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Wozniak, Jobs, . . . and Wayne? The Mercury News heads to the Nevada desert and catches up with Ron Wayne, ” Apple’s forgotten founder .” Wayne was recruited by Steve Jobs to mediate disputes with co-founder Steve Wozniak and, in exchange for his help, was given ten percent of Apple’s stock, which, today would be worth a staggering $22 billion. But after 12 days with Jobs and Wozniak, who were unable to agree on strategy and had quickly gone into thousands of dollars in debt, Wayne had had enough. He quit Apple, selling back his shares for just $800. The Mercury News finds Wayne living off of social security checks and passing the time in casinos, declaring him “one of the most luckless men in the history of Silicon Valley.” Let that be a lesson to you: If Steve Jobs offers to give you 10 percent of his company, definitely do not say no. Want to see Mark Zuckerberg break a sweat? Just ask him about Facebook’s privacy policy . New York Times blogger Nick Bilton reported from last night’s D8 conference , writing that the 26-year-old CEO was “visibly uncomfortable and sweating profusely” as host Walt Mossberg grilled him about the site’s complicated privacy settings. Bilton notes that Zuckerberg he even took off his signature hooded sweatshirt. The most straightforward answer Facebook’s leader gave regarding privacy issues was, “There have been misperceptions that we are trying to make all information open…That’s completely false.” But he did take a definitive stance on whether or not he’s planning to take Facebook public (he isn’t). For now, Zuckerberg said, he plans to fuel the site’s tremendous growth by continuing to push the limits. “As companies get bigger people expect you to slow down and do less crazy stuff. I guess I hope we never do that.” The innovation dilemma. In his latest post, serial entrepreneur, B-school professor, and diagram impresario Steve Blank outlines the difficulties of continuing to innovate as your start-up transitions into a stable mid-size company and then a large company with several hundred employees. “Disruptive innovation in a large company,” he writes, “may require processes and individuals that look a lot like those in a startup.” Intuit founder Scott Cook has similar, and specific, advice in this 2009 Inc. piece on incubating new ideas while still staying focused on your current business. Is 35 months too long to wait for a patent? U.S. Patent and Trademark Office chief David Kappos think so. To the relief of inventors everywhere, he’s proposed a new way to expedite patent applications. If approved. the new three-tier system would allow inventors to pay more (on top of the typical $1,090 filing fee) to bump their application to the front of the approval line. The Wall Street Journal reports that the speedier patent review option is part of an Obama administration effort to ramp up the patent office’s capabilities. It could also nudge other government agencies into offering fast-track options, such as the State Department’s $60 expedited passport service. How to become an angel. Tuesday’s Angel Boot Camp in Boston brought together a diverse mix of entrepreneurs, angel investors, and angels-in-training, for a series of talks about all things angel-related. The most buzzed about panel? Tips on how to become a successful angel investor . If you weren’t able to attend, angel investor and tech honcho Don Dodge has a nice recap of the main points of the talk. Among the tips Dodge suggests is investing in people that you know and businesses you understand. He also suggests investing alongside other investors you trust. For those entrepreneurs hoping to land some of that angel investing money, check out our angel investing guide . Can Groupon morph Chicago into a VC hotspot? The top three centers for venture capitalism have always been in California, Massachusetts, and New York, but CB Insights thinks Groupon could change all that. On multiple occasions the state has broken into the top five ranking for dollars invested or deals, with a steady climb over the last four quarters (including a big bump from Groupon). CB Insights then measures how Chicago stacks up against Paul Graham from Y Combinator’s thesis about a region needing “nerds” and “rich people” to build a thriving ecosystem for startups. (via peHUB ) Skype and Kazaa founders return to online music. We first told you about online social music service Rdio in October , but today the promising start-up became official. Venture Beat explains that Rdio, founded by serial entrepreneurs Niklas Zennstrom and Janus Friis of Skype internet calls and the Kazaa music service, will store the music you listen to in the cloud, with the benefit of being able to play your music on any device you want. One of Rdio’s more interesting features is being able to follow and listen to your friends’ purchased music as well. Also unlike iTunes and its 99-cent-per-song model, Rdio (which is currently in a small beta testing program) will offer $4.99 monthly subscriptions for an unlimited number of songs, thought its catalog of songs is about half the size of that of iTunes. More from Inc. Magazine: Get this delivered to your inbox. Or get it on the Kindle Follow us on Twitter or Tumblr . Friend us on Facebook. Apply now for the 2010 Inc. 500|5000 . Facebook – Steve Jobs – Apple – Mark Zuckerberg – Rdio

