Bussiness Idea

The summer is full of fun things to do, but many parents use this time to teach their kids lessons about supporting themselves. Some kids just like the idea of making their own money too. A car wash is a fun business to run during the warm months and it allows kids to have fun while earning extra cash.

Getting Started

A car wash can be run right in your driveway. All you need is a water hose, some soap, a bucket, and sponges or rags. The kids can make even more money if they want to clean the inside of the car. For this they will need a vacuum and a protectant product such as Armor All. Extras such as wheel shining and waxing can be offered for an added fee.

Pricing

Car wash prices vary, but a standard outer wash might go for $5 to $10. Larger vehicles may warrant a few more dollars than cars. Don’t forget to add on for interior cleaning and other extras. A call to a local detailer can give you an idea of what other people are charging for similar services.

Promoting Your Car Wash Business

Fliers are a great way to promote a kids’ car wash business. They can be designed and printed by the kids on the computer. They can then ask local businesses for permission to post them, or hand them out where permissible.

Classified ads can be effective, but are often impractical on a kid’s budget. Some small trading post publications allow kids to post business classifieds at a reduced rate. It never hurts to ask.

A good old-fashioned eye-catching sign can help kids get business from people driving by. The impulse factor can work to their advantage. A sign can be made out of cardboard or a poster board. Be sure to highlight all of the services offered and include prices.

A major selling point for kids’ car washes is that they offer greater attention to detail than automatic car washes. The kids could wash Mom or Dad’s vehicle, then put a sign on it telling how they can make any car look that good.

Whether the kids are suffering from summer boredom or the parents want them to learn about making money, a summer business is good for them. A car wash business can be fun and profitable at the same time. It provides young people with a way to earn spending money while beating the heat.

You may have noticed that many websites are now offering podcasts and teleseminars. This is a great way for these website owners to reach out to their existing customers and promote their products and services to new customers.

This has also opened up many positions for people to work from as general transcriptionists. These website owners need people to listen to the audio files and type out what they hear into documents that can be given away or sold to customers.

As popular as these audio files are, some people still prefer to read and smart website owners are offering both an Mp3 file of audio to their customers, as well as a pdf file containing a written version of the audio.

Unlike medical transcription, there are no course requirements for general transcription. You simply need to be able to type what you hear. There is software available for you to slow down the audio files you are listening to, which will allow you to listen and type at a reasonable pace. You do not need to be a super fast typist, but will need to type accurately at a moderate speed.

In addition to decent typing skills, you’ll also need the ability to sit for a long period of time and have a good knowledge of language, vocabulary and grammar. The spell check function of your word processor will catch many of your errors, but it may be a good idea to brush up on the basics.

Many of your clients may prefer to have you type the files into a Microsoft Word document. They may ask you to also convert the file into a pdf format, and you can find free converters online. If you do not already have high speed internet access, you may want to look into it. You will be receiving audio files from your clients, and those can be difficult to receive with dial-up internet. You’ll be sending the completed work back to them via the internet, and again, this can be a slow process if you do not have DSL or cable internet.

You can locate these types of jobs by searching through online job boards and freelance job sites such as elance.com. Many online staffing companies are now seeking out general transcriptions, too. If you know of some sites that offer pdf versions of audio recordings, you can also contact them directly to see if they are hiring.

There are many opportunities in this growing filed and establishing yourself now can lead to a solid and steady career.

Are you the type of person who notices typos or grammatical errors every time you pick up a book or magazine? Do you cringe when you see mistakes all over a web page? If so, you may want to consider starting a business in proofreading or editing.

In order to attract search engines and visitors, smart website owners and bloggers fill their sites with informative articles and other content. They may do the writing themselves, hire ghostwriters, or purchase the articles through a private label rights service.

If they are doing the writing themselves or hiring a ghostwriter, the articles may not be proofread or edited before they are published. Even great writers can make grammatical errors. Unfortunately, many private labels rights services that offer cheap articles hire writers who do not speak English as a first language; these articles are often poorly written and need lots of editing.

This is why website owners and bloggers are in need of proofreaders and editors. As more and more people turn to the internet for business, more websites will be created. More jobs for proofreaders and editors will be created. This opens up a lot of opportunity for people interested in this type of career.

Someone interested in seeking work as a proofreader or editor will need to have a love for reading, as that is a primary job function. It is also helpful to have a good understanding of language and vocabulary. Proofreaders use special symbols, and if you don’t already know them, you should be willing to learn them. You may find entry level jobs that do not require much experience, and they can be a great training ground for you to learn these skills.

