Small Business Ideas in India  Overall Rating:  [2/5]Total Votes [ 27 ]    Rate this page:

Best Small Business Ideas

At present there are several young professionals who are looking to earn money in short term and event managers are also searching for more workers – this indicates a lot of possibilities for companies in this sector.

Business ideas with INR 1000

A great business idea with nearly INR 1000 is ultra short temping services. As part of this business, the companies provide manpower services on a temporary basis for event management firms. The break even period for this business is close to 10 months and a gross profit of approximately 20 percent can be expected. An important skill needed to make this business a success is networking.

Business ideas with INR 7000

A good business idea with a budget like 7 thousand rupees is a shoe-wash company. Previously canvas shoes were cleaned using old toothbrushes and detergent but nowadays people have moved on to trendy sneakers and want the shoes to be cleaned by people who are experts in the field so that they can be maintained properly.

In order to be successful in this business it is essential to know how to use chemicals and a fair degree of marketing skills are required too. The break even period for this form of business is at least 3 months. The businessmen can expect a gross profit of nearly 40 percent in this case.

Business Ideas with INR 15,000

Having a food delivery service is a great business idea if an entrepreneur has around 15 thousand rupees with him or herself. Nowadays customers want the best food on their tables without making the effort to go and get them and this is where a food delivery company can come in handy.

The main skills needed to run this business smoothly are sales and management. This business has a break even period of 2 months at the very minimum and can provide gross profits of nearly 20 percent.

Business Ideas with INR 20,000

If entrepreneurs want to start a business with 20 thousand rupees, they can opt for uniform making. Nowadays even business schools, medical and law colleges are making it mandatory to wear uniforms.

Interested businessmen can establish connections with uniform manufacturing companies and provide dresses at convenient prices. The most important skill in this business is man management and it takes almost a year to break even.

Business Ideas with INR 50,000

Property management can be considered a great business idea if the start-up capital is approximately 50 thousand rupees. The businessmen need to find out a proper workplace and take responsibility for their detailed documentation procedures and thus save a lot of their time.

Adequate sales and marketing skills are needed in order to be successful in this business. The company can achieve break even status within a month and also expect a gross profit of around 50 percent.

Yet another profitable business venture in this range is phone based business consultancy services. Nowadays several entrepreneurs are looking to make a name for themselves and the time is right for experienced businessmen to make the most of their skills and knowledge and guide these young enthusiasts with some good business plans.

Networking is a critical skill needed to flourish in this business that can take almost 4 months to come on break even terms. Wedding planning is also a good business idea with 50,000 rupees to start with.

Nowadays, weddings in India are being celebrated on grand scales and the celebrators might not have the time to properly attend to every little nuance as a lot of time is involved in this as well. Wedding planners can help people in such situations.

Creativity is the name of the game in this business domain that can provide gross profits of almost 15 percent. However, achieving break even status will depend on the quality of projects that the company gets.

Concierge services such as baby sitting and medical treatment can be started with an initial capital of 50,000 rupees or more. Network communication capabilities are the most critical skills required to do well in this business that can take at least half a year to achieve parity and give approximate gross profits of 10 percent.

Housekeeping services for hotels is a proper business idea if an entrepreneur has 50,000 to start with. With the hotels looking to keep their rooms spanking clean, this is a good business idea. Good communication and man management skills are necessary to succeed in this domain. This business can provide gross profits of almost 20 percent.

Business Ideas with INR 75,000

Pre-recruitment assessment is a profitable business venture if the entrepreneur has a starting capital of around 75 thousand rupees. This service can be helpful in letting companies hire the best possible employees. The companies in this domain can chip in by creating the tests at different levels and then evaluating the candidates based on their performance in the same.

Good marketing and sales capabilities are necessary for good performance in this domain. The minimum break through period for this business is 2 months and it can provide gross profits of nearly 25 percent.

Business Ideas with INR 100,000

Entrepreneurs looking to offer custom made chocolates for their customers can get started with almost 1 lakh rupees. They can make chocolates that are chemically okay and also taste great. It is important to love chocolates and be creative to thrive in this business. Expected gross profit in this segment can vary between 30 and 35 percent and the minimum period required to achieve parity is a week.

