Get Rich At Home
Please re-read that
last point about repeated failures. This is probably the most important fact to
keep in mind as you’re working through ideas that can make you money. I
personally keep a “Failures” tag in Gmail where, if I’m not getting at least 5
failures/month, I know I’m not doing enough.
What are your real
skills, and how can you turn them into something that other people will pay
for? Let’s say you have a full-time job as a project manager or salesperson or
translator. How can turn what you already know how to do into $200/month,
$500/month, or even $5,000/month in side income?
Earning more is about
creating a process to rapidly uncover, test, and hone a series of ideas until
you find the right one. Of course it’s difficult. That’s why losers whine
about it, but you’re going to actually do it.
1. CLOSET RENOVATION: You
can make anywhere from $100 to $1,500 remodeling closets. You’ll have to brush
up on some of the new organizer systems that are available, and if you have a
knack for installing things, you’ll be good at fixing up closets and giving
people more of what everyone wants: more closet space. You don’t have to be a
design genius to be good at this very practical business.
2. SOCIAL MEDIA
SERVICE: You help individuals set up accounts at
myspace, facebook, twitter, etc., and you maintain them.
3. CART VENDING: If
you live in a busy area—near a bunch of outlets, for example—build a small cart
and start selling. Sell lemonade, fruit salad, cookies, sunglasses, suntan
lotion, but start selling. If you live en route to a busy beach, sell your
goods to drivers sitting in traffic. Sell vegetables from the roadside. Sell
ski wax. This is a four-season business. Pick and choose the items that you
will sell for each season. Buy them wholesale. You are in business.
4. HORSE BOARDING: Some
areas across the United States are known as “horse country.” If you live in or
near a region that qualifies, you might consider building a stable on your
property and renting it out to people who own horses but who don’t have
anywhere to keep them. Once again, call your insurance company and inquire
about the possibility of beefing up your liability coverage. You wouldn’t want
one of your boarders to stumble in the stable at any rate, but particularly not
if you don’t the proper coverage.
5. TOOL RENTAL: Do
you have a basement full of tools that you are not using all the time? If you
do, why not start a business renting them to people who need them for a limited
time and limited use? Use your old tools to get rich at home. Do you
really need that sander hanging around all day next to your dusty wet saw? How
about that dry/wet vacuum? Or that giant wheelbarrow used only once to mix
concrete?
6. GARAGE CLEANING: Just
about every garage in the United States could use a cleaning. Some need a
complete overhaul. You can offer this service to homeowners in your community
and by the time you get all the garages cleaned and straightened up, it will be
time to start all over again. You can offer additional services, too, like
stain removal, painting, building shelves, etc.
7. PET PHOTOGRAPHER: If
you like animals and enjoy taking pictures, consider starting a business in
which you photograph people’s pets. Ask local pet shops if you can display a
flier offering your service. If you own a pet, drop by your vet’s office and
ask if you can hang a flier there, too. If you have patience and a knack in
handling animals, this could be a great business for you.
8. ASSEMBLY SERVICE: Along
the same track as business number 21, but this one has you assembling items
such as bookshelves, armoires, dressers and just about anything else that
people buy from stores that needs to be assembled. Most people are too
frustrated to read directions. This is where you come in and offer your
services. If you have the patience, you can do it. You can also pick the items
up and assemble them at home, and then deliver them to your clients. This way
you can do it on your own turf and listen to the music you like while you
assemble the goods. If you have a knack for assembly, get rich at home.
9. TEACH YOUR CRAFT: Do
you engage in a hobby or craft that people have told you they would love to
learn? Then why don’t you start offering classes or lessons in this hobby
craft? Do you make quilts, do stained glass or build small sailboats? There is
probably a market to teach this service in your community. If you don’t want to
teach at home, call your local high school. You might be able to teach this
class at a local high school adult education class, too.
10. NEWSLETTER: You
don’t have to be a genius or even a great writer to start your own newsletter.
To newsletter readers, it is much more important to digest the information
that’s in the newsletter rather than analyze the writing style. For example,
choose something you’re interested in, as you’ll have more fun this way, and
uncover better information for your subscribers. Say you like scuba diving, but
there are already too many magazines and other newsletters that focus on scuba. What if you narrow your focus to Weekend Scuba Divers—those that don’t have the time to take long
vacations once a year, but who want to go every weekend. If you’re based in
Atlanta, Georgia, there are probably a few places one could fly to in a weekend
and go scuba diving. Okay, maybe scuba isn’t for you. What about astronomy? Car
detailing? Start a newsletter focusing on something you love, something you are
obsessed with and you will enjoy your business every day. You can start out by
purchasing a mailing list and sending a sample of your newsletter to everyone
on the list, or you can prepare a direct mail letter. Subscriptions to
newsletters cost anywhere from $20 to $350 a year.
