Ideation – Dutch Uncles

What Is Proof of Concept?

Chayanika Sen — Wed, 31 Mar 2021 10:35:05 +0000

Would you invest in anything without ensuring that there will be some return on investment? No, right? That’s what proof of concept is. It may sound like a simple idea, but it is actually an essential and fundamental concept. An effective proof of concept proves that the proposed project is viable, and if invested in, will be a success. The core focus of proof of concept is to test the feasibility of the actual project, and hence it is not associated with any deliverables. A proof of concept ensures that the project will have a real-world application.

The value of a proof of concept helps a project manager gauge if any interventions are needed that can improve the possibility of success for the project. It also helps garner feedback from all the stakeholders involved in the project, thus mitigating the unforeseen risks. Although proof of concept sounds more like a prototype, there are significant differences between the two. We will talk about it in the next section.

What are the benefits of proof of concept?

Proof of concept has many benefits. Let’s see them one by one.

When you theorize, you consider an ideal condition and keep adding features that might not be feasible in a real-life scenario. It helps to visualize what is practically feasible even if it is conducted in a limited time.

The worst that can happen to any founder or entrepreneur is a flop product or a business idea. A proof of concept helps to determine if you have enough resources to develop an Minimum Viable Product. It also helps to understand if your investment would be worth it or not.

An effective proof of concept helps project managers to find out potential risks and obstacles. This is a huge benefit because project managers need not wait till the last moment and get caught in some last-minute surprises during implementation. They can intervene and take necessary measures before it is too late.

It also helps project managers to understand if the idea is scalable. So, along with feasibility, a proof of concept also helps gauge if it can be scaled immediately or over time. Further, it also gives insight into scope creep (if the product requirement is going to multiply or escalate over time) during the project lifecycle.

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Before you start creating your proof of concept, it is important to define your proof of concept goals.

When does your business need proof of concept?

Every year 6.5 million start-ups are born, 10 % of which fail. While there are several reasons for the failures, the product not fitting with the market need because the founders had a poor envision of the market is one of the common reasons for startup failures. Proof of concept would be immensely helpful in such scenarios.

If you plan to launch a greenfield project, where there is no similar product in the market, a proof of concept is the only way out.

Key differences between proof of concept and prototype

As already discussed, a proof of concept is needed to validate a product idea’s functional and technical aspects before it is launched. It addresses whether the product can be built or not, whereas prototyping addresses how to build the product.

It aims to test an idea, whereas prototyping brings that idea to life through a working interactive model. You proceed to the next step of building a prototype only when there is a functional and technical validation of the product.

As compared with a proof of concept, a prototype is more concrete in shape. You create a prototype which is a simplified version of your product for testing purposes. A prototype based on user feedback to find the most suitable UI and UX for your product.

A proof of concept is a theoretical demo of the idea, while the prototype is the physical demo of how the actual product will look like.

How to create a proof of concept in 2021

You may find it tempting to jump into launching your recently conceived idea, but it is essential to build a proof of concept to test the viability. Here are a few ways to create it.

Define your proof of concept goals

Before you start creating your proof of concept, it is important to define your proof of concept goals. What do you want it to achieve? A typical proof of concept goal can be to verify the approach or specific tools under certain circumstances.

Identify the right set of people

It makes a lot of sense to involve the right set of people while planning. Remember, the success of your proof of concept depends on various factors, including technical knowledge, business knowledge, experience in different modeling techniques and methodologies, along with moderation skills and analytical skills. So, finding the right set of people with different skillsets is important.

Plan the technical environment

Consider a simple local developer’s environment for the testing and integrating environment. This would help you save time. In case you still need to access a system interface, build a test system that you can quickly use and verify.

Steps to create a proof of concept

Prove the need

Identify the problem that you want to solve. Is there a problem at all? Do your target audience really need a product to solve that problem? The first stage for creating a proof of concept is identifying the need, the problem that you want to solve. Define the pain points and gauge if this is something worth investing time in.

Start with having conversations with your target audience

As discussed above, the first step of building a proof of concept is to prove that there is a market need for your product or solution. To do that, seek answers to these specific questions.
Is there really a need for the product?
The people (target audience) have realized that they have a need?
Are they facing any pain points that the product can solve?
Is the pain enough for the people to take any action? Do they really need the product? Can they still live without the product?
While there are different market analysis tools and surveys, talking to your target audience is the best way to gauge their requirements. Try to understand how much the pain is causing trouble for them and how they are trying to solve it. All these insights will help you to build your case.