Congratulations: You have survived the recession. Now what? If you have ever had the urge to start your own business, now may be a good time to make a move. To help identify the most promising industries for start-ups, a team of Inc. reporters hit the phones and scoured the data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and from private research groups such as Sageworks , IBISWorld , and AnythingResearch.com . Some of the industries we have identified may surprise you. Start-ups that provide a measure of reassuring comfort in our newly cost-conscious era are doing particularly well. Call it the cupcake factor . In addition to bakeries , these sectors include hobby and craft shops , businesses that sell musical instruments and online vintage clothing boutiques . Then there are the ever-expanding storage businesses that supply the space where a lot of that stuff tends to end up. Or, if you are in the mood for more adventure, how about launching a passenger ferry service ? Following are 10 of the best industries in which to start a business in 2010. Environmental Consulting Helping homes and businesses go green is a $17.75 billion-and-growing industry. Environmental consulting is expected to grow 9 percent a year over the next five years, according to IBISWorld, a publisher of U.S. industry research. This industry is well suited to independent contractors with the skills to install environmentally friendly gear such as wind turbines, solar panels, and green roofs. ( Read more .) Mobile Application Design Sure, iPhones have been around for a while. But with the advent of the iPad, Android phones, and a growing market for mobile apps that work on any Web-enabled phone, there is plenty of fresh territory for programmers, developers, and designers. A particularly hot area for new companies is location-based apps (Loopt and Foursquare are the big ones right now) that work with smartphones’ GPS capabilities. This sector has the potential to grow at the same scorching rate at which social media websites such as Twitter and Facebook have grown in recent years. ( Read more .) Ferryboats As highways in and around urban centers become more congested, the old-fashioned ferryboat is making a comeback. Privately run ferry services, as well as tourist excursions, are thriving along the Pacific Northwest coast and on the Great Lakes. Given that new federal spending for building ferryboats and terminals is part of the 2009 economic recovery act, opportunities are expanding. The industry grew 17 percent last year, according to AnythingResearch.com. Barriers to entry, though, are steep. A new Coast Guard-certified ferryboat that carries 150 passengers costs about $6 million. ( Read more .) Fun and Games Craft and hobby supply shops, as well as stores that sell toys and games, have been outperforming the overall retail industry, growing at an annual rate of 9 percent, according to AnythingResearch.com. Musical instruments and sporting goods are also selling briskly. ( Read more .) Bakeries Bakeries, pastry shops, and bagel stores are growing at 5 percent a year, according to AnythingResearch.com. Small indulgences, it seems, are picking up, whereas big purchases such as vacations are not. People are also willing to pay more for gourmet baked goods, says blogger and baked-goods expert Nichelle Stephens. High-end bakeries are “focused on small batches, local suppliers, seasonal ingredients, and lots of creativity when it comes to flavors and combinations,” she says. ( Read more .) Tea and Healthy Beverages The top four teamakers control 88 percent of industry revenue, according to IBISWorld. But the remaining 12 percent represents a $264 million market for small, independent manufacturers. The industry averaged annual growth of about 5 percent over the past five years. Healthy beverages with promising growth prospects include antioxidant-rich juices and vitamin-enhanced waters. ( Read more .) Crafts and Vintage Clothes Online Anyone with something to sell especially in the thriving areas of handmade jewelry and vintage clothing and a PayPal account can break into this business. Online sales of independent merchants mostly via sites such as Etsy, eBay, RubyLane, and Supermarket grew at an annual 6.6. percent over the past five years, according to IBISWorld. ( Read more .) Exam Prep and Tutoring Parents always want their kids to do better on tests. A large number of adults returning to school are also looking for an edge. Given the low barrier to entry, this field is competitive. But if you carve out the right niche, it could be lucrative. The industry, which includes tutoring in such subjects as special education, language, and music, grew about 7 percent last year, according to AnythingResearch.com. ( Read more .) Translation Services The U.S. military, the health care system, and businesses that are expanding overseas are the industry’s best customers. Overall, the market grew some 18 percent last year. There are also related tech opportunities in the burgeoning market for mobile on-demand translation via SMS. ( Read more .) Self-Storage Leasing There are already 2.2 billion square feet of self-storage in this country, according to the Self Storage Association. That translates to more than 7 square feet of storage per U.S. resident. But the industry is far from saturated, thanks to the insatiable appetite of American families for acquiring stuff. The $22 billion industry also has low barriers to entry, which helps explain why independent business people own 90 percent of self-storage companies. ( Read more .) Business – Pacific Northwest – United States – Retailing – Ferry

