Business Overview:

If you’re looking for a high-demand business that has the potential to make great profits, consider learning how to start a home inventory business. A home inventory is an account of every asset in a person’s home that has positive value. With a home inventory business you create and maintain an account of homeowners’ assets in exchange for a fee by listing the value and specific details about each item they own. Maintaining a home inventory is an important practice, as it allows homeowners to pinpoint every item they own in the case of loss due to theft or disaster. This helps to streamline the process of claiming insurance for destroyed, damaged or stolen items. Therefore, you’ll be providing a valuable service that will give your clients increased peace of mind and an added sense of reassurance that they’ll be able to recoup the true value of any losses incurred in the case of an accident or disaster in their home. Home inventory is a service that is always in high demand, and as such this is a business idea that can really lead to great profits. The reason for such high demand is that while the value of maintaining a home inventory is widely recognized, many people find that they do not have the time to continually maintain and update their records. Therefore, if you can provide a quality service and market your home inventory business effectively, you will be likely to attract many clients and generate great profits. While this business offers a high profit making potential it’s not an especially difficult business to get started. You can open a home inventory business relatively quickly and at a fairly low cost. The ability to appraise items and determine their true value is a skill that you will certainly need as it is essential when producing home inventories, but if you aren’t currently trained you can easily take local or online courses. Alternatively, if you have more start-up funds available, you could hire experienced staff to produce your inventories for you, freeing your time up to focus exclusively on the marketing of your business. Another attractive advantage to this business is that you can easily start and run this business from the comfort of your own home. While technically it is not essential, you should get a license when starting up. Not every state or country requires licensing for home inventory businesses, but insurance companies only accept appraisals from home inventory firms that are licensed. Therefore, in order to provide an attractive, quality service to your clients it is definitely recommended that you obtain licensing when setting up your home inventory company.

A Day in the Life of a Home Inventory Business Owner:

The bulk of a typical day as a home inventory business owner will be spent visiting clients’ homes and doing appraisals for them. Having reviewed your diary to check which clients you are booked in to see for the day, you will travel to your clients’ homes and create inventories. A standard home inventory form is separated by room categories, and you will follow this system for each client you see and note and appraise each specific item of positive value in each room in your client’s house—and put them into the appropriate categories on your form. Household items like couches, televisions and microwaves, as well as more unique and valuable items such as antiques and jewelry, will all be recorded as part of your full inventory. On completion of your work, you will provide your client with a copy of their home inventory (in digital format as well as a hardcopy) and keep a backup record of your own which you will update periodically for your client as they purchase new assets. If you decide to hire staff to complete your clients’ inventories for you, then a typical day will instead be focused on marketing your business to attract new clients and further increase your profits.

About Your Customers:

Your customers will be homeowners who want an account of all the assets in their homes that have a positive value, for the purpose of ensuring that they are able to recoup the true value of any losses incurred in the case of an accident or disaster in their home.

What You Need to Start:

• Training in appraising items and creating home inventories (alternatively, you could hire trained staff to do the appraisals for you)
• Licensing for your home inventory businesses (though this is not always required in every state or country, it is highly recommended)
• Marketing (website, paper ads, radio, etc.)
• Financial tracking software
• Inventory sheets or software

The Good:

• Home inventory services will always be in high demand.
• Due to high demand, you can potentially make great profits with this business.
• You can start at a relatively low cost.
• If you aren’t currently trained in appraising items and creating home inventories, you can quickly get qualified by taking local or online courses (or you could hire staff to do your home inventories for you).
• You can start and run this business from the comfort of your own home office.

The Bad:

• Due to the high demand for home inventory services, this business can be competitive.
• It may be a while before you to start to see good profits, as establishing your home inventory business and building up a solid client base can take some time.

