If you have performed in your school theater, choir, band, or talent shows, you may be a natural born entertainer.  You may enjoy singing, dancing, playing an instrument, or some other fun activity that people enjoy watching. If this is the case, then you’ll enjoy becoming an entertainer for parties and events.

Entertainers have a great value to any party and can earn some good money. If you’ve been active in local community or school talent shows and the theater, then you already have the ability and the platform to sell your talents. Prepare professional business cards to hand out at the talent shows you are active in. People will be thrilled to be able to book a real honest to goodness entertainer who they have seen perform at an event.  You already have an audience, so why not turn them into clients?

You’re in show business, so use your talent to create a business card that is clever and unique. You’ll want to include the obvious; what talent you perform along with your contact information.  You don’t want to put your prices on your business card as this practice is considered unprofessional. Even though you’re in “show business” your professional side should be what the client sees off the stage.

If you aren’t sure what to charge as an entertainer for parties and events, do some simple investigating.  Call people who are entertaining at parties and find out what they charge for various entertainment. Be open and honest and tell the person you called that you’re looking to get into the entertainment business in your local area and wondering what the basic fees are. Keep your fees competitive and reasonable, even offering a slight discount for first bookings. Most entertainers will be happy to welcome you to their world, mostly because they’re overbooked and can use the help!  They will be delighted to give you suggestions and ideas to get your new business up and running.

If possible, participate in every talent show you can in order to get your name out there. You definitely also want to volunteer  your talents at fundraising events, retirement homes, children’s hospitals, and the like. This type of exposure is invaluable as a means to get your name out in the public in a very positive way.  Plus, it just feels right to share your talent!

Make cute and creative flyer’s to showcase your talent, your business, and your contact information. If you’re posting single flyers on bulletin boards around town, be sure to use tear off strips at the bottom with your name, number and talent so that people can take that with them and leave the flyer up for others. Replenish your flyer’s as needed to keep a steady flow of clients ringing your bell.

Advertising in the local paper is another great way to spread the word of your new business. Be creative!  There are many ways to advertise.  Don’t get stuck thinking that a classified ad is the only way to go.  Don’t forget your own school paper and those other marketing areas such as menus and sports programs.

When you’re not performing at the parties, you’ll have a chance to mingle with the guests.  Not only is it fun, but you’ll have another opportunity to sell your talent for another party. What a great way to mix business with pleasure.

You may have a group of friends who are similarly talented.  Why not work together?  Re-work your prices accordingly and plan your act together. It may be more fun to work as a team.  Then, the team can do a little mingling and possibly gain even more bookings for events.

Remember, people go to parties and events to enjoy themselves and have a good time. You can make the parties and events more enjoyable with your talents so be sure to share them and have a great time.

Many parents are working longer hours and have fewer hours at home these days. When it comes time to plan their children’s birthday parties or other events, they want help. This is where you come in. If you love to plan parties down to the last detail, this idea is perfect for you.

As a teenager you already know what your peers enjoy and like at parties, you remember your childhood and perhaps even have a younger sibling or niece or nephew that enjoys specific things. Armed with this information, you’re the perfect party planner.

The easiest way to start your new career as a party planner is to begin with your own family.  Plan a fantastic party for someone in your family who’s having a graduation, birthday, or other special event. Plan it down to the last detail and then present the plan to your parents or relatives before the birthday or event is to take place. Give them plenty of time to mull it over and set up a time to go over the details.

Start with planning the decorations, foods, and activities.  Depending on the occasion, you might even be able to plan the guest lists. Go to crafts stores, dollar stores, large department stores, and even grocery stores, and price the decorations for your suggested party. When you present your ideas to your parents or relatives you want to have a complete proposal down to the dollar amount.

After you’ve done this a few times you’re ready for the big time. Start spreading the word via your parents, relatives, friends and previous party goers. Everyone will remember the great time they had and your services will be in high demand.

You will want to work out a form or questionnaire for your party planning. Ask important questions such as, “What date is the party to take place? What is the occasion? What are the ages of the guests? Will there be both boys and girls? Do you have a desired theme for the party? Do you have a budget in mind? What type of food will be served?” and so on.

Once you have your questionnaire filled out it’s time to go to work. One of your most important jobs is helping your customers stay within their budget. While you want the party to be a success, you certainly don’t want to keep adding amenities until you’ve gone over budget.  Work closely with your client to make sure that each expenditure is well within the budgeted amounts.  If there are any changes in the budgeted amounts, be sure to jot down those agreements.

You should set up a portfolio of different party ideas to show potential customers. Pictures of parties you’ve already created along with the budget for food and decorations would give them great ideas and save you time when you are helping them decide what they want to do for their party.

Ideas for parties you’ll want to include in your portfolio could include skating parties, bowling parties, sledding parties, and swimming parties. These sorts of parties can work very well since they naturally are entertaining and keep everyone busy having fun.

A themed party can be another great way to have fun. A preteen or teen may want a party theme around a favorite singer. You would want to gather the music together of that particular singer and plan the party around the music. Children’s television and movie characters are another great inspiration for theme parties.

You may even want to try your hand at small weddings. Work closely with the bride to be sure that everything goes smoothly on her special day. Your skills will reduce her stress and help her to enjoy her wedding because you will be taking care of all the little details.  Of course, planning even a small wedding takes special talent and care, so be sure you’ve already gotten a good deal of experience behind you before you attempt planning a wedding.

Market yourself, your talent, and your expertise.  Have professional business cards printed and distribute them whenever and where ever possible.  Strike up a conversation with people you see in your day-to-day dealings. Ask them about their interests, then share what you do by handing them your business card. 

Ask local businesses if you can leave your cards with them or post one on a bulletin board.  Be sure to go back to that party supply place you’ve been buying your supplies from.  They’ll be more than happy to hand out your business card if you are a good customer.  Print up pamphlets and flyers and get them posted where ever you can.

Party planning, like any business or job, will have its ups and downs.  Some parties will naturally be more fun and easier to plan than others, but with a little practice and patience you’ll learn quickly how to work with any situation.  There is still a high demand for people who can take the pressure off of parents by planning their family events.  Outline your business plan and start small.  You’ll be busier than you ever imagined in no time, and making the kind of money you had only dreamed about!

To become a puppet master you’ll only need a few things, you’ll need a small group of friends that enjoy working with puppets as you do, who are willing to do skits, plays and shows with you. A great imagination will go far in the few things you need too.

To find puppets you can go to online auction sites, puppet stores (online or in a local town near you) or ask friends and family. Some people actually do have puppets available that they are no longer using. You can also get creative and make puppets yourself using socks, felt, fabric, or other craft materials.

Another fun idea is to take a rather large stuffed animal and create a pocket in the area that won’t be seen. Place your hand in the pocket and voila!… you have a puppet. Let your imagination go wild and have a great time making your new puppets.  Look for old stuffed animals to turn into puppet characters at thrift shops.

You’ll want to create short stories or skits that are easily adaptable to the puppets you have available. Building your puppet stage is next.  An easy to carry, portable stage is a must. It can be as simple as a long wooden dowel set up with a curtain over some step ladders or get creative and have different type stages for different puppet programs.

