Peddle to the Mettle

When inspiration comes knocking, sometimes you've just got to answer--even if it involves a pole dancer.

You never know when an idea for your new business is going to hit. For New Yorker, Andrew Katzander, the idea for a new product to pedal came as he was biking past a nightclub in Manhattan.

"It was like two and two makes five. It just came to me like that," said the Upper West Sider. From that moment there was no stopping Katzander from creating PoleRider, a mobile exotic dancing unit.

After his epiphany, Katzander, an avid mountain biker, asked some industrial design students to help him design a rickshaw-like device complete with a stripper pole. Katzander found a pole dancing instructor to perform fully clothed on the improvised stage and debuted his new venture during a Halloween parade. It was a hit and he now charges $300 an hour for party performances.

Call him crazy, but the man had a bolt of inspiration and saw it through. In this country, there's room for all kinds of commerce, so if you dream it you can make it happen.

How were you inspired for your new business idea?