These days everyone is looking for home business ideas that make money. Even if you are employed, it is still a smart idea to develop a secondary stream of income that will provide you with extra money to pay bills, save for a dream vacation, or fall back on if that full time job is suddenly downsized. Here are five home based business ideas that don’t require you to mortgage your home in order to start.
Home Business Ideas #1 – Selling Cosmetics
It is a well known fact that the purchase of cosmetics increases in a down economy. This is because most women purchase makeup, which they consider to be small luxuries, as a substitute for the more expensive items they want to buy but cannot afford.
Cosmetic companies, like Avon, will let you become an independent representative for a little as $10. Although most of these companies do recommend that you buy inventory upfront, it is not necessary for you to do that. Instead of stockpiling products you may or may not be able sell, run your home business on a presales basis. Have your clients pay up front for their purchases and then turn around and order the makeup with the collected money. Once you have a clientele that orders on a regular basis, you can then keep popular products in stock for quick delivery.
Home Business Ideas #2 – Article Writer
If you have a talent for words then a career as a freelance writer is one home based business idea that might be your path to extra cash. There is always a need for people who can communicate ideas clearly and effectively especially in this time of economic and social turmoil. Businesses need copywriters to sell products and services, newspapers need journalists to report the news, and websites need content writers to draw in internet visitors.
It doesn’t take much to get started with this home business idea especially if you are only interested in doing work on the internet. There are many services online that will provide you with a free website. You just need to provide information about yourself, your qualifications, a few writing samples and a way to contact you.
For offline writers looking to get business from the local community, today’s computer technology makes it easy to create professional looking sales letters and business cards. If doing it yourself just isn’t for you, consider bartering services with a local graphic designer who will do some design work for you in exchange for a few articles promoting their business.
Home Business Ideas #3 – Personal Assistant
With businesses downsizing, workers are being asked to do more at the office. Because there are only so many hours in a day, time is a precious commodity and people are willing to pay someone to help them make the most of what little they have. One home business idea that takes advantage of this trend is to become a personal assistant.
As a personal assistant, you can offer a range of services, from picking up dry cleaning and scheduling appointments to intercepting calls and cleaning out the email box, which will provide your clients with the time they need to focus on more important things.
Your biggest expense will come from the marketing of your home based business. Tap into free business networking events in your local community with the goal of landing your first client. From there you can ask for referrals and use word of mouth advertising to get your work at home business off the ground.
Home Business Ideas #4 – Party Planner
If you have a knack for organizing events then party planning is the best work at home business idea for you. As a party planner, you make your clients’ lives easier by handling all of the details involved in putting on a party. You find the perfect location, book the caterers, arrange entertainment, and take care of the thousands of other elements that have your clients pulling their hair out.
You can organize events for companies or stick with social engagements, such as weddings, birthdays or anniversary parties. Since you’ll be working with little to no money, it is best to start your home based business with packages that your clients prepay for. Once you’ve built up a steady flow of income you’ll be able to offer custom services or large events where you’ll collect the bulk of your fee when the event ends.
Home Business Ideas #5 – Lifestyle Coach
Life is a journey chock full of forked paths and detours that leave most people at a loss as to the best way to proceed. As a lifestyle coach you can provide your clients with direction and show them the steps they need to take to get where they want to go in life. You can focus on one aspect of a person’s lifestyle, like health or productivity, or you can offer a menu of general personal development services for them to pick from.
Most of your coaching will be done at home over the phone, so your biggest expense will be your telephone charges. Invest in a really good phone plan to cover the cost of the minutes and bill accordingly.
Whether you are looking to supplement an existing income stream or to completely replace a lost one, these home business ideas can get you back in the game. With a little hard work and perseverance, you can start generating the income you need without having to empty your savings account. Good luck!
Delish iBusiness provides internet business development tips that move you from daydreams to profit. Business ideas, marketing advice, tools, and more for building a delish online business.
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Another one is sell Watkins products.
Hi Don,
That's true. There are a number of affiliate and network marketing opportunities that one could join. Maybe that's for another post some day