HOME: GROWN SUCCESS
Home is where the money is. Start your own money-making empire at home with one of these 50 great business ideas.
Many who choose to launch their own business decide to first start their enterprise at home. You can save a bundle on overhead working out of a spare room, garage, attic, basement or even your kitchen table. Thanks to technology, we can all appear to have a Fortune 500 image and present a big biz look to the world. The Internet enables everyone to have a global business card with their own website. We can sell worldwide while sitting on a couch with a laptop computer and Internet access.
We invite you to visit our website at: www.sbomag.com to learn more about starting your home-based venture. You'll learn about interesting business opportunities and franchises that you can run from home, and you'll pick up tips on financing, research, legal forms and much more.
We've rounded up 50 businesses we feel will thrive in the 21st century. The 50 businesses we present are offered in not particular order. Please check with your local county clerk's office to determine cost of filing a "doing business as" certificate in your county. Fees vary considerably. The start-up costs featured do not include the "doing business as" form costs. This form is required to open a business checking account in the name of your new business. Your county clerk can help you and point you in the right direction on other questions you'll probably have on doing business in your neck of the woods.
Determine your fees or costs for your service or product by analyzing what your particular market will bear. Call other services businesses in your area and see what they charge per hour or for the service rendered and adjust your fees accordingly.
1. Gardening Teacher For Kids
Description: You visit local schools, day care centers, playgroups and camps and teach kids how to plant a small garden that is manageable even for them.
Start-Up Costs: Ad in local paper, letters to local school principals, perhaps a gardener's outfit to enhance the experience for kids. Figure on spending $200 to start.
Points To Ponder: Bring seed packs for all the kids, so they can go home and practice what they learned.
2. Apartment Preparation Service
Description: You get apartments ready for the new tenants before they move in preparing all the little touches such as painting, cleaning and you could even provide other services such as filling the refrigerator and waiting for any installers (phone, cable) that need to be let into the apartment.
Start-Up Costs: You'll need less than $400 to start this business which will entail advertising and distribution of flyers along with stocking up on a fresh pail and mop and extra vacuum cleaner bags.
Points To Ponder: You might want to investigate increasing your insurance or in becoming bonded. Your clients might demand that they have protection in case anything happens while your on the premises.
3. Senior Service
Description: You are a knowledgeable jack-of-all-trades when it comes to brokering information for seniors. This includes info on local activities and clubs, health insurance options, tours, activities, living arrangements, home care and more.
Start-Up Costs: You'll probably need less than $250 to start this business. Most of your work will be in research you can do from home with your phone and fax machine. Print up some nice stationery and business cards. Charge by the hour with a one hour miniumum. Fees could range from $25 to $75 for your services.
Points To Ponder: Promote your new service to senior groups to kids who care for their parents or look after their needs and through direct mail pieces targeted to senior citizens. Look for opportunities to build goodwill in the community.
4. Vending Machine Entrepreneur
Description: You stock vending machines and place them in high traffic areas. You then collect the cash and restock the units for another round of profit.
Start-Up Cash: There are a number of companies selling or renting vending machines. Some offer the units in groups and others permit you to purchase one machine. You'll need anywhere from $1000 to $15,000 to get started.
Points To Ponder: Before you invest, take a tour of your region and see if there are potential sites for your vending machines. Will the property owners make you pay a fee? Usually it's about 10% of your take but it could also entail a monthly space rental fee. There are other property owners who won't charge you as they are greatful to have the units that might keep the employees around instead of leaving the premises for a drink or candy bar. Check it out before you invest or you could be stuck with a vending machine that you just can't place.
5. Bread Baker
Description: You bake bread for businesses, restaurants and shops.
Start-Up Cost: You will need to bake some samples and take them around to local restaurants for tasting. If you they like what you've baked, they just might order your products in bulk. Survey local shops, cafes and restaurants first to determine if there is interest in your bread business. Start-up costs will run around $150.
