Last Updated on Mar 12, 2020 by James W
It’s true: a lot of people think that, in order to start a business, they need to choose from one of a few set formulas or models. This is great if you really dig the idea of starting your own accounting firm or retail shop. But what if the idea of opening “yet another [whatever]” isn’t something that revs your engines?
That’s the case for more people than you might think. Luckily for you, there is ample evidence to prove that people with unconventional passions do not have to find a way to shoehorn those ideas into a conventional system. Here are just four business ideas that will take you far from what anybody might consider “normal.”
Field Biology
Do you dream of spending all of your time out in the wilds, with the animals? Do you want to be the next Jane Goodall? That’s what field biologists do. They set up camp somewhere and study the behaviors and patterns of a specific animal or plant (or group of animals or plants) for anywhere from a few weeks to a few years. Industrial workstations—computers that are designed to survive in extreme environments—have made it much easier to collect and store data. There are even portable models now, which definitely beats having to write everything down by hand If you love data and you love camping, this could be a great job for you, provided you’re willing to get the right education and do the work you’ll need to do to get grants and other funding (unless you want to pay for everything out of your own pocket).
Interpreter/Language Instructor
Do you love to learn new languages and want an excuse to travel the world? Interpreting and tutoring are a great way to do that. You can do this by contracting through a larger company or being hired to accompany someone as they travel or you can go into business for yourself. That’s what Benny Lewis did. Benny Lewis is a definite polyglot. He used his own language learning skills to create Fluent in Three Months and now his whole job is traveling the world and learning new languages so that he can report back on any tweaks to his system a specific language might require. Because he speaks so many languages he is also in high demand as a consultant for companies looking to expand internationally.
Get Paid to Wear Stuff
Yes, this is seriously a job. Jason Sadler is a human billboard. Companies pay him to wear t-shirts with their logos out in the world. He does more than just wander around, though. To keep the business viable (and make it worth a company’s while), he takes photos of himself in the shirt, creates funny videos while wearing the shirt and does a bunch of other fun stuff—all while wearing a company’s t-shirt. It’s a crazy idea, but one that has taken off and become a tremendous success.
Personal Catering
This is a trend that is only going to continue to grow. Personal catering is just what it sounds like but on a bigger scale. Essentially what you’re doing is creating and cooking meals for individual families to enjoy and then delivering them. Plated is a great example of this. All you really need to make this work is your own kitchen and a workable vehicle to drop off deliveries and you’re good to go. You really can get paid to spend your day cooking for others without having to do weddings or boring corporate events.
These are just four of the unconventional paths that people can and have traveled when they wanted to get away from the status quo. There’s no reason you can’t do that yourself. Heck if someone can earn a full time living just wearing corporate branded shirts, there’s no reason the crazy idea you’ve got can’t work too!
