There are many other types of home-based opportunities which may
require more specific skills, longer training or more time to get up and
running. They are no less useful, however. Here are a few skill-based
home business ideas for you.
Accounting/Bookkeeping
Small businesses may be especially reliant on contract help for this
type of work since many of them may not be large enough to have their
own accountant and/or bookkeeper on staff.
Beautician
This is a popular home-based business. An investment in the essential
beautician supplies and chair can get you started. There is a licensing
course that varies by state. All you need for this, other than the
start-up merchandise, is an extra room in the house or a garage. If
you’re working for someone now and were wondering how to break away, it
only takes a few dollars and your clientele to follow you. This happens
quite frequently.
RELATED: How to Start a Hair and Beauty Salon Business
Canning
Walk into a country restaurant like the Cracker Barrel and the first
thing you see is a foyer/waiting area where there is a variety of goods,
including a number of specialty food items. Pickles, sauces, jellies,
many of them homemade, all sitting and waiting for a buyer. And people
will buy these specialties! Specialty coffee shops and gourmet stores
are always on the lookout for the new treat they can feature. Why not
sell to these stores if you have a talent for this kind of cooking? You
can start out part-time and see how the demand and the income goes from
there. The next time you’re in a specialty food store, ask about their
distribution.
RELATED: How to Start a Food Business
Chair Caning
Country styles for homes are as popular as ever and the ability to
cane chairs can bring in a sizable amount of side income if you have the
talent for this type of work. If you’re already doing it as a hobby,
you’ve already established the necessary work shop, know where to get
materials, etc. The only thing that remains is who to distribute to, a
decision that may involve both private and public sales. There are
locals who would certainly hire you to handle a chair or two for them
personally. There are also specialty furniture stores and outlets with
whom you can also contract. You’ll have to do a little research on it,
but the possibilities are there to expand a hobby that may already give
you many hours of joy. It’s time to cash in on this hobby and get your
home-based business off the ground!
Cheese making
Like making jellies and pickles, the art of cheese making can also be
turned into a tidy profit center for you, distributing to some of the
same chains and specialty food stores. Cheese has been and will continue
to remain a sought after food.
RELATED: How to Start a Food Business in Texas
Chimney Sweeping
Wood burning stoves and fireplaces are still dominant home items and
the skill of chimney sweeping is a fine one with a number of business
opportunities to choose from in plying this trade. Very little equipment
is necessary and it won’t take long to become proficient at this work
if you have the ability and liking for physical labor.
Consulting
If you’ve been in a specific field for a length of time, you’ve
likely built up an arsenal of knowledge about your subject. The more you
know, the more you can offer any person or firm interested in breaking
into, expanding or becoming more competent in this area. If your name is
recognized, so much the better. Consultants can earn high hourly fees,
expenses paid for.
RELATED: How to Start a Successful Consulting Business
Floral Arrangements
You don’t necessarily have to grow flowers to do this. You can
purchase, make up elaborate flower arrangements and resell them. Dried
arrangements and wreaths are popular in season. Some advertising and
competitive pricing can generate a substantial workload for you.
RELATED: Starting a Flower Shop or Florist Business
Apiary
Raising bees for honey can be a part-time effort if you have an
interest in this type of activity. This is not a business for those with
no experience, but for those already doing something along this line,
or have a hobby in this area.
Balloon Rides
Popular in areas where the weather is nice year-round, hot air
balloon rides are popular gifts for special occasions like a birthday,
anniversary, Valentine’s Day and other holidays. Those of you who are
trained aeronauts can step into a needed void as a pilot for this craft.
You can start as a pilot, perhaps, and then accumulate capital to
invest in your own balloon. Other than advertising and the cost of the
balloons and their upkeep, little else is required except some wide open
spaces.
How many times have you heard that someone is looking for help to do a
few odd jobs around the house. Or for a painter? Or someone who can do a
variety of work from landscaping to electrical wiring? If you’re good
at putting up wallpaper, laying carpet and other assorted tasks,
advertise! The more diverse the skills you publicize, the better your
chances of regular employment.
RELATED: How to Start a Handyman Business
Insurance Sales
Many people start off in this field on a part-time basis until they
realize that a few sales a week will triple and quadruple the income
they’re used to making. This field is not for everyone. It requires
extraordinary discipline and a desire to succeed along with the belief
that you’re assisting people with their financial goals and objectives.
But if you can handle it, the insurance profession can be one of the
most lucrative for working out of your home. Overhead is relatively low.
You can get licensed through your state’s insurance department, located
in your capital city. It may require a certain amount of training and
definitely an exam, but once passed you can seek out insurance companies
who would be glad to work with you. Think of what your niche market
might be. Who are your natural business associates and friends? These
will be your first potential clients and you might test them by
determining their interest in having you do an analysis of their
financial goals and objectives.
Kennel operator
If you like animals and have adequate room in your property, this
could be a strong home-based opportunity for you. Pets will always need
to be boarded and, although some capital will be required to set it up,
it can be a lucrative business just for doing what you love — taking
care of animals!
Mail-order business
This is a new rage among the home-based opportunity seekers in this
country. You can start your own mail-order business quite easily and if
you advertise in the right publications, generate an ample amount of
business.
