Bright Business Ideas 2

Janet Arnett is the former campus manager of adult education at Ontario’s Georgian College. She is the author of Antiques and Collectibles: Starting Small, The Grange at Knock, and 673 Ways to Save Money.

This collection of 83 ideas is Lovig’s second book of ideas for
products, services, and concepts that could be developed into
money-generators. Some of the ideas are ingenious, some are beautifully
simple, others are more complex; some could be implemented with
virtually no investment; others require a little capital to launch. The
business ideas are of three types: “new, re-do and add on.” Lovig
provides many examples of finding a need and filling it, updating an
idea from the past, and giving a new twist to tried-and-proven ideas.

The collection illustrates how many options are open to someone with an
entrepreneurial mindset and shows, by example, how easily more great
ideas can be generated. While the text itemizes the ideas with
descriptions and notes on marketing, the CD-ROM supplies the
inspiration.

On the CD (which is approximately 30 minutes long) Lovig shares his
enthusiasm for the entrepreneurial approach to being self-employed. He
picks several examples from his two books and elaborates on them, making
the potential sound much more vivid and exciting than is achieved by the
text alone.

Lovig’s message is that “you can do this”: the only failure is
someone who doesn’t try. He itemizes persistence, energy, imagination,
and a positive attitude as the essentials that must be added to any idea
to make it work. The book makes no effort to address the issues arising
out of implementation of the ideas—and by itself the text seems too
facile, almost glib. The CD, however, conveys the author’s enthusiasm
for self-employment and inspires the reader to look at the text again,
this time with a better understanding of how to build on the individual
ideas and bring them to life.

This is not another how-to-start-a-business book; it’s strictly an
idea-generator and motivator, and as such has a legitimate place on
every entrepreneur’s bookshelf.