Editor’s note: This article was first published in January 2012, during Spain’s economic crisis, which is the crisis it refers to as current; the further ideas it promises for later that month may not be available on this site.
Lately, whenever we’ve talked about starting a business from home, with no need for an office or shop, we’ve focused on online businesses. Even though those are profitable businesses, the truth is that there are many other ways to make money from home using your knowledge or skills.
In one of our first articles we offered 10 business ideas that need no initial investment. Today we bring you the first part of a series of ideas that we’ll be sharing throughout this month. They can work perfectly well during the crisis we are going through; in fact, they already are working.
1. Express clothing alterations
Since the big clothing stores stopped offering a personalised alterations service (most of them, at least), there’s a business opportunity for people who know how to sew. Where I’m from, if I buy a suit on a Saturday afternoon, I know where to go to have it ready in two hours or first thing on Sunday morning. I can even take it in on a Sunday. When I’m away from home, I have no idea where to find this service, because you rarely see anyone online advertising a quick, weekend alterations service. You won’t get rich with this business, but it will give you some extra income to weather the crisis.
2. Removing personal data and false reputations online
Just today I saw companies on television that already do this. With the freedom the internet offers, anyone can discredit another person in bad faith and on purpose. There are also people who want to remove personal data indexed by search engines, and that’s where a professional in this field comes in. The other day we published an article explaining what happens to our digital property and identity once we die, and we saw that there are certain things we need to take care of while we’re still alive. Some people lack the experience and others lack the time, but there’s clearly business in this sector.
3. Childcare and/or pet-sitting services
Both sectors can be in demand. The classic babysitting job, which is really more a way of earning some extra money, can now be aimed at couples’ sex lives. Did you know that some sex therapists recommend that couples set aside a moment of intimacy every week to do what they have to do? When children arrive, especially when they are very young, that moment is lost and the couple has no time for it. That’s why, these days, instead of the babysitter going to the family’s home to look after the child, the child goes to the babysitter’s home so that the parents have the playing field all to themselves 🙂
Something similar happens with pet sitting. We know there are boarding kennels where families can leave their animal if they have to leave town or go on holiday. That costs money, and some families also don’t want their pet to spend a few days without human warmth, so many would rather leave it in the home of someone they trust who loves animals.
4. Computer repair for businesses and individuals
There’s not much to say about this business. The truth is that finding a computer technician to format a computer is very easy, because there are plenty of unemployed IT professionals out there. I honestly think that when supply is too large, the winner is whoever does the best job at selling and advertising.
Advertising means building your own website explaining your services, listing yourself on hundreds of sites and even leaving stickers at people’s homes. If I needed a computer technician and didn’t know one… do you know who I’d call? The one who handed me their card in person and whose face I’ve seen. I’m not saying they’ll be better than a stranger advertising online or someone who left their flyer at my business or home, but I like to know who I’m calling. That’s why a personal sales effort is necessary, and it would make you stand out from the rest.
To be continued…
See also: 8 tips for starting a business from home
Featured image: bekathwia, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
