Business Overview:

If you love weddings and are a great singer, consider combining your passions by learning how to become a wedding singer and start your own business. Weddings are big business and brides always want to find the perfect flowers, the perfect dress and the perfect entertainment. Their options for entertainment typically include DJs spinning old standards and bands with questionable singing talent. Starting a business featuring your singing talents or that of singers you hire can turn a mediocre wedding reception into the talk of the town. It’s important that you (or your singers) know a wide variety of songs and know what songs are most popular at weddings. You will meet with the wedding party (usually this is the bride and her parents) to discuss a playlist well before the event. You should have a list of all the songs you know well but be open to learning new songs if the bride requests songs not on your list. For an extra charge, you can also offer to change the lyrics to a song to fit the bride and groom. When thinking about marketing, it’s a good idea to create a website featuring your song list as well as high quality videos of your singing performances. This will help speed up the interview process if potential clients know how talented you are before you meet. Next, you need to make contact with event planners and wedding coordinators in your area and ask them to refer their clients to you if they’re looking for a singer for their wedding. As mentioned above, if you are not the best singer but you do see the potential of a wedding singer business, you can hire talented singers to work for you. This would allow your business to take multiple jobs at the same time. Weddings typically take place on weekends so it’s possible, especially during the “wedding season” of spring, to have multiple events booked on the same day. Hiring singers with different singing styles will also help attract a variety of customers. Depending on your area, a singer who can sing in Spanish or French may be very marketable. As you can see, there are a variety of things that go into making this business idea a success. But with talented singers and excellent marketing, your schedule will fill quickly.

A Day in the Life of a Wedding Singer Business Owner:

Your day will begin by checking your schedule. You will meet with brides (or other members of the wedding party) throughout the day and you (or your singers) will sing for them. On the day of a wedding, you (or your singer) will arrive early and set up the equipment. After the wedding, you will pack up your equipment and collect your final payment from someone in the wedding party.

About Your Customers:

Your customers will be wedding parties looking for skilled singers to perform at their wedding receptions.

What You Need to Start:

• Excellent singing skills (or a staff of singers)
• Marketing materials
• Website
• Equipment (speakers, microphone, music player)
• Computer with finance software

The Good:

• Weddings will always need quality entertainment.
• The start-up costs are very low.
• You can hire singers to work for you.
• You can easily run this business part-time.
• It’s rewarding to provide lovely entertainment for a wedding party.

The Bad:

• Some brides and their families may be difficult to work with.
• Weddings tend to be seasonal so you won’t be as busy during certain times of the year.

Resources:

• Association for Wedding Professionals International
• American Wedding Association
• Bureau of Labor Statistics on Musicians, Singers and Related Workers
• Wikipedia on Wedding Receptions

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Business Overview:

Consider learning how to run a storage shed business if you have an eye for design, love the outdoors and are looking to start a smart part-time business. Storage sheds, also called garden sheds, are typically single-level one-room structures used to store lawn and garden equipment. A back yard shed can also be used as a workshop or a place to work on a hobby like sewing or scrapbooking. There are so many options for storage sheds today that there is simply no excuse for any homeowner to have an unsightly shed in his or her backyard. Sheds can be custom-built or sold in kit form to be assembled and installed by the homeowner. However, assembly and installation is not always a simple task; many homeowners will gladly pay a professional to handle these tasks. Since you will be purchasing your sheds and shed kits directly from wholesalers and manufacturers, you will receive a large discount. You will then sell your sheds to your customers at a marked-up rate and also offer assembly and installation services for an additional charge. Business ideas like this one work best with a website showing all the models you sell so the customers have a good idea of what the finished product will look like. You could also offer a display area if you have the property to showcase the sheds. Offer sheds in different styles, sizes and price points to fit the needs of a wider range of customers. Some people may just need a small shed to keep their lawn mower and gardening equipment dry; others may need a larger, air-conditioned/heated space to use as an art studio. The more flexible you are with your inventory, the more clients you will attract. Market your business by distributing flyers at local home improvement stores, lawn and garden centers and lawn mower repair shops. You may also hand out flyers door-to-door in your area targeting neighborhoods with large back yards. Once business picks up, you’ll need to hire a staff to help keep up with demand and consider taking your business full-time.

