What would be a really lazy beginning to this piece? Start with a quote. Keeping with the spirit, here goes. Marketing whiz Jay Abraham had said “You are surrounded by simple, obvious solutions that can dramatically increase your income, power, influence and success.

The problem is, you just don’t see them.” Beg to differ, sir, but here are 15 ideas — some novel in thought, some in execution and some as sheer genius — that our pack of intrepid entrepreneurs not only recognised but acted upon.

God bless entrepreneurship. Now you don’t have to move out of the house. You can do your grocery shopping, clothes shopping, shoe shopping and even intimates without moving away from your recliner. Unless you are the relic shopper who is still for the look-and-feel buy, the computer really is your oyster. It’s this intrinsic need to vegetate that these idea entrepreneurs have realised and are tapping for business. Some are in for the long haul and other for good time.

They are from among us, PLUs — okay a few are IIT-ians. They use Facebook to popularise their ideas — to connect to PLUs and they talk the language of your needs. Like Amit David Wilson of StoreMore, who’s banking on our collective capacity to consume and hoard. The more we hoard, the more he stores for you. It’s simple. Mumbai-based Bharat Ahirwar realises our reluctance to go bhaaji shopping in the heat or standing in queues in government offices. He gets you an office guy to do it.

Tanvi Surti is trying to end your constant frustration of not able to reach your plumber, just as Mukesh Jha and Janardan Prasad (the said IIT-ians) are trying to find a solution to your auto woes. The core thought for all of them: simplify life. Because why not?

Collect Call: StoreMore

What: Storage service for individuals and households

Where: Delhi/NCR

Price: Rs 299 per month for any number of boxes

On the Sloth Scale: 7 - Because you have to make your own inventory (advisable)

In 2010, Reliable Records was started in Delhi by IIT Kharagpur and IIM Calcutta alum Adesh Sarwan, ex IIM Bangalore’s Amit David Wilson and economics grad Nitin Dhawan. The idea: to help companies store their mountain of paperwork, in a mountain of boxes away from the offices. Last year in June, one satisfied client requested them to store his personal book collection with them.

And StoreMore was born. Till now in a testing phase, the company is all set to go on a collection overdrive from June end — and they are ready to store everything from books to trophies to children’s first clothes to that unused dinner set to wedding albums which they digitise and store the physical copy away. “Anything that has no intrinsic value but more emotional and sentimental attachment,” says Wilson and adds, “We are not a vault.”

Most requests are now coming from people moving cities — the stuff that gets called back. Wilson’s okay with storing more and himself has 20 boxes full of his father’s books. And yes, he pays! Wilson’s not ready to share business figures just yet as he’s in talks for investments but in two years they have two warehouses in Noida and are looking to construct their own facility soon.

They don’t offer insurance as yet but give Rs 100 per box against breakage. What spurs them: people’s ability to consume and of course the changeability of life. “There’s forever stuff happening: children, parents moving in, divorce, marriage, transfers. It makes StoreMore more relevant!” Hoarders of the world can think in the box.

Wash on Wheels: Car Cleanz

What: Doorstep car cleaning service

Where: Delhi/NCR

Price: Rs 1,500 for a dry cleaning (car interiors)

On the Sloth Scale: 8 - Answer the door, hand the car keys and go back to your PS3

An Audi pulling in next to your trusty WagonR is a common sight for you, but for Amit Kumar it was a business opportunity. Three years in the business of car maintenance, he started Car Cleanz — a doorstep car cleaning service — a year back. The idea: if people are spending big bucks on their point-A-to-point-B ride, they will be ready to spend on the upkeep.

And the future seems bright, almost as the Teflon coat he gives to the cars. “It’s a bit slow to change perception in a country where the house help or the driver does double time as the car cleaner,” he says. But most of Kumar’s orders are from medium- to high-end luxury car owners. With a full car sprucing taking up to 4-5 hours, Kumar is upbeat about the future. He now plans to move to other cities through the franchise model. Incidentally doorstep car washing services are also available in Chennai (Flitz & Glitz) and Bangalore (ProWash).

Auto Pilot: Autowale.in

What: Doorstep autorickshaw service

Where: Pune

Price: Differs according to the commute

On the Sloth Scale: 8 - It sure beats hailing an auto, but you have to get out of the la-z-boy to go out

Do you know the first city in India where an autorickshaw was introduced for public transport? It was Pune in 1952. Little wonder then, that it’s also the first city to get the country’s only radio rickshaw service — Autowale. Brainchild of two IIT-ians Mukesh Jha (CEO) and Janardan Prasad (COO) — both from Pune incidentally — Autowale is a service that works like a radio taxi, only for autos though.