You’ll need to get together to practice as often as possible. Your skits will depend on the puppet characters you have. Once you are comfortable with your skits and routines, it’s time to get your puppet show marketed.

Begin by offering free skits to children’s groups, libraries, church groups, children’s hospitals, and other groups that would appreciate a puppet show. Once people see how talented your group is, they’ll be calling you back, this time to entertain for a party or carnival as a paid entertainer.

When your name gets out, you’ll be getting very busy so make sure to keep a master calendar and appoint one person on your team to take the bookings for your puppetry.  Be sure all the scheduled parties go through that one person to prevent double booking.

To advertise your puppet show, you will want to make up some great flyers.  Put together flyers and posters photos of your group performing one of your puppet shows.

Another fun venue, especially at very small parties, is to have your puppets answer questions from the children. You might even plan to have one or more of your puppets read a story aloud to the children. 

Perhaps your community has a small fair.  Set up a children’s pavilion and have a section with puppets that the children can use to act out their own plays.  Encourage the children to use their imaginations and help them come up with fun stories for their parents and friends.

Church carnival’s are another great way to use puppets. Most churches have a carnival sometime during the year. Set up a puppet booth and have a fun section where the children can watch and listen to your puppets tell bible stories and such.

Visit a children’s hospital and sit in the play room or see if you can go around to children’s rooms and have the puppet do the talking. This is a great way to volunteer and make a difference in a child’s life.

With so many ways to use your puppet mastery skills you’ll never be at a loss for creative ways to share your joy with others – and earn money in the process!

To begin with, you’ll need to know the basics of juggling, of course. You can learn the basics from someone who already juggles, you can get a book from the library, or you can go online and find a website that shows you how to get started. Start with three tennis balls or bean bags that are approximately the size of tennis balls.

In addition to juggling balls some jugglers use small disks similar to an small Frisbee with more opened edges. You can also use what look like bowling pins, though juggler’s pins are a different weight than regular bowling pins. You’ll want to have the basics of juggling down before attempting to use anything other than round balls, though, since these are more difficult to juggle. It’s easiest to start with the tennis balls and work your way up.

Once you’ve learned the basics of juggling you’ll develop your own personal style and routines. You may want to juggle alone or you may prefer to have a friend join you. Many juggling routines easily lend themselves to two people.  After you’ve mastered the basics, you can branch out and learn how to do more advanced techniques.

Don’t feel you have to wait until you’re a professional to start looking for juggling gigs. Make it fun when you mess up, act as if it’s all part of the act and no one will think anything of it when you—literally—drop the ball.

Once you understand the basics and feel comfortable juggling in front of others, it’s time to spread the word that you’re for hire. You can start by asking friends and family to spread the word, then post some flyers with a photo of you juggling and giving details about your availability for children’s birthday parties and events.

Have business cards printed and keep them with you to hand out at events. Often, people will see you juggling at an event and wonder if you’re available for private parties. If you have your business card available, you’ll be able to book more parties on the spot! Use a planner or a calendar to keep track of your schedule. You want to be careful not to double-book yourself or you could harm your business reputation.

Keep your prices reasonable and decide early on whether you’ll charge by the hour, the half hour or the event. You’ll want to call around and see what similar entertainers in your area charge and base your prices accordingly.

Make sure prospective clients have an easy way to get in touch with you via telephone or email. And be sure to sign up for local talent shows or carnivals so more people will see you in action.

Starting with family and friends will quickly spread the word about your new talent, but you can also use your skills to attract attention by volunteering at local fundraisers, or even juggling on a busy street corner if you feel comfortable doing so. (Check with your city first to see if you need a license.)

Juggling is a fun hobby, and it can provide hours of amusement for you and your friends. It’s also a great way to earn some extra cash, while having a good time going to parties and other events. Chances are that once people find out you know how to juggle, and you get comfortable putting on a good show, your calendar will fill up fast!

If you need money for things your parents don’t want to purchase, or can’t afford to purchase for you, you may want to put your expertise to work for you.  Consider starting your own business cleaning out garages and basements.

A garage or basement cleaning business is perfect for a teen since you don’t need a lot of experience or tools.  You can make a lot of money helping other people in their quest to organize.

Few people like to clean out the garage or basement. It’s one of those things where everyone procrastinates until the place is in such bad shape, they don’t have a choice but to hire someone to do it for them.  That’s where you come in.

You don’t need any kind of special equipment.  Most times the client will provide you with the items you’ll need to take care of the cleaning such as plastic bags, boxes, brooms, garbage cans, and storage containers.

Besides sweeping and getting the garbage out, another thing you’ll want to do when you clean a garage or basement is to neatly arrange and organize whatever is left that your client is keeping. This can be a challenge, but it’ll be something the client will appreciate—and it can bring you extra business down the road because you “went that extra mile” and helped really get their cluttered area looking nice.

You’ll need to make sure you follow the instructions given by the client. They’ll need to tell you what they want to keep and what they want to get rid of, and of course, you’ll want to do as they ask. They may have a recycling area, so you’ll need to watch where you dispose of those particular items.

During the cleaning process, be sure you’re careful about how you handle things. The clutter may have made it difficult to reach some items and may have some things perched rather dangerously.  Also, be careful about the conditions you’ll be working in, because you may find certain things that may be a health concern. There may be pesticides, paints, and other toxins.  Never be afraid to tell your client if you feel uncomfortable working with certain items. Your safety is important.

Wear gloves whenever possible to protect your hands. Wear good, solid shoes as there may be nails and other sharp objects.  You may also be climbing up and down a ladder so sandals are a no no. Pay attention to your surroundings so you don’t hurt yourself.  If something does happen, be sure to let your client know immediately so you can have the wound cared for properly.

Cleaning garages and basements is something that teens can do well, which makes it a great business  for a teenager to start. There’s almost no overhead costs involved; just the cost of advertising, a good pair of shoes, and some good gloves.  Garage and basement cleaning might be the perfect business for you to start earning extra money right away!

To find your first clients, begin asking around your neighborhood and working for people you know. Once you starting showing off your skills, people will begin to see how good your work is and they’ll be willing to give you a try—and tell others about you as well.

A handyman service is great in tough economic times. People can’t afford to pay a licensed contractor for simple handy work.  When you show them that you can do many of the same repairs for a lot less money, your jobs will start rolling in.

When you run a handyman service, you can offer a number of services, but you must remember there are certain things you can’t do without the proper training and a license, such as electrical work and certain types of plumbing.

But you can offer services such as the following:

●      Repair or install a fence

●      Paint walls

●      Repair holes in walls

●      Install a railing

●      Hang pictures

●      Put up shelves

●      Install closet storage units

●      Replace drawer handles

●      Clean out gutters

●      Install a new medicine cabinet

●      Hang curtains

●      Install towel racks

●      Caulk windows

●      Repair broken table legs

and much more!

A handyman does a little of this and a little of that; whatever needs to be done. That’s why they’re often called a “Jack of all trades.”

You will need certain tools and basic training to complete various projects. Get a small tool box and begin gather what you’ll need for your repairs.  Your basic tools should include a hammer, drill, and various screwdrivers. Also include pliers, side cutters, various nails and screws, etc. Of course, once you find your ‘specialty’ you’ll add the tools you’ll need for that particular task.

