A financial aid planner helps parents get the lowest possible price for their
child's college education, thus saving them money. Tapping into financial
aid resources is not just about being smart. It is about being aware of the
resources that are available. This business involves advising parents and
high school students on selecting a college, filling out the application and
financial aid forms, providing tips for writing the college essay, advising
parents about tax implications on college savings plans, and negotiating
the best possible financial aid package when a college offer is received. A
sound knowledge about higher education institutions and a thorough
understanding of financial aid options are important. Market your services
in high schools, libraries, private tutorial centers and universities.
Tip: Have a good understanding of different financial programs like Byrd
Scholarships, Stafford Loans, private and federal grants, and PLUS Loans.
Also be current with college savings plans including 529 plans, Coverdell
Education Savings Accounts, the Uniform Gift to Minors Act, and
Charitable Remainder Unitrusts.
2. Consignment Shop
Talking about wearing "pre-owned" clothing has never been a popular
coffee table discussion. Times may be changing, though. Recycled clothes
are back. The recession has led consumers to save their bucks by buying
"gently used" items.
As a consignment shop owner, you don't pay anything for your inventory
until it is sold, which makes this business ideal for the startup
entrepreneur. Take clean, well-cared-for items and display and
merchandise them for the owners, splitting the profits when you make a
sale. Many times, the profit split is either 50/50 or 60/40, with the higher
percentage going to the consignment shops.
Tip: The key to a successful consignment shop is a pleasant atmosphere.
Make it clean, fresh and fashionable.
3. Freelance Writing
Freelance writers can write articles on any topic, from horse training to
buying an RV. A good way to start is by writing about subjects in which
you are already an expert. The Writer's Market lists guidelines for
thousands of publications.
Ghost writing is a good pursuit for freelancers looking for money and
willing to forgo a byline. Websites are always on the lookout for quality
freelancers, too. Create a website to promote your freelance writing
business.
Tip: Your initial queries are likely to get rejected many times. Cultivate a
stoic resilience to rejection.
4. Gardening Business
Herb farms are one of the fastest-growing industries. Medicinal herbs,
herbal teas, culinary herbs, and herbs for candles and aromatherapy are
just the tip of the iceberg. A solid working knowledge of growing herbs is
essential.
Flowers used to scent potpourri, soap, candles and fragrant concoctions
require just a few square feet of growing space. Most of your product
preparation can easily take place in an average-size kitchen equipped with
no more than a shelf, stove and counter work space.
Becoming a gardening teacher is a creative way to make money from your
green thumb. Offer gardening seminars in your backyard, community
colleges, recreation centers and local nurseries. Offer a class each month
on a different aspect of gardening, including planning flower beds,
learning about perennials, preparing the soil, creating an English garden,
bulb planting, and the like.
Growing orchids can be a lucrative business if you are willing to spenpd
time and considerable effort. Although they are typically grown in tropical
areas, orchids can also be grown as houseplants or in greenhouses.
Tip: Through gardening, you can branch off to floral arrangements and
market your products to local inns, hotels, wedding planners, churches,
roadside flower sales and florists.
5. Gift Basket Making Business
From corporate parties to baby showers, holidays and birthdays, gift
baskets can be tailored to suit the taste of anyone. Gift basket
entrepreneurs need a flair for the creative and the design ability to buy
gifts and tuck them into baskets, decorative tins, boxes or bags. Attractive
packaging is an important part of the gift basket business. You can't just
throw some objects together and stick on a bow.
Market your gift baskets by taking photos of them. Prepare a brochure
listing the contents of each basket and its price. You can sell your baskets
online, to corporate offices, through mail order and in local shops.
Tip: There is a large, untapped market for merchandise with university
and sports team logos on them. You will first need to get approval from
the university's licensing department to make gift baskets that have
merchandise with their logo.
6. Graphic Design
Duties of a graphic designer include designing flyers, informational
pamphlets, product catalogs and advertisements. Graphic designers also
consult with printers or publishers to identify the best choice of paper,
cover stocks and printing processes for any given assignment.
