow consumers to see what a tattoo would
look like on them before they commit to the real thing.

Online retailers install widget to enable group buying
Retail

SyncFu is a free widget that any e-commerce website can install
to let deal-seeking consumers team up for volume discounts and
see how the price drops as more people commit to a purchase.

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Trendwatching.com | Our new BRAND BUTLERS briefing (including 50 examples). All yours.

Dear Arnie, From consumers yearning for service and care, to the burgeoning mobile online revolution: everything seems to be in place to turn BRAND BUTLERS into one of this year's most important marketing trends. Read our new Trend Briefing to find out about the drivers behind BRAND BUTLERS, and how to apply the many insights. Plus learn from more than 50 trend examples from brands already capitalizing on BRAND BUTLERS. All yours! More >>> Oh, and please don't forget to share BRAND BUTLERS with your colleagues. Happy spotting, Reinier Evers founder, trendwatching.com reinier@trendwatching.com

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24 March 2010 | This week's most inspiring new business ideas

How about a new bunch of stuff from Springwise - Enjoy!!

Here's your fresh batch of new business ideas! To view this message in a browser, click here.

Hi Arnie,

Our latest issue is now online. Here's a quick run-down of the new business ideas
that caught our attention this week:

Limited-edition, gadget-friendly jeans
Fashion & beauty

It's no longer uncommon to see bags and even jackets with pockets
for gadgets, but French WTFjeans are the first pants we've seen
designed specifically with gadget geeks in mind.

Guided travel for photographers
Tourism & travel

Founded by two professional photographers who were tired of tours
that took them to wonderful places but hurried them through the
sights, Photours offers specialist photography holidays.

Website encourages shoppers to preorder new gadgets
Retail / Life hacks

Doing their part to help tech-obsessed consumers be the first to get
their hands on the latest electronic gadgets, Preorder.It allows
customers to preorder the latest devices in advance.

Copy paper made from wheat straw
Eco & sustainability

Nature's Paper collects leftover wheat straw and converts it into a
paper pulp. The waste hull, meanwhile, is used to produce biofuel
that helps power the company's plant.

Crowdsourced cycling trips
Tourism & travel

Tour D'Afrique has set up a division called DreamTours which invites
consumers to pitch their dream cycling tour concept and engage with
fellow cyclists to bring the trip to fruition.

Masculine cupcakes for men
Food & beverage / Retail

A far cry from the pink and fluffy affairs that are typically embellished
with sprinkles and flowers, Butch Bakery's cupcakes aim to be the
place where "butch meets buttercream".

Global university extends the reach of higher education
Education

University of the People is a non-profit venture -- supported by the
United Nations -- that embraces tech to bring higher education to
people who would not otherwise have access to it.

iPhone app helps claim refunds for Tube delays
Transportation / Telecom & mobile

The app is used to register where and when a delay occurred and
how long it lasted. Tube Refund then submits that information to the
London Underground, which generates a refund voucher for the user.

Design your own pet food
Lifestyle & leisure / Food & beverage

Inspired by the recent rash of pet food recalls and the increasing
incidence of food allergies in pets, RedMoon offers fully customizable
dry pet food based on a variety of meats, produce and supplements.

Custom notebooks feature your tweets or Facebook feed
Media & publishing

Now that social networks are a major part of many consumers' lives,
there's a growing need to bridge online and offline worlds. Famebook
and TweetNotebook embellish notebooks with personal online content.

Giving engine enables 'buy one, give one' generosity
Non-profit / Social cause

We've seen several "buy one, give one" programs, and recently we
happened upon a Singapore-based site that enables and supports
myriad such efforts at once through a transaction-based giving engine.

Furniture surface wirelessly charges mobile devices
Telecom & mobile / Homes & housing

Powerkiss's charging packages have already been integrated into a
meeting room table and a coffee table from Finnish Martela. Who will
join them in releasing customers from charging-cord shackles?

Our next issue will arrive in your inbox on 31 March 2010. In the meantime, please
check out our daily posts, subscribe to our RSS feed or follow us on Twitter.

Warm regards,

Liesbeth den Toom
Senior Editor
liesbeth@springwise.com

_______________

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From Trendwatching.com | 10 Crucial Consumer Trends for 2010

Whatever you believe about 2009 and the world around you, there is one constant - CHANGE. As we look behind us and what has happened to our "world" during the past 12 to 24 months, we must understand that is it only prelude to what is going to happen in the future. As I like to tell my kids, sad [or happy] stories are only that way because of where they end - because there is always another day and new beggining to every story.

Enjoy the predictions from Trendwatching.

