Fresh Ideas

From a weekly email I get from Springwise.com:

The entrepreneurial inspiration just keeps on coming! Featuring 11 bright new business
ideas, our latest issue is now online. Here's a quick run-down:

Vending machine dispenses free samples
Marketing & advertising

A new variation on the sampling and tryvertising theme: a vending
machine controlled by text messages and designed specifically to
give the goods away.

Travel company invites clients on planning trips
Tourism & travel

A Spanish travel company not only solicits past customers' input
when it plans new trips, it actually invites them to come along and
help refine them before it offers the trips to the public at large.

English lessons and eyelash extensions
Education / Fashion & beauty

While plenty of makeup studios offer lessons in applying cosmetics,
language classes generally aren't part of the deal. Which is why the
ESL Makeup Course at MikaOlivia caught our eye.

Self-serve parking bay for bikes
Transportation

As with cars, parking bikes safely remains a challenge. That's where
the Biceberg comes in, providing a protected and secure place for
urban bicyclists to leave their bikes.

You, sculpted in precious metals and gems
Style & design

For the common man, gravanity can mean ordering a doll in one's
likeness or using a bank card that bears a photo of one's kids. Not so
the ultra rich.

Loews Hotels adopt local farmers
Food & beverage / Tourism & travel / Eco & sustainability

Loews Hotels recently announced a new 'Adopt-a-Farmer' initiative,
aiming to support local farmers while providing customers with
locally-sourced, organic and sustainable food.

Meal prep & cooking classes, this time by Jamie Oliver
Food & beverage / Retail / Education

The concept of a combination upscale takeaway and on-site cooking
school seems to be catching on. British celebrity chef Jamie Oliver just
opened one in London.

In-hospital spa services for new moms
Lifestyle & leisure / Fashion & beauty

By transforming hospital stays into a moment of relaxation and
rejuvenation, Go Home Gorgeous hopes to better equip new mothers
for the sleepless times ahead.

Short-term mall space for startups and minipreneurs
Retail

The Oakland Mall in Troy, Mich., is offering small startups and
minipreneurs special leasing rates that make it easier for them to
test the waters at the mall without entering into a long-term contract.

Internet-connected pill reminder caps
Life hacks

GlowCaps fit on standard medication vials, and glow and play a
melody at medication time. What's even more interesting, is the next
version of the line, dubbed GlowCaps Connect.

App turns iPhone into a credit card terminal
Telecom & mobile / Financial services

As if phones didn't already do enough, one of the latest mobile apps
transforms iPhones and iPod Touches into portable charge card
terminals.

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