Business ideas that can make money

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Grow and sell your own houseplants.
If you have a keen interest in houseplants, and you like growing them in multiple quantities from cuttings taken from mature plants, here is a way you can make extra cash. Start by selling them at car boot sales and outdoor markets. Have a good selection to choose from and sell them at prices that are at least 30% below shop prices. Once a regular site is established, increase sales by finding other sites and build up your stock.

Make your own jewellery and sell by mail order.
Alternatively, you could sell your work from a market stall. If you`re really ambitious and have an impressive collection worth putting into a catalogue, consider selling your products on the internet. An online shop and catalogue could be created using suitable e-commerce software and a merchant account.

Start your own used car parts business.
Secondhand car parts can be taken from old and late model cars bought from salvage auctions. Thousands of `write-offs` are sold weekly throughout the country, and can be grabbed for amazingly low prices. Good parts can be stripped and sold on to local and mail order customers. When starting out, specialise in one particular make of vehicles, such as Ford or one of the other major manufacturers. You will need a place to store one or two cars at a time and storage for spare parts. You will also need a car transporter trailer, or have contact with someone who can lend or hire you one for transporting cars from auction. Advertise your spare parts business in the Yellow pages.

Sell a range of catalogue goods for firms such as Kleeneeze, Amway or Betterware.
These are well established companies with excellent products and a good commission rate for sales. Build up a round of regular customers by leaving a catalogue with people every few weeks. You then call back to collect any orders and deliver the goods as soon as you receive them. You can also build up your own business through introducing and helping new agents from which you will gain an extra small commission on orders taken through them. To begin with, contact the fims mentioned for all the literature which explains the business in full. A small investment is normally required to get started.

Start a greenhouse sales business.
Find a supplier or manufacturer of greenhouses who can supply you at trade prices on credit. Advertise your service through canvassing and professionally designed door-to-door leaflets. When established, if business is good, you could employ people on a part-time basis to do the canvassing work for you, while you concentrate on the running of the business, including installation and the satisfaction of your customers.

Buy secondhand student desks, refurbish and sell as computer desks.
More and more students and young people are getting there own computer these days, for help with their homework and studies. Many of whom don`t have a proper place to keep their equipment. Usually they get around to buying a computer desk, but new ones can be expensive. Student desks can be purchased cheaply and refurbished, if required, for re-selling. Advertise them as computer desks to get a better response. Local classified advertising in the free advertising publications are as good a place as any to place your ads.

Obtain screws and fixings in large quantities.
Package and card them and sell them through hardware shops under your own brand name. Alternatively, sell them by mail order, or at car boot sales along with other inexpensive tools which can be bought at wholesale prices.

Buy and hire out trailers for motor vehicles.
There are various types of trailers that people sometimes need to hire. These include box trailers for carrying commercial goods or moving house contents, open trailers for carrying rubbish and equipment or machinery, car transporters for carrying cars, horse boxes for horses and trailer tents for camping. Secondhand trailers can usually be picked up for a reasonable price, as opposed to new ones which are rather expensive. Ensure you have proper insurance cover and a place to store them when not in use. Advertise in the local press and Yellow Pages.

Buy mountain bikes from auctions which deal in unclaimed goods recovered by the police.
These bikes usually sell at very low prices. You can refurbish them, if necessary, and resell them. Alternativey, hire them out in busy tourist areas. Ensure all bikes are well maintained and proper insurance is arranged.

Supply and fit replacement kitchen unit doors.
This is an excellent way to save money on re-modelling peoples` kitchens, rather than the expensive alternative of purchasing a brand new one. There are a number of firms who can supply these doors at trade prices, allowing you to charge for your fitting service on top of the price of the doors you supply at retail cost. If you`re a dab hand at do-it-yourself, this is a business you could try out with minimum investment.

Start a business buying and selling used sports equipment.
All kinds of items could be sold, saving customers plenty of money on new expensive gear. These might include items such as trampolines, pool tables, archery equipment, table tennis tables, badminton nets and rackets, bodybuilding equipment etc. Smaller items are unlikely to be very profitable, so stick to the larger sports goods, for which you`ll need a fairly large van and storage space. Advertise to buy and sell through local and regional newspapers.