Market your services to ad agencies, publishing companies, small
magazines, corporations, product manufacturers and individual
entrepreneurs.
Tip: Good listening skills are essential to running a successful graphic
designing business. You need to understand completely what your clients
want.
7. Grant Writing Business
The grant writer is the vital link between a funder and a grant seeker.
Grant writers work as independent contractors, full- or part-time
development officers, and freelancers. Nonprofit organizations account
for the largest percentage of grant seekers.
Grant writers can apply for a myriad of categories of funding, including
project grants, general operating grants, endowment grants, restricted
grants, startup funding, matching grants, and challenge grants. Some
websites that will help you start researching funders are
www.fdncenter.org, www.tgci.com and www.fundsnetservices.com.
Tip: This is a field that you can learn on your own and offer your services
for a handsome fee. Very few nonprofits require certification from their
grant writers.
8. Home Health-Care Agency
An 80-year-old wants to live in his own home but has trouble bathing,
fixing meals and cleaning the house. As a home health-care business, your
responsibility is to send an employee to assist with the daily tasks of
living.
Home health care is a rapidly growing business with today's skyrocketing
costs of assisted living facilities and live-in nurses. Find out the legal
requirements to run a home health-care agency in your area. Always be up
to date on the laws for administering any kind of medication. Advertise
your services at local community centers, rehabilitation centers, doctors'
offices and hospitals.
Tip: You need top-notch people skills and an instinct for determining
which caregiver to pair with which client. Most importantly, you must
have a knack for hiring employees with monumental patience.
9. House Cleaning
As long as dirt and grime exist, there will be a need for house-cleaning
services. In many homes and apartments, people want to enjoy the luxury
of not having to scrub floors and dust furniture.
Tip: With each new client, find out exactly what they need and expect
from you. Catering to the wishes of your clients is as important as a good
cleaning job and will earn you loyal and returning customers.
10. Medical Billing Business
Medicalbilling is the process by which doctors and hospitals receive
payment from health insurance companies. It also involves resolving any
disputes and following up on claims that have been delayed or rejected.
Medical billing services provide coding, invoicing and collection services
to different types of health-care facilities. Individuals can get certified by
enrolling in schools that have medicalbilling programs, or via online
courses.
Tip: Working in a doctor's office can be helpful in understanding how
patients are billed.
11. Mobile Spa Business
Bring the spa experience to your clients via a mobile day spa. Mobile spa
treatments can be offered in homes, offices or hotels. A mobile spa offers
facials, massages, bridal hair and makeup, body treatments, manicures and
pedicures. Mobile spas have low startup costs. There are no ongoing costs
like those involved in operating a storefront operation such as rent,
utilities, maintenance and insurance. Massage therapists, manicurists and
hairdressers can run a successful mobile spa business.
Market your business to clients who are working from home and do not
have time to go to a spa, older folks who cannot leave their homes,
working professionals who want a break during a high-stress period, and
clients who are not physically able to get themselves out of the house due
to illness.
Tip: Carry a mobile retail shop with skin-care products and accessories
such as herbal neck wraps, spa slippers and ointments for your clients.
12. Medical Spa
Check with the medical board in your state to determine its position on
medical spa treatments. Opening a medical spa can be a sensitive issue in
certain areas of the industry because there is controversy in the field.
Next, determine which type of medical spa you want to start. Popular
medical spa treatments include Botox, laser hair removal and anti-aging
skin-care services.
Tip: Always have an attorney review documents before signing any
contracts.
13. Music for Kids
Music is an important part of early childhood development. Market your
musical skills at day cares, kindergartens and preschools. Call day-care
directors, school principals and teachers. Sometimes you may have to
schedule a free first performance to get paid for ensuing performances.
They like to see how the kids interact with your music before scheduling
you on a regular basis.
Tip: Make your performance interactive and not a mere display. Get the
kids involved.
