Business Overview:

If you’re looking for a good part-time business that offers a useful service to a broad spectrum of customers, learn how to start a knife sharpening business. Knives of home cooks and professional chefs need to be sharpened from time to time. And although there are some home sharpening devices that work well enough, if you want a sharp edge that will last, you need to turn to professional equipment. Many different types of sharpeners are available for professional use and the type you select will depend on the types of blades you will sharpen. Restaurant knives are one area you could focus on, but if you decide to broaden your business beyond knives you could also add in lawn tools and salon sheers. Once you have selected your target market and have purchased your sharpening equipment, you can start practicing your craft. There are training programs available if you don’t know how to get started. Without the proper care, sharpening can actually damage blade surfaces so you need to be sure you have the proper training and experience before handling your customers’ knives and scissors. How you market your business will depend on what type of blade sharpening services you will offer. If you will focus on sharpening salon sheers, print up business cards and travel around town visiting local salons. If your customers will be in the lawn care industry, call local lawn care and landscaping businesses or mail them information about your business. Knife sharpening is one of the most versatile business ideas since it can be run from home, from a storefront or from the road. Consider offering mobile sharpening services to increase the convenience factor for your customers. Place advertising on your vehicle to boost the visibility of your new business. Regardless of who your customers are and how you choose to run your business, it is crucial that you stick to the turnaround time you give your clients. Using their knives, scissors and hedge trimmers is how they make their living and they cannot do without them for very long. Keeping an item longer than promised will not only eat into your customer’s profits, it will reflect poorly on your business and you are less likely to see that particular customer in the future. Excellent sharpening skills and customer service will turn this part-time business into a success.

A Day in the Life of a Knife Sharpening Business Owner:

Your day will begin with a check of any appointments you have. If you offer pick-up services, you will travel to your customer’s home or place of business and take the items that need to be sharpened back to your home or office. You will also accept items brought to your home or office. You will spend most of your day sharpening various items and either returning them or arranging a pick-up time with your customers. When you’re not working on any items, you will call and visit potential customers in your target market and let them know about your business.

About Your Customers:

Your customers will be individuals in need of blade sharpening. They could be chefs, hairdressers, lawn care professionals, etc.

What You Need to Start:

• Blade sharpener
• Sharpening skills
• Marketing plan and materials
• Vehicle (if offering pick-up and delivery services)
• Computer with finance software

The Good:

• Demand for blade sharpening will always be high.
• You can select from a variety of customers to target.
• The start-up investment needed is low.
• You can easily run this business part-time.
• You can choose to run this business from home, from a storefront or operate a mobile business.

The Bad:

• It can take some time to build your client list.
• You must be properly trained to ensure you don’t damage your customers’ items.

Resources:

• Cutlery Allied Trades Research Association
• International Scissor Sharpeners Association
• Bureau of Labor Statistics on Tool Grinders, Filers and Sharpeners
• Wikipedia on Blade Sharpening

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Business Overview:

If you are the expert matchmaker among your circle of friends, you might want to learn how to start an escort service and consider starting a dating service. Online dating is very popular these days but it lacks the personal touch that a dating service can offer. If you don’t know how to start a dating service, there are plenty of articles online to help you figure it out. Essentially, your clients fill out detailed personality questionnaires then you (and your staff if you have one) review the information from each client and decide who you think would be a good match for him or her. From there, you can either set up two clients on a one-on-one date or if you have an interest in event planning, you can set up mixers that allow your clients to meet in larger groups. If the focus of your business is finding women for men, you could host a mixer with two male clients and a dozen or so women who you have hand picked as possible matches for these men. After the party, you can discuss with your male clients who they are interested in meeting for a one-on-one date. Your niche does not have to be just based on gender; you can focus on seniors or a particular ethnicity or religion. Another income stream for your business could come from starting an escort service. This side of the business would focus on clients such as a businessman who needs a guest to accompany him to a cocktail party or business event. Another example would be a woman who needs a date to accompany her to a wedding. You may have out of town clients call you needing a date for various events. It’s important that for this part of your business you advertise in the phone book since that’s where potential clients will be looking when they are in need of an escort for the evening. Of course, having a website that people so that people can also find you online is important. Your dating service clients will pay you a monthly fee to be able to participate in parties and one-on-one dates arranged by your business. Escort service clients will typically pay a one-time fee unless they will need your services on a regular basis, in which case you can arrange a more regular reoccurring payment system. You would need to have a separate group of ladies and gentlemen designated as escorts, although you may be able to use some of your dating service clients in this capacity. When they fill out the original paperwork to sign up for the dating service, ask if they would be interested in going on dates as part of your escort service as well. Offer to pay them a small fee in addition to an all-expense-paid evening for which they are only responsible for being themselves and having a good time. A dating and escort service is one of the more hands-on business ideas you’ll find but you will see that the personal service you give to your clients and your business will translate into high profits.