Buy and rent out holiday caravans.
If you have some money to invest, here is a way you could see good returns on your investment. Thousands of people each year book holidays in caravans. It makes a cheaper alternative for families who can`t afford to go abroad with their children, and for elderly couples who like a quieter holiday near the sea or countryside. There are always well furnished caravans for sale on established popular sites, which is ideal if you want to make them pay. A site fee will need to be paid, which is usually quite reasonable, considering the profit you should make on hiring the caravan out. Always check the costs involved however, and weigh up the likely profits you could make, through the busy and quiet seasons.

Buy and renovate old country cottages in need of repair.
On completion, rent them out during the holiday season. Obviously, a fairly large investment is involved in starting and running this kind of business. But property rarely drops in value, providing it`s maintained in a good state of repair. Property auctions are a good place to look for likely bargains, but bear in mind that the type of property you`re looking for needs to be in a suitable location and large enough to accommodate at least five or six people. This will allow you to get the best deal when hiring out.

Start your own mobile welding service.
If you have any experience using industrial welding equipment, you should find a reasonable demand for your services. Particularly where motorists are concerned. There are aleays a fair number of people who need welding repairs carried out on their car or van to get it through the m.o.t. With suitable portable equipment and a large enough van to contain it, this is a business which has no shortage of customers for those with the necessary skills.

Set up and run a contract painting company.
Commercial and industrial premises, more so than private households, need regular maintenance and cleaning. As a contract painter your goal would be to gain work through contracts for keeping business premises, including shops, industrial units and warehouses, regularly spruced up by painting them when required. This will likely involve interior as well as exterior painting, possibly using special paints in some cases, such as vandal-proof and slip-free paints for floors. Supplies are readily obtainable from trade outlets. All you need is suitable scaffolding platforms, the right type of brushes and spray equipment, plus a good head for heights.

Service and repair gardening equipment.
Mowers, rotovators and hedge trimmers occasionaly need replacement parts and their blades often need sharpening, as well as other handheld impliments such as garden shears and edging shears. If this sounds like a service you could provide, all you need to get started are a few basic tools plus a grinder for sharpening. Either work from home or a small business unit, using advertising to attract customers, or start a mobile service with a small van, canvassing homes with gardens.

Breed earthworms for profit.
Here is a business that involves very little in the way of expense or any special skills. The main thing required is some unused space in a garden shed or garage. Using propagation boxes, available from gardening centres, plus the right combination of manure, peat and topsoil, earthworms can be bred in copious quantities. There are certain types which are regular fast breeders, and thousands of them can be bred in a relatively short space of time. So who needs earthworms? Well, gardeners and fishermen actually. And they`re quite prepared to pay for them too. For more detailed advice check the internet or your local library for information.

Start a childrens` fancy dress party service.
This would involve you supplying a range of party games and costumes for childrens` birthday and christmas parties. The costumes could range from cavemen outfits to spacemen, and designed to fit a variety of different ages between 3 and 12 years. Have the costumes made up by someone reliable and professional. Advertise your service through the local newspapers and Yellow Pages.

Buy and sell pop and rock music memorablia.
Any type of music collectors` items, including records, signed autographs, concert posters etc., that might prove popular through mail order advertising. Specialise in the nostalgia periods of the 50`s, 60`s and 70`s for best results. Advertise in music magazines.

Buy and sell secondhand fantasy role-playing games.
There are thousands of these type of games available now. By placing an advert in suitable publications, you could find a number of sources from where you can obtain used games. Sellers will often have a collection of games that they may wish to sell. These can then either be resold or rented out through means of an organised club. Profits would be made through mail order sales, or an annual subscription to the club and it`s newsletter.

Learn to become a landscape gardener.
Anyone with a good knowlege of plants, lawncare and a flair for creating an attractively laid out garden might consider this as an ideal business to operate part-time, or even full-time, if so inclined. Once your knowledge is sufficient, start your business by advertising in the local and regional press. An assortment of tools will be required, plus transport, plus any artistic materials you need to promote your designs, or to get your clients ideas down on to paper. More detailed planning can be done carried out at home if necessary.

