150 Business ideas
(31 – 45)
Supply and fit replacement plastic guttering.
Here`s another business that can be started by a handyman who doesn`t mind climbing and working up ladders. No special skills are involved, just a basic knowledge of how to remove old guttering and replace it with new parts. Many older houses still have the old style guttering which often needs replacing, but the newer plastic guttering is also prone to cracking sometimes, and the sections affected will need renewing. To find work, canvass homes and advertise your service in the local press.
Supply and fit carpet tiles or laminated wood flooring.
These are ideal materials for places like the kitchen, utility rooms, porches, playrooms and spare rooms. or any other room where the customer would rather not have a carpet fitted. They are usually very hard wearing and easy to keep clean. Materials are easy to obtain, with good discounts if you find the right source. Fitting is fairly straightforward in most cases, but can be difficult in awkward shaped rooms. Which is one of the reasons why someone with enough practice and experience should find plenty of work to keep them happy.
Start a mobile nappy delivery service.
Babies go through an amazing amount of nappies each day. For mothers in urgent need of a fresh supply, but can`t get to the shops for some reason, or the shops are too far away, a mobile nappy delivery service can be a godsend. The bigger the discount you can obtain when buying your stock in bulk, the more successful you`re likely to be, as mothers who normally buy from the shops might use your service too. But only if your prices are much more favourable. This is an ideal business for a mobile lady with a van or large estate car. Advertising can be done through local newspapers and some well placed posters and leaflets in suitable places.
Breed and sell pedigree pups.
If you love dogs and have suitable kennels, breeding certain types of dogs with good pedigrees can be a profitable, as well as very enjoyable, way to make an occasional spare-time income. Certain breeds sell for hundreds of pounds. If you doubt my word, check the pet section of the Exchange & Mart. However, there are costs to consider, including feeding and vet fees, and the well being of the dogs is of paramount importance. So it`s not a business to be taken lightly, with little or no notion of what is involved.
Start a flowers and chocolates delivery service.
Everyone loves a nice surprise, and they don`t come much nicer than this. For people romantically attached, or celebrating an anniversary, birthday or engagement, this is an ideal service that gives people a chance to show how much they care. Supplies can be obtained from stock, or through a special arrangement with chosen suppliers. Advertise your service in the local press.
Start a business that organises a regular `almost new` clothing sales event.
Similar to a car boot sale, this would involve hiring a hall, renting stalls to people with clothes to sell, charging a small admission fee and running a small food and drink facility. Advertise each event in the local press.
Buy and sell secondhand cookers and fridge freezers.
Refurbish where necessary using new parts if needed. Use cleaning materials to spruce them up, and a spray gun and compressor for re-spraying scratched goods with new enamel paint. You could also sell microwaves, chest freezers and dishwashers. A small shop or factory unit will be needed once business takes off. Until then, you could test your business aptitude by buying and selling from home. Advertise in the local papers` classified sections.
Start a key cutting service using a key duplicating machine.
Everyone needs extra keys cut at some time or other. Whether it`s extra house keys or a spare set of keys for the car, in case your main keys get lost, a key cutting service will always find customers. Particularly if your prices are competitive. Ideally, you should provide your service in a busy central location. Perhaps from a small booth in a department store or shopping centre. Even a fast turnaround mail order service is a possibility, in which case you could work from home, but success would depend on the amount of business you receive in relation to advertising costs. Check the internet and trade directories for suppliers of equipment.
Become a promotions and competition organiser.
Here`s something that people with good organisational skills might consider. It`s a business with very big potential and big profits when run successfully.
Breed and sell tropical fish.
If you`re an expert in tropical fish you`ve probably already tried this idea, but for a newcomer who may be interested, there`s lots of information available on how to look after, and breed various types of fish for profit. Before considering this as a way to make extra money however, there`s plenty to learn and you would be well advised to gain as much experience as you can to make it a worthwhile proposition. It`s not as easy as it sounds, certain types are harder to breed than others. Equipment can be a little expensive to begin with, but not prohibitive. Some types of tropical fish can bring good profits and are worth persevering with. You can sell them through various pet stores or directly to the public through classified advertising.
Start your own dog grooming service.
If you`re good with dogs, this could be just the job for you. Though, you will need to be fairly proficient at using a pair of scissors and hair clippers. Some dogs, such as poodles, need expert handling. It takes practice to be very good at this game. Learn as much as you can before setting up on your own. As an additional service you could also offer to do nail clipping. In either case, you can run it as a mobile service, or run the business from home.
Set up a photocopying service for small businesses.
Good quality new and reconditioned photocopying machines can be purchased or rented at very reasonable prices from specialist firms who deal in photocopying machines. It`s just a case of phoning around to see who can give you the best deal. A service contract can be taken out at the same time to keep your machine in good working order. After that, it`s just a case of making suitable contacts and offering a pick-up and delivery service to meet your customers needs.
Supply and fit roller blinds.
There`s a number of firms who offer this kind of business as a franchise, which may be worth considering unless you prefer to go it alone. If so, you`ll either need to learn to make the blinds yourself, which is not too difficult when using the right materials, or find a supplier who can make the blinds up to your own specifications. All you need to do then is get the orders through advertising and home visits to show what you can offer, and take your customer`s measurements to have them made and fitted.
Start a rotavating and lawn turfing service.
People with gardens and allotments often need to turnover their soil before re-planting fresh seed to grow new plants or new grass. With a rotovator, an expensive tool which not many people buy or use frequently, you could offer a service which helps them complete this task, by doing the work for them. To begin with, to save money, you could purchase your own rotavator secondhand from an auction or through the classifieds. New homebuyers are a good source of potential customers, because the gardens which come with their new home are not always grassed over. With a suitable contact and source of supply, you could offer a turf laying service as well. Neither of these tasks needs a great amount of skill, just the right equipment and plenty of energy. To advertise, place leaflets through the letterboxes of suitable prospects and advertise in the local press.
Start a travelling theatre group.
This would involve producing and putting on plays at selected locations around the country. Places such as colleges and small theatres, plus clubs which arrange pantomines around Christmas time are all potential venues. Your job might also include finding suitable actors, arranging publicity and selling the tickets. If you lack the experience in stage management, find a suitable partner who can direct the actors and share some of the responsibilities for running the group.