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Archive for the ‘Cannot Work from Home’ Category
Thrilling the Tourists: Starting a Tour Guide Business
Business Overview:
If you’d like to build a profitable business where you meet new people every day, learn how to become a tour guide and consider starting a tour guide business. The chances are good that you’re already highly familiar with major landmarks and attractions around the city or area in which you live. With this business idea you put that knowledge of local hot spots to use by taking visitors on guided tours. In exchange for a fee, you conduct guided tours to major landmarks while enhancing your clients’ experience by providing historical facts and other interesting information about the sites on your tour. For example, if you lived in New York City you might conduct a guided tour to the Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building and Central Park—while at the same time entertaining your clients, educating them on the history behind your landmarks, and giving other interesting facts along the way. Of course, with a tour guide business you’re certainly not restricted to conducting tours in urban areas alone. If you live in the country or if you’re more passionate about nature and the outdoors you could choose a “green” niche and provide guided eco-tours of major natural landmarks—while again providing interesting information, such as geological facts about the natural sites on your tour. One thing that makes setting up a tour guide business an attractive proposition is that it’s possible to do so relatively easily and inexpensively. Yet at the same time, depending on your start-up funds, the potential is there to make this business as big and as profitable as you want to make it. For example, if the tourist spots in your area are within walking distance of each other and most major hotels, you could get this business started really cheaply by giving walking tours. If you have more funds available you can purchase a bus and conduct larger, more extensive tours. Going even further than that you could hire staff to conduct tours for you, and potentially offer a variety of tours in multiple areas and cities across your country—or even globally. Consider partnering with travel agents who can refer business to you when their clients will be traveling to your city/cities. There’s a lot of potential for growth, expansion and great profitability with this business. Moreover, it’s easy and fun to learn how to become a tour guide, and it’s a business that will always contain surprises and excitement. There are no special qualifications required to start this business, and you can easily attain the historical and factual knowledge of your major local landmarks by conducting simple research either online or at a local library. Once you’re up and running, you’ll get to meet a great variety of interesting people from all over the world each and every day. For lovers of sightseeing, therefore, starting a tour guide business truly could be your ticket to an enjoyable and profitable businesses doing what you love.
A Day in the Life of a Tour Guide Business Owner:
You will start your day by reviewing your tour bookings. Depending on the size of tours your business offers, you may have several groups of people booked for smaller tours at various times throughout the day, or you may have one group of people booked for a bigger daylong tour. Having reviewed your bookings, you will then set out on your guided tours. You’ll either meet your clients at a specific location, or you’ll pick them up from their hotels and then take them on to the major landmarks and hot spots of your tour’s itinerary. As you do, you’ll entertain your clients and by providing them with interesting historical and factual information about each of the landmarks on your tour. You will then end your tour either by dropping your clients back at their hotels or by taking them back to the location where you initially met them. If you have hired people to conduct your tours for you, then a typical day will be different. In this case, the majority of your day would be spent focusing on growing your business by marketing it to attract more clients for your tours.
About Your Customers:
The majority of your clients will be tourists from abroad, or visitors from other parts of your country. You may also attract local customers who are interested in learning more about the major landmarks around them by coming on your tours.
What You Need to Start:
- A tour bus for conducting your tours (or you could provide tours on foot)
- Good knowledge of hot spots and landmarks for your tours, including historical facts and other interesting information (alternatively, you can hire tour guides to conduct your tours for you)
- Insurance
- Business license
- Marketing
- Financial tracking software
The Good:
- No special qualifications are required to start this business.
- It’s possible to start this business at a fairly low cost.
- You’ll get to meet interesting people from all over the world.
- The potential is there for you to increase your profits and expand this business nationally or even globally.
- If you love sightseeing, either in cities or in natural environments, you’ll be doing what you love every day.
The Bad:
- You’ll have to work hard to get your tour guide business established as tourism can be competitive.
- The majority of your profits will be made seasonally (usually in the summer), so you’ll have to account for periods of low profits during tourist off-seasons (usually in the winter).
