Here there are 15 FREE small business concepts from Germany and 15 from Australia. I think they're all brilliant and, hopefully, you'll find something that inspires you. And remember – if you don't find what you are looking for here then there are more great ideas in the eBook – 101 more to be precise.

1. The upside down house – weltstehtkopf.de

This is a house that has been built – inside and out – completely upside down. So outside, where normally you'd expect the roof to be, you'll find the basement. Inside the house, in the bathroom, you can't use the toilet because it's on the ceiling. According to their website it's the first of its kind in Germany, Europe and probably the entire world. Because of the special technical requirements involved, the building costs were higher than normal but the business concept behind the upside down house is that it will generate income because it has been built in a tourist location, right next door to other tourist attractions and now serves as a museum. Entrance fee for adults just €6; children €4.

2. Sausage letters – wurstbrief.de

The owner of a butcher's shop was thinking about ways to extend his business. What he came up with is the "sausage letter" – a letter containing real slices of salami sausage cut into certain images according to the customers' wishes – hearts, butterflies, pigs, beer steins... you name it. They can be sent to mark a special occasions – birthday, anniversary, Christmas – or as an invitation to a company event. The concept has generated extensive media coverage and German TV even made a movie about it – just click on the Wurstbrief bei Galileo icon on the top right-hand side of the homepage to watch it. It shows the special production procedures that makes the salami last for up to six months. The "sausage letter" comes in transparent packaging and is normally sent by post with a delivery time, within Germany, of between one and two days.

3. The what-women-want shop – was-frauen-wollen.de

"Why is it easier for men to buy a car or fly a Boeing 737 than to find a present for their wife? We have the answer and a suitable present." Finding just the right gift is exactly what these two women do in their shop in Hamburg, a city of about two million inhabitants. The service they provide for men includes a personal consultation, reminders of approaching birthdays and wedding anniversaries, after hours shopping and invitations to special events. The corner where the men sit down with one of the women from the shop to discuss their needs is very cosy with an issue of Playboy on the table and a Harley Davidson in the corner. The idea for the business concept was born when the owners observed what happened in their own circle of acquaintances. "For her thirtieth birthday a friend of ours received a salami sausage from her husband and another woman was given a carton of white wine even though she only drinks red." Their product range includes lingerie, jewellery, handbags, fashion accessories and beautiful things for the home.

4. Handcar trips for tourists – draisinentour.de ; erlebnisbahn.de ; eder-draisine.de

Tourists can rent out a handcar, the kind railway maintenance workers use to get about in, to travel around a couple of kilometres of a disused railway line. There are lots of sightseeing opportunities and restaurants to stop at along the way. The hand trolley can be "parked" in special bays or even taken off the rails if the guys behind you are travelling faster. As the saying goes: a picture's worth a thousand words so just Google "draisine" and click on the image results – you'll get the picture. There are different kinds of hand trolleys around. Some operate like riding a bike and others involve two people pumping a pivoted bar up and down – they're sometimes called pump trolleys. Some models can carry up to twelve people. There are a number of operators in Germany and some offer itineraries that can be combined with bicycle or boat trips.

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5. Cake baking moulds to rent or buy – backformenverleih.de ; bringbackform.ch

A physical shop and a website where you can choose from a range of 400 different moulds for baking and decorating cakes that are available for short-term hire or to purchase. Choose between Harry Potter, soccer players, animals, cars, boats, Santa Claus, signs of the zodiac, I-love-you, angels... you name it, they've probably got it. Plus they can supply everything you'll need to create the perfect cake – icing, decorations, coloured spray, baking powder, baking instructions and food colourings to dye the cake mixture. They are great for birthdays, wedding receptions, anniversaries, Easter, Christmas or any time you want a special cake. The hire arrangement is for ten days inclusive of postage. The delivery time by mail within Germany is between one and two days. Prices start from €4.80. The website is in German and French.

6. A training circuit for children to learn the rules of the road and road safety awareness – jumicar.com

The concept is described as: "Road safety practice circuits for children of all ages, at both permanent and mobile locations (e.g. town festivals, open days, fairs, family fun days, corporate or chartiy events).The motor-driven, junior-sized cars are safe, quiet and environmentally friendly." It's a franchising operation which runs in fifteen European countries. Children drive the cars themselves which are throttled to a maximum speed of 15 kilometres per hour. Every child wears a helmet and every new driver receives a free provisional driving licence. The website is in German and English.

