John has become a celebrity for the tourists. They flock around him for pictures. These pictures are not the scenic views but something unique, which is not even characteristic of that place. This business is about pictures with unusual and unknown celebrities who accompany John.
These unusual celebrities are John’s pets, 5 huge iguanas (Lizards). He stations himself on a busy sidewalk with his iguanas crawling all over him. As people pass by they can’t help but stop and look. He seizes the opportunity and offers to take their photographs with the lizards for $10 using a Polaroid camera.
This is a complete no brainer. However, if you don’t love animals then this one’s not for you. All you need to start this moneymaking business are a Polaroid camera and an animal to start this unique enterprise. If you already have a pet then you can start immediately otherwise you need to find one. Polaroid camera’s are easy to get and come pretty cheap too. A good quality Polaroid will cost you about $50. What animal you have as a pet is not so important here. What is important is how you can make them look different and unusual.
Tip: Only use a pet that is friendly and trusted with strangers. You don’t want to take a chance of being sued by a tourist that is harmed by your animal.
Different kinds of costumes is one way of attracting attention e.g. dressing up a big Dalmatian dog as a fireman is sure to attract people. The human-like look or activities are the most appealing ones. You could use things like a fake beard or a fake plastic cigar to further enhance (make unusual) the look of your talented pet.
You could also do combo/extra offers e.g. sell photo frames together with the photo at an additional price. Since this saves time for people and makes the photo look even more attractive, you will find many people don’t mind paying even something extra for the frame.
Tip: Ask your client their name and write a personalized quote on the back of the photo as a bonus. These quotes should be pre-prepared and you should just need to fill in the name of your client. A quote having the name of your pet too will make it look even better.
The most important thing with this business idea is that you should be able to attract the attention of tourists. In addition, the more famous a tourist area is, the more prospective clients you will have. Therefore, you should pick the area carefully i.e. an area that is frequented by tourists. In the chosen area, you should choose a spot where people can’t miss you. This could be information centers or railway stations or bus stops etc., which are entry or exit points from the area.
Tip: Areas that are not tourist places in themselves, but just transport changeover points, also offer a good opportunity for such a business.
Also, check if the tourists arrive at a place only at a particular time of the year, so that you know the best time for this business. Remember to check the local laws regarding your business before setting up shop. The following are some good resources to learn more about animal clothing:
http://www.worth1000.com/cache/contest/contestcache.asp?contest_id=6198&start=1&end=10&display=photoshop
http://www.purecountrypetboutique.com/store/index.php
July 27, 2008