11. RESIDENTIAL
CLEANING: It is not uncommon to hear that people
start this business and make $60,000 in six months. They then start farming out
the cleaning jobs to employees and sit back and just book the jobs. You can do
it, too. Pick up a batch of cleaning supplies, place an ad and get ready to
make money. You can charge $50 to clean a one-bedroom apartment and up to $150
for a house. What will your market bear? Remember, you are not doing the
windows and other tasks that are only done occasionally. Your clients can hire
you back and pay you additional fees to do those jobs. You are straightening
up, washing the floors and doing the dishes. Place an ad and watch your
business grow. Word of mouth is an excellent way to build this business.
12. WELCOME SERVICE: Is
your area booming with new homeowners? Consider a welcoming service. You make
your money from all of the local merchants who pay you to include them in your
“get to know the neighborhood” package. You drop in or make appointments with
new neighbors and tell them where the local video rental store is, whether or
not the local deli delivers, where the best pizza place is, and how late the
bank stays open on a Friday night. The merchants often give you coupons to
present to these newcomers to help generate business. To round out all of this
commercialism, you can also give the new neighbors tips on where the bus routes
are, how late the library stays open, and directions to the post office.
13. VINTAGE CLOTHING
STORE: You can set up a vintage clothing store in
your backyard or attic. Check with the local zoning board and make sure this is
all right in your neighborhood. Some towns require that you get a permit to do
this occasionally. Hang the goods—they can be yours, you could have bought
them, or they could belong to friends and neighbors—on a few garment racks.
Host nostalgic weekends such as Return To The Seventies and display all your
polyester pants, tightly knitted sweaters, and platform shoes.
14. DOCUMENT SPECIAL
EVENTS: Do you enjoy making videos of special
gatherings for your family and friends? Why not get paid for it? Take your
video camera and start a business recording special events around town for your
neighbors and business associates. Your jobs could range from a corporate
retirement dinner, a school picnic, a wedding, a special town club event, a
marathon, a local bands’ gig—you name it. You might need to pick up a tripod or
some special light to start this business, so save the receipts. These supplies
are tax deductible.
15. BICYCLE REPAIR: You
can turn your love of bicycling into a moneymaking enterprise by advertising
that you repair bikes. This type of business can translate into any hobby or
love. If you ski, you can offer to wax and repair skis, you can refurbish
rollerblades, fix or shape surfboards, etc. Take a look at your hobbies and see
if there is one with similar marketable potential.
16. AQUARIUM
MAINTENANCE: When people buy tropical fish and put
the fish in that gleaming fish tank with the special lighting and that cute
little plastic skin diver, it really does look great. But who wants to maintain
the beauty of the tank on a regular basis. This is where tropical fish
maintenance entrepreneurs come in handy. There are fish that can be selected
for a tank that require little care and tenderness. You can learn these breeds
and select them for your clients. Of course, we don’t advocate this business
unless you are really concerned about the little fish. You’ll need to drop by
once or twice a week, clean out the tank and feed the fish. If you maintain the
tanks in, say, doctor’s offices, you’ll have steady customers. There are very
few doctors or nurses who want to take on the additional responsibilities of managing
the fish!
17. DJ: Do
you love music and parties and people? Try starting your own disc jockey
service. You’ll need a good sound system and perhaps some lights to get the
ball rolling. Look into a karaoke system so the partygoers can get up and sing.
Try and tie in with a local catering company so that they can turn you on to
jobs. Don’t forget local parties and local events, too.
18. SPECIAL
INVITATIONS: Call-igraphy is still used for
special invitations and corporate events. It is available in software form for
personal computers, but many prefer to hire a calligrapher that can do the job
by hand. Research other special options such as using dried flowers, etc. Drop
into a local art or crafts store and research the possibilities.
19. PARTIES FOR KIDS: You
can start a business planning parties for children. You can buy all the party
fair and drop it off, or you can also provide the cake, the entertainment and
even be on hand to supervise these events. You’ll need good resources for the
cake, entertainment and party goods. Advertise in local papers and at local
clubs that cater to moms.
20. POOL CLEANING: Do
you live in an area with a lot of swimming pools? You could start a pool
cleaning and maintenance service. Pool cleaners drop by once a week to vacuum
the pool and distribute the chlorine. They charge about $40 for this service.
There are plenty of motels and hotels who need this service performed, too.
Most pool owners have a lot of the equipment (vacuum and nets to skim the
surface) so you really don’t need to cart around a lot of equipment. You can
grab clients from other pool cleaners by doing a better job for a little
less—or offer to do the first job at a drastic discount.
21. LAWN SERVICE: Cutting
lawns is something that every homeowner must do. You can start a business
offering this service. If there is lot of competition in your region, offer a
discounted price for new customers.