A Day in the Life of a Storage Shed Business Owner:

You will start your day by reviewing your appointments. You or your staff will meet your customers at their houses with the pre-made shed or a shed kit they ordered and assemble it. You will spend a portion of your day reviewing new models, talking with distributors and placing orders. You will also look for new ways to market your business. If you have a display set up, you’ll want to have you or a staff member on site to help show the sheds to your customers.

About Your Customers:

Your customers will typically be homeowners who need a storage shed to house various items in their backyards.

What You Need to Start:

• Familiarity with storage shed kits, assembly and installation (or you can hire a staff to do all the work for you)
• Website
• Truck to transport sheds and equipment to job sites
• Staff (optional)
• Display area (optional)
• Computer with finance software

The Good:

• Sheds offer homeowners an inexpensive way to add storage space to their home so many people look to purchase them.
• Sheds come in all shapes and sizes and can be marketed as storage for a variety of items which makes your target market fairly large.
• You can charge top dollar for assembly and installation services.
• You can easily run this business part-time.
• You can start out running this business solo and add personnel as demand grows.

The Bad:

• This is likely a seasonal business if you live in a Northern climate as most people won’t buy storage sheds in the cold weather months.
• Storage shed assembly can be hard work.

Resources:

• National Gardening Association
• Professional Landcare Network
• Garage and Storage Shed Trends in the U.S. Report
• Wikipedia on Sheds

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Business Overview:

If you love working outside and are looking for a terrific seasonal business, consider starting an above ground pool business. An above ground pool sits in a backyard much the way an in-ground pool does except there is no hole to be dug into the ground. All you need is a patch of level ground and you can install an above ground pool. However, without the right skills and expertise, installation can be extremely difficult. Above ground pools can be just as large as in-ground pools and are made of steel, resin, aluminum, wood. In order to show customers a few of their options, you’ll need to have a showroom with some displays. Obviously these will not be full-sized displays but will give customers an idea of how each material looks and how it’s put together. You will also need to carry (or be able to order) accessories like steps, covers, liners, heaters and fencing. If you can also install beautiful decking around your pools, you will add major profits to your business. You can work with a third party to build decks for your pools if you don’t want to use your staff for that part of the business. In addition to pools and pool accessories, you’ll also need to stock pool chemicals and offer water testing services. Above ground pools are typically less expensive than in-ground pools but that does not mean they are cheap. A large steel pool can cost around $5,000 USD. Add to that installation costs and accessories and you can see this can be a great business idea worth exploring. In cooler climates, this will likely be a seasonal business but if you offer closing and opening services, you can boost your profits further.

A Day in the Life of an Above Ground Pool Business Owner:

Your day will begin by opening your store. You will help customers throughout the day decide on what type of above ground pool best meets their needs. You will coordinate installation with your installers.

About Your Customers:

Your customers will be individuals looking for high quality above ground pools and installation services.

What You Need to Start:

• Business plan
• Storefront
• Display pools
• Accessories
• Pool chemicals
• Staff
• Computer with finance software

The Good:

• Above ground pools offer a less expensive alternative to in-ground pools.
• It’s rewarding to give a customer just what they’re looking for.
• You can hire a staff to do most of the work for you.
• You can start out small and build your business as demand increases.

The Bad:

• The start-up costs are high.
• It can take some time to turn a profit.

Resources:

• Association of Pool and Spa Professionals
• Independent Pool and Spa Service Association
• Swimming Pool and Allied Trade Association
• Wikipedia on Swimming Pools

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Business Overview:

If you’re looking for a part-time business that lets you use your skills to empower people, you should learn how to run a self-defense training business. Self-defense classes are very popular these days and you can start one with a very small start-up investment. You don’t even need to rent out a studio; you can coordinate with community centers, YMCAs and fitness centers where you can teach your classes. This is the perfect business for someone with military, law enforcement or martial arts training. Business ideas like this one are so popular because you are not limited to a single market. You can offer your services to men, women, kids and the elderly. You could, of course, choose to concentrate on one niche but opening up your classes to everyone will bring in more customers and make more people in your community feel safer. There may be different techniques that are best for women or for men so consider holding different classes for different groups. You can also contact local businesses to gauge their interest in holding self-defense classes on site at their offices. Self-defense classes are a great way for managers to foster team-building skills and help coworkers bond so they can work better together. Place flyers all over town in places like community centers, grocery stores and college campuses. If your classes fill up, you may need to add more classes and you can choose to turn this into a full-time business with a staff to help you teach classes.

