Swimming Pool Promotion:
Imagine the casual elegance of working from your swimming pool gazebo. So what if you’re among those who have lost their job in all the cuts going on in the workplace? You will say, “This is terrible. Over 500,000 jobs are being cut every single week in the US; I need a job, not a swimming pool.” Yes you do, but think about the potential opportunity you have to look around and see if a new career is in order for you. It is always the right time to become an entrepreneur and work for yourself—if you aren’t working anyway, what better thing to do than see if there is some way you can hire yourself.
During this turbulent economic period, we will seize every opportunity to show you some businesses or service niches that could interest you and become your next career. Any home-based business offers the chance to work your business just like a large corporation from anywhere in your home, from swimming pool, to bedroom, or your kitchen table. In this article are home-based operations ranging from pet sitting, through virtual assistants, to installing custom shelves and storage areas. They all offer you a promotion from your office cubicle to your own swimming pool. See if one of these fits your situation.
Fetch!PetCare
This company, Fetch!PetCare, provides a new level of service to pet owners who often require pet sitting or pet walking duties. This is a franchise company, listed in the 2008 Inc. 5000, that is within the financial capability of many home-based entrepreneurs; the opportunity is discussed later. The pet industry is number six among the fastest growing in the US, with sales forecast this year at $43.4 billion. The company uses a network of over 3,800 pet sitters. With these numbers they are able to offer on-demand emergency sitters almost anywhere they are needed to provide in-home services if customers want it. The pet business is thriving because, as the CEO of Fetch!PetCare says, "Pets don't know that we are in an economic downturn.”
To be approved for a franchise, you must have a strong credit history and a minimum liquid financial net worth of $15,000. Additional required investment varies by what your business strategy is.
A possible example is:
Initial franchise fee: $12,000
Training, advertising, and equipment: $8,295 to $24,500
Total Investment: $20,295 to $36,500
This is an attractive and inexpensive franchise for these rough times. It requires a low investment, you have a lot of on-call help so you don’t kill yourself trying to take care of your customers, and there is lots of repeat business. In addition to sitting services, there is a store offering pet and people clothes and many other accessories and supplies—another way for you to make money from the same customer base for whom you provide other services. The company provides no financing, but they will help you find sources of money through a list of microloan lenders in your state; you can see this list here.
Virtual Assistants (VAs)
VAnetworking is the largest Virtual Assistant Networking Association business network for aspiring and successful Virtual Assistants and Virtual Achievers to share, learn, and succeed! Membership is free and there are currently just under 11,000 registered members.
The Alliance for Virtual Businesses defines Virtual Assistants this way: “Virtual Assistants (VAs) are independent entrepreneurs providing professional administrative, creative, managerial, technical, business office and/or personal support services. VAs use the most advanced means of communication, and the newest and most efficient and time saving office products and work delivery, regardless of geographic boundaries. Virtual Assistants work from their own offices, on a contractual basis, and abide by an established Code of Ethics requiring integrity, honesty and due diligence.”
When VAs first came to the Internet, there was some reluctance by business owners to use these assistants. Many years have passed since then, and the fine assistants are totally accepted almost everywhere. They are not only for Internet businesses; brick and mortar operations can use them as well. No matter where you do business, a VA can cut employee costs and free the owner’s time to run the business instead of performing repetitive daily duties.
Here is a chart comparing a full time employee with a VA, which shows there may be a cost saving over $60,000:
COST COMPARISON Full-time
Employee Virtual Assistant
Hourly Rate of Pay $20 $35
Fringe Benefits @ 35%
(Health/Dental/Life Insurance, Retirement Plans) 7 None
Overhead Rate @ 50%
(Office Space, Equipment & Office Supply expense, UI Insurance, Worker's Compensation, Overtime Pay, Administration Costs) $10 None
Total Effective Rate of Pay $37 $35
Hours Per Year 2080 hrs. 480 hrs.
Total Annual Labor Cost $76,960.00 $16,800.00
This potential saving is possible because Virtual Assistants are usually more experienced, more efficient, and better connected than the employee. This means an employer needs to devote far less time to a project to get the same results, only 480 hours a year versus 2,080 for the new employee. Also, with a Virtual Assistant, pay is only for the time on a task by the minute, not for the whole day whether you have enough work for them to do or not! No more paying for socializing, hour long lunches, or frequent trips to the washroom. An employee's eight hour day can be crunched into 3-4 hours with a Virtual Assistant. With these savings, it is no wonder VAs are in continuing demand.
This business requires a minimum investment and just the normal equipment for a home office. Certification adds credibility but is not legally required. Build up a client list, which should be fairly easy in most places because a lot of business owners still don’t know about VAs. If you do your job of telling about these important workers, you will have no trouble building your business. To learn more about starting a VA business, you may want to invest in this VAnetworking e-book (http://virtualbusinessstartups.com/) telling exactly how to use their system to start your own virtual assistant business. Or do your own online research and learn more about this potentially lucrative career.