22. HOT TUB
MAINTENANCE: Hot tubs are still a big item
when people build a new home. It takes less than 15 minutes a week to maintain
a hot tub. You can start a business offering this service. It could be a great
add on to a pool cleaning business. If you have a hot tub already, you know
what to do. Drop into a local hot tub shop or purchase a book on hot-tub
maintenance and get ready to distribute a flier to get your client list ready.
23. STEPPING STONES: If
you can make concrete stepping-stones from a simple mold, you can start a
lucrative business making garden paths for your clients. You can dye the
concrete to have a wide variety of color offerings, too. Mix in some decorative
stones or pebbles and you are really on to something. You can practice in your
own backyard and even sell the stones you create to help build your business.
24. DECK BUILDING: If
you are handy with carpentry, then starting a deck building specialty business
could be the right one for you. Specialize in just a few styles and build some
for your friends. (Let them supply the materials.) Use these “models” for your
photo brochure or deck album. This will be your selling tool to generate
business. Charge for materials and labor. Local deck builders in the Northeast
charge anywhere from $15 to $30 per hour to build a deck.
25. ORGANIZING
KITCHENS: You take on this task that apartment
dwellers and homeowners don’t want to face.
26. FLOWERS TO GO: If
you live on a street on which harried executives travel on their way home,
consider growing flowers and selling them right from your front yard. It’s an
easy-start business and once you reel in a few customers it will attract more
and more. You should have some attractive wrap handy to wrap up the flowers,
too. At some point you might consider branching out and selling potted plants
and vases.
27. FAMILY TREES: Do
you enjoy history? Do you like to do research? Then you can start a business
tracing family histories? Advertise your service in a local newspaper or even
in a regional magazine. There are software programs on the market that can help
you trace family histories by plugging in a few items. You interview your
client, get the answers to the right questions, and generate a fortune with your
home computer.
28. BIRDHOUSE
BUILDING: If you can build birdhouses, start turning
them out and sell them at local fairs and flea markets. Make sure you
investigate what types of birds like what types of houses. Some birds prefer a
small entry hole for their doorway, and others like a larger one. Some don’t
like certain colors, etc.
29. FLEA MARKET
ENTREPRE-NEUR: Do you have goods to sell? Then you can
become a flea market entrepreneur. You’ll need to research locations in your
region where you can set up shop and sell your wares. Some flea market
entrepreneurs empty their homes and attics or get their products from neighbors
and friends.
30. FURNITURE
REFINISHING: Even if you’ve never done this
before, there are scores of books out now on the topic and dozens of magazines that teach one how to refinish furniture. You can offer
this as a service and do it at your place or theirs. You make anywhere from $20
to $75 per house, depending on your location.
31. BEDS FOR PETS: If
you are handy and can build, you can create fun beds for pets that resemble
couches, carriages and even sports cars.
32. SERVICES FOR
SENIORS: There are plenty of senior citizens out there
who could use some help in getting chores done, answering mail, helping out
with seasonal duties around the house and much, much more. You can start a
senior service business where you help them do all of these things. Post
notices around town and ask the local newspaper if they would consider putting
your flier in every paper. You might have to pay a little for this type of
distribution, but you will be reaching senior citizens as well as the sons and
daughters of many seniors who could use a break from all the work they take on
for their aging parents.
33. COLLECTIBLES
DEALER: Do you love old things and love collecting?
Old toys, Barbie dolls, Mickey Mouse watches, snowglobes, lunch boxes are all
valued collectible items and dealers will pay a tidy sum to have these goods in
their collections. We recently saw an ad for Ty Beanie Babies. Collectors
looking for the one or two they don’t have will pay a fortune to complete their
set. Not all collectibles, therefore, are old. Another example is the Swatch
watch.
34. DRIED FLOWER
WREATHS: You can gather dried flowers from your own
garden and make your own wreaths from dried flowers, herbs, and ornamental
grasses, hollies and pines. These could be sold at crafts fairs, flea markets
or via mail order. You can also customize the wreaths to meet special needs: a
wreath for a gardener could come with a pair of gardening gloves attached; a
wreath for a golfer could come with golf balls or tees; and a wreath during the
Christmas season could come with an ornament.
35. MEDITATION
GARDENS: Create a calming space in your own backyard,
such as a fountain or other water feature, bench, flowers, etc. Photograph it
and use it to get gigs in your neighborhood and beyond.
36. BUY A PRODUCT
WHOLESALE & SELL IT: There are thousands of
possibilities online. Find something you love, like a yo-yo or a gadget and
start selling at fairs, mail order, etc.
37. HOME INVENTORY
BIZ: The
horrible storms and tornadoes have taught homeowners the importance of keeping
a good inventory log of all possessions. This audit is necessary in case of
fire, storm, mudslides, robbery, etc. Insurance companies want to see
documentation before they start writing their checks to help homeowners recover
from tragic losses. You can do this by hand, or with the help of a laptop
computer. Purchase a Polaroid camera or use another type of camera or even a
video camera. You record everything your clients own and organize it into a
written and photo/video report.
