Do you drink bottled water? There seems to be an increasing number of people opting for bottled water. How about selling free water for a profit? If you live in, or near, a tourist area, you could sell neat little vials of beach water, spring water, river water, lake water, glacier water, etc. You could sell each one for about $5-$10.

This may sound silly, but when people are touring different areas, they like to take a little something home with them to remember their trip by. A small vile of authentic water from the area is such a great idea. The only requirement for this type of business idea is that you live near a famous or well-known body of water. If you have gift shops that like to carry typical tourist gifts, you have the place to sell them.

This idea isn't necessarily required to sell in just small areas near the water you will be using. You could also appeal to people on line that would like to buy, say a small portion of the Pacific Ocean, or San Francisco Bay. The more unusual you can make the sales pitch the better. Let's face it, someone made a few million with the 'pet rock' idea. The rocks weren't even from any special place.

This will require a mastermind at appealing to people that would like to buy something a little different from the typical tourist ideas. The name of your product should be appealing and remember if you don't make the product too pricey, tourists may buy several to take home as gifts for their friends, co-workers, family, neighbors, etc.

When it comes to bottling, it is a good idea to make a small investment in a small vile that is waterproof and slightly impressive looking. It needs to appeal to the eye after all; your customers will want to show it off when they get home. The container should be durable too; it will probably be packed away in luggage!

Displaying these containers of famous water is important too. Make sure that you have an eye-catching way of displaying your small bottles of water. You may want to incorporate it into a keychain, necklace, or bracelet. You could include a little printed sheet of information about the water also, giving basic facts about it. Include interesting stories that may have been passed from generation to generation about the water from this area or local customs and beliefs about the water. (Remember to post on the bottle that it is not meant for drinking and could pose a hazard.)

Your initial investment in this business idea would be the purchasing of a vessel to market the water in. This may take some time to look into but it will be well worth your time and effort. You want something that is eye catching, sturdy, and not too expensive. If you can bottle the water yourself it will save you a lot of money, this may require a certain amount of traveling on your part. The next investment would be in your marketing of the product. This will be a very important aspect of whether your product sells well, so make sure you invest time and money in it. Ask friends and neighbors what they think of your finished product, ask them if they find it appealing. Local gift storeowners can be helpful with this too.

Resources:

http://www.specialtybottle.com/

http://www.sks-bottle.com/

http://www.sba.gov/smallbusinessplanner/index.html