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A proof of concept helps founders and entrepreneurs see if their product idea is viable or not for its target audience.

Map the pain points with solutions

Once you identify the pain points, map each of the pain points with your solution. Once you have jotted down all solutions against each of the pain points, evaluate the technological feasibility, cost and time demand, unique value proposition, etc., The outcome of this exercise should be to list all the identified solutions for pain points. Each of the solutions should be useful and feasible to qualify for the final product.

Don’t underestimate the power of feedback

Once you gather enough inputs about the pain points, you come up with a solution that will curb the target audience’s pain points. But how can you be sure that the solution you have is actually going to help the target audience? Instead of relying on assumptions, it is always a good idea to ask for feedback.
Ask specific questions like which is the most difficult part of the problem? When was the last time it happened? Why was it difficult, and how the person tried solving the problem?

Include all the practical details

Once you find the right solution that your target audience has approved, it is time to check all the practical details. So far, you have seen the product from the user’s perspective. Now it is time to check for the technical feasibilities. Is the product going to be financially sustainable? Think about the resources you need to build the product. Do you have the skillset in-house, or do you need to hire? How would the pricing be? What would be the revenue sources? These are some practical aspects that you need to consider at this step.

Work on a prototype

Armed with all the customer insights, it is now time to build a rudimentary product or a prototype. The prototype should have the basic features and your desired UI/UX. Test your prototype and incorporate the feedbacks before you pitch it to the investors. Your prototype feedback should include insights into the user experience. Did they really enjoy using the product? Does your product address their pain points? Did the users find the interface intuitive? Are you missing any key functionalities?

Engage

Finally, it is time to create an engaging roadmap for a launchable product. You need to build a step-by-step map that will intrigue your investors. Remember to communicate through storytelling, don’t make it boring by adding too much jargon, incorporate your user persona so that the reader can envision the product better, finally build engagement through personal connections.

A case study

Consider you want to create an e-learning app for high school students through which students can learn coding. You think this is a great idea to engage the kids during this trying time. But is there a need for such an app? For this, you need to create a proof of concept to test the viability of the idea.

You would tie-up with a few reputed schools in a selected few city and let the students try your idea for free. Let the students and their parents log in to the system to experience it. At the end of the free session, you can gather feedback from the students and the parents to see if they found the idea useful. Is it really going to engage the kids? Are parents willing to invest in such an app and let their kids try their hands-on coding? Once you have positive feedback, start working on the UX and design the prototype.

Here is a quick checklist for an effective proof of concept

Define the problem
Define the scope
Identify resources
Develop a detailed plan

Proof of concept best practices

While proof of concept is good for one or two concepts, they are not the alternative of implementations. In fact, they can delay your implementations. Hence, limit the scope of the proof of concept to fasten the process.

Use cases are always impactful. So as a best practice, create use cases with your desired end state solution.

Allocate enough time for the proof of concept so that you can collect target audience feedback and make adjustments to your idea if needed.

Key takeaways

A proof of concept helps founders and entrepreneurs see if their product idea is viable or not for its target audience. Through a proof of concept, entrepreneurs, founders, and project managers can explore the product’s technical and financial feasibilities and if the company has enough skills and resources to make the product happen. Thus, a company can assess its readiness to implement the idea and make a successful product.

The post What Is Proof of Concept? appeared first on Dutch Uncles.

The Toughest Question During Ideation: What Product You Want to Make and What Industry You Want to Be In?

Chayanika Sen — Fri, 26 Mar 2021 10:35:05 +0000

Ideation is the most vital part of any business. It is a process where you think about problems and ideate solutions to solve those problems. Ideation can be done through a series of ideation techniques like sketching, brainwriting, brainstorming, prototyping, worst possible ideas, and so on.

Ideation is the most interesting and challenging phase for any startup. It is interesting because you can explore different avenues and develop a wide range of options that you can explore. At the same time, it is challenging because you need to narrow down your choices to come up with the most viable product.

According to d.school, ‘An Introduction to Design Thinking PROCESS GUIDE’, “Ideation is the mode of the design process in which you concentrate on idea generation. Mentally it represents a process of ‘going wide’ in terms of concepts and outcomes. Ideation provides both the fuel and also the source material for building prototypes and getting innovative solutions into the hands of your users.”

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Mentally, ideation represents a process of ‘going wide’ in terms of concepts and outcomes.

Why is ideation important?

