8 Big Ideas to Watch in 2008
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Big Ideas for 2008
The Idea Makers
Small businesses don't have the R&D budgets of their corporate competitors, but they still manage to be a hotbed of serious invention -- and are lately introducing more innovative products than the big guys with those big budgets. This field guide to small-business innovation features some of the most interesting ideas hitting in the marketplace in 2008.
First Up: Easy MoneyWhat's the Big Idea?
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Easy Money
Richard Branson's new firm, Virgin Money, will change the face of finance by replacing inflexible loans from big banks with a more personal, nimble approach to lending.
Rather than lend money for mortgages, student loans, and small businesses directly, Virgin Money is a third-party broker that manages repayment plans among friends and family members.
Branson's Plan: Full story
Next: Electric CarsWhat's the Big Idea?
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Electric Cars Get Zoomy
For the first time since the early 20th century, America is seeing a flowering of entrepreneurship in the auto industry. At least 11 new electric car companies have launched or plan to launch models.
Four factors make this possible: consumer desire to address global warming, an abundance of investment capital, new breakthroughs in materials, and the availability of cheap computing power and software.
The Zoom in Electric Cars: Full story
Next: A Greener CharcoalWhat's the Big Idea?
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A Greener Charcoal
Cooking fuel doesn't seem like much to ask for, but an estimated 2.4 billion people worldwide struggle to find it. "Propane is not accessible, and electricity is not affordable," says Haitian native Jules Walter. "These people do not have any alternative."
That's why Walter has started a company called Bagazo to sell low-cost charcoal briquettes made from plant waste to his countrymen.
A Greener Charcoal: Full Story
Next: JetpacksWhat's the Big Idea?
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Rise of the Jetpack
Troy Widgery's company, JetPack International, has spent the past two years developing a device that fulfills those Jetsons-era fantasies - and can keep you airborne for all of nine minutes.
His quest for a jetpack spawned Jet Pack International. Based on interest from prospective buyers, Widgery's (highly optimistic) projection is for sales of $30 million a year by 2010.
Rise of the Jetpack: Full Story
Next: Wi-FlyWhat's the Big Idea?
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Wi-Fly
Should you be doing a lot more business at 35,000 feet in 2008, you'll have Jack Blumenstein to thank. The CEO of Denver-based AirCell has inked deals with American Airlines and Virgin America to bring wireless Internet access to their aircraft, starting in the first half of 2008. His consumer research says that 75% of passengers with laptops would use onboard Internet every time they fly.
In-Flight Internet: Full Story
Next: Weedy WineWhat's the Big Idea?
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Weedy Wine
Biodynamics is a set of farming principles laid down by Austrian philosopher Rudolf Steiner in 1924. Like organic farming, it requires growers to adhere to a strict list of criteria to be certified.
First applied to winemaking in France in the 1990s, biodynamics has started to gain American approval. About 42 estate wineries in the U.S. worked their land this way in 2007, up from 15 in 2004.
Weedy Wine: Full Story
Next: Real Estate '08What's the Big Idea?
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Real Estate in '08
Expect tremors to keep shaking the real estate market along multiple fault lines in 2008.
As a whole, the national housing market will finally hit bottom - and start bouncing back - at the end of 2008, says Celia Chen, director of housing economics at Economy.com, But more than a dozen major metro areas are already ahead of the curve, enjoying modest but significant price appreciation.
Real Estate 2008: Full Story
Next: Dash NavigationWhat's the Big Idea?
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Dash Navigation
Dash Navigation is more than just a run-of-the-mill GPS unit. The company came up with a hyper-networked navigation device that doesn't just use GPS, it also employs GPRS (that is, cell phone data technology) and wifi. Units are connected by a network, so when a box sees that it's doing 15 M.P.H. on a road where cars normally clock 45 M.P.H., it tells the Dash Driver Network. On other Dash devices then know to avoid that road.
Dash Navigation: Full Story
Next: More Top BetsWhat's the Big Idea?
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Recent Comments
profitmoneycash 01:39:25 PM Jul 31 2009
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profitmoneycash 01:37:31 PM Jul 31 2009
GPS apps and Services will be a growing business opportunity for the next few years. http://unique-business-opportunities.net
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