My First Million
The best business ideas come from noticing what's working and doing it better, faster, or for a different audience.
Agricultural Crops Transitioning to Energy Production
Timeframe: 5-15 years for significant market penetration
What's Changing
Traditional food crops like corn and soybeans increasingly being used for sustainable aviation fuel and other energy applications
Driving Forces
Climate change regulations requiring cleaner energy
Government mandates for sustainable aviation fuel
Technology improvements making crop-based fuels more viable
Energy security concerns driving domestic fuel production
Winners
- Farmers growing energy crops with premium pricing
- Companies developing crop-to-fuel technology
- Land owners near processing facilities
- Agricultural commodity traders
Losers
- Traditional food processors if crops diverted to energy
- Fossil fuel companies without transition plans
- Consumers potentially facing higher food prices
How to Position Yourself
Invest in agricultural land suitable for energy crops
Develop technology for crop-to-fuel conversion
Broker relationships between farmers and energy companies
Trade agricultural commodities with energy applications
Early Signals to Watch
Example Implementation
“Soybean farmer signs 10-year contract with sustainable aviation fuel producer at 20% premium over food market pricing, providing stable income while supporting energy transition”
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Value vs Uniqueness Business Matrix
A 2x2 matrix plotting business opportunities on axes of total value (y-axis) and uniqueness (x-axis) to determine strate
Light User vs Heavy User Funnel Strategy
Strategic positioning framework where businesses deliberately avoid heavy users who demand low margins and instead focus
Systematically expose yourself to different worldviews to avoid becoming cynical and maintain fresh perspectives
Regularly discovering new business ideas, maintaining curiosity, avoiding the 'old bear' mentality, and finding unexpect