Business Ideas with INR 200,000

If an entrepreneur knows inter-city and inter-state bus routes really well and has almost INR 2 lakhs, then a bus service website can be regarded as a good business opportunity. The website can also provide information on the ticket rates and the channels for booking them.

However, it is essential to have good IT skills to be successful in this business. The minimum period needed to achieve break even in this business is 5 months and the expected gross profit is close to 10 percent.

Business Ideas with INR 300,000

A good business idea with a start-up capital of 3 lakh rupees is custom made festival gifts. The owners can choose innovative gifts for their clients, wrap them in an eye-catching manner and then send them to their clients.

They need to be sensitive and have good knowledge of the outlets of gift-makers. It can take at least 3 months to achieve parity in this business, which can be expected to provide gross profits of almost 20 percent.

Entrepreneurs with such start-up capital can also go for the online ads service business. They can have contacts with the website owners and then get the appropriate space, which can help the clients get access to their target audience.

The owners should have good knowledge of networking and media planning in order to be successful in this business. The minimum time required to come to break even status in this business is a year and the anticipated gross profit is 20 percent.

20 ventures you can start with Rs 5 lakh!Last updated on: October 26, 2007 12:01 IST

In 1995, Sabeer Bhatia started Hotmail with his idea - of a free, Internet-based email service that can be

accessed anywhere in the world - and seed capital from pioneering venture fund Draper Fisher Jurvetson.

The service was commercially launched on 4 July 1996. The idea found takers, 8.5 million of them by

December 1997. That month itself, Microsoft [ Images ] Corporation, the world's largest software company,

bought it off him for a whopping $400 million.

That's the power of a good idea. In the last decade, businesses like Hotmail have rewritten the rules of

starting a new business. The first idea that has been junked is that you need a large amount of capital to

get it off the ground. The second concept to go was that you must make a tangible product to sell. Their

demise has been helped in no small measure by the increasing access of the common man to the

Internet, as well as by the emergence of the services, rather than manufacturing as a huge and fast-

growing sector. Further, the emergence of angel investors, venture capitalists and private equity funds

has made it easier, although still not easy, to fund a new venture. The first new requirement for new-

generation businesses is what old advertising hands would call the big idea, the ability to spot unmet

needs for products or services.

One, two, clean a shoe ... Take the case of Mumbai's [ Images ] Sandeep Gajakas. He saw a lot of

otherwise cleanly dressed people going around in expensive, but dirty, footwear. That was because age-

old methods were not good enough for cleaning hi-tech branded shoes that used different materials and

textures. 

20 Businesses You Can Start With Rs 5 lakh Or Less 

Business What's it about Skills needed Amount Gross Break- Company in the business

you need to start (Rs)

Profit (%)

even period Name Entrepreneur(s)

Ultra-short temping services

Arrange temporary manpower for event managers. There are young people reaady to make some quick money and event managers are looking for more hands.

Networking 1,00020 10 months Radicals, Mumbai Chirag Bhatia,

Varun Parekh

Shoe wash

Canvas shoes were cleaned earlier with just detergent and an old toothbrush. But people who wear today's fancy sneakers prefer paying a bit to have them cleaned by experts.

Knowledge of using the chemicals involved, marketing

7,00040 3 months Shoe Laundry, Mumbai

Sandeep Gajakas

Food delivery

How do you lay out a dinner spread with the best dishes from the best restaurants in town? Or, get food from your favourite resturant? A specialist food delivery service can do just that.

Marketing and sales 15,00020 2 months Dial-a- Meal,

HyderabadPani Kumar Reddy

Uniform making

B-schools are making dress codes compulsory for students. Law and medical colleges may do the same. Tie up

Man management

20,000N.A. 1 year Ecstacy Enterprises, Kolkata [ Images ]

Atiq Shah

with these institutions to deliver dresses at student-friendly prices.

Property management

Find a suitable workplace for business enterprises and save their time by doing all the cumbersome paperwork for them.

