In this article, I’m going to tell you an idea for finding a profitable niche that I haven’t seen mentioned anywhere else. Most internet marketers tell you to find a subject that you love or are passionate about, but here’s what I think. I take the advice of “sell what you love” with a grain of salt. While I have lots of passions, some I wouldn’t want to make money from.

For example, while I’ve spent about 11 years troubleshooting computer problems, there’s no way I want to use those troubleshooting skills online in some way. It would still be hourly labor and it’s labor-intensive work. A better solution would be for me to sell computer-related infoproducts to help people fix their own computer problems, if they’re inclined to do so.

If you think of yourself as a marketer rather than as someone who sells xyz product, you can find a niche that is potentially profitable ( use http://www.nichebot.com which tells you potential profitability) and learn what you don’t know about it.

Here’s another underutilized source for niche ideas: If you have any ebook collections, I think they’re a goldmine, and not for the reasons people think. If you look at the ones that include special reports-Take for example Free to Sell-If you don’t have it, I’m sure you’ll find it for $2 on Ebay. There is the Ebusiness Encyclopedia which has dozens of reports you can resell. Now these reports may be outdated but they give you dozens of potential niche market ideas.

Plus you’re allowed to take the reports that are there and add to them. And you can do your research right on the web to expand this information into an ebook.

Some examples:

Catering Business
Used CD & Video Store
Child Care Business
Local Tour Operator
Show & Seminar Promotions
Limousine Service
Janitorial Contracting Business
Auto Detailing Business
Party Plan Sales (350 searches for how to be a party planner on Overture)
Bed & Breakfast (487 people searched for how to start a Bed & Breakfast on Overture last month)

Okay those are all business-related, but that’s because I took them from only one of the 20 report collections. Despite how outdated these reports may be, there are hundreds of people searching for information on these businesses on Overture alone. I suspect that’s because the person(s) who wrote these reports knew this information was in demand at the time, and it still is!

I hope that helps you come up with your some potential niche ideas to start with. Then you can narrow it down to the ones that interest you the most. In my mind, coming up with a niche idea isn’t as hard as choosing one and getting started.

Donna Knight is a Computer Trainer and Website Promotion Specialist. She has built over 270 websites and helps new site owners promote their site cheaply. For tips that will help you save money and save time when marketing online, visit Internet Marketing Tools and Reviews blog at www.DonnaKnight.com . Copyright (c) 2006 Donna Knight.