Some years ago I got into investing; didn't spend much money, but read a lot about it.

I was perhaps struck most by a book called One Up On Wall Street by Peter Lynch. Google for him and you will see how successful he has been with his investing.

What I felt was the most valuable information was how he chose his investments. He didn't sit in an office and pour over numbers, working out which was the best and gave the highest return. He did that, but only AFTER he'd got a few ideas.

He found his best investments just by going about his everyday life with his eyes open.

For example, his wife bought home a pair of tights / pantyhose in an egg from a supermarket. He was intrigued, did some research, found a massively undervalued company (NICHE), bought shares, and made a killing.

He went away on business, stayed in a lovely hotel that was cheap, clean and really really good. He got home, did some research and discovered a massively undervalued company (NICHE), bought shares and made another killing.

Niche's are all around us, we've just got to keep our eyes and ears open. What are the people on the bus talking about? What are the office workers gossiping about? What are the popular TV Shows? What shops are busiest in your local mall? What are the fads amongst the teenagers?

All these are powerful and effective ways to find a very lucrative niche.

What is your local area famed for? Or your country? Are these popular abroad or are they becoming trendy or part of popular culture? If you live in London but come from another country, for example, is there a large number of your fellow countrymen living there who miss some of the information, delicacies or even their countrymen.

What opportunities does this present to you?

What common problems are you encountering that you want answers to? Do you think there might be other people who have similar problems and would like a solution?

The Internet provides a powerful tool for research, but we should not discount what's happening off-line. Find a potential niche, then turn to the Internet to research it.

What you do not realize is that you have an absolute wealth of ideas at your fingertips that don't even involve the Internet that could be absolute goldmines.

Too many people get caught up in focusing on one niche or target market, without realizing that people want information on every day subjects too. It is often these subjects, the more esoteric, that attract the most attention, and hence are the most profitable.

Look around you and look at everything you encounter as if it could be a fresh niche for you to exploit, you will be surprised with what you will find.