Marketing and sales 50,00050 1 month E-States

International,Pune

Sundip Joshy, Sachin Dhanwala

Telecom Business Consultantcy

With the spirit of entrepreneurship reaching new heights, leverage your knowledge and expertise to make business plans for budding entrepreneurs.

Networking 50,000N.A. 4 months Tons Telecom, Bangalore Sridhar Pai

Wedding planning

Weddings in India [ Images ] have unmatched opulence and are a long drawn process in some parts. Organise them for people who do not have the time.

Creativity 50,00015

Depends on projects you get

TAB Events, Delhi [ Images ] Rita Bhasin

Concierge services

Arrange services like medical treatment, babysitting and even plumbing for newcomers to a place.

Networking, communication skills

50,00010 6 months Concierge 4 India, Delhi Arvind Pandey

House keeping (hotels)

Help hotels keep their rooms spick and span.

Man management, communication skills

50,00020 N.A. Pristine Interiors, Delhi Ritu Mukherji

Pre-recruitment and assessment

 There is a talent crunch in India.

Marketing and sales 75,00025 2 months MeritTrac,

Bangalore Madan Padaki

exercise

Help cos hire workers by preparing tests and then evaluating applicants on the basis of their performance.

Custom-making chocolates

Prepare the perfect food, chemically speaking, and serve in fancy wrappers.

Creativity, love for chocolates 100,00030-35 1 week Rage Chocolatiers,

BangaloreRashmi Vaswani

Bus service website

Inter-city bus service is booming. Create a webpage that shows all the bus routes and their rates and through which tickets can be booked.

Knowledge of IT, bus routes 200,00010 5 months RedBus.in

Phanindra Sama, Charan Padmaraju, Sudhakar Pasupunuri, Bangalore

Custom-making festival gifts

Innovatively choose festival gifts for a client and have them appropriately wrapped.

Sensitivity, idea of direct gift makers' outlets

300,00020 3 months Sacred Moments, Mumbai

Prakash Mundhra

Online ads

Have a directory of websites and use your access to those in charge of them to get the right niche ad space for a client, so that he maximises his reach to his target audience.

Media planning, knowledge of Net, networking

300,000 20 1 year Ozone Media, Bangalore

Kiran Gopinath

Verification services

Informaton security is a big concern for BPOs. Check the background of prospective

Networking with police, legal knowledge

400,000 10 6 months Pinkerton Consulting & Investigations India (PCII), Gurgaon

Krishnendu Biswas, works for PCII as MD

employees to avoid corporate fraud.

Tank cleaning

Growing use of water tanks and concern for hygiene gives you a chance to displace the guy in dirty overalls and professionally clean tanks with the right equipment.

Tech-savvy 400,000 30 7 months TanClean, Mumbai Sunil Uplab

Travel guide

Pollution, long working hours, stress ... customise trips to forests, fishing riverines and mountains for those who just wanna chill (Ye man!)

Knowledge about getaways, high fun quotient

1,50,000 35 24 months

Outrigor, Bangalore

Sandeep Chakrabarti

Revenue credit billing

Manage the credit finances of hospitals that are outsourcing this job. The quicker you recover money for your client the more the chances of success.

Knowledge of insurance, networking

2,00,000 20 3 monthsHealth and Insurance Integrated, Noida

Deepak Mendiratta

Merchandising services

Merchandising by business establishments is growing. Do it efficiently for them.

Marketing, creativity 2,00,000 10 15

monthsDesk Digital Print, Delhi

Yogesh Bharadwaj

Housekeeping (offices)

Help Shining India. Get its offices cleaned.

Man management, communication skills

5,00,000 5 12 months Collections, Delhi Ramesh

Varma

So, armed with a knowledge of chemicals and cleaning methods and all of Rs 7,000, he started a shoe

cleaning service, Shoe Laundry, four years ago. His service appealed to company brass, TV and film

stars, models and politicians, among others, who did not mind spending Rs 120 a pop to have their costly

sneakers looking like new. Today he has the likes of Yash Chopra [ Images ] and family among his clients

and his turnover has ramped up to about Rs 1.5 lakh a month. While initially he did all the cleaning

himself--he did not trust anyone else to do the job--he has now hired help to keep his business growing.