A Day in the Life of an Escort Service Business Owner:

Your day will start by reviewing any new questionnaires filled out by new clients for your dating service. If you are working on finding matches for a client, you will continue going through photos and personality surveys to find potential dates for him or her. You will arrange one-on-one dates and/or mixer type events and contact those you’d like to attend. You will also take calls from customers needing escorts for upcoming events and you will find appropriate dates for these customers.

About Your Customers:

Your customers will be single adults looking for long-term relationships or one-night escort dates for events.

What You Need to Start:

• Great people skills
• Excellent organization skills
• Marketing plan
• Comfortable area at your home or office in which you can meet with your clients
• Website (optional)
• Staff (optional)
• Computer with finance software

The Good:

• Dating services are in high demand as is the need for escorts for events.
• Start-up investment is low.
• Clients will pay you regularly for your matchmaking services.
• Clients will pay top dollar for your escort services.
• It’s a fun and exciting work environment.
• It’s rewarding to match up a couple successfully.

The Bad:

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

Resources:

• Association of Dating Agencies and Matchmakers
• Escort Service Association
• Wikipedia on Matchmaking

Technorati Tags: how to start a dating service, how to start an escort service, starting an escort service

Business Overview:

If you have a good eye for design and are looking for a unique business venture, you should consider running a personalized stationery business. These days there are plenty of online companies that print and ship personalized stationery, invitations and thank-you cards, but there is plenty of room for another truly unique business idea. To do this, consider offering higher quality products and craftsmanship as well as topnotch customer service. If you’re not already familiar with paper products and printing techniques, you’ll need to do some research and perhaps take a class so you can get some practice before opening your own business. Experiment with different paper textures like linen, cotton, vellum, leaf paper or recycled paper. Look into purchasing equipment that creates embossed or engraved stationery. If you want to create beautiful and unique wedding invitations, you could use foil stamping to weave in metallic designs. Calligraphy is another option that adds a high-class touch to personalized stationery and invitations. As you can see, this business will be very hands-on since you will be essentially handcrafting each item; however, you can easily operate this business part-time and ramp it up as you are ready. You can also operate this business from your home and sell your products at local stationery shops. Also consider creating a website on which to display and sell your products. The more variety in products that you offer, the more markets of consumers you will attract. Or you could go the opposite direction and specialize in one particular niche like wedding invitations, for example. Become an expert on creating elaborate, gorgeous wedding stationery and yours will be the go-to business for brides everywhere. Another trend that could turn into a profitable niche is using recycled materials to make your products. Attracting the green market is a good way to be considerate of the environment while making your business eligible for government tax incentives. Another valuable service you can offer is envelope stuffing. Customers will gladly pay someone to address and stuff all the envelopes for a wedding or party. There are many options to consider when starting a personalized stationery business but with the right equipment, skill and customer service, your business can be very successful.

