1. Online business/make money online
Despite the potentially disruptive Stop Online Piracy Act law issues on online businesses, my all-time favourite small business idea, online business, will continue to thrive. Web-based business’ role has increased steadily over the years, revenue-wise and potential-wise. As cloud computing will become mainstream (or it’s already mainstream?) and plenty of web tools to help you build a web business easily, online revenues are more accessible to non-tech webpreneurs.

2. Social media specialists
Despite social media campaign’s ROI is still trivial to figure out, social media continues to be important vehicles for enhancing business branding, engaging prospects/customers and increasing business profits. That being said, businesses need someone who is social media savvy. Offering various social media-related services – managing clients’ social media profiles, etc. – establishing social media consulting business hiring social media savvy people will be a great, lucrative business.

http://www.noobpreneur.com/2012/01/02/2012-top-10-small-business-ideas/

When Starr Hall was forced to pull the plug on her San Luis Obispo-based company, SmartyVA, an online training program for virtual assistants who specialize in social media management, she turned her misfortune into a national news story and a learning experience for other entrepreneurs.

Hall started SmartyVA in 2009. After two years in business, the profits weren’t there to make keeping the business open a good idea, so in 2011 she called it quits.

In December, Hall responded to a query The New York Times sent out over the Internet. The newspaper was looking for business owners whose companies failed in 2011 because of a myriad of reasons brought on by the current state of the economy.

The article, “5 Businesses That Failed To Survive Trials of 2011,” featured business owners from various states who had been forced to shutter their enterprises.

“I didn’t hesitate to share my failure because people need to hear about it,” Hall said. “Obviously, the New York Times is a huge paper, and the response to the article has been almost overwhelming.”

Since the story came out, Hall said she has been inundated with requests for speaking engagements and lectures.

“You think the article is about failure, but it turns out that it’s really about success,” Hall said.

Aside from working as an international marketing consultant, Hall has a passion for working with startup companies. She has had many successes and some failures. However, Hall believes it’s not the fact that you have failed, it is what you do after that matters.

“I am going to be sharing my challenges and lessons that I’ve learned. I will also continue to work with start-up companies. I like to start companies and sell them. It’s just who I am,” Hall said.

Hall is currently working as a consultant and is in the process of putting together a webtv program that offers marketing advice and tips to business owners about how to grow their business.

The show will feature three segments weekly and include interviews with entrepreneurs from around the world who have learned from past mistakes and set backs and how they overcame them.

Ever thought about starting a mobile food business ?

According to research from Shoestring Startups, there really are some small businesses which defy the recession and keep making cold hard cash, says Perry Wiser, who created the course “Hot Dog Cash” along with several other successful hot dog cart operators who found the business to be easy and recession-proof. What is a hot dog cart? Mr. Wiser says the hot dog cart business is a startup that allows the individual to take a cart anywhere there are people and sell hot dogs, which are low enough in price that they sell even during a recession. “People have to eat!” Mr. Wiser reminds his students. The course is called “Hot Dog Cash” and is a complete guide to starting a hot dog cart business startup from scratch.

Mr. Wiser says: “Hot dogs have been sold for hundreds of years and will be sold for hundreds more. The hot dog has become an American standard and everybody loves one, especially from a good hot dog cart vendor. Works even when the economy sucks – Because the price points are so low on hot dogs it’s pretty much a recession proof business. And in the kind of economy that we’re in right now you just can’t afford to be in anything else.”

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2012/01/16/prweb9112879.DTL

IF you love pets, check this out…

Frances Watson has begun her own pet care service at an age when most others are settling down to retire – and is enjoying every moment.

“I worked for over 25 years for Fife Council before taking early retirement last year,” she said.

“I enjoyed it even though it was very hectic. But when the chance came to take early retirement I decided to go for it.

Frances said that initially she didn’t have much time to decide what she was going to do.

“It really came out of the blue and I didn’t have any plans,” she said.

“I began volunteering with the Pet Fostering Service and Blue Cross re-homing. I’ve always been an animal lover so I really enjoyed it and it gave me that idea to start out on my own.”

So Frances started up her own pet care business called Watson’s Walkies which provides services such as daily walks, feeding, playing, grooming and cleaning-up, and says others should follow her lead.

She said: “I’d really encourage anyone who is thinking of starting their own business to do it. It’s never too late.

One for mums…

“When I looked at their wardrobes, it bothered me that they had so many prom dresses, honor society clothes and boys suit jackets they wore for one occasion and then forgot about. When I searched for a resale store, I realized that existing consignment businesses were for either babies or adults.”

McClure had no retail experience and no idea how a young adult resale store would do when she opened Younique Boutique.

“My store started where other children’s consignment stores left off and nobody carried male and female young adults.

“It’s scary to open a business,” McClure said. “If you really sit down and think about the costs, you’ll talk yourself out of it. I didn’t expect to succeed or fail. And, obviously, I have no fashion sense — she says pointing to the well worn flip-flops on her feet.”

McClure has expanded twice in two years. A while ago, she had 200 consignors (customers who bring her their clothes to sell) and now she has 700 consignors. Some families are so enthusiastic about Younique Boutique that they plan regular monthly trips to her store from Gulf Shores, Foley and Pensacola.

“Every day I’m surprised when someone walks in the door and thanks me for clothes they can afford. A lot of young girls come in here who never heard of consignment. Young men come in with their allowances and tell me this is their favorite store.

http://blog.al.com/pr-community-news/2011/12/kids_closet_gave_fairhope_woma.html