Entrepreneur Corner

The bicycle stand example has exactly the same problem as the ones suggested. You need something to measure the tire pressure, you need materials to make the booth and the signs. I bet you'd have trouble finding those for $5.

You are missing the point. The point is to get beyond the perceived constraints we have, be it self imposed or by society, and to utilize our grouped ingenuity in recognizing a potential demand and acting on it without the preconceived and self defeating perceptions that we require X amount of money and resources. Opportunities surround us, yet it wasn't until these people were in a classroom with a challenge in front of them before these small opportunities were converted into dollars.

You could sell bottled water. Full case study already done by this guy. Turned $5 into $24 in 30 minutes by selling it on the side of the street:
http://www.nevblog.com/2005/04/bottled-water-ex...

I would short the dollar in the forex markets.

Pretty cunning thinking by those students; quite out-of-the-box. I wonder if any of these students kept up their mini-businesses while at uni. Probably not the long-lines business as students enjoy their Saturday nights too much, but the bicycle one was genius - $200 in 2 hours is a pretty decent wage and an exceptional income for a student!

I miss all these tales that you hear from university lectures. It was enthusiastic lecturers like this lady who encouraged me to make a go of running my own business.

Put a bullet in the head of a rich pig and siphon off his cards

I Would Buy 4lbs Of Coffee Roast It, Sell It approximately (160)Cups @ 1.50 = $240

Problem with that is you need to buy the coffee beans, the roaster, the cups, the peculator, etc, and that'll cost more than the original $5 seed fund. The great thing about the student examples (except the guy who suggested a party) was that they could be funded on only $5 (or less!). The only exception may be the bike tire pressure guys, but I'm sure you could get a second hand pump for that price.

Well Actually Since You Put It That Way, I Already Have All Of The Above, So I Could Just Throw A Coffee Party Pay What U Can & Make A Mint. I Feel It Just Depends On Ur Environment, Mine Is Coffee. If I Was Located Near A Gym With 2hours, I'd Do Group Personal Training :D Thanks For The Reply..

I Type All My Words With A Capital Letter At The Start And I Didn't Understand The Point Of The Exercise.

prostitution

this works for both men and women

probably the quickest is oral

the other suggestions assume having other equipemnt

for example forex - access to the net, an account, computer resources

making coffee - the kit to make coffee and sell it

if you ONLY HAD $5 and two hours, not if I gave you $5 and told me to return in two hours with the maximum return

I guess if they were allowed to go the illegal route, they could have bought a 2x4 and hit someone over the head with it and stolen their wallet. Probably could have made 100x ROI in an hour.

Because violently attacking someone and then robbing them is exactly the same thing as sex between two consenting adults.

I'd go to convenience story and buy candy and balloons and tell a heartfelt story that I am trying to buy airfare home to my little girl in time for her birthday.

Most people would not even want the candy or the balloons and give me money any way. I could probably make a couple hundred dollars

Advertising dollars strike again. After evaluating through all their plans, there is one element that was consistent, a skill of persuasion; this could be something that came naturally, but perhaps also a skill to be honed. Ultimately no matter how great the plan might be (ie advertising to possible recruits) the entrepreneurs need to have the ability to persuade the investors/buyers in such a manner they did not have time to think about or simply downplay the inherent risks/lack of returns.

I don't think it's realistic for the students to only be confined to that $5 to spend. Out in the 'real world' they would most likely put a lot of their own hard earned cash (in addition to their seed funding) toward their venture.

They were out in the real world - they were dealing with students and non-students around the Stanford University campus and making real money solving real problems. That sounds like a perfectly reasonable proof that this exercise works, and works well, at getting entrepreneurship students to think outside of the box.

Furthermore, given that it happened in the past, I find it extremely realistic. And obviously very successful (turning $5 into over $600 in only two hours is excellent, they should try and package that system and repeat it thousands of times over).

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It's a bit surprising to me that a room that I suspect to be full of educators and entrepreneurs wasn't more responsive to this excellent speaker. I only wish I could sit in on a talk with her!

her book, "what i wish i knew when i was 20" is fantastic. I highly recommend this and tom kelley's "the art of innovation"

Really amazing stuff. Our minds are our limits :)

To me the $5 is an obvious red herring. The value of your existing resources and connections likely exceed $5. The two hours thing does allow you do some rather unsustainable revenue models...

I saw once a guy selling corn at S. Marc Square in Venice (Italy) to tourists who wanted to take a picture with the pigeons. Well, the guy was making around 300€/hour tax free. I guess you do not even need a degree for that!

I knew once a guy who was an upper manager of a company selling antivirus software to clueless computer users who just want to use their computers. Well, the guy was making around $110k/year just sitting in his office playing WoW. I guess you do not even need a degree for that!

Thanks for the excellent video. I found the presentation fascinating and valuable. It makes me want to take the challenge! THanks for sharing.

I think I would rather have 5 hours and 2 dollars...

Thanks for posting this! We are launching the next Global Innovation Tournament this coming week with at brand new challenge. We now have thousands of students in 45 countries participating. http://git09.stanford.edu/

Also, thanks for the mention of my new book, What I Wish I Knew When I Was 20.
http://bit.ly/2GUYAD

I sold watermelons on the beach...I had 15 dollars left and made 70 the first day.

That's an interesting challenge. I've made money in many ways and it seems that the options are unlimited and can be really creative.

Andy
http://www.chitchatquizzes.com

Its simple I would buy me a window wiper a bucket and a small cloth and be off to wash cars or any window to start off.

You can always start something given certain constraint. But, is this business from the entrepreneurs students is sustainable?
In Australia, we have these unemployed people waiting in the traffic light to wash the car's glass. People making $2 only by putting their soap and wiper on the cars window. But, everybody know that it's a rip-off, and people give them money not because of their service, but because they start wiping before the drivers have change to say "No".

Cest tres bien!

Brilliant! Its all about having the mindset, "how to make a buck". Do you know the art of alchemy, how to create something out of nothing, its about wearing the "possibility glasses".

Register on www.ShaadiKaroge.com and marry a rich man/woman. You will be rich even without spending 5 dollars.

i like the quiz, our team once have this game