Home Business Ideas 2
Here’s another 50 or so home money making and business opportunities which require no or very little start up capital to get going.
MAKING CURTAINS AND RUGS: is a pleasant home occupation. Many people are glad of such a money-saving service. Get business through telephone and personal calls, letters and classified advertisements in local newspaper, sell privately and through gift shops. Get supplies at trade rates through wholesaler listed in the telephone book and in craft journals.
A FILM DEVELOPING & PROCESSING SERVICE: can be a very profitable especially in the summer. You can work from home and get business by offering chemists 25% commission to act as agents for the conventional flim developing. If you’re ok on computers, you can offer a transfer service transferring digitial images from camera/card onto playable CD’s.
CHILDREN’S PLAYROOM: Some women have developed a profitable second income by turning one of their rooms into children;s playroom, fixing it up with bright walls, games, puzzles, toys and books. They take in neighbours’ children aged from 4 to 10 for an agreed rate per afternoon, leaving parents free for shopping etc.
CURIOS AND NOVELTIES: Made at home, these items can be sold directly to the public or through retail outlets such as gift shops, novelty and curios shops
COLLECT AND SELL AUTOGRAPHS: These can be picked up, often cheaply, from estate sales and secondhand bookshops, also by writing to famous people telling them how much you appreciate something they have done or written (such letters often bring a thank you note). Sell by mail order through classified ads in the literary magazines.
BABY SITTING AGENCY: A baby sitting (and invalid sitting) agency is well worthwhile. Operators advertise for baby sitters in the local newspaper and check their suitability. The agency mails postcards to parents, women’s groups and church groups making known its service.
BUYING AND SELLING OLD CHINA AND GLASS: It is possible to make good profits by buying certain types of old china and glass from secondhand stores, auction sales, etc., and selling them privately and to antique dealers. It is necessary to get to know the subject and which items are in demand; this can be done by studying books in the public library.
FURNITURE AND APPLIANCE REPAIRING: If you have the ability there is good scope in this field because everywhere people like to be able to call in someone to salvage old furniture, remodel lamps, fix chairs and sofas, etc.
MANAGING BLOCKS OF FLATS: Owners of apartment houses are often glad to pay 5% of the rent to someone who will collect monthly rents, place income in the bank, superintend maintenance and show people over vacant flats. Some people make a good income of this, managing several blocks of flats.
FELT CRAFT: it is quite easy and often highly lucrative. Home operators obtain low-priced kits from supply houses, scraps from departent stores, milliners and mills, and make toy animals, table mats, handbags, holders, hot dish pads, slippers, hats, belts glass cases, felt flowers, purses. Sell to gift shops.
OPERATE A SPARETIME AGENCY FROM HOME: Contact local companies in your area and offer to sell their products on their behalf in return for a flat rate commission.
WRITING FOR MONEY : Thousands of magazines pay well for articles stories that suit their public. Many beginners get into print with the help of manuals such as “Write for Money” (from your authorised distributor). Markets are listed in “Writers and Artists Year Book”.
A HOME REPAIR SHOP: for toys, dolls and household items is appreciated in most towns. Such a service can be made known with announcements on notice boards, a sign in your window and with classified advertisements in local newspapers.
PREPARING CURRICULUM VITAE (C.V.’s): on your home P.C. and printing out on daisy-wheel or laser printer. Very prestigious results are achieved thus materially assisting job candidates. Fees are collected for the finished product. Advertise your service in local/national newspapers.
WORDPROCESSING SERVICE: from home using P.C. appropriate software as ‘Wordstar’ and a daisy-wheel printer. Reports, special letters, quotations, invoices can easily be produced using state-of-the-art peripherals. Customers will be small businesses such as builders, doctors, accountants. Demand will be regular.
DRESSMAKING FOR OFF-SIZED PEOPLE: Because so many people cannot wear the standard-sized costumes sold in shops, this is an excellent speciality.