Ideation is a critical phase that helps you to:

Ask the right question with the focus on your users to innovate solutions that your users will absolutely love.

Get past the obvious questions, drive your team to focus beyond the obvious.

You have a large number of quality ideas to choose from.

Each team member gets the opportunity to bring out his/her perspective so that you have a large variety of innovative options.

Do we really need ideation?

Don Norman, the Grand Old Man of User Experience, takes us a step backward and helps us think about why we need to challenge assumptions. He reinforces us to ask stupid questions and provoke our present understanding. He mentions that it is not at all stupid to ask stupid questions.

“You ideate to transition from identifying problems to creating solutions for your users. Ideation is your chance to combine the understanding you have of the problem space and people you are designing for with your imagination to generate solution concepts. Particularly early in a design project, ideation is about pushing for the widest possible range of ideas from which you can select, not simply finding a single, best solution.”

What questions to ask during an ideation session?

Ideation is the most critical phase for any startup, and every startup needs to start with this phase when you ask what product you want to make and what industry you want to be in. This is the toughest question to answer during your ideation process.

Know that you want to build a product and enter into a new market not because you think you have a great product but because your customers absolutely love it. Remember, your solution is going to solve someone’s frustrations at once.

Deciding the industry and the product you want to build

Most startup founders think that they have an amazing product idea, and once they make the product, people will come and turn into loyal customers or users. But unfortunately, that is not the case. First, you need to identify if there is really a need for your product? Here is a quote from a failed founder. “I realized that essentially we had no customers because we were working to make a doctor’s office amazing, while all the doctors wanted were more patients.”

Thus, for your startup to succeed, you need to identify your target market. Do you know that most startups fail because the founders created a product that had no market need? So, it is necessary to identify the market you want to be in. How do you decide which markets you want to be in? Here are some deciding factors that would help you to get started asking the right questions.

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Ideation is about pushing for the widest possible range of ideas from which you can select, not simply finding a single, best solution.

Start by asking who?

Ask who is your target audience to better profile your target audience. Remember, you are asking them questions to better profile your target audience. So, your who questions need not be restricted to only the obvious questions like gender, age, or marital status, especially if these parameters are not going to affect the product usage. You can leverage web analytics, surveys, and interviews to find the answer to your question.

The next question to ask is what?

The ‘what’ question is super effective in identifying the target market. For example, what is the purchasing motivation of your product? Or, what are the frustrations they face? Answering such questions would help you narrow down your search.

When?

Knowing ‘when’ helps you to determine some important factors, especially if your product is seasonal or time-dependent. For example, if you’re into SaaS – B2B industry, the decision-makers might be interested in speaking to you before and at the end of Q4. If your target audience is students, session time can play some important role, and so on.

Where?

Where are your potential customers? Where are they looking for solutions? Needless to say, customers are no longer looking for solutions only in the physical space. So, it is important to know where are your potential customers spending most of their time? Is it social media, search engines, forums, or online shopping platforms?

The most important of all – the why

Answering the why question is often the most difficult one, but knowing the answer to ‘why can help you build the most profitable and scalable business.

Know your competitors

It is rare for startups to come up with a product or solution that is not there already. While your idea might be unique, know that you will be a part of an existing industry. So, you need to understand how you will position your industry, what your differentiator will be. To know this, it is important to analyze your competitors and understand what they are doing.

Connect with people

While making assumptions and competitor analysis can give you some ideas, it is important to understand what people are actually thinking. Connecting and talking to people can help you get first-hand insight. Interviews and focus group discussions are some good ways to get started with connecting with people.

Promising ideas in the Post-Covid era

The novel Coronavirus has wrecked enough havoc on the lives of millions of people across the globe. The pandemic has completely changed the business scenario and how work was done. As the vaccine drive is on and businesses are slowly limping back to normalcy, several businesses are thriving because they found opportunities amidst challenges. If you’re planning to start your startup, now is the best time to do so. Here are some ideas that are going to flourish in the post-pandemic world.

Ecommerce

The pandemic has completely changed the retail scenario. As the adoption of the internet has seen a rapid rise in the country, more consumers prefer online shopping. Be it food, groceries, medicine, people are relying more on online platforms. So, if you are into the doorstep delivery business, you can see a lot of traction in the coming days.

OTT Platforms and Online Gaming

Since the lockdown started in the country and social distancing has become the new normal, over the top media or OTT platforms are gaining high popularity. As other physical recreational hubs stay close for an indefinite period, online gaming fills the vacant. So, this is another area that you can ponder on.

