Best Money Making Ideas

Help People Keep Their House Plants When They Move

Start a business that promises to move a client’s plants to their new home or business. They do not need to let their plants die; they can have them carefully moved. You can charge a minimum of $25 per hour to move their plants. Your competition will be moving companies, but how much do they know about plants? You are the specialist, and know how to keep them alive for your client’s new home or office.

When moving, people not only have to move all their belongings, but many with living plants are not sure how to move these safely also. They will be rather confused on the best way of taking the plants without hurting them. Sometimes they may feel it better to let them die at their residence, instead of dying in transit. This is where you can offer your services in helping them move their houseplants with them when moving.

Although there are many movers out there, they will not have the expertise to help in moving houseplants. When moving houseplants, you have to have some understanding facts about plants; the temperature, soil, atmospheric conditions, and insecticides best suited for individual plants not all movers will have this information! Since you are an authority on plants, and can keep the plants alive during the move, plant owners will all approach you for assistance in moving their cherished plants.

There is just a minimal investment for you in this business. You have to have packing material for the plants, ready at all times when called by clients. Suppose you have some doubts on the care of specific plants, you can always research your books or surf the Internet to get the relevant information. Then of course, there is the local U.S. Department of Agriculture office you can approach. If there is any plant whose care you are not sure of, do check up before moving the plant, lest something happens to the plant while in transit. This will be a bad mark for your growing business!

It is important that you know of any restrictions some states may have on the bringing of plants into their states. Taking the plant to a state where it is not welcome will be a waste of both time and money on the part of the client. If you are aware of any regulations, it is your duty to inform the unaware client about this. You can turn to the State Department of Agriculture or the Department of Natural Resources for the latest regulations of your destination state.

You should be aware of the fact that most states require that the transported indoor plants are growing in sterilized potting soil. Therefore, you will have to either have some sterilized soil ready with you or perhaps get some from the local lawn and garden shop. However, make sure to read the label of the soil on its mixture so that it meets the requirements of your plants. You will have to go to the clients to repot the plants using sterilized soil about three weeks before moving day. Then there are other precautions such as using dish packs for holding the plant and anchoring the plant with paper in their boxes to fit snuggly. Of course, mark the boxes to distinguish between boxes of belongings and plants!

Most plants do not need any watering in transit; it will be enough to water them when you reach your destination. Of course, providing all this care and service for the plants will be at a price, a minimum of $25 an hour. You will soon find that this is indeed a lucrative and enjoyable business!

Resource:

http://reviews.ebay.com/SHIPPING-LIVE-PLANTS_W0QQugidZ10000000006373176?ssPageName=BUYGD:CAT:-1:SEARCH:3

http://www.uship.com/tips/showtip.aspx?tipid=125

http://www.atlasworldgroup.com/

Moving Information

People are always moving to a new location at some point in their lives and for a variety of reasons. The problem is that it is quite difficult to find detailed information on the new location so the movers know where everything is, and what is there for them. You can create a guide for these people and sell them in downloadable format, print, and DVD format. Give them all of the information they will need about the new location - schools, work stats, grocery stores, department stores, gyms, outdoor activities, local businesses, restaurants, etc. You could sell a complete guide for about $40.

Wouldn’t a product like this be nice to take advantage of when moving to an area you know nothing about? Many people still move to different locations with their companies, for new jobs, retirement, or new military assignments that could appreciate this information.

Almost everything that you should include in these complete guides can be found on the Internet. All you will need to do is investigate and compile all of the information that you find in a convenient package for your customers. Your research will include what ever you choose to offer your customers.

Give them all of the information they will need about their new location - schools, work stats, grocery stores, department stores, gyms, outdoor activities, local businesses, restaurants, etc. People will want to know where everything is and what is there for them. Try to provide them with a simple map if you are able to obtain one.

You can help them with their moves by offering helpful information like which residential areas report more police calls and have more crime. Provide cost averages for housing in different areas of a city or town they are moving into. Include the average cost of buying homes versus renting too, so they will know if they should look into buying or renting. If families are moving with children, the parents will want to know about all of the local schools, where they are located, and how they rank in success with educating their students.