7. Professional support for the broken hearted –
liebeskummer-praxis.de

"If love fails this can unhinge even the strongest person. In that situation nearly everybody needs somebody who can quickly provide sympathetic help to get them through the difficult emotional phase and find their way back to normal." That is exactly what this psychologist offers to do. "I'll stay by your side no matter whether it is about helping you through the break-up of your relationship or whether you want to try to get your partner back." As well as offering personal consultations there are also seminars, coaching and a book available.

8. Ice-cream for dogs – dogissimo.eu

This business concept was conceived in Austria. It is a "normal" ice-cream shop which sells ice-cream not only for human beings, but for dogs as well. The owner has three dogs herself so she knows that in summer dogs with a heavy coat suffer in the heat and often need to cool down urgently. The dog ice-cream was developed in conjunction with veterinarians and food experts and contains no additives and no artificial flavours or colourings. It comes in three flavours for discerning dogs – rice, soy and vanilla. Retail price: €6.90 for 300 ml. The website is in German and English.

9. Alcohol in big bottles – bottleworld.de

This is an online shop. What makes it unique is the supersize bottles it offers. "We are especially proud of our special sized bottles with champagne available in sizes up to 12 litres; whisky up to 4.5 litres; vodka up to 6 litres; and gin, prosecco, tequila and wine up to 3 litres." Nearly every type of liquor comes with short historical background notes. We learn for example that vodka was probably invented in Russia in the 16th century as a result of a surplus after harvesting the rye crop and that the optimal percentage of alcohol in vodka is 40%. The oversized bottles come in specially designed wooden crates. Postage is free for orders of more than €130.

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10. Website for social projects – wikando.com ; ido-world.com

The purpose of these websites is to link up projects that need doing, on the one hand, with private individuals and business entities who have the capacity and the willingness to help on the other. Examples of projects given on their website are: assisting a school for handicapped children in Irkutsk in Siberia; assembling a collection of second-hand books in English for a library in Mongolia; or a project to provide 4000 households in Ghana with drinking water. The donor can choose which project they want their money to go to. The second website works in a slightly different way. They already have sponsors on board and if a private individual donates a certain amount of money for a particular project, the sponsor (a major brewery, for example) tops up the donation, at an agreed rate, until the money needed for that project has accumulated. So, if you donate €10 to a project that has a "turbo" factor of ten, a sponsor will donate €100 thus turbocharging your donation.

11. Courses to enable engaged couples to create their own wedding rings – schmuckgarten.de

"Wedding ring seminars – forge your own luck!" A goldsmith set up workstations in his own workshop where couples can create their own golden wedding rings. "The wedding rings you forge with us under professional guidance will be as unique as your love – exactly how you want them to be!" The course can be booked on weekdays or weekends and takes from six to eight hours. Digital photos are taken to record the process of creating the rings. Coffee and cake are provided as part of the package and you can even book accommodation in the same building. Engraving of the rings is done as soon as they are completed. The course fee is €120 for a couple plus the cost of the materials to make the rings.

12. Movies featuring attractive girls and prestige cars – carstuckgirls.com

A gender-related business concept whose appeal is as easy to grasp as women running a shop to help men buy presents for their wives. Take an attractive female model or two, an iconic car and put them together in a road movie. The result is a film about one or two girls driving their car from A to B who, unfortunately, get stuck in the mud, sand, or snow. Since they are "alone" they are forced to try to get themselves out of this predicament. No sex scenes involved but the precise make and model of the car is given or you can choose a movie that features a particular girl. There are many different makes of cars and girls to choose from. The DVDs are posted in discreet, neutral packaging. Prices start from €10. The website is in English.

13. Online household hints for students – Ask mum – frag-mutti.de

A collection of more than 7000 household tips for students and young people who have left their parents' home and are living on their own. "Our collection of useful household hints and tips provides all male and female 'bachelors' on this planet with a valuable tool to conquer the challenges of everyday life." The material has been divided into categories for easy reference – cooking, eating, washing, ironing, cleaning and many more. There are even tips on how to save money. A random tip: "Marker spots on clothing can be removed by spraying them with hairspray. Let it settle for 15 minutes then rinse with lukewarm water." The site has become so successful that a lot of the material has been put into books and a second website, Ask dad, has been established. Their online shops sells T-shirts with "invaluable" words of wisdom printed on the front: "Rice pudding tastes fabulous if, shortly before eating, it is replaced by a juicy steak".