A Day in the Life of a Personalized Stationery Business Owner:

Since you will be working from home, you can set your own hours and your day will begin when it fits your schedule. You will check email, voicemail and website orders and contact potential customers to clarify their needs. You will continue to work on any ongoing projects and start work on new projects. If you sell your products at local shops, you will contact them via phone or in person every few days to check on your inventory, collect your sales and restock items. You will need to spend some time marketing your business in local phonebooks and magazines as well as online.

About Your Customers:

Your customers will be individuals looking for beautiful, unique and handcrafted stationery products.

What You Need to Start:

• Artistic skill
• Printing equipment
• Paper
• Other materials (foil, thread, etc.)
• Computer with design and finance software

The Good:

• There will always be a demand for unique stationery items.
• For an artist, this is a wonderful way to experiment with new materials and techniques.
• You can sell your items locally or online or both.
• You can easily run this business part-time and from home.
• The start-up investment required is minimal.

The Bad:

• This is a competitive industry and you will need to work hard to set yourself apart.
• It can take some time to build up your client base.

Resources:

• British Engraved Stationery Association
• Highbeam Business on Stationery Stores
• Bureau of Labor Statistics on Office Supplies, Stationery and Gift Stores
• Wikipedia on Stationery

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Business Overview:

If you enjoy caring for others and are looking for a truly rewarding business opportunity, you should learn how to start an adult day care. These days more and more families include three generations living under the same roof. Often both parents go off to jobs during the day and the children go to school. Families don’t want to leave an elderly family member in the home all day with no one to talk to and no way to get around. This is why learning how to start an adult daycare is one of the most worthwhile business ideas available for someone interested in providing a valuable service to the elder generation. Adult daycare facilities are designed to give elderly people a place to go during the day where they can socialize, participate in planned activities and have their general health supervised. Adult day care is similar to elder care except instead of you and your staff traveling to the homes of your elderly clients, you provide an area in your home or in a separate building where multiple elderly people gather. The level of health service you provide can range from administering medication to having a nurse on staff who can check vital signs and perform emergency lifesaving procedures. The start-up costs involved will be determined by the scope of your business model. You can care for a few clients in your home which would cost next to nothing. However, if you want to operate a larger business, you can buy or lease a separate building to house your care center. You would need to hire a full-time staff to assist with the administration and social planning. To add value to your business and create an opportunity to increase your profits, you could add transportation to your list of services. If you’re unable to do the driving yourself and your business model doesn’t allow for the added expense of drivers and cars, you can contract with a bus or limousine service to handle your transportation needs. Another way to branch out with a current business is to expand a children’s daycare business to include seniors. Day care centers that provide services to both children and older adults see benefits to both generations. Studies suggest that kids who have daily contact with seniors are almost a year ahead of preschoolers who are in standard day care facilities. They also have better manners, are able to work together, can use words to describe their emotions and they play well in social situations. As you can see, the options are abundant when considering opening an adult day care center. Regardless of your business model, the real winners are the elderly adults.

A Day in the Life of an Adult Day Care Business Owner:

If you operate your business from your home, your day will begin early, making sure your home is clean and tidy and ready for your clients to arrive. If you operate your business from a separate building, you and your staff will prepare the facility for the day and begin welcoming your customers. If you offer pick-up service, you or your drivers will arrive at customers’ houses at scheduled pick-up times and transport them back to your facility. Throughout the day, you will either directly participate in or oversee planned activities, games and the general welfare of your customers. At the end of the day, your customers will be picked up by their families or your transportation service will take them home.

About Your Customers:

Your customers will be families of senior citizens who are looking for a great place for their elderly family members to spend the day. Though the family will likely be paying the bill, your customers will also be the seniors since they are the ones who will need your excellent services.

What You Need to Start:

• Business plan
• Space in your home for seniors or a separate building
• Staff (if needed)
• Transportation service (optional)
• Medical professional on staff (optional)
• Business license and insurance
• Entertainment items (outings, games, movies, magazines, books, etc.)
• Computer with finance software

The Good:

• As more and more seniors live with their families, the need for this type of business will continue to increase.
• If running this business from home, the start-up costs are minimal.
• You can easily scale up this business to handle more customers.
• You can hire a staff to help you tend to the needs of your customers.
• It is highly rewarding to offer a high quality care facility for seniors and a solution for their families.

