Unique businesses
If you need inspiration to start your own business in 2018, take a page from the book of these clever, game-changing companies and think about what problems you can solve.
Container-free local food shopping
Free lunch (with a side of marketing)
Each delivery comes with coupons and a card full of details about the restaurant. That way, you can learn more about where your food came from and reorder from the restaurant if you and your employees enjoyed the meal.
Flexible, shareable workspaces
Every day, technology makes it more and more possible for employees and entrepreneurs to do their jobs and run their businesses from anywhere, which means businesses don't necessarily have to invest in their own office space. >WeWork provides office space for the office-less, with flexible month-to-month membership options for everyone from individual freelancers to large companies. Freelancers who prefer to work outside of their homes can have a more reliable workspace than a local coffee shop, and companies and other teams can have a place to collaborate and hold meetings and events.
Tinder for pet adoption
The company ensures that everyone using the app is qualified to adopt. You have to fill out an adopter profile to be approved first; otherwise, you won't be eligible to adopt.
Online education a la carte
Do you ever find yourself wishing you could go back to school, or maybe even teach a course in a subject you're skilled in? Skillshare, founded in 2011, makes both of these things possible. The company allows experts to teach online courses on any subject they choose via short videos, while students can watch classes at their own pace and use the community to get feedback. Students can even take classes offline via smartphones and tablets if they'd like to learn on the go.
Unlike college or graduate school, with their high tuition rates, Skillshare costs a small fee of $10 per month, with a free 14-day trial. Half of that fee goes to pay the company's teachers, so if you're an expert in something, it's a great way to make some extra money. Skillshare also gives back: According to the company's website, for every annual membership purchased, Skillshare gives a membership to a student through the company's scholarship program.