Comments on: Contest: What Would You Put in Your Store?

By: Business Plan Writer / Consultant

Business Plan Writer / Consultant — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 17:58:23 +0000

I would use the store to provide books and computers to children. With my wife as a teacher, I see kids that do not know how to use a computer and borrow our books to take home and read.

By: Jason Crowe

Jason Crowe — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 20:23:35 +0000

I think that I would start a business oriented library which would be accessible both online and off.

The effects such a library could have on society could literally extend forever. The $2 mil could be invested, with returns purchasing original books and resources, allowing for steady growth and long term sustainability.

By: Dan

Dan — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 21:24:04 +0000

I would learn and teach. The money would go towards learning and providing high quality educators. Who doesn’t like learning and what could benefit our society more than free education. I would hold free seminars and host lecturers and professors. I would market them as phantom seminars to determine where the most interest is and then host topic based educators accordingly. I think education is something everyone is interested and a free opportunity to learn from revered educators and enthusiastic teachers is something very few people would pass up.

By: Timothy Gritzman

Timothy Gritzman — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 20:18:07 +0000

I think that opening a store that gives away both educational materials with regards to fitness, health, and weight-loss, as well as tangible products conducive to those themes, would have the greatest lasting impact on the consumer.

Obesity is an epidemic in America today. That, coupled with our lack of free public health care, leaves many Americans dead in the water with regards to their health — arguably the factor that will have the greatest impact on their lifespans and quality of life.

In-store we would educate, do free consultations and health panels, seminars, book giveaways, hold fitness classes, etc. The consumer would leave empowered with new tools to reach their now clearly defined health goals. Not only would we impart knowledge and know-how, but the customer would have (free) access to tangible tools: protein powder(s), meal preparation kits, scales, food scales, fish oil, multivitamins, dumbbells, heart-rate monitors, etc.

The store would serve as a distribution center for customers wanting access to larger-scale gym-equipment to open their own fitness facilities.

Finally, and most importantly, every customer would need to be converted into a “health advocate”, armed with knowledge and literature to disseminate amongst their peer group. The store would serve as the nexus of this vast networking web.

The overall impact of this could have far-reaching and life-changing effects on every person who is currently, will be, or has ever been associated with this store.

By: Alisa Bowman

Alisa Bowman — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 15:50:08 +0000

I’d open a resort for washed up moms. No men or kids would be allowed. Moms would come to dry out from parenting. It would have your usual assortment of spa stuff, plus classes on assertiveness, better sex, relaxation, and anything else that can allow them to eventually go home and not get burned out again. Lots of martinis will be served by eye candy boys in tarzan suits.

By: beverly

beverly — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 19:27:10 +0000

In my $2M store, I would have the same principles in giving away items that I had in order to open my shop. Someone would come in and select something – but they would get one and have to have the exact same thing delivered to someone else in another city or country.

I would give away: housing vouchers to pay 25% of annual housing costs, vegetable and flower seeds (and the dirt, fertilizer, etc. to grow them), handmade and homemade clothing and household items, food vouchers, and pets and farm animals.

I would give these things away because they are the basics: food, shelter, clothing, companionship – that started creation.

By: David Fisher

David Fisher — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 18:24:37 +0000

I’d start a micro-funding store/company, not all unlike YCombinator. The whole idea behind this is that these days companies can do a LOT with just a little amount of money. Banks won’t often touch these companies, because they don’t have sufficient collateral or method of repayment. There have been some wildly successful companies started with 10-20K given to them, in exchange only for a small ownership share.

Do this with as many companies as possible to help stimulate the local economy. Not only are you giving money out there, but encouraging more and more business at the same time.

By: rajeelkp

rajeelkp — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 15:16:42 +0000

You know, Each and every man in this world are measured in the scale of the knowledge.So, if i get a chance to open a store with the capital amount you told, i should start a school with high educational facilities.it has no limits.so i give away a lot of knowledge, which you can’t even count.

So, I could proudly face the tomorrow’s society, who would be grateful to me in one way or another.They -who may have reached the highest positions of the society- would be thanking me and i would be a person getting the most respect and love.

By: Tumblemoose

Tumblemoose — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 14:47:54 +0000

I’d limit it to $30 a person and open up an Amazon portal to let folks order up books!

George

By: Cindy Hartman

Cindy Hartman — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 12:56:49 +0000

I would start a high school mentoring program that would provide mentoring & coaching to help entrepreneurial-minded students figure out what they want to do. I know, I know, there’s the SBA, SCORE, SBDC, etc. But this niche is not tapped – that of focusing on the students (mostly those “at risk”) BEFORE they get out into the business world. And the majority of the $2,000,000 would to establish a grant for scholarships for these kids for education and/or start-up money, with the intent they pay it forward once they’re up and running.

Bottom line – I would invest in the future of this country and the small business community, which seems to be forgotten during these tough times.