Resources:
Up the Flue: Starting a Chimney Sweep Business
Business Overview:
Once you’ve learned how to become a chimney sweep, starting a chimney sweep business is a great way to help your community by offering a valuable service. Even if a fireplace isn’t used very much, the National Fire Protection Association recommends an inspection about once a year to ensure it is free from debris and is structurally sound. The same is true for woodstoves. The Chimney Safety Institute of America recommends that standard masonry chimneys be cleaned at 1/8 inch of soot buildup. It’s hard to tell how much soot has built up in a chimney just by looking which is why a chimney sweep business is one of the most important business ideas you can consider. Although not mandatory, chimney sweep certification is available and would put you head and shoulders above the competition. If you are not able to become certified yourself but you do see the value in having these credentials, you can hire certified chimney sweepers to work for you. Once you are certified—or you have your staff in place—you’ll need to purchase tools to get the job done. Some basics you’ll need include brushes, rods, a vacuum and tarps to cover clients’ furniture and carpet. You’ll also need a truck or van to transport your equipment and protective clothing for you and/or your staff. You don’t need to have a storefront for your business, but you do need to have a nice website that explains your services and lists your prices. Be sure to include safety recommendations and outline why it’s so important to have a clean chimney. The more aware potential customers are of how essential these services are, the more likely they are to use your services. Another important piece of your marketing is to create business cards and fliers to leave around town. Home improvement stores and fireplace stores are excellent places to advertise your business. Chimneys can be swept any time of year but you’re likely to be busier in the fall and winter when people start using their fireplaces and woodstoves. Since you won’t be as busy at certain times of the year, it’s a good opportunity to market your business. Offer “early bird” specials to get customers before the busy season kicks off. To fill in the gaps in your schedule and to attract more clients, you can offer additional home services like carpet or roof cleaning. You can also offer related items such as chimney pots, chimney caps and chimney guards. As word spreads about your business, you are likely get a lot of referral and repeat business. You will likely need to add to your fleet of trucks and hire more staff to handle the demand.
A Day in the Life of a Chimney Sweep Business Owner:
Your day will start with a check of any appointments you may have. You or your staff will travel to the client’s home or business and clean the chimney(s) (or other services offered such as cleaning the roof). You will give the client some business cards so he can spread the word about the excellent service you provided. If you don’t have any appointments, you will concentrate on marketing your business. You will need to employ several types of marketing including making your vehicle a moving billboard (with magnetic signage), advertising in the phone book and newspapers and leaving marketing materials in various places around town.
About Your Customers:
Your customers will be homeowners, property managers or business owners needing high quality chimney sweep services.
What You Need to Start:
- Chimney sweep business plan
- Marketing plan and materials
- Website
- Certification or certified staff (optional)
- Tools and equipment
- Van or truck
- License and insurance
- Computer with finance software
The Good:
- Chimney sweep services are needed by everyone with a chimney and the demand will never decrease.
- The start-up costs are relatively low.
- Once you have the equipment, there is very little overhead.
- You can easily operate this business part-time.
- Franchises are available to help you get started.
The Bad:
- This is a seasonal business so you will need to plan for the slow months.
- It can take time to obtain certification or to find qualified certified chimney sweeps.
Resources:
Starting a Garden Furniture Business
Business Overview:
Starting a garden furniture business is a wonderful way to help people enjoy the great outdoors while you enjoy the freedom of owning your own business. When the weather is nice, everyone wants to be outside and what better way to enjoy comfortable temperatures than to relax in high quality outdoor furniture. As a garden furniture business owner, you are able to choose the items you want to sell, perhaps the items you enjoy yourself. However, if you are not interested in making a lot of choices about what items to carry, you can purchase a franchise business. This option may be a little more costly but it comes with a stock of items as well as name recognition. Some franchises have licensing agreements with colleges so you can sell furniture with your local colleges’ logos on them. If you live in a college town, those could be big sellers. You could also offer special orders to those fans who live far away from their favorite school. Research buying habits of those in your area to help you decide what type of furniture to carry. If you live in a city where everyone has large back yards, you should carry larger, multiple piece sets. However, if back yard space is limited or if most people in your area live in apartment buildings with only a patio, you might want to carry smaller sets. Focusing on a niche is the best way to be successful with this type of business idea. If opening an entire store of your own sounds like more than you want to invest in, you could choose to place your items in a larger store. Similar to placing items in a larger traditional furniture store or lighting store, you would pay a portion of your profits to the store owner but you would not be responsible for operating the store. Another option is operating your garden furniture business online. Although you would not need a storefront for your business, you would need a large storage facility for your furniture. With a robust website, you could run your business both online and from a store. As you can see, there are many options available for opening a garden furniture store that could translate into a very lucrative business.
