Thinking Outside the Square

There are two really interesting concepts on Springwise today.

Free Dance lessons at Paris Airport and Last Minute Spa Bookings in New York.

The dancing lessons tweaked my interest because I though what could therapists teach or offer at places where you would least expect to see a therapist.

How about neck and shoulder massage at hardware stores – must be a heap of tradies that have bad backs and you could hustle up some business.

Garden centres took to the café concept very quickly – what if a reflexologist set up a chair in the corner and offered sessions to weary gardeners.

It is really about thinking right outside the square and approaching the owners with the concept. When you are first to offer something in the marketplace then of course you will struggle initially and get some funny looks. But it is the weird "out there" ideas that set the trends for the future.

Then there is the wotif concept for therapists. So many therapists have downtime, particualry in the early days. Wotif have cornered the last minute accommodation market – how about someone setting up a system where you could place your treatments at a discounted price – at least get something for a spot where no one was going to be and at the same time probably attract a new client who could end up one of the faithful clients who come back many times over.

I have a hotel I stay at in Sydney that I found on Wotif and I wouldn’t have stayed there for full rate but now I always stay there because they treat me like a long lost friend.

There are many ways to get known out in the business world – what crazy places can you think of to start offering treatments at? Oh –the massage at the airport is already being done – but there are still a lot of untapped possibilities.

Ummm - please just pretend you don't know me if you see me doing free dance lessons at Paris Airport :-)