If you plan to do any painting, you’ll need paintbrushes in various sizes, paint rollers, and pans if your customers don’t provide them. Sometimes a customer will want their handyman to pick up the paint for the job.  If that’s the case, be sure you include the paint in the cost of the project if the customer doesn’t pay in advance.  Also, be sure to charge your customer for an agreed amount for your travel.

Many homeowners find themselves are in the middle of a project and find they just can’t finish the job in the time they have available to them. When this happens, homeowners will often look for someone to help them finish their project. This is a nice place to pick up handy work – offering to help someone in the middle of a repair project.  Watch your own neighborhood for these opportunities. Being in the right place at the right time is always helpful.

Post professional business flyers around town, hand out business cards, and even mail postcards to new people in the neighborhood to get the word out about your services.  Create a simple flyer that lists the projects you can do and continue to add to it each time you learn a new task. This will help people decide what jobs you can do for them. Hand several flyers and business cards out to every client you have and ask them to share them with friends they know may need your services.  Be sure to remind them to keep your business card so they know how to contact you when they need help again.

Do your best work every time and your customers will refer you to others and call you back for additional tasks. Be flexible in what you can do, and in your hours, and be dependable. Show up when you say you will. And work when you’re being paid to work. Building this type of business by word of mouth is the best form of advertising you can get, and it’s the least expensive as well.  Good will is your best marketing tool.

There are so many types of handyman jobs a teenager can do. If working with your hands is something you enjoy, don’t let anyone deter you from starting a handyman business because you’re not an adult yet.  A handyman service business can be perfect for a teen who is ambitious and handy!

Most people consider a pizza parlor or perhaps a Chinese restaurant for this sort of job.  However, you can approach any local restaurant, coffee shop, bakery, or even some smaller grocery stores and delis with a clever and creative idea or a business plan to start their own delivery service – with you behind the wheel, of course! 

You’ll want to have a good working knowledge of your neighborhood streets in order to get your deliveries to the customers on time. It’s always a good idea to keep a local map in your car. And, of course, if you have a GPS, that’s perfect.

Begin your business planning stages by finding out what establishments are paying their delivery people.  Call several food establishments and tell them you’re interested in becoming a food delivery person and you’re wondering what their starting wages are.

After you find out what the average wage is for local food delivery, it’s time to prepare a business proposal for the local restaurant(s) you hope to work for. Be realistic and as detailed as possible. Include the hours and days you’ll be available, what you’ll charge the company, what communities you can serve, and any other details you feel are important. Be sure to let them know you have car insurance and a valid state driver’s license.

Type your proposal up neatly and put on some clean business casual attire and visit the manager of the restaurant you’re hoping to sell. Be enthusiastic and positive. If the manager isn’t interested right away, don’t get discouraged.  Ask her if you can leave your proposal and resume in case she changes her mind. Ask her if you can check back in a few weeks to see if she has reconsidered.

You can do this with  each and every local food establishment in your area, but be sure to present a personalized business proposal to each individual restaurant – not a cookie cutter proposal. Remember, you’re looking for a job, in essence, so present yourself in a positive and businesslike fashion.

Some businesses will want to look at your car to see if they feel it’s dependable, and if it’s clean and looks decent. It doesn’t have to be the latest model, but it should be clean inside and out, and well maintained. You wouldn’t want to be out on a delivery and have your car break down.  If a customer doesn’t get their food order, your business will suffer, and you may actually lose your client.

The food establishments who have hired you may only need you on weekends, while others may prefer a weeknight. Be flexible. You may need to work for two or three restaurants in order to earn the income you need. Just remember to keep your schedule flexible enough that one job doesn’t interfere with another.

Always arrive on time and dressed appropriately. It may be frustrating when your friends invite you to the beach and you have to work.  That is a struggle for everyone who has a job, especially teens.  You’ll have to make some difficult choices in order to build a profitable business.  However, allow yourself time to have a social life because all work and no play is not a healthy lifestyle.

Now for a word of caution… never step inside a home when you’re on a delivery. Wait politely on the porch or patio for payment. If invited in, politely say that you’re not allowed to enter anyone’s home due to company policy. This “company policy” will prevent you from caving to peer pressure when delivering to the house of a friend who wants you to stay and visit.  But, more importantly, staying out of a customer’s house will help protect you from getting robbed or hurt. Safety is highest priority.

Having your own food delivery business can help you earn a good income. If you have an entrepreneurial spirit, who knows, you may become the next Fortune 500 company offering jobs to hundreds of other teens delivering food for you!

To begin, you’ll want to create your own flyers promoting your  business. They could read something like, “Flyer Distribution Service available! Let us do the leg work for you. Your flyers distributed in and around our local community!”

You could ask local businesses if you could hang your flyers in their facility to jump start your business. Post them and deliver them everywhere you can think of. Each and every business and bulletin board in your town is an ideal start.

Stop by local church offices and let them know what you’re doing. Churches often need flyers posted for events they have coming up. Hospitals have blood drives or health screenings that need promotion. Local businesses have various specials coming up they want the public to know about. Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) halls have frequent events they want to invite people to. Individuals hold yard sales and they’d love some help promoting. All of these are fantastic opportunities for you to post flyers for others and earn money.

Be on the look out, and when you see a local event advertised, contact the person in charge and offer your services—for a fee, of course! Don’t be afraid to let a business owner or manager know you’re available to post flyers for them.

Craft stores and large home improvement stores often have a special craft going on. Offer to spread the word for a reasonable fee. Businesses often send an employee out to do this task, which takes him away from his job. Capitalize on this need and you’ll become an indispensable resource in your local community!

Decide on a price for your services, either a price per flyer, per stack of flyers (example: 25 flyers posted or delivered for a set fee) or based on distance or time. You could even offer a flat rate for the service and give everyone the same price. Just keep in mind your time, gasoline and wear on your vehicle.

You may want to concentrate on a specific type of business at first, perhaps smaller organizations, just to get started.  Then, as you become more comfortable, you may want to offer your services to larger organizations.

Offering a copying or printing service may appeal to some customers who don’t want to waste their time running copies of their flyers.  Other groups will have their flyers all printed and ready for you to distribute.

Depending on where you’ll be posting flyers for your clients, you’ll need a few supplies such as the type of staple gun found in the home repair section of a hardware store.  Also, stock up on thumb tacks and sturdy tape. Of course, some flyers will be just passed out instead of posted.

Some businesses will want you to put flyers up all over town while others may prefer only specific areas. Pay close attention to the client’s directions, be flexible and willing to go the extra mile and your client will remember you for the next big event.

If the client is leaving the distribution of flyers to your discretion, remember the places you’ve seen flyers, like on your windshield.  Distributing flyers in large parking lots on car windshields is a great way to get a lot of flyers out there quickly. Canvas specific neighborhoods and go with a friend to hand out flyers to everyone you see.  In your own neighborhood you may even want to go door to door.

Be prompt and get your flyers out on time for the events. Don’t let your clients down and you’ll build a strong and reliable reputation for your Flyer Distribution Services… and make some great money in the process!