A Day in the Life of a Self Defense Training Business Owner:

Each day you will meet your customers wherever you are holding your classes and will teach them the art of self-defense. When you are not in class, you will spend some time marketing your business and recruiting students. You may also recruit other self-defense teachers to do the work for you or just to expand your business.

About Your Customers:

Your customers will be individuals looking for self-defense training.

What You Need to Start:

• Self defense expertise
• Location for your classes
• Marketing materials
• Computer with finance software

The Good:

• Self-defense training is always in demand.
• It is rewarding to help others gain skills that can protect them.
• You can easily run this business part-time.
• You don’t need a storefront as you can use space at community centers, fitness centers and other locations like business offices and schools.
• The start-up costs are minimal.

The Bad:

• It can take time to build your client base.
• It can be difficult to hold classes in a community center due to the noise and occasional scheduling conflicts.

Resources:

• Association for Women’s Self Defense Advancement
• World Self Defense Association
• Wikipedia on Self-Defense

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Business Overview:

If you live near a resort community and love the water, learning how to start a parasailing business is a fun way to turn your hobby into a moneymaking business. Parasailing is a water activity in which an individual or couple is attached to a parachute which is then attached to a boat. The boat drives around and the parasailer gets a beautiful view from high above the water. If you already own a boat, you are well on your way to starting your parasailing business. Research the best types of parasailing equipment including the chute, harness, ropes, etc. by talking to other parasailing business owners. If no one in your area is interested in helping you for fear that you’ll take some of their business away, consider contacting parasailing businesses in other areas that you are not in direct competition with. A third crucial element to your business is insurance. If you and your crew are properly trained and your equipment is of high quality, parasailing is a safe activity; however, you do need to be financially covered in case of an accident. Next you’ll need to market your business. Print up flyers and distribute them to local restaurants, resorts and hotels. Consider offering a discount coupon on the flyer to attract your first customers. Since your target market likely does not live in your area and will only be in your area on vacation, it’s a good idea to set up a website with beautiful pictures of your boat and someone parasailing. List your prices and contact information. Often tourists will book activities like this before they travel so you need to have a good way of keeping track of appointments. You can run this business part-time if you wish and only take appointments or you can set up your boat and equipment near the beach (or at the dock if you work on a lake) during certain hours and take walk-up customers. Either way, this is one of the more exciting business ideas available to a water-loving entrepreneur.

A Day in the Life of a Parasailing Business Owner:

Your day will begin by checking any appointments you may have. You will set up your boat in your designated spot and meet your appointments or take walk-up customers. You will spend your day working with customers and driving the boat. If you have a crew that handles the parasailing duties for you, you will spend your day taking appointments and marketing your business.

About Your Customers:

Your customers will typically be tourists looking for an exciting adventure.

What You Need to Start:

• Boat
• Parasailing equipment
• Extensive knowledge of parasailing safety
• Crew (You can operate this business solo but having another person to help is a good idea for safety reasons.)
• Business license
• Insurance
• Marketing materials
• Computer with finance software

The Good:

• If you live near a resort community, parasailing is a very popular activity.
• Once you make the initial investment, the overhead is very low and your profit margin is very high.
• This is a fun business.
• You get to work with many different and interesting people
• You get to be on the water all day doing what you love.

The Bad:

• The start-up investment can be high.
• Depending on your tourist season, this business may be very slow at certain times of the year.

Resources:

• Parasail Safety Council
• Professional Parasailing Association Europe
• Bureau of Labor Statistics Article on Turing Your Hobby into a Career
• Wikipedia on Parasailing

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Business Overview:

Now is a great time to start an energy consulting business, and generate some fantastic profits while helping to protect the future of our planet. It is now widely recognized that we must develop more sustainable and renewable forms of energy and ways of living in order to protect the environment and our planet. As a result, energy consulting has become a multi-billion dollar industry and you can cash in on this booming green industry and contribute to the protection of our world by starting an energy consulting business. With an energy consulting business, you consult with homeowners on how to make their homes more energy efficient and environmentally friendly. By doing so you’ll not only be doing your bit for the environment, you’ll also be saving your clients money as a result of lowering their utility bills. To achieve this, you’ll visit and assess your clients’ homes in order to determine wasteful energy usage, and make suggestions on how they can improve the efficiency of their energy use either by making changes to the structure and materials of their home, or by taking such actions as installing solar energy panels. If you’re passionate about the environment, now is an excellent time to start this business as projections indicate that the market for green energy services is set to grow substantially in the years to come. For example, recent research suggests that the home energy industry will grow from $8.1 billion USD to $23.4 billion USD over the next five years. This is due in part to the growth in a global awareness and acceptance of the need for both conservation and for more environmentally friendly forms of energy usage. It is also due to the fact that homeowners are increasingly realizing that going green can save them money, both in the short term and the long term. In addition, governments around the world are increasingly encouraging efficient energy usage, with billions of dollars in tax incentives being offered to entice homeowners to make their homes more energy efficient. You can start to serve this ever-growing green market and generate very respectable profits at a low start-up cost. Business ideas like this one will be more successful if you have proper training. But you can usually complete the energy consulting training you need locally and in a reasonably short period of time. Therefore, if you’ve got the desire and hunger to contribute to the betterment of our world, and you want to build a profitable and successful green business doing it, learning how to become an energy consultant might be the best decision you could make.

A Day in the Life of an Energy Consulting Business Owner:

As an energy consulting business owner, you day will begin with a check of your calendar to see which clients you are booked to meet with. You will then travel to your client’s residence and carry out an audit of their house to assess the efficiency of their energy usage. Having done so, you will compile a report showing your findings and suggestions on how your clients can make improvements. Your report might suggest your clients make changes to the structure and materials of their home or it might suggest they take action such as installing solar energy panels on their roofs. Of course, with this business you could hire energy consultants to work and carry out your energy audits for you, in which case a typical day would be spent marketing your energy consulting business to win new clients and further increase your profits.

About Your Customers:

Your clients will be homeowners who want to lower their energy bills and become more environmentally friendly by improving the efficiency of their energy usage.

What You Need to Start:

• Training in energy consulting
• Marketing (website, flyers, ads, word of mouth, etc.)
• Computer
• Business license
• Financial tracking software

The Good:

• Your business will be contributing to the protection of the environment and the planet.
• You’ll be making your clients happy by saving them money on their energy bills.
• The green energy industry is booming—meaning you can expect both the demand for your services and your profits to continue to grow in the years to come.
• You can start this business at a low cost.
• You can start and run this business from the comfort of your own home (although you will need to travel to your clients’ homes).

The Bad:

• Some of your clients may be resistant to long-term energy solutions such as installing solar energy panels as they can be expensive and clients won’t usually see a quick return on their investment.
• You may find that many prospective clients are still resistant to the need to take environmentally friendly action in their homes.

Resources:

• Association of Professional Energy Consultants
• International Solar Energy Society
• California Association of Building Energy Consultants
• Wikipedia on Energy Conservation

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Business Overview:

If you’re looking for a highly lucrative but largely untapped business opportunity, you should learn how to start a judgment recovery business. Every day civil judgments are being awarded in courts all over the world, but what many people don’t realize is that 80% of all judgments awarded in courts are never paid. What this means is that when one person (the plaintiff) sues another person (the defendant) in a small claims court, and wins the case, 80% of the time they never receive the money awarded. The reason this happens is because courts cannot collect the money for the judgment winners; the collection of the money awarded is actually up to the judgment winners themselves. Many powerful enforcement tools are available to the winner to help them collect their winnings, yet most judgment winners do not know how about them. Therefore with no pressure to pay up from the courts, the defendants, in 80% of the cases, are able to walk away without ever paying the judgment. With a judgment recovery business you help judgment winners to collect the debt that is rightfully theirs by utilizing the various collection methods available. In most countries the defendants’ wages can be garnished, property can be taken and sold, bank accounts can be frozen and turned over, drivers’ licenses can be suspended, and much more. With this business you will make full use of the array of enforcement tools available to help your clients to get their money. Having done so, you then charge your client a percentage of the money won. The percentage charged by judgment recovery specialists varies, but successfully retrieving an awarded $6,000 USD for your client could easily earn your business as much as 50% ($3,000). Therefore you can potentially make huge profits if you target higher-end clients seeking to retrieve big money awards. Indeed, the profit making potential behind this business idea is truly huge because judgment recovery is a largely untapped service. Despite recent figures showing that $200 billion USD (including $41 billion USD in uncollected child support payments) is owed in the USA alone, judgment recovery is a fairly low-competition business. Many entrepreneurs haven’t yet realized or tapped into the potentially massive opportunity presented by the mass of unpaid debt that is currently left outstanding. Therefore, if you start this business it is unlikely that you will face much competition, at least locally. What’s more, you can easily run this business from the comfort of your own home, and you can do so safely and with peace of mind because the actual garnishing of money from defendants will be done for you by local sheriffs or levying officers. You will contact these authorities and utilize them for your client to help them obtain their winnings, but you won’t have to personally confront defendants in order to do so. So if you’re looking for a lucrative and freedom-enhancing business opportunity, this could well be the business for you.

