2. Sell by post to record collectors unsorted 'mystery' parcels of new and second hand records. Less than 5% of the singles released get into the top 30 chart. So there are a lot of new unsold singles on the hands of numerous record companies.
3. Produce and sell a home study course on how to write self improvement books. Writing self improvement books is one of the easiest ways to become a published author. In this field there are various themes which always sell well, such as how to make money, save money and be a success.
4. Start a mail order business which specialises in selling classic singles from the sixties. Classic singles are constantly being reissued in countries around the world. Import these singles and sell by post.
5. Serve coin collectors by starting a coin or coin set of the month club. The activities of this club might include sending collectors new foreign coins as they are issued.
6. Devise unique cocktail drinks and punches to commission. Name each drink after the person nominated by the sponsor. These recipes make unusual gifts. For example, a specially designed punch would add fun to a wedding reception or birthday. Sell your service from classified ads.
7. Use direct mail to sell a range of novelties, games, toys, quizzes and ornaments for the office. Produce a catalogue about your products and send copies to offices.
8. Launch a carved ornament of the month club. A collection of beautifully carved ornaments will add character to a house and make a good investment.
9. Start a mail order business which sells books, equipment and supplies to those interested in amateur rocketry. Put together an amateur rocketry kit for beginners and advertise this to attract new hobbyists to your business.
10. Compose poems to order for any occasion such as engagements, new births, weddings, birthdays, valentines, etc. These poems make a unique memorable gift. Use classified ads to sell your service, or set up a stall at a fair or tourist site, and compose poems on the spot.
11. Put together a correspondence course about writing drama or comedy for radio. Radio is a proven route to becoming a successful drama or comedy writer. Your course helps people develop their writing ability to suit the requirements of a relatively easy way into the business.
12. Bring together a range of products specially designed for left handed people. Have a catalogue printed and start a mail order business.
13. Set up a garden improvement business which designs and builds ornamental Japanese or Chinese gardens. Produce a brochure about your work and advertise your business in up market publications.
14. Use ball bearings to make attractive ornaments. Either decorate large ball bearings, or stick little ball bearings together. The ornaments might be shaped to look like people or animals. Sell these ornaments through gift shops or from a stall at craft fairs.
15. Act as a sales agent for fan clubs. Sell membership subscriptions, for commission, at concerts, festivals and to people in your area. Write to reputable fan clubs and offer them your sales service.
16. Familiarise yourself with products on sale at shops which sell art and craft materials. Visit similar shops in foreign countries to find a good product which is not available in this country. Start a business importing and distributing your chosen product.
17. Build up a sales round where you call on regular customers once every eight weeks, for example, to sell cheap or unusual household items. First call door to door to sell your products. Keep a record of the addresses of buyers and call back eight weeks later to sell other products.
18. Earn money from selling mounted etchings by calling on private households and shopkeepers. Buy the etchings from either the original artist or a wholesaler.
19. Produce CDs and booklets about how to use the telephone for business. In the course cover subjects such as telephone selling, dealing with enquiries and complaints, interviewing, etc. Sell the course to businesses by direct mail.
20. Begin a part time business which runs an international pop music pen pal club. Produce a quarterly publication which lists people looking for pen pals. Also boost your income by selling advertising space in your publication. Use small ads world wide to recruit subscribers.
21. Start an interior decoration business which specialises in period decor. For example, decor with a theme related to the Victorian age, the 1930s, 1960s, or Art Nouveau. Produce a glossy brochure about your service and use ads in up market publications to attract enquiries.
22. Set up a direct mail postal library. For a fee, any business can borrow examples of previous direct mail campaigns. A business client might borrow the work of either competitors or potential clients.
23. Bring out a library of CDs about hobby subjects such as model making, angling, stamp collecting, treasure hunting, etc. These CDs might be about specialised areas of each hobby. Sell the CDs from ads in hobby magazines or get them stocked at hobby shops.
24. Set up a business which produces a separate fun CD for every star sign. Each CD should feature astrological predictions and advice. Mount the CDs in a display box. Arrange for all kinds of shops to take one of your display boxes.
25. Market a short or toy tug of war rope. Package the rope and get it stocked at sports or toy shops respectively. A short or toy rope for adults or children could be used to play small scale games of tug of war. Or the rope could be attached to a wall to make an exercise device.
26. Start a business which rents out photocopying machines on a temporary basis. The machines might be rented by the day, week or month.
27. Open a market stall which sells celebrity products. Sell books, badges, posters and other products on the latest celebrities. These celebrities will include new pop stars, film stars, models and national heroes. Also, sell products about classic celebrities like Elvis and the Beatles.