Points To Ponder: After you determine that you will have clients for this bread baking service, you will want to expand into an industrial kitchen. You should check with local bakers and restaurants to determine if you can rent their kitchens (specifically the ovens) from them during their downtimes. You'll be a business supplying a product to other businesses so try and source out business-to-business contacts in your region for advertising, listings, etc. Charge by the dozen; whatever the market will bear.
6. Box Lunches For Events
Description: You make lunches to go and sell them at beaches, in parks, near events and gatherings.
Start-Up Costs: You'll need to call the county clerk in your office to see if you need a food handler's license to make sandwiches and sell them. Requirements vary state by state so check it out. You can also purchase the sandwiches and snacks ready made from a nearby deli. You buy them at a discount as you are buying in bulk and make a profit when you sell them. Start-up costs could average $100.
Points To Ponder: There is really no advertising involved as this is a spur of the moment type of purchase. Make sure that if you plan to sell box lunches at events, say a concert, that there are no restrictions against outside vendors. You can call the town board and see if zoning restrictions would prevent you from doing so. We know one guy who made $700 a day selling fresh fruit salad as folks picked it up in the parking lot at a local beach. Look into refrigeration units for your van, too. There are also heaters you can purchase and install in a van or 4X4. Call a local commercial/restaurant cooling/heating expert for more info.
7. Specialty Plant Biz
Description: If you have a knack for growing one particular type of plant, orchards or roses, than start a business growing and selling that one type of plant.
Start-Up Costs: Less than $100. If you are a gardener already and know how to grow these plants, then you have all the tools that are necessary.
Points To Ponder: Sell you plants at crafts fairs, flea markets and even to local florists and plant shops. They need to get their inventory from someone, why not you!
8. Flower Arranger
Description: If you have a flair for floral arrangements, start a business dropping off weekly arrangements to restaurants, banks, businesses, stores, doctors offices, hospitals, catering halls, etc.
Start-Up Costs: Drive around with your photo portfolio of grand flower arrangements and ask your potential clients if you can provide them with weekly fresh floral arrangements. Buy your flowers from a local flower mart or wholesaler, take them home, arrange in vases, drop
them off and collect the money. Start-up costs to create initial arrangements for your portfolio, stationery and business cards, plus an flyer for businesses will cost about $500.Points To Ponder: Consider offering some floral arrangements at no charge to local community affairs offices for their events. The one or two freebies you provide could help you cash in on a steady stream of clients.
9. Grocery Shopping Service
Description: Folks call or fax their orders and you do their shopping.
Start-Up Costs: Under $100 to advertise your service. You get the cash in advance from your clients for your shopping trip. If they call the supermarket and fax in an order, you can go and pick it .
Points To Ponder: More than ever, this type of service is needed. More of us have less time to shop and there is an ever growing senior population that would love a service like this. Make sure you market your service to seniors.
10. Deck Builder
Description: Specialize in one or two types of decks and start a business building them.
Start-up Costs: You'll need to build a deck or two to photograph for your portfolio, but since you know how it is done, you've probably already built a deck or two. Start-up costs could range from $250 for an ad campaign and portfolio assembly to $800 to actually build your own ssmall deck to photograph.
Points To Ponder: You might need to hire a friend to help you get these decks built in one day. You can charge $1200 for a small deck and turn a nice profit. Figure out what materials costs and tack on a charge for your labor. Figure out how many hours it will take you to build a deck and go from there.
11. Internet Tutor:
Description: Lots of people have computers but are clueless when it comes to going online. You come over and teach them.
Start-Up Costs: For this business, we'll assume you're online and enjoy the Internet and exploring the world wide web. Take out ads in the business section of your local newspaper and in the regular classifieds. Charge by the hour.
Points To Ponder: You can organize classes to maximize your time. You'll make more money teaching 5 students in one hour than you would scheduling individual appointments.
