Is this a good business idea, or a passing fad?

I came across this interesting short video clip on BBC South-East this week about a couple of teachers who have set up a new enterprise named “Passing Buys”...

The aim of the Eastbourne-based business is to combat the rising price of food by allowing their customers to sell surplus fruit and vegetables from their gardens, or swap it for something else.

The business sounds very worthy, but there has to be a question mark about the viability of this start-up?  The teachers concerned have five children to look after, so the enterprise has to earn some kind of return.

The question for your students might be - is this worthy idea doomed to fail?

Revision Presentation - the Startup Cash Flow Forecast [13 May 2012]
Revision Quiz - Sources of Finance for a Startup [12 May 2012]
Revision Quiz - Cash Flow Forecasting for a Startup [12 May 2012]
Enterprise, Location and Culture - Inside the new Google Campus in London [14 Apr 2012]
Simple solutions to everyday problems - Spanx [11 Mar 2012]
Start-ups - the Wooden Smartphone? [4 Mar 2012]
Lesson video : Franchising for beginners [4 Mar 2012]
Online marketing at children [19 Dec 2011]
Characteristics of an entrepreneur - Fil Adams-Mercer [13 Dec 2011]
Empty Shelves at Sainsbury’s - You Decide! [27 Nov 2011]
Unilever hit by rising costs [6 Nov 2011]
How PepsiCo are trying to control diseconomies of scale [18 Oct 2011]
EntrepreneursLIVE! 2011 - Speaker Line-Up [17 Oct 2011]
Revision Quiz - Startups and Understanding the Market [16 Oct 2011]
Revision Quiz - Market Research for a Business Startup [13 Oct 2011]
Revision Quiz - Locating the Startup Business [12 Oct 2011]
Revision Presentation - Risks and Rewards to Enterprise [7 Sep 2011]
Revision Presentation - Objectives of New Businesses [6 Sep 2011]
Revision Presentation - Enterprise Skills [6 Sep 2011]
Revision Presentation - What is a Business? [6 Sep 2011]
Insights from an Entrepreneur - Lara Morgan (Pacific Direct) [5 Sep 2011]
Luke Johnson on sources of finance for a startup [29 Aug 2011]
Debunking the myths of entrepreneurs and startups - a must read [28 Aug 2011]
Spotify - Five Years to Break-even [28 Aug 2011]
Entrepreneurs and Calculated Risks [25 Aug 2011]
Tim Harford on why it its good for new businesses to fail [16 Jul 2011]
Introducing the “austerity” entrepreneurs [4 Jan 2011]
Celebrating the Everyday Entrepreneurs [29 Dec 2010]
BUSS1 Revision Quiz - Sources of Finance for a Startup [13 Dec 2010]
Dominos Pizza - Growth & Strategy (Part 3) - Smart Marketing [26 Nov 2010]
Dominos Pizza - Growth & Strategy (Part 2) - Innovation, Service and Smart Operations [26 Nov 2010]
Start-ups - a surge in new businesses post recession [2 Nov 2010]
Sectors of the Economy - Online is Worth £100bn [30 Oct 2010]
Hilary Devey - Profile of an Inspirational Entrepreneur [22 Oct 2010]
How to start a toy shop [12 Oct 2010]
Insights from an Entrepreneur - Laura Tenison (JoJo Maman Bebe) [11 Oct 2010]
Insights from an Entrepreneur - Will King (CEO King of Shaves) [10 Oct 2010]
Business structure in the UK - the rise of micro companies [21 Sep 2010]
Who ate all the pies? [17 Sep 2010]
Why we should encourage our students to start a business at university [1 Sep 2010]
Lesson Worksheet - Enterprise & Entrepreneurs [9 Aug 2010]
Essential business reading for the summer! [5 Aug 2010]
Can performance-related pay motivate the SCD celebs? [18 Jul 2010]
Entrepreneurs LIVE! 2010 - THE Enterprise Event for Students in 2010 [1 Jul 2010]
New BBC Resource: Start Up Stories [25 Jun 2010]
Rajeeb Dey to Speak at the 2010 Business Teacher National Conference [3 Jun 2010]
Flexible Working More Popular than Bonuses as a Source of Staff Motivation [2 Jun 2010]
