Ask HN: What business idea have you tried, whether it worked or not?

That Worked: - Analytics app for automotive dealerships to analyze market and dealer inventory to determine the best inventory to order month-to-month. It works since we are solving a true problem, helping dealerships make more informed decisions backed by data vs. listening to their "gut". - Management and scheduling app for commercial swimming pools to schedule staff, track chemicals, oversee maintenance, and more. It has worked since our customers prior had been tracking everything with pen and paper and if they were more "advanced" Excel. Centralizing their operations digitally has solved a huge management problem.

That might work: - Investment banking deal management. Our team just finished our MVP and are currently in talks with various banks.

That didn't work: - "We-Owe" form management for automotive dealerships. Especially when somebody buys a car at the dealership they are given an option for various upgrades, such as lifts, rims, tires, etc. these upgrades are tracked on "We-Owe" forms. The SaaS our team created helped dealerships track these forms digitally. The product eventually failed due to lack of distribution channels and overall market value.