12. Garage Cleaning
Description: You clean up garages for people who have no time, inclination, but who have at least $50 (your minimum) to pay you for showing up.
Start-Up Costs: You'll need about $50 to promote your new business via newspaper ads and by distributing flyers.
Points To Ponder: Consider offering to install racks, hang up bicycles, put up shelves, etc. Of course, your clients will pay all of your out-of-pocket expenses for these items as well as your hourly rate of say, $20.
13. Informative Performer
Description: If you know about a particular era of history, or if you're interested in a section of science that can be taught and demonstrated in a 45 minute or 1 hour show, you could be in business. Informative Performers research one topic--The Civil War, for example--and get dressed up and put on a complete show performed this educational skit. They can include props, maps, slides, music, etc. Your clients will be local schools and bookstores.
Start-Up Costs: You'll need books and material to research your phase of history or scientific phenomenon and you'll need props and a costume which you can make yourself or purchase. Figure on spending anywhere from $300 to $800 to get started. But, you can make $500 for each performance. Once you get a booking, word of mouth will travel to other schools and you'll be booked solid.
Points To Ponder: After you develop a character and name him or her, work on your presentation. Remember, we live in a show biz era so polish up your act before you take it on the road.
14. Custom Design Flag Biz
Description: Flags are very popular for homes, boats, beach houses and backyards. You can start a business custom designing flags for individuals who have flag mania. You can even offer this business on a mail order basis.
Start-Up Costs: Visit your local fabric store and see what they offer in the way of waterproof materials for your flags. Start designing a few. You can offer standard designs--pineapple, sunflower, sailboat--and customize them with family surnames or addresses for your clients. Or you can be commissioned to come up with a specific design for your customers who crave individuality. For example, if you have a customer who loves traveling, consider designing twelve flags--one for each month--with well-known destination spots such as the Eiffel Tour, The Golden Gate Bridge, Christ The Redeemer, and the Grand Canyon.
Points To Ponder: Figuring out how to charge for this one is based on how fast you can work and sew the flags. Figure a $75 minimum for any flag.
15. Day Care For Local Biz & Other Establishments
Description: You offer to set up and run a day care center in hospitals, business centers, supermarkets, malls, inns, hotels, civic centers.
Start-Up Costs: Contact all of the managers of all of the above facilities and determine if they'd be interested in your service. Call your local county clerk's office and see if any special licenses for day care centers are required in your state or county. You'll need to purchase toys, games, balls, chairs and tables. Start-up could run anywhere from $250 to $1000 depending on how much inventory of toys and goods you already have. Invest in some nice stationery to use for your letters to managers of these facilities to try and get your foot in the door.
Points To Ponder: You might consider charging by the child per hour, say $7 to $15 depending on where you are located.
16. Closet/Pantry/Office Organizer
Description: If you are neat, tidy and organized offer a service where you help others get it together.
Start-Up Costs: Print up some stationery and business cards and take an ad in a local newspaper. Try to get the local paper to interview you about "getting organized" for some free publicity. Costs to start will range from about $100 to $250.
Points To Ponder: Spread the word on this type of service. Call local business groups and ask if they need a speaker on organization. Offer your services to a local non-profit organization. Once word spreads that you are good at what you do, the calls should come in at a nice rate for your new business.
17. Researcher
Description: If you live in an area with opportunity for researchers, you could start a profitable research business. You conduct research for local businesses, homeowners, organizations and associations for a fee.
Start-Up Costs: You'll need to promote your business by taking out an advertisement and distributing a flyer in appropriate locations. Consider a direct mail letter to well targeted potential clients: college professors, small business owners, organizations, corporations, public relations firms, writers. Range is from $100 to $250.
Points To Ponder: Your hourly fee for this service could vary depending on how intense the research is.
18: Make Carts For Vending Entrepreneurs
Description: You make original and appealing carts for entrepreneurs to use in their cart vending business.
