My First Million
The best business ideas come from noticing what's working and doing it better, faster, or for a different audience.
Launch a seasonal porch decoration business
Stay-at-home parents or entrepreneurs in suburban areas
3-6 months to first revenue, seasonal scalingWhat Success Looks Like
$500-1500 per job, 1300-2000 orders per year, $1-2M annual revenue with 40-50% net margins
Steps to Execute
Buy retail pumpkins and decorations from grocery stores
Copy existing Instagram designs for initial layouts
Film iPhone time-lapse of decoration process
Post to local mom groups and Facebook marketplace
Respond to comments and book initial clients
Charge removal as upsell service
Scale with paid ads once creative is proven
Move to wholesale suppliers after proving demand
Checklist
Inputs Needed
- $500-1000 initial inventory investment
- Vehicle for transportation
- Basic design eye for arrangements
- iPhone for content creation
- Local market research
Outputs
- Decorated front porches
- Viral social content
- Recurring seasonal customers
- Premium pricing power
- Removal service revenue
Example
“Kansas City mom starts by buying $200 worth of pumpkins, decorates neighbor's porch, films time-lapse, posts to 5 local Facebook groups, books 10 jobs first weekend”
Related Knowledge
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A method for predicting trends that will reach Western markets by observing what's popular in Dubai 1-3 years early
Mimetic Desire Business Model
Building businesses around visible status displays that create peer pressure for neighbors to adopt the same service
Viral-First Product Development
Designing products primarily based on their viral content potential rather than traditional market research
excuse-creativity-trap
Pivot existing contractor business to sport court installation
$50-60k revenue per job with 50% margins, competing against saturated pool market with new category
Start Retail, Scale Wholesale
Begin with higher-cost retail purchasing to prove demand quickly, then transition to wholesale pricing once model is val