Is your dream to be an entrepreneur? Believe it or not, it may not be as difficult as you think. With hard work and a phenomenal idea, owning your own business can shift from a goal to a reality. Trying to come up with a business idea that is both outstanding and practical is not an easy task, however. To help you get started on the path to success, consider the following small business ideas:
- Career Coaching – Do you love to encourage and inspire others to be their best? Starting a career coaching practice allows you to help people decide what they want to do for a living, while also making a difference in their life. This includes prepping your clients for interviews, helping them discover their passions, improving their resumes and instructing them on how to land their dream job.
- Computer Maintenance – There’s probably nothing more frustrating for a business or individual than having computer problems. If your background is tech, the opportunities are limitless. From businesses to every member of today’s family owning tablets, smartphones and laptops, there will always be maintenance needs. Other private computer services include: printer hookups, anti-virus software installation, desktop cleanups and software downloads.
- Cost Cutter – Everyone notices when their bills begin to increase slowly over time. However, not everyone knows how to handle the provider, and get them to see that they’re paying more than originally agreed to; this is where a cost cutter comes in. If you have an eye for detail and a good sales pitch, this could be the job for you.
- Pet Sitter – When it comes to their pets, animal lovers want the very best for them. Recession or not, people still want to have a reliable, trustworthy, organized animal-lover watching their pet. The more satisfied customers and good recommendations you have, the faster your pet sitting business will grow.
- Virtual Assistant – A virtual assistant takes care of the tasks a business owner or manager simply doesn’t have time to do (answering emails, following up with customers, invoicing customers, answering emails, etc.). The advantage of working as a virtual assistant is that all you really need to get started is a laptop and a good website.
- Remote Bookkeeper – Just because the majority of businesses need a bookkeeper does not mean they can afford to keep one on staff. In fact, during the recession, many companies had to cut their employees down to the bare minimum. This presents a great opportunity for the individual with bookkeeping or accounting skills to work from home.
- Social Media Consultant – While some may feel that social media is a waste of time, for others – like Gen Y – it comes as natural as breathing. No one would argue with the fact that social media presents an incredible marketing opportunity for businesses. If helping existing businesses integrate social media into their marketing campaigns is a skill you have, you should consider working as a social media consultant.
- Copywriter – Content. It’s what anyone with a website is constantly in need of, new content. Businesses simply do not have enough time to devote to generating copy all day. If you have a background in journalism, English or writing, your services could really come in handy for web content, press releases, blog entries, etc.
- Health Insurance Consultant–With healthcare reform, more and more business will be required to offer health insurance. But that doesn’t mean they will be able to afford a full-time human resources person to handle all of the complicated details that it entails. If your background is human resources or insurance, providing health insurance consultation services is a great business opportunity; especially since you don’t need to be licensed if you’re not selling insurance.
Never underestimate the power of an idea. Hopefully these small business ideas have helped to inspire you and fuel your path to entrepreneurial success. Are funding concerns holding you back? Consider what a merchant cash advance with a high risk provider like First American Merchant can do for your startup. Unlike working with a traditional source, high risk providers specialize in working with startups, regardless of their “high risk” categorization.