A Day in the Life of a Judgment Recovery Business Owner:

As a judgment recovery business owner, your day will begin with a check of your schedule to review which cases you have to work on today. You will then set out to recover the debt owed by the defendant to your clients. To do this you will make use of one of more of the various methods available to you. For example, you can have defendants warned that their wages may be garnished, that their property can be taken and sold, that bank accounts can be frozen and turned over, and that their driver’s license can be suspended (among other possible measures). If such warnings were to prove ineffective, you would set about actually enforcing these measures in order to obtain the owed money. While you will be taking action to retrieve money for judgment winners from defendants, it is important to know that you will never have to personally confront defendants. Instead, you will be contacting the local sheriff’s departments, or levying officers, and they will do all the garnishing for you. Having successfully collected the money on behalf of your client, you will then charge your client a percentage of the money won.

About Your Customers:

Your customers will be individuals who have won lawsuits, but have been unable to collect the money owed to them by defendants.

What You Need to Start:

• Training in judgment recovery (courses are available locally in most places)
• Access to a local courthouse so that you can go through civil records for a list of potential clients
• Access to public records databases to help you locate and assess a debtor’s assets
• Accounting software
• Business license

The Good:

• You’ll be helping judgment winners to retrieve money that is rightfully theirs.
• There’s a huge market of potential clients for this business—80% of all judgments awarded in courts are never paid.
• Despite the huge market, this business is relatively uncompetitive.
• Due to the huge market and relative lack of competition, you can potentially make huge profits if you target the right types of clients.
• You can start this business at a low cost.
• You can start and run this business from the comfort of your own home.

The Bad:

• Starting a judgment recovery business will require you to invest in training in judgment recovery methods and procedures.
• You will need to be very proactive with your marketing, as many potential clients won’t know that judgment recovery services even exist.

Resources:

• California Association of Judgment Professionals
• National Judgment Network
• Wikipedia on Small Claims Court

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Business Overview:

Starting a custom iPhone applications business can be a lucrative choice for any creative person looking to cash in on the hugely popular iPhone. Since its introduction in 2007, demand for iPhones has risen sharply. As the popularity of the iPhone has grown, so too has the demand for iPhone applications. Considering the popularity of the iPhone and of the Apple brand itself, this is a trend that is unlikely to change. The premise behind this business idea is simple; you create customs applications for use on Apple’s iPhone, which people then pay to download. Simple as this is, your ability to cash in on it is limited only by your imagination because people will pay for all kinds of iPhone applications. For example, popular applications include applications that give ideas for dates, provide locations of local pizza restaurants, give tarot readings, and help with monthly accounting. The chances are that if you can come up with an idea for an application that you would find interesting, useful, or funny, then many other people probably would too—and would happily pay for it. This is an ideal online business idea if you’re a creative person. What’s more, you can start this business at virtually zero cost as there is a range of free software available which you can use to turn your ideas into real iPhone applications. Alternatively, if you’re willing to invest a little further there are more powerful paid programs you can purchase and use to develop your applications—or you could pay an iPhone application expert to do it for you. Having developed your applications, all you then need is a website to sell them on. You can also list your applications on the Apple Store website. Considering that the average iPhone application sells for $3.87 USD, if just one of the iPhone applications that you develop was to become even slightly popular you will have a very successful business. All that’s needed is the creativity and a commitment to succeed.

