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Ask HN: What are some promising side/solo business ideas?

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Re: Ask HN: What are some promising side/solo business ideas?

#21

Post by stikfa »

llampx wrote: post #19
stikfa wrote: post #15

I attend university in a small US town about ~2-3 hours from city life. There is no public transit around here, so one of your best bets to get to the city (and back to university) is to find students with a car that are driving in your direction. The going rate that a student will charge you to let you ride with them is about $30. Students post offers for rides (and requests) in a convoluted way: through a Facebook…

Something like blablacar?

I don't think you'll get uni students to use something like that. Really just a filterable calendar that can somehow scrape info from the fbook groups and give me contact information would be wonderful.

But I've heard scraping facebook isn't a good idea, so... here we are.

Re: Ask HN: What are some promising side/solo business ideas?

#22

Post by llampx »

stikfa wrote: post #21
llampx wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Something like blablacar?

I don't think you'll get uni students to use something like that. Really just a filterable calendar that can somehow scrape info from the fbook groups and give me contact information would be wonderful. But I've heard scraping facebook isn't a good idea, so... here we are.

blablacar and mitfahrgelegenheit.de were built primarily for poor-ish people and students. And these are sites/apps which have a good UX for the purpose of finding and booking rides, or offering rides. So I can't agree that you can't get uni students to use something like that. Maybe in the US where seemingly everyone has a car or doesn't need a ride very frequently.

Suggestion: try going on blablacar and booking a ride from Berlin to Munich, or Paris to Lyon. I think you'll find it quite straightforward.

Re: Ask HN: What are some promising side/solo business ideas?

#24

Post by emteycz »

runnerup wrote: post #9
JackOfCrows wrote: post #2

I am a single person in a city where I don't know anyone because I just moved here. I need something that will set me up with someone to run me home from the medical clinic as I need minor surgery and can't drive myself home. They will not release me to an Uber or Lyft or anything. So I need someone to drive me, sit there, then drive me home. The services that do this for old people think I'm insane. None of the car…

I have this exact same problem for an annual procedure that I travel cross-country to. I used to be able skirt the rules by claiming I had someone with me but then they changed the rules and now need that person to be with me when I check in. It’s a huge pain in the butt, I don’t know anyone in Cleveland and I hate to make family fly/drive and stay in a hotel overnight for a very minor procedure…which needs to be don…

I don't understand this. Why would you need someone with you on check-in if you're an adult? Why would someone need to pick you up if it's just a minor procedure? Why don't you just pack up, sign the papers and go on your way? It's not like they can hold you there, right?

Re: Ask HN: What are some promising side/solo business ideas?

#25

Post by warrenm »

>Hamster Burial Kits & 998 Other Business Ideas

>Ideas are a dime a dozen. The money is in the execution.

>Need proof? For Seth Godin's Alternative MBA program, this week the nine of us came up with 111 business ideas each. But ideas are only valuable when someone (like you) makes something happen.

>What follows are our 999 business ideas, free for the taking.

https://web.archive.org/web/20090305122833/https://www.sixmo...

Re: Ask HN: What are some promising side/solo business ideas?

#26

Post by runnerup »

emteycz wrote: post #24
runnerup wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have this exact same problem for an annual procedure that I travel cross-country to. I used to be able skirt the rules by claiming I had someone with me but then they changed the rules and now need that person to be with me when I check in. It’s a huge pain in the butt, I don’t know anyone in Cleveland and I hate to make family fly/drive and stay in a hotel overnight for a very minor procedure…which needs to be don…

I don't understand this. Why would you need someone with you on check-in if you're an adult? Why would someone need to pick you up if it's just a minor procedure? Why don't you just pack up, sign the papers and go on your way? It's not like they can hold you there, right?

It's a minor procedure but it involves sedative / light anesthesia. Basically I have to get my lower GI tract investigated for pre-cancer every year and they try to remove any faster growths. Nothings ever turned up malignant yet, but it's an annual check-up just in case. They give me some light sedative while they put hoses and tubes in my rectum. Perhaps I could forego the anesthesia, I haven't asked.

The "we can't let you drive yourself home" policy is always due to anesthesia/sedatives. If you're not receiving those then you can drive yourself.

Re: Ask HN: What are some promising side/solo business ideas?

#27

Post by gcheong »

JackOfCrows wrote: post #2

I am a single person in a city where I don't know anyone because I just moved here. I need something that will set me up with someone to run me home from the medical clinic as I need minor surgery and can't drive myself home. They will not release me to an Uber or Lyft or anything. So I need someone to drive me, sit there, then drive me home. The services that do this for old people think I'm insane. None of the car…

Try posting on a FB BuyNothing group for your area if there is one. I've seen rides given for things like this and other things (like taking trip down to the South Bay to go to the only remaining Arby's).
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