When it comes to your home office set-up, you’ll need a computer and high speed internet access. You’ll be sending files back and forth to clients and that can be a slow process if you only have dial-up internet. You will definitely want good word processing software, such as Microsoft Word, as well as a plain text editor such as word pad or note pad. One of those programs came standard on your computer. If you have never noticed it, just click on your start button, then click on “accessories” and you should see one of them listed.

There are many ways to locate online proofreading jobs. You could seek out telecommuting job boards as well as traditional online job boards such as monster.com. There are many websites dedicated to helping people in freelance writing, and those could also be a source of job leads. Another option is to work with an online staffing agency. You may also want to consider contacting a website that publishes a lot of content directly and offering your services.

Proofreading and editing can be a great career for people that love words and want to work from home.

For some people, errands take up time that they would rather spend doing something else. Other people have trouble getting around or lack reliable transportation. Many of these people would gladly pay someone to run errands for them. That someone could be you.

There are many errands that people are willing to pay someone to run for them. These could include grocery shopping, picking up dry cleaning, or returning rentals. You could even pick clients up and take them where they need to go, but keep in mind that you will have different licensing and insurance requirements if you choose to do so.

You might even choose to expand your services to include event planning. This involves booking all necessary services, renting any needed equipment, setting up, and anything else that needs to be done. The client may even ask you to attend the event so that you will be on-hand if anything needs to be done.

Starting a home-based errand service requires little more than a vehicle and a phone. A van would be ideal for running errands because it has more space, but a car will work. A cell phone and PDA or day planner will make things a bit easier for you, but are not absolute necessities when you’re getting started. You can always wait and get them once your business is up and running.

Pricing

Generally, errand service providers charge between $15 and $60 per hour. How much you should charge depends on factors such as your target market and where you live. If you are catering to senior citizens, for example, their fixed income may not allow them to pay as much as a businessperson. But you will need to make sure that your expenses are covered and you are making a decent amount of profit. Once you’ve decided on pricing, you can start getting the word out about your services and get your business off the ground.

Promotion

Classified ads are well suited to the promotion of an errand service. Carefully placed fliers also work well. Places where people run errands, such as the grocery store or dry cleaners, are good places to put up fliers.

Word of mouth is another effective way to get clients. Simply do a good job for all of your clients, and give them business cards to pass along to friends and family. Offering a discount when someone sends you a referral is a great incentive for him to do so.

An errand service is a fun, inexpensive, and easy to run home business. You can even run your own errands while you’re working. If you excel at scheduling and are a people person, an errand service could be a wonderful home business for you.

The subject of “business coaching” has had a massive growth in popularity during the last few years. Not long ago, business coaches were a secret weapon, reserved for executives of large corporations. Today, more and more people are taking advantage of what these coaches offer. If you have ever thought about a career as a business coach, this is a great time to get started.

When you hear the word “coach,” you may think of a sports coach, pushing a team to success. A business coach may not wear a whistle around their neck or ask their clients to run around the track, but they do work with their clients to improve their weaknesses, capitalize on their strengths and find success.

As a business coach, you will have a lot of flexibility in the manner you choose to run your business. You may work with clients one-on-one or in a group setting. You can choose to coach your clients in person, via the telephone, email, through a web conference room or even through an online message board. The start-up costs for these various methods are all relatively low and do not require much technical experience.

To become a business coach, you do not need a special license or degree. If you choose, you can search online for courses that offer accreditation or certificates.

The hardest part may be deciding what subject to coach your clients on. It may be helpful to take out a pen and paper and write down topics you have knowledge in, that people may want coaching on.

One option would be to focus on an industry such as internet marketing or direct sales. This type of coaching program could be tailored to beginners or advanced students. Each weekly section could focus on a new topic within the industry, such as how to increase your click throughs or how to find recruits. Another choice would be to focus on an activity that people in every industry could use, such as advertising techniques.

If you have an existing business, you also have the option of tying that business into a coaching program. This works great for service providers. It gives you an additional stream of income, and helps you find potential clients, too. For example, a web designer could create a coaching program on how to increase your site’s activity by tweaking its design. On the other hand, a virtual assistant could create a coaching program on becoming more organized and efficient within your business.

Whether you choose to dive into business coaching full-time or use it to supplement your current income, creating a business coaching program is a great business idea.

When you have computer trouble, do you take it to the repair shop or fix it yourself? Do your friends and family members call you with all of their computer problems? If you enjoy tinkering around with computers, a computer repair business might be a good home business for you.

Computer repair is an excellent home business opportunity because there is a large demand for such services. Most businesses do not have dedicated computer repair people because they do not need someone available at all times. And let’s not forget home computers. They need repair and maintenance from time to time as well.