Resources:

• National Association of Home Inventory Professionals
• Bureau of Labor Statistics on Claims Adjusters, Appraisers, Examiners and Investigators
• Wikipedia on Inventory

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Business Overview:

If you have a passion for sewing and enjoy helping people look better in their clothes, you should learn how to start an alteration business. Having experience in alterations, perhaps working for a tailor shop, will help immensely when you open your own shop. If you know how to sew but aren’t skilled in altering clothing, you can attend classes or learn from books the different areas of expertise you’ll need to open an alterations shop. You will need to know the basics like how to hem pants and skirts as well as more advanced projects like working with seams and zippers. An alteration business is one of the many business ideas you can operate from home if you set up your space properly. You’ll need an entire room dedicated to your business, preferably in the front of your house, as well as a dressing area for your customers. This can be a walk-in closet, bathroom or just a corner of the room with a curtain. You will also need a raised platform, full-length mirrors and a large table on which you will mark and cut fabric. Be sure to stock up on sewing notions like thread, pins, buttons, and zippers. Of course you can make a quick trip to the local fabric store for more unique supplies but having a good stock of notions on hand will ensure a faster turn-around time for your clients. Depending on your experience, you may choose to focus on a specific niche such as wedding gowns or suits. Once your business model is established, print up some fliers and distribute them around town. Concentrate on areas your target market frequents like clothing stores or dry cleaners. Also place an ad in the phone book to attract new business. As business picks up, you could recruit other home alterations experts to work from their homes. You would then need to work out a pick-up/delivery system to get the items to their homes and then back to you for clients to pick up. To really boost customer service and increase profits, consider offering delivery of altered items to the customers’ homes or offices. If time allows, you could do this yourself or you could hire a service to handle it for you. You’ll find that once you get a few customers, not only will they give you their repeat business but they’ll tell their friends and you’ll start to see plenty of referral business as well.

A Day in the Life of an Alteration Business Owner:

Your day will begin by getting to work on any alterations you need to finish up. Unless your customers schedule appointments, you will spend your day helping walk-in customers. You can choose your own hours and operate this business part-time but you will need to have set hours that your business is open and be available to help customers during those hours. You will likely work on projects after your shop closes for the day.

About Your Customers:

Your customers will be individuals in need of expert alteration services.

What You Need to Start:

• Sewing skills
• Marketing materials
• Dedicated area in your home to serve as your shop
• Platform
• Full-length mirrors
• Sewing machine
• Sewing notions
• Computer with finance software

The Good:

• There will always be a high demand for alterations services.
• The start-up investment needed for this business is low.
• You can easily run this business part-time and from home.
• This business is easily scalable so you can add alterations experts to work for you as business demands.
• You can offer additional services like pick-up and delivery to boost profits.

The Bad:

• Competition is high in this industry.
• It can take some time to attract your first few clients.

Resources:

• Custom Tailors and Designers Association
• Sewing and Craft Alliance
• Bureau of Labor Statistics on Textile, Apparel and Furnishings Occupations
• Wikipedia on Tailors

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Business Overview:

If you’re a stickler for safety and want to operate a business that helps protect little ones in their homes, learn how to start a baby proofing business. The baby proofing industry is booming with every new mother wanting to keep her newborn or toddler safe from every harmful possibility. You’ll find that this is one of the smartest part-time business ideas to explore because there will never be a shortage of new moms needing help. Before you start advertising your new business, you need to do some research. Start by baby proofing your entire house, top to bottom. Evaluate different products and decide which work best and which are easiest to use. Toilet locks, for example, come in many different varieties and some are just as difficult for adults to figure out as they are for toddlers. Once you have a list of your favorite products, you can move on to your pricing list. You’ll want to have a variety of packages to fit the needs of different families. Include a price for baby proofing the entire house. This would include a home visit and consultation followed by a plan of action and installation of all the safety items. Not every family will need this type of full service package, however. They may just need the electrical outlets changed out or bumper pads placed on all the sharp corners around the house. Having pricing for the individual services will make your job easier since you won’t have to come up with a price every time. You will need to tweak your pricing list as you go when you have a better idea of what services are needed. If you already run a pregnancy planning business or you specialize in interior design for nurseries and baby proofing is not one of the services you provide, consider adding it to boost your profits. Market your new business with newspaper ads and ads in local family magazines. Look for safety expos in baby stores where you can hand out business cards and show customers what your business offers. Talk to area hospitals to see if you can include a business card in the take-home packets they give to new moms. Keeping babies and toddlers safe is a top priority for parents and offering excellent baby proofing services will help you build a successful business.