Start-Up Costs: You'll need to construct a few generic carts for entrepreneurs to examine. Considering lumbar costs, figure anywhere from $100 to $2000. Develop decorate painting techniques also to jazz up your carts.
Points To Ponder: Consider selling your carts at business opportunity trade shows.
Talk to cart venders to determine their needs and requirements as you begin to design your carts.
19. Freelance Publicist
Description: You develop media contacts and hire yourself out to local businesses, event coordinators, universities, hospitals, retail stores and civic groups to help them promote their special events, products and services.
Start-Up Costs: You'll need letterhead, cards and a brochure describing who you are and what you do. Make sure it looks great--this is the selling tool that will make or break your business. You'll need a computer, printer, fax and mobile phone. You'll spend anywhere from $200 to $1500 to get started, provided you have the hardware to get going.
Points To Ponder: You'll charge by the month (about $1500 to $2000) for your clients. If you charge by the hour, charge $25 to $50. Consider taking on one shot projects to say, promote a store's grand opening. Develop contacts with a local photographer who can photograph events and clients.
20. Tutor
Description: You teach others what you know.
Start-Up Costs: You'll need about $50 to $100 to develop a flyer promoting your business; also consider an ad in a local newspaper.
Points To Ponder: Charge anywhere from $25 to $75 an hour or whatever the going rate is in your area. You can tutor in your students' home or in your home. Consider putting together a class of students--this is more time and cost effective for you. You can give class students a bargain rate.
21. Costume Designer
Description: We've been astonished to learn how much people spend at Halloween for costumes, but it is becoming a booming business. Costume wearing all year round is experiencing a big boom. New Year's Eve is a big time for costumes as well as costume wearing for themed parties and special events. You can make costumes for kids and adults and sell them for a whopping profit.
Start-Up Costs: The range will be from $25 to $100 depending on elaborate you want your launch to be. You can take ads in local papers, distribute flyers and make a costume or two to show what you can do.
Points To Ponder: Naturally, one must be skilled to launch this business. You might even market your services to local theatrical companies. The possibilities are endless.
22. Home Office Consultant
Description: Start a business designing and organizing office spaces for your home-based clients.
Start-Up Costs: Minimal, under $100. You'll need to show that you know what you're talking about. Develop a list of good home office supply/furniture resources and develop a portfolio of home office photographs that you can copy, or take photos of a home office you've created such as your own.
Points To Ponder: You'll have to make your money first time around on this business, because it is very likely that you will not have repeat clients.Charge about $50 an hour for your services or whatever your market will bear.
23. Crafts Fair Entrepreneur
Description: You assemble a group of crafts artisans and organize their wares for sale.
Start-Up Costs: You are going to need a space for this one complete with parking. If you have a large yard or adjacent field to your home, you can use that. Check with the town to ensure their are no additional costs/permits required. You'll have to rent a space if you don't have one. This could be a church basement, a fire station, etc. Look at the facilities in your town. The Knights Of Columbus Hall or any other civic centers. There are downtimes and seasons when these facilities are not being used. Collect a group of artists you find at flea markets and fairs and start advertising. You take a cut of what they make and you'll also charge them a fee ($15) to participate. Start-up could be anywhere from $100 to $350.
Points To Ponder: You can host your crafts fairs every weekend or just try it Thursday through Sunday once a month. See what works best for you.
24: Nursery Set-Up Service
Description: There's a baby boom going on and lots of perspective parents need help in organizing the nursery so it's all painted and decorated when Baby Bo or Baby Bob comes home from the hospital.
Start-Up Costs: Is there a nursery you can decorate? Do you have one of your own? Photograph it and use it to generate more business. If you have a local orphanage or day care center, offer to decorate one of the rooms. You will build a nice following from positive word-of-mouth and goodwill in the community. Start-up costs range from $100 to $500.
Points To Ponder: Advertise your business in the local newspaper, and don't forget to drop off flyers at baby stores, day care centers and even a doctor's office if they have an announcement board. Team up with other baby service entrepreneurs and create a little network of offerings.