Getting Started

There are no hard and fast educational requirements for computer repair people in most states. In general, if you possess the knowledge required to make common repairs (and in some states the money to get a license), you can offer your services to the public. But taking classes in computer repair and getting certified in various aspects of it can give you more credibility and teach you how to do more advanced repairs. Home study courses are available, and many community colleges offer courses as well.

One of the best features of a computer repair business is low startup cost. You will need some tools, and it’s a good idea to have some commonly used parts on hand. Less common or more expensive parts can be ordered as needed if your budget doesn’t allow you to have them in stock. As your business grows, you can reassess your on-hand needs and adjust accordingly.

Another great thing about computer repair is that it can easily be combined with other business endeavors. Building and selling computers, for example, can easily go hand in hand with repairing them. Clients will likely ask you for referrals to people who can take care of their other computer needs, and if you are capable of providing the services they require that means more business for you.

Promoting a Computer Repair Business

Word of mouth is often the most effective way to get customers when repairing computers. People frequently ask for recommendations when looking for someone to fix their computers. Doing work for friends and family and letting them know that you are looking for clients can help you hit the ground running without spending a dime on advertising.

That’s not to say that you should not advertise. Well-placed ads can bring you lots more customers. Classifieds and display ads in the local paper or trading post publication can put your offerings in front of the eyes of many potential customers. The yellow pages are a prime destination for those looking for repair of any kind, so placing an ad there could prove to be well worth the cost.

A computer repair business offers a seemingly endless supply of potential clients, and can also be combined with other computer-related business endeavors. In most cases you can get started without extensive education, and if the need arises you can take classes along the way. These advantages make computer repair a wonderful home business opportunity for the technically inclined.

It can be difficult to find a good babysitter. Many childcare providers are perpetually full, meaning that they don’t have the staff to take on any more kids. Some parents prefer more individualized care for their children. Parents who work late face a dilemma because most day care providers won’t watch children for very long past normal daytime work hours. Older kids can fill the void and make money by starting a babysitting business.

Babysitting is a business that requires almost no overhead or startup cost. Parents provide meals and snacks to be prepared for their children, as well as anything else the child will need. All kids need to get started is a sense of responsibility, some patience and a love for young children.

Teens can babysit in the summer only, or they can watch children after school and on weekends during the school year. Babysitting is always in demand, so finding kids to sit is usually pretty easy.

Pricing

Babysitters generally charge an hourly rate of about $6-$8 for one child. If watching more than one child for the same parents, the hourly rate should be increased by a couple of dollars for each child. Alternatively, you could go with a flat rate per day or evening up to a certain number of hours.

Promotion

Word of mouth is often all that is needed to get customers for a babysitting business. It is effective because people usually prefer to leave their children with someone who comes highly recommended by a friend or relative. If kids have a hard time finding babysitting jobs through word of mouth, they can get references from family members, neighbors, friends of the family, or clergy to help them in their endeavors.

Classified ads are a good place to advertise babysitting services as well. Those who have had no luck finding a sitter through friends and family often look there next. Including the locations you’re willing to go to or stating that you wish to babysit in your home can help weed out those whose locations would be a problem. If space permits, including any special qualifications the would-be babysitter has will make his or her services more attractive.

Fliers can be printed on the computer for advertisements too. They offer more space to list requirements and special skills. These can be placed at area businesses or community centers.

Babysitting gives teens a chance to earn spending money while learning a great deal about responsibility. They are ideal candidates for after school and summer sitting. If your child enjoys caring for and playing with smaller children, babysitting could be an enjoyable way for them to make money.

Are you the type of person that likes to help people find solutions to their problems? If so, you may want to consider becoming a life coach. While a business coach helps people utilize their strengths and improve their weaknesses in the business world, a life coach does the same thing for people in their day to day lives.

A life coach may choose to specialize in a certain subject, such as stress-management, productivity or relationships. They work with their clients, either one-on-one or in a group setting and give them techniques to set and achieve personal goals. There are various courses offered to teach life coaching, but you do not have to take a course or have a license to become one.

A life coach has many options for conducting their coaching. If they will be coaching their clients verbally, they may choose to meet over the telephone for one-on-one coaching or via conference call or in a web conference room for group sessions.

Another option is to deliver their lessons via audio or pdf file and correspond with clients via a private message board. This can be a great time saver for both the client and the coach, as the client can choose to complete the lesson when it is convenient for them. This also allows the coach to take on a higher number of clients, thus increasing their income stream.