28. Begin a business which organises pop or rock music talent contests. The income from each contest would come from either charging the performers an entrance fee, or selling tickets to the public. Or occasionally you might be able to find a sponsor for the entire contest.
29. Design and produce a range of children's badges. The badges might feature pictures of animals, spacecraft, robots or funny faces. Mount your badges on a felt covered board or place them in small cellophane packets. Get your badges displayed at newsagents and toy shops.
30. Sell home-made bubble mixture to children at markets, roadside sites, fairgrounds and fetes. Give each child a ring made from soft wire to create the bubbles. The bubble mixture might be held in a polythene bag similar to the way goldfishes are sometimes carried.
31. Make military play uniforms for children. For example: 7th cavalry uniforms, navy uniforms, toy town soldier uniforms, etc. Package the uniforms and sell through toy shops. Alternatively, have a small catalogue printed and sell the toy uniforms by mail order.
32. Start an enterprise which designs and makes fashionable jump suits. Make the rounds of boutiques to find trade buyers.
33. Produce a library of CDs which give advice about the health and psychological problems experienced by men or women. Draw up your own list of problems which are unique to men or women. Bring out CDs about those problems and start a mail order business.
34. Start a vegetarian food catering service. Devise a menu of imaginative meals. Win custom from the organisers of private parties and weddings. Advertise your service in political publications as well as those produced by local groups, societies and associations.
35. Have your own market stall which sells cosmetics. Cosmetics usually have good profit margins and a market stall has low overheads. These two factors combined make an attractive business opportunity.
36. Begin a postal school of the cinema. Put together a variety of courses about different genres of the cinema, such as Westerns, science fiction and musicals. Produce a prospectus and advertise your school of the cinema in film magazines.
37. Begin a one man, dial a handyman, service. Produce a leaflet which lists both examples of the jobs you do and your prices. Deliver leaflets to businesses and households throughout your area. Buy a telephone answering machine or mobile to receive calls from customers while you are out on jobs.
38. Start a van sales and delivery business which works for importers and small manufacturers. Build up a complementary range of products from different importers and manufacturers, and call on potential customers. Examples of product ranges are health foods, hobby supplies and sportswear.
39. Set up a postal business which hires out rifle and pistol replicas. Your main custom would come from gun collectors and enthusiasts who want temporary ownership of a rifle or pistol they could not afford.
40. Begin a business which bottles sea or lake water. Sell the bottles of water as either souvenirs, i.e. pocket or desktop Atlantic Ocean, or a natural beauty treatment, i.e. 'bathe your face in natural lake water'.
41. One of the characteristics of sexual attraction is that people are often fascinated by one part of the body such as legs, build, or faces. Start a mail order business which sells slides, photographs or posters about legs or faces, etc.
42. Make novel paperweights by modifying: snooker balls, golf balls, cricket balls, billiard balls, etc. Get your novel paperweights stocked at stationers and gift shops.
43. Research, write and publish a series of booklets about how to start and run specific home businesses. Examples of titles might include: 'Money From Your Home PC', 'Your Own Telephone Sales Business', 'Your Own Home Knitting Business', etc. Sell these booklets by mail order.
44. Package individual apples, oranges and bananas. Sell your packages fruit through newsagents and other suitable shops for people to buy on their lunch breaks.
45. Produce a series of CDs about the achivements of the last hundred years. These might include: inventions, noble acts, technological advances, medicine. Sell these CDs by direct mail, mail order, or get them stocked at book shops and newsagents.
46. Design a log book for the house. This log book is for recording every physical change to a house, so a householder can: analyse costs, plan future changes and have the feeling of being well organised. Arrange for the log book to be printed and sell by direct mail to householders.
47. Invent and manufacture cosmetics for plants. The cosmetics should be designed to bring out or emphasise the natural colours of plants. Sell your plant cosmetics from ads in gardening publications, or get them displayed by retailers who sell garden products.
48. Design a sports log book, so that sports enthusiasts can keep an accurate record of their performances. Get copies printed and distribute to sports shops and book shops, or sell from ads in sports magazines.
49. Make a selection of soft toy or fabric luggage tags. For example, a normal luggage tag is accompanied by two small dice made from soft toy materials. Alternatively, make a range of soft toy luggage tags which are designed to act as travel mascots.
50. Make rosettes. Add to each rosette either a calligraphic or printed label which reads, 'Cook of the Year', 'Prize Winning Mother', or 'Dad of the Year'. Get these rosettes displayed at local shops.