Congratulations: You have survived the recession. Now what? If you have ever had the urge to start your own business, now may be a good time to make a move. To help identify the most promising industries for start-ups, a team of Inc. reporters hit the phones and scoured the data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and from private research groups such as Sageworks , IBISWorld , and AnythingResearch.com . Some of the industries we have identified may surprise you. Start-ups that provide a measure of reassuring comfort in our newly cost-conscious era are doing particularly well. Call it the cupcake factor . In addition to bakeries , these sectors include hobby and craft shops , businesses that sell musical instruments and online vintage clothing boutiques . Then there are the ever-expanding storage businesses that supply the space where a lot of that stuff tends to end up. Or, if you are in the mood for more adventure, how about launching a passenger ferry service ? Following are 10 of the best industries in which to start a business in 2010. Environmental Consulting Helping homes and businesses go green is a $17.75 billion-and-growing industry. Environmental consulting is expected to grow 9 percent a year over the next five years, according to IBISWorld, a publisher of U.S. industry research. This industry is well suited to independent contractors with the skills to install environmentally friendly gear such as wind turbines, solar panels, and green roofs. ( Read more .) Mobile Application Design Sure, iPhones have been around for a while. But with the advent of the iPad, Android phones, and a growing market for mobile apps that work on any Web-enabled phone, there is plenty of fresh territory for programmers, developers, and designers. A particularly hot area for new companies is location-based apps (Loopt and Foursquare are the big ones right now) that work with smartphones’ GPS capabilities. This sector has the potential to grow at the same scorching rate at which social media websites such as Twitter and Facebook have grown in recent years. ( Read more .) Ferryboats As highways in and around urban centers become more congested, the old-fashioned ferryboat is making a comeback. Privately run ferry services, as well as tourist excursions, are thriving along the Pacific Northwest coast and on the Great Lakes. Given that new federal spending for building ferryboats and terminals is part of the 2009 economic recovery act, opportunities are expanding. The industry grew 17 percent last year, according to AnythingResearch.com. Barriers to entry, though, are steep. A new Coast Guard-certified ferryboat that carries 150 passengers costs about $6 million. ( Read more .) Fun and Games Craft and hobby supply shops, as well as stores that sell toys and games, have been outperforming the overall retail industry, growing at an annual rate of 9 percent, according to AnythingResearch.com. Musical instruments and sporting goods are also selling briskly. ( Read more .) Bakeries Bakeries, pastry shops, and bagel stores are growing at 5 percent a year, according to AnythingResearch.com. Small indulgences, it seems, are picking up, whereas big purchases such as vacations are not. People are also willing to pay more for gourmet baked goods, says blogger and baked-goods expert Nichelle Stephens. High-end bakeries are “focused on small batches, local suppliers, seasonal ingredients, and lots of creativity when it comes to flavors and combinations,” she says. ( Read more .) Tea and Healthy Beverages The top four teamakers control 88 percent of industry revenue, according to IBISWorld. But the remaining 12 percent represents a $264 million market for small, independent manufacturers. The industry averaged annual growth of about 5 percent over the past five years. Healthy beverages with promising growth prospects include antioxidant-rich juices and vitamin-enhanced waters. ( Read more .) Crafts and Vintage Clothes Online Anyone with something to sell especially in the thriving areas of handmade jewelry and vintage clothing and a PayPal account can break into this business. Online sales of independent merchants mostly via sites such as Etsy, eBay, RubyLane, and Supermarket grew at an annual 6.6. percent over the past five years, according to IBISWorld. ( Read more .) Exam Prep and Tutoring Parents always want their kids to do better on tests. A large number of adults returning to school are also looking for an edge. Given the low barrier to entry, this field is competitive. But if you carve out the right niche, it could be lucrative. The industry, which includes tutoring in such subjects as special education, language, and music, grew about 7 percent last year, according to AnythingResearch.com. ( Read more .) Translation Services The U.S. military, the health care system, and businesses that are expanding overseas are the industry’s best customers. Overall, the market grew some 18 percent last year. There are also related tech opportunities in the burgeoning market for mobile on-demand translation via SMS. ( Read more .) Self-Storage Leasing There are already 2.2 billion square feet of self-storage in this country, according to the Self Storage Association. That translates to more than 7 square feet of storage per U.S. resident. But the industry is far from saturated, thanks to the insatiable appetite of American families for acquiring stuff. The $22 billion industry also has low barriers to entry, which helps explain why independent business people own 90 percent of self-storage companies. ( Read more .) Business – Pacific Northwest – United States – Retailing – Ferry