Knowing where all of the local grocery stores and department stores are located is important information also, so be sure and include this information too. The full range of businesses, parks, entertainment, and gyms are all-important.

You might also include all of the important phone numbers that they will need to have once they are there too. Phone numbers for the police and fire departments, Phone Company, utility companies, realtors, schools, etc. so they can smoothly make the transition to their new home and area.

Sell all of this information in a downloadable format, printed, and DVD format. Let the buyers decide how they prefer to receive their complete guides. You could sell a complete guide for about $40 a piece.

Each time you research a new area, save the information for any new customers that might want your services. After awhile you will have quite a database compiled to grab your research from, just make sure that you update the information regularly, just in case anything changes.

Resources:

http://www.moving.org/Move_resources/default.asp

http://www.moving.org/

http://www.amember.com/

Moving Help

Offer a service where you help people move, without taking everything with them. Usually this is best when someone is moving to a smaller place. Help them figure out what to keep and what not to keep. Help them pack up everything appropriately. Then, you can help move all of the kept items into the new home, even putting things in their places. Movers only move large items. This kind of business will help fill that gap. You could charge about $50 an hour for this service.

This is a much-needed service these days. Offer to help people not only pack, but also sort through their items before packing. Usually, but not always, this is best when someone is moving to a smaller place. Sometimes people are just ready to go through everything and sort before they move things they really don’t want to keep anymore, especially if they have lived in one home for a long time. Some people have trouble deciding what to keep, help them figure out what to keep and what not to keep; this is where your expertise can help. Just talking through the reasons to keep something can help a great deal.

Remember that most movers only move large items; this kind of business will help fill that gap. Help pack up everything that has been chosen to be kept appropriately, so that their items will arrive to their new home in one piece. Make sure that you write on all of the outsides of the boxes with the room that they belong in, or use pre-made stickers. This makes the move much easier with each box in the appropriate room. After the move, you should help move all of the kept items into the new home, even putting things in their places if your customers would like you to do this.

You can easily charge about $50 an hour for this service. Just make sure that you are working as quickly as you are able to, if they are paying you by the hour. This will also help you to get them to make quick decisions about items they want to keep. The longer they take in making the decisions, the more they will end up paying you for the move; this is a good motivation to keep them moving quickly when making decisions. You can also set aside a ‘maybe keep’ pile or box. Then later re-sort through these items at the end and try to make it a goal to get rid of at least half of the items. Always make sure they make the ultimate decision though. You don’t want them later blaming you for getting rid of things that they wanted to keep.

Advertise your services in local newspapers and in the phone book. This should help you find constant new customers. Make sure that you make yourself well known with local moving companies also. They can refer customers to you that want more than just movers that move only large items and boxes. Offer to give these companies a small percentage of your profits if they refer customers to you, this will assure you of their support.

Helpful Resources:

http://www.containerstore.com/experthelp/tips/collegeMovingTips.jhtml

http://www.sba.gov/smallbusinessplanner/index.html

Home Sitting

Just as pet owners want their pets watched over, people going on business trips or vacations want their house watched over as well. They may want their mail checked, newspapers picked up, plants watered, or just have an extra set of eyes to make sure their home and belongings are safe.

If you are looking for an easy and profitable business opportunity, you should consider Home Sitting. Many people go away on vacations or for business purposes and have to run all over prior to their trip to arrange for the common household duties that need doing on a daily basis. Some of these arrangements could include booking and taking a pet to a kennel, finding someone who can water their plants, finding another person to grab their mail and newspapers, or finding a person to simply check on their house now and then. You could provide these people with a convenient one-stop source for all of the above tasks in the simple business of home sitting.