Jha calls it a technology platform that links the consumer with the rickshawalah. The duo decided to use the city as a testing ground and the commuters as a lab rats in 2010. Two years hence, no one is complaining. As Ubida Solutions, Autowale that operates through online and call centre bookings, started with 25 autos and today, have 150 autos. They are aiming to reach 400 by the end of 2012.

“We don’t own the autos but we buy kilometres in wholesale from them usually around 2,400 km in a month,” Jha says. A call comes and the closest auto responds. “We cut down on their empty running,” he says. The venture was supported by a local anonymous investor and angel fund Global Super Angels. This year, they plan to raise VC funding to scale up and go to other cities — Bangalore being their next choice.

“Both Pune and Bangalore have unorganised public commute and a similar mix of consumers,” says Jha and adds that Autowale finds favour with women commuters. Incidentally, Ubida also planned the route mapping for the Commonwealth Games in the capital. The two techies want to become a full-fledged travel solutions company.

Red Letter Day: Post on Wheels

What: Neighbourhood mobile van of India Post

Where: Pune

Price: Regular India Post charges for various services

On the Sloth Scale: 5 - Because you have to walk up to the neighbourhood stop. It’s not at your doorstep!

Think India Post. And you picture red letterboxes with chipping paint and government offices, again with chipping paint. But ‘Post Office on Wheels’ — mobile postal service for Pune — will make you do a double take. The spiffy red van is all set to put a new spin on the India Post image. The well-equipped van will run through various parts of the city daily offering on-the-spot services.

West Pune is the chosen one, but it will spread its network soon. The van is authorised to handle all types of postal business — including e-enabled services, opening of new post office saving account, issue of certificates, sale of postcards, postal life insurance, UTI products and all other postal services other than speed post.

And works from 8 am to 8 pm daily — longer than a post office! Not to mention, beats standing in the long postal lines and dealing with ‘out to lunch’ boards. Within a month of its inception the “Post Office on Wheels” managed a revenue of over Rs 21 lakh (the recurring deposit scheme netted more than Rs 19 lakh), according to the figures shared by the Pune City West Division postal department and was accessed by 25,000 Pune residents.

What: A household plant-rental that works with housing societies to get contracts

Where: Delhi/NCR

Price: Rs 250 per month, includes weekly gardener

On the Sloth Scale: You do have to water them six days a week, unless of course you get a cactus

Landscape architect Dev Gujral of Landscape Development has designed green cover for many hotels and corporate offices. Renting out plants for offices was a business aside. Soon a client asked him to rent him some for home. The idea: he loves plants but doesn’t have the time for gardening. It’s this section that Gujral is aiming for with LD’s plants on hire for homes.

But Gujral’s business plan is a little different. “It’s not about renting five or six plants to a house, the logistics of plant care will be immense that way,” he explains. Instead he’s talking to resident welfare associations and housing societies for renting plant cover. “We are soon going to launch a service for Gurgaon where the RWAs have responded to us,” he says.

Ideal scale for him is 500 pots a society that is 100 houses with average 5 pots. “They get a weekly gardener visit and great looking plants minus the hassles for Rs 250 a month,” he says. Given the hectic work schedules and lack of time, Gujral is convinced he’s sitting on a gold mine. Incidentally, many local nurseries run the ‘plants on hire’ services. You may never have to dig the dirt ever again!

Service Charges: At Your Service Mumbai

What: Your very own virtual personal assistant

Where: Mumbai

Price: Rs 10,000 per month

On the Sloth Scale: 8 - You may never have to stand in any line, ever again. Amen!

How much can a good telephone and internet connection help in setting up a business? Quite a lot, if you go by 27-year-old Bharat Ahirwar’s 10-month old business At Your Service Mumbai (AYSM). A virtual personal assistant service, AYSM gives you a PA all for Rs 10,000 a month to take care of anything from handling official documentation, setting reminders, researching for places to eat to organising payment of bills and more.

How it works? You hire an assistant, Ahirwar gives you one of his three trained staff. The helpful voice calls you at 9 am everyday to check on the chore list. She signs off at 6.30 pm with a full report on what happened, what’s pending, what’s needed. “It’s cheaper than the standard PA, which comes for Rs 15,000 and even then may not be trained,” he says. And he doesn’t like to call it a concierge service — “they are over-priced and task-oriented”.