A Day in the Life of a Garden Furniture Business Owner:
If you operate a storefront, you will arrive early and ensure your displays are set up correctly. You will likely have a small staff to help you assemble new displays and accept shipments. If you have an arrangement with a larger furniture shop, you will need to check in on your display area and ensure everything is set up correctly and assist any customers. If your business is online, you will be able to make your own hours but it’s important to check new orders a few times a day and arrange shipments in a timely manner. You will need to maintain your website, adding new items as needed.
About Your Customers:
Your customers will be individuals looking for high quality outdoor furniture for their homes and apartments.
What You Need to Start:
- Storefront, arrangement with furniture store and/or website
- Franchise agreement (optional)
- Relationship with furniture manufacturers and distributors
- Computer with finance software
The Good:
- Garden furniture will always be in demand.
- You can select a niche that best fits your area.
- Franchises are available to help you get started.
- You can operate this business in a storefront and/or online.
- As an industry insider, you have access to the newest trends and designs.
The Bad:
- The start-up investment can be quite high.
- It can take some time to make your first few sales and turn a profit.
Resources:
Opening a Lingerie Store
Business Overview:
Opening a lingerie store is a fun and exciting way to be your own boss while helping to boost the self-confidence of women. The lingerie industry is worth over $29 billion (USD) annually. Even with plenty of competition, if you position yourself correctly, you could earn a piece of that pie. As you learn about how to open a lingerie store, you’ll need to decide who your target market will be. Lingerie runs the gamut from conservative to risqué so the type of items you carry will have a great impact on who your customer base is. Women will buy on average two bras and five pairs of briefs a year for everyday wear. So focusing on just the “basics” will bring in a steady stream of ladies looking to buy replacement items or something new that they saw on TV. In addition to carrying standard items, you might also carry specialty items like maternity bras, larger sizes that are usually hard to find and mastectomy bras. If you’re interested in racier fashion, you can carry lacy items and nighties that are not designed for everyday wear. In either case, you have the option of purchasing a franchise to help get your business started. A franchise will come with some inventory, marketing assistance and name recognition. If you are not interested in opening and closing a physical store each day, you can easily run your store online. If you choose to go this route, you will need a robust website and a storage facility for your inventory. Considering the demand for high quality lingerie and the popularity of shopping via the Internet, opening a virtual lingerie store is one of the smartest business ideas available today. Typically, online shoppers know what sizes to order but you should include a size chart and customer service contact information on your site. If you operate a physical store, especially if you stock everyday-wear items, you should be familiar with how to measure women to see what size bra they should buy. Or you can hire a bra fitter to work in your store which would free up your time so you can concentrate on overall customer service and marketing your business. Spread the word about your lingerie boutique to area wedding shops, fashion stores and maternity shops. Online stores can advertise on websites that also target your customer base. Keep in mind, you don’t have to choose between a physical store or an online store; you can have both. This would take more work, and more staff, to maintain both the shop and the website in order to keep customer service standards high, but it will greatly increase your market share.
A Day in the Life of a Lingerie Store Owner:
If you operate a physical store, you will make sure your lingerie items are neatly displayed before opening for business. You will spend your day helping customers find the right items. At the end of the day you will record your receipts, make your bank deposit, and tidy up for the next day. If your business is online, your hours are not so rigid but you will need to check emails from customers and ensure all orders are shipped out in a timely manner.
About Your Customers:
Your customers will be women (or men shopping for women) looking for lingerie items for themselves or as gifts.
What You Need to Start:
- Lingerie store business plan
- Storefront or website (or both)
- Lingerie to sell
- Storage facility if selling online
- Computer with finance software
The Good:
- Lingerie is a must-have for almost all women so demand will always be there.
- You can sell high quality items for top dollar.
