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2. Baking
Have you ever been
told that you have a recipe that people would line up to get if they could?
Ever had anyone tell you that you should be selling those cupcakes
you make?
There are a number of success stories about people who have
launched successful businesses by cooking at home and then marketing to
local people first. You may specialize in on just one well-tried and tested
food product; or you may innovate on a product that you created yourself and
which has never been marketed before. Having perfected the recipe you then turn
to packaging and marketing. Word of mouth on a good product may start to get restaurants
or bakeries interested in acquiring your culinary masterpieces. Then you progress to selling them statewide and
you're on your way to a profitable home-based business.
For
more information:
Freelance
Foodcrafting : How to Become Profitably Self-Employed in Your Own Creative
Cooking Business by Janet Shown
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3. Bed-and-Breakfast Proprietors
Have
you ever stayed in a bed and breakfast and thought, "Hey, I
can do this!" You
probably went on vacation and simply chalked your thought up as
one of those pipedreams one gets when they stay in a beautiful
spot.
Don't
toss that thought away! While
it's not easy work as the hours can be long and it's usually a
seven days per week business, it's often something that you can
work into a daily schedule. After
all, it's merely an extension of doing the housework for family,
right? More and more Americans are taking after Europeans and
opening their homes to travelers.
If
you have an extra room or two since the kids moved out, you can
start a bed and breakfast in your own place!
Bed and breakfast popularity will continue as more and more
vacationers and business travelers seek a different accommodation
away from the predictability of the average hotel room.
If they enjoy their stay, many become "repeat"
customers, coming back to the same familiar surroundings time and
again.
If
you don't need to do any major renovations in the house to
accommodate this type of establishment, you can be off and running
with very little money invested, other than advertising and some
new "guest room supplies".
If your dream is to buy a bed and breakfast somewhere in a
vacation paradise, there are probably houses for sale that will
work for this purpose.
For
more information:
How
to Open and Operate a Bed & Breakfast (Home-Based Business
Series) by Jan Stankus
Start
and Run a Profitable Bed and Breakfast by Monica Taylor,
Richard Taylor
How
to Start and Operate Your Own Bed-And-Breakfast/Down-To-Earth
Advice from an Award-Winning B&B Owner by Martha Watson
Murphy, Amelia Rockwell Seton (Illustrator)
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4. Childcare
Due to the financial pressures faced by many families today, parents work outside of the home to
bring in enough income to pay daily living expenses.
A single parent is obviously working but all too often,
both members of a two-parent family are in the workforce.
This creates a home-based opportunity.
Children must be watched, all day if they're not in school, or,
otherwise, for a brief time after school before the parents finish work for the
day. Most parents want their children immersed in a more stimulating
environment than is usual with the average babysitter. You can begin small at
home, offering a more stimulating and educational environment setting for
client children.
Caring for one additional child may not be that
lucrative, but taking care of several children can certainly be a
full-time, financially successful business.
Often, taking care of several children is made somewhat
easier as the youngsters often will play together. You can do this
at home for only a small investment in basic equipment and toys
for the kids in addition to the advertising of your business.
For
more information:
So
You Want to Open a Profitable Child Care Center : Everything You
Need to Know to Plan, Organize and Implement a Successful Program
by Patricia C. Gallagher
Start
and Run a Profitable Home Day Care (Self-Counsel Business Series)
by Catherine M. Pruissen
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5. Computer Specialist
The advent of the computer
age has changed the concept of self-employment.
Having a computer at home has opened a number of opportunities for
running your own business utilizing this equipment.
Companies everywhere are "outsourcing" work that can be done by
someone else on their computer, out of their own home.
If you are a whiz in
computers, you may end up working as a consultant, writing programs for
companies. If you are a beginner,
you may find yourself able to obtain work as a writer, using your computer to
produce copy that is easy to edit. You
can also keep accounting and payroll records for companies on your computer's
database.
Word processing software
can be used not only for writers but for those that can offer secretarial
services out of their house. Desktop
publishing software can allow you to do newsletters for businesses and other
organizations. If you can operate a computer, you can find work in the
information age today.
Of course, the advent of
the Web has opened a lot of business
opportunities for the enterprising individuals. If you have skills in lay-outing
and graphic design, you can be a website designer. Website designers earn
significant amounts of money nowadays.