If you thought going green was a fad, think again. Environmental consulting is a robust and growing industry, valued at $17.8 billion, according to IBISWorld. Growth of 9 percent a year over the next five years is expected. This industry is well suited to independent contractors with the skills to install environmental gear such as wind turbines, solar panels, and green roofs. Every sector, from government to the individual household level, is expected to thrive. Looking to specialize? Expertise will be in demand in the fields of air-, soil-, and water-quality management, as well as sustainability studies as they pertain to development projects. Talk is cheap, but solid communications are priceless in this global economy. The U.S. military and businesses expanding overseas are two of the translation and interpretation industry’s best customers. Overall, the market grew some 18 percent last year. According to AnythingResearch.com, the translation and interpretation services industry is a $2.7 billion market that has grown an average of 22 percent a year since 2004. The health care industry is another area in need of language, partly because of the growing U.S. immigrant population. Many opportunities exist in the business-to-business space as well; that space includes website translation and the creation of multilanguage marketing materials. There are also related tech opportunities in the burgeoning market for mobile on-demand translation via SMS. Despite this year’s legislation, health care costs – particularly at hospitals and primary care providers – are soaring. As the elderly population also grows and demands less expensive, out-of-hospital care, the industry is expected to expand an average of 4.9 percent through 2014, according to IBISWorld. This industry, which was also on Inc.’s 2009 list, has been strong for years yet retains a low barrier to entry. Subsectors of the field include physical therapy and ambulatory delivery of new technologies. Nonmedical home care hiring is expected to grow more than 50 percent before 2018. Sure, iPhones have been around for a while. But with the advent of the iPad, explosive sales of Android phones, and an ever-expanding market for mobile apps that work on any Web-enabled phone, there is plenty of fresh territory for programmers, developers, and designers. One tip: Keep location in mind. Venture capitalists and industry experts alike expect the location-aware economy to grow at the rate social media, such as Facebook and Twitter, have over recent years. In the past three years, companies that make location-based apps alone have received $656 million in 67 deals, according to Dow Jones VentureSource. As highways in and around urban centers become more congested, the old-fashioned ferryboat is making a comeback. Privately run ferry services, as well as tourist excursions, are thriving along the Pacific Northwest coast and on the Great Lakes. Given that significant spending for building ferryboats and terminals is part of the 2009 economic recovery act, opportunities are expanding. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, job growth in the water transportation industry is expected to grow 15 percent through 2018. The industry grew 17 percent last year, according to AnythingResearch.com. Barriers to entry, though, are steep. A new Coast Guard–certified ferryboat that carries 150 passengers costs about $6 million. The top four teamakers control 88 percent of industry revenue, according to IBISWorld. But the remaining 12 percent represents a $264 million market for small, independent manufacturers. Tea, the sixth most popular beverage in the U.S. after carbonated soft drinks, bottled water, beer, milk, and coffee, is growing because of increasing consumer health consciousness, particularly among the boomer population. The industry averaged annual growth of about 5 percent over the past five years. Other healthy beverages with promising growth prospects include antioxidant-rich juices and vitamin-enhanced waters. It’s not just guitar hero: it’s real guitars, bongos, and violas. Past growth in hobby, toy, and game stores has been tied to general consumer spending, but these days stores that sell crafts, hobby goods, and musical instruments have been performing better than the retail industry as a whole. AnythingResearch.com found a growth rate of 9 percent, which also took into account toy and game retailers. This might be a result of people cutting back on larger entertainment expenses and choosing instead to spend more on pastimes and skill cultivation. Parents always want their kids to do better on tests. A large number of adults returning to school are also looking for an edge. Given the low barrier to entry, this field is competitive. But if you carve out the right niche, it could be lucrative. The industry, which includes tutoring in such fields such as special education, language, and music, grew about 7 percent last year, according to AnythingResearch.com. Little treats have a sugar-glazed forecast. Bakeries, pastry shops, and bagel sellers are growing at a rate of 5 percent, according