Social Problems as Business Opportunites
Analyzing social problems that interest you is one of the best ways to find a business opportunity. A great recent example of a social problem being converted into a business opportunity is the rise of Urgent Care centers in strip malls across the country.
Access to affordable health care is easily one of the top 3 biggest problems facing our country. On top of that, hospital emergency room’s are flat out awful. The entrepreneurs who stated the Urgent Care trend recognized these issues and provided a viable alternative to not only help people, but make billions of dollars in the process ( Read: Urgent Care Industry Hits $18 Billion).
What other social problems present business opportunities? Here are four opportunities for you to explore:
1. Trade Schools
THE HOME DEPOT FOUNDATION COMMITS $50 MILLION TO SKILLED TRADES TRAINING
The Home Depot® Foundation announced a $50 million commitment to train 20,000 tradespeople over the next 10 years in order to fill the growing skilled labor gap.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are currently 158,000 unfilled construction sector jobs in the U.S. – a number that is expected to increase significantly as tradespeople retire over the next decade. – Read More
2. Personalized Care For Retiring Baby Boomers
MILLIONS OF BABY BOOMERS WILL RETIRE AND AGE SOLO
Today, in 21st century America, aging alone is becoming common. Almost 20% of Boomers do not have children. How and why did that happen? The seeds of this change were planted by the Baby Boomers in the 1960s and 1970s. Women had new college and career opportunities–choices their mothers and grandmothers did not enjoy–and they had “the pill.” Many women chose career over family and some chose not to marry or they married and divorced. Those women and their male counterparts are now in their 50s, 60s and 70s. They are solo agers.
In addition to the 20% who did not have children, thousands more have kids who are estranged, not functional or live very far away. They are solo agers too. If these millions of solo agers are to ensure a safe and secure future for themselves, they will need to prepare. They will need to recruit (or hire) someone to have their power of attorney for both health and finances. They will need to figure out where they want to be living in their oldest years and where they will get aid when it becomes necessary. – Read More
3. Fill the Moral and Spiritual Void in People
AMERICANS QUIT CHURCH BUT STILL SEARCH FOR MEANING, NOW AS LONERS
Look at any survey about the state of religion and you will find the same story of decline. Fewer Americans today than in past decades identify with a religion, attend church, engage in religious practices, and view faith as an important part of their lives. Those who advocate the secularization of society applaud such cultural change because they see it as evidence that people are turning away from all things supernatural. However, these trends may be less about our abandoning the supernatural and more about our abandoning each other.
As I discuss in my new book, Supernatural: Death, Meaning, and the Power of Invisible World, the decline of any particular religion does not reflect a decline in people’s orientation toward supernatural questions, curiosities, and beliefs. Most people still believe in God or a universal spirit. The majority of religious “nones” believe in God, a higher power, or a spiritual force. Even those who reject supernatural ideas can be influenced by them. For instance, researchers in Finland found that theists and atheists exhibited similar levels of physiological stress when reading aloud statements daring God to cause harm. Other studies indicate that even atheists have a tendency to believe in fate at least somewhat and that, at an intuitive level, they see nature in terms of design and purpose. – Read More
4. Services for the Gig / Freelance / Co-Working Economy
WORKERS NEED MORE TRAINING TO SUCCEED IN “GIG” ECONOMY
Throughout California and across the nation, the nature of work is changing. Long gone are the days of gold watch retirements after decades at the same company. Instead, the average worker stays in a job for 4.6 years, and just 3.2 years for millennials.
More and more people are forgoing conventional jobs altogether for freelance work in the “gig” economy. But not all “gigs” are created equal. – Read more
FREELANCE WORKING: ‘GIG ECONOMY’ VICTIMS OR EMPOWERED PROFESSIONALS?
One in six working people is now self-employed – 4.77 million of us – according to thinktank Demos.
Chances are you’ve recently used the services of someone who is self-employed, by catching an Uber, or getting a Deliveroo delivery.
Over the past year, the latter company has become infamous for the way they treat their ‘contractors’; who in many ways are effectively workers.
Deliveroo riders get no minimum wage, sick pay, holiday pay or protection from unfair dismissal.
They’ve been dubbed ‘the precariat’ and there are fears that abuse of the lack of rules for self-employed workers is undermining the conditions of full-time employees. – Read More
REASONS WHY THE CO-WORKING TREND IS HERE TO STAY
The exponential growth of Co-Working Spaces globally means that the world is adapting to changes in the way of work. With more than 10000 Co-Working Spaces globally, the growth within this industry has been phenomenal with an estimation of just about half a million people working in Co-Working Spaces around the globe.
About 60% of co-workers are flexible and mobile. The life of a digital nomad can become quite lonely, hence co-working spaces. Co-working spaces provide such co-workers a sense of fulfillment by creating the access to face-to-face interactions with like-minded individuals, rather than Skype calls and emails. – Read More
THE BENEFITS AND PITFALLS OF SHARING WORKSPACES
Undoubtedly, co-working spaces are benefitting start-ups; still one cannot ignore the other facet of the coin. Sharing the same working infrastructure can often be challenging. Cyber-security is something that requires concern while working in a co-working space. Safeguarding intellectual property and sensitive information can be a problem for companies and special arrangements need to be made in that case.
“In a co-working space, several organisations work under the same roof. Thus, the privacy factor gets questionable at times as people get to know about the clients or third parties visiting their office in case two or more organizations belong to the same industry or field. Then there is a question of availability. There is a common conference room. Suppose, if at the same time the requirement of conducting a meeting arises for more than one organization, it might get difficult for both the organizations trying to avail the same space,” added Mr Shah. – Read More