The MRI boutique: My next great business idea. Who wants to be my first investor?

New business idea:

A shop where you can get an MRI scan at any time.

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I’ve written before about the frequency in which people seem to go to the doctor for a small problem, only to discover a life threatening problem in the nick of time.

One of the classic examples:

A spectator is hit in the head with a golf ball at a PGA event, and during his examination by paramedics, a lump in his throat is found which turns out to be thyroid cancer. The man has no idea that he even had a lump in his throat, and as a result, it is likely that the cancer would have spread before he even knew that there was something wrong.

This really happened.

As a person who fears death (and you should to), the idea that I could have something growing in me that will ultimately kill me with no means of detecting it unless I’m hot by a bus and stricken with pneumonia bothers me a great deal.

How many lives could be saved with early detection?

Enter the MRI boutique.

For a fee, you can receive a full body scan and analysis of the film at any time. Enjoy the peace of mind of a weekly, a monthly, or a biannual scan of your body, without having to be struck by a golf ball or needing to see a doctor for any other reason.

You don’t even need to tell your doctor that you’re getting the scan. No prescription required. Scan yourself as often as you’d like. No questions asked.

This may seem excessive and unlikely to detect problems in the vast majority of customers, but when it comes to your life, why not be excessively cautious? You’ve only got one.

Why not take care of it by any means possible?

The MRI boutique. My next great business idea.

Who wants to invest?

What is the best way to invest one dollar?

Melissa Batchelor Warnke of The Morning News asks: Say you had a buck in your hand: What would be the best way to invest it?

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The piece features answers by two dozen people—a JP Morgan associate, a sex worker, a pastor, a living statue, a marine, and many more.

There are some great answers. My favorites come from the professional escort and the founder of DreamNow.

There are some stupid answers, too.

I’ve been struggling with three possible answers to this question, but after much internal debate, I have finally settled on one.

My runners-up include:

  • Take my children to a penny candy shop. Allow them to purchase as much candy as possible. Walk to a park and devour the candy while we play.
  • Find a company where I would love to work. Ideally a startup of some kind in a field that intrigues me. Call the CEO, the human resources director, or whoever else is responsible for hiring. Offer to buy them a cup of coffee in exchange for 30 minutes of their time. Attempt to win them over and land a job.

But my winning answer is this:

Purchase a notebook. Begin writing my next novel.

My wife’s answer was also excellent.

Download a song that is guaranteed to make me happy regardless of  the circumstance or the number of times played.

Apparently there are two such songs:

Van Halen’s Jump and Hall & Oates You Make My Dreams Come True.