This type of work is best suited for people that genuinely like helping other people. It also helps to have empathy, be patient and tactful. When a client is discussing a problem with you, they may not immediately accept your feedback. Even though they are paying you to help them, they may be set in their ways. You may need to be patient and let them realize what you are saying.

Sometimes it can take a while for someone to grasp a new idea, especially if they have been stuck in their way of thinking for a while. It can also be tough to give out your opinion to someone when you know it might offend them or hurt their feelings. This is why it is important to have tact; you want to break things to the person as easily as possible.

As a life coach, you can charge your clients in many different ways. If you are working on a continual basis with a client, you may opt to charge per hour. If you are offering a specialized course, such as “6 Weeks to A More Organized Life,” you may choose to charge a flat rate for the course, which would include the lessons and personal coaching.

If you are not interested in becoming a full time life coach, offering mini-courses is a great way to add an additional income stream to an already existing business. If you have a content website with information on planning nutritious meals, you could create a whole coaching program around that subject.

Life coaching is a very rapidly growing profession and can be adapted as a full-time career or as an additional income stream. If you like to help people, and feel you have knowledge to share, you may want to consider this business idea.

People love their dogs. There’s often no limit to what a dog owner will do for his beloved pet. In our busy lives, we often don’t have the time to take our four-legged friends out for walks like we should.

Some busy people are more than willing to pay someone to take their dogs out for daily walks when they can’t. A dog walking business is ideal for kids. It gives them a fun way to make money while getting exercise as well.

Getting Started

The main requirement for someone interested in a dog walking business is a genuine love of dogs. Canines can sometimes be a handful, and patience is a necessary quality for a dog walker. Energy is also a good thing to have.

There are few expenses involved in a dog walking business. It’s not a bad idea to have an extra leash and collar or two on hand, just in case the one supplied by the owner breaks. If taking the dog to the park to play, you could bring along a frisbee or some dog toys. Other than these things, there is no special equipment needed.

Pricing

Dog walking fees vary from location to location. One hour is the standard amount of time to take each dog out, so a flat rate should suffice. If there are other dog walkers in your local area, you could check out what they are charging to get an idea of what the going rate is.

Promotion

A dog walking business is best promoted in places where pet lovers go. Fliers can be placed in the local veterinarian’s office, pet supply stores, and in parks frequented by dogs and their owners. Offices of apartment complexes that allow animals are also a good place to advertise your service.

Word of mouth is also a good way to get clients. Dog lovers often talk to other dog lovers, so one client could possibly lead you to more. Providing reliable service will ensure that people feel comfortable recommending their dog walker to others.

Kids who like animals can earn money, have fun, and get lots of exercise with a dog walking business. It can be done year-round or only in the summer, providing for great flexibility. Dog walking requires no special skills or equipment, making it an easy business for kids to run.

If you have ever dreamed of becoming the next Oprah Winfrey and having a popular talk show, then starting a talk radio show or podcast could be a great career move for you.

With an internet talk radio show or podcast, you can fulfill your talk show aspirations. You can choose any format you wish; you can simply use the air time to give out your opinions, recommendations, or tips on a subject. Another idea is to have a co-host or weekly guests that provide expertise or knowledge on various topics.

The costs of starting your own radio talk show or podcast are relatively inexpensive. Audio Acrobat, a monthly subscription service, allows you to record a radio talk show using a computer microphone or your phone.

The service will host the audio for you, so you don’t need to worry about having enough disk space, as audio files can be quite large. The service allows you to stream your audio live over the internet with an audio player. You also have the option of including a link to the audio file and allowing your listeners to download the audio to their computer or Mp3 player.

You can use your talk show t as a way to publicize your current business and sell more of your services or products, or you can use your talk show to create a whole new income stream.

Using the first example, we’ll say that you already have a content site about pets; by adding a weekly podcast, you can interview pet experts, promote your own pet information products and so forth. If you offer a service, such as graphic design, you can talk about the importance of graphics and provide examples of how you can help people with their graphics.

On the other hand, you could create a new income stream by monetizing your podcast or talk show with paid sponsors and advertisers. Similar to the type of advertising you would find on your local radio stations, businesses could pay to have an ad on your program. You could also charge a business a fee for being able to come onto your program and talk about their product or service. You would interview them, the same as a normal guest. Your listeners would not know you were making money from the interview unless you told them.

Many people are podcast-crazy and love the fact that they can download these talk shows and listen to them at their leisure. They are already very popular and will continue to grow in popularity as more people buy Mp3 players. If you feel you have a decent speaking voice and would like to connect with your website visitors in a whole new way, try starting a podcast and see what happens to your profits; they will increase as your podcast popularity increases.