The Bad:

• If you choose to operate in a separate building, the start-up costs can be quite high (building, staff, furniture, etc.).
• Some customers and their families may be difficult to work with.

Resources:

• National Adult Day Services Association
• Association for Senior Citizens
• Senior Citizens Association of America
• American Seniors Association
• Bureau of Labor Statistics on Social and Human Service Assistants
• Wikipedia on Adult Day Care Centers

Technorati Tags: how to start an adult day care, how to start an adult daycare, starting an adult day care

Business Overview:

If you’re looking for an opportunity to generate a great income working part or full time, consider learning how to start a tax preparation business. With an income tax preparation business you prepare and file income tax returns for individuals and possibly small business owners. Preparing income tax returns can be a time consuming and confusing process for most people, which is why many individuals prefer to have experts prepare their tax returns for them. By providing a fast and accurate tax preparation service you’ll be saving many people a lot of stress and hassle, allowing them to focus on other important areas of their lives. In order to run this business you’ll need to be trained in taxes and accounting. If you aren’t currently qualified in theses areas there are many courses that you can take to acquire the necessary skills in a relatively short period of time. Alternatively you could hire people to do the tax returns for you, and focus exclusively on marketing your company. With a tax preparation business there’s real potential to generate excellent profits. Many tax preparation businesses charge based on the number of pages that they have to fill out. Typically $15 USD is charged per page, so if you were to serve 20 clients each week (4 a day) at an average of $90 USD (6 pages) per return you would generate $1,800 USD per week. Most likely you will generate the largest proportion of your profits during the tax season (January to April if you live in the USA), although this can be supplemented by preparing quarterly returns for self-employed individuals and small businesses. As we’ve seen, starting a tax preparation business can clearly generate a lucrative full time income, but you could also run this business part time. Another attractive feature to this business idea is that you can easily run a tax preparation business from home, be it on a full time or a part time basis. In order to make your tax preparation service a lucrative success, you’ll need to ensure you provide a fast and accurate service. Your clients will value you highly for preparing their tax returns quickly and accurately—and by doing so you’ll earn repeat customers. As a result you’ll increase your profits further down the line because you won’t need to invest as much in marketing and advertising to win customers. With this in mind, you may also choose to invest in tax return software. While you can complete your tax returns by hand, using tax return software will increase your accuracy and efficiency while giving your service a more professional image and further enhancing customer satisfaction.

A Day in the Life of a Tax Preparation Business Owner:

As a tax preparation business owner your primary focus will always be to quickly and accurately prepare and file your clients’ income tax returns. Therefore, the first thing you will do on a typical day will be to review the tax returns you have to complete for your clients, and to get straight on with preparing and filing them—with the goal of completing them the same day. Alternatively, you may have chosen to hire people to complete the tax returns for you. In this case a typical day will be spent focusing on identifying new opportunities to market and grow your business.

About Your Customers:

Your customers will be individuals looking for help with their tax returns and possibly small business owners as well.

What You Need to Start:

• Tax preparation qualifications (or you could hire people who are experts in taxes and accounting to work for you)
• Tax return software (recommended, but not essential)
• Advertising (i.e., website, phone book, flyers, brochures, newspaper advertisements, networking, etc.)
• Computer and printer
• Business license
• Business insurance
• Tax preparation business plan
• Financial tracking software

The Good:

• It can be very lucrative—20 clients a week can generate $1,800 USD per week.
• You can run this business from the comfort of your own home.
• You could choose to run this business part time.
• You can train relatively quickly if you’re not an expert on taxes and accounting.
• You could hire people to do the tax returns for you.

