New Online Business Idea

aw2009

Is there anyone out their with experience in designing and operating websites? Would you be interested in a partnership? I have come up with what I think Is an excellent idea for a similar website to tenderme.ie but targeting a completely different industry with which I have experience In. Anyone interested just PM me. This is a good opportunity for someone who is serious and has some experience.

cheers.

Pixelcraft

what do you bring to the table for the partnership? sites like those rely heavily on offline marketing, and unless you have a serious amount of cash I can't see it working.

PCPhoto

I would have the same situation ... have the idea and know how and connections ..... but dont have the money (been sitting on a couple of projects for a while) - have been getting quotations of about 5K for the site - and was hoping to set up 2-3 similar websites - for different (but linked) businesses.

ilikerashers

We have about 4-5 experienced developers with time to spend on new ideas. Am willing to put time into the right ideas so PM if you want to ask questions.

aw2009

Ok firstly thanks to shoutman for re-opening the thread!

I respect people who offer constructive criticism as it is a great help to anybody who has a business idea but is not sure about it. However I do not respect people who make smart remarks.

Without going off topic too much- I just want to say that my waterless car wash idea is not some wacky idea. It does work and I will be opening @ a South Dublin location in mid June and will keep everyone posted about how I am getting on. I also have previously run my own business and sold it on at a tidy profit last year, so I am not an unexperienced entrepreneur going in to this with my eyes closed!

Anyway back to the topic in hand. I didnt want to give away my idea away but feel I have to so I can explain it better and you can then judge for yourself.

Basically It will be a website for individuals and businesses who have Transport needs and want to get the best price. Its all about value for money these days Basically businesses and independent operators bid for your business:

Taxis - long journeys, contract work etc..
Couriers - one off, contract etc..
Haulage - one off jobs, contract etc..

Not sure exactly how the fees would work etc..

Here is what I bring to the table:

50% capital
Third level qualification in Business from Dublin Business School
Previously ran a successful business
I drove a taxi for 3 years ( think of all the free advertising from my taxi driving friends)

that it really - anyway I await your comments/constructive criticism!

Pixelcraft

I'm not sure I see how the site can make money off of this, without being incredibly complicated regarding payment, can you explain a little more how this would work?

aw2009

Pixelcraft wrote: »

I'm not sure I see how the site can make money off of this, without being incredibly complicated regarding payment, can you explain a little more how this would work?

I would have thought the best way to do it would charge the registered suppliers a small fee to bid on a particular job or contract. this could be in the form of a monthly fee to bid on as many jobs/contracts as they want or a pay per bid system.

Hanley

Pixelcraft wrote: »

I'm not sure I see how the site can make money off of this, without being incredibly complicated regarding payment, can you explain a little more how this would work?

Sounds like it would make money as an arrangement service for transports/logistics in much the same way as tenderme.ie operates?

Could set it up to have "preferred partners" who pay a monthly/yearly fee once ya get a better idea of what traffic is gonna be like and can price accordingly too.

Hell could be a handy market research tool in relation to the type of jobs that are regularly requested, could set up an enterprise specifically targeting that sector down the road perhaps.

TheCostumeShop.ie: Ronan

Hanley wrote: »

Sounds like it would make money as an arrangement service for transports/logistics in much the same way as tenderme.ie operates?

Great idea in principle, but would probably not work in practice, very few companies would be willing to admin their prices in open forum. If you do volume with couriers you pay far less than normal businesses do.

aw2009

Fancy Dresser wrote: »

Great idea in principle, but would probably not work in practice, very few companies would be willing to admin their prices in open forum. If you do volume with couriers you pay far less than normal businesses do.

Thanks for the advice as I dont have any experience in the courier business and any advice is helpful.

Would couriers not be dying for business at the moment and be willing to advertise their cheap rates?

For the courier side of things do you think it might work better with one off jobs?

thanks,

GerardKeating

aw2009 wrote: »

Would couriers not be dying for business at the moment and be willing to advertise their cheap rates?

Not all couriers have a fixed price list, some "tuned" the price to the customers, usually telling each customers they are getting a better deal than the rest, if there was a public price list, the customers might find them out in a lie...

lanternman

If I understand your business idea correctly I unfortunately dont see it as a runner.

The reason I say this is because, say most companies have an account with a taxi company and stick with them unless their service is not good or a competitor comes and meets with the company and offer a cheaper service. I think you will find a very similiar position with haulage and courier service.

also, I think you may find that because a lot of people believe that the cheapest is not necessarily the best deal that they would be slow to move around purely on price. eg we like the fact that fed ex etc. guarantee delivery by 12 the following day.

Pixelcraft

also there is no enticement for the end user. If I want a courier or taxi, I'm not going to post to a website where I may not get any replies, or if I do it may be far too late. I'm going to ring, talk to someone immediately and order.

vanGogh

There is a website in existance called BidForFreight.ie. Was on Irish dragons den a couple of months ago. Don't know how well its performing but it would be worth checking out as a business model for your idea.

fergalfrog

I looked into this idea before. In fact I had a site half built.

At the moment I don't plan to take this any further as I don't have the required time and I think it requires a lot of effort to make it into a successful business.

PM me and I will send you details on where I got up to.

byrne0f56789

Seems to be a lot of maintenance from the web development end. The question is, can the model can sustain the development team and make a profit? Will it spread through word of mouth?

I'm not familiar with this sector but I wish you luck.