2010 is rapidly approaching; we hope the December edition of our Trend Briefing, detailing 10 trends for 2010, will assist you in getting things going (again). Go straight to the Briefing, or quickly scan the 10 trends below: 1. BUSINESS AS UNUSUAL Forget the recession: the societal changes that will dominate 2010 were set in motion way before we temporarily stared into the abyss. More » 2. URBANY Urban culture is the culture. Extreme urbanization, in 2010, 2011, 2012 and far beyond will lead to more sophisticated and demanding consumers around the world. More » 3. REAL-TIME REVIEWS Whatever it is you're selling or launching in 2010, it will be reviewed 'en masse', live, 24/7. More » 4. (F)LUXURY Closely tied to what constitutes status, which itself is becoming more fragmented, luxury will be whatever consumers want it to be over the next 12 months. More » 5. MASS MINGLING Online lifestyles are fueling 'real world' meet-ups like there's no tomorrow, shattering all predictions about a desk-bound, virtual, isolated future. More » 6. ECO-EASY To really reach some meaningful sustainability goals in 2010, corporates and governments will have to forcefully make it 'easy' for consumers to be more green, by restricting the alternatives. More » 7. TRACKING & ALERTING Tracking and alerting are the new search, and 2010 will see countless new INFOLUST services that will help consumers expand their web of control. More » 8. EMBEDDED GENEROSITY Next year, generosity as a trend will adapt to the zeitgeist, leading to more pragmatic and collaborative donation services for consumers. More » 9. PROFILE MYNING With hundreds of millions of consumers now nurturing some sort of online profile, 2010 will be a good year to help them make the most of it (financially), from intention-based models to digital afterlife services. More » 10. MATURIALISM 2010 will be even more opinionated, risque, outspoken, if not 'raw' than 2009; you can thank the anything-goes online world for that. Will your brand be as daring? More » We're confident that applying the above to your business will bring you at least one profitable, zeitgeist-compatible innovation in 2010! Best regards, Reinier Evers founder, trendwatching.com reinier@trendwatching.com Our contact information trendwatching.com Web address: http://www.trendwatching.com/ Email address: info@trendwatching.com Office address: Laurierstraat 71, 1016 PJ Amsterdam, The Netherlands

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14 October 2009 | This week's most mysterious new business ideas

Hi Arnie,

Our latest issue is now online. Here's a quick run-down of the 20 new business ideas that
caught our attention this week:

Mystery t-shirts are handpicked for customers
Retail / Fashion & beauty

Customers select a size and answer a series of questions about
themselves. The Hipstery runs the responses through their 'innovative
style algorithm' to find the right t-shirt. It's all about surprise.

Instant local gifts via text message
Telecom & mobile / Life hacks

As soon as gift-givers place their order, a text voucher for their
gift is delivered instantaneously to the recipient, who can then
redeem it as soon as they choose.

Site helps office workers get to know neighbours
Life hacks

Currently in beta, Stackd was created by New York-based
Supermetric to enable its own neighbouring office workers to
get in touch, whether "for business or beers," as the site puts it.

Free photo books for Facebook and Bebo users
Media & publishing / Marketing & advertising

If Facebook users can conjure up real-world flowers, candy and
drinks from within the social network, then why not give them a
way to capture their fave images in a (free) real-world photo book?

The crowd strikes back: fans remake Star Wars
Entertainment

People can sign up on Star Wars: Uncut to recreate the 1,313 fifteen-
second clips that make up the epic space film. Once all clips have
been submitted, the site's founder will stitch them together.

More neighbourhood problem-solving: SeeClickFix
Life hacks / Government

Empowering citizens to improve their communities, SeeClickFix
functions as a hub for residents to report and track non-emergency
issues with the aim of having them resolved.

Dell laptops, coming soon in nail-polish colours
Style & design

Just in time for the holidays, Dell Mini, Inspiron and Studio laptops
will soon be available in colours including "I'm Not Really a
Waitress," "Strawberry Margarita" and "Kyoto Pearl."

New platform for micropayments to news publishers
Media & publishing

Instead of each publisher having its own subscription and payment
method, readers will be able pay once to access paid content from
all publishers working with bitcents.

In-stadium social media for baseball fans
Telecom & mobile / Marketing & advertising

Beginning this season, a Citi Field big screen will play host to an
SMS marketing system that presents a whole new way for sponsors
to interact with fans, and fans with each other.

Investment account mimics other investors' trades
Financial services

Covestor Investment Management has created a new type of account
that lets investors follow the trades of the experts with their own
managed funds.

Wave the magic wand to flip to the next channel
Style & design

Reimagined with inspiration from Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter,
the boring old TV remote control can now be replaced with a far more
entertaining object.

Vacation homes, rented and traded with Facebook
friends
Travel & tourism / Homes & housing

Aiming to capitalize on the trust shared among Facebook friends,
Shared Porch is an app that lets users list and rent vacation homes.

Fresh skin care products, shipped straight from lab
Fashion & beauty

Los Angeles-based Odacité places manufacturing dates at the
forefront of its business, producing freshly-made organic skin care
products and leaving out preservatives.

Give a day to charity, get a day at Disney
Tourism & travel / Non-profit & social cause

Disney is working with HandsOn Network to highlight a variety of
volunteer opportunities with participating organizations across the
United States, Puerto Rico and Canada.

Tweet to hail a green ride in London
Transportation / Telecom & mobile

Users send a direct message to @greentomatocars with their
booking details, receive a tweet back with a unique booking
reference, and wait for a Prius to pull up.

Toy rental comes to France
Life hacks

It's been more than a year since we featured the toy rental service
from Texas-based Babyplays, so we were pleased to see that a
similar concept has now been launched in Europe.

An ATM for recycling consumer electronics
Eco & sustainability / Telecom & mobile

EcoATM is an automated reuse-and-recycle machine that makes
it easy and financially rewarding for consumers to offload their
abandoned electronics.

Urban beekeeping kit for honey lovers
Food & beverage / Homes & housing

From the makers of the Omlet chicken coop, the Beehaus comes
as a complete hive ready for colonization, with all the parts
necessary, including honey jars.

NYC challenges developers to create apps
Government

Last week, we wrote about a San Francisco initiative that invites
developers to turn city data into useful tools. Not one to be bested,
Mayor Bloomberg just launched a similar concept in New York.

Niche retailing: curated sellers of vintage fashion
Fashion & beauty / Retail

Amidst thousands of online clothing retailers, Market Publique has
found its niche. Based in Brooklyn, it aims to attract premium sellers
and buyers of vintage fashion.

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