25.Home Entertainment System Service
Description: You handle the installation of entertainment systems for your clients. They can also call on you to unhook one of the items in the rack when it needs to go to the repair shop. If you're good at this business, word of mouth will generate more jobs.
Start-Up Costs: Brush up on the latest technology, but you should be quite savvy in all phases of system hook ups to embark on this business. Start-up costs will vary depending on how aggressively you choose to market your new service business. Estimate anywhere from $100 to $1000 to get started. If you need to pick up tools, you'll need to factor that in and don't forget to visit your local electronics store so that they can refer their clients to you.
26. Waiting Game
Description: You stay at home to wait for your client's repairman, cable operator, painter, plumber, etc. You can make anywhere from $6 to $20 an hour for this service. If your clients expect you to perform other tasks while you are there--answer phones, feed the pet, water the plants--you can charge more.
Start-Up Costs: You'll need to advertise to promote your business and you should also talk to your insurance agent about getting bonded. This means if anything happens in the home while you are there, you are protected. You'll need an ad and you'll need to distribute flyers to promote your business.
Points To Ponder: You might want to charge a minimum on this business. Say, two hours. With experience you'll learn if you can book more than one client a day. Eventually you might branch out and start hiring waiters to wait for you. You just book them as an agent.
27. Garden Shed Building
Descriptions: Gardens are popular and gardening catalogs are full of mail order sheds, but will they stand up to wind and rain? You can start a business offering one or two types of sheds that you build on site or deliver when ready to your clients. If you've built your own shed, you already have a picture for your portfolio. Talk to gardeners and see what they would like. Design a basic budget model and then the super gardener's shed. Price according to your materials and labor.
Start-Up Costs: Labor can be steep, so plan on spending from $250 to $700 to build your first shed, depending on how elaborate it is.
Points To Ponder: Advertise in the local papers and send a note to the gardening editor your local newspaper. Also , check to see if there are any local gardening shows on cable TV who might want to do a segment on your business.
28. Pet Photographer
Description: Most Americans have pets and they are always looking for a great picture of Cuddles or Fido to frame, put on a t-shirt, a mug or a cap. You can start a business photographing pets in their own home.
Start-Up Costs: We'll assume you already have a good camera for this business and that you have a good knowledge of photography. Build a portfolio taking pictures of your friends' and neighbors' pets. This could cost about $200 for film, developing and a portfolio. You can generate interest for your business by hanging your pet photography in local schools, galleries, malls, pet stores, etc. Figure on having about $300 to get going.
Points To Ponder: You can offer a package of $59.95 (or less) for a pet photo or offer more elaborate photos with different shots for a shooting fee of $175 to $200. Call other photographers in your region and see what they charge for photo shoots. If there aren't many photographers taking pet photos, this could be a good one for you to cash in on right now.
29. Potpourri Empire
Description: You make and sell potpourri and market it to local businesses, at fairs, through gift stores, card stores, garden shops, etc. If you can find a good recipe for potpourri (check bookstores as there are a lot of books available on making potpourri) pack it up and start marketing. You'll need a little tag or label to identify your company or leave it blank if you plan on selling it private label style.
Start-Up Costs: You'll need about $75 to $400 to get started, depending on how elaborate your ad campaign and letter (direct mail campaign) will be to market your business.
Points To Ponder: Charge anywhere from $6 to $12 for your potpourri. You need to make a profit, so if you spend $2 to $3 per bag of potpourri, charge from $6 to $12.
30. Photo Album Designer
Description: You take photos from your clients and create beautiful photo albums.
Start-Up Costs: Take your own photos and create a photo album. Add decorative touches, such as lace for wedding albums, and hand sewn baby oriented styles for baby albums.
Points To Ponder: You can charge by the size of the album. Small are $50, medium are $75 and large albums are $100+.