Run an accommodation address service.
If you live in a large city you could charge individuals and businesses for the use of your address as a mailing address. This is useful to small mail order businesses who require a more prestigeous address appearing in their advertising. Your involvement in this type of business simply involves you re-mailing letters back to the clients own address, For this you would charge a monthly fee and any postal costs incurred.

Start a signwriting service for business vehicles and shops.
If have a good steady hand and an eye for detail, this type of business might interest you. You do need to be fairly artistic though, and a knowledge of various typestyles is almost essential. This can be learned through practice, however, and studying reference material on the subject. If you`re keen to give it a try, start by practicing on painted harboard sheets, using methods outlined in books obtained from your local library or bookstore. When confident, take on a few small jobs to begin with, then advertise in the Yellow Pages.

Buy and sell bankrupt stock or job lots of ex-catalogue goods.
Frequently, companies go bust leaving unused remaining stock left to be disposed of. Auction houses are often used as a means of selling off this stock. If you`re a factory worker, party plan agent or a natural salesperson, selling job lots of liquidated or ex-catalogue stock can provide a way to deal in good quality goods at very low prices, and still make a very good profit. Check for lists of auction houses and scour the trade magazines such as `The Trader` for suppliers of ex-catalogue goods.

Start and run a mobile entertainment service for children.
Parents who need to keep their children occupied during out-of-school hours and school holidays, or when they are sick, should find this service useful. Music cd`s, videos, computer games, and even young childrens toys are all suitable items for renting out to keep the kids amused. Build up a regular round through a childrens` club membership scheme, and charge a weekly fee when items are hired for the week. Advertise your service with leaflets and door-to-door canvassing.

Set up a driving school teaching advanced driving techniques.
If you`re a member of the Institute of Advanced Motorists, or perhaps even a qualified Approved Driving Instructor, you should consider the possibility of starting a business that runs advanced driving courses to help inexperienced drivers, or those who wish to improve their driving skills. These courses might, for example, include techniques for coping with skidding, driving in adverse conditions, learning to read the road and recognise potential hazards sooner, and even dealing with road rage situations. You don`t need any particular qualifications to teach drivers who have already past their test, but it does look good on your letterheads. If you`re not already a member, join the IAM and take the Advanced Motoring test to sharpen your skills and teaching abilities.

Start a mobile laundry service.
This would involve building up a regular round of customers who would require their laundry to be collected, cleaned and delivered, preferably the same day. A useful service for busy people, who don`t have the time to do this chore themselves, and also the elderly or disabled who need a helping hand.

Open a conference room centre.
Not as difficult as it sounds actually. If you own a large home in a major city, with equally large rooms, some of these rooms could be converted into small conference rooms, or training rooms for area managers and visiting reps. Standard fixtures might include a desk, a number of chairs, a flipchart or wipeable board and stand, a coffee vending machine, and perhaps a photocopier machine, which would also bring in extra revenue. Some rooms could also be made available for overnight stays. Charges would be based on daily or weekend usage.

Set up and run a rubbish removal service.
This could be started using a large pick-up vehicle. Eventually, if business picks up well, you could expand in other directions, either starting a haulage tipper hire service or moving into skip hire. To begin with, advertise your service in the local newspapers and through shop window and leaflet advertising.

A demolition service can also be started on a small scale using a pick-up truck and suitable tools.
This might include the deconstruction of small outbuildings or sheds which are no longer needed. Your service would also involve taking the rubbish away. Another possibility is to specialise in removing asbestos buildings and roofs, which requires a degree of expert knowledge and protective clothing. For further advice in this matter, seek expert help and guidance before attempting any form of asbestos removal, which can seriously harm your health if not carried out properly.

Start a business teaching other people how to set up and run a party plan business.
If you have any experience in this field of selling, this could be a good opportunity to help others, who have little or no experience in this area, succeed in their new venture. Offer a one day course for people to develop their skills in the various stages of party planning, from arranging the party, through to presention, entertaining guests, getting the orders and obtaining more bookings.