British vodka beats the world! [19 May 2010]
How to make a million before lunch! [12 Apr 2010]
Retrenchment at the BBC [26 Feb 2010]
Entrepreneurial success - Cath Kidston bucks the recession [25 Feb 2010]
Marketing in a recession: more focus on brand advertising and product enhancements [20 Feb 2010]
The 40 Schoolboy Errors Made by Startups [6 Feb 2010]
Customer service in action - the shop sleepover [22 Dec 2009]
Some good reasons why startup business plans are a waste of time [17 Dec 2009]
Primary v Secondary Market Research for a Startup [4 Dec 2009]
High street trends - pop-up shops and Poundland niche [28 Nov 2009]
BOGOF becomes BOGOFL (or BNFNT) [18 Nov 2009]
Startups and Small Businesses in Numbers [14 Oct 2009]
Teaching Activity on Startups - Mini Briefs [7 Oct 2009]
The Decline of Newspapers Creates a Surge in Local Startups [4 Oct 2009]
V-Water - from start up to exit [4 Oct 2009]
Emma Jones to speak at the Business Teacher National Conference 2010 [30 Sep 2009]
Born in the Storm - 4 Start-ups One Year On [16 Sep 2009]
Memory Challenge - Start-ups [15 Sep 2009]
Is a recession the perfect time to launch a technology start-up? [14 Sep 2009]
Icing on the cake for entrepreneurs [13 Sep 2009]
Research Start-Ups! Team Challenge [4 Sep 2009]
AQA AS - Unit 1 - Starting a business - The BMX Box [28 Aug 2009]
AQA AS Business (BUSS1) - Recommended Websites (2009/10) [27 Aug 2009]
Business angels take flight - just when small businesses need them [12 Jul 2009]
Recession Bites - new food shopping habits [29 Jun 2009]
A Mars A Day The Original Recipe Way [28 Jun 2009]
Have local newspapers entered the final decline phase of their product life cycle [22 Jun 2009]
Tracking the progress of three new start-ups [21 Jun 2009]
Q&A - What are the main personal sources of finance an entrepreneur can obtain for a start-up? [27 May 2009]
Q&A - Should a start-up raise investment from outside investors? [27 May 2009]
Q&A - Why are start-ups vulnerable to cash flow problems? [26 May 2009]
Q&A - How can a business handle a loss? [26 May 2009]
Why businesses fail - an interview with Pepita Diamand [24 May 2009]
Q&A - What are the main drawbacks to an entrepreneur of starting a business [22 May 2009]
Television suggestion - Blood Sweat & Takeaways [20 May 2009]
AQA AS Business Unit 1 - Possible Evaluation Questions [17 May 2009]
A booming rental market – for car parking spaces [12 May 2009]
Q&A - What are the main legal areas that a start-up business needs to consider? [1 May 2009]
Q&A - Describe the basics of setting up a business in the UK [1 May 2009]
Q&A - Does a start-up or small business need to recruit staff? [1 May 2009]
Q&A - Why should a small or start-up business employ consultants and advisers? [1 May 2009]
Q&A - What is a bank loan? [1 May 2009]
Video case study - Business Angels [1 May 2009]
Start-ups - the spirit of enterprise lives on [14 Apr 2009]
Q&A - Why is the cash flow forecast so important? [1 Apr 2009]
Q&A - What are fixed costs? [1 Mar 2009]
Q&A - Why do start-ups find it difficult to estimate revenues? [1 Mar 2009]
Q&A - What is meant by the production process? [1 Mar 2009]
Q&A - What is franchising? [1 Mar 2009]
Q&A - What are the main non-financial objectives of entrepreneur starting a new business? [1 Mar 2009]
Q&A - What are the financial objectives of a new business? [1 Mar 2009]
Q&A - What are the characteristics of successful entrepreneurs? [1 Mar 2009]
Video case study - three startups born in the storm [19 Feb 2009]

BUSINESS TEACHER RESOURCE NEWSLETTER
Get first news of business teaching resources, ideas and other materials from tutor2u. Over 9,400 business teachers from the UK and around the world receive our regular teacher email newsletters. Sign up for free here!