Small Business Ideas from Your Home
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| Small Business Ideas from Your Home |
You Can Do Right Now!
Freelance Writing.
- This is perhaps the cheapest business to start in terms of overhead.
- If you’re reading this on a computer, you’ve got what you need to become a freelance writer—at least in terms of equipment.
- The key to freelance writing is never to stop selling yourself.
- Don’t get complacent once a project comes in—always look for the next one. Network like crazy online and in person.
- Ask for press passes to events in the field of your choice.
- Attend writing workshops and writer meet-ups; they happen everywhere.
- There are loads of job listings for freelancers on major job boards, and you can always advertise your services (and look for work) on craigslist or LinkedIn.
Social-Media Specialist.
- Everybody’s on social media, which is both a blessing and a curse for the would-be social-media specialist.
- On one hand, every organization that sells anything needs a presence on social media, so the market for experts is huge.
- However, there is also no shortage of social-media experts—or people who think they’re experts, anyway.
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| Small Business Ideas from Your Home |
Graphic Design.
But for those in a position to do it, starting a graphic-design business offers an enormous opportunity—just remember to be creative with your business model and do something nobody else is doing.
Personal Computer Training.
- Believe it or not, a lot of people still don’t know how to use Microsoft Office (especially PowerPoint).
- You might already know enough about basic software applications to teach other people how to use them and set up your own computer-training operation.
Web Design.
Like graphic design, Web design requires skills that can take years to acquire and perfect.
Managing Social Media.
- Many millennials have an advanced understanding of social media platforms.
- Turn your knowledge into cash by offering social media management services.
- You might be surprised at what local businesses will pay.
- If you want to follow your entrepreneurial spirit but you’re low on cash, don’t give up – use these ideas to get you started without breaking the bank.
- You can launch a business for little initial investment and with a bit of luck have it take off.
- If Amazon.com can start in a garage, so can your next big idea.
Doggie Bed and Breakfast.
- You love dogs? You’re good at taking care of them? You want to open a dog-boarding business? Just make sure you’re prepared.
- Sure, it’s a great opportunity, and it’s totally doable—with some planning.
- Make sure you know your local zoning laws and, perhaps more importantly, make sure your neighbors would be OK with some extra noise and activity around your place.
- Then, let the veterinarians, pet-shop owners, groomers and other providers of pet services that you’re in business.
- Try to hook up with a large local employer—a hospital, perhaps, or a university—and see if you can pick up multiple clients there at once.
- A friend in Oregon followed those steps and now runs a successful dog-boarding operation.
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| Small Business Ideas from Your Home |
Selling on eBay.
- Believe it or not, eBay is now more than two decades old, but it’s still the most viable platform for setting up a home-based business online.
- Big success stories have been around for years now, but there is an enormous amount of competition on the site.
- Perhaps most importantly, though, would-be eBay moguls need to specialize.
- Just throwing junk online won’t work.
- Sellers need to know what they want to sell and how they’re going to market it to their audiences.
- Again, competition is fierce, so research, preparation, and strategy are critical. (For reference, eBay itself provides an extensive guide to selling on the site.)
Photography.
Of course, photography can take many forms, from photojournalism to portrait photography to general-interest stock photography.
You’ll most likely go for either setting up a studio in your home or taking pictures for use as stock photos, as true photojournalism requires years of experience and almost never involves actually working from home. Keep in mind that stock-photo sites work on a revenue-sharing model, so simply selling pictures to one is unusual.



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