Meals for handicapped
Contact
your local social services for the disabled and elderly to see if there
are any openings for someone who can cook meals out of their house and
deliver them. This often involves a hot meal for lunch and a cold meal
for dinner which is left with the client at the same time. If you like
to cook, this can be another outlet for your talents.
Music
There are a number of opportunities for those with musical talent,
especially songwriting. There are plenty of great voices out there, but a
dearth of good material to sing. Some of the better artists along with
the up and coming ones are always on the lookout for new artists adept
at this skill.
If you can play instruments, you can also teach young children and adults alike how to play. You can tap the growing home-school market
during the day, and focus on giving lessons in the afternoons and
evenings to school kids and working adults. You can choose to give
lessons in your client’s home, or ask them to come to your house.
However, check zoning restrictions
in your area if your students are coming to your house. Neighbors may
complain with regards to the traffic flow in and out of your home.
Remember, zoning rules are typically not imposed — unless the government
authorities receive complaints from neighbors.
Pet breeding
As long as you’re considering a kennel career opportunity, you might
think about breeding, an animal specialty that can earn you many
dollars. Breeding can be by specific request or you can simply breed to
produce animals for local pet shops like hamsters, cats and dogs. This
business can be run in conjunction with the kennel. You can sell to the
pet shops or take your business directly to the public which can earn
you a higher fee, since you don’t have to pay the retailer.
RELATED: 10 Pet Small Business Ideas
Real Estate
Sales If you like houses and don’t mind working the evening/weekend
hours, this could be a very rewarding career for you. Sales of houses
can earn large commissions. You have to be very organized and always on
the lookout for new listings, but once you’ve sold a few houses in an
area, word of mouth will bring your next clients. The real estate market
has been depressed the last few years, which creates an opportunity for
those who are adept at selling homes. Sellers will tend to migrate
towards the successful Realtor. There is a licensing course involved,
but you can take this while you’re still working at your old job. Like
insurance, many people start this business part-time, until they sell
their first big house and see how much money they can make from one
sale.
Rental Property Manager
If you live in a vacation area with a number of condominium units,
you will likely see numerous advertisements for someone to manage the
units for rental. There could be some small maintenance duties required,
too. But essentially you are collecting rent, advertising for new
renters and managing the properties for the owner(s). It may well
require that you live in the complex, but this can often be part of the
compensation package. What a great way to live near the beach or in some
fantastic resort spot. This can be the job for those people who have
gone on vacation and wish they didn’t have to go back to real life.
Repair of Equipment
Every home is equipped today with all the modern conveniences:
television, VCR, stereo, refrigerator, microwave, stove, dishwasher,
etc. All you have to do is know how to fix these pieces of equipment and
you’ll have a new home-based business. This might be combined with the
general all around maintenance business opportunity mentioned earlier. A
skilled repair person is difficult to find, as is the general odd-job
fix-it-up person. If you have any talent in these areas, there are
plenty of local options for you to attract business. People can’t do for
long without their conveniences and the demand will be there for the
work. Consumers will bring the appliance into the repair shop, but in
this age of handiness, they would rather have someone come out and
repair it – it’s easier!
Secretarial Services
Small businesses can be counted on to look for help on a contract
basis from someone with specific secretarial skills. A physician’s
office may be looking for a medical records person or an insurance
billing clerk on an independent basis. The entire medical field, in its
movement towards managed care, is looking for simplified answers to
common administration tasks. This isn’t the only industry utilizing
outside secretarial services. If you have the skills and the small
capital needed for the basic equipment, you’re in business!
RELATED: Starting a Home-Based Secretarial Business
Sharpening Services
In many hardware, sewing and fabric stores, you may notice an
advertisement for sharpening services. Scissors and other craft tools
can be sharpened less expensively than purchasing a new one. Often these
businesses contract out the labor for the service. If you know how to
sharpen these types of objects, perhaps even doing it for yourself as
you knit or make crafts, then you can turn this into a lucrative side
business. You just call on your store clients once or twice a week and
pick up new work and drop off completed jobs. It’s an unusual, but
needed service.
Sign Design & Painting
Everywhere you look across this great country, you’ll find signs!
Homes, businesses and individuals are all sign candidates. Advertising
for and specializing in all type of sings and banners and even
billboards (if you learn how), can create a substantial side business
which will grow into full-time, profitable work for you.
Telephone Answering Service
Many small businesses are one or two person shops which have only an
answering machine to pick up calls should they have to leave the
premises. There is a great amount of business lost as a result. This can
cost the firm thousands of dollars as someone hangs up when they can’t
reach a human voice and dials another number where they can. As an
answering service, you can be that human voice at the other end. Even if
you are just taking the message, people have confidence when they can
talk to a person in a service-oriented business. If you can add a couple
of lines to your existing home phone system, you’re in business. With
just a few clients, you’ll generally be taking messages during the day.
There are organizations who look for answering services to be on later
call for product ordering and similar tasks. This can be a very
profitable venture – just for talking on the phone!
Writer
There are a number of chances to obtain work doing copywriting. The
written word is still very much in demand and you can attract a
substantial amount of business in this area from smaller firms – even
just for their basic correspondence. Distressingly, people don’t possess
the same writing skills as they did en masse a few years ago and hence
could use the assistance. The better a letter or document or brochure is
crafted, the more likely the business will do well. This means work for
writers in all phases of industry. A computer at home can be all the
overhead you’ll need.
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