The Bad:

• Preparing and filing tax returns can become repetitive.
• A large proportion of your profits will be made during tax season (January to April in the USA), so your business may dip during non tax season (though this can be supplemented by preparing quarterly returns for self-employed individuals and small businesses).

Resources:

• National Association of Tax Consultants
• National Association of Tax Professionals
• Bureau of Labor Statistics on Tax Preparers
• Wikipedia on Tax Preparation

Technorati Tags: how to start a tax preparation business, starting a tax preparation business, tax preparation business plan

Business Overview:

If you love the beauty of blown glass and you have artistic talent, learn how to make blown glass items and start running a glass blowing business of your own. Glassblowing is the process of shaping molten glass by blowing into a pipe. Color is added to the hot glass and the artisan can transform this raw glass into beautiful works of art. One of the most famous living glassblowing artists is Dave Chihuly whose works can be seen in museums and outdoor displays around the world. You don’t have to be a world-renowned artist to sell blown glass items, however. Glass blowing businesses can be quite successful making items like marbles, beads, drinking glasses and pendants. You can start this business relatively inexpensively and upgrade your equipment as you become more skilled. The essentials you will need are a torch, glass rods, color, oxygen, propane, regulators and ventilation. You can definitely operate this business from home but you’ll need a dedicated area for your studio and you will need to check your home owners insurance policy to see if any adjustments need to be made to allow for the additional risk to your home fire elements can pose. If you do not have any experience with glassblowing, you’ll need to invest in some training classes, books and videos. Finally, although it’s not required for small items, at some point you will need to invest in a kiln, which can be purchased for around $500 USD. When you have some items ready for sale, you can sell them online. You just need a website with detailed photos of your items and a method of purchasing though the site. If you create items like vases, platters and art pieces, you could work with local art galleries to display and sell your items. If your work includes pendants and jewelry items, consider working with accessories stores or boutiques and always wear your items when you go out. When people ask you where you got that beautiful necklace or pair of earrings, you can hand them your business card and tell them where they can buy some for themselves. For an adventurous artist, glassblowing is one of the most exciting and rewarding business ideas you can embark upon. Not only are the items fun to make, but they’re also beautiful and people will pay top dollar for them.

A Day in the Life of a Glass Blowing Business Owner:

Since you work from home, your day will begin on your schedule. You will continue work on pieces you started previously as well as to begin new pieces. If you have a website, you will spend time photographing your items and updating your website. If you sell online, you will check orders and ship out items. If you work with local shops or galleries to sell your items, you will contact them once a week to check on inventory. You will create new items, deliver them to the shops or galleries and collect money from previous sales.

About Your Customers:

Your customers will be individuals looking for beautiful blown glass items for themselves or as gifts or galleries looking to sell your pieces.

What You Need to Start:

• Art business plan
• Torch
• Kiln (optional at first)
• Glass rods
• Oxygen
• Propane
• Regulators
• Ventilation
• Insurance
• Home studio
• Website (optional)
• Relationship with local shops and galleries (optional)
• Computer with finance software

The Good:

• For an artist, glassblowing is a fun and exciting method of creating art.
• Blown glass can sell for top dollar.
• Start-up costs are relatively low.
• You can sell your items online or with the help of local gallery and shop owners.
• You can easily run this business from home.
• You can work as much or as little as you like.

The Bad:

• It can take some time to become skilled at glassblowing.
• You will need to be patient while you build up your inventory and make your first sales.