31. Personal Assistant:
Description: You offer yourself as a personal assistant to homeowners who need parties planned, businesses that are planning events or disgruntled consumers who need a dispute with a local merchant resolved.
Start-Up Costs: You can go it solo and realize you'll need a good computer and laser printer. At Your Service is a business opportunity program that sells a kit on how to start this business (manual , software, bookkeeping manual, plus 15 consulting hours) for $6000. For info: contact Personal Assistant International Inc. at 355 17th St., Boulder, CO 80302 or visit their website: dottie@personalassistants.com or call 303-443-7646.
Points To Ponder: If you're resourceful you might choose to launch this one on your own. You need to be diplomatic and have sticktoitiveness and a love for details as two of your major qualities.
32. Sell From Carts
Description: You get a cart and sell your ware from the cart. It could be food, jewelry or t-shirts at a flea market.
Start-Up Costs: If you can build your own cart, you can save some money or contact local builders and ask what they would charge. Range from $100 to $2000.
Points To Ponder: There is a Mobile Merchandising Resource Directory available for $39.95 plus shipping and handling from Dogs To Riches, P.O. Box 54472, Los Angeles, CA 90054-0472. Write for info on the guide.
33. Perennial Gardens
Descriptions: Everyone loves 'em, but few have the time to start them. Once they get going, you might be called in to prep them up each spring and to maintain the weeds, etc. but basically you are offering a one time set-up service. Design about 4 or 5 gardens ranging in price from $150 to $1000. You, of course, will be getting all your plants wholesale from the local nursery. You are charging not only for your labor, but your know-how and design sense. If you love garden, this is a perfect business. Plan out your designs and sketch them for your clients. There are many software products available to help you design gardens and visualize the outcome on your computer. Visit a software store and check them out.
Start-Up Costs: Depending on how elaborate you'll want to be (ads to brochures) you could start this business for as little as $100 or as much as $2000.
Points To Ponder: You can also sell watering hoses, soakers, tools, timers, etc. to your clients, all at a mark-up, of course.
34. Commercial Cleaning
Description: You carve out a niche for yourself whereby you concentrate on small businesses that need cleaners to come in at night and do their thing.
Start-Up Costs: You'll need to advertise and send a direct mail letter to your local small businesses and you'll need to invest in cleaning supplies. Figure on spending about $400 to get started.
Points To Ponder: As you grow, you'll need to hire employees who will do the work for you. You'll just act as an agent booking the jobs as you go.
35. Bird Feeder, Bird House Biz
Description: You make and sell bird houses and bird feeders. It's a booming biz.
Start-Up Costs: You'll need about $300 to get started for materials and ads. Chances are you already have samples of your work available that you can show to local gift and novelty stores. Photograph your samples and set up your home workshop.
Points To Ponder: Visit bookstores, too and other shops in the genre and ask if you can display some of your creations along with your business cards. You'll get orders by having your creations sell themselves.
36. Medical Disk Information Service
Description: You record all of your client's medical history on a disk and when they visit a new doctor or have to move to a new area, they will have all of the information right at their fingertips.
Start-up Costs: You'll need a computer and plenty of blank disks. You'll need to advertise your service. Figure on $500 with a computer and $2500 if you need to purchase a computer.
Points To Ponder: Drop into local health clinics in your area to drop off fliers about your business.
37. Powerwashing Service
Description: You can start your own business powerwashing decks, fences and homes.
Start-Up Costs: Powerwashers range from $150 to $1000 so check them out. Make sure you are familiar with the power they possess and purchase some insurance just in case you get a little overaggressive and damage a cedar shingle.
Points To Ponder: Advertise in local papers and distribute fliers wherever your target market is likely to be: shopping at malls, at the beach, and doing things they would rather be doing than home staining their decks.
38.. Video Entrepreneur
Description: Use your video camera to make a wide range of videos for clients including: local rock bands, real estate brokers, new home owners/builders, film to video transfer jobs, insurance videos, video resumes, instructional videos, video messages, surprise videos (baby showers, etc.), wedding day videos, baby's first video, security videos, etc.