Just as for pet sitting, if you are good with people, pets, gardening, and love to travel; this opportunity could be what you were looking for. In general, most people do not like to place their family pets into a kennel for the length of their travels. Often times a pet has become so used to a routine set forth by their masters, they will become extremely upset when interruption of this routine is caused by their family’s vacation or business trip. This is why people generally love the idea of a home sitter. Their pet is able to remain within their comfort zone and maintain its general every day routine. You will have to be responsible for keeping the pet supplied with water, fed, and exercised regularly, following the guidelines provided by the homeowner.

Additional responsibilities may include bringing in their mail and newspapers on a daily basis to ensure they do not pile up in an unsightly mess, or give an obvious sign to an intruder that they are probably out of town. It would be a good idea to stack these things neatly on a desk or some other designated place, so that the homeowner can easily access them upon their return. You may also be required to water their plants (indoors and outdoors) or tend to their garden while they are away. Be sure that you carefully follow all instructions given to you by the homeowner in regards to how often, what times of day, and any other actions taken in caring for the plants or garden.

It will be your responsibility to keep a general eye on the entire home, keeping it safe from intruders and other events. Do not take this opportunity to make yourself at home and make use of all the homeowner’s things. Bring your own food and thoroughly clean all dishes or items you use throughout your stay. You should also put everything back in its place and ensure the home stays just as clean as the owners left it.

Providing a home sitting service can give you the opportunity to experience a great deal of things or places that you may not have been able to otherwise. Additionally, it allows you to make money while providing a much-needed service to people who will likely need it while they are on vacation or away on business.

Here are a few resources that will help you get started in Home Sitting;

http://www.sba.gov/smallbusinessplanner/index.html

http://www.hometown.aol.com/meohyah/page1.html

http://www.pet-housesitters.com/

People Say That He Has a Magic Wand

If you have some organizing skills and a few ideas about rearrangement of lights to control illuminations levels, using low cost theme based paintings or just simply a new set of curtains to enhance a living area then read this article for ways to make money doing just that.

“He just comes and adds value without actually adding anything”.

“He made me happy by helping me get more and faster”.

“I never knew that it was worth as much as it got sold for”.

All these comments are for this small business owner who really has no such magic wand. It’s just about some organizing skills which you can learn and perfect in a couple of months, new paint, rearrangement of lights to control illuminations levels for improving the aesthetics, use of low cost theme based paintings or just simply a new set of curtains. You could also use ornamental indoor plants or maybe tidy up the garden a bit. Learn more about the subject by going through books and by looking for ideas on the Internet (check the resources at the end of this article).

Tip: Visit new construction sites of reputed builders. Their sample homes are professionally decorated/arranged and can be a good learning experience. If they offer videos of their interiors, it’s even better for you since you can then do further learning from the comfort of your home.

Getting the first few clients will be the main challenge for you but luckily finding prospective customers is easy. Just look in the real estate section of your local newspaper. You can get the address of all homes for sale and send a direct mail letter to the owners along with an attractive brochure.

Tip: Your sales letter should quantify the benefits of using your service in terms of extra dollars that their house could sell for. Also highlight the fact that selling faster will mean that they can start using the money earlier and invest it for getting the returns sooner. And explain how this would save them a lot of time and the hassle which generally accompanies prolonged selling time.

Offer a free site assessment and quote to attract prospects. And treat them well. Even if they don’t use your services, they will at least spread the word about your services.

A lot of people approach the property agents to help sell their properties. Since your business complements the services offered by property agents very well, teaming up with property agents could be a big propeller for this unique enterprise. You could strike a deal where-in you pay a commission to the property agents whenever they get business for you.

Once you have completed work for 3-4 clients, you can use them as references to further your business and establish credibility in the market.

Tip: Try to apply your learning first to your own home and the homes of your friends to enhance your understanding of the concepts. Initially you could do this free of charge, for your friends just as a learning exercise. If you have done your homework properly, you will improve the look of their home. Moreover, if something small does go wrong you won’t have to worry that your friends will spread bad news about your business.

