Great Idea #22: Kidz Dollarz

Like Kidz Bodz, but for financial education.

How many young people get their first credit card, max it out and then wonder why they can't afford anything?

How many people of all ages amass huge amounts of money in a Savings Maximiser account earning 6% when they could be earning up to 20% if they invested in shares, managed funds or property?

Plenty of people.

If only kids could learn some basic financial literacy at school, so that they would know how to manage their money once they start to earn some.

Kidz Bodz helps reduce the growing obesity problem, Kidz Dollarz would help reduce the growing debt problem.

Great Idea #21: Harry Potter Reading Room

Ok, now that there will never be anymore Harry Potter books, this idea can never happen.

If you owned a bar two weeks ago, you could have turned it into a "Harry Potter Reading Room" on Saturday night.

You'd have lots of comfortable couches and waiters that come around serving food and drinks whilst people sit around reading Harry Potter.

Great Idea #20: Motivation in a pill

Motivation would be great if it came in pill form.

How many times have you sat in front of a computer with a whole lot of work that needs to be done, but you just can't muster up enough motivation to do it?

You start to make excuses for why you can't do it, you start to think of things you could do to get out of doing it, some of them quite extreme such as quitting your job or getting hit by a bus.

You try having some coffee or an energy drink to wake you up, but that doesn't help.

If only you could pop a pill and you'd suddenly feel like entering that long, tedious list of numbers into a spreadsheet is the most exciting thing in the world......

Great Idea #19: Off the beaten track parties

For some reason, my friends and I frequently come up with lots of really fun party ideas, many of which will never eventuate. Perhaps it's simply because so many of us involved in theatre and we love an opportunity to dress up and show off.

However, it would be great if there was a collection of GOOD party ideas. Not lame ones like "Football party, come in your favourite football colours," but unusual party ideas, like, say, a ladybird party, where everyone must wear black and/ or red and/ or spots.

Even more fun would be to provide a feedback function, where people could rate how their party went, and post photos and tips.

Here are a few ideas we've come up with lately:

-Slinky Pinky party- the trashiest barbie inspired pink outfits you can think of. Trashier the better. If you have a pink trailer in which to hold the party (a la Barbie's trailer), this would be ideal
- Pirate pARty- everyone must talk in a pirate voice, wear a parrot or an eye patch, and preferably amputate a limb. All drinks must include rum, and all food served must include the sound 'AR', such as banARnAR, or pARty pies, or tARcos.
- Asia bling party- Head to toe burberry with ear muffs. Not a single pattern matching on your body, topped off with the world's most enormous earrings. Hello kitty. You get the idea. Serve sushi, mai tais and Japanese slippers.


Get creating the most ridiculous party ideas you can. There's bound to be SOMEONE who loves it and takes it on. Most likely my friends...

Great Idea #18: Suburb Translator

I live in Melbourne. I like living in Melbourne. In fact, I like it so much I'd come here for a holiday, but I can't because I live here. So, instead, I have to settle for a holiday in Sydney.

When I holiday in Sydney, I like to go shopping, have lunch, have coffee and go out for dinner. In Melbourne, I like to go to St Kilda, to Brunswick St, and to Carlton. But because I can't tell Newtown from Nth Parramatta or Narrabeen or Balmain from Bangor or Bonnet Bay, I don't have a clue where to go.

If only there was a way to find Sydney's St Kilda, Sydney's Brunswick St and Sydney's Carlton.....

This is where a suburb translator would come in handy. You enter the name of a suburb in one city into a suburb translator website and it's equivalent in another city will pop up!

Sydneysiders will never have to go looking for a devonshire tearoom in Dandenong again.

Great Idea #17: Schmunday

Ever feel like there's not enough days in the week to get everything done? Wouldn't it be great if time could stand still, just for a little while, so you have a chance to catch up on study and/or volunteer work?

I present to you: Schmunday.

It is a day when no one is allowed to work, see friends/family/partners or do any kind of leisure activity. No meetings can happen on a Schmunday, nor social gatherings. It is a day that only exists for busy people, so everything can get ticked off their to-do list, so that they can maintain a healthy work/life/volunteer work/study/etc balance.

Oh how I could use a Schmunday...

*** This great idea was originally formulated with Kat.

Great Idea #16: Kid friendly healthy snacks

Have you ever had one of those 'pop-top' fruit drinks? They're aimed at kids, maybe about 200ml and taste like super strong, overly sweet cordial. They're disgusting, but they appeal to kids because they're more interesting than water, and they have a pop up lid. They appeal to parents because they fit into kids' lunchboxes, and it means their kids are drinking something. Plus, because it says 'fruit' on the front, parents can pretend it's healthy. Well, being a health teacher, I checked out the label. 25% fruit juice, and something like 50% sugar. BAD!

What a great niche market it would be to market healthy food that was appealing to kids. It seems like snack foods are either totally kid friendly (LCMs, etc) or totally boring. Lots of kids are quite happy to eat healthy food, but it needs to be marketed to the kids. Like these pop top drinks. One could EASILY produce water in the same shape bottles, and colour it with natural colours (not sugars), and maybe add a twist of fruit juice to flabour it. Voila. A healthy drink which fits in a lunch box (good for parents) and is bright and flavoured (good for kids). Easy.

Where health food companies are going wrong, I think, is not looking at the existing market. They need to check out what works for the current market leaders, and then, well, rip it off! Lots of the gimmicks can be reproduced with products which are not high in sugar, or with natural flavours and colours. Things like popcorn are really healthy, and kids love them- but the only version available are covoured in coloured sugar, or toffee. It's so easy to tweak.

Come on, health food manufacturers! You're missing out on the sales opportunity of a lifetime!