For years, people across the UK have wanted to break out of their business mould and start something new and fresh, something where they hold the reigns and can make important decisions for themselves, something where, maybe, they could earn more.

As far as business opportunities go, there are a number of ways somebody can stake their claim. Some are bizarre and risky, some are safe and profitable. We’ve presented a number of them here from both sides.

One avenue that people go down is invention. If you can create a novel product that would be useful to people, or that people don’t need but want, then you have a big head start on making your own business and drawing in profits. Weird enterprises that have come out of this are the Ottimat, a mat made from human hair that’s used to soak up oil spills, and Smartgrow, another mat woven from human hair, but this time used to aid in plant growth.

The fact that there are two successful products based entirely on waste human hair might be surprising, but it just goes to show the variety of places innovation can come from.

Another option might be to offer a new service, either by combining two or more already existent services into one, a coffee shop, a bar and a beauty salon, for instance, or recognising an opportunity created by the emergence of a new hobby or invention, such as training for video games.

However, these all require you to recognise the gap in the market and hope that nobody else has beaten you to it. They are not safe businesses, nor do they give a guaranteed profit. Because of this, many people opt to buy in to a franchise. With a franchise, you’re offered support from people with experience in the trade, and can use an already established brand.

There are many more options to consider when looking to strike out alone. This post should have presented a few ideas, but independent research is an important part of any business plan.