27 years later, how they did. Book review.
 

New book, THE CREATIVE CURVE by Allen Gannett, a good read, good practical advice.

OLD book, picked up at library discard cart: THE BEST HOME BUSINESSES FOR THE 90s by Paul and Sarah Edwards. Those guys are awesome.

So I picked up this book with the idea of seeing what they suggested in 1991, a PRE Internet time for most people. Compared to today, small numbers of people had computers, modems, fax machines which were required for many of the businesses in their book. I had a computer at home since 1985, blinking green text on black. YIKES. Before the incredible invention of the 3.5 floppy disc.

Anyhow, here are a few tid-bits. I tried to find their highest income ideas, to the lowest cost, to the easiest to operate, etc.

Highest income potential: Professional Practice Consultant. Helping doctors, dentists, lawyers, CPAs, etc., with their practices. Avg. $155k.

Easiest to start: Car detailing. A can of wax.

Newest: Desktop Video, with HIGH costs.

Evergreen: CLEANING services.

Highest demand: Cleaning services.

Recession resistant: Resumes.

Little known: Association management.

Best All-Around: Cleaning services.

Gosh darn, 27 years later and we haven't yet gotten things cleaned up? HA!

Expand this into trash hauling, apt. prep, industrial, accident and incidents, and you can't go wrong with cleaning, in 1991.

Biggest income difference between low and high were among COPYWRITERS and CORPORATE TRAINERS, low end was squeaking by, upper end was a quarter of million bux.

Take note, Paul and Sarah have written 17 books, have thriving businesses (she's a Dr.) they have done pretty,

pretty, pretty, pretty

well

with their REPORTING and writing/speaking about HOME businesses for over 35 years.

I wonder what today's list would look like, so if you care to contribute.

What is on your list of:

Highest Income Potential.
Easiest to start.
Newest.
Evergreen.
High demand.
Recession resistant.
Little known.
BEST all around.

I think Dien Rice covered a lot of these in his two books, which in my opinion, are every bit as good as the ones Sarah and Paul Edwards wrote.

My list:
Hi Income: Entrepreurneurship.
Easy. HOTSHEETS.
New. AI and 4k video.
Evergreen. Food.
High Demand. PLATFORMS, for attention.
Recession resistant. KNOWLEDGE
Little known. Surveillance.
Best all round. Whatever fits YOU! (Although postcards have no cost entry, no investments, or overhead, is evergreen, high demand, recession resistant, easy and can be expanded into something yuuuge).



Gordon

Thanks for the awesome business ideas, to be your own boss...
 

Thanks Gordon - this is really good info!

I always loved these books... including also Tyler Hicks, Jay Conrad Levinson got into the game before the Guerrilla Marketing stuff, George Haylings, and a whole bunch of others...

I think - when you're stuck with a boss you don't like, in a job you detest - it's the dream of being your own boss...

Once you're "in it" - you get to know a lot of other entrepreneurs... It is a different kind of existence. They're (we're) a breed apart...

Thanks for the great info ... and the walk down memory lane... :)

Best wishes,

Dien

P.S. I still save interesting REAL business ideas (that people are doing) when I find them... I should post some more of the ones I find here... :)

P.P.S. I'm still active in the background... Just successfully got some media coverage for one of the bands I'm managing... :)

Today, blogs, Facebook groups, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, etc.
 

1991. Four years before eBay and Craigslist. 7 before GOOGLE. 3 before Amazon.

Imagine all the wealth created since then.

And all that time, people ATE. Local pizza shops were already well established, as were several restaurants. ACME, our local supermarket was the supermarket leader (and has seen several competitors come and go).

DIET food, was big then, bigger now.

So, absolutely tech has created opportunity, and some of us have taken advantage, but, those with the desire and will, found their way even back in those DARK ages, of before the World Wide Web and the Internet.

Today, NO EXCUSES (not that there ever were), if you are struggling, it is only because of YOU.

Gordon

PS A guy named Danny Goldberg, had a hit on his hands in'91 as his band changed drummers in 1990 and settled in to their HIT times, maybe Dien will follow his path, after all NIRVANA did OK, eh?