Currently I work at a startup that does some brilliant technical things with software security. Honestly, I would not have thought of the idea the founders came up with in a million years. The funny thing is that no matter how powerful or brilliant of an anti-hacking software product we create, we can’t prevent the physical theft of machines from datacenters with it. It is basically impossible for our software to jump out and club a thief on the head. This means that companies still need to hire security guards at sensitive datacenters to prevent the physical attacks of information thieves. I think what is interesting is that the idea behind a physical security firm doesn’t take a PhD to understand, but these security firms are just as vital as my company in preventing data theft.

So what I have realized is that many thriving businesses are actually based on fairly simple ideas. As long as there is a need for a service or product, there is money to be made. The problem with simple ideas is that they are easy to copy so there might be a lot of competition, but with enough research and great execution they can still be very successful.

When it comes to execution of a simple business idea, technical ingenuinity and techniques could propel the business quite a bit. For example, many steps in a retail business can be automated, and having a good online store gives the business a huge competitive advantage. Great internet marketing also helps many small businesses make their presence known in the entire world. These technological advances make simple ideas easier to implement and become profitable.

Another great advantage to simple ideas is that the business could be very easy to duplicate and having a few simple businesses that run off the same infrastructure is easier than working on a complex business idea with a high barrier of entry. So even though there may be more competition, as long as the amount of available business is huge there shouldn’t be any problems to making a simple business profitable.

I am looking into starting a business or two that can be easily automated and generates recurring income. I have a couple ideas, and they may seem silly, but I think as long as I follow through and execute them well they can be quite profitable. Ultimately, I will need to be selling something that people want, and it is my job to create a product that helps people at a great price point. We will see if anything pans out and I will definitely announce my progress as I get to it.

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