A successful business plan doesn’t necessarily require an original idea. Consider this success story:
A few years back, a California chef who was vacationing in Spain discovered the joy of tapas, the traditional finger food that Spaniards eat during the supper hour. On the spot, he knew that people in Los Angeles would go wild for tapas.
What’s more, he knew they’d love the look and feel of the tapas bars that thrive in cities like Barcelona. He decided to import traditional Spanish food to southern California, opening a series of tapas bars around Los Angeles and launching a U.S. dining rage.
Putting your personal stamp on an existing idea can be as bold as importing an idea like tapas bars or as simple as transplanting a successful business concept into your market area — like the countless entrepreneurs who followed the California chef’s lead and opened tapas bars in cities and towns across the United States.
Think about the do-it-yourself pottery painting studios that you see practically everywhere these days. The idea migrated from do-it-yourself porcelain painting, which was born out of necessity by a young housewife who reportedly couldn’t afford matching china. She decided to paint her own and wanted to help others to do the same.
Entrepreneurs adapted the idea into a range of do-it-yourself pottery-painting businesses, including hobby shops; ceramics cafes; party businesses; glass, tile, and mosaic studios; and even pottery-painting books and online stores.