A Day in the Life of a Custom iPhone Application Business Owner:

As a successful iPhone application business owner, you will have several popular iPhone apps selling online and generating you a very nice residual income. Looking to expand your business and further increase your profits, you’ll begin a typical day by brainstorming ideas for new iPhone applications to create. You’ll then choose the best application idea from your list, and you’ll go ahead and create it. In doing so you may use software to develop the application yourself, or you may hire a freelancer to develop your application for you. Finally, you’ll upload you new application to your website (as well as to apple’s iPhone applications store) for it to be purchased and downloaded by iPhone users around the world.

About Your Customers:

Your customers will be owners of Apple’s popular iPhone.

What You Need to Start:

• Software with which to create your iPhone applications (alternatively, you could hire someone to develop your applications for you)
• Creativity and an awareness of current trends
• Computer
• Website to on which to sell your applications
• Business license
• Financial tracking software

The Good:

• The iPhone is hugely popular, as is the demand for iPhone applications, and this is unlikely to change anytime soon.
• The average iPhone application sells for $3.87, USD so just one moderately popular application can generate impressive profits.
• You can start this business at little to no cost.
• You can start and run this business from the comfort of your own home.
• You can run this business part-time as an additional revenue stream.

The Bad:

• You will need to be patient and persistent, as it may take some time for you to hit on a popular application idea.
• Your profits may not always be consistent, as the popularity of some of your trend-based applications may be short lived.

Resources:

• Apple iPhone
• Wikipedia on iPhones

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Business Overview:

Starting a payroll service business is the perfect opportunity to help businesses operate effectively while working as your own boss from home. Paying staff correctly and on time should be one of the most important priorities for any business owner. Attracting and retaining quality staff is a challenging process, and any failure to pay staff on time and in the correct amount can put a business at risk of losing valuable talent. However, payroll accounting can be complicated and confusing—which can increase the chances of mistakes. In addition, business owners are faced with a wide array of responsibilities as part of the day-to-day running of their businesses, and many find the weekly or monthly task of payroll accounting to be an unwelcome burden. With this business idea, you help to take weight off of business owners’ shoulders by doing their payroll accounting for them. Learning how to start a payroll service can become a very profitable venture for you, as many businesses prefer to outsource certain areas like payroll and customer service due to a lack of personnel. In order to get started you’ll need to have the bookkeeping skills and patience to process payrolls correctly which, due to the complexity of payroll accounting and variances in local and national laws, will require you to have completed training programs on payroll accounting by professional organizations in your country. Thankfully, there are many training programs available for you to take, and most can be completed fairly quickly and at a relatively low cost. Once you have the necessary skills, the start-up costs for this business are very low and you can easily start and run this business from the comfort of your own home. You will need to invest in payroll accounting and processing software, and you will need to market your services effectively to attract clients. Having done so, you should start to see steady profits reasonably quickly. This is because once acquired, so long as you continue to provide an accurate and quality service, the majority of your clients will continue to use you and your payroll accounting for years to come.

A Day in the Life of a Payroll Service Business Owner:

As a payroll service business owner, you will spend a typical day efficiently working to ensure the accurate and timely processing of your clients’ payroll accounts. To do this you’ll use your payroll accounting software, and accurately account for the payment of each member of staff on your client’s payroll. You will then process the payment (or have it processed for a specific date), print out payroll statements, and forward them on to each staff member (and to your client). Of course, you may decide to hire your own staff to process your clients payroll accounts for you. In this case a typical day would be spent marketing your business to attract new clients and further increase your profits.

About Your Customers:

Your customers will be businesses that want to outsource their payroll accounting.

What You Need to Start:

• The skills and patience to process payroll correctly
• Training on payroll accounting by a professional organization in your country
• Payroll accounting software
• Computer
• Printer
• Business license
• Marketing (online, flyers, ads, word of mouth, etc.)
• Financial tracking software

The Good:

• You will be taking care of one of the most important areas of your clients’ businesses for them.
• You can gain the skills you need to start this business relatively quickly and inexpensively.
• The start-up costs for this business are low.
• You can start and run this business from the comfort of your own home.
• Most businesses choose to outsource their payroll accounting, so you can potentially make great profits with this business.

The Bad:

• Unless you love numbers, payroll accounting can become somewhat repetitive.
• It may be a while before you start to see good levels of steady profits as building up your client base can take some time.