Low entry fee. Gajakas is not the only one who has managed to turn a good idea into a successful

business. The table 20 Businesses You Can Start Within Rs 5 Lakh is about initiatives that do not require

very high seed capital, taking into account both the initial capital expenditure as well as the working

capital required to get rolling. In each case, somebody has actually made a success of it. And all of them

can be replicated, although the specialised knowledge that most of them need creates an entry barrier

that keeps competition in check and prevents them from becoming commoditised.

Spot a need. Few things can be more mundane than cleaning a drinking water tank. But Mumbai-based

Sunil Uplap thought there was a job to be done when he saw tobacco chewing, beedi-smoking men

cleaning one. So, in 1995, he set up TanClean, which uses modern cleaning and disinfection methods to

ensure the water is potable. Today, TanClean operates in 87 cities and towns now and Uplap is on the

lookout for more franchisees.

The dotcom bust of 2000 proved that you cannot succeed simply because the entry barrier is low. But

Bangalore-based Phanindra Sama, Charan Padmaraju and Sudhakar Pasupunuri proved that good ideas

still work with www.redbus.in. It is one of the few websites through which you can buy bus tickets in India,

just as you buy air tickets over the Net. Investment is low, but you need grit to stick through the initial

stages, says Sama. Sanjay Anandaram, managing director of JumpStartUp, provides the perspective:

"Bus service is usually ignored, but in India it is a $2 billion-plus (approx. Rs 8,000 crore) industry."  

Hyderabad's V. Pani Kumar Reddy has found a novel way of bringing demand and supply together. His

Dial-A-Meal has tied up with restaurants in Hyderabad to deliver food to all parts of the town. Today, it is a

household name in that city.

Bangalore-based Kiran Gopinath's Ozone Media is an Internet advertising network. It brings together

those with advertising space on the Web and those who need it. He partners online publishers to take

advertising reach across the world. His initial investment was just Rs 3 lakh, but his success is also a

proof of his networking ability. 

Even the killing pace of today's life can throw up an opportunity. Bangalore-based Sandeep Chakrabarti's

Outrigor organises stress-busting trips for others. Says Chakrabarti, "I was a little hesitant in the

beginning and did not want to put all my savings in a business venture." Initially, he used to hire

equipment to keep costs down. Now he has his own. 

Business creates more business. E-States International of Pune-based Sachin Dhanwala and Sundip

Joshy will take over the job of finding the right office space for companies, which can be quite a

headache. Say Joshy and Dhanwala, "We will not only find a place or two but also take care of all the

paper work, which can be quite time consuming." The spreading boom has brought opportunities for

professional housekeeping companies too. Says Delhi-based Ramesh Verma, who owns housekeeping

firm Collections: "With many malls and BPOs coming up in different parts of the country, there is a lot of

scope for the success of such a venture." Ritu Mukherji, who owns Delhi's Pristine Interiors, which does

housekeeping for hotels, adds: "The real investment that a person needs to make is their time and

knowledge." Her business is based on the 16 years of experience she had with the Oberoi group. And

Arvind Pandey's eponymous Concierge 4 India offers concierge services to expatriates. With more of

them moving to India, there is enough and more opportunity for anyone who enters this field.

Ride the boom. The BPO upsurge has made data security a growing concern. Pinkerton Consulting and

Investigations takes care of this by checking the credentials of prospective employees. Managing director

Krishnendu Biswas says the "growth potential is massive". Sridhar Pai, a 15-year telecom industry

veteran, set up Tons Telecom to mentor newcomers and even help them work out their business plans.

Event management is growing in India and managers often need temporary staff. Mumbai's Chirag Bhatia

and Varun Parekh bring them in touch with students wanting to supplement their pocket money. 

Deepak Mendiratta has been successfully using his expertise and knowledge of insurance to bolster the

revenues of his Noida-based revenue credit billing company, Heath Insurance Integrated. His job is to

handle the paperwork and complications that arise when patients make payments in credit and claim the

amount due from their parent organisation. 

