Do you need a simple home based business idea that will not take a lot of special training or money to start? You may think that starting your own business will take some special skills, thousands of dollars, and years of startup costs to start. But the truth is that you can get many businesses started within days, and many do not require intense training or special equipment. Here are some ideas for you to consider right away.
Mobile Services
Many people are making a good living by bringing services by people who need them. Their customers may be very busy, so they are willing to pay for convenience. Some customers of mobile services are older or disabled, and they are unable to travel much.
Carpet Cleaning Business - All you need is a carpet cleaner, and you can purchase one for a few hundred dollars. One enterprising man takes his supplies to apartment complexes for older people. He charges a very modest fee because he knows these people are on fixed incomes. But since the complex has hundreds of residents, and since each apartment is fairly small, he can perform a lot of services in one day.
This man charges $15 - $20 an apartment, depending upon the amount of bedrooms. He can cover about 10 customers a day. Even after he pays for his cleaning supplies, he still has a nice profit for his work. And his services are very appreciated by the older people who would not be able to go out an rent a heavy machine.
To promote his business, he got permission of the building management to put signs up on the cork board in the hallway. He leaves his cell phone number so he can book appointments for the day, and every time he makes a stop, he usually gets enough business to last for several days.
Mobile Notary - A notary pubic acts as a witness for business documents. Many mobile notary services only serve commercial clients. State requirements vary, but can usually be completed with a short training class and an application. Even with training, the application fee, bonding, E&O insurance, etc., a person can get into this profession by spending a little more than $100 in many states.
Dog Walking - Busy professionals really do hire people to walk their dogs, especially in larger cities. I knew a woman who started a dog walking business for her neighbors in an urban neighborhood. Her business boomed, and she ended up hiring employees so she could just spend her time scheduling appointments and running her business.
BookKeeping - If you can learn one of the common accounting packages and take a short an inexpensive bookkeeping class, you could start a home bookkeeping business. Many small businesses are willing to hire outside firms to handle the details of tracking their income and expenses. I have found some online classes that take a few weeks to complete. If you already have some experience, you may just need to make sure you know how to use popular software for your clients.
Give Rides - So many families have 2 working parents these days. A lot of them would pay for a reliable service to ferry kids to the orthodontist or grandma to the eye doctor. It is worth it for them to stay on the job and pay somebody else to perform some taxi duties. You need to make sure you have good auto insurance. Word of mouth, or a community newsletter would probably bring you some clients.
Are you ready to start a home business?
I just gave you four ideas, but I am sure that you can come up with more of your own. It seems like almost every task that people have to do also provides an opportunity for starting a service to help people out.