38. COMPUTER TUTOR: If
you have a knack for working on your computer, then you might want to start a
business that enables you to earn money while helping folks learn how to
operate a computer. Take out a few ads in local newspapers or distribute fliers
on bulletin boards around town. Don’t forget schools and local corporations.
Charge by the hour or group students together and offer a group rate.
39. HOME DELIVERY
SERVICE: Home delivery is predicted to be one of the
hottest business opportunities of this decade and beyond. People are lazy and
pressed for time. The population is getting older and more consumers want stuff
delivered right to their doorstep. We’re referring to prescriptions, grocery
goods, hardware, lumberyard, etc. You’ll need to tie-in with stores and shops
in your region that don’t deliver.
40. COMPUTER BIZ WIZ: If
you are great with a computer, consider starting a business in which you help
small business owners and residential customers set up computers and perform
tasks. You could compile mailing lists for them, set up their bookkeeping and
accounting systems and help homeowners install software systems for their kids.
You can also work on special projects for your clients, too. It might seem
simple to you, but you could make money for your talent, skill and know-how.
41. PERENNIAL GARDENS: If
you have a flair for gardening and if you are good at design, start a perennial
garden business. You visit the home of your clients and design a perennial
border for them. You purchase the plants—or transplant them from your own
divided perennial garden—and actually dig and plant the garden. There are many
design books available that can help you get started, but if you are already a
gardener, this could be the greatest small business you could consider
starting.
42. VIDEO TO DIGITAL
SERVICE: Everyone has old VHS tapes around. You
take them and transfer to DVDs or store on a flash drive or computer. There are
transfer machines available for around $200 or less.
43. PERSONAL SHOPPER: Do
you like to go shopping? Just imagine how much fun it would be to get paid to
do this! You can, as a personal shopper. Lots of busy executives and harried
single parents don’t have the time to shop for themselves or for others. Your
service comes to the rescue. You select and choose and maybe even wrap the
gifts for your clients. When you start shopping around for clients, don’t
forget to call on local corporations for their business.
44. GARAGE SALE: It
is possible to host a garage sale every weekend. You don’t have to come up with
all of the merchandise; you can sell things on consignment or buy up the
contents of homes for sale and then resell them at a profit. You’ll need to
advertise your mega garage sale to generate a steady flow of customers. Try to
come up with unique items to display such as a horse from a carousel. These
crowd grabbers will help attract people to your garage sale.
45. HOMETOWN GUIDE: If
your hometown features some unique historical monument or water mill or
windmill, or if your town is steeped in history that others would find
fascinating, then why don’t you put together a tour and offer it as an option
whenever tourists come to town. You can dress up like a character from that
period to make the tour more accessible, amusing and fun for your clients.
Contact the local chamber of commerce and ask them if you could give them the
tour.
46. JEWELRY OF THE
MONTH CLUB: Start a jewelry making business
and offer a piece each month to your customers who sign up for a yearly
subscription. Sell at flea markets, fairs, community centers and online.
Consider other “product of the month” businesses you can start.
47. WEED REMOVAL: That’s
it. Just weeds, okay, and maybe some vines, too. You advertise in local papers,
offer prices that are lower than landscapers and you take on clients. You don’t
need much equipment at all, just some weed digging tools and a pruner. You’ll
need barrels to cart away the weeds and vines and you must have a destination
for this compostable material.
48. ASTROLOGICAL
CHARTS: You can use your home computer (along with
the appropriate software) to prepare astrological charts for your clients. They
might want their charts done for their friends, too, of course, and you can
build a nice clientele via positive word of mouth. Advertise in the local
newspaper and try and book yourself as a guest on a local cable TV show. Use
the Internet to search for software to help you execute this business.
49. KIDPROOF HOMES: You
can set up a business in which you go into homes and conduct a troubleshooting
session for parents who have young kids and babies. Are the outlets exposed? Is
there bleach under the sink or other harmful chemicals within reach of the
children? Could a child fall down a staircase or from a deck? These are the
types of situations you’ll be looking to uncover as you help parents childproof
their home from potential disaster. You’ll need to brush up on what things to
look for, so talk to a lot of parents and find out what steps they’ve taken to
make their homes a safe haven for their kids. You can generate additional
income by offering to fix what’s wrong and to install special locks, clamps,
etc., to safeguard children in their homes.
50. BALLOON DELIVERY
SERVICE: Everyone loves balloons, and they are gaining
on flowers in terms of items to be delivered to home or to office. Balloons are
festive and fun, and you don’t need to be an artist to learn how to arrange
them. Blow them up or purchase a helium tank. Take out an ad in your local
paper and start buying balloons.