The former marketing professional started out with BigHelp, a Mumbai-based PA service firm for singles. It shut down in 2010. But Ahirwar saw potential in this field. Hiring three office assistants and 2 office boys — who run errands for an additional Rs 100 — he set up AYSM. To attract the client he gives a ten-day free trial. “We also handle ticket bookings, holiday planning and even shopping chores,” he says. In fact, he has helped a client charter a plane and scouted for best jazz bars in Paris.

Today, they have 22 annual clients and also service monthly clients, most of them expats and NRIs. When push comes to shove they even act as translators between their expat clients and their domestic help! Ahirwar, who has three clients in Pune, plans to start an At Your Service Pune soon and in 6-8 months shift the action to Hyderabad and Chennai. “Anyone can get leads calling online yellow pages but it’s the end-to-end coordination that we provide which simplifies life,” he says.

Tackling Tasks: Chachii.com

What: Connects the consumer to service provider for everyday chores

Where: Mumbai

Price: Depends on the service & the budget

On the Sloth Scale: 8 - Getting your home spruced up will not be a chore again

Co-founder and techie Tanvi Surti lets us know at the very beginning that this is not a new concept. Task-related sites have been existing in the US for many years now. Taskrabbit being one of them. Chachii, of course, takes the core idea — of liasing consumers with appropriate labour — from there. But working in India has its own peculiarities. Firstly, it’s not a web-based model — they are still beta-testing the website.

“We are connected to our labour force of 100 [includes plumbers, packers & movers, maids] through SMS as they are not web-savvy,” she says. Surti, who has in the past worked with Microsoft in the US, started Chachii with business partner and fellow techie Nikhil Goyal in 2010. The major challenge was to make people understand that they are “not a concierge service or a maid hiring firm”. Chachii works on the basis of tasks given.

People go online and detail tasks and immediately they send out 10 messages to their workforce and whoever responds first gets the job. They get the commission. It can be anything simple like picking up movie tickets to grocery shopping, cleaning up duties, flower delivery or requests for household repair — from painters, plumbers or electricians.

“The customer has to mention a timeline and budget and we will match their request with a vendor in our network,” she explains. Surti says everyday has been a challenge from getting the right quality of people — they interview and verify each vendor with them — to explaining the nitty gritty of working of the module. The back-end — the SMS platform — took them around 10 months to make.

“Most of our clientele is the younger tech-savvy generation in the 25-35-year age bracket — a majority being working singles and nuclear families.” Incidentally, if you refer a vendor you get redeemable Chachii credits. They plan to take Chachii to Bangalore — “because they understand technology better there”.

Cleaning It Up: Fabric Spa , Glow Shoe Laundry and The Shoe Men

What: Laundry, dry cleaning and shoe laundry facilities

Where: Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore (respectively)

Price: Rs 60 for a shirt; Rs 150 for a basic shoe clean-up

On the Sloth Scale: 8 - You will always be the zero-effort spiffy dresser

If you can have a royal pampering at a spa, why not your clothes? This thought prompted the Bangalore-based Jyothy Fabricare Services Limited — a subsidiary of Jyothy Laboratories Limited — to start Fabric Spa that apparently treats your prized clothes with kid gloves. Sample this: they collect your clothes (minimum of five garments, less is charged Rs 100 service charge) free of cost, and gives it the time of their lives.

And it’s no ordinary laundry, it uses RO water to clean your clothes! Set up with an initial cost of Rs 40 crore, give them a day’s notice. And they also treat it with fragrances — if you want — to make it smell fresh. The laundry call centre works from 8 am to 8 pm. The charges start from Rs 60 each for a shirt and trousers and Rs 170 for a blazer. Silk saris start from Rs 175 onwards. Now that your clothes are being treated to the best you can’t let your shoes take the beating.

Pull the look together with shoe laundry — a take on your roadside mochi, only he now sits in a plush office. Shekhar Shaw of Glow Shoe Laundry in Mumbai started four years ago with the idea that if people are spending Rs 5,000 and above on a pair of shoes, they want to take care of it. Enter show laundry that cleans, buffs the leather, repairs and replaces. It’s as good as new. “Most of our clients are those who have spent more that Rs 2,500 on a pair of shoe,” he says.

Today the Glow guys handle 80-100 shoes from all over Mumbai at their Vashi centre. But it’s Saral Budhiraja of the Delhi-based The Shoe Men who takes it to a whole new level. Budhiraja, who likes his shoes, started the service after he realised a job is not for him. He did a course from Footwear Development and Design Institute and started the service in 2010. This year, he plans to move into a physical outlet where people can drop the shoes instead of him sending the runners all the time.

