Business Ideas in Romania

Never to young to be a teacher!

• Posted by Anca Dragusin on April 11th, 2008 filed in IT & Telecommunications, Services

Opportunity : Cell phone classes for elderly users of the corporate world

Sara has spotted in an earlier post the opportunity of coaching middle-aged and elderly people in the complicated internet world.

Via Springwise I found out about Bellendoejezo, a Dutch company who took this idea one step forward. Bellendoejezo employs students aged 12–16 to conduct cell-phone workshops that cover topics such as using predictive text, creating contact groups, voice mail management, enabling Bluetooth and exploring mobile internet. They target the corporate market and have worked with law firms, banks and an energy company.

If they don’t do it already, Romanian businesses will soon start investing in smartphones for their employees - including middle-aged and elderly persons - with the goal of increasing productivity. However only a small percent of the productivity gains will be available if the most interesting features of the cell phones will never be used. This is why businesses may consider providing their employees with the necessary skills as to maximize the benefits that can be obtained from the new technologies.

On the other hand, teenagers and students seem to be some kind of experts in this domain. This might be a great opportunity for young people with an entrepreneurial bent to launch a relatively easy to manage project. Or it could be transformed into a non-profit initiative - like Bellendoejezo - which would aim at improving the young coaches social skills and self-esteem and at introducing the to the corporate world.

What do you think? Are you already taking advantage of all your cell phones features in order to get thing done faster and easier? Or would you find some coaching on this topic helpful?