Make Money By Selling Something That You Didn't Create

This idea has limitless potential.  I'm going to share a few examples.

1. Repackage someone else's creation

 

Who wrote the song "Old MacDonald Had A Farm"?  I'm fairly certain it wasn't Salina Yoon.  But yet, she can make money selling a book that solely contains the words to a song she didn't write.  Also see, "Wheels on the Bus", "The Itsy-Bitsy Spider", and other various nursery rhymes and fairy tales.

2.  "Enhance" someone else's creation

Most people would agree that Jane Austen novels are ok, but are missing something that they can't quite put a finger on.  Well that something is zombies.  Or sea monsters.  Or mummies.  The point is, apparently you can take a classic work of literature, add a few lines of your own, and have reputable book-mongers stock your "creation".  Or even get a movie deal!  There are plenty of classic works to choose from, but if your brain flushed whatever you may have learned from high school English class to free up space to think about twitter, here's a head start:

Moby Dick - Replace the original protagonist with Moby, the international electronic music sensation
Crime and Punishment - The crime:  adultery.  The punishment:  a scarlet letter.  Sound familiar?  Just change the title of The Scarlet Letter and no one will know the difference
1984 - Instead of totalitarianism, link the popular culture from the '80s to the demise of mankind
A Tale of Two Cities - Make this one about a young girl's strange, erotic journey from Milan to Minsk
Jane Eyre - No need to change anything here.  Nobody really reads this book, but yet many own it anyway.

3.  Claim someone else's creation as your own

This is alternately called plagiarism, forgery, and theft and is mostly frowned upon.  Somehow different from the first two options and can land you in jail.

Make Money By Saying Good Things About Bad Movies

Have you ever noticed that movie posters\ads usually have flattering quotes on them declaring what amazing movies they are?  You know, like "A Triumph!", "A Masterpiece!", or "This is a ... movie".  Of course you have, you're very observant.  Well, many of these movies do not deserve these accolades, and some of them surely struggle to get anyone to say anything nice about them whatsoever.  This is where you can step in.  Watch the movie*, come up with something nice to say about it like "I can't wait to see this again" or "It did not make me fall asleep", and call whoever is in charge of collecting these quotes.  This is where you're going to have to do a little research because I don't know who you're going to need to contact.  But you could stand to show a little more initiative.  When they ask who you are and why they should use your quote for their movie, tell them either you represent the voice to the movie-going public, or that you work for a newspaper such as the Harristown Post-Review.  They may not check up on you.  If they fall for this, have them pay you.  It really doesn't matter how much they pay you since you didn't do much work anyway.  You're welcome.

* You do not actually have to watch the movie.  Presumably, many of the people who actually provide quotes for these movies do not.

How To Make Money In The Restroom

1.  Find a public restroom.  Ideally in a restaurant, night club, or Apple store.
2.  Grab all of the paper towels, toilet paper, and soap dispensers.
3.  Stand near the exit, which is usually the same as the entrance.
4.  If you are dressed like a butler, or wearing a tuxedo, this might work better.
5.  When someone enters the restroom and needs one of the items that you've snagged, offer it to them for a low price, such as 35 cents.  Or give it to them but act like you expect a tip.  I'm sure you've encountered people who have expected tips from you before, so you should know what to do.
6.  To enhance your money making opportunity, have some other items ready to offer your "clients", such as warm towels, hand sanitizer, or gummy worms.
7.  If someone gets angry at you for hoarding the toilet paper, flee.  Find another restroon and start over.

Make money cleaning snow off of cars

Business Idea: Get snow off of peoples cars.

Business Description: No one (at least that I know of) likes to go out in the freezing weather and clean off snow from their car.  Especially when you are dressed up for work to give your presentation to the CEO and are already running late.   Although you wouldn't be late if you followed our how to get promoted blog.  With this business, you can make money cleaning off other peoples cars when it snows.

Business Resources: Big truck full of hot water, ShamWow

Step-by-Step Business Plan:
1. Wait for snow
2. Fill up your water truck with hot water (if you don't have a water truck and/or can't find one to get for free on craigslist you can use a large bucket full of hot water)
3. Go to apartment or townhouse complex. 
4. Pour hot water all over the cars to melt the snow and ice
5. Get out ShamWow
6. Dry car with ShamWow
7. Place bill under windshield wiper (everyone loves to get things placed under their windshield wipers)
8. Alternatively, you could work out a deal with the HOA and just have them pay you.  This will probably mitigate the risk of not getting paid.

Feasibility Quotient: 97

Business Risks: Global Warming

Business Competitors: Crazy lady who goes outside with a broom and wipes off her car every 30 minutes

Sell Snow

With global warming coming upon us so fast... we need to enjoy the MASSIVE amounts of snow we are getting these days.  According to Al Gore, all snow and ice in the entire world is going to be gone in the next 4 to 6 years!  So, for the next 4 to 6 years, collect snow.  Put it into a freezer in a fancy container with the date on it.  Then in 50 years from now when no one even knows what snow is; sell it!  All you need is to live in a place that gets snow, a container, a pair of gloves and have a big freezer.