Do you enjoy writing? If so you may want to consider making money online writing for others. You may choose to market your own articles via a content site, you may choose to search for individual clients via discussion forums, twitter and other websites.

Whichever approach you take, be sure your articles are well-written, and that you’ve researched your topic well enough to know what you’re writing about. Write in casual language so your writing doesn’t sound stiff and too formal.  Be sure your writing makes sense and offers valuable information for your clients.

Be dependable and always follow-through. If you promise an article by 5:00 Friday, have it to the client. If a real emergency comes up (no, hanging out with your friends at the mall doesn’t constitute an emergency, even if it feels that way), let your client know ASAP.  A quick email to your client with an explanation will keep you in good favor with your client.  If you just don’t deliver your article on time and then try to explain, you will lose credibility.

There will be times when you may not be able to meet a deadline, but they should be few and far between and you should communicate well with your client so they understand what’s happening at all times.  Building a reputation for dependability is one of the best things you can do to kick-start your online writing career.

The easiest way to get a few “clips” (samples of your writing) under your belt, is to write a few guest posts for a blog you read often. That way, you know what the readers like, and you know the blog topic well. That will make it easier to provide quality content for the blog owner. Comment frequently on the blog so the blog owner gets to know you.

Then, approach the blog owner and let her/him know you’re interested in writing a guest post (for free) and discuss the topic.  Be sure to agree on a specific topic, something you know about within the subject matter of the blog.  Agree on the length of the post, the exact topic, and how long your resource box should be (short bio at the end that includes information about you, the writer). Also be sure that your resource contains a live link to your email or to your own blog.

When you’re doing guest posts, don’t do too many of them. You don’t want to take up all your time writing for nothing. But do a few, maybe 8-10, so you can provide potential clients with some good links to check out your work.  What you are doing with guest blogging is providing website owners a glimpse at your writing. 

Always search for “do follow” blogs – those that make the link to your post visible to the search engines. You can do this by Googling “do-follow blogs.” You’ll find several to choose from.

Start your own blog and post several times to week. That’s another great way to get your writing noticed and gain some followers. Include in your bio that you are a writer who is very much available for hire.

Promote yourself through Twitter, Facebook and other social networking sites. But don’t be overly aggressive with your posting. One post a day letting others know you’re available for freelance writing  should suffice.

You can sign up with sites like Freelance or Elance, but the competition is stiff. You might get a few jobs, but the pay is typically very low and seldom worth the effort.

Realize that writing is a craft and it can be learned just like anything else. Read all you can about writing well and about blogging, and become an expert at both. Don’t let being young hinder you… you can be a young, professional writer and make real money writing articles and blog posts for pay!

Fundraising is easy to organize, but many corporations, groups and communities are in need of people who can do the work simply because they do not want to pull someone away from their desk to handle fundraising events. As a teen, you’ll find many opportunities to help your community and those in need by raising funds for various churches, organizations and non-profit groups.

You might want to involve your friends so you have added workers, but often the group you’re raising funds for will be able to provide volunteers. You will make more money if you go it alone, but it can be more fun to work as a team.

Be sure to check with your local city offices to see if you need any kind of  license before you begin planning an event. If you do, be sure to find out what steps you need to get it, and to get your new venture off the ground.

Once you have the business set up, it’s time to come up with valid ideas for fundraisers.  Sit down and brainstorm with your friends to come up with unique ways you can raise money for your clients.

Some ideas are more obvious than others. A car wash or bake sale comes to mind immediately and they can be great fun, but you might want to try something a little different.

Rock-a-thons are fun and relaxing for the participants.  People get sponsors to pay them for every hour, or minute they spend rocking in a rocking chair. 

Simply collecting with buckets from passing shoppers (think Salvation Army) is an easy method of fundraising, but it’s not as much fun.

Rent-a-kid is another great idea that people like.  People give their money to the cause in exchange for housekeeping, yard work, pet walking, running errands, etc.

A dinner is a great fundraising event.  After you’ve decided on the location, plan the menu. Be sure to keep it simple such as spaghetti, chili or even tacos. You don’t want an elaborate meal, and you want to be sure you have volunteer workers to help cook, serve, and clean up.

Other ideas include selling items like pizza, wrapping paper, gift cards, etc.  Perhaps auctioning off donated items appeals to you.  Any number of fundraisers can be utilized if you approach it right.

You’ll also need to find a location for your event, whatever it may be. If you go with a car wash, maybe a local gas station or community center will provide a corner of their parking lot for your event. If you plan on a dinner, try a community center, or church fellowship hall. Try to get the space and the supplies donated to your cause so you will net more money for your clients.

Set your price based on supplies, workers, and your time.  Allow enough money for you to make a profit while at the same time providing the funds expected to the organization. After all, that’s what the organization, your client, expects of their fundraising effort!

Once you’ve decided on the fundraiser you’ll use, you have the cause planned, get busy spreading the word all over town. Call local TV and radio stations, ask businesses to post flyers in their windows, and get the organization’s members to help promote, as well. Even ask the local paper if they’d run an ad for your worth cause for free.

Blanket your town with flyers on local bulletin boards. Ask local churches to put the event in their church bulletins or post a flyer on their church bulletin boards. Don’t forget to mention it at school and any other part time job you may have. Word of mouth is often the best way to advertise.

On the day of your fund raising event make sure you arrive early. Get everything set up and have everyone’s assignment in place before guests and buyers start to arrive. Be sure someone is near the entrance to greet people and make everyone feel welcome.

After your fundraiser is complete, make sure your donations, minus your fee goes straight to the appropriate place as soon as possible.  As you develop your clientele and build your reputation as a dependable worker, you will have more business than you ever imagined possible… this can truly become a great money-maker for you and for your community!

These days, the number of people with bad credit scores who are trying to repair their credit has been increasing in the United States. This poses a great opportunity for starting a debt repair business to help people with bad credit score to fix their credit and get out of debt. If you are planning on becoming a debt repair specialist, here are some tips on starting a debt repair business to help you on your money making efforts.

1.Research on everything you need to know about debt repair. The Web is rich in information regarding debt repair. Read online sources that provide tips on starting a debt repair business and becoming a debt repair specialist. Also, learn how to improve credit and dispute questionable items on credit reports.

2. Look for other sources that can guide you with opening a credit repair business. For example, you can look into some debt repair law firms and take note how they help their clients rebuild their credit. Find out how the other specialists in the field have started their debt repair business and how they are able to make their endeavors successful.

3. Create a good reputation of yourself and your business. Give people the assurance that even if you cannot completely eliminate the negative entries on their credit report, you can help them remove inaccurate, outdated, and questionable information that can damage their credit standing. The key to gaining the trust of your prospective clients is to promise only what you can deliver. That being said, you must avoid imitating the unbelievable claims of debt repair scams out there as consumers have grown wary of them.

Starting a debt repair business is not as difficult as it sounds as long as you are armed with proper and sufficient knowledge on how to help people improve their credit standing.