Skills/Tips etc. required for this business can be learned from the following resources:

1. http://www.gulf-shores-real-estate.com/home-for-sale-tips.html
2. http://interiordec.about.com/od/moving/a/org_beforemovin.htm
3. http://interiordec.about.com/

House Sitters

Create a website for those who are looking for house sitters. You can provide a list of reputable house sitters to choose from on your website, where they can find each other. Let the householders place an ad free on your website. Charge those looking to house sit a fee of about $50 or more per year.

This is a smart idea for a website business. No matter where you live, people would feel better leaving their homes, if they could have a trusted person stay and keep an active eye on their house and precious belongings. Many people would travel more often if they became aware of a service such as this.

Reputable people providing the sitting would be your true customers. Charging the sitters a yearly fee to belong to your website and have access to people needing their services. The most important aspect of your service would be to assure the validity of the sitters that would have access to your site for work.

A secure website that provides services to only people looking for work in this field would have to be selective on your part. Make sure that certain detailed information be communicated to only truly interested parties. This would best be shared privately between the sitters and travelers. Educating people about the process of using your site safely, and what to advertise, would be of utmost importance, helping them to provide very little personal information, such as name, addresses, and too specific dates they are interested in looking for someone.

You could also offer this service for people looking for house and pet sitters. Often times this combination is needed also. People will be willing to pay you more too, keep their pet at home in familiar surroundings and provide the pet food, walking, and individual human association while they are traveling.

Including plant watering and care can also be something that you can provide while house-sitting. Bringing in the newspapers and mail every day would also be included in the sitting services.

This business would need some advertising to get off the ground, so initially you may need to invest in advertising on-line. In addition, leaving small advertisements, or business cards, with Travel agencies could help you get started quickly too.

This could prove to be a promising decision to offer people, providing a service that you will be required to check on occasionally, but providing a constant income. Just maintain the working site and advertise occasionally when business is slow. This could be your dream come true type of business.

Resources:

http://www.thesitewizard.com/gettingstarted/startwebsite.shtml

http://www.housecarers.com/

Send Me Home

Yes, there really are home finders. These professionals help home seekers find the home they want. It’s not easy finding a home when you are ready to buy. There are so many different realtors, so many different things to consider. You would also activate the utilities, schedule a meeting with the school(s), find doctors, get a cleaning company in before their items are moved in, hire movers, and stock shelves with food, toilet paper, and other necessities.

Relocating to new areas can be quite traumatic for most people, especially for families with children. Offering a service to help alleviate the common necessary steps for a smooth move would be quite attractive to most people that have the money to pay for your helpful services, they wouldn’t bat an eye at paying you to help them out and make their move easier.

Interview each customer and find out what type of home the family plans to buy, or lease. Get as many details as possible. Find out every detail that you can before you set out to find them a home. While you start looking for homes take detailed notes and pictures of each home you think they may want for themselves. Include maps with each property also, so that they can see how long their commutes would be for work and show all other important places like schools, libraries, grocery stores, and such.

Once your client acquires a chosen property, you would then take care of all the necessary tasks to follow. These necessary tasks would be such as; activate the utilities, schedule a meeting with the school(s), find doctors, get a cleaning company in before their items are moved in, hire movers, gardeners, and stock basic food items, toilet paper, light bulbs and any other necessities. If there are any structural or landscaping changes they want to make to their new home before they move in, you could oversee and handle these for them too. Of course, this would add to your fee.

This is a service you might want to offer through various realty companies in your area. If they can hook you up with clients, you could offer them a percentage of your fees in exchange. This is something that you could negotiate with each company and make sure that you have any agreements in writing, signed, and agreed upon before doing business with them. This is a protection for you and them.

Make sure that you treat your customers well and add a few extras that aren’t necessary but memorable. Include a large bouquet of flowers in their new home near the entrance, welcoming the family to their new home and thanking them for their business. Leave a folder, or gift box, with enclosed maps of the area and information about all of the local town history and areas of interest they may want to visit. Be sure to leave your business information also, just in case they move again or have contacts that would like to hire you for your services in the future.

Resources:

http://www.sba.gov/smallbusinessplanner/index.html

http://homefindersservices.com/

http://www.arp-relocation.com/

http://www.atlasvanlines.ca/