Resources:

• Art Glass Association
• The Glass Association (UK)
• Art Glass Blowing & Hot Glass Casting Fabrication Association
• Bureau of Labor Statistics Article on Artists
• Wikipedia on Glassblowing

Technorati Tags: art business plan, running a glass blowing business

Business Overview:

If you enjoy collecting dolls and are good with your hands, you should consider learning how to run a doll repair business. As collectibles age, they can increase in value but a doll that needs repair loses value. A decades-old Barbie in mint condition can be worth as much as $500 so it’s understandable why collectors would pay for quality repair workmanship. Before you start your business, however, you need to make sure you are well prepared. Become familiar with all the different types of materials used to make dolls like china, wax and plastic. You will need to buy specific tools for these repairs and dedicate an area of your home in which to work. Purchase as many dolls as you can get your hands on so you can use them for their parts. Go to garage sales, craft fairs and thrift stores to assemble your parts collection. Some of the work will be dealing with paint if it has chipped off or worn away. If you have any experience with art restoration, repairing dolls will be a smooth transition for you. You can add to your business model by buying dolls, repairing them and selling them yourself. Since a storefront isn’t needed for the repair aspect of this business idea, you should set up a website on which you can market your services as well as display and sell your repaired dolls. Advertise your business at local hobby shops, collectible stores and toy stores. Network with others in the collectibles industry to get your name out there. Be sure to include before and after photos on your website so potential customers can see exactly what services you offer. If your skills are topnotch and you offer excellent customer service, in no time you will need to consider transitioning this part-time business to a full-time venture.

A Day in the Life of a Doll Repair Business Owner:

Your day will begin by checking your email and voicemail for any new prospective customers. You will discuss their needs and determine if your services are right for them. After that, you will get to work on any ongoing repairs you may have. Although you can work as much or as little as you like, you will need to dedicate enough hours to work to get your repairs made in a timely manner. When you are not working on repairs, you will market your business around town and update your website.

About Your Customers:

Your customers will be doll owners and collectible shop owners looking for quality repair services. If you choose to also repair and sell dolls, your customers will be individuals looking to add to their collections or buy a doll as a gift.

What You Need to Start:

• Doll repair skills
• Tools and supplies
• Website (optional)
• Marketing materials
• Computer with finance software

The Good:

• Doll repair services are always in demand in the collectible community.
• Start-up costs are low.
• You can charge top dollar for excellent repair work.
• You can easily run this business part-time and from home.
• You can scale up this business by repairing and selling dolls.

The Bad:

• It can take some time to build up your client base.
• This is a very specialized business and it could be difficult to find your exact target market.

Resources:

• Doll Doctors’ Association
• National Antique Doll Dealers Association
• North American Collectibles Association
• Wikipedia on Dolls

Technorati Tags: run a doll repair business

Business Overview:

If you’re tech-savvy, well organized and looking for a solid enterprise, consider running your own database consulting business. Small and large businesses amass huge amounts of information as part of their day-to-day operations. This information includes employee data, client data, financial information, projections, and so on. As a result of having so much information coming into their businesses many companies can become overwhelmed, disorganized, and lose control over much of their information assets. With a database consultant business, you provide a solution to this problem by helping businesses find ways to organize their information databases for easy access for those who need it. In doing this, you assess your clients’ databases and consult with them to understand their specific problems and needs. Part of your service may also include creating new database systems or modifying existing systems to allow your clients to access important information easily and more efficiently. For example, a client may contact you to help them clean up their database and remove outdated or inaccurate information. As another example, a client might want to access information on women in their database who are aged 25 to 30, so as to create a marketing campaign for products targeted to this specific demographic, but lack the ability to do so on their current system. In this case you might create a new database system for your client, or modify their existing system, so as to allow them to bring up information on their clients based on specific criteria. As you would expect, in order to start this business you will need to be well organized and possess strong programming skills in order to analyze and create or modify information database systems. Alternatively, you could hire someone to do the database consulting, analyzing and programming for you. Many companies use specific programs (such as SQL) to manage information in their databases, so you will also need to invest in the relevant software systems to provide your services. This may set you back between $5,000-$10,000 USD, but you can expect to recoup your investment quickly and start making great profits relatively quickly. Database consultants typically charge between $52 to $88 USD or more per hour, so this business idea presents a very lucrative opportunity—especially if you hire other consultants to work with you to grow your business. Virtually every business faces challenges managing various forms of information, so you’ll have a wide range of opportunities for attracting clients. For example, you could potentially attract and provide solutions for companies spanning numerous industries, including financial services, scientific, medical, engineering, manufacturing, and many others. Added to the profit making potential behind this business idea, another attractive advantage is that you can easily start and run this business from your own home and scale up as your business grows. Therefore, if you’re committed and willing to work hard, starting a database consulting business can lead you to a more enjoyable lifestyle and fantastic profits.