- It’s rewarding to help customers find just what they are looking for.
- A lingerie store is a fun and exciting work environment.
- As an industry insider, you will be the first to see new trends and fashions.
The Bad:
- It can take some time to build up your client base.
- You have to be mindful about how much of each size to keep in stock so you’re not left with a large amount of unsold items.
Resources:
How to Start a Mediation Business
Business Overview:
If you are a good listener and have excellent problem solving skills, learning how to start a mediation business could bring you great success. Mediation is a type of dispute resolution in which a third party – the mediator – helps the disputing parties resolve an issue. You may think that mediation can only be performed by trained legal professionals but you’ll find when starting a mediation business that you don’t need to be a lawyer. In fact, much of the training to become a mediator can be done online. But before you get too far, you need to evaluate your own area of expertise. There are many different types of mediation and you need to specialize in the one you have the most experience with. If you are a corporate executive, you could focus on business mediation. Counselors starting a mediation practice can focus on divorce, custody and estate issues. If you have experience with green business issues, you could focus on environmental mediation. As you can see, there is a great opportunity for anyone with an area of expertise to turn this business idea into a successful mediation practice. If you are interested in starting this business but do not feel you are qualified to offer mediation yourself or are not interested in becoming a certified mediator, you can hire experienced mediation professionals to work for you. And since all communication can be done via email and phone, your staff and your clients can be anywhere in the world which makes this one of the most versatile business ideas available today. Once your business is set up and your staff is in place, you need to market your services. Contact local law offices that specialize in your area of expertise and ask to be on their referral list of mediators. You can also place ads in your local newspaper and phonebook to attract new clients. It’s a good idea to have a website even if your business is not exclusively online. Prospective clients need to be able to see what services you offer and how much to expect to pay. A mediation business is not only a valuable resource to people who need conflict resolution, it’s a terrific way to be your own boss and make a profit from your experience.
A Day in the Life of a Mediation Business Owner:
Your day will begin with a check of your schedule to see what appointments you have. If you will be meeting the disputing parties in your office, you will need to make sure your meeting area is prepared (get paperwork in order, have water available, etc.). After your meetings, you will make sure your notes from the meeting are in order and make a note of any follow-up instructions. If your business is online, you will respond to emails and arrange conference calls with your clients to discuss their situations. If you have staff handling the mediation for you, you will make sure their meetings are set up properly and you will follow up with them at the end of the day to check on their progress.
About Your Customers:
Your customers will be disagreeing parties who need mediation in order to keep their dispute out of the legal system.
What You Need to Start:
- Niche or area of expertise
- Mediation training and certification or a staff of trained mediation professionals
- Office space including meeting area if your business is local
- Website and conference call capabilities if your business is online
- Excellent listening and conflict resolution skills
- Computer with finance software
The Good:
- Disputing parties usually want to keep their disputes out of the legal system and are more than willing to pay a professional to help them resolve their problems.
- Training is easily done online.
- You can operate this business part-time.
- It’s rewarding to use your expertise and help people resolve conflict.
- You can hire trained mediators to do the work for you.
The Bad:
- It can take a little time to get trained and certified.
- It can be difficult to resolve conflict so you will need to be dedicated and continue to improve your skills.
Resources:
How to Open a Western Wear Store
Business Overview:
If you have a passion for belts, buckles and boots, learning how to open a western wear store could be a very profitable business venture. Plenty of people enjoy western clothing whether they wear it for work or to make a fashion statement. The key to success with this business idea is finding a specialty and selling the best quality items to your customers. For example, boots come in all shapes, styles and materials. Running a specialty boot store would attract all types of western wear shoppers as your inventory could range from standard leather work boots to thousand-dollar hand-embroidered fashion boots. Deciding on a niche will help you focus your business and you will need to open fewer accounts with wholesalers to supply your inventory. You can run this business from a physical storefront which gives customers the ability to feel and try on each item, but be aware that this is also a very lucrative online business idea. Most physical western wear stores carry a little (or a lot) of everything including shirts, hats, boots, buckles, jewelry, etc., which requires a large storefront and a large stockroom. Only stocking one type of item gives you the ability to open a smaller boutique type store or sell online with a small storage facility, or both. With a robust website, you can run a storefront and offer online sales as well. You just need to have a keen eye for what items will be popular, price your items correctly and offer excellent customer service. You may soon need to rent more storage space to handle the stock that will be coming in and shipping out to your western wear customers.
