Everybody loves to throw out a few predictions... I've already started the year off with flying colors... way back in September I picked the New Orleans Saints as my Superbowl winner... and sure enough, just as I predicted, they came thru for me!
Well, here's a few guesses, in my opinion, from the "experts" ...they might get a few of these right... but I tend to believe they put these kind of stories out as filler... and really either don't do their homework, or just go down to the local bar and poll a few of the regulars... or maybe they just put some ideas on a dart board.
From springwise.com "Top 10 business ideas for 2010" I do like a couple of these....#1 (Prepaid membership for local food suppliers) has some real merit for struggling small businesses... but that might be a way to quickly run aground if inflation picks up... which is probably better than 50-50. #7 and #8 sound interesting... I'm all for local solutions and these sound very attractive... but is this 2010 or 2015?
Entrepreneur.com has "2010 Trends: 10 1/2 trends to watch". #1 Economic Turmoil... I'll give them a hand there! We are almost certainly going to have that issue hit us in 2010. And people are going to have to hustle themselves... if they want to keep eating! #5 ... Another mention of local business! Yes! And #7 Texas, this may all hinge on which politician they select (Medina would be a huge boost in the right direction) and #10-1/2 Pets... people are attached to their pets... but 2010? Most of these could have been the entire decade! You might wanna check their 2009 predictions and see if they haven't just recycled!
My favorite is an article from Ezine@rticles.com "This just in! The 10 Small Business Ideas for 2010". I'm not going to be using any diapers myself but I can see a clear pattern to the thinking here! Small, low investment, simple solutions to obvious problems we are going to face in a bad economy. I was going to do a list of ten myself but after reading this article... I think I'm just going to do five and give a thumbs up to Susan Judd!
So here are my top five ideas for 2010.
1. Lobbyist pack your bags! If your smart you'll head down to the state capitals quickly! There's a huge upswell of disgust with the DC crowd and even if they do pull off some crazy legislation... they are headed for a fight with states rights. Just like with the 'Real ID' Act... that has silently died from non-participation... Washington's power is being greatly diminished as people and politicians crack open their Constitutions for the first time in years and discover the 10th Amendment.
2. I'm jumping on the organic bandwagon as well. Although you might get some static from the G-men. I expect to see these businesses grow rapidly. Raw milk is another good bet. As people discover the benefits... and understand the harm of many of the processed foods on the shelves today... it could become a tidal wave.
3. Ebay and Garage Sales. As people run into cash flow problems they will be hard pressed to start looking for dollars wherever they can find them and all that junk in the closets and the garage could probably easily generate a couple grand! If your the savvy type... set yourself up an Ebay account... and after getting rid of you junk, head to the neighbor's garage sales... pick up some nifty trinkets and then sell them on Ebay for a profit!
4. Online business presence. Those local businesses are going to need to be on the web or their going to be left behind... at the minimum a facebook account... but if their smart they will get themself a full time online consultant to keep their name in front of people! If their really lucky, they have a 12 yr old that can give them some tips! It's simple, cost effective and a easy way to compete with the big guys while developing a loyal customer base. But... they better be prepared to satisfy their customers because with that type of community... bad news and bad reviews travels fast!
5. Gold and Silver. If it were me... my portfolio would be at least 25-33% into gold and silver... possibly a few other commodities... with the government printing money like mad men... any tremor could send the dollar off a cliff and there's just too many ways that could go wrong. I hope I'm wrong on this one but with the Keynsians entrenched solidly in DC. and them thinking its the only way, I see a day very near that the inflated money supply comes home to roost.
**Bonus** Local micro-loans. If your not familiar these have been becoming more and more popular in the third world... and highly effective for the money. I believe some enterprising local group could do themselves a great deal of goodwill by taking that money that they are currently sending to Wall St. and start investing in their neighbors. With loans of $500 to $10-15,000 a great deal of local business can be created and stimulated. Plus people have tangible evidence of their investment! The default rate on these loans in third world nations... and this includes war zones!!!... Is less than .05%!
I hope this helps... enjoy your week! And remember... you are in charge of your future!
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