Small Personal Business IDEAS
Service-based businesses are often the easiest and most affordable to start, especially if you're already skilled in the service and have the equipment you need to provide it. Personal services are those given directly to consumers (B2C) as opposed to other businesses. In some cases, offering personal services isn't as lucrative or steady as offering them to business. With that said, many, such as child care, are able to weather tough economic times.
Why People Need Personal Services
Personal services are usually needed because consumers want convenience, time savings, or additional help for a variety of reasons. Some of the top markets for personal services include:.
- Baby boomers
- Busy working couples
- Overwhelmed and overworked single parents
7+ Great Personal Service Ideas
Here are seven personal service business ideas for you to consider.
1. Pet Services
People love their pets and want them to have the very best from the care they receive, the accessories they use, and the food they eat. Some great pet-related home businesses ideas include pet sitting, pet photography, starting a pet food business and more.
2. Wedding Planner
Are you able to help others who are often stressed and overwhelmed organize one of the most significant days in their lives? Then you might say, "I do" to becoming a wedding planner. Wedding planners are essentially the project manager for a wedding, organizing everything from the wedding itself, to the rehearsal dinner, and reception.
Further, wedding planners coordinate and manage all the services required (florist, photographer, etc) so the bride and groom don't have to worry. You don't even have to limit yourself to weddings. You can become a party planner and organize all sorts of festive events.
3. Professional Organizer
A professional organizer turns clutter and chaos into an efficient space for households and businesses. Jobs can range from organizing a small shoe closet to designing a storage space for a marketing firm. Along with the ability to sort and store, you need to be able to work with people in helping them identify what can be thrown out and donated to make room for organization. Because people think differently, having a way to help people organize based on what helps them manage their environment is key. Understanding and patience regarding the challenges clients may have in throwing things away will be helpful as well.
4. Childcare
If you enjoy and can manage a group of children for 8 to 12 hours a day, then child care is a great home business option. While there's no requirement for education or training, having patience and experience with children, as well as getting a childcare license is ideal. In some case, you may be eligible for financial assistance, such as money to provide a healthy lunch program. There are several ways to provide childcare. You can open a licensed facility in your home. Maybe you don't want to watch kids, but you know many great childcare providers and can connect them to families needing childcare by starting a referral service.
Are you interested in childcare, but don't want to commit to 52 weeks a year. Consider offering childcare to teachers, who have summers and holiday's off. Just make sure you charge enough over the course of the school year to afford to have summers off.
5. Personal Trainer
People of all ages and stages are looking to get fit. If you enjoy exercise and helping others improve their health, then a fitness coach or personal trainer might be a good option. Ideally you should become certified from a reputable organization. These programs educate you in important exercise terminology, current research, and anatomy; although it's generally expected that you have exercise experience. To run a personal training business from home, you'll want to make sure you carry appropriate insurance, and if people are working out in your home, insurance on your home as well.
6. In-Home Services
People work hard, long hours and don't have time to clean cook, do errands and a host of other typical home-keeping tasks. Providing these services requires you to leave your home to deliver service, but everything else can be done from home. Or you can pull together a team of workers who provide the service, and you work from home managing the team and the rest of the business.
Great in-home service ideas include:
House Cleaning
Handyman
7. Tutoring
School is becoming more and more competitive and many parents struggle to help their children succeed, particularly in topics they don't know or have forgotten. At one time, tutoring was done primarily in the students home, school or at a tutoring center. Today, however, you can tutor online through video conferencing, such as through Skype, making it easier to find students from anywhere in the world.
Other Personal Services Businesses
The different personal services businesses that could be covered here are nearly endless. Other options include tax prep, home staging, holiday decorating, and more. Think of a skill you have that others might pay you to do for them.
Make a Living Offering Personal Services
Unless you're managing a team of service providers, one disadvantage of providing services is that similar to a job, you're trading time for money. As a result, it's important to make sure you price your services right so that you know you're earning enough to survive. If you're business grows, you can consider hiring or contracting with others to provide the service, while you manage all the other aspects of the business.
