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Ask HN: How can I make money?

7 points by callbarney 16y ago

I'm not greedy, and very diligent and have good business acumen, yet I'm struggling to find a good business I can run online and actually make money from! Any good suggestions?

patio11 16y ago
Solve a problem preventing people who have money from making more of it. Solve a problem preventing people who have money from spending time with their children. Solve a problem preventing people who have money from getting the recognition they think they deserve. Solve a problem preventing people who have money from... you get the general idea.
- nreece 16y ago
  Great points. I wrote a blog rant on similar lines: How To Build Something People Want? - http://www.nilkanth.com/2010/05/28/how-to-build-something-people-want/ http://www.nilkanth.com/2010/05/28/how-to-build-something-pe...
michael_dorfman 16y ago
I suggest that you play to your strengths, whatever they are. Surely your life, up to this point, has given you the opportunity to get to know the needs of some niches, some groups of people, better than the average person. Take what you've learned so far, and figure out how to apply it in a novel way. You say you have "good business acumen"-- how did you achieve that? In what businesses? Are there any unfilled needs that your former customers may have, that might be filled online?
deleted 16y ago
[deleted]
gexla 16y ago
I don't see the problem. If you are struggling, then you are probably doing it right. If there were no struggle involved, then everyone would be doing it. One idea, go to Flippa and look at all the websites people are offering. Maybe you can get an idea from the listings there. One advantage of looking through Flippa over general browsing of random sites on the internet is that people post information such as how much money their sites are making. Perhaps you could even buy a site and improve it.
stiggz 16y ago
Start a website selling gift baskets by mail, or build a simple program to make business cards and sell the perforated paper along with the program. If you're a good business-person, team up with a technical programmer and hit the big time!

7 points by callbarney 16y ago

I'm not greedy, and very diligent and have good business acumen, yet I'm struggling to find a good business I can run online and actually make money from! Any good suggestions?

patio11 16y ago

Solve a problem preventing people who have money from making more of it. Solve a problem preventing people who have money from spending time with their children. Solve a problem preventing people who have money from getting the recognition they think they deserve. Solve a problem preventing people who have money from... you get the general idea.

nreece 16y ago
Great points. I wrote a blog rant on similar lines: How To Build Something People Want? - http://www.nilkanth.com/2010/05/28/how-to-build-something-people-want/ http://www.nilkanth.com/2010/05/28/how-to-build-something-pe...

michael_dorfman 16y ago

I suggest that you play to your strengths, whatever they are. Surely your life, up to this point, has given you the opportunity to get to know the needs of some niches, some groups of people, better than the average person. Take what you've learned so far, and figure out how to apply it in a novel way. You say you have "good business acumen"-- how did you achieve that? In what businesses? Are there any unfilled needs that your former customers may have, that might be filled online?

deleted 16y ago

[deleted]

gexla 16y ago

I don't see the problem. If you are struggling, then you are probably doing it right. If there were no struggle involved, then everyone would be doing it. One idea, go to Flippa and look at all the websites people are offering. Maybe you can get an idea from the listings there. One advantage of looking through Flippa over general browsing of random sites on the internet is that people post information such as how much money their sites are making. Perhaps you could even buy a site and improve it.

stiggz 16y ago

Start a website selling gift baskets by mail, or build a simple program to make business cards and sell the perforated paper along with the program. If you're a good business-person, team up with a technical programmer and hit the big time!