150 Business ideas
(91 – 105)
Buy and sell golf equipment.
Here’s a business idea that you could start from home, and eventually, with shrewd investments, open your own specialist shop. Lot`s of people are taking up golf for the first time as a new leisure pursuit. Other people are giving it up because they find they don`t have the time or inclination to continue with their game. Yet others, wish to continue and improve their game by upgrading their equipment. Whatever the reason, there are always people wanting to sell their old clubs, golf bags, carts and accessories. Providing their equipment is in first class condition, and available at the right price, there`s no reason why someone who can strike a good bargain, couldn`t buy and re-sell these type of goods for a profit. Start by using `goods wanted` and `goods for sale` classified adverts in your local or regional newspapers.
Start a market stall selling cosmetics.
You could also sell through party plan, but the advantage of selling from a market stall is that you have a lot of passing trade. Plus, you also have very low overheads. This, combined with the fact that cosmetics have a very good mark-up, means profits can be exceptionally good.
Grow and sell your own vegetables and herbs.
There are lots of gardening books which tell you how to grow your own food successfully. If you have a large area of garden or an allotment which you can use, this should be sufficient to start with. Particularly if you concentrate on growing small products such as herbs, tomatoes. cucumbers, horseradish etc. You will also require a number of greenhouses of adequate size to hold your plants and cultivating equipment. Even then, you will be severely limited in your output until you can invest in more land and equipment. However, if this is something that really interests you, then by all means start small but think big. Using suitable packaging, products can be sold direct to general grocers or in larger quantities to wholesale distributors.
Start a business selling and distributing facial cosmetics, hand creams and body lotions.
Produce your own brand name. Obtain supplies direct from selected manufacturers, preferably in bulk, and package them under your own label. Sell by party plan, mail order or through factory agents.
Open a small shop specialising in needlecrafts.
Sell embroidery kits, materials and hand stitched framed pictures. If your interests lie in this direction, a small shop located in a village or town popular with tourists will be the ideal place to run this type of business. Start by having a few nice designs available as samples which you can display in the shop window to attract peoples` attention. If you`re just starting out, you might consider party plan sales or mail order as a way of getting established.
Start a business making custom-made curtains.
Offering a professional sewing service specialising in various types of curtains will enable customers to choose their own designs, being more exact in their requirements. Using a small shop to work from will allow you to display your own designs as well. You could also provide matching furnishings. i.e. bed covers, pillowcases and cushions etc. A service like this can often create a big demand through recommendations. Which means, of course, you may need to take on extra staff. However, in this business you can retain full control over how much you want to expand. If you prefer to stay small, and provide a personal service to a limited number of customers, that is entirely up to you.
Buy and sell paintings and start your own art gallery.
A small shop will be adequate to start with. Start by buying watercolours and oil paintings at auctions. Set up a gallery and offer a picture restoration service as well. To do this you could employ someone with the necessary skills, or learn to do it yourself. A framing service is another possibility, and a stock of fine art prints for framing and selling might also be worth considering.
Buy and sell children’s books.
Advertise for unwanted books and resell them from a children’s bookstall at car boot fairs. By specialising in secondhand children’s books you can often pick up popular titles at bargain prices. Seek out fiction and non-fiction books which have been read and discarded, or put away in a collection which is no longer needed. . You could also buy and sell computer games and childrens videos as well. If you attend the same car boot fairs regularly you will gradually become well known and people are likely to approach you to sell their unwanted books and games for cash.
Produce a range of Cd’s and Dvd’s based on bible stories for children.
The bible is packed full of fascinating stories that can be adapted to suit the imagination of young children. They make ideal bedtime stories and can teach children the importance of what is right and what is wrong in many different ways. The stories can be narrated by a single person with a good speaking voice, or enacted as a play using a cast of suitable actors. A local drama group may be happy to oblige. Have the scripts typeset and hire an inexpensive recording studio to record the dialogue. Some music and sound fx tapes may also come in useful. Once the master tape or CD has been produced, copies can be made quite easily using good quality hi-fi equipment. Have duplicates packaged and sold by mail order and through christian bookshops.
Start and run a regular arts and crafts fair.
Ideally, this should be somewhere in a busy location where there`s plenty of people who may call in out of curiosity. Press advertising will also bring a number of visitors with more serious intentions to buy. To get started, find a suitable building that can be hired and fitted out with temporary stalls. Charge a set fee for craftspeople to display and sell their wares, and offer free admission to attract potential customers. The more people that come, the more successful the event is likely to be. This way, more sellers will become interested and higher rents can be charged.
Buy and sell metal detectors.
Start a mail order business for new and used equipment. Set up a monthly newsletter for enthusiasts, including articles about valuable finds and suggested locations for treasure seeking. Include a column of items for sale and items wanted. A newsletter would also be a good way to get like minded people together by arranging trips to sites of interest.
Start a telephone answering service for small local businesses.
There are some business people who are often out on a job and cannot always answer their phone, which could very easily mean losing out on gaining new customers. Although mobile phones have alleviated part of this problem, it can still be inconvenient to answer the phone while busy at work on a job. Rather than employ a full-time office assistant, a small business could easily benefit from using an affordable telephone answering service that specialises in helping small businesses. Your job would involve tasks like taking simple enquiries, booking appointments and taking orders for firms who sell by phone. To get started, contact suitable businesses which may be interested in your service. One man firms such as plumbers, electricians, driving instructors etc. Arrange to meet them to discuss their requirements and what rate of fees you charge.
Set up a business that erects car ports and pre-fabricated garages.
Here`s a business for the experienced handyman.There`s a number of manufacturing firms who could supply you with materials at trade prices. Write to them using a printed business letterhead to find out what their prices are, as well as terms and conditions of supply. When you find a suitable supplier, canvass for jobs in your local area until you get enough work. Eventually, to expand your business, you might prefer to advertise in local and national publications if you`re willing to travel further afield.
Start a business that builds conservatories.
As an alternative to the previous idea, you might consider building conservatories instead. They do however, require a more skillful approach. Having experience in bricklaying and carpentry or fitting double glazing is practically essential. Though a business-minded person could very easily contract this work out to a third party and still make a reasonable profit if organised properly. Once again, do your homework. Check on available materials, compare prices and work out the best deals to make it a worthwhile proposition. Get orders and enquiries through advertising and leaflet distribution.
Run a business doing watch and jewellery repairs.
Specialised courses are available to teach you how to repair jewellerey and watches. Your service could be tailored to suit independent jewellers who farm out repair work rather than employ someone full-time to do it for them. You could also offer a mail order repair service direct to customers throughout the country.