MyBargainBuddy.com
This is a business that started as a hobby, but turned out to be a very lucrative income stream. This site was developed by a stay-at-home mom. MyBargainBuddy.com has a well-designed home page which displays everything there is on the site. This includes special products, vendors, and coupons. It’s all there right before your eyes as you enter the home page.
The owner explains how she developed this profitable Website. Study what she did, and you may realize exactly how to develop a winner of your own. Here’s the story from the owner herself:
My name is Karen Hoxmeier. I own and operate MyBargainBuddy.com. As a stay-home mom with 3 kids, I've always been a bargain hunter and a coupon clipper. When I got my first computer in July of 1999, my ‘hobby’ spread to online shopping. I was surprised by all of the great deals I came across, products marked down 90%, coupon codes for $20 off or more, etc. I passed these deals along to my friends and family via e-mail.
In November of 1999, I came across a place called Homestead that allowed people to build their own free websites. No programming knowledge was required! If you could ‘drop and drag’ you could have your own website! I thought it would be fun to post my ‘finds’ on a webpage. I named my site ‘Karen's Finds’. It had about 4 pages of deals and coupon codes.
After a couple months, I discovered that Homestead sites were not compatible with WebTV and certain other web browsers. Another problem was that the pages looked different, depending on what browser you were using. A page that looked OK to one person would have pictures or text overlapping to another person. I decided to learn HTML code and move my site off Homestead.
I bought an HTML ‘how to’ book and did a little research online. After lots of trial and error, I made my own website! In January of 2000, I registered the name MyBargainBuddy.com. As time went by, I added more categories, pages, links, and offered a free email newsletter to my visitors. I never imagined my site would grow as much as it has. MyBargainBuddy.com has been featured on TV, radio, and in several newspapers and magazines.
Seven years later, I still love finding bargains. Helping others do the same is very rewarding. I enjoy hearing from people who use my website. That's what keeps me going! If you have a question, comment, or suggestion, I'd love to hear it!
Many hobby businesses don’t provide much income to their owners. Because this one does, the remarks above should be studied by anyone wanting to do this. There is also an affiliate program if you want to participate without having your own Website.
Accounts Receivables, Inc.
To remain profitable in a down economy, a business must keep its cash flow coming, especially since most banks won’t lend a dime right now. This company, Accounts Receivables, Inc., offers a full range of credit services from invoicing through any necessary collection duties, so it’s actually helping other businesses stay in business.
This company manages the entire cash part of the business from invoicing through posting of cash receipts; their clients are able to concentrate on their main business, knowing the life blood of the business—the cash flow—is continuing to operate in capable hands. The company specializes in professional services, retail, and the construction industry.
One way clients are helped is the WeCall™ Collection Program which attempts to keep outstanding balances from going beyond their due date using a non-aggressive telephone approach. This program starts at $199. There is also a third party collection service available if needed. All these programs are offered with a no collection/no fee policy. Fees are 30 to 40% in the US and Canada, 50% elsewhere.
If you are familiar with accounting or running a small business, this providing kind of service could be something profitable for your new career and a true lifesaver to lots of other businesses in your community.
XRoads Consulting
Many companies are beginning to contract out specialty services like recruiting. The owners of XRoads Consulting started in 2006 and specialize in recruiting and placement in technical positions. They say, "There are definite financial rewards to being home-based and not having the upfront overhead needed to start a business."
Services provided by this company are:
Technical Staffing
Project Managers
Vendor Management
IP Communications
Offshore Services
Their Website has a way for you to submit your resume to a Consulting Technical Recruiter, and their Resources page contains interviewing and resume preparation tips. You may also talk directly with a Technical Recruiter.
This is a business that is meant to be home-based. Many of you have sent myriads of resumes and had dealings with Human Resources at a company where you worked. If recruiting sounds interesting, and you like to interact many different kinds of people, becoming a recruiting consultant could be for you. Helping others find their dream job could be very satisfying. If you have writing skills and can help them write their resume too, you have another offering to add.
ShelfGenie
Some of the few people making money in the terrible housing market today are those who repair, recondition, or improve the livability of existing homes people have decided to live in rather than try for a sale. One such company is ShelfGenie involved with making custom shelving units.
This company offers franchises for $80,000 to about $128,000. As an owner you get home office training in sales and management. Customer appointments may be made by telephone or directly online. The appointment is for a design representative to visit the customer’s home and make recommendations for using the pre-built units made by ShelfGenie. These stock units are modified to the customer’s needs and well trained installers put them in place. The franchise owner does not have to be a skilled carpenter to operate this business—they just need to know how to contact home owners and sell them on the idea of improving the usefulness of shelves and cabinets throughout the home.
Conclusion
Faced with the stark reality of losing your job, it will help you make better decisions if you just sit and think logically about the future. High on the list will be some way to start the money flowing again. It may be time to consider working for yourself in the relaxed atmosphere of your home. If you ever get fired again it will be because of something you did, not because of an arbitrary management decision.
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