Do what you love. Passion is a key element in these ventures. You need loads of it. That's what lies

behind chocolate freak Rashmi Vaswani's Rage Chocolatiers in Bangalore. Appreciation for a casual

chocolate preparation for a friend two years ago got her an order of 150 kg of customised chocolates, and

there was no looking back. Like her, you too can give a new twist to a common product. With average

incomes in India soaring, weddings are becoming more opulent and a need has arisen to creatively

organise them for others. Delhi-based Rita Bhasin's TAB Events has been doing just that. "Seed capital is

minimal, but what one really has to invest is time," she says. Prakash Mundhra of Pune has made a

business out of his skill at sourcing gifts for festive occasions. His Sacred Moments makes designer puja

and festival kits, down to the last agarbatti.

KNOCKING AT THE DOOR Finally, we leave you with five more business ideas that have been successful in the West, but have not

seen much activity in India yet. Given that some aspects of life are becoming homogeneous across the

world, it is just a matter of time before Indians, too, start demanding these services. To that extent, we

think they have good prospects. What's more, you should be able to start them for Rs 5 lakh or less. Here

goes.

Home inspection. Looking for a house to buy or rent can get pretty tedious. Many would be grateful if

someone shortlisted houses for them--for a fee.

E-bargain website. A website that simplifies the job of choosing the best price--for toasters, trucks and

anything in between--is bound to find lots of users. 

Payroll administration. This includes tax deduction at source, PF contributions and tax-saving

investments. Target clients: SMEs that cannot spend too much on administrative expertise.

Website for children. A website that lists children's names for parents to choose from and also

investment options to save for your child's future. 

Warehousing services. The job of transporting products from warehouses to retail outlets.

With such a wide range of choice available to start small and think big, what are you waiting for? Go, start

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Top 20 business ideas & opportunities for 20119th January 2011 in Springwise.

We’ve selected 20 business and marketing ideas that we believe will provide entrepreneurs with plenty of opportunities in 2011. We hope that you’ll find these concepts as inspiring as we do, and that you’ll be able to apply them to your own company, brand or work in the coming year!

1. Pop-up ‘MedCottage’ enables senior care at homeAs the massive baby-boomer generation enters its senior years, a strain on long-term care facilities seems inevitable. Aiming to offer an alternative mode of senior care, Virginia-based N2Care has come up with the MedCottage, a pop-up, medically equipped suite that families can use on their property to care for seniors at home. The MedCottage is already authorized for use in Virginia and is designed to comply with local zoning ordinances throughout the US.

Read more about MedCottage »

2. Vegetarian butcher serves up lupin-based meat substitutesDe Vegetarische Slager — the vegetarian butcher — opened a store in The Hague that’s dedicated to meat substitutes in the same way a butcher is dedicated to meat. The company’s main innovation is its own line of lupin-based, protein-rich products, developed by a Dutch team of scientists and chefs. De Vegetarische Slager is targeting the higher end of the market — consumers willing to pay as much for a meat substitute as they would for the real thing. As more people opt for meatless Mondays or cut out meat altogether, we wouldn’t be surprised to see vegetarian butchers pop up on main streets around the world.

Read more about De Vegetarische Slager »

3. On a bet, party people fill KLM flight to Miami using TwitterDJs, promoters, label reps and ‘professional party people’ from the Netherlands have persuaded Dutch airline KLM to add an extra flight to its roster. In a new twist on crowd-buying, the initiators of Fly2Miami made a bet with KLM on Twitter to organize a non-stop flight from Amsterdam to Miami. Crowd clout and group buying — turbo-charged by social media — provide companies across industries with new opportunities to empower consumers while improving their bottom line or, at the very least, their brand image.

Read more about Fly2Miami »

4. Indian courier service hires only deaf workersIndia has one of the largest deaf populations in the world, but social stigmas have eliminated many job opportunities for the roughly 6 percent of the population that is affected. Aiming to empower this isolated group economically while tapping into a growth market, Mirakle Couriers is a messenger service that hires only deaf workers. The company puts a heavy emphasis on the training of employees — right down to the finer points of personal grooming.

