Things I would like to see fixed
Posted: - Modified: | businessI brainstormed a list of things I would like to see fixed. Of this list, there are probably quite a few things that people will pay for. Of that list, there are probably a few things that I can build a sustainable business around. It’ll be interesting to figure out which!
| Need | What can help |
|---|---|
| Help people make better use of the clothes they have | Wardrobe organizer/tracker |
| Cook more efficiently and prepare more kinds of recipes | Bulk cooking recipe database (more healthy and ethnic recipes, too), meal planner, grocery list, preparation guide, and inventory |
| Help people learn how to use Emacs | Emacs tutorials, screencasts, transcripts, books, etc. |
| Small businesses need to expand | Resources for delegation and outsourcing: coaching, books, tasks, templates |
| Get a more accurate sense of how long it takes to do certain tasks | Timer and logbook |
| Make better decisions about time | Tracking systems, analysis, coaching |
| Keep in touch with wider networks and engage more deeply | Social interaction tracker, reminders for keeping in touch |
| Learn more about life through data | Books and resources to help people get started with self-tracking |
| Take and review paper- and sketch-notes quickly | Tools for organizing and searching scanned notes (building on top of Evernote?), layouts and templates for drawing sketchnotes quickly, classes |
| Get the best deals without wasting food | Grocery tracking, price books, consumption analysis |
| Spread the reach of information about tech or business | Sketchnotes, animations, transcripts, e-books for webinars, meetups, and conferences |
| Improve early math education | Resources for parents, group study sessions |
| Make the most of books | Library tools, book notes, syntopicon, tracking |
| Help introverts connect with others | Tips, tools |
| Transition from an employee to running your own business | Tips, coaching |
| Organize random information | Tips, tools |
| Use envelope-based personal accounting | Tools |
| Understand your spending better | Line-item details for receipts |
| Enjoy and learn from the Web and apps better | More hand-drawn icons, websites, illustrations; better writing |
| Enjoy and learn from presentations better | Presentation design improvements, presentation coaching, pre- and post-presentation resources |
| Grow sustainably as a developer | Books, blog |
| Review, extract information from, and format blog archives | Plugins, tips, tools for creating e-books |
| Create beautiful e-books as works in progress | Tools, system |
| View a timeline of your life | Tools |
| Help people learn, help kids with homework | Online tutoring system |
| Help small businesses make the most of the Web | Services, books, tools |
| Brainstorm and share lists | Tools, blog |
| Improve lettering | Templates, classes, fonts |
| Hang out with friends and coordinate plans | Tools |
| Learn Latin and other languages | Books, children’s books, resources |
| Help kids appreciate geek stuff | Resources, children’s books |
| Draw with more colour | Invent or find a multi-colour fountain pen; use multi-colour gel pens |
| Promote traditional wear | Malongs? |
| Feed the cats | Automatic cat feeder |
| Track stuff | App for inventory, movement |
| Compare prices and find the best deals | Comparison shopping tool |
| Help people learn about interesting things | Clear, idea-packed, inspiring, and thoughtful writing |
| Help people get into business (new parents, people with disabilities, etc.) | Books, tips, notes, resources, network |
I’m scaling back consulting over the next few months so that I can experiment with other models for business. I could probably stay fully booked offering consulting services, web development, or other things that are time-for-money trades, but if I want to scale up and make a difference bigger than I am, it helps to learn how to build a business that can go beyond me. While I have the space and time to experiment with building a scalable business, I should do so.
Even if all these opportunities around me sound so interesting, I’ll be strict about working only on things where I can either create value disproportionate to efforts (in a good way, I hope!), or I can teach other people to do it and then scale up that way.