4 Ways to Make Money by Spying on People. Ep #076

10/09/24 • 43 min

The Koerner Office - Business Ideas and Small Business Deep Dives with Entrepreneurs

I sat down with my good friend and office mate, Stephen Olmon (https://x.com/stephenolmon). Stephen owns a holding company (https://www.severalventures.com) and, like me, is addicted to startups. We talked through a bunch of business ideas, but kept circling back to one in particular: a meeting listening software that detects inappropriate behavior. Imagine a note-taking tool, but one that also identifies issues in real time - turning them into profit opportunities. We also discussed ideas like white-labeling software or plugins that are affordable to outsource, using call tracking software to help home service businesses, and even how reporting tax fraud could lead to a 30% payout from the government.

Timestamps below. Enjoy!

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Watch this on YouTube instead here: tkopod.co/p-yt
Ask me a question on or off the show here: http://tkopod.co/p-ask
Learn more about me: http://tkopod.co/p-cjk
Learn about my company: http://tkopod.co/p-cof
Follow me on Twitter here: http://tkopod.co/p-x
Free weekly business ideas newsletter: http://tkopod.co/p-nl
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Scrape small business data: http://tkopod.co/p-os
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00:00 Highlights
00:13 Welcome to the Corner Office
00:58 Meet Steven Olmon: Entrepreneur and Mentor
01:41 Career Journey: From Consulting to Startups
05:51 The Birth of Quicker Marketing Agency
11:32 Business Ideas and Innovations
20:58 The Power of Quick Email Responses
22:48 Exploring Agency Ideas and Opportunities
23:12 The Tattletale Industry and New Regulations
26:18 Tax Fraud Whistleblowing: A Lucrative Opportunity
30:33 Call Listening for Customer Service Improvement
37:01 Niche Mentor Networks: A New Marketplace
42:13 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Previous Episode

I Found an Untapped Home Service Business with 75% Net Profit Margins. Ep #075

I sat down to discuss an incredible niche business, J&D Lake Services - a pond cleaning company started by college students Declan & Joe. They literally went to Home Depot, bought a garden rake, and began scraping the bottoms of ponds for wealthy homeowners, "raking" in an incredible 75% net margin. Before their entry, pond cleaning companies relied on dumping chemicals, which would harm fish and plants. J&D Lake Services took a different approach: manually removing weeds. It’s hard, sweaty work, but they’ve found a space with no competitors and made it a cash cow.
Follow J&D Lake Services for more:
Instagram
Facebook
TikTok
YouTube
Timestamps below. Enjoy!

---
Watch this on YouTube instead here: tkopod.co/p-yt
Ask me a question on or off the show here: http://tkopod.co/p-ask
Learn more about me: http://tkopod.co/p-cjk
Learn about my company: http://tkopod.co/p-cof
Follow me on Twitter here: http://tkopod.co/p-x
Free weekly business ideas newsletter: http://tkopod.co/p-nl
Share this podcast: http://tkopod.co/p-all
Scrape small business data: http://tkopod.co/p-os
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00:00 Introduction
01:08 Meet the Founders: Joe and Declan
01:39 The Origin Story: From Dock Installation to Pond Cleaning
03:58 First Big Break: The Seaweed Removal Request
05:45 Pricing Strategies and Business Growth
12:00 Expanding Services: From Lakes to Ponds
18:01 Challenges and Customer Insights
28:25 Understanding Client Needs
28:48 Pricing Strategies and Challenges
29:52 High Close Rates and Competitor Insights
32:14 Revenue and Profit Margins
33:24 Unexpected Job Opportunities
38:18 Social Media Success
43:36 The WeDo Boat Story
50:50 Final Thoughts and Contact Information

Next Episode

Viral Treasure Hunts, E-Recycling and 2 More Business ideas! Ep. #77

HoldCo Bros are back! Nik and I talk about electronics recycling and how it's possible to enjoy 100% gross margins in this industry. We also break down the fascinating treasure hunt business, featuring Project Skydrop - a real-world treasure hunt with $27,000 in gold at stake. Plus, we discuss some hacky, kitschy ideas involving guerrilla marketing and Chrome extensions-type ideas that anyone can try.

Learn more about Nik here: http://linktr.ee/cofoundersnik

Timestamps below. Enjoy!

---
Watch this on YouTube instead here: tkopod.co/p-yt
Ask me a question on or off the show here: http://tkopod.co/p-ask
Learn more about me: http://tkopod.co/p-cjk
Learn about my company: http://tkopod.co/p-cof
Follow me on Twitter here: http://tkopod.co/p-x
Free weekly business ideas newsletter: http://tkopod.co/p-nl
Share this podcast: http://tkopod.co/p-all
Scrape small business data: http://tkopod.co/p-os
---
00:00 Highlights & Introduction
01:10 Introducing Project SkyDrop
01:18 How Project SkyDrop Works
02:02 Discussion on Entry Fees and Rules
04:33 Comparing Similar Treasure Hunts
06:08 Business Ideas and Fundraising
16:32 Perfumatic Update
20:36 Hacky Ideas: Let's Grade Them!
21:38 Amazon Late Deliveries: A Hidden Opportunity
23:35 Automating Consumer Advocacy
30:03 Commercial Real Estate: A Deep Dive
31:10 Pros and Cons of Self Storage Investments
35:30 Sourcing Off-Market Deals
39:25 Getting Started in Real Estate