A Day in the Life of a Baby Proofing Business Owner:

If you have appointments, you will need to make sure you have all the necessary safety equipment then you will travel to your client’s home and perform the installation. If you do not have any appointments, you will spend your day handing out business cards and looking for new ways to advertise. You may also participate in a safety expo in which case you would need to bring various safety items to display as well as copies of your price list and explanation of services you offer. You will also need to visit local baby stores from time to time to evaluate any new products that have recently come on the market.

About Your Customers:

Your customers will be parents needing assistance in making their homes safe for their children.

What You Need to Start:

• Excellent attention to detail
• Familiarity with baby proofing products
• Vehicle
• Marketing materials
• Computer with finance software

The Good:

• Start-up costs are minimal.
• No training or certification is required.
• It’s rewarding to take some of the burden off of a new parent.
• You do not need a storefront for this business.
• You can easily run this business part-time.

The Bad:

• It can take some time to get your first few clients.
• Some parents do their own baby proofing so it may be difficult to sell your services to the do-it-yourself type parents.

Resources:

• International Association for Child Safety
• Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association
• Safe Kids USA
• Wikipedia on Childproofing

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Business Overview:

If you’re looking for a great part-time business that takes care of the heavy lifting for other businesses and homeowners, consider starting a hauling service. When an office changes locations or experiences downsizing, many items need to be disposed of like broken furniture, old file cabinets and outdated computers. A professional hauling service can take care of the moving, disposal or recycling of these items so the office manager can focus on his employees. Homeowners renovating their homes often have huge unattractive dumpsters sit in their driveways for weeks. Having an alternative like your business would be much appreciated by not only the homeowners but their neighbors as well. A hauling service is one of those business ideas that can go in many different directions so it’s important to accurately outline your service list before you start your business. You could focus on residential clients or corporate offices. You could specialize in recycling computers and other electronic items. Another option to consider is purchasing a franchise business. Although more costly than starting a business from the ground up, a franchise will come with branding, marketing, a proven system, training and quite possibly vehicles that will get your business going quickly. Once you’re ready to start going after clients, think about forming partnerships with relocation services or office managers in your area. Depending on your target market, these professionals can help direct business your way when their clients need some help with a move. Realtors will also be valuable contacts to have since they will likely need junk removal assistance when readying a home to sell. If they handle foreclosures or abandoned homes, typically there are a lot of useless items that need to be removed. Your trucks will also help get the word out about your new business. It’s a good idea to also have a website that explains exactly what you do and how much your services cost. Once you get your first few clients, your excellent work and customer service will get you plenty of referrals and even repeat business down the road. You may soon need to add to your fleet to handle the hauling demand.

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

Your day will begin with a check of any appointments. You and your team will meet your clients on site and haul off the items they don’t have use for. You will then properly dispose of or recycle these items. You will also take calls throughout the day from prospective customers with whom you will discuss your services and set appointments. At the end of the day you will ensure your trucks are clean and ready for work the next day.

About Your Customers:

Your customers will be homeowners, apartment managers, office managers or anyone who needs help hauling items away from a location and properly disposing of them.

What You Need to Start:

• Business plan
• Marketing plan
• Financing
• Franchise (optional)
• Staff
• Trucks
• Equipment and supplies (dollies, trash bags, etc.)
• Website (optional)
• License and insurance
• Computer with finance software

The Good:

• People will always need items hauled away and will gladly pay someone else to do it.
• Franchises are available to help you get started.
• You can easily run this business part-time.
• You can hire a staff to do the work for you.
• The right contacts can earn you repeat business.

The Bad:

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

Resources:

• National Recycling Coalition
• International Association of Electronics Recyclers
• Wikipedia on Electronic Waste

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Business Overview:

