Free home business ideas

Everyone dreams at some time or another of making money from a home-based business. Most people only lack a good idea and knowing what steps to take to get going in their adventure and what steps to follow once they have started. The best way to come up with a business idea is to brainstorm for one. Make a list, as long a list as you can think of. At this beginning step, any idea is fair game, no matter how silly or trivial, or the opposite, how difficult or expensive it may sound. The point at this time is to generate ideas. Think of what you enjoy doing, and write it down. Think of other businesses in your area, and what services they may lack that you could make into a secondary business. With the Internet available today, do not overlook this huge market in these planning stages. To help get you started, here is a list of ideas to motivate you into the direction of the self-employed:

Craft Teacher – For kids or adults. Call your local craft store to see if they already offer classes, or if they do not, do they have many requests? You can offer classes in crocheting, cross stitch, paper making, beading, scrapbooking, rubber stamping, decorative wood work painting, sweatshirt painting, soap making, any craft you are talented in.

Gift Baskets – While this is a popular home business, it still has potential. Offering unique styled baskets at affordable prices can make this a booming business opportunity. Think of ideas for occasions that are already hard to buy for, and your baskets are sure to be top sellers. Find products or make some of them yourself, to give your baskets a very distinct look. Use alternative containers for your baskets, such as a pair of blue jeans, legs folded up, rope as a handle, filled with the fixings for an old-fashioned ‘by the creek’ picnic!

Newsletter Publisher – If you have a talent that you can share, or are often asked for your opinion by others, and they actually take your advice, this may be the perfect home based job for you. ‘Find a niche that needs to be filled and fill it’, is an old saying about finding success at a home based job, and a newsletter is a prime example to this statement. Be warned though, that this can be a time consuming venture. Once you get a subscriber base, you must be timely in your schedule and have fresh content for each issue. With the Internet, you can be publishing and earning money from your venture in no time at all. While most newsletters are offered free to the subscribers, you can earn revenue from links and ads placed into your newsletter. Print newsletters are also possible. Advertisements in regional newspapers or specialized magazines can bring you paying subscribers.

Garden Keeper – This can be a very good money earning idea. Many people today would like to have a garden for the fresh, healthy produce that it can offer, but have no idea where or how to start. You can offer from basic services, planning and planting, to more detailed, planning, getting the soil ready, planting, weeding, dealing with insect damage, all the way to the actual harvest.

Personal Organizer – Hire yourself out to organize everything from kitchens to closets.

Shopper – More and more people do not have time to do their day to day shopping. You can offer a service where you do the weekly grocery shopping, and then deliver and put away the groceries for them.

Personal Shopper – As many people as there are that dislike or do not have the time to grocery shop, there are probably that plus more, who will gladly pay someone to gift shop for them, pick up dry cleaning, return and pick up videos, etc. Standing in line for customers at places that routinely take hours, such as concert tickets, can be an offered service too.

Computer Software Installer and Troubleshooter – You do not need to be an expert computer programmer to offer your services as a software installer or troubleshooter. Many people are still intimidated by simple computing tasks, and will be glad to pay you to install a new program or plug in a new scanner and the corresponding software, or a new camera and all the extras that go along with any new computer add on.

Used BookSeller – Through online auctions nearly anyone can become a bookseller. Finding the products to sell will be your biggest hurdle. Scour yard sales and discount stores for products. Be aware of what is selling and what is not, so you do not want to waste your money on inventory that will collect dust and not dollars.

Once you have an idea, what else is necessary? No matter how good an idea is, unless people are aware of it, you will not have any customers. No customers equals No business. Advertise! Grocery stores bulletin boards, local newspapers, radio, online bulletin boards, however you can get the word out. Be clear in what your services are. If you are sharing your home telephone, (which I do not recommend, but I realize that many times that is all you can afford when first starting out) answer professionally, at all times, with the business name. Keep appointments. Keep records of everything you do. Think and be professional in all business you do, as image plays a big part in getting and keeping customers.

How do you decide what to charge for your services? First, if your business consists of a product, figure out exactly what the costs there are. Do not forget shipping, contents, and any extras, such as costs involved if you make the product (electricity, etc). The hardest part though, is figuring out what to charge for your time. Are there any similar jobs that you can compare to? Be careful not to either over or under charge. Be consistent in your prices also, so that you do not alienate someone as a customer because they heard that someone else only paid a fraction of what you charged them for a similar service. Good Luck!