For
more information:
Making
Money With Your Computer at Home : The Inside Information You Need to Know to
Select and Operate a Full-Time, Part-Time, or Add-On Business tha by Paul
Edwards, Sarah Edwards
121
Internet Businesses You Can Start from Home : Plus a Beginners Guide to Starting
a Business Online by Ron E. Gielgun
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6. Gardening
If you like working in your garden each year , it's a definite possibility for
home-based employment. Imagine
clearing a little more space and growing more items that you can sell
directly to the consumer. You can produce vegetables, bedding plants, bonzai
tree, exotic plants, flower trees, herb, house plants, landscaping plants,
orchids and many more.
Most produce
stands will buy from you if your product is one of high quality.
If you enjoy gardening, this could be your ticket!
If you have some more land to use, do it! Plant what you can, when
you can! Contact your local
produce stands to ascertain their buying habits.
You can even
inquire about your own produce stand if you have enough product.
The more space you have on your land, the more likely you will be
able to generate enough crops to run the business. People love homegrown
vegetables. They just do not
have the time or want to be bothered doing it themselves.
That is your open door!
You
can also engage in selling other gardening products and supplies such as
compost, earthworms, herb boxes, beneficial bugs, or drip irrigation
systems.
For
more information:
Plants
for Profit : Income Opportunities in Horticulture by Francis X. Jozwik,
Dr Jozwik, John Gist (Editor)
How
to Make Money Growing Plants, Trees, and Flowers : A Guide to Profitable
Earth-Friendly Ventures by Francis, X., Dr. Jozwik, John Gist (Editor)
Growing
Profits : How to Start & Operate a Backyard Nursery by Michael
Harlan, Linda Harlan
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7. Importer and Distributor
There are a substantial number of products
manufactured in other countries that can be bought inexpensively and sold in
your country at a profitable level. The Government and the formation of international trade organizations
have made it easier to bring in other products from other countries.
This is a business easily operated out of the
home, depending on the types of stock you're carrying.
You may have to rent some storage space, but the capital required to
start should essentially be limited to the products you're buying to sell
here.
If you know the
type of product you want to import and the market most likely to purchase
your goods, you have great potential for a successful home-based business.
For
more information:
Import/Export:
How to Get Started in International Trade by Carl A. Nelson
Exporting,
Importing, and Beyond : How to 'Go Global' With Your Small Business by
Lawrence W. Tuller
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8. Interior Decorator
Interior decorating is a business that will
require you to be mobile, constantly meeting with customers.
It offers flexible hours, a good variety of activities, and a very
lucrative return. If you have a fascination for decorating a home, this could be your
line of work.
Many people do not
know where to start when they are remodeling or buying a house for the first
time.
If you have the knowledge
of colors and patterns and what looks good together, plus the expertise of
knowing where to get materials and furnishings, this can be a winning
home-based business
for you. To be able to decorate a room so that it conveys the mood
that the homeowner wishes will be your goal. Strive for the skillful,
personal touch in all you design.
For more information:
Opportunities
in Interior Design and Decorating Careers (Vgm Opportunities Series (Cloth))
by Victoria Kloss Ball
How
to Start a Home-Based Interior Design Business (How to Start a Home-Based
Interior Design Business) by Suzanne Dewalt
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9. Photographer
The sky is the limit here!
Armed with your trusty camera and some good advertising, you can do
weddings, models, family portraits, passports, student photos, local
newspaper coverage; almost anything that requires a picture!
You can easily start this work, part-time, and
work into full-time work based on your success and inclination.
Not much equipment is necessary to get going as a camera off the
store shelf can often do the trick today.
Picking up a tripod and having a room sufficient for developing your
pictures, and you're in business -- at home!
For more information:
How
to Start a Home-Based Photography Business, 3rd Edition (Home-based
business) by Kenn Oberrecht
Make
Money With Your Camera by David Neil Arndt
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10. Sewing and Alterations
Many people love to sew.
If you are one of them, consider offering this service out of your
home. When someone buys a new
outfit, it rarely fits perfectly, meaning some kind of alteration must be
done.
People look long and hard to find reliable
individuals to do their alterations. If
you can sew, you are well on your way to opening the doors of this type of
business.
For more information:
The
Business of Sewing : How to Start, Maintain & Achieve Success by
Barbara Wright Sykes