There are many ways on how to make money as an internet freelancer. One of the most common ways is through freelance writing. There are many online freelance writing companies that need people to write articles for web content. If you have a knack in writing, then this is one of the few chances you get to earn big with that skill. Just search the internet for legitimate websites that pay freelance writers.

You can also try to use your present blog to earn money. All you have to do is choose a niche topic for your blog, let’s say basketball. Then, update your blog with the latest news and interesting features about basketball. Sign up with Google Adsense, and when it acknowledges your blog site, you will now be ready to place advertisements around your blog’s pages. The advertisements can be about basketball or anything that you can fancy.

You can earn money here when someone visits your blog and decides to click on the ads. You earn a certain amount of money for each click. That is why it is important to fill up your blog with media that will entice a lot of surfers.
These are some of the best ways on how to make money as an internet freelancer. The internet can be more than your friend. It can be your source of livelihood as well.

Freelance event planning can be a very lucrative and satisfying career. If you are gifted with research, organizational, and people skills, then becoming a profitable event planner is a great idea to put your creativity into good use. The best thing about setting up a home-based event planning is that it does not require any formal education or training. You just need to rely on your talent and skills in order to succeed.

Interested in becoming a profitable event planner but don’t have any idea how to start? Read on the following tips to ensure successful event planning for weddings, concerts, social gatherings, corporate functions, and other events.

1. Know the dos and don’ts of event planning.

Familiarize yourself with the demands of the profession. Do your research—search for information on the Internet and talk to various event planners to have an idea on what event planning is all about.

2. Take up courses that can enhance your skills in event planning.

There are several online and study-at-home courses on advertising, marketing, public relations, tourism, and business that you can choose from to improve your event planning skills.

3. Assess your talents.

You may have the potential to become a successful event planner, but you may never know it if you don’t assess yourself thoroughly. Evaluate your communication, organizational, and research skills. Also, measure how good you are when it comes to creativity and resourcefulness. Having a realistic perception on your talents can help you step up as an event planner in the future.

4. Market yourself well.

Becoming a profitable event planner boils down to one thing—your ability to market yourself to your prospective clients. Talents and skills amount to nothing if there are no clients who are interested in your services. Create an impressive resume. If you lack experience, now is the right time to start volunteering to work with an event planner. That way, you can show something to your future clients.

 
If you want to learn how to start a mentor or coaching business, you definitely come to the right place. The good news is that you can build your own database of clients for your coaching business even without having to dole out huge amount of money on advertising and marketing. If you are diligent enough, you’ll find the free tools that you can use to encourage and persuade potential clients to get your services as their life coach and mentor.

The following are the steps you should accomplish in creating a database for your coaching business:

1. Blog – Creating a blog is an effective platform where you can highlight and put emphasis on your skills and expertise as a life coach. You should not fail to posts informative tips, guidelines, articles and advices on your blog. If your blog is packed with fresh and functional content, no doubt you’ll attract and entice hundreds or even thousands of followers and avid readers.
2. Subscription Page – The next step to take is to make a single subscription page where your readers or visitors can sign and leave their contact information. Grant offerings like free eBooks or an all-inclusive report to your subscribers.

3. Article Marketing – This is an effective method to entice more visitors to drop by your subscription site. You just have to write highly educational articles and then submit or send them to article directories. You should ensure that all of your articles exhibit links driving to your subscription page.
4. Social Networking – Do not underestimate the power of social networking sites. These websites can help you build your own database of clients. You can quickly collect a devoted online following through these websites.

When learning about how to start a mentor or coaching business, you should keep in mind that your followers are all potential clients. That’s why you need to regularly develop a good relationship with all of them.

There are two fairly new, and very important conditions existing in the world today that have not only made the carpet cleaning industry a “billion dollar business,” but also practically guarantee your success as an entrepreneur in this field.

First, almost all homes and office buildings built since 1960 have wall-to-wall carpeting. Secondly, the replacement costs and the cyclical faltering of the national economy have caused people to want to make what they already own last longer, especially in the case of carpeting, which is a sizeable investment.

Most businesses employ janitors or janitorial services to vacuum their carpets after hours daily, and then “master” carpet cleaners to deep-clean them every three months or so. Homemakers also generally vacuum their carpets perhaps several times a week, and then hope to deep-clean every spring or fall, depending on the kind of household traffic, and on their budgets.

It’s true that people everywhere try to save money by handling these jobs themselves. However, empathy with the people, and an understanding of this trend, should be neither cause for alarm nor a deterrent to your success in this business.

Most people are just too busy to handle all their do-it-yourself projects. They continually put off until later any chore that requires special equipment . This is especially true with carpet cleaning, because deep down, they’re fearful of botching the job. Thus, they’re more than willing to pay an expert or a specialist to do this kind of work for them

It doesn’t take any special education, skill or experience to operate a professional-type, deep-cleaning carpet cleaner. Yet, from, your first job onward, you should project the image of a thoroughly experienced expert in your field. And, we’re going to show you how you can get started in this business, and make $300 or more per working day, with virtually no investment!

The important part of this business – or any other business – is the owner-operator’s “sense of marketing” and salesmanship. Make no mistake about it, all businesses succeed through marketing strategies and salesmanship. You won’t be selling a product with this business; you’ll be selling a service. And the selling of services is often more difficult than product sales.

Therefore, it will be to your benefit to learn all you can about selling. Then, you should continue to add to your knowledge through an ongoing program of learning. Keeping up to date and being aware of successful selling ideas and methods will add to the total success of any business person.

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If you are a person who is just waiting to come up with a business, then after this article, you may already have an idea as to what kind of business you want to put up. They say that the most successful businessmen see the most profitable ideas during times of stress or duress. The country right now is in such state, so it is not a surprise that certain ideas will come out. People only have to look a little harder and deeper to see these opportunities. One of these ideas is the carpet cleaning business. Here are the steps on how to start a carpet cleaning business.
Two conditions have made the carpet cleaning business such a feasible venture. The first condition is that for almost fifty years now, the usual trend of buildings and skyscrapers is that they construct carpeted walls and floors. The entire interior is pretty much covered with thousands of square meters of carpets. Second, because of the financial crunch, companies would like to extend the usable life of these carpets. Replacing them entails too much cost. They will have to allot a huge amount of funds for carpet replacement. Thus, they turn to carpet cleaners to maintain the quality of their carpets.

6 Simple Steps to Starting a Carpet Cleaning Business
1. The first step on how to start a carpet cleaning business is to choose a niche. Others choose only commercial clients, while some cater to homes.

2. Next, buy a franchise of already established firms, or start your own enterprise. We suggest starting your own independent company – buying into an existing franchise tends to costs tens of thousands of dollars, whereas starting your own company is just a fraction of the price.

3.Next, you have to apply for a license to operate the business, as in all types of ventures.

4.Next, decide how to finance your start up costs. Choose either debt or equity. A carpet cleaning business can be started with under $2000 – you can even rent the equipment initially and purchase later. The bulk of your start up costs will go into advertising and marketing. Do not skimp on this.

5. Once you have the funds, buy or rent the necessary equipment, and hire the best workforce out there. It’s best to rent the equipment when you are starting out initially.

