Everyone from busy working parents to housebound senior citizens often need an extra pair of hands to help manage everyday tasks or just provide a little