Start-Up Costs: Plan on spending about $1000 to get started if you need to purchase a camera.
Points To Ponder: promote your business via ads, tables in mall shoes, flea markets, crafts fairs, etc. Set up a monitor and show a demo tape of your work.
39. Videotape Family Histories
Description: You compile videos (10, 15 ,20 , or 30 minutes) on family histories by interviewing the family members and reviewing their memorabilia and history. Include letters, photos, homes and pets. You can charge $500 for a 10 minute video and price accordingly from there. You'll need to invest time to meet with family members and then include visuals. Editing will take up time too, so don't undervalue your service. Create one for your own family as a "portfolio."
40. Wreaths
Description: You make decorative wreaths for your clients and sell them wholesale or retail.
Start-Up Cost: You should make a few wreaths to take around to gift stores, card stores and other novelty shops that will offer your wreaths. You can sell them outright or sell them on consignment. See what works well for you. Start-up costs could range around $100 to $200 for initial inventory and for ads and flyers.
Points To Ponder: Consider marketing your wreaths to local hospitals, nursing homes, bed and breakfasts and other businesses in your region who want to keep their environments decorated on a regular basis. You can offer a wreath of the month program to these commercial outfits.
41. Keepsake Video Biz
Description: You videotape important days, events, moments in your client's lives and put edit together a keepsake video.
Start-Up Costs: You'll need a camera and a few accessories. A computer would be helpful for special labeling and other techniques. Assuming you have this equipment, the start-up fee should be less than $500 to advertise your new service and to create a two-to-three minute demo sample of a typical keepsake video. If your friend is having a new baby, create a video of Mom and Dad at home before the baby is born and include shots of the parents coming home with the baby. You can create videos of golf tournaments, awards programs, grand openings, etc.
Points To Ponder: Advertise your business and remember to drop off flyers on your service wherever potential customer congregate: laundromats, shopping centers, supermarkets, etc.
42. Backyard Herb Biz
Description: Americans are desperately trying to eat in a more healthful manner and you can help them with a backyard herb biz. Grow your herbs organically and bag them up for sale to local markets, health food stores or sell them on your own at flear markets.
Start-Up Costs: Invest in a few books or guides on the process. It's fairly simple for anyone with gardening experience. Make sure you grow your herbs in uncontaminated soil. Build a special box for a bed that only contains non-fertilized soils and compost material. Charge whatever your market will bear ($2 to $5 for a small bag of fresh herbs). You can also sell the plants, too.
Points To Ponder: Conduct a door-to-door survey of appropriate businesses in your area to determine if they would be interested in selling your herbs. Keep notes and records so you'll have a built in client list when your herb biz is ready to go.
43. Shuttle Service
Description: You provide quick trips for seniors, kids and just about anyone else who needs a taxi.
Start-Up Costs: You are going to need a car or a van. You can charge $5 a trip to a local market and perhaps give a break to your frequent flyers. 20 trips and the next one is free. If you have a car, start-up will be about $100-$300 to advertise the business in your area. The higher start-up cost will be for those readers who will need to beef up their liability coverage on their car insurance.
Points To Ponder: Advertise and promote your business to senior groups and to parents who have latch key kids that need to get to sports practice, music lessons and dance class after school or even on weekends when you finally get a chance to sleep late.
44. Holiday Decorating Service
Description: You decorate residences and businesses for the holidays. You bring all the lights and trim and ladder and do the work and then take it down at the end of the season. The shop owner might have his/her own decorations or you can buy the goods at wholesale prices and then sell them to your customers for a profit. Look into getting insurance so homeowners/small biz owners won't worry if you topple off your ladder when working on their premises.