The Shoe Men charges Rs 150 for a pair of sports shoes and Rs 250 for a leather pair. “Most of my business comes from south Delhi and Gurgaon and if we have an order from Ghaziabad I need a minimum order of Rs 700,” he says. The 26-year-old shoe-shine boy also takes orders for leather jacket repairs, handbags and even wallets and belts. And as luxury shoe brands from Ferragamo, Louboutin and Tod’s come in, the future as is shiny.

Packaged Right: Heat 2 Eat

What: Packaged ready-to-cook food

Where: Mumbai

Price: Rs 300 for a kilo pack of ready-to-eat poha

On the Sloth Scale: 8 - Opening a packet and heating it really doesn’t take that much effort

What doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger. Or in Pankti Chheda’s case, gives you a business idea. As a student in Manchester, Chheda has horrifying memories of many a frozen vegetarian — which she is — meals and Indian ready-to-eat food brands. “I faced a real problem and most of the options available are the kinds you can’t eat beyond two days,” she says.

This constant hunger for better food made her convince her mother to create a tasty ready-to-eat packaged food that doesn’t taste like rubber or worse, blubber. Together the mom-daughter duo have launched Heat2Eat, a packaged ready-to-eat food line, that is compressed in room temperature. “There’s a real demand out there — from Indian students to hardcore vegetarian travellers — who like to pack their own food,” she says.

No need to carry your khakras and theplas from home, the Cheddas have simplified your work with their own doggy bags for travellers. You can take your pick from the poha, masala khichdi, upma, Gujarati dal and missal. Chheda is currently using her Facebook and friend network for the brand and is busy recruiting a band of student consultants. Food for thought, for sure.

The Perfect Pooch: Scoopy Scrubs

What: At-home dog grooming

Where: Delhi/NCR

Price: Rs 1,000 per session for a small dog

On the Sloth Scale: 7 - Outsource the dog walking and the only muscle you move is your hand while petting them

If you were to say Sanjeev Kumar, owner of pet food brand Pet Bytes and dog grooming brand Scoopy Scrub, has gone to the dogs you won’t be too wrong. The Delhi-based entrepreneur started out in 2005 along with wife Preeti, with the two main services and has since then moved into pet photography, pet parties, pet fashion and accessories and is all set to launch a one of its kind pet bakery.

He’s also expanding to other cities, currently owns 8 outlets in the Delhi-NCR and one each in Jaipur, Hyderabad and Pune, through a franchise model. But it’s the at-home dog grooming service that is made for you. “Earlier we had started the service for old or disabled dogs but soon started getting requests from other customers,” he says. “Now we run the home pet grooming on at least a 3-month guarantee.”

Out of the staff of 30 people, Kumar has dedicated 8 groomers on the home grooming service. And they do everything from washing to haircutting to pet hygiene (pedicure). You can even treat your pet to an oil massage, like a regular old spa session. Kumar plans to have at least 20 Scoopy Scrubs across India by the end of this year. Speaking of dogs, Wasiff Khan in Mumbai offers home-made pet food, Home Care , at your doorstep. And he counts many local celebrities as his clients.

Hooked to Hookah: Bhukkad’s and Voyager Sheesha Service

What: Sheesha delivery at home

Where: Delhi/NCR and Mumbai (respectively)

Price: Rs 750 for 3 at Voyager; Rs 170 for 2 hours at Bhukkad’s

On the Sloth Scale: 8 - Nothing more decadent than a sheesha on your favourite recliner

If you can have home delivery of food, booze and cigarettes, why not hookah. Or as the ‘with it’ crowd likes to calls it, sheesha. This was a thought that started the Mumbai-based Voyager Sheesha Service. Managed by Yamini Lala, you call and get a sheesha delivered to your party. It starts at Rs 750 for three hookahs.

Try and call three hours in advance. Voyager started when chartered accountant Nirbhay Vassa and Lala came up with the idea of delivering sheesha to homes. And since then have found enough takers. It’s a business that not all smoke and water. As Rajiv Das of Delhi-based restaurant Bhukkad’s found out. The East Delhi situated eatery started hookah delivery when friends started asking for one and since then have found many takers.

Their catchment, unlike Voyager that covers the whole of Mumbai, is east Delhi especially IP Extension area. “The hookahs are only for home delivery and not for the restaurants,” Das says. The charges are Rs 170 for two hours, with Rs 500 security deposit. Their attendant sets it up and lights it for you but don’t stay around to help you with refills. You can keep it overnight, but they don’t stock flavours and procure it as per what you want.

Voyager, on the other hand, has over 30 flavours, including premium ones like Paan Salsa, Kiwi, Double Mint and some innovations like Christmas and Shining Star. It also sends attendants, so that hookah lovers aren’t bothered with refilling or replacing the coal. They have even catered for a destination wedding in Rajasthan. Business is surely not a drag.