How To Make Money By Bottling Bog Water

Consumers have already been conditioned to buy something they can get for free (water) by concluding that having it bottled is somehow safer than the retrieving it from the tap.  Clever marketing and common perception have created an extremely profitable industry.  Studies have recently shown, however, that this perception may not be entirely accurate, and according to "government and industry estimates" up to a quarter of all bottled water is actually bottled tap water!  (see the planetgreen.discovery.com story here)  If people are already willing to pay money for a perceived health benefit that may not exist, perhaps some will be willing to pay money for a rumored health benefit that definitely does not exist.  Yes, I'm talking about the rumor (started here) that bog water has antioxidant properties and enhances libido (not true).   This has been demonstrated repeatedly (never) by diligent (dubious) scientific (imaginary) research.  So, spread this rumor as fact, and head to your local bog to be the first to start selling the miracle swamp tonic known as bottled bog water!

How To Make Money on Black Friday

Business Idea: Set up a snack stand outside of a popular store on Black Friday.

Business Description: People voluntarily choose to wake up ridiculously early in the morning to stand in line in the cold to possibly buy things they probably don't need.  You can help\take advantage of them.

Business Resources: Snack food, hot drinks, hot packs, ponchos (optional), and card table.

Step-by-Step Business Plan:

1. Wake up early in the morning on Black Friday

2. Gather up whatever snack food you have lying around.  Or plan ahead and buy\make donuts, muffins, bagels, etc.

3. Make a pot of coffee or hot water for tea and hot chocolate and pour into a thermos.  Don't forget cream, sugar, tea bags, and hot chocolate packs.

4. (optional) Take ponchos to sell if raining, hot packs (pre-heated) if really cold, and a card table to display your wares.
5. Dress warmly.

6. Drive to a popular store hours before its advertised opening time.  Best Buy, Wal-Mart and Target are viable options.
7. Set up the table and arrange the food and drink on it for display.  If you are an over-achiever, place the sign that you made ahead of time on the table as well.

8. Sell food and drink to the hungry horde.  Try not to ridicule them too much since they represent your customer base.
9. Continue to operate your snack stand throughout the morning.  Some people may not be hungry right away, but after spending hours standing in line to get into the store, and then standing in line to get out of the store, many of them will be famished.  Set your prices accordingly.  The more famished your customers are, the more money you can charge.  You can try to lure people in by offering free hot drinks, since heating up a bunch of hot water and providing tea bags or hot chocolate packs will not cost you too much, strategically place a tip jar on your table, and sell the baked goods for profit.

Feasibility Quotient: 85

Business Risks: You may need a permit to operate a snack stand on store property.  If someone asks to see your permit, offer them a scone.

Business Competitors: Stores with snack stands\restaurants inside.  Avoid these stores.

Business Growth Opportunities:  This is a scalable business model.  The more time and money you put into your stand (such as offering gourmet drinks or hot breakfast sandwiches, etc), the more you can potentially make out of it. 

How To Make Money By Installing Peep Holes

Business Name: Peep Hole Installation Corp.

Business Description: Most people use a peep hole on their front and back doors so that they can look out and see who is there before opening the door. This is a simple safety feature that is built into many doors. It provides peace of mind for occupants. However, many people do not have peep holes on their doors. This is where you come in.

Business Logistics: There are dozens of places where you can buy a peep hole. I suggest looking at any hardware or home renovation store such as True Value, Lowe's, or Home Depot. You can look online as well, but remember that you'll have to pay extra for shipping. You want the cheapest peep hole you can find. The next step is to look for a housing development or condominium complex that does not have peep holes. These complexes are almost always built by the same company, and each unit is identical to all other units. If there is no peep hole on the first door you see, there probably are no peep holes anywhere in the whole development. All you have to do is knock on a door with no peep hole, give a short sales pitch, and then install it on the spot. It takes about 5 mins. You can charge $15.00-$20.00 for the service for very little work. The hardest part of this job is selling your service to your potential clients. That is why you should start with large developments. This will enable you to try numerous houses in a single Saturday afternoon.

Business Costs: Cheap peep holes can be bought for less that $5.00. You will also need a cordless drill, which is nice to have anyway. If you have to buy one, you can get a good one for about $50.00.

Business Risks: The only thing you are risking is the cost of your materials, which is minimal. Start with a single installation. If you find a customer quickly and easily, you can go out and use the profit to buy a few more peep holes. If you are only spending your profits, you can't lose.

Feasibility Quotient: 27

Competitors: None

Marketing: This service sells itself. If you find a house without a peep hole and present yourself in a respectable way, you should not have any trouble.