WRITING COMPUTER SOTWARE: Children love novel computer games thus creating a constant demand for new and better arcade quality software. If you have programming skills (or these skills can be acquired through local college courses) then writing these games using computer language could prove a very profitable venture.
ILLUSTRATED LECTURES: There is money in this. Build up a collection of colour slides on two or three popular subjects. Read up these subjects over a period. Then write offering to give illustrated talks to clubs, civic organisations, educational institutions and employees of business firms. Projectors can be hired.
HAT RENOVATING: A number of women in small and larger towns add to their income by giving ‘new life’ to hats, changing the style to make them look new and different. Classified local advertisements and personal recommendations bring customers.
POULTRY BREEDING: If you have the inclination and the space, plus some ability for buying and selling you could look into this possibility, studying the journals and manuals on the subject at the local library.
HOME IMPORT-EXPORT BUSINESS: This field bristles with opportunities and involves only very modest expenditure to start. One operator claims to make an average of £15,000 to £20,000 a year and he started with very little capital. The necessary know-how is easily acquired; there are reliable manuals on world trade, showing how to start, how to get government help, how and where to buy, how to sell locally and by mail, etc.
PRINTING SERVICE: Selling printed items (letterheads, envelopes, forms etc.,) through local solicitation involves no equipment, no stock, no financial investment, no working out. You find a wholesaler printer who will supply a catalogue and samples; these do the main job.
PREPARING SPEECHES: If you have the ability to prepare speeches there is well paid work to be obtained from persons active in trade associations, literary clubs, political groups and social clubs. A letter, with your business card, sent to the secretaries of such associations may well lead to interesting work.
PART -TIME TAXI DRIVING: It is necessary to be over 21 years of age, be free of criminal convictions and to possess a driver’s licence. Apply to local taxicab companies.
DEALING IN POSTAGE STAMPS: gives plenty of scope today with the ever-increasing interest in stamp collecting for pleasure and profit. There are over 3 million collectors of stamps in the British Isles and about 12 million throughout the world. Even if you confine yourself to supplying collectors in Great Britain, you can make a good income. Many people are earning £75 to £150 weekly (and much more) selling postage stamps by mail order from home. You can get started without investment as a number of suppliers “drop ship” direct to your customers, so that you do not have to carry a lot of stock.
PAPER HANGING: if you can do it well, is a wanted service. Insert classified ds saying you will decorate houses at low rates (get the know-how from library books). Request a discount of 20% on wallpaper supplied by retailers.
PLASTIC CRAFTWORK: can be carried out on a card table at home. Manuals are readily obtainable showing how to make jewel boxes, paperweights, candleholders, pen-holders, cigarette boxes, costume jewellery and ornamental plaques for gift shop outlets.
THERE IS MONEY IN CARS: first in selling used or new cars, second in running a motor insurance agency. You can buy used cars cheaply at weekly auctions and sell for excellent profits from home. Advertise in your local paper under cars for sale. Details of a motor insurance agency are obtainable from Gambles and Childs Ltd., Quebec Street, Leeds.
PART-TIME SECRETARY: Many women do secretarial work at home for dentists, doctors and lawyers who do not require a secretary all day. They call for the client’s recordings from a dictation machine and perform the work at home, at a considerable saving for the client. Other likely customers; ministers, associations, mail order frims, stores, restaurants, gas and electric companies. Areas with lots of small, start up businesses are especially profitable in this respect.
POTTERY CRAFT PRODUCTS: can now be made at home at low expenditure on kits and clays from craft supply houses. There is a good market for decorated tiles for hanging on walls, decoration of fireplaces, etc., small pitchers and mugs, vases and flower bowls.
PROFITS FROM PLASTIC LAMINATING: There is a demand for this service because so many people have documents and papers they want to preserve from deterioration by having them covered with a layer of plastic that is airtight. Business firms want photos, cards, maps, charts, clippings, etc., protected. Firms that show you how to get started advertise in Exchange & Mart”.
