As an entrepreneur, I believe that passion is at the heart of every great business venture. As the founder of Tipzu, I've gotten to meet at lot of talented writers and hobbyists who have been able to create money-earning businesses by talking about their passion (If you haven't heard of Tipzu, please check it out! www.tipzu.com)!

The first question to ask yourself is, "What am I passionate about?" Make a list of everything that comes to mind. Next, narrow it down to topics you feel comfortable writing about. Finally, you need to choose the one with the largest potential market.

If your idea is snail collecting, you can have a slightly profitable enterprise but there is a limited amount you can make because there just aren't that many snail-collectors.

The best Tipzines have potential readers of many millions, and while you can make do with fewer, remember that the larger the audience the more profit you'll earn. Here are some great tips ideas, because they could be read by millions:

Babies
Dogs
Running
France-Travel
Diet
Chinese-Cooking
Coin-Collecting

On the other hand, poor ideas are those that don't have a sizable audience:

Camel-Riding
Coconut-Collecting
Latvia-Travel
Tribeca-Real-Estate

The rule of thumb - aim for something with at least 1 million potential worldwide readers.

Another key to success is whether you can sell a product to your subscribers. This is discussed at length in Chapter 9, but for now, keep in mind that good site ideas are those for which there are many related products.

Your products will come either from Tipzu partners or from boutique manufacturers you have contacted. (It's unlikely that Proctor and Gamble or IBM will give you the 40-50% discount that you will need.) Ideal products are consumables (things that you buy more than once -- perfume, soap, jam, oft-updated e-books, wine, etc.).

Here are some examples of things you could sell:

Babies: custom cribs, handmade toys, unique clothes.
Dogs: organic dog food, sweaters, jewelry.
Running: pedometers, packs, books.
France-Travel: maps, guides, travel accessories.
Diet: energy bars, e-books, recipes.
Chinese-Cooking: woks, accessories, rare ingredients.
Coin-Collecting: coin holders, coins, display cases.