How many times have you come across a cracking business, only to swear blind that you came up with the same idea slightly before they did?
If you haven’t already thought of the business ideas below then you’ll probably wish that you had. They are some of the coolest and most successful startups of the last few years. They capitalise on the latest economic trends including subscription models, being socially minded and the culture of sharing.
The concepts and stories behind these businesses are guaranteed to get your entrepreneurial juices flowing.
1. Mindful Chef
The founders: Set up by school friends Giles Humphries, Myles Hopper and Rob Grieg-Gran in 2015.
The idea: After seeing the growth in subscription recipe boxes, the group of friends noticed a gap in the market for supplying this food in the most healthy and ethical way possible. Ingredients are sourced from small UK farms where possible, are low in refined carbs and sugar and they have pledged to be plastic-free by 2020. Celeb ambassadors include Sir Andy Murray, Fearne Cotton and Victoria Pendleton CBE.
“Kim and I loved it so much we invested in the business.”
Sir Andy Murray
The figures: They forecasted turnover of over £10 million in 2018.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B3w_cgjgq_h/
2. Fat Llama
The founders: Co-founders Chaz Englander, Rosie Dallas and Owen Turner-Major founded Fat Llama and launched the website in 2016.
The idea: Based on the growing sharing economy and the idea that having experiences is more important than owning things, Fat Llama is a peer-to-peer marketplace where you can buy, sell or rent belongings to/from other people. Customers can make money by renting things that they don’t use very often or save money and the environment by borrowing (not buying) things.
The figures: Fat Llama have raised a total of $12.8 million over three funding rounds.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BsLkvM_BJNO/
3. Elder
The founders: Pete Dowds and Tom Brooks founded Elder in 2015 after having horrible experiences finding care homes for their own grandparents.
The idea: Elder is based on the principle that you shouldn’t have to go into a care home unless you want to and so it works on quickly matching the ideal homecare service providers with the elderly people that require them.
The figures: Elder now operates in more than 300 towns and cities in the UK.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Br7soJpHFqV/
4. Who Gives a Crap
The founders: Co-founded by Simon Griffiths, Danny Alexander and Jehan Ratnatunga in 2012.
The idea: Born from the desire to help the 2.3 billion people across the world who don’t have access to a toilet. 50% of all profits go to help build toilets for those who need them. The 100% recycled rolls are wrapped in funky paper which looks great in your bathroom. They’re available on subscription and their cheeky marketing takes full advantage of toilet humour.
“Good for your bum. Great for the world.”
The figures: They’ve donated more than $1 million to non-profit organisations.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B3n9MZfDXuE/
5. Trouva
The founders: Launched in 2015 by Mandeep Singh, Alex Loizou, and Glen Walker.
The idea: Bringing together the best of independent homeware retailers from around the world. Suppliers have actual bricks and mortar shops and Trouva cleverly uses technology that blends the ease of buying online with the experience of going to a boutique.
The figures: One of Europe’s top five fastest-growing tech businesses achieving over 1500% growth in 18 months.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B3uoVSKJVUb/