EdTech

Online education has been the only mode of education for the last year. Although there is no replacement of schools and colleges, online education has been the need for hours when everyone is speaking about practicing social distancing. Amidst this chaos, the Ed-Tech industry sees a surge in India, and it is a good time to forge in this segment.

Health and wellness

With a worldwide health emergency, many startups are investing in this industry. Be it online medicine delivery, eHealth, online consultation, there are different business ideas to explore in this field.

FinTech

As consumers and B2B companies move towards cloud-based solutions, Fin-Tech sees a good amount of traction in the post-covid world. In fact, a new report by Fleishman Hillard predicts that Fin-Tech is going to be instrumental in the global economic recovery.

SaaS and Remote Working Tools

As remote working is becoming the new normal, the SaaS industry sees a high surge. Different SaaS tools and remote working tools are seeing high traction in this volatile market.

What product do you want to build?

Once you know your target market and what industry you want to be in, the next obvious question is which product to build. For example, if you have decided to explore the eCommerce industry, what will be your offering? Once you decide on the industry you want to be in, identify your target audience’s problem. Understand their frustrations and think about how you can solve their problem with your unique solution.

Market research is an investment

Simply put, market research helps you to gather the information that you can use to make the most desirable product. It also helps to identify a specific section of the market that you want to target. Market research also helps to identify the geographical areas where you want to launch your product. It gives you enough information about the industry, the industry’s growth, what technological developments are affecting the industry, what areas are declining, and so on. The market research also helps you gain insight into what the consumer is behaving like, the purchasing power, and how much sales volume you can expect. The market research also gives you insights into your competition.

Know the market trend

Knowing the industry you want to venture into, is not enough. You need to understand the current market trend and if the users will desire your product. For example, if you want to enter the eCommerce industry, you need to sell products already in demand. For example, if you’re into fashion, then peel-off face mask is a product that sees a rise in sales across Google Trends and Amazon in 2021.

According to search data from Keywords Everywhere, the term “peel-off face mask” received 30,000 searches per month, with the phrase “face peel” receiving another 27,100 searches per month, variant “charcoal face mask” receiving 41,000 searches per month, and “facial mask” 81,000 per month. Now, isn’t that amazing to be armed with such data to make an informed decision?

Key takeaways

Identifying what product you want to make and what industry you want to be in is a long way. While making assumptions, you need to gather concrete data from multiple sources to understand if your assumption is correct. Once you are convinced, apply your inputs to launch your idea into a product or solution. But your task doesn’t end there. You need to review it constantly and be open to change if the need be.

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Why is it important to validate your start-up idea?

Joseph Varughese — Wed, 10 Mar 2021 10:35:04 +0000

A start-up idea may look great to its conceiver but while still only on paper, it may not carry any value. A business idea derives any value only when customers are willing to pay to buy and use the creation conceived by the idea. The product or solution that has come out of your R&D lab may be great but it may fail in the market unless the idea or product is not validated from the market perspective.

The question here is, does the market need this product?

As we all may be aware, the majority of start-ups fail mainly because the idea is not validated properly before venturing into it. Validation of business ideas is a procedure of testing your idea in the real world before launching a product, service or solution. So, how to go about it? You need to validate the idea. How? Not by starting the venture in full-fledged mode. It is highly risky to do so and if done so there is a high chance that you may lose your investment made by way of money and time. Why should you validate your business idea?

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Validation of business ideas is a procedure of testing your idea in the real world before launching a product, service or solution.

What is the validation process in cases of existing ideas?

Validation process in this scenario is comparatively simpler and conventional. The system of validation of an already practised or existing idea has been in practice for a long time in the form of feasibility study. Any new venture getting into a known business arena performs this procedure as a normal process of project evaluation. Let us review it briefly.

Study the competition

If customers are already buying and using similar products or solutions, then it is a proof that there is a market for your idea. However, it is necessary to analyse whether the competition is making money and it has growth potential. You should study if the competition’s customers are happy with the existing product or service and whether your product has any differentiators or value add that address the gap in the product features and functionalities that customers of existing product are looking for.

Market potential for a new entrant

Once you have confirmed that there is a market for the product or services of your idea because the existing players in the segment are successful, you have another challenge ahead. That is, to figure out if there is sufficient space for another player in the market for your product. In other words, whether there is a potential for you to acquire a market share either by way of filling the gap in the demand side or capturing the market share from competition or developing a new market. This validation will not be complete unless you make sure that serving the estimated market share is financially viable.

