At Your Service

Day 9 of the 150 Best Self Edison Deck is an entrepreneurship card: Services that should exist but don't. In full disclosure, my quick list of 10 thoughts in 10 minutes has not been vetted against every known business in the world, but I can be sure that they are not services that I've found readily available.

1. The Modern Wishing Well – This came to mind after hearing Gregory Pardlo's poem "Wishing Well". We all need more wishing wells, one where you can make a virtual wish online and throw in a few coins (or bit coin) to grow by leaps and bounds shepherded by investment managers wanting to do good. The profits are used to make a few wishes come true. Think of it as Make a Wish Foundation meeting incremental share investing meeting social good. We all need a place where wishes are held and valued.

2. Let's Go! I can envision a service that makes daydreaming a reality. Imagine reading an article about an amazing place and thinking, “I’d like to go there.” For example: I read about Arniano Painting School and chef Amber Guinness in a New York Times article that told the story of a Tuscany family passing on the art of serving country comfort food and mentoring creativity. Usually, I'd think to myself, I’d like to go there and either forget about it, or talk myself out of it because of cost, hassle of planning, etc. This service does the research, negotiates the costs, sets up a payment plan, and makes a daydream into reality. Basically, it’s Pinterest meets travel agent, meets financial planner/banker.

3. Pet Travel – After experiencing my first excursion of bringing a pet on an airline, only to have the space not available at the last minute, receiving conflicting information on locations of the pet-relief areas, being rerouted and delayed by five hours with two trips through TSA kennel inspection, I can envision a service that brings your pet to you or provides boarding options where you live or where you are going so you can plan all the things you’d like to do but have your pet's well-being planned at the same time. The service coordinates all the details, the necessary travel certificates, and makes sure that your pet is happy whether its boarded or traveling.

4. Hair Counseling – Some hair stylists say their clients tell them more than they may want to know and some therapists wish there was a less intimidating way to bring out what's on their client's minds. Imagine a service that has your hair done with a co-licensed therapist hair stylist (or perhaps a tag team may be more realistic). Having a bad hair day takes on all new meaning.

5. The Remote Concierge – With remote working becoming a standard in many people's lives, this is a service where you can have your own virtual or in-person personal assistant. Someone to pick up your dry cleaning, shop and ship gifts, and even book your vacation. It's on demand, when you need it and the site stores your preferences so you can attract the high performers by tipping more for exceptional service.

6. Singer/Song Writer for a Day – Auto-Tune and GarageBand meet to give you the ability to write, record, mix, produce and send that certain someone a personalized ballad, love song, or break up anthem. All at near-to studio quality. Perfect for any occasion.

7. Just Like Mom Used to Make – Load those special recipes and/or send a sample into the Specialty Cook’s taste kitchen and with the best of technology following your personal taste test you'll get an updated recipe, or the actual product, guaranteed to please. Once you approve the outcome, your favorite cookies, spaghetti sauce, or chicken dinner is available to be made and shipped on demand. And if you want to share, you can make the dish available to other family members, or the public. One part on-demand meal preparation, one-part culinary test kitchen.

8. Analog/Telephone Services for those without Smart Phones -- With a significant portion of our population without Smart phone technology, but fullly comfortable with Alexander Graham Bell's invention, the telephone, this service offers all the functionality of a Smart Phone. Knowing that privacy/security is imperative, and assuming these issues could be overcome, this would allow anyone to set up a call-in service and have the ability for a concierge to set up accounts in their name and have access to services only available through an app or an online account. Think the COVID-19 vaccine sourcing and appointments (I did this for relatives who didn't have the needed technology), and how the Smart TV (which many do have) can also be used to access critical information on the big screen once accounts are set up.

9. Pickle Me This – Pickling has become the biggest rage, and it seems here to stay. This service allows just like “do-it-yourself” micro-brew services to choose the pickling subject (vegetable, fruit, etc), the seasonings, and the brine. No more vinegar scented kitchens or seals that break or jars that explode. Shipped to your doorstep based on the “ready” date. From kimchi to watermelon rinds to kosher dills, you decide. Expansion opportunities also abound with a design your own kombucha, craft a custom molasses, or even make your own rootbeer.

10. Cyrano for the Generations. Call me biased, but with all the skills and abilities of Gen XYZ, etc. writing sincere correspondence is in short supply. This service would help craft memorable messages for family, loved ones and those "in a relationship" designed to be keepsake worthy, i.e. being so precious that it is tied up with a silk ribbon and passed on to future generations. It also could be used by the other end of the age spectrum where writing skills or computer skills may be limited, but the prose is not. And perhaps those with flowing prose can be partnered with those with a fear of the written word. There are times when we all need a bit of help, when we know what we feel but struggle to put it into words. In the words of Cyrano himself, “My heart always timidly hides itself behind my mind. I set out to bring down stars from the sky, then, for fear of ridicule, I stop and pick little flowers of eloquence.” (Cyrano de Bergerac, Edmond Rostand translation)

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