to AnythingResearch.com. Research suggests small indulgences are picking up, but big purchases such as vacations are not – although blogger and baked goods expert Nichelle Stephens, co-editor of the prominent sweets blog Cupcakes Take The Cake, says the movement is expanding into high-end-foodie territory. “It’s focused on small batches, local suppliers, seasonal ingredients, and lots of creativity when it comes to flavors and combinations,” she says. After a period of slowed growth during the U.S. housing crisis, self-storage has bounced back – largely because it was already better insulated against economic forces than the housing market. The subprime mortgage crisis caused a wave of foreclosures, meaning families needed places in which to store their possessions. The $22 billion industry has a remarkably low barrier to entry, with 90 percent of self-storage companies owned by small-business entrepreneurs. According to the Self Storage Association, there are 2.2 billion square feet of self-storage in this country. That means there are more than 7 square feet of storage per U.S. resident. Forget Main Street: This industry is composed of retailers with no physical retail presence. Instead, they sell solely online – and are especially thriving in the areas of quality handmade jewelry and vintage clothing. After Web retail saw revenue fall as the recession decimated 2009 sales, expectations are high this year. The industry has a remarkably low barrier to entry: Have something to sell? Get a PayPal account and you are set. Online sales of independent merchants – mostly via sites such as Etsy, eBay, RubyLane, and Supermarket – grew an annual 6.6. percent over the past five years, according to IBISWorld. Given that the sale of marijuana for medicinal use is legal in nearly one out of three U.S. states, and California is considering total legalization, pot’s cultural tide is rising. So is its business side. California’s biggest dispensaries are starting franchise operations and establishing branding. There’s an emerging industry trade show and a lobbying, marketing, and consulting firm strictly for cannabis in Oakland, California. Harvard economist Jeffrey Miron, in a February 2010 paper, estimated the market to be $14 billion. Others have pegged the medicinal retail market at $10 billion to $40 billion, based on usage, demand, and pricing data. Though the price tags of blockbuster video game titles have been steadily rising, the barriers to entry for small game developers have never been lower. Self-publishing through Apples iTunes App Store as well as through Microsofts Xbox Live allows entrepreneurs and code geeks with a solid idea to elbow their way into this highly competitive field. “This is the best time to be a small garage shop or a mom-and-pop shop of just a few developers,” says David Riley, who specializes in video games and entertainment at the market research firm NPD Group. “They dont need to sit down in front of a venture capitalist and sweat blood” anymore. The $44 billion market has also been thriving because of the influx of nontraditional gamers such as baby boomers, women, and young children. As technological advances allow a broader palette of life-saving surgeries, the organ and blood reserves that make these operations possible will continue to be in demand. Blood and organ banks make up 55 percent of the $23.8 billion ambulatory health services industry, and the financial barriers to entering this field are relatively low, despite some regulatory hurdles. Perhaps a more surprising growth category in this industry is the increased demand for sperm donation. This is largely because a number of European countries have passed legislation that prevents sperm donors from remaining anonymous or receiving compensation. This leads to a severe drop in supply, and now “you have all of those infertile people buying sperm from U.S. cryobanks,” says Corey Whelan, the program director for the American Fertility Association. Clean and consistent water supply is an essential service of modern living, so the industry remains untouched by economic fluctuations. According to IBISWorld, the industry should see steady 3.5 percent revenue growth per year until 2015. Though traditionally the industry has been dominated by municipally owned operations, there may be increasing opportunities for independent companies to enter the market as it trends toward privatization. Why? Challenges in adhering to stricter water-quality standards could drive cities to look elsewhere for solutions. They will also probably face hardships in keeping up with technological developments. Tech and consulting are two hot areas for breaking in. Companies that help manufacturers perform safety and quality testing on consumer products and materials, a.k.a. “laboratory testing services,” constitute a $15 billion industry, according to data from IBISWorld. Over the next five years, the industry is expected to grow 5 percent each year, as fueled by increased government regulation of consumer and food products. Growing consumer concerns over the safety of products – especially childrens products – will also add to the demand for testing laboratories. Additionally, the industry will be driven by the amount of money that companies put into research and development, which appears to be increasing. IBISWorld predicts that in the coming years, companies will invest even more in new products and technologies, therefore giving R&D a healthy boost. – By Christine Lagorio, Tamara Schweitzer, and Josh Spiro Retail – Health care – Business – Pacific Northwest – Bottled water