Do you have any USP vis-a-vis competition?

It may be noted that even when there is room for market share, entering a market served by established players with the same product without any differentiators or value add may not usually lead to success. Venturing into a business where there is sufficient room for new players because of demand-supply imbalance is much easier than entering where the potential market space is limited or exhausted. Here, any extra features and functionalities of your product compared to the existing products that satisfies the customers can be a winning differentiator. Do you have that extra or differentiator in your idea is a question that is to be answered before you move further.

Checking if protected IP inhibits your entry

This is not to be overlooked. The question to be probed here is if there is any IP (Intellectual Property) protection in place with regard to your business that can stop you from entering this segment. If this is not done, there are chances that you will get into legal tussles that may lead to closure of business and thereby lose all the investments made by you.

Financial feasibility

Irrespective of the positive results in all the above elements of validations, this is something important that cannot be disregarded. This validation involves pricing, profitability, cost structure, market price and above all, the cash flows that could be generated during the product life cycle of the product or solution. It is to be noted that one important element that needs to be factored in here is the product life. In today’s environment of fast changing technology landscape and customer choices, you need to be conservative and judicious in estimating product life as accurately as possible. Not doing so will result in cash flow estimates going wrong and failure of the venture.

What is the validation process in case of a new idea?

This is the real focus of our discussion. Validating a new idea is complex and challenging as there may be any data and information available in the public domain to look at. It will call for a good amount of patience, perseverance and skills.

Start with problem and not solution

As you might be aware, most of the world’s inventions and ideas that we have and know of now, happened out of the need of the inventor or people they knew. Your idea should always start with a problem that you and others experience and, not with the solution. Solution comes later. If there is no problem, there is no need for a solution. The first and foremost part of the validation here is to know if such a problem exists and people are looking for a solution to it. You should be able to articulate the problem with clarity. Applying already available solutions to other problems, say copying or cloning an Amazon or Uber or MakeMyTrip or Zomato idea as a solution to another problem in another industry or market may not necessarily work to your benefit.

It is suggested that you discuss the idea with friends and relatives to collect their feedback, nevertheless by discounting it for the positive and negative bias in their opinion. Having a definite idea about the profile of your potential customers is very crucial. You should then find ways to reach out to such potential target customers to get their feedback on the problem that you are planning to solve, what kind of solution they are looking for such problem, whether your idea comes near to what they are looking for and what price they are willing to pay for the product or solution in question.

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Applying already available solutions to other problems, say copying or cloning an Amazon or Uber or MakeMyTrip or Zomato idea as a solution to another problem in another industry or market may not necessarily work to your benefit.

Is the Problem tier 1 and worth solving?

It is not enough that you have identified and articulated a problem that you and others seek solutions to. It is necessary to evaluate if it is a tier 1 problem meaning whether it is one of the top 3 problems your potential customers are experiencing and looking for a solution to. In other words, the problem must be big enough to be worth solving.

Let’s assume your target customer is the CEO of a small business. Their top 5 problems might look something like this:

1. Generate more leads
2. Automate processes
3. Outsource our payroll
4. Onboard CTO
5. Marketing tools for online platform

If you’re planning to launch an online marketing tool, you can see that’s not a tier 1 problem for the typical CEO of a small company. This is just an example. The CEO will be more focussed on solving their top 3 problems. They will not bother about your solution at the moment even if your product or solution is great. This is probably the hardest lesson that most startup founders ignore to learn. If
your product is not on top of the prospect’s mind, you’re miles away from a sign up.

Is it really a new idea?

This is important. You should find out whether a similar solution is already existing in the market that addresses your problem idea. If the answer is yes, then there are two things you can and should do. One is, as discussed elsewhere, evaluate if there is space for you to pursue the same solution in the market. Secondly, you need to ensure that there are no IP protections that restrict your entry.

If you are convinced that your idea is novel, then you should move on to the next steps in your validation process. Though an idea on paper cannot be IP protected through patent protection, you may take whatever possible steps to ensure that your idea is protected from infringement. One option is copyrighting the idea. This is, however, a topic of different discussion.

Doing things that don’t scale

What this means is solving an underlying problem under the condition of no solution including the one you have is not available. The process involved here is to solve the problem as if no such solution in the form of your idea is available. This will provide the answer to the question if such a problem exits that seeks a solution and it is worth having a solution. LinkedIn Co-founder Reid Hoffman once said, “The only way to scale is to do things that don’t scale.” Many entrepreneurs worry too much about their 1000th customer and their future $100 million-dollar business – when they haven’t even acquired the first customer. In a competitive and uncertain market where most startups fail, entrepreneurs should be very careful about the steps they take to launch and should validate startup ideas before aiming for the stars.