Start a loft insulation service.
There are definite advantages in having a loft properly insulated, apart from the obvious one of keeping in the heat. This will lead to noticeable savings on the heating bills. Loft insulation materials are readily available and simple to install. Grants are also available in some cases. The only disadvantage is that the materials used can be very irritating to the skin if protective gloves are not used. But, although this is not a major problem, most people would rather pay a firm to do the work for them. If you think you could offer this type of service, by all means, give it a try.

Set up and run a roof repair service.
For most homeowners, roof repairs are inevitable when strong winds take there toll. Whether it`s simply a loose or broken tile, rotten wood eaves, loose cement or a leaking flat roof, repairs are going to need doing eventually. For someone in the roofing business, there`s always another job just around the corner. If you don`t mind working up ladders and on sloping roofs, the opportunity is there to offer a useful service. Fixing tiles is a fairly simple job in most cases, but eventually you may also wish to repair or replace flat roofs which requires a lot more skill. You could learn this process the hard way from books and trial and error, but working for someone else to gain the experience first will be a much more sensible route. When you do decide to start your own business, you can get more work through canvassing and advertising.

Supply and fit fascia boards and soffits.
This is a business similar to the one previously described, except you`re not repairing roofs, you`ll be enhancing there appearance by fitting new, more up-to-date materials. The latest products are more durable and easier to maintain than the old wood fascia boards. Materials can often be supplied direct from the manufacturers. All you need to do is learn how to measure and fit them, and hey presto! you`re in business.

Fitting double glazing can be a hugely profitable business when run efficiently.
Experience of fitting pvc windows and doors is obviously a distinct advantage, though a well qualified handyman could soon learn the methods involved. Someone who is good at selling could also set up their own double-glazing firm and employ experienced fitters to do the nitty gritty work. Accurate measuring, a knowledge of materials available, and the ability to close a sale, is just as important to the success of the business as the fitting side. There are numerous firms who manufacture there own double glazing units, as well as fitting the windows themselves, and many of them supply individual fitters at trade prices.

Supply and fit custom car products.
If you`re mad about cars, this could be a very interesting venture. Lot`s of drivers, especially young males, love to give their cars some individuality. The supply and fitting of car body kits, custom graphics, big bore silencers, alloy wheels and wide tyres could be right up your street. Ideally, a small shop would be a good place to base your business, but you could start building up business through word-of-mouth until established.

Start a mobile karaoke business.
Like mobile discos, the karaoke machine has found popularity as a means of spicing up private parties and regular weekly pub night entertainment. With a mobile karaoke machine plus a good selection of music, there should be no shortage of bookings if you have the energy and determination to make this business work. It`s not only profitable, it`s great fun too. For suppliers of professional karaoke equipment, check the home and leisure section of the Exchange & Mart magazine. Advertise your services through the local press and Yellow Pages.

Buy and sell microscopes, telescopes and binoculars.
Here is a specialised opportunity to start a small business in a market with relatively little competition. Buying and selling optical equipment of various types through classified advertising. First study the market and what kind of equipment is currently available, as well as researching the value of older equipment through old magazines and other sellers. Advertise in the wanted columns of free ad papers, and re-sell through the same, as well as specialist magazines related to the item you`re selling. Another option is to set up a website on the internet dealing in used optical equipment.

Record and sell your own songs over the internet.
Many new bands are taking this route to establish themselves with a wide audience. Some of them are sending their demo CD`s to major music sites where they are being converted to MP3 and played on demand. A lucky few are likely to gain major recognition as professional recording artists.

Buy and sell washing machines.
Here is a business that is best run by someone with good mechanical and electrical knowledge of how washing machines work. If you`re experienced in this area you could also run a call out and repair service. Start by buying through classified ads to find the best deals and re-sell for a reasonable profit. When established, consider opening a small shop.

Start a tree and shrub pruning service.
Many people with shrubs and trees in their garden don`t have sufficient knowledge of how or when to cut them back to keep them in tip top condition. This knowledge is easily obtained however, through study and research of the appropriate books in your local library. With the right tools a determined person can quickly build up a round of regular customers for whom they can offer this service.

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