Starting a designated driver business is a smart way to be your own boss while providing a much-needed service to your community. A designated driver is typically the one person in a group who refrains from drinking alcohol and whose responsibility it is to drive everyone home. This is a great plan, in theory, but usually the designated driver ends up being the person in the group who’s had the least to drink—not someone who has completely abstained from drinking alcohol. Obviously that is not safe and there needs to be an alternative to leaving your car at the bar or club and taking an expensive cab ride home. Your designated driver business offers clients the freedom of going out, having a good time and not having to worry about who will drive home. When called, your business will send out two drivers. One will drive the customer and his car home, the other will follow in another car to pick up the other driver at the client’s home. This gets your customer home safely with his car in the driveway ready for the next day. If you are unsure how to set up a designated driver business, there are franchises available to help. A franchise will be more expensive up front but will come with training, marketing, advice on hiring drivers and much more. You can start a non-franchise designated driver business for much less if you prefer. If you print up some business cards and distribute them to area restaurants, bars and clubs, you’ll find you have enough business to fill your nights and weekends. This is a part-time business that will typically be slow during the day so you can focus on other business ideas and marketing. If you run a personal assistant business during the day, adding a designated driver business at night would be the logical next step since you are likely already familiar with your city and could easily navigate to pick-up and drop-off destinations. Consider creating a website and listing your services and pricing so that you can market your business to other businesses like event planners who could recommend your services for weddings, birthday parties, retirement parties, etc. Their clients may even choose to offer designated driving services to all their guests. Offer both individual rates and group rates and have some extra staff on hand for large events since you’ll likely need to drive several people home around the same time. Other than large group events, bartenders and club managers will be your best referral tools, so spread the word to them and they will pass business on to you.

A Day in the Life of a Designated Driver Business Owner:

If you have a large event, you will need to coordinate your “stand-by” staff and have them on call for when the party ends. Otherwise, you and your partner will be on call during your set hours (8:00 pm – 2:00 am, for example) and respond to calls throughout the evening. When you’re not making pick-ups, you will go to various bars and clubs distributing business cards to customers and bartenders.

About Your Customers:

Your customers will be individuals who have had too much to drink and need to get home safely. Your customers may also be responsible people who throw parties or large events who want to hire you to ensure their guests get home safely after they’ve had a great time at the event.

What You Need to Start:

• Two-person team
• Proper insurance
• Vehicle
• Marketing materials
• Method of accepting credit card payments in your vehicle
• Website (optional)
• Extra staff (optional but necessary if you market your services to large parties and at certain times of year like St. Patrick’s Day and New Year’s Eve)
• Computer with finance software

The Good:

• This business provides an invaluable service.
• Franchises are available to help you get started.
• It’s rewarding to know you’re keeping intoxicated drivers off the road and getting them home safely.
• The start-up investment for a non-franchise business is low.
• You can easily run this business part-time.

The Bad:

• The hours are late.
• Some customers may be so intoxicated they are difficult to work with.

Resources:

• Designated Drivers Foundation
• Wikipedia on Designated Drivers

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Business Overview:

If you are looking for an excellent mobile business with plenty of potential, consider starting a leather and vinyl repair business. If you have experience with leather and vinyl repairs, you know that the possibilities are endless as far as items that are in need of repair. All sorts of industries use leather, vinyl and plastic in their goods – furniture, automobiles, restaurants, airplanes, boats, specialty health related items like dental chairs and physicians’ tables are just a few examples. Leather and vinyl items like these are sizeable investments that cannot simply be replaced when they start to show wear and tear. A professional repair technician is an invaluable asset to businesses in industries like those mentioned above as well as for fashion items like leather jackets, boots, handbags, etc. And depending on your area of expertise, you might be able to secure a repair contract for an entire medical building or pre-owned car lot. If you’re not trained in leather and vinyl repair, there are plenty of franchises available to help you get started. A franchise will be more expensive up front but the advantages typically outweigh the cost issue. As a franchise owner, you will receive training, equipment and supplies, ongoing support, marketing assistance and, in some cases, a vehicle. If you’re looking to take your window repair business to the next level, consider a franchise that includes vinyl siding repair. If you own a car detailing business, imagine the boost to your profits if you were also able to offer automobile leather and vinyl repair. As you can see, there are a number of items that need this type of repair so this could be one of the most profitable part-time business ideas out there today. Since you will be in your vehicle during your working hours, large magnetic advertisements will spread the word around town of your new business. A website will be a good marketing tool as well as you can post before and after pictures to show potential clients the quality of your work. Distribute business cards to those in your target market (auto dealers, medical offices, boat owners, etc.) and in no time, you will have enough work to explore the option of hiring a staff and transitioning to full-time repair business.

A Day in the Life of a Leather and Vinyl Repair Business Owner:

Your day will begin with a check of your appointments. You will perform repairs on site during the day and you will distribute marketing materials anywhere you go. If you have a staff working for you, you will coordinate with them throughout the day while concentrating on marketing your business.