14. Life drawing groups – aktsalon.de

Aktsalon, literally translated, means "nude salon" and offers anyone who wants to come along the opportunity to draw or paint from life. "As we do not provide lessons or training it doesn't matter whether you’re a beginner, an art student or an experienced artist. All you need is your drawing or painting materials and an enthusiasm for life drawing." They offer three evening sessions per week in a comfortable spacious studio with a variety of interesting models who will hold a pose for five to twenty minutes. Plywood drawing boards, tables and easels are supplied. The payment system seems very fair: The first evening is treated as a trial run and costs just €5. If you want to continue after that, different options are available. One of them is a ticket for 10 sessions, whenever you want, for €85. The site is in German and English.

15. BBQ on a "barbeque donut" boat – grillandchill.de

An area south of Berlin was used, until about 1992, for open cut coal mining. Since mining operations ceased, the area has been transformed into the largest chain of artificial lakes in Europe. On one of these lakes tourists can hire a "BBQ donut" boat that holds up to 10 people and is equipped with everything necessary for the trip (except a toilet). The diameter of these round boats is 3.56m. They have a maximum speed of about 5 km/h and there are six 48 litre storage compartments for all the food, drink and other equipment. There's an umbrella that can be easily folded up if the wind gets too strong but the boat can handle waves up to 60cm high and is constructed from very durable materials. Currently they have four of these boats in operation on the lakes. Prices vary depending on which of the different packages you choose – BBQ trip, beer party, coffee and cake excursion, business outing or a themed birthday party for children.

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And here are the Australian ideas. Obviously, the descriptions here are much shorter since all the websites are in English. You can check out those that interest you without any language barrier:

16. Eggs delivered in an incubator so that children are able to see chicks hatching from their eggs – livingeggs.com.au

17. Spiders, insects, shells, dandelions and other natural specimens embedded in clear resin – minibeasts.com.au

18. Workshops, held in pubs, for men whose partners are about to give birth to their first child – beerandbubs.com.au

19. Personalised letters for children – letterfairy.com.au

20. Pen and ink drawings of houses – houseportraits.com.au

21. Seminars where you can learn how to study effectively – studysuperstar.com.au

22. A photo of the sunrise for every day since 27 December 1998 – firstdayphotography.com

23. An electronic timer to put a limit on how long children can spend playing video games – gametimelimit.com

24. Freshly prepared meals home delivered – gourmetdinnerservice.com.au

25. Learn to type like an expert – keyboardgenius.com.au

26. A mobile dog washing service. Their eye-catching, well-designed trailers make them unique in this market – hydrodog.com.au

27. Beef, kangaroo, emu or crocodile jerky – or try the mixed pack
– jerky.com.au

28. A sleep mask that blocks out light and sound – hibermate.com

29. A mattress sanitising service – healthprotect.net

30. A social networking site for dogs. Find a playmate, walking companion, dogsitter or other dogs living nearby – dogtree.com.au

This preview selection is designed to give you a clear idea of what I am talking about and what you can expect to find if you decide to download my eBook, 101 successful small business ideas.

The emphasis in 101 successful small business ideas is on presenting companies whose websites are in German. I'm German, so I'm able to smash that language barrier for you and introduce you to some truly innovative concepts. I've added fifteen examples here from Australia, because that's where I’m living now and because the Aussies have come up with some bloody brilliant stuff.

The strategy of taking a business concept from one country, applying a little commonsense, perhaps adapting it slightly then introducing into another country is nothing new – think Sushi Train or Body Shop.

An example of a small-scale business concept that has transferred successfully to a number of different countries is the "chocolate fountain". I've no idea where this one originated but they have spread all around the world – chocolatefountain.ca in Canada; nzchocolatefondue.com in New Zealand; chocolatefonduefountains.com in the US; theoriginalchocolatefountain.com in Great Britain; chocolatefountain.com.au in Australia; schokoladenfontaene.de in Germany; schokomann.com in Austria; rentacook.ch in Switzerland – and probably a whole lot of other countries as well.

Not exactly "small business", but an example of a great, innovative idea is the German concept of lange-nacht-der-museen.de (the long night of museums). A given city establishes a night on which all its museums are open until midnight and connected to each other by extra public transport. It was developed in Germany but has been adopted by at least eleven other countries worldwide including Iceland and Argentina.

All costs and prices are given in the European currency, the euro (€). To calculate the equivalent in your currency just click this link to Google to find a site that does it automatically.

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