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

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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:

• The National Association for Community Mediation
• Association for Conflict Resolution
• American Arbitration Association
• Wikipedia on Mediation

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Business Overview:

If you are an expert in your field or have specialized knowledge and want to start a business, you should consider learning how to start a membership site. There is a huge market these days for subscription-based websites that offer valuable information on a wide variety of subjects. People will pay a monthly fee—month after month, often for years—to have access not only to the information you provide, but also to be able to interact with other people on the site. To get started, you’ll need to decide what type of content you will provide. It could be video training or written articles on the subject that you are an authority on. You could also hire someone to write them for you if you’re not an expert on that particular niche. You could offer weekly or monthly conference calls to your members as part of their membership. People love to watch a good interview, so you could find experts in the field you are focusing on and interview them and then post the recording—either video or MP3. Most membership sites have forums so that members can interact with each other and give one another the support they need. Here are just a few ideas for membership sites: weight loss, parenting, technical assistance, health issues, dating, etc. If you are a technical support specialist during the day, consider starting a membership site that helps people with computer and software issues. If you are a registered nurse who stays home with your children, you could start a site addressing general health questions that new mothers often have with their first baby. If you know what it’s like to be a single parent desperately needing support, you’ll understand the value of a membership site. As you can see, the options are unlimited as far as what subject you can offer your valuable advice and training on. Perhaps the best aspect of this business idea is that you can do it entirely online. You don’t need a storefront or even business hours. You can work on your website as much or as little as you want and you can easily keep your day job while you ramp up your member list. If you aren’t familiar with how to start a membership site, you should know that this online business idea can be started with very little financial investment and very little technical knowledge. Free software can be found online that will help you get your website up and running. Then you will need to set up a payment page to handle subscription payments. Next you will need to market your new site. Start by spreading the word to friends and family. Frequent non-membership site forums that are focused on your topic of choice and leave helpful comments in response to questions asked there. You could also advertise on a website where your target audience spends a lot of time. If you’re looking for people with health concerns, you could advertise on health-related websites. As word of mouth grows about your site, the more subscribers you will get.

A Day in the Life of a Membership Site Business Owner:

Your day will begin by checking on any new subscriptions. You will check to see if any members have any questions or concerns that need addressing. Once your administrative duties are taken care of, you will get to work writing content for your website. If you have a staff working for you, you will coordinate everyone’s efforts to ensure no one is duplicating work. You will also need to make sure subscription payments are going through as they are supposed to.

About Your Customers:

Your customers will be individuals looking for high quality information, support and advice on various subjects.

What You Need to Start:

• Expertise in a particular subject—or to be willing to hire or interview others who do
• Computer with high-speed internet connection
• Financial tracking software
• Website

The Good:

• This is a great way to run a lucrative business from your knowledge.
• Helping people with their problems is highly rewarding.
• Start-up costs are low.
• If your site offers valuable information, you can charge more for subscriptions.
• You can operate this business part-time, at any time of day or night.

The Bad:

• It can take some time to get your first few members.
• You need to do some work to get your site populated with important information people will pay for.

Resources:

• Online Publishers Association

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