Basic Knead: Tattva Mobile Day Spa

What: At-home spa service

Where: Delhi/NCR

Price: Rs 1,800 a basic body massage, up to Rs 2,600

On the Sloth Scale: 8 - As if you needed a reason to sleep some more

You say you have a masseuse coming in every Sunday? And she charges only Rs 100. Well, stop reading right now. This is not about a massage but a spa experience at home. When the Tattva mobile spa therapist visits your house they need at least 15-20 minutes to set the stage. That means putting up a spa bed, setting the spa visuals (yes, they create the entire ambience) in place, lighting the scented candles, incense sticks and finally switching on the spa music.

This home decor service is inclusive of the spa experience. Tattva started with the mobile spa over three years back. And it’s only now has opened its first spa Azaaya in Gurgaon. Their clientele usually comes from south Delhi and Gurgaon. Inform them a day in advance and a therapist will be booked in your name. “Of late, we have been getting a lot of request for sparties [spa parties]. These have to be booked in advance,” says Ameeta Singh of Tattva. Besides full-body massage, they offer scrubs, wraps, polishes and facials.

Deliver Us: Nightcall and Fly by Knight

What: Midnight delivery

Where: Mumbai and Bangalore

Price: Rs 50 per delivery

On the Sloth Scale: 8 - Thanks to these services, the party never ends

It’s a common party scene. You are having a good time and you realise you are running out of smokes or the bar is almost running out. It’s this situation that started the service of Night Call by two inveterate SoBo boys, Kaiser and Rohit Sharma. It’s a weekend service that runs out of their car that doubles up as a delivery vehicle — almost as an underground operation.

For South Mumbai party goers, Night Call has been a blessing in disguise. The 26-year-old duo is active on the website — rather hurriedly put together webpage — and their Facebook and Twitter pages. In fact their last weekend Facebook update was “So last night was super! Highest turnover yet!! Thanks guys!”. The two pals deliver late night cigarette, booze and snacks from 11 pm to 4 am from Cuffe Parade to CST. They charge a flat Rs 50 per delivery and promise to deliver booze, cigarettes, mixers and chips to your home within 20 minutes. Plans are on to expand to more areas but haven’t got the delivery network going.

Midnight delivery is what has spurred Neha Jain, former Google Analytics and Double Click Consultant at Google India’s Media and Platform Solutions , who’s debuting this month with Fly by Knight — an 11 am to 4 pm delivery service of grocery and essentials. Of course none of it is perishable as Jain is still trying to figure out the workings. “Having worked in various cities and been part of the graveyard shift, I realise the importance of the 1 am hunger pangs,” she says. Her service will offer Maggi, chips, mixers, Eno, condoms, even cigarettes but no booze.

“It’s illegal to sell booze without a licence,” she states. Jain has done her homework for legalities and that’s why is running from an online platform, that makes it an e-retail firm. Fly by Knight will initially start between Bandra and Andheri, promising a delivery in 20 minutes. She’s figuring out the payment portal. Currently the booking is open via the website through a form and over phone. “But we don’t have an online payment gateway as yet. Cash on delivery is anyway more preferred and for such small amounts people might not want to give out credit card details,” she says.

Every delivery will be charged at MRP and will come with Rs 50 service charge. The 26-year-old budding entrepreneur already plans to move the service to other cities. Clearly it's not a fly-by-night operation for her. Incidentally booze home delivery is available in Bangalore with outfits like Madhuloka and Spirits & More but they don’t make midnight deliveries.

Cutting Corners: YLG Home Salon

What: At-home haircuts, salon treatments

Where: Bangalore

Price: Rs 500 minimum order

On the Sloth Scale: 8 - It surely makes you stay a cut above

A haircut at home. Now that’s convenient. No fixing appointments. No stepping out. And here’s the best bit: no needless chatter with the hairdresser , who for some reason always need to chit-chat as they crop your mane. However YLG Home Salon didn’t start with this thought. That’s just our spin. A woman-only service, it’s a step above your neighbourhood parlourwali who comes in to do you basic beauty works.

YLG started the home salon service three years back all equipped with a spiffy purple van and 10 salon professionals. The only hitch: no discretion. But that’s the price you pay for professionalism. Usually you need to give them a days notice but anywhere more than a radius of 12 km requires 2-3 days prior booking, and a minimum order of Rs 500. Two salon professionals come for all jobs and caters to at least 10 calls everyday. The company has a branch in Pune too. All this and without disturbing your beauty sleep.