14. Paper Shredding and Recycling Business
Many businesses--such as banks, financial institutions and medical
facilities--are required by law to protect the confidentiality and security of
patrons. Many businesses have an overload of documents that, for security
reasons, cannot be thrown in the trash. Hiring a papershredding service is
an investment for them. A mobile document shredding service goes to its
clients and shreds their documents on-site, then removes the shredded
paper and takes it to a recycling center.
Tip: Aside from shredding paper documents, a papershredding service can
offer the ability to destroy hard drives as well, along with other media
such as CDs and DVDs.
15. Personal Chef
There's nothing like satisfying a hungry stomach with a hearty meal and
getting paid for it. Personal chefs can market their business to just about
anybody who likes to eat well and is willing to pay for it.
In addition to cooking skills, personal chefs also need a working
knowledge of nutrition and excellent organizational skills. A sound
understanding of safe food handling practices, health regulations and
product liability laws are also essential.
Tip: Be ready to adapt to working in different kitchens. Some clients will
have good, workable pots and pans and utensils; others won't. Investing in
a travel set of cooking utensils and pots and pans may be a wise idea.
16. Pet Sitting and Dog Walking Business
This is a great job for animal lovers who enjoy getting paid for caring for
and playing with other people's pets. Dogs and cats are the most common
pets that need care when owners are away, but you will occasionally be
asked to take care of rabbits, hamsters, birds and tropical fish.
Dog walking can bring in good cash, especially if you market your
services in retirement communities, where many residents may lack the
energy and motivation to take their pets for their daily walks.
Tip: If you are an animal lover, a mobile dog and cat grooming business
can bring consistent income.
17. Sewing Business
Custom curtain making is a profitable business if you have an interest in
interior design. You can specialize in designing, sewing and installing
window treatments. By providing multiple services, you can charge a
great deal more than if you just stitch together basic curtains for
customers.
If you enjoy embroidery and hand sewing, a quilt designing business is for
you. Monogrammed baby quilts are particularly popular since they make
wonderful gifts.
Doll dress designing is trendy. Ask as many little girls as you can what
kinds of doll clothes they like. If you are not in touch with what the kids
like, your clothes won't sell. Offering such accessories as doll hair
ribbons, hats, socks, tights and slippers can be good for your business.
Tip: Making custom bridal veils is a great way to make money using your
sewing skills. It is also a good way to enter the lucrative bridal market.
Provide a distinctive service by crafting one-of-a-kind veils and
headpieces. The ability to choose a headpiece that is most flattering to a
particular bride's facial structure is important. You can branch out by
making First Communion veils.
18. Soap Making
A bar of soap may cost 10 cents to make and can be sold from $1 to $4,
and there is a growing market of green buyers in this market. Many people
are going back to basics and buying all-natural soaps. By adding special
herbs, fragrances and colors, you can make gourmet and specialty soaps
right in your own kitchen.
Tip: Packaging is everything.
19. Website Consultant
Every Tom, Dick and Harry wants a website these days, but they don't
know how to do it themselves. If you are running any kind of business
today, a website is just as important as naming your business.
From hosting domain names to managing web content, a website
consultant builds and maintains websites. Having an understanding of
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a plus. As a website consultant, you
will need experience in links, banners and affiliate programs, and a talent
for graphics and copywriting.
Tip: Branch off your business into website maintenance, where you
charge a monthly fee to make small changes and additions to a client's
website.
20. Wedding Planner or Bridal Consultant
Couples are marrying later than ever, after having spent years as working
singles, getting advanced degrees or living together. They have the funds
to splurge on lavish weddings. This means great earning potential for
wedding planners. You will need a working knowledge of what goes into
planning a wedding, including resources and price ranges for everything
from invitations to musicians.
Tip: This is a business where you have to be extremely organized and
detail-oriented. Forgetting to put down the deposit for the ballroom or to
order the yellow roses can be disastrous.
Source: The entrepreneur
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