PET OWNER SERVICE: Shampooing and boarding pets is a sought-after service in higher-income areas. Poodle clipping is also in demand. Your local public library probably has books on dogs and clipping.
LOCATE OUT-OF-PRINT BOOKS: This pays well. You place two-line classified ads in literary periodicals such as “Books and Bookman”, “Times Literary Supplement”, “Time and Tide”, offering to find scarce books a “free search service”. You insert other ads indicating specific titles wanted in “The Clique”.
TELEPHONE ANSWERING SERVICE: Such services are used by lawyers, doctors, repair men, contractors and others who are not always able to have someone to answer ‘phone calls’. Many housewives, shut-ins, married couples and others find that a telephone answering service pays well. A monthly fee is charged.
COMPUTERISED BOOK-KEEPING/ACCOUNTING SERVICE: Using a home P.C. and software such as “Sage” or “Pegasus” accounting packages you are able to offer a fully computerised book-keeping and accounting service including; purchase ledger, profit and loss accounts, sales ledger, nominal ledger, profit forecasting. Book-keeping and VAT returns are the bane of all small/medium businesses. Many will be happy to off-load on to your service allowing them more
time to actually running their businesses.
TOY MAKING: calls for a keen interest, market study and initiative; in demand are: tricks, games, game boards, masks, educational toys, models, puppets and any other types.
TEACH TYPEWRITING & COMPUTERS: Many stenographers take a typing class at home in the evening, using rented typewriters and ads in local papers.
A LIST BROKING SERVICE: can provide a good income, spare-time or full-time. List Broking is big business in America and is a fast growing field in the U.K. It is the use of one firm’s mailing list by another non-competing firm.
CHINCHILLA BREEDING: is equally profitable. This can be undertaken at home since most people have a spare corner or cupboard under the stairs to keep the cages. Chinchillas are becoming extremely popular animals hence this can become a very profitable croft or home business.
WEDDING VIDEO SERVICE: offering a personal video of this special occasion is a profitable usage of a “camcorder”. Many young brides want a living momento of their wedding-day. œ20-œ30 per copy can be realised for 1-2 hours work. Up to a dozen copies can be sold from each ceremony. Advertise in your local paper. A “camcorder” can be purchased cheaply these days, or even rented.
WATCH REPAIRING: can be highly profitable. A watch repairing course is easily available and is affordable if you are interested in learning this craft.
STENCIL CUTTING: for churches, clubs and business firms pays well. It is simply typing on to a wax stencil using a typewriter (without the ribbon). Erasures and corrections are made with a liquid which may be bought at any office stationery shop.
SELLING OCCULT AND METAPHYSICAL BOOKS BY MAIL: is interesting and can be profitable. In England a reliable advertising medium for such books is “Prediction”; in America “Fate”. Source of supply: New Knowledge Books, P.O. Box 9, Horsham, Sussex.
SILK SCREEN PRINTING: can be excellent home business. The process is used for greeting cards, posters, show cards, personalised place cards, etc. This can be started fairly cheaply, check the Printer Supplies section of your local directory or the Exchange & Mart
TELEX/FAX/PHOTOCOPYING SERVICE: Communication and fast copying are vital requirements of modern businesses and executive professionals. Second-hand fascimile and photocopiers are cheaply available.
HOME MAIL ORDER BUSINESS: You can start and operate a profitable mail order business at home with limited capital if you go the right way about it. Starting with almost no capital it is possible to make £100 a week part-time and much more full time.
SELLING SELF-HELP AN ‘HOW’ BOOKS BY MAIL: This is the most
satisfactory type of mail order business. Easy, pleasant and profitable, it is an ideal spare-time or full-time activity, especially suitable for the beginner in mail order.
CRAFT WORK: Because good craftsmanship is scarce today home craftsmen can readily sell attractive work through gift shops, furniture stores and other retailers, also privately
