Funny Stuff is all around

Startups are sprouting like mushrooms everywhere; and they offer just about everything from conferencing services and cool groomsmen gifts to domain names and engravable cufflinks. Before you jump into the fracas, however, and make a startup of your own, take the time to draft a plan. While all startups have no problems starting, most have trouble surviving. In fact, more than half of all startups established annually die quickly, sputtering out within months of operation. By creating a business plan, you make sure you are not entering the market with rose-colored glasses.

The first rule of startups is to be first. If you can’t, then be the best. If this isn’t possible, then be the cheapest. If even this is impossible as well, then the least you could aim for is interesting.

Here are five startups you most likely have not heard of. By virtue of being first and interesting, these startups are sure to be huge moneymakers.

1. http://www.bagborroworsteal.com

What if you were not born rich but need to look the part? Well, you Bag, Borrow, or Steal. For a monthly fee, this designer handbag shop lets customers pick out designer handbags online and borrow them for as long as they need to. Monthly fees could be anywhere from $20 to $175. This might seem pricey to you, but it’s small change to those who are trying to buy or befriend their way into the Fendi lifestyle.

2. http://www.peasy.com
Finding parking space can be a bitch, and this is precisely what peasy.com is banking on. An online marketplace for parking space, Peasy.com lets you browse for parking spaces and book them even before you could leave the house. Peasy.com utilizes a network of homeowners with unused parking spaces to increase slot availability for clients.

3. http://darknessradio.com
What’s the one thing that trumps ghost stories? Going on spook tours, of course! Tim Dennis of Burnsville and Circle Pines’ Dave Schrader take groups on spook excursions to haunted hotels and cruise ships. Travelers pay between $180 to $250 for each trip, and this fee is non-inclusive of lodging and transportation

4. http://www.pickydomains.com
Want to sell engraved Zippo lighters online but can’t think of a catchy name for your site? For $50, this risk-free domain naming service can flood you with domain-naming options.

5. http://www.newyourkey.com
If you’re a New Yorker and you’re always misplacing your key, go to this site. For a small fee, they will keep copies of your keys and deliver these to you the moment you find yourself locked out of the apartment!

These five creative startups are proof that in business, if you can’t be first or best, then you should aim for quirky.

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Before starting a new business, it is essential to create a plan with accurate cost estimates and funding. These start-up costs will be the basis on which a lender will choose to finance the business or not. There will be initial expenses to cover, including legal fees, necessary licenses and permits.

The rental, lease, or mortgage charges should be the first item shown in the cost estimates. Equipment and other start-up materials or supplies should also be included. Each item, regardless how small, should be incorporated into the estimate and should be made sure that all these are enough for not less than a year of operation. You can also check into small business administration for some advice with small business loans.

The funding for the start-up inventory follows. Expect expenses necessary to have your product ready for sale. Your personal funds may be affected as your business takes on a swing. Normally, new businesses do not make money in the first few months or even a year. Hence, it is advisable to include your salary in the cost estimates. If there are other employees, make sure that their salaries are projected with the costs as well.

Since the business will be your own, it is possible that your personal funds will suffer as the business takes off. It is a good idea to include your own salary for the first year into the start-up costs. If there will be other employees, include their salaries as well. Make sure that everyone gets paid.

The business plan will guarantee security and success of the new business. That is why start-up cost estimates are also embedded into every business plan to let potential investors know what they will be getting themselves into. No matter how lucrative a business plan may be, without projections for start-up costs, investors may not be all too willing to bet their money on something that they hardly know about. Naturally, every one of us wants to know where we put our money and how fast we can get it back. Start-up cost projections give us a heads up on the direction of the business. Above anything else, these are what the investors focus in the business plan. And businesses without good financial support are doomed and are deprived of the chance to get started.

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