6.  Train your employees and advertise your business. It is important that your employees are trust worthy and professional. Conduct the necessary background checks, this will help you establish trust with your clients. You can advertise your services to apartment complexes, home owners, and real estate agents.

Want to know how to start a catering service? Keep reading.

Starting a catering business from home can be a great career for people that enjoy planning, cooking and working with customers. The job of a catering business from home is to ensure the meal, appetizers, desserts and drinks are perfect for the client’s event. Catering services are used for conferences, birthdays, anniversaries, and, of course, weddings.

In fact, you can specialize by doing only wedding catering and keep yourself busy and your catering service growing. You need to be creative and have a great deal of knowledge about food. However, this is just the tip of the iceberg. Catering can be hard work.

The first step in starting catering company is to create a catering business plan. This plan will be needed if you try to get a loan to help your catering business get off the ground. It will also help you organize yourself and your business, by answering questions, and ensuring your services are professional and dependable.

When you start a catering company you will be required to have many licenses and certifications, and must adhere to Health Department regulations. You will need to contact your local Health Department for the specific regulations, certifications, licenses, and insurance information for your area. The Health Department also usually requires an inspection of the area to be used for your catering business.

With your catering business start up, you have to decide what types of food you are going to offer. Once you have decided on the food, you need the equipment to prepare the food and a way to transport it. Some places you will be working will have a kitchen that you can use for final preparation, but the majority of work will be done at your location.

If you don’t have a background in cooking or if you want to be able to get more creative and exotic, you may want to look into cooking classes at a local community college or even a culinary college. You may be able to find a culinary college that offers classes in catering business management. Being able to attend those types of classes, as well as cooking classes would be beneficial and relieve a lot of stress.

Once you have your training, certifications, insurance, and you have complied with the local Health Department and any other government regulations, you are ready to finalize what catering services you will provide and the associated fees. The best way to get this information is to contact some local caters. Find out what they offer and their fees. Do the same with any restaurants that offer catering services.

Marketing of any business can seem almost impossible. However, you have many options. You can write a press release for local newspapers and radio stations. You can offer your catering services to fund-raising events. You can invite wedding and event planners to a tasting of some of your food. If they know your work, they are more likely to hire you. Once you get your catering business name into the community, your best advertisement will be word of mouth.

Now you know just a few things about how to start catering. If you’re still interested then your next step is to get more information about the industry and the training required. There are plenty of books, such as the Complete Idiot’s Guide and other similar series that can help you get started. You should also subscribe to industry magazines to stay ahead of the trends and your competition. The internet is another great place to find information, recipes, trends and other issues of catering services.

The last step is to do it. Whether it is just part time or full immersion, remember that through all the hard work that in the long run it will be worth all the effort. People will always need catering services. The potential for growth in this industry is unlimited. There is always room for one more catering business to share the wealth.

Order The Starting a Catering Business Start-Up Guide Kit for a special low price of :59.95

The Starting a Catering Business Start-Up Guide Kit™ also includes all of the necessary forms that are needed to operate a catering business including many financial forms, sample business letters and a complete business plan.

Order yours today: The Starting a Catering Business Start-up Guide

© Copyright Randy Wilson, All Rights Reserved.

Randy currently has a website dealing with Reviews of Coffee Related Products such as coffee makers, espresso makers, coffee, k-cups, and more plus articles on coffee enemas and other coffee and health related topics. He also has a website of Reviews of Small Appliances such as ice cream makers, vacuum cleaners, mixers, irons, toasters, food processors, and many other appliances.

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Owning a foreclosure cleaning business is a lucrative enterprise. It’s hard work, but one so filled with possibilities for growth that many are interested in this opportunity. But, you may be thinking, “I work fulltime. Is this something I can do on the side part-time.”

The answer is yes. While it won’t be easy – and don’t’ believe anyone who tells you that it is, it is entirely possible. Following are three tips for starting a foreclosure cleaning business while you hang on to your full-time job. If you do it right, you can be out of your job before you know it because you can make from several hundred to several thousand dollars on foreclosure clean up jobs.

3 Tips for Starting a Foreclosure Cleanup Business Part-time

Foreclosure Cleaning Biz Tip #1: Get someone to answer the phone. You must, must, must have someone there to answer your phone when it rings because most clients who are calling won’t leave a message – at least not the first time they call.

In the foreclosure clean out business, clients are looking for quick service. So if someone doesn’t answer their call, they just go on to the next company. And, they do this until they come across a live person.

Foreclosure Cleaning Biz Tip #2: Schedule Jobs on the Weekend. Most jobs take anywhere from less than 24 hours to a few days. It all depends on what condition the property is in. Rarely do they go past a week though – that is, unless you’re doing a major cleanout like an apartment building (which is a whole other ball of wax).

So, if you line up two jobs during the week, you can do one on Saturday and one on Sunday. While you’ll be dog tired (told ya it wasn’t going to be easy), you will be making money – and progress so that one day (soon) you can quit your job.

Foreclosure Cleaning Biz Tip #3: Hire a Competent Crew. Getting jobs done on time and within budget is critical. You don’t want a job that should take 10-12 hours to drag into a second day. This costs you time and money. And, if you have to get back to work the next day, it can be a real hassle from a client – and work crew — standpoint.

So, hire competent professionals who will adhere to a schedule and keep your foreclosure clean out project on track.

Learn more about how to start a successful foreclosure cleaning business.

Cleaning foreclosures is a sizzling business opportunity where excellent money can be made. Visit Start-a-Foreclosure-Cleanup-Business.com for 200 pages of info that tells you everything you need to know to start a business cleaning foreclosures. View the news video featuring the owner of a leading foreclosure company in Atlanta, GA on the site as well.

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1. Doggy Daycare: Although most pets are left home unattended while their owners go to work, there will always be the need for pet sitters. Puppy owners who are still in the house breaking phase are often reluctant to leave their new pup alone for long periods of time as this isn’t conducive to proper training. A pet sitter with a background in training has an excellent niche service to offer to new first time pet owners.

Over-nite pet care is also a great start up business idea. One of the biggest challenges for working professionals who own pets is balancing the demands of their careers with the love they have for their pets. This demographic is prone to working long exhausting hours coupled with sporadic business trips. Marketing overnite pet care to this group is strongly recommended.

2. Mobile/In-Home pet grooming services: Mobile pet spas provide a level of comfortbility and exclusiveness that are unmatched by franchise and break and mortar grooming salons. For just a few dollars more, pet owners are willing to pay for a more exclusive and custom tailored in home pet grooming experience.

3. Pet Behavior Specialist: Popular shows like The Dog Whisperer and It’s Me or the Dog have pet owners clamoring to understand their pets behavior. Gone are the days of training your dog to simply sit, stay or roll over – pet parents are learning to understand what certain behaviors mean.

Marketing yourself as a behavior specialist instead of a typical “dog trainer” indicates that you have an understanding of the animal beyond the typical “fetch” command training and this is what modern pet owners are looking for.

Due to the nature of the relationship between pets and their owners – this is an industry that requires the utmost care and professionalism. You would treat the animal as if it were a member of your own family. Check with your state and county business departments to find out if you need any specialized licenses. Finally – be sure to get the appropriate insurance coverage.

