Online Income Possibilities

It might seem that this would be a difficult time to be starting up a new business, especially considering that it has been confirmed that we are in a recession (those of us in the USA). This is actually a very good time to get started, as I’ll explain.

People will be trying to get by without spending as freely as they once did. This means that they will not be calling on electricians when they need minor electrical/plumbing repairs done. Granted, for the really big jobs the call to the professionals will still happen, but for hanging a ceiling fan?

Two ideas spring to mind to meet those particular needs. The first (since I am partial to working online) would be to become a reseller of “How To” manuals for simple home repairs. If you check around you are bound to find a few e-books on the subject matter, in fact you could just act as the go-between for the buyer and the seller.

Another , hands on method, would to become a handyman. When I was a child, there was an older gentleman in my neighborhood. He would do minor repair work, and give a honest opinion if a professional should be called for the job. He did ceiling fan installation, minor plumbing…he even installed a water heater for my parents at one time. He would normally receive $30-$50 per job (which was less than half what professionals would charge). This might not seem like a lot, but he typically did about 20 jobs a week for a neighborhood consisting of 6 residential blocks. Those rates were also in 1970’s money.

Word of mouth was a wonderful promotion tool for him, and should always be a part of your own business plan. Get your customers to recommend you to their friends and family. Someone’s social network will always be better for the promotion of your business than simple advertising.

Let’s go to a much older idea for a home business. This one is really tied in to the downturn in the housing market. Take a walk thru your neighborhood. Check for the houses that have “For sale” signs on them, and no one living there. When you have a fairly decent list of these, contact the agency selling them houses (mostly it will be banks and mortgage companies). Find out who is in charge of those particular properties, and offer your services for general yard clean-up.

Inform them that you are available for mowing the grass, trash clean-up, and snow removal. Set a schedule for how often you will perform these tasks per month, and set a monthly fee. With a fee of only $40 per month, most will accept your offer. Why? because a house that looks well maintained will always sell more frequently than a house that looks “shabby”. In many cases your fee will be less than the possible fines a town might give for the grass not being mowed.

Once again, if you are fair with these organizations, they will spread the word for you, and supply you with additional business.