A Few Trends I’m Investing In Through Domains, Stocks and Websites

I consider myself an observant person and like most entrepreneurs,  I’m always keeping a look out for future trends that can be monetized.  In the past I would invest purely in the stock market but as the years have passed I have put that money into domains and recently have begun developing or buying websites that address these “trends”.  Some of these are by no means new trends but as still in their infancy. Per usual, these are merely my opinion and the only way to find out if they are right is to come back in 5 years and find out.  Here’s what I think are ideas/industries/ movements that are becoming increasingly prevalent in our day to day lives and are worth taking a shot at making some money on.

Obesity: The gap is widening between the have and have nots in today’s society and obesity is no different.  The world is getting fat.  Especially in the United States.  Obesity is not a protected class in the work force and is increasingly becoming correlated with income levels.  Diets have been around for 30 years but I think we continue to see an increased movement towards physical fitness.  Running races and even triathlons are seeing record entries.  As the gap widens,  both sides of the obesity scale are increasing dramatically.  Domains categories I like:  Weight loss, running and exercise (especially triathlons), obesity related to health

Online/Alternative Education:  The cost of a good private liberal arts college in the US is $50,000 per year.  Is an education really worth $200,000?  I see a huge move towards online targeted educations.  One year degrees that are both online and focused towards a specific skill.  Combined with work experience many employers will be more accepting of someone with these types of degrees.  Especially if they can regulate the online schools.  Most major colleges are offering online courses, even degrees, and if the money is good enough, I see them giving out shortcut degrees.

Any Competitor to Visa and Mastercard: We really need another trustworthy form of credit or payment that is cheaper than the big 4 (Visa, Mastercard, Amex, Discover).  I think paypal and square are getting there but always looking for the next thing in payment.   I think we can beat the 1.5% they are charging.

Bump and Tap Domains: I realize it sounds a little silly but with touch screens and data sharing through bumping,  I think that you’ll see more companies or apps with these words in their name.  I know. It’s a stretch.

Crowd Matching Services/Products: I’ll look at any company or idea that can match a service or product that individuals can supply to the people that want it.  The money right now is not in performing the actual service but gathering and sourcing the people that actually do it.  First in have a huge advantage.  I have noticed that many of these type of companies have chosen to use non generics (etsy, 99 designs) so it may be a little more important to focus on the companies rather than the domains in this case.