About Your Customers:

Your customers will be auto dealers, office managers, medical professionals or anyone with a leather or vinyl item that is in need of repair.

What You Need to Start:

• Leather and vinyl repair skills
• Repair supplies and equipment
• Vehicle
• Marketing materials
• Computer with finance software

The Good:

• There is no end to the number of items that need this type of repair.
• Franchises are available to help you get started.
• You can easily run this business part-time.
• With excellent repair skills, you can scale this business up to full-time.
• If you contract your services with an office manager or auto dealer, you will have plenty of repeat business.

The Bad:

• Franchise fees are high; you will need to have financing set up.
• It can take some time to build your client list.

Resources:

• United States Hide, Skin and Leather Association
• Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association
• Bureau of Labor and Statistics on Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairers
• Wikipedia on Leather
• Wikipedia on Vinyl

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Business Overview:

If you’re an animal behaviorist ready apply your knowledge and training to help pets and pet owners, it’s time to start an animal behavior consulting business. An animal behavior consultant works with pets and their owners to correct behavior issues that can include aggression, destructive behavior, biting, inappropriate elimination and many other issues. Often, a pet owner will first take his or her pet to the veterinarian to discuss behavior problems. If the pet is otherwise healthy, a pet owner will be referred to an animal behavior consultant who will have the owner fill out a detailed questionnaire and visit the animal in its home. The consultant will then diagnose the problem and formulate a plan for treatment. Treatment can include positive reinforcement, behavior modification techniques and training for the pet owner on how to interact with the pet. Business ideas like this one will be more successful if the business owner is properly certified and trained. If you already have an animal behavior certification, you can start your business right away. If not, there are several routes to take to become certified. The top credential for this field is the board certification in veterinary behavior which is obtained through the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists and requires a veterinary degree plus two years of coursework. There are just a handful of people with this certification in the US but if you’re a veterinarian looking to branch out and add behavior specialist to your credentials, this is something to consider. However, if you’re not a DVM but are looking for a way to enter this business, you can become a certified animal behavior consultant by simply demonstrating hands-on behavior consulting and having experience consulting with owners as well as pets. Four specialties are available with this certification: dog, cat, horse and parrot. This certification route is perfect for a dog trainer looking to move into behavior consulting. When you start your consulting business, marketing will really be only expense. You will be traveling to pet owners’ homes to evaluate their individual situations so you don’t need an office and you don’t have any overhead. Consider printing up business cards and flyers and putting your marketing materials in animal adoption agencies (like the ASPCA) and local pet supply stores. Also contact local veterinarians and ask to be placed on their referral list for animal behavior consultants. This is a part-time business that can easily be scaled up to a full-time business with excellent marketing and positive results. You may soon need to recruit other animal behavior consultants to work for you to keep up with the demand for the services your business offers.

A Day in the Life of an Animal Behavior Consulting Business Owner:

Your day will begin with a check of your appointments. You will visit pets and their owners in their homes and observe their behavior. You will take your notes back to your home office and formulate a treatment plan to correct inappropriate behavior. You will set follow-up appointments with your clients to review their treatment plans and to observe behavior after the treatment plan has been put into action. You will spend some time marketing your business around town by placing flyers in various pet places and contacting local vets.

About Your Customers:

Your customers will be pet owners in need of behavior consulting for their animals.

What You Need to Start:

• Animal behavior consultant certification (or you can hire a certified consultant)
• Marketing materials
• Computer with finance software

The Good:

• The start-up investment for this business is minimal.
• Pet owners will always need help getting their animals to behave.
• You can charge top dollar for excellent consulting services.
• It’s rewarding to watch your skills result in a happy relationship between pets and owners.
• You can easily run this business part-time.

The Bad:

• It will be difficult to have a successful business if you (or your staff) are not certified as an animal behavior consultant.
• Some animals and their owners will be more difficult to work with and you must properly set expectations for the success of your behavior modification techniques.