A Day in the Life of a Western Wear Store Owner:
If you have a physical store, your day will begin by making sure your displays are neat and all items are priced correctly before opening for business. You and your staff will spend your day assisting customers. You will contact wholesalers to arrange for more items to be delivered. You will spend a portion of your day marketing your business by placing ads online and in local publications. If your store is online only, you will be able to work anytime you like. You will check online sales and prepare items to ship out—or direct your staff to do this for you. You will contact wholesalers for more inventory and market your site online.
About Your Customers:
Your customers will be individuals in need of high quality western wear for work or fashion.
What You Need to Start:
- Western clothing (depending on niche – boots, hats, buckles, etc.)
- Storage facility
- Storefront and/or website
- Staff (if operating a storefront)
- Account with wholesalers
- Computer with finance software
The Good:
- Western wear is in high demand.
- You can mark up items significantly to make a profit.
- If you have an online business, you can work from your home.
- It’s rewarding to help customers find just the right item.
- As an industry insider, you’ll have access to the latest trends and fashions.
The Bad:
- Start-up investment is high due to cost of securing initial inventory.
- It can take some time to turn a profit.
Resources:
Starting a Cloth Diaper Business
Business Overview:
Starting a cloth diaper business is not only environmentally friendly but a great way to tap into a trend that is coming back into popularity. Before the advent of disposable diapers, cloth diapers were parents’ only option. They were bulky, unattractive and hard to fold and pin. Disposables are easy to use but rough on the environment because they are not biodegradable. A baby will go through more than 4,000 diaper changes before being fully potty trained. That can add up to over $1,200 USD for diapers that will be used once, soiled, then sit in a landfill. Today’s cloth diapers are not only easy to use, they come in adorable designs, don’t need pins and offer parents a terrific option that lessens their carbon footprint. So why don’t more parents use this earth friendly option? In a word – cleaning. With disposables, you simply throw the mess away; a cloth diaper has to be cleaned so it can be reused. This can be a less than appealing process which is why operating a diaper service is one of the best business ideas out there today. Picking up, laundering and delivering clean cloth diapers is a valuable service that parents will gladly pay for. All you need to get started is a commercial sized washer and dryer and some detergent. Doing the laundering yourself will bring in more profits but you could also send the diapers to a third party laundry service. You’ll also need a van or large vehicle to handle pickup and delivery. Consider a magnetic sign on your vehicle advertising your business. Be sure your phone number and email address are prominent. If you have a website, be sure it’s easy to remember so drivers can make a mental note without having to write it down. Once you have your process sorted out, you’ll need to market your new business. Leave fliers at local baby stores, try to get a list of new births from area hospitals and find listings for local doulas, midwives and baby planners. Send out fliers to this list of prospective clients explaining your service and its benefits. Once you get a few clients on your list, not only will their repeat business keep you busy but word of mouth will be a powerful marketing tool that costs nothing. You may soon find your business in need of additional vans and personnel to handle the workload.
A Day in the Life of a Cloth Diaper Business Owner:
Your day will begin with a check of your appointments. If you are handling the pickup, you will map your route and make your way around town picking up soiled diapers from your customers. You will take them to your laundry facilities (or a third party laundry) and start the cleaning process. Next you will organize cleaned diapers and arrange them for delivery. You or your staff will deliver cleaned diapers to your clients and schedule future pickup dates. You will also spend part of your day marketing your business to area baby stores and other places new moms frequent.
About Your Customers:
Your customers will be parents of babies in diapers looking for an easy way to be environmentally friendly.
What You Need to Start:
- Van or other vehicle for transport of diapers
- Website (optional)
- Washers and driers (or laundry facilities)
- Marketing materials
- Computer with finance software
The Good:
- This is a service that environmentally conscious parents will pay top dollar for.
- Start-up costs are relatively low.
- Franchises are available to help you get started.
- Green businesses are eligible for tax incentives.
