600 or so years ago England was short of entrepreneurs because there were some real opportunities to make money which seemed to pass people by, or did they? As an instance most people got married in June because they took their yearly bath in May, and still smelled pretty good by June. However since they were starting to smell, brides would carry a bouquet of flowers to hide the body odour. Hence the custom today of carrying a bouquet when getting married. Perhaps this was the start of the florist?
Baths consisted of a big tub filled with hot water. The man of the house had the privilege of the nice clean water, then all the other sons & men, then the women and finally the children. Last of all the babies. By then the water was so dirty you could actually lose someone in it. Hence the saying, “Don’t throw the baby out with the bath water” plenty of opportunity for the medieval entrepreneur to take advantage of a business opportunity and create a business providing bathing services.
Another interesting fact from the 1500s is that most houses had thatched roofs which was in fact thick straw piled high, with no wood underneath. It was the only place for animals to get warm , so all the cats and other small animals ( mice, bugs) lived in the roof. When it rained it became slippery and sometimes the animals, especially dogs would slip and fall off the roof. Hence the saying, “Its raining cats & dogs.”
My point with mentioning these interesting facts from the past is that opportunity has always existed for those prepared to watch, listen and pay attention to gaps in the market.
Here’s one last fact from the past which would have thrown up an opportunity for some enterprising business person. The floors of all houses except the wealthy were dirt. Hence the saying, “Dirt Poor.” Perhaps that’s how CarpetRight began?