Read more about Mirakle Couriers »

5. Luxury women’s panties by curated subscriptionPanty by Post is a Canadian venture that offers a selection of women’s underwear by monthly subscription. Customers can order panties individually, or they can sign up for subscriptions lasting two, three, six or 12 months. A different panty is then sent every month, each wrapped in an attractive mailing package. It’s a great example of subscription-based retail, offering curation alongside convenience. One to apply to a category you’re passionate about.

Read more about Panty By Post »

6. Buy-one-give-one indie eyewear sells for $99 per pairThe market for prescription eyewear has traditionally been dominated by high prices, little innovation and a few large competitors. That’s why we’ve seen online discounters emerge, and it’s also why Warby Parker has set its sights on the industry — so to speak — with a paradigm-busting model that aims to combine independent design, “buy one, give one” generosity and some long-overdue pricing transparency.

Read more about Warby Parker »

7. Fiat offers electric bikes as loaner vehiclesShowing smart thinking from a major brand, and tapping into the desires of eco-conscious consumers, Fiat now offers Spanish owners of its Fiat 500 an electric bike option while their car is in the shop. The service is available in various cities in Spain through a partnership with bicycle maker Trek. There’s no charge for borrowing the electric bikes, which have a 70 km range and recharge during braking as well as

through plug-in power. Fiat hopes the loaner bikes will demonstrate its commitment to sustainable mobility. Since this is a relevant and appealing way to let consumers try out a product that’s still unfamiliar to most, electric bicycle brands would do well to seize the opportunity and initiate similar partnerships in other countries.

Read more about Fiat’s electric loaner bikes »

8. Tapping professional skills of micro-volunteers via iPhone & webSan Francisco-based Sparked by The Extraordinaries is an online platform that seeks to make it easy for altruistic consumers to support an organization or cause. It enlists both individuals and groups of company employees to contribute their expertise to a nonprofit in even the smallest chunks of time. Requests by nonprofits might include translating a page of a document into Spanish, for instance, or helping to choose a new logo. The organization neatly combines people’s desire to give back to society with another prevalent trend: their need for convenience.

Read more about Sparked »

9. Cleaning product sold in cartridges, diluted at home from the tapForward-thinking manufacturers are working to decrease the amount of packaging used for their products. Some offer concentrated formulas, others sell refills in bags instead of containers. Now, a Canadian startup has come up with an innovative solution: refill cartridges that consumers dilute at home. Developed by Planet People, the iQ line of household cleaning products features small cartridges of plant-based concentrate. Consumers fill a spray bottle with ordinary tap water and pop in a cartridge. The coloured concentrate visibly mixes with the water, and voila: a full bottle of cleaner.

Read more about iQ »

10. A fresh take on online memorials1000Memories provides a place for friends and family to gather and remember deceased loved ones. While the field of online memorial services is a crowded one, many of those sites were clearly created in the early days of the web. With its fresh design and more current feature set, 1000Memories sets itself apart and could attract a sizeable audience. (One to launch in other countries!) The concept is part of a wider trend in web publishing, whereby it’s becoming increasingly simple for non-geeks to build beautiful websites, often in 10 minutes or less. Other examples include Flavors.me and Tumblr.

Read more about 1000Memories »

11. Trial gear and showers for runners at Tokyo Adidas storeLocated near the Imperial Palace, the Adidas Runbase store is a far cry from your average sporting goods purveyor. Included in the space are 16 shower cubicles and 248 lockers for rent. Also available are a broad array of cutting-edge Adidas shoes and clothing available for the borrowing. Expert staff are on hand to offer tips and recommendations, so runners could presumably try a different combination of goods each time they run, giving them the ultimate in try-before-you-buy purchasing confidence. This is brand-as-butler thinking that’s well worth considering for your own marketing and sales strategies.

Read more about the Adidas Runbase store »

12. Mobile app for group texting and on-the-fly conference callsAvailable for both iPhone and Android, GroupMe is a free tool from New York-based Mindless Dribble that gives groups of friends private text messaging and instant conference calls. As many as 25 people can be included in a group at any one time, but users can create as many groups as they want — one for their basketball team, one for coordinating a surprise party, one for the PTA, one for updating family members while travelling, etc.

