The best way to start any business is on a shoe string.
Why? Well, “Field of Dreams” is a great movie, but the reality is, “Build it and they will come” often ends up not being fun. Start with one of these 3 home-based-businesses with very low start-up costs, and you’ll instantly have the potential to make $100,000 a year.
My son repairs iPhones, iPods, and iPads in his shop in a shopping center.
My wife and I have many years of small business experience and we have been helping him to get the shop up and running. The other day I was running the front for him.
Part of being in business is building relationships with your customers. I like to ask the customers what they do for a living and then I just listen. The most amazing true stories come out. People love to talk about themselves. It also passes the time for them while they wait for their Apple device to be repaired.
Home-based-Business Idea A:
Pool Cleaning Service.
One day at my son’s shop, Jake told me he cleaned pools. Frankly, my perception of someone who cleans pools is a person with a pickup, some pool cleaning supplies and tools and maybe a sign on the pickup. Jake was driving a $100,000 Mercedes.
“How many accounts do you have,” I asked? Over 1,000 he said.
You see, Jake has been cleaning pools for over 25 years. Obviously, he also knows how to attract, satisfy and keep his customers. I asked him how many accounts a guy in a pickup can handle. He thought a maximum of about 200. You can get about $70 a month to clean the typical pool once a week. 200 x $70 = $14,000 a month.
How can you get started? Buy about $500 worth of tools and supplies. Pay an out-of-town pool cleaner to teach you the business in one day (so that there is no fear of competition from you) even if you have to pay him $200. Make up a great flyer. Get a list of all the homes with pools from a title company. Knock on the doors and leave a flyer. You can see, as long as you can start getting and keeping accounts fast, you’ll be on your way!
Home-based-Business Idea B:
Gum Removal? YES!
My son’s shop is in an older retail center. The rent is low but the landlord is less than perfect. For example, the sidewalk in front of the shop door is covered with blackened gum. If you have ever tried to remove gum from a sidewalk, you know it is a nasty job and almost impossible to do.
There are manufacturers online who sell a machine to remove gum.
If you Google “gum removal machine,” you’ll find them. You’ll have to spend $3,000 to $6,000 for the machine. You can remove 500 to 1,000 pieces of gum a day with the right machine. If you got $1.00 per piece of gum, would that work out? Yes, it would.
How to get started:
Make up a flyer describing your gum removal business. Get a photo off the web (legally) of a gum removal machine, so they can see you have the equipment. Tell them (on the flyer) that you’ll remove gum for $1.00 a piece. Include a photo of nasty sidewalk section and a clean section on the flyer.
Make up 1,000 fliers and hand them out to businesses. If your phone rings enough, find the money to buy the machine and go to work.
When they call off of your test flyer, be honest and say that you were just testing the market. Thank them for their time. Tell them you are getting the machine (if you are) and that you’ll call them the day you get it.
Home-based-Business Idea C:
Dryer Vent Cleaning Service.
What’s the number one cause of household fires? You guessed it, dryer vents full of lint. Why would cleaning them work as a business? People will do more from fear of loss than from the prospect of gain. After all, people some times die when a house catches fire.
Why is there so much bad news? It’s because bad news out sells good news. This is the same thing. Do some research on Google. Get two scary photos of burnt houses on your flyer.
How much can you make?
If you do a good job and you know what you’re doing, you can charge $99. If you clean just five of these a day, five days a week, you’ll be making about $100,000 a year. You can also add duct cleaning and chimney cleaning.
Conclusion:
Why would two businesses of the same kind, in similar market areas have different levels of success? Why is Jake in the first story cleaning 1,000 pools, when other pool cleaning companies in the same area, for a similar time, are not nearly as successful? It’s Marketing that makes the difference. If you can learn marketing and apply it by working on your business, not just in your business, you’ll go far fast!
What should you next?
A-S
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