Resources:

• American Payroll Association
• Bureau of Labor Statistics on Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks
• Wikipedia on Payroll

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Business Overview:

If you want a business idea that allows you to generate great profits and make a real difference, consider starting a diversity consulting business. Modern society has become increasingly multicultural, and we now live and work together with people with a wide array of ethnic and cultural backgrounds. In addition, society as a whole is becoming far more tolerant than in previous times. However, despite such positive changes in society, people with diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds (or people that generally differ from the ‘norm’) can unfortunately still be subjected to discrimination and unfair treatment by peers or superiors in their places of work. It is for this reason that now is a fantastic time to start a diversity consulting business. Similar to an image consultant but with the workplace image in mind, you consult with businesses to help them create an equal and inclusive workplace culture, attract and retain diverse talent, and gain the maximum value they can from difference within their organization. Many employees faced by prejudice and discrimination at work leave, either immediately or eventually, due to the distress such treatment causes them. This is obviously bad for the individuals subjected to such unfair and negative experiences, but it is also bad for their companies as it means that they are likely losing a vast array of talent that they would otherwise have retained had the culture of their workplace been more fair and inclusive. It also can lead to expensive lawsuits. Therefore, not only will your diversity consulting services make a real difference in individuals’ lives, it will also help business to improve their bottom line and gain a competitive advantage. To achieve this, there are many services you can provide as part of your diversity consulting service. For example, as part of your consultation you might conduct a corporate-wide survey designed to measure the inclusion, engagement and wellbeing of various diversity groups within a company’s workforce. Based on an analysis of that survey, you would then consult with the business owner or the company’s human resources departments and make suggestions on changes that should be made. Other services aimed at promoting workplace equality and fairness that you might provide include services like harassment and bullying workshops, diversity training, cultural awareness presentations and promotions, and unconscious bias assessments and programs. With modern society becoming more diverse, the potential is certainly there for you to make great profits with this business. Businesses both now and in the future will need your services to ensure that their diverse workforces operate to maximum effectiveness as a result of a fair and inclusive workplace culture. If you offer quality diversity consulting services, you can only expect your profits to grow into the future. To offer a diversity consulting service, you will need to have worked on and continue to work on your own biases and assumptions. You will also need training in diversity consulting, which you can usually do locally and relatively inexpensively. Alternatively, you could hire diversity consulting experts to work for you and focus your energies on marketing your business. Either way, now is certainly a fantastic time to get started with this business idea and make some great profits making a real difference in people’s lives, as well as in the overall the success and effectiveness of the companies you serve.

A Day in the Life of a Diversity Consulting Business Owner:

As a diversity consulting business owner, your day will begin with a check of your diary to see which company (or companies) you have booked to consult with. You will then head out and meet with your clients and determine how they can improve their business by creating an equal and inclusive workplace culture. In doing so, you might conduct a corporate-wide survey designed to measure the inclusion, engagement and wellbeing of various diversity groups within their workforce. You will then consult with the business owner or the companies’ human resource department and make suggestions based on the analysis of your findings. Depending on the specific company you are dealing with, other services you might provide may be presenting a harassment or bullying workshop, or implementing unconscious bias assessments and programs. Of course, you might decide to employ diversity consulting experts to provide your diversity consulting services for you, in which case a typical day would be spent marketing your business to achieve further growth by attracting new clients.

About Your Customers:

Your clients will be businesses looking to create an equal and inclusive workplace culture.

What You Need to Start:

• You will need to have worked on and continue to work on your own biases and assumptions.
• Training in diversity consulting
• Marketing (online, ads, radio, etc.)
• A business license
• Financial tracking software

The Good:

• Your services will make a real difference in people’s lives by helping to create an equal and inclusive environment in which they can work.
• You will also be contributing to the success of the businesses you work with, as your services will help them to gain a competitive advantage as a result of retaining and developing talent that they would otherwise have lost.
• You can start this business from the comfort of your own home office.
• With modern society only becoming more diverse, you can expect your profits to grow more and more into the future.

The Bad:

• Some businesses may be resistant or difficult to deal with when you promote your diversity consulting services to them.
• It may take a while for you to see good profits because building up both your reputation and a solid base of clients can take time.

Resources:

• Association of Diversity Councils
• Professional and Technical Consultants Association
• Bureau of Labor Statistics on Human Resources, Training and Labor Relations Managers and Specialists
• Wikipedia on Diversity Training

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