Resources:

• International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants
• Animal Behavior Society
• Wikipedia on Ethology (animal behavior)

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Business Overview:

Open a pool maintenance business and use your knowledge and experience to help pool and spa owners keep their investments clean and refreshing. Pools and spas take a lot of attention to keep them in pristine condition. And it takes an expert with plenty of experience to guide pool owners in their quest for a blue and sparkling pool. If you have worked in a pool store or as a cleaning technician for a pool company, owning your own pool maintenance business is the next logical step. You will need to have expertise with both above-ground pools and in-ground pools. Particularly in the summer months, offering pool consulting services is one of the best business ideas you can find. There are so many different types of pool chemicals available and the layperson simply doesn’t have the expertise to know how much of what to put in the pool. There are home testing kits and charts and a pool owner can make an educated guess as to what chemicals to add and when, but having a go-to person who they trust causes many pool owners to gladly pay for this service. You won’t need a storefront for your maintenance business since you—or your staff—will be traveling to your clients’ pools to do chemical correction, cleaning and other pool maintenance. Put large advertisements on your truck or van and let them do the marketing for you as you drive around town. Find out which pool stores in town do not offer water testing and contract your services with them so that their clients are referred to you for chemical services and cleaning. If you choose to buy chemicals in bulk, you will need a storage facility that is separate from your house (garage, off-site storage locker, etc.) in case of a spill. You could also choose to buy chemicals as you need them from a pool store. Depending on the climate you live in, the pool business could be seasonal. In the warmest climates, pools are open and in need of regular maintenance all winter but in cooler climates, pool owners close their pools during the winter. Consider adding pool closing and pool opening to your list of services so you can earn extra profits during the cooler months.

A Day in the Life of a Pool Store Business Owner:

You will spend your day during the busy time of year traveling to your clients’ homes to check chemicals and clean pools—unless you’ve hired staff to do this work for you. You will also spend some time marketing your business.

About Your Customers:

Your customers will be pool and spa owners in need of expert pool care and chemical consultations.

What You Need to Start:

• Experience with pool chemicals (or a trained staff)
• Truck or van
• Water testing equipment
• Chemicals
• Storage facility for chemicals (or you could just buy them as you need them)
• Computer with finance software

The Good:

• Pool maintenance services are essential for pool owners.
• Pool owners will gladly pay for experienced professionals to care for their pools.
• The start-up costs are relatively low.
• Your customers will likely hire your business to perform regular maintenance/cleaning which means a steady income.
• You can boost your profits by offering additional services like pool closing and opening.

The Bad:

• It can take some time to build your client base.
• This business can be seasonal depending on your area’s climate.

Resources:

• Association of Pool and Spa Professionals
• Independent Pool and Spa Service Association
• Bureau of Labor Statistics on Maintenance and Repair Workers
• Wikipedia on Swimming Pools

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Business Overview:

Learning how to become a personal chef is a great way to put your skills to use while helping your clients to maintain a healthy lifestyle. If you are a trained chef, your options are plentiful when you graduate from culinary school. You could go to work as a chef in a restaurant, open your own restaurant or, if you prefer a smaller kitchen and a closer relationship with your clients, you could become a personal chef. Starting a personal chef business does not require a lot of start-up capital and you can do it part-time. A personal chef typically prepares meals for clients in their home kitchens then stores the meals in containers so the clients can heat and eat them at a later date. Personal chefs may visit their clients once a week and prepare a week’s worth of meals or they may be asked to visit everyday and prepare fresh meals. How much you charge will be determined by the level of service you provide your clients. You could choose to only offer weekly visits or be available as much as your clients are willing to pay for you to visit their homes. As a personal chef, you also may be asked to cater parties and events for your clients. When you begin to research how to start a personal chef business, you may find that selecting a niche will set your business apart from others in your area. Specializing in vegetarian, vegan or organic meals will give your clients an option they may not have with other personal chef businesses. Other areas to concentrate on include gluten-free meals, special diets for diabetics or those with certain food allergies. You’ll find that this is one of the most rewarding business ideas available to a trained chef looking to help others maintain a healthy lifestyle.

A Day in the Life of a Personal Chef Business Owner:

Your day will begin with a check of your appointments. You will stop by the grocery store on the way to your client’s house and prepare meals for them. You may have other chefs working for you in which case you will review their appointments and ensure they arrive on time and prepare the appropriate recipes. You will spend some time marketing your business by posting flyers in area grocery stores, health food stores, weight-loss centers, fitness centers, etc.

About Your Customers:

Your customers will be individuals or families who need the help of a personal chef to help them maintain a healthy lifestyle. Or they may not have time to prepare appropriate meals for themselves and their families.

What You Need to Start:

• Personal chef business plan
• Chef training
• Marketing materials
• Staff (optional)
• Transportation
• Computer with finance software

The Good:

• It’s rewarding to use your skills to help others become healthier.
• Start-up costs are low.
• Franchises are available to help you get started.
• You can easily run this business part-time.
• You can charge top dollar for delicious food that meets your clients’ dietary requirements.
• Your clients will likely need your services on a regular basis, which brings in a regular income.

The Bad:

• It can take some time to build up your client base.
• Some clients may be difficult to work with.

Resources:

• American Persona and Private Chef Institute and Association
• United States Personal Chef Association
• Bureau of Labor Statistics on Cooks, Private Household
• Wikipedia on Personal Chefs

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Business Overview:

Attention foodies: if you love to cook and enjoy teaching others your craft, you should learn how to start a cooking school. Learning to cook is very popular today as seen by the boom in television programs that teach the inexperienced home cook how to cook like a restaurant chef. You don’t have to have skills of a restaurant chef to run a successful cooking school, however. You only need to have a passion for food and a love for passing that passion on to others. Being able to cook a lovely meal for a friend or loved one is an empowering and rewarding skill to have. Individuals take cooking classes to learn proper techniques and gain knowledge they can take back to their own kitchens so they can cook for themselves and others. Couples enjoy taking cooking lessons so they can share a hobby and have more fun in the kitchen. When starting a cooking school, you should consider what type of school you will operate. There are so many choices, it’s important to have a business plan to help you focus your efforts. You could choose to run your cooking school out of your home and just offer classes to a few people at a time. People will pay extra for these “private” lessons and they will enjoy the personalized attention. You could hold your cooking classes at a local established business like a specialty grocer, gourmet shop or wine store. If you enjoy teaching a large group, you could lease out the commercial kitchen of a catering company or college during their slow time of year. You should research cooking classes that are already offered in your area then figure out a specialty that is not currently available. You could offer classes in a certain ethnic fare, baking or grilling. Before you open for business you need to be sure to have the proper certification for the safe handling of food and beverages. Neglecting to get this certification can result in huge fines. Next you’ll need to market your business around town. Advertise with flyers posted at grocery stores, specialty food shops, wine stores, in parks, etc. You may find that this is one of the most popular business ideas available and with great skills and a fun teaching environment, you might soon have to find a larger space and hire a staff to help handle all your students.

A Day in the Life of a Cooking School Business Owner:

You will begin your day by checking your schedule and appointments. If you hold classes at your home, you will go to the store, buy items you’ll need for class and return home to prepare your kitchen for your students. If you hold classes away from home, after your trip to the store, you’ll set up in the wine shop, culinary school kitchen or where ever your classes are being held that day. You will greet your customers, collect payments and proceed with the class. At the end of the class you and your students will enjoy a meal to taste all the recipes you made during the cooking session. At the conclusion of the session you will distribute business cards and encourage your students to spread the word about your business and to come back themselves for another lesson.

About Your Customers:

Your customers will be individuals looking to gain cooking skills they can take home to their kitchens.

What You Need to Start:

• Cooking school business plan
• Marketing plan and materials
• Cooking skills
• Kitchen (home or elsewhere)
• Cooking materials (pots, pans, utensils, etc.)
• Ingredients
• Food handling certification
• Business license
• Insurance
• Staff (optional)
• Computer with finance software

The Good:

• Cooking classes are fun and exciting.
• Start-up costs are relatively low.
• You can choose to offer classes for as many people as you choose (and have room for).
• You are likely to get repeat customers and referrals.
• It is rewarding to pass along your passion to someone else.

The Bad:

• There are likely plenty of cooking schools in your area so you’ll need to offer something unique to set your business apart.
• If you are not properly certified to handle food and beverages, you could be fined.

Resources:

• International Association of Culinary Professionals
• American Personal and Private Chef Institute and Association
• Bureau of Labor Statistics on Teachers – Self-Enrichment Education
• Wikipedia on Cooking Schools

Technorati Tags: cooking school business plan, how to start a cooking school, starting a cooking school