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

Your day will begin by reviewing your calendar to check the appointments you have booked for the day. You will then meet your clients (over the internet if you’ve chosen to run this as an online business idea and consult with them to assess the problems and challenges that they are facing with their existing databases. As part of your assessment, you will likely use software to analyze your client’s databases and identify problems. You will then advise your client on the best solutions to help solve their specific issues. Your service may end here, or you may continue your service by implementing solutions for your clients personally. This will likely include either programming a new system for your client to manage the information on their database, or modifying a preexisting system to solve your client’s problems and allow them to operate more efficiently. If you decide to hire database consultants to do your consulting and programming for you, then a typical day would be different. In this case you will primarily focus on marketing your business to attract more clients and increase your profits.

About Your Customers:

Your customers will be business owners experiencing problems organizing and managing various types of information related to their business.

What You Need to Start:

• Knowledge of how to use database management system software such as SQL, Oracle, Server and MySql (or you also hire a staff to consult and program for you)
• A business license
• A business plan
• Business insurance
• Marketing
• Financial tracking software

The Good:

• It can be highly lucrative—database consultants typically charge between $52 to $88 USD or more per hour.
• Virtually every business faces challenges managing various forms of information—so you’ll have a huge range of potential clients.
• You can start and run this business from your own home.
• It’s a truly “evergreen” business—companies will always face challenges managing and organizing information on their databases.

The Bad:

• If you’re not currently an expert on using and programming popular database systems such as SQL, Oracle, MySql etc. it will take some time and training to gain the required skills (although you can hire experts to do the consulting and programming for you).
• Purchasing the software required to start this business can be fairly costly, although if you run this as an online business you will likely be doing all your work using your client’s software.

Resources:

• Professional and Technical Consultants Association
• Independent Computer Consultant Association
• Bureau of Labor Statistics Article on Database Administrators
• Wikipedia on Databases

Technorati Tags: running your own database consulting business

Business Overview:

By starting an art restoration business, you can help art lovers preserve their valuable paintings so they may pass them down to future generations. Art restoration is the practice of cleaning, repairing or retouching artwork in an attempt to return it to its original look. Every effort is made to make art look new without permanently changing it. With this in mind, most art restoration techniques are fully reversible. A famous example is Da Vinci’s “The Last Supper” fresco which was restored using watercolors. Before you dive into this business, however, it’s very important you are well trained in art restoration. If you don’t have experience working in a restoration shop, you can take classes to get practice with various techniques and materials. You could also hire skilled art restorers to work for you. You may run your art restoration business from home in which case you would need a storage room and studio space in which to perform your work. Or you can open a storefront and do all the work there. In either case, talk to area art dealers and galleries and give them business cards to hand out when people come to them looking for art restoration services. If you live in a larger city that is home to one or more museums, talk to the curators, show them your work and let them know you are available for any restoration projects they may need. You’ll find it’s helpful to have a website that explains what techniques you specialize in as well as some before and after photos so clients can see exactly what you do. To increase the value of your service, in addition to restoring art, you could also offer to pick up clients’ art at their homes or offices and deliver it when the job is done. You could also contract with a courier service to handle this service. You’ll learn when researching this business that acquiring all the supplies and materials you’ll need is going to be a sizeable investment. However, art owners will pay hefty sums to have their prized possessions handled with care and restored to their original appearance. You should be able to make back your investment relatively quickly with just a few larger projects. As you can see, this is one of the more specialized business ideas out there but with excellent skills and marketing, you’ll find it’s a business that’s in very high demand among the art community.