- You can easily run this business part time.
The Bad:
- The work can be repetitive.
- It can take some time to build up your client list.
Resources:
Helping Others by Opening a Stair Lift Business
Business Overview:
If you’re looking for an assistive technology business that is in great demand, you should consider opening a stair lift business. A stair lift is a product designed to help people and wheelchairs up and down stairs. Also known as a wheelchair lift, this device can be installed in homes, restaurants, schools or auditoriums, giving higher levels of access to the elderly and handicapped. Since this is a specialized industry, you either need to know how to install lifts yourself or you can buy a stair lift franchise in which case they will fully train you. This option is more costly (at least $25,000 USD) but it comes with all the training and equipment you need to get started. If you open a stair lift business without a franchise, you would be wise to recruit skilled, professional stair lift technicians to work for you. Either way, with the aging baby boomer population, this type of assistive technology is one of the smartest business ideas available today. When marketing your new business, look for assisted living facilities that are being built or being refurbished. Landing a contract for an entire retirement community would mean plenty of work and plenty of income for your new business. Also advertise in publications aimed at the retired community like AARP. Contact medical supply businesses in your area and ask to be placed on their referral list. Often when someone is placed in a wheelchair, their home needs to be retrofitted with ramps and lifts. Offering such a needed service will not only help you build you a financially successful business but a rewarding one as well.
A Day in the Life of a Stair Lift Business Owner:
Your day will begin with a check of any installations on your schedule. You or your staff will perform the installation and check back with the customer after a few days to see how the lift is working out. You will also spend some time each day marketing your business. You will hand out fliers and business cards and make contact with medical supply companies.
About Your Customers:
Your customers will be individuals who need assistance getting up the stairs. You may also contract with retirement communities and assisted living facilities to install lifts throughout their facility.
What You Need to Start:
- Experience installing lifts, a skilled installation staff or a stair lift franchise
- Financing
- Equipment
- Marketing plan
- Vehicle to transport large equipment
- Computer with finance software
The Good:
- The demand for this type of equipment will continue to rise as the population ages.
- You are providing a valuable service to the aging and handicapped communities.
- You can charge top dollar for your installations.
- Competition is very low in this industry.
- Franchises are available to help you get started and train you and your staff.
The Bad:
- The installations are labor intensive
- The startup investment is high.
Resources:
How to Start a Billboard Business
Business Overview:
Learning how to start a billboard business could be the ticket to financial freedom for an entrepreneur looking to break into the marketing scene. Even with the proliferation of advertising on the Internet and television, billboards are still one of the fastest growing marketing tools around. Who hasn’t read billboard after billboard on a road trip or a daily commute to the office? If properly designed, a billboard can be an extremely effective way to advertise a company’s goods or services. This is why starting a billboard business is one of the best business ideas available today. There are several things you will need to do, however, before selling your first advertisement. If purchasing a billboard franchise, many of the decisions are made for you. You will receive training, marketing help and a group of established billboards to work with. If starting your business from the ground up, literally, you will need to contact your local government to see what areas are zoned for billboards. Once you have selected an area for your billboard, negotiate a lease agreement for the land on which the billboard will stand. Now you’re ready for erecting the billboard and here you have options. A business plan will help you decide which option is best for your business needs and will help you formulate your pricing structure. A standard billboard is built with metal and the advertisement is printed on vinyl and glued to the billboard surface for the duration of your contract with the advertising company, usually 30 days, at which time it is simply torn off and replaced with another vinyl ad. Since the billboard graphic is so important to the success of the ad, you may want to hire a graphic designer to help your clients create the most effective ad. This type of billboard is the most popular and will cost approximately $25,000 USD to build (prices will vary depending on size). If you’re willing to spend more, look into erecting a digital billboard. The screens of these billboards are either LCD (liquid crystal display, like a laptop screen or LCD television) or LED (light-emitting diode). Less than 1% of billboards in the US, for example, have this technology so there is definitely room for the addition of this innovation to the billboard industry. It takes much less time to get an advertisement up on a digital billboard. It can happen almost instantly, as opposed to days to produce and put up a standard vinyl ad. You can offer much more flexibility in advertising prices as well. Businesses whose marketing budgets have been cut can have the option of excellent billboard exposure but just for a week or two (or even a day) instead of an entire month. These advantages do come with a big price tag however. It can cost six figures to erect a digital billboard, but with the right business model and financing, this type of billboard could make your business a healthy profit. Regardless of which type of billboard you choose, this method of advertising has stood the test of time and will continue to be one of the most cost-effective methods of marketing available to businesses. What better time to get in on it than right now?