If you thought going green was a fad, think again. Environmental consulting is a robust and growing industry, valued at $17.8 billion, according to IBISWorld. Growth of 9 percent a year over the next five years is expected. This industry is well suited to independent contractors with the skills to install environmental gear such as wind turbines, solar panels, and green roofs. Every sector, from government to the individual household level, is expected to thrive. Looking to specialize? Expertise will be in demand in the fields of air-, soil-, and water-quality management, as well as sustainability studies as they pertain to development projects. Talk is cheap, but solid communications are priceless in this global economy. The U.S. military and businesses expanding overseas are two of the translation and interpretation industry’s best customers. Overall, the market grew some 18 percent last year. According to AnythingResearch.com, the translation and interpretation services industry is a $2.7 billion market that has grown an average of 22 percent a year since 2004. The health care industry is another area in need of language, partly because of the growing U.S. immigrant population. Many opportunities exist in the business-to-business space as well; that space includes website translation and the creation of multilanguage marketing materials. There are also related tech opportunities in the burgeoning market for mobile on-demand translation via SMS. Despite this year’s legislation, health care costs – particularly at hospitals and primary care providers – are soaring. As the elderly population also grows and demands less expensive, out-of-hospital care, the industry is expected to expand an average of 4.9 percent through 2014, according to IBISWorld. This industry, which was also on Inc.’s 2009 list, has been strong for years yet retains a low barrier to entry. Subsectors of the field include physical therapy and ambulatory delivery of new technologies. Nonmedical home care hiring is expected to grow more than 50 percent before 2018. Sure, iPhones have been around for a while. But with the advent of the iPad, explosive sales of Android phones, and an ever-expanding market for mobile apps that work on any Web-enabled phone, there is plenty of fresh territory for programmers, developers, and designers. One tip: Keep location in mind. Venture capitalists and industry experts alike expect the location-aware economy to grow at the rate social media, such as Facebook and Twitter, have over recent years. In the past three years, companies that make location-based apps alone have received $656 million in 67 deals, according to Dow Jones VentureSource. As highways in and around urban centers become more congested, the old-fashioned ferryboat is making a comeback. Privately run ferry services, as well as tourist excursions, are thriving along the Pacific Northwest coast and on the Great Lakes. Given that significant spending for building ferryboats and terminals is part of the 2009 economic recovery act, opportunities are expanding. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, job growth in the water transportation industry is expected to grow 15 percent through 2018. The industry grew 17 percent last year, according to AnythingResearch.com. Barriers to entry, though, are steep. A new Coast Guard–certified ferryboat that carries 150 passengers costs about $6 million. The top four teamakers control 88 percent of industry revenue, according to IBISWorld. But the remaining 12 percent represents a $264 million market for small, independent manufacturers. Tea, the sixth most popular beverage in the U.S. after carbonated soft drinks, bottled water, beer, milk, and coffee, is growing because of increasing consumer health consciousness, particularly among the boomer population. The industry averaged annual growth of about 5 percent over the past five years. Other healthy beverages with promising growth prospects include antioxidant-rich juices and vitamin-enhanced waters. It’s not just guitar hero: it’s real guitars, bongos, and violas. Past growth in hobby, toy, and game stores has been tied to general consumer spending, but these days stores that sell crafts, hobby goods, and musical instruments have been performing better than the retail industry as a whole. AnythingResearch.com found a growth rate of 9 percent, which also took into account toy and game retailers. This might be a result of people cutting back on larger entertainment expenses and choosing instead to spend more on pastimes and skill cultivation. Parents always want their kids to do better on tests. A large number of adults returning to school are also looking for an edge. Given the low barrier to entry, this field is competitive. But if you carve out the right niche, it could be lucrative. The industry, which includes tutoring in such fields such as special education, language, and music, grew about 7 percent last year, according to AnythingResearch.com. Little treats have a sugar-glazed forecast. Bakeries, pastry shops, and bagel sellers are growing at a rate of 5 percent, according to AnythingResearch.com. Research suggests small indulgences are picking up, but big purchases such as vacations are not – although blogger and baked goods expert