Start-Up Costs: Take pictures of your own home or the homes of friends that you have decorated. Consider extending this business into the interior of the homes as well. Initial start-up should be less than $500 to buy trims, lights and power strips. Advertise in stores that sell trees and in local newspapers. Charge by the hour or develop a few themes in small , medium and large offerings. Charge $100 for small; $150-$175 for medium and $200+ for the large displays.
Points To Ponder: This is a seasonal business but you could extend it yearround for small businesses that want to keep their shops spruced up.
45. Party Fare
Description: You provide all of the party goods--napkins, plates, balloons,banners, etc.--to fit a themed party for kids.
Start-Up Costs: Pick about 4 or 5 different themes--dinosaurs, animals, construction, trains, princess--and source out where you can buy party goods at wholesale rates in your area. Offer packages to consumers. For example, a party of 6 kids could go for $55. You just provide the stuff, you don't set it up. That service is extra revenue if you decide to offer it. Start-up costs will vary from $50 to $150 depending on how much inventory you choose to purchase.
Points To Ponder: Advertise in the local paper and wherever kids and their parents congregate. Day care, malls, flea markets, carnivals, etc. Give out flyers offering a 10% discount on the first party.
46. Lawn Care Service
Description: Mow, trim, weed lawns and include leaf removal during appropriate seasons.
Start-Up Costs: Will range from $200 to $2000 depending on what type of tools you have. You'll need a good mulching mower (so clippings don't have to be swept up), a trimmer, and a spreader if you get into seeding and fertilizing. A truck is required or car with a trailer to pull equipment.
How To Charge: Charge by the hour. Investigate the competition to see what your rates can be.
Points To Ponder: Over a discount to generate business. Consider other incentives to reel in new customers.
47. Gift Basket Business
Description: You make and market gift baskets in a wide variety of themes.
Start-Up Costs: You'll need to develop resources for wholesale baskets and goods that you can include in your offerings. Check out your local Yellow Pages for manufacturers who will sell you goods at wholesale rates. Also, contact local trade show facilities (convention centers, chambers of commerce) to see if any gift or novelty shows are planned for your area. They are a good source of product offerings. Costs vary from $250 to $1000.
Points To Ponder: You'll need a "resale or resell number" in order to buy goods at wholesale rates and to purchase goods without paying tax. Cost for this license will vary depending on where you live. Your county clerk's office can help you obtain this license.
You'll need to create a few gift baskets in order to develop a brochure to help you promote your business.
48. Kid's Party Entertainer
Description: Develop a character and entertain at kid's parties.
Start-Up Costs: You'll need about $100 -$500 to purchase or make a costume and to advertise your service in the local newspaper. Hand out flyers at parent-child events, too.
Points To Ponder: You'll want to charge by the hour, but consider charging more if there are going to be a lot of kids present at an event. Also, you might charge more to attend events in local bookstores or malls as opposed to the backyard birthday party. See our introduction for information and suggestions on how to charge for this type of business.
49. Playhouse Designer/Builder
Description: You design and build playhouses for your clients. Build on site or at your own home, but you'll a trailer to deliver.
Start-Up Costs: You'll need to construct a playhouse in order to create a photo portfolio of what you can do. Start-up costs can range from $175 to $500 for materials.
Points To Ponder: You could offer three types of playhouses: dollhouse; pirate's cove; explorer's hut, etc. Come up with cost estimates based on materials and your all important labor charge. Don't sell yourself short, either. You can also offer a garden and picket fence for additional money, of course!
50. Model Train Settings
Description: If you have a flair for trains, start a model train set-up biz. It'll cost you a role of film to photograph your own train set-up.
Start-Up Costs: You'll need to advertise your services in a local newspaper and ask the owner of a local train shop or toy store if you can distribute your flyers there. That way, the shop owner will make more money too as they'll sell more trains and track if there is someone available to set up elaborate train settings. Start-up could range from $50 to $100.
Points To Ponder: Make sure you charge for materials and for labor. Keep it separate in your calculations, so you don't sell yourself short.
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