A Day in the Life of a Billboard Business Owner:
Your day will begin by checking your email and voicemail for messages from potential clients. You will contact these businesses to discuss their needs. If you decide to work together, you will meet with the business representative to go over their advertisement graphics. If you have a graphic artist on staff, you will review this art with him or her and make adjustments. If operating a standard billboard, you will get the ad transferred to properly sized vinyl material and get your billboard “installers” to glue it to your billboard. If you have a digital billboard, much of your business can be done electronically. You may still meet with your clients personally, depending on your business model for customer service, but you will be able to program the ad graphic directly to your billboard. You will spend time marketing your business and you will check on your finances to ensure everything is in order.
About Your Customers:
Your customers will be businesses, schools, non-profits or government agencies looking to spend their marketing dollars on billboard advertising.
What You Need to Start:
- Business plan
- Financing
- Leased land on which to build billboard(s) or established billboard(s)
- Graphic artist (optional)
- Personnel to hang the ads on the billboard(s)
- Computer with graphics program and finance software
The Good:
- You will get repeat revenue each month (or however often you turn over your advertisements)
- You are offering a cost-effective method of advertising for businesses.
- You can scale up your business and add more billboards when your budget allows.
- After your initial investment, there is very low overhead.
- Billboards market themselves – just include your business phone number or website on each of your billboards.
The Bad:
- The startup costs are high.
- It can take some time to see a profit.
Resources:
How to Open a Cupcake Bakery
With the recent rise in popularity of all things cupcake, if you find out how to open a cupcake bakery, you can take advantage of this old treat’s new trend. All you need to do is turn on the television to see cupcake competitions and cupcake commercials. Cupcakes are replacing standard cakes at birthday parties and weddings. If you already own a bakery, adding cupcakes to your repertoire would be an easy way to take your business to the next level. You will need to decide what types of cupcakes you will offer. The standards will always sell well but also consider catering to special diets by offering organic, sugar-free, gluten-free or vegan cupcakes. If baking is just a hobby but you do see the potential with this business idea and you’re interested in learning how to start a bakery, you can find lots of information online as well as by visiting local bake shops and talking with the owners. There are also franchises available to help you get your business started. A franchise will come with branding, marketing assistance, ingredients and supplies as well as recipes. You will not have as much freedom with a franchise but you will have all the pieces you need to get up and running. If you would rather learn how to open a bakery from the ground up, you’ll need to find a good location with plenty of foot traffic. Your customers will not only be individuals ordering for events but you’ll also get passers-by looking for a sweet treat on their way home or on the way back to the office. If you can’t invest in a full bakery shop, another option is to supply an established bakery or coffee shop with your delicious cupcakes. You would need to negotiate where you’d make the cupcakes (whether you’d make them at home and deliver them or use their kitchen) and when and how often you’d stock the cases. In this case some of your profits would be shared with the shop owner but your overhead would be minimal, as would be your start-up investment. As you can see, there are many ways to take advantage of the cupcake trend that’s taking place. All you really need are fantastic recipes and a place to sell your goodies and word will spread. Soon you may need to upgrade your business to add staff and space to accommodate your hungry customers.
A Day in the Life of a Cupcake Bakery Owner:
If you operate your own bakery business, your day will begin bright and early in your kitchen as you prepare cupcakes for the day. You will spend your day overseeing your staff as they help your customers. If you sell your goods at an established shop, you will need to get their cases filled with cupcakes before they open. At the end of the day you will go back to the shop to check sales and find out if there are any special requests. You may also want to spend some time each day thinking about and experimenting with new recipes.
About Your Customers:
Your customers will be individuals who are looking for a sweet treat or multiple cupcakes for an event such as a birthday party or wedding.
What You Need to Start:
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