Imagine having a career that lets you use your creativity to make homes and businesses more beautiful and comfortable. Welcome to the world of interior decorating!

There are few careers that offer so many benefits. As an interior decorator you will have the satisfaction of making your vision a reality. You will meet interesting people, and because many people who hire interior decorators are wealthy, you will likely spend time in many beautiful homes and businesses. If you start your own decorating business you can enjoy the freedom of being your own boss. And perhaps most importantly, your “work” will be fun, interesting, and rewarding.

As long as you have the desire, you can become an interior decorator. No special education or experience is necessary to break into this career and succeed. (Unlike becoming a certified interior designer which has strict requirements including two to five years of post-secondary education in interior design.) You can become an interior decorator immediately.

If interior decorating sounds like the career of your dreams, here are 10 steps to breaking into this fabulous job, based on the FabJob Guide to Become an Interior Decorator:

1. Train your eye

Since you are interested in a career as a interior decorator, chances are you already have a “good eye” for design. In other words, when you look at a room you can see what looks good, and what could be improved. But no matter how naturally talented you are, you can continually “train your eye” by studying what people consider to be good design.

Seek out beautifully decorated interiors to look at. You can find numerous examples of beautiful interiors in design magazines or in your own community by visiting show

homes, open houses for sale in wealthy neighborhoods, furniture showrooms, historic homes, art galleries, and offices of professionals such as interior decorators and corporate lawyers.

2. Educate yourself

Interior decorators are expected to know about the various elements involved in decorating such as: space planning (how to arrange furniture and other items within a particular space), use of color and light, furniture and decorating styles (for example, Colonial or Southwestern), floorings, wall coverings, window treatments, and use of accessories such as pillows and art. You can learn decorating basics through courses, books, web sites, and even by speaking with retailers of products used in home decorating (paint, carpet, lighting, hardware stores, etc.)

3. Practice at home

Most interior decorators get their first decorating experience working on their own homes. Even if you have just one small room to experiment with, you can get “hands-on” experience with a variety of decorating techniques. For example, you can make a dramatic change to any room, quickly and inexpensively, simply by rearranging the furniture or painting the walls a new color. Give it a try! Experiment with techniques you wouldn’t ordinarily use. Consider this room your “research lab” where you can try things out before recommending them to a client.

4. Volunteer your services

Your friends and family members may already have asked for your advice about decorating, but if they haven’t yet asked you to actually decorate their homes or businesses, why not offer?

Some occasions your family or friends may want to redecorate are when they experiencing transitions in life, such as: marriage or co-habitation (help them merge two households into one), moving into a new home, childbirth (offer to decorate the baby’s room), hosting a special event such as a wedding or dinner party, starting a home business (you could decorate their new office), and selling a home (explain how a well decorated home can attract buyers).

5. Prepare a portfolio

A portfolio is a collection of samples of your work, plus any other documents that can help show why someone should hire you. The most important part of an interior decorator’s portfolio is photographs of interiors you have decorated, so make sure you take “before” and “after” photos of every space you decorate. Choose 15-20 photographs of work you are proud of, and arrange them in a photo album or portfolio case.

Your portfolio can also include letters of recommendation and “design boards” (poster boards onto which you have pasted pictures and samples of materials such as fabrics, flooring, wallpaper, etc.) to show clients what you recommend to decorate a particular room.

6. Get a job

Even if you plan to start your own interior decorating business, you can learn about the business and meet potential clients by starting with a job in the industry. Companies that hire people with decorating talent include home builders, manufacturers of furniture and housewares, hotel and restaurant chains, retailers (furniture stores, home improvement stores, antiques dealers, housewares stores, etc.), plus interior design and decorating firms.

To get a job, you will need to prepare a resume that emphasizes your experience with decorating plus any other skills the employer is looking for, such as customer service or organizational ability.

7. Start your own business

Many interior decorators dream of being their own boss. If that’s your goal, you’ll need to decide on business matters such as your company’s name and whether to incorporate or not. Free basic business advice is available from organizations such as SCORE and the U.S. Small Business Administration.

Many interior decorators choose to work from home when they start their businesses because it saves on the cost of an office and, unlike many other types of businesses, you won’t be expecting clients to come to you – you will usually be going to their homes or offices.

8. Establish relationships with suppliers

Suppliers are companies that supply the products and services you need to decorate. They include manufacturers of furniture, wall coverings, flooring, fabrics, etc. as well as contractors who do painting, carpentry, installation, etc. When you go shopping as a professional interior decorator, you are entitled to “designer discounts” of up to 50% off the regular retail price which you can pass on to clients.

While some decorators charge an hourly rate or a flat fee, others charge “cost-plus.” For example, if your cost for a product is 40% percent below the regular retail price, you could charge the client your cost plus 20%, thereby saving the client the other 20% they would pay to buy the same item at a retail store. This opportunity to save money on decorating may convince clients to hire you.

9. Get clients

Your potential clients could include home builders, new home buyers, wealthy home owners, professional couples, advertising agencies, art galleries, bed and breakfasts, boutique stores, corporate head offices, hotels, law firms, restaurants, spas, and many other types of businesses.

One way to market your services is by networking with professionals who can refer business to you, such as real estate agents, architects, antiques dealers, art dealers, home renovators, and owners of businesses that sell home furnishings. Other marketing techniques include putting up a web page with photos of interiors you have decorated and getting publicity in the homes section of your local newspaper.

10. Grow as a professional

Successful interior decorators continue to learn new decorating techniques. Once you have started a business you can continue to develop your skills by attending trade shows, reading decorating magazines and books, and joining professional associations. You can also impress clients and have an advantage over your competition by becoming certified as a professional interior decorator.

Based on the FabJob Guide to Become an Interior Decorator by Tag Goulet and Catherine Goulet. The complete guide gives detailed advice on how you can get paid to decorate homes and businesses, be hired for a job in the decorating industry, or start your own interior decorating business. Visit FabJob.com/decorator  for information.

For the amount that the average person wastes on fast food in a month, they could hire a personal chef to prepare weeks worth of nutritious delicious meals! If the personal chef industry is something that you’re seriously considering as a business start up, there are several things that you need to keep in mind:

1. Know your state and county laws: A personal chef will usually prepare meals at the clients location of choice, but there is a growing trend of personal chefs who prepare at their own location – and deliver meals. Generally speaking, each state has it’s own set of laws that are applied to food service businesses. Depending on the type of services provided, the business must meet certain criteria. Some states do not allow home based food service businesses (ones where you will prepare meals in your own home) while others require certification. These laws are referred to as Cottage Laws. Just call your state’s commerce department and inquire about their cottage laws or food service preparation business laws.

2. You are more than a chef!: As a personal chef you will do more than whip up tasty meals, you will often service as a family meal planner and grocery shopper! Diversify your recipe repertoire to accommodate a wide range of tastes and styles. You should also familiarize yourself with the best places to shop and save. You will want to cook with the best cuts of meats and most fresh vegetables, so make friends with butchers and farmers where possible.

