Some of us tend to think a lot about starting a new business around the holiday season every year. Maybe it’s because we are shopping more, using online services more, visiting the high street and noticing little frustrations and missing elements a little more!

If you’re and individual  and you’re looking for a new business idea for 2013, try thinking outside the box and looking for opportunities that are innovative, fresh and completely unique in some way. Becoming an entrepreneur is extremely challenging.  Not only will it take a promising business idea to achieve success, it will also take time, research, dedication, commitment and a high level of self-discipline.

In today’s world of economic challenges, entrepreneurship is no longer considered to be a luxury. It is considered to be a means of financial survival. According to many, we are living in, what Daniel Pink referred to as in his 2002 book, a “Free Agent Nation”. In short, this means that the future of our economic success is based on the ideas and projects taken on by those that elect to work independently, instead of for an employer. In order to achieve financial freedom and a successful start up in 2013 and make it through the treacherous economic climate that now looms continuously, it is imperative that you get a head start by brainstorming new and fresh business ideas for 2013.

Here are 5 ‘outside the box’ business ideas that individuals can use to build on in 2013

The Green Consultant

If you have an interest in the environment, protecting the planet and reducing carbon footprints, you should consider the small business idea of becoming what is referred to as a “Green Consultant” for businesses in and around your area, or even those that conduct their business on the World Wide Web. In a world where information is readily available on the detrimental effects of certain industries on the environment, global warming and the greenhouse effect, there is more pressure than ever for businesses to adopt practices that are considered to be “Environmentally Correct”. It does not matter if it relates to reducing the amount of energy that a business consumes, the use of environmentally safe products or enhancing a company’s overall level of sustainability, starting a business in green consultation is a very productive step for the entrepreneur that has the desire to immediately thrive financially in the year 2013.

In today’s world, consumers are placing an exceptionally high value on businesses that incorporate green practices into their day to day operations and utilize those practices in producing the goods that are offered on the market. By becoming a green consultant, you will be able to assist a multitude of companies in various industries to optimize the amount of value that they provide consumers. In addition to this, you have the ability to assist those businesses in reducing the costs that they incur as a result of operations, eliminate many potential risks that are associated with their operations and increase their retention level when it comes to their employees. As a result, the businesses will start to thrive due to an increase in productivity and sales. Green consulting firms are still considered to be a relatively new concept that is sure to continue to grow in popularity. Based on the innovation of this idea and the increasing popularity of the concept, this is sure to be one of the most profitable business ideas for 2013.

Disaster Preparation Consultant

If you have a passion for assisting others and helping during challenging events, such as natural disasters, you may benefit from the business idea of becoming a disaster preparation consultant. It is not at all uncommon to see numerous stories each day in the news about tropical storms, hurricanes, tornadoes, wildfires, tsunamis, floods and earthquakes. Businesses that are impacted by these types of disasters may find that they result damage that exceeds thousands or even millions of dollars. Years of hard work and dedication could be instantaneously wiped out by not being properly prepared for these types of events. Many businesses have actually had to close their doors permanently due to the devastating effects of disasters that have imposed on their facilities and operations. As a disaster preparation consultant, you may be able to prevent these types of complications from impacting businesses.

In the past several years, the world has been impacted by extremely uncommon and frequent severe weather situations. Natural disasters are occurring more rapidly than ever before. Business leaders are starting to see the potential for devastation and are more interested than ever before in properly preparing their companies for these events in order to minimize losses. As a disaster preparation consultant, you have the ability to assist numerous companies in successfully planning and potentially managing the situation should it arise.  In order to succeed with this business idea, you will need to have the expertise and capability of teaching businesses how to protect all of the individual components of their business. As natural disasters and freak weather storms continue to occur, the demand for these services will increase. As a result, this can definitely be considered to be a great business idea for 2013 that you can build on and apply your own unique slant to.

Social Media Marketing Consultant

According to statistics, less than 25% of small businesses have a strategy for successfully utilizing social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. These businesses consistently struggle with developing a strategy and deploying a strategy once they develop it. Most complications in social media usage for the purpose and intent of advancing a business occur as a result of inexperience. As a social media marketing specialist, you will have the ability to instruct businesses on what to do with social media platforms and how to do it. You will assist them with their strategy, deployment on various channels and their all round reach to their target markets.

You will also advise the development of  a tailored social media plan. In addition to this, you will also lead these businesses in their marketing efforts on social media platforms, not just their brand awareness campaigns. Facebook reached the threshold of one billion users in September of 2012. LinkedIn reported reaching 175 million users in June of 2012. By showing businesses how to sucessfully harness the power of social media, you are helping them increase their customer base and optimize their marketing efforts for profitable campaigns.

In a world where social media interest is consistently growing, starting a business as a social media marketing consultant promises to be a very profitable business ideas in 2013.

Freelancer

If you are interested in being self-employed and not being legally obligated to any type of company, you should consider becoming a freelancer. In this position, you would complete projects designated by businesses. In this type of business, you represent yourself and you specialise in a specific type of work that is considered to be in high demand. Given the fact that numerous businesses are now outsourcing their projects to freelancers, this is considered to be one of the most promising business ideas of 2013. As a freelancer, you could specialize in creating webinars for businesses, writing content for websites, creating blogs for companies, updating Facebook Fan pages, creating artwork and a wide array of other projects.

Freelancers are creative, innovative and have the capability of earning a highly lucrative income by simply doing what appeals to them, as individuals.

Become an Author

Have you always wanted to write a book? Do you have a dream of seeing your name on a Kindle eBook or on a paperback book? Now, with the increased popularity and ease of self-publishing with Amazon and CreateSpace, you can make your dreams come true! In today’s world, millions of people have found a high level of financial success by publishing their own books. Long gone are the days where you have to get your manuscript approved or pay hefty fees to become an official author.

Now, all it takes is an idea, an Amazon account, a CreateSpace account, a little time and creativity and your dreams of becoming a published author instantly become a reality! Billions of users are on the internet daily searching for information on just about every topic.

By taking advantage of the opportunity to share your expertise on a topic, you have the potential to acquire great exposure for your writing skills. I would consider this to be one of the most simple yet potentially profitable of business ideas for 2013.

Summary

There are so many different business ideas for the individual that appear quite promising business ideas for 2013. In order to determine your route, it is important to consider your passion. By uncovering your passions, you will often discover your path as an entrepreneur. Once you are on the business path that is intended – specifically for you – you will be able to create a business that will assist in fulfilling your professional purpose.

In order to make your business ideas a success for 2013, remember, you must make a plan, and move forward on that plan with 100% commitment, dedication, focus and hard work. In doing so, you will pass all expectations for success that you have for yourself throughout the year. In order to start a business that will be lucrative, it must be unique, innovative and provide you with an “edge”.

Each and every single one of the business ideas highlighted throughout this guide meets each of these criteria. The first step is deciding which business idea to put your focus. By knowing what’s considered “Hot” as an entrepreneur, you are sure to travel down the road that you are uniquely destined to experience in all of your business endeavors.