Regulatory Approvals

We have witnessed in recent times in India and elsewhere that technology-backed businesses are facing legal hurdles because there is no legislation in support of them. Examples are Cryptocurrency, Gaming, etc. So, it is important to make sure that your product and/or service have regulatory backing necessary to take it to the market.

Test your Product/Service and Market

One of the most important validation stages. Once you’ve determined there’s space for your product and/or service in the market, ensure you’re putting the most useful, intuitive, miniature version of it into the world. By testing it means testing the issues,
bugs, functioning, functionalities, features of the product or services and its market viability.

Testing your product with real users can provide valuable feedback and inputs when assessing market validity. Take your product or service to your selected target audience with a trial offer. It will help you in identifying the acceptance levels, flaws and gaps if
any and help plan any improvements that are required to be made. This will also give another important feedback as to if your target customers are willing to pay to buy it. Needless to reiterate that it is a prerequisite to have clarity on the profile of your target customers.

This step cannot be skipped at any cost. Without a proper feedback on the product or service from your target customers, you could end up in firefighting after investing heavily in your venture. It is as good as testing the waters before taking the plunge!

Financial

At the end of it, the big question! Will this idea make money? Will investors fund the idea? This needs to be evaluated before going ahead with the venture as making money is one of the most important objectives of any venture, if not the top most objective.

What needs to be looked at here is:

If the price and cost are good enough to make profit

How will the working capital be managed

How will funding come

Will the investment be returned in reasonable time

Why is validation of start-up ideas important?

The validation of an idea will strengthen your resolve to venture into an unfamiliar territory with more confidence. This will also help you to understand the market and take safeguarding measures. Business validation will help you in concluding whether you will succeed and estimate the time it takes to reach the goal. Overall, it will help you prepare better and remain well-equipped to take on the market challenges.

Abdo Riani, the founder and CEO of VisionX Partners, a startup development company, says in one of his articles, “There are many startup ideas that exceeded expectations in the early validation stages but failed later due to a poor product, execution, marketing, management or other reasons. The percentage of startup failure after early traction is significantly lower than it is for startups that get into development mode with no traction at all”.

To conclude, there is no debate on the need for validation of your business idea before you venture into it as otherwise there is all the likelihood of you losing the effort, time and money invested in the venture.

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10 Businesses You Can Start With Minimum or Zero Investment

Smruthi Krishnan — Wed, 03 Feb 2021 06:30:05 +0000

Starting businesses is like playing a game of chance between failure and success; which is why most people prefer not to start businesses of their own. Risk averts people especially stay as far as possible because of the amount of seed investments that go into any business. If you feel adventurous yet still lack financial backing, worry not!

10 businesses that you can start with zero or minimum investments and still reap profits :

Home-Made Tiffin Services

Be it a college student or an office going person, everyone craves for home-made food, especially when they are living alone. This business is literally what you cook at home, just in larger quantities.

2. Child-care services

If you are looking for opportunities to earn money and are good with children, starting babysitting or daycare homes at home is yet another easy entrepreneurship model with minimal investment.

Home-baked goodies

Cake businesses and home-baked goods customizable on order have become extremely popular during the pandemic. All you need is an oven and of course baking skills.

Masks at home

The quarantine has opened the market for pretty looking masks stitched at home. Get your creative skills to work and you have a business to run!

E-classes

If you have a flair for teaching, set up a Teams or zoom account and go for online tuition, art or music classes. People are up for learning new things but travelling distances restraints them, going digital will expand your client base.

Home-made gifts and cards

Most people wish to give something personalized to their loved ones on occasions. Turn your art skills to a business model with handmade gifts and cards.

Graphic/Web Designing

With most brands turning digital today, there’s a huge surge in demand for graphic and web designers. Start your own freelancing designing business with a web page for samples to attract clients.

Thrift stores

Thrifting is gaining popularity at a speedy rate, all you need to have is your own page, a good camera and an eye for collecting pieces to sell.

Social Media Managing

Businesses need to create and handle their social media pages. With a small team of 2-3 people, you can set up a social media management firm.

Errand Service

As the name suggests, you just have to run errands for people in need. A convenient solution for most, the idea has a huge potential to expand and scale in future

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