Nichelle Stephens, co-editor of the prominent sweets blog Cupcakes Take The Cake, says the movement is expanding into high-end-foodie territory. “It’s focused on small batches, local suppliers, seasonal ingredients, and lots of creativity when it comes to flavors and combinations,” she says. After a period of slowed growth during the U.S. housing crisis, self-storage has bounced back – largely because it was already better insulated against economic forces than the housing market. The subprime mortgage crisis caused a wave of foreclosures, meaning families needed places in which to store their possessions. The $22 billion industry has a remarkably low barrier to entry, with 90 percent of self-storage companies owned by small-business entrepreneurs. According to the Self Storage Association, there are 2.2 billion square feet of self-storage in this country. That means there are more than 7 square feet of storage per U.S. resident. Forget Main Street: This industry is composed of retailers with no physical retail presence. Instead, they sell solely online – and are especially thriving in the areas of quality handmade jewelry and vintage clothing. After Web retail saw revenue fall as the recession decimated 2009 sales, expectations are high this year. The industry has a remarkably low barrier to entry: Have something to sell? Get a PayPal account and you are set. Online sales of independent merchants – mostly via sites such as Etsy, eBay, RubyLane, and Supermarket – grew an annual 6.6. percent over the past five years, according to IBISWorld. Given that the sale of marijuana for medicinal use is legal in nearly one out of three U.S. states, and California is considering total legalization, pot’s cultural tide is rising. So is its business side. California’s biggest dispensaries are starting franchise operations and establishing branding. There’s an emerging industry trade show and a lobbying, marketing, and consulting firm strictly for cannabis in Oakland, California. Harvard economist Jeffrey Miron, in a February 2010 paper, estimated the market to be $14 billion. Others have pegged the medicinal retail market at $10 billion to $40 billion, based on usage, demand, and pricing data. Though the price tags of blockbuster video game titles have been steadily rising, the barriers to entry for small game developers have never been lower. Self-publishing through Apples iTunes App Store as well as through Microsofts Xbox Live allows entrepreneurs and code geeks with a solid idea to elbow their way into this highly competitive field. “This is the best time to be a small garage shop or a mom-and-pop shop of just a few developers,” says David Riley, who specializes in video games and entertainment at the market research firm NPD Group. “They dont need to sit down in front of a venture capitalist and sweat blood” anymore. The $44 billion market has also been thriving because of the influx of nontraditional gamers such as baby boomers, women, and young children. As technological advances allow a broader palette of life-saving surgeries, the organ and blood reserves that make these operations possible will continue to be in demand. Blood and organ banks make up 55 percent of the $23.8 billion ambulatory health services industry, and the financial barriers to entering this field are relatively low, despite some regulatory hurdles. Perhaps a more surprising growth category in this industry is the increased demand for sperm donation. This is largely because a number of European countries have passed legislation that prevents sperm donors from remaining anonymous or receiving compensation. This leads to a severe drop in supply, and now “you have all of those infertile people buying sperm from U.S. cryobanks,” says Corey Whelan, the program director for the American Fertility Association. Clean and consistent water supply is an essential service of modern living, so the industry remains untouched by economic fluctuations. According to IBISWorld, the industry should see steady 3.5 percent revenue growth per year until 2015. Though traditionally the industry has been dominated by municipally owned operations, there may be increasing opportunities for independent companies to enter the market as it trends toward privatization. Why? Challenges in adhering to stricter water-quality standards could drive cities to look elsewhere for solutions. They will also probably face hardships in keeping up with technological developments. Tech and consulting are two hot areas for breaking in. Companies that help manufacturers perform safety and quality testing on consumer products and materials, a.k.a. “laboratory testing services,” constitute a $15 billion industry, according to data from IBISWorld. Over the next five years, the industry is expected to grow 5 percent each year, as fueled by increased government regulation of consumer and food products. Growing consumer concerns over the safety of products – especially childrens products – will also add to the demand for testing laboratories. Additionally, the industry will be driven by the amount of money that companies put into research and development, which appears to be increasing. IBISWorld predicts that in the coming years, companies will invest even more in new products and technologies, therefore giving R&D a healthy boost. – By Christine Lagorio, Tamara Schweitzer, and Josh Spiro Retail – Health care – Business – Pacific Northwest – Bottled water