3. Define your specialty: Although you will want to have a wide range of recipes in your menu offerings – it’s a good idea to define a specialty to attract a specific type of client. Perhaps authentic Italian is where you excel, or maybe you are an expert in preparing gluten free meals. Whatever your specialty, be sure to highlight that fact on your services brochure!

4. Don’t forget the special needs!: In order to be a success, you will want to familiarize yourself with the various special dietary needs. From diabetes to gluten free to vegan and beyond – the most sought after personal chefs know how to make the best meals for every diet need!

For more detailed information on starting your personal chef business, consider the book “FabJob Guide to: Become a Caterer or Personal Chef”. It’s a great step by step book covering everything from preparation, to marketing and pricing. You can’t ask for a better deal at just $29.

Do you know someone who’s so busy that they’re constantly saying things like “I’d pay someone to do this for me” or “I need more hours in my day!” or even “I wish I could clone myself” ? If so, what that person really needs is a personal assistant! Concierge or Errand businesses are a growing trend. Although the economy isn’t in the best shape, people are still leading very busy rat race type lifestyles. From busy working moms to jet setting professional singles – they all have a need for an extra set of hands or person to remind them of important appointments or tasks.

Starting a concierge service is going to take some work and creativity on your end. Although most people have a need for this type of service, some have a hard time justifying the expense. Your marketing and client acquisition strategy will require you to effectively demonstrate how easy their life would be with you on their team! Here are a few tips to consider when planning your Concierge (errand service) business:

1. Start with a business plan: You don’t need to spend a lot of money on a business plan – in fact, with this type of service business – you can write one yourself. You will want to write out the vision you have for your company, as best as possible – note any start up costs, price points, target demographic and market.

2. Discover your start up costs: Start up costs associated with a concierge business are surprisingly minimal. Like with any business, one of the first steps you’ll take is setting up your business legally. This means you will need to check with your state and local commerce offices as well as the IRS for any licensing and tax requirements. The cost of a business license in most states is pretty low ranging from $25 to $100. After you’ve established your business legally you’ll want to create your website and marketing materials. Depending on your level of technical and graphic expertise you may be able to do this on your own for nothing at all. However if you’re like most people, it’s something you’ll end up outsourcing. You can find a reputable website designer at places like GetAFreelancer to do your website for under $500 with matching business card and brochure templates for a little bit extra. It’s also advised to invest in business liability insurance. Depending on the range of services you offer, you’ll likely spend a lot of time driving around – if your current car insurance doesn’t recognize your vehicle as a business/commercial vehicle – you may not be covered if you get in an accident while doing company functions. All in all, the estimated start up costs for a concierge business would be under $1500.

3. Develop your legal documents and contracts: Because of the nature of a personal assistant concierge style business – it’s important to have contracts and agreements between you and your client. For example – you may offer a car pooling service shuttling kids to and from soccer practice. You’ll want to have a signed agreement that authorizes your clients children to be in the car with you.

4. Decide on your range of service: A concierge can offer a wide range of services. As long as it’s legal – you should remain open to any type of assignment. Typically concierge services are divided into two categories – corporate services and personal/individual services. The types of services you offer a business will vary from what you’ll offer an individual.

Corporate services may include things like courier services, event planning, travel planning, and transportation arrangement. Those types of things are often duties handled by executive secretaries, but many businesses choose to save money by hiring a concierge business instead. Personal services include gift shopping, cleaning services, relocation assistance planning, dry cleaning pick up, house sitting, reminder services, appointment making services, grocery shopping and many others.

5. Decide your price point: Most concierge businesses charge by the hour, with $25-30 being the going rate. It’s also wise to offer monthly package rates. This will help you secure long term contracts, particularly if you require a minimum number of months to sign up. Your packages should include a guaranteed number of services and/or hours per month – with an extra fee being charged for services or hours over.

6. Put your best foot forward: With your business cards and services brochures in hand – you’ll want to hit the ground running with your marketing strategy. Word of mouth is always the best way to grow a business – it’s free also! The first impression will be the lasting impression for potential clients, because of this you should be courteous to a fault! You want clients to know that you are a trustworthy and responsible individual. Your appearance should be well-kept at all times, answer your phones in the most professional manner and always be organized.

The sky is the limit when it comes to starting a concierge business, it will be challenging in the beginning – but that’s the case with any new venture. Don’t give up and always keep a smile on your face – you never know, you may be talking to your next client!

For the low price of just $29 – you’ll get this step-by-step guide on starting your concierge business!

Although the United States does not have an official language, the vast majority of the population speaks American English. However there are an estimated 337 other languages spoken by the population. Spanish is the second most common language in the U.S. with it being spoken by over 12% of the population. The Chinese languages, French, German, Tagalog (of the Philippine’s), Vietnamese, Italian, Korean and Russian round out the top ten languages spoken in the United States according to the 2000 census.

As we move towards a more culturally diverse country, coupled with the impact of globalization on our economy – the need for translation services will increase. Most, if not all major corporations offer a Spanish language translation to their customers via telephone IVR systems, marketing materials and other customer promotional items. It’s easy for them to do this because they have the budget and manpower to put into it, but this isn’t the case for the small business owner – and this is where you come in!

If you are fluent in multiple languages, consider putting that highly valuable skill to good use by starting a Translation Service business. The Internet book of the last 15 years has had a tremendous effect on marketing, for the first time in history the small business owner can reach a global audience with just a few clicks of the mouse. The unfortunate thing is that most of them are not capitalizing on this wonderful advantage due to fears of language and cultural barriers. If a Translation Service sounds like a business that you’d be interested in keep these things in mind:

1. What are the set up costs of a translation service business: For the price of marketing materials, a website, and the cost of your business license – you can start a translation service business. The main component of your business model is the ability to speak another language(s), however it is important that you are fluent and well versed in the proper spelling, grammar, tenses, etc.

If you need to brush up on those things, we suggest making the investment in Pimsleur or Rosetta Stone language courses. Remember that your clients are business owners and professional so their documents must reflect that no matter what language they are written in.

2. How much money can I expect to make?: The going rate for professional translation services is 0.15 to 0.30 per word, however the larger companies tend to pad this amount with minimal requirements and other processing fees. It’s not uncommon for a 75 word document to run the neighborhood of $100 if not more. Considering the fact that the average email sent in the United States contains 50 words, paying $100 for translation is not cost effective.

Your competitive edge will be found in your price point. By keeping your minimum requirements low coupled with a wide range of services, you will make a name for your business.

3. How can I market my translation service business?: The first thing you’ll want to do is establish your online presence. This will allow you to reach a global market. Your marketing efforts however will begin on a more local level until you can build the revenue to advertise on a broader skill. Your target demographic will be businesses that while they attract a culturally diverse client base, they have no materials available in the language(s) you specialize in. Offer to, for a free or reduced rate – translate one page of their brochure, website or other important documents in exchange for their testimonial or reference.

Don’t limit yourself to brick & mortar businesses, reach out to online businesses as well.

When approached with professionalism, the possibilities of the translation service business are endless. As your client base grows, you may also consider hiring employees who are fluent in other languages as well. This will expand your reach and give you a leg up on the competition!

Rosetta Stone Version 3: Spanish (Latin America) Level 1, 2 & 3 Set with Audio Companion