Read more about GroupMe »

13. Books by gift subscription, hand-picked for the readerThe march of the subscription models continues! We’ve already seen a wide variety of products offered by subscription over the past year or so, however, Just the Right Book adds a slightly different twist by adding hand-picked customization. This is where smaller retailers have a chance to shine and to set themselves apart from the (online) behemoths.

Read more about Just the Right Book »

14. Mobile garage makes any car greenerColorado-based Green Garage specializes in “green-tuning” cars to run cleaner, greener and cheaper through sustainable, energy-saving automotive maintenance and repair products. The full-service company begins by bringing the garage to the customer’s front door with a valet service whereby it picks

up the car, green-tunes it and then drops it off again. Given where the automotive industry began on the sustainability spectrum, it seems safe to say there’s plenty of room for improvement, and that’s just what we’re beginning to see.

Read more about Green Garage »

15. Funding service targets eBay merchantsOnline vendors begin with Kabbage by entering their eBay marketplace ID. Using that, Kabbage checks their activity and history on the marketplace; if both are sufficient, it asks the retailer to complete an application. That application is far briefer than most because Kabbage learns much of what it needs about the retailer — including sales and credit history, customer traffic and reviews, and competitive information — via online data that it can access in seconds with the applicant’s permission. Kabbage then makes an immediate decision; if approved, the borrower can access funds immediately via PayPal. Interesting niche, and potentially a new style of lending to businesses, with decisions based on real-time, readily available data.

Read more about Kabbage »

16. Waiting-room service lets patients pass the time elsewhereTechnowaiT’s 1-2-3-Go! service is designed to allow patients to leave the waiting room and go somewhere else to pass the time until it’s their turn to be seen. Patients begin by registering at the doctor’s office and taking a number. They can then go anywhere they’re reachable by phone; by calling in regularly to an interactive system, they can find out via an automated message how many people are still ahead of them, and how much waiting time still remains. As their turn approaches, they can then return to the clinic just in time.

Read more about TechnowaiT »

17. High-end clothing brand only sells on tour datesOver the past few years, we’ve seen nearly every major clothing brand — from the Gap to Louis Vuitton — set up one or more pop-up stores, drawing attention to their product lines and to their regular retail outlets. In contrast, a Munich-based brand isn’t attempting to supplement its fixed-store bread and butter;

Clemens en August’s only offline sales are through temporary outlets, twice a year. Avoiding the pop-up moniker, the brand describes itself as being ‘on tour’. A lesson in scarcity that other retailers might learn from?

Read more about Clemens en August »

18. Fair-trade lemonade supports grassroots projectsLemonAid is an organic drink made entirely of a few organic, fair-trade ingredients. The company’s organic juice, for example, comes from a small farming cooperative in Brazil; its sugar cane, meanwhile, is derived from a cooperative in Paraguay. Not only does LemonAid pay its suppliers higher prices on account of their fair-trade practices, but it also donates a major share of its yearly revenue to further support small, locally based grassroots projects in the developing world. For every bottle of LemonAid sold, a share of the proceeds is donated back to the countries from which its ingredients derive.

Read more about LemonAid »

19. Targeting travellers, beauty retailer finds a niche in 3 fluid ouncesEver since authorities placed rigorous limits on liquids allowed on flights, travellers have had to figure out how to both pack their favourite toiletries and comply with those regulations. Helping consumers avoid bag-check charges or confiscation of their toiletries and cosmetics, 3floz sells beauty and grooming products in TSA-approved sizes only.

Read more about 3floz »

20. Village rainwater harvesting system stores enough for a yearAkash Ganga, or River from the Sky, is a sustainable system that channels rooftop rainwater from every house in a village through gutters, and then pipes it to a network of multitier, underground reservoirs. Currently implemented in six drought-prone villages in the Churu District of Rajasthan, the system captures enough rainwater to meet the drinking needs of an entire village for 12 months. Akash Ganga currently supplies some 10,000 people with fresh water.