A Day in the Life of an Art Restoration Business Owner:

If you operate your business from a storefront, you’ll arrive before opening time to get some work done before customers start coming in. If you offer consulting services, you will travel to potential customers’ homes or offices to discuss how your business can help them and their art. You will spend the majority of your day working on current projects (consider having a bell on the door so you can work in the back of the store but be alerted when a customer comes in). If you have a restorer working for you, you can manage the front of the store while your staff works in the back. If you run your business from home, you can make your own hours but it’s important that you dedicate a few hours each day to working on current projects in order to stick to promised deadlines. You will spend some time marketing your business around town and by placing ads in area magazines and online.

About Your Customers:

Your customers will be art owners and art dealers who need high quality restoration services.

What You Need to Start:

• Art restoration experience (or a staff of skilled restoration professionals)
• Supplies
• Storefront or home studio with storage space
• Website (optional)
• Computer with finance software

The Good:

• Among the art community, art restoration is a much needed and very valuable service.
• You can charge top dollar for highly skilled restoration services.
• If you are not qualified to restore art, you can hire restoration professionals to work for you.
• You can run this business from a storefront or part time from home.

The Bad:

• The work can be painstakingly detailed.
• You (or your staff) must be highly skilled so you don’t damage the art you are working on.

Resources:

• Association of Restorers
• Midwest Art Conservation Center
• Bureau of Labor Statistics on Artists and Related Workers
• Wikipedia on Art Restoration

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Business Overview:

If you’re looking for a way to turn your horoscope hobby into a lucrative business, success could be in your future if you start an astrological charts business. Astrological charts, also known as horoscopes, are interpretations made by astrologers based on the positions of various cosmic bodies at the time of someone’s birth. Although there is no scientific evidence supporting the validity of these charts and their predictions, many people cannot leave the house without a quick peek at their horoscope for that day. If you are an astrology buff, this could be the perfect business idea for you especially since you can operate it part-time and from your own home. All you need is a website advertising your services, pricing and contact information. You can then arrange to take phone appointments or even offer emailed astrological charts. Pricing would vary depending on the level of service the customer wants and how personalized they want their chart to be. It would be great to offer your services in any nearby new age stores, and building a relationship with the owners of such shops will increase your business. Whether you decide to offer your services located or operate your business online (or both), you must be skilled at reading charts and interpreting the position of the sun, moon and planets. Customers will take your advice very seriously so if you’re not qualified to offer “expert” interpretations, you should hire experienced astrologists to work for you. If your business is online, your staff can work and take calls from their homes. This option requires very little start-up capital which makes it one of the smartest online business ideas out there if you’re looking to get into the world of astrology.

A Day in the Life of an Astrological Charts Business Owner:

If you operate your business from a storefront and you are doing the readings, you will need to check your calendar to be sure you’re at the right store at the right time. You may also offer set walk-in hours at local shops. You will gather the customer’s information and interpret their astrological chart. If you operate your business online, your schedule will be much more flexible. You can set your appointments at any time of day (or night) and work as much or as little as you like. When not advising clients over the phone (or email), you will spend time marketing your business online.

About Your Customers:

Your customers will be individuals interested in skilled interpretation of their astrological charts.

What You Need to Start:

• Astrology experience or a staff of skilled astrologers
• A website
• Relationships with local new age store owners (optional)
• Astrology themed merchandise (optional)
• Computer with finance software

The Good:

• You don’t have to have any official training to become an astrologer but you do need to know what you’re talking about to be taken seriously by your clients.
• You can operate this business either from a storefront or from home.
• The start-up investment required for an online business is minimal.
• You can hire skilled astrologers to work for you leaving you free to market your business.

The Bad:

• It will take dedication and perseverance to build relationships with local new age storeowners for them to welcome your services into their stores.
• It can take some time to build up your client base.

Resources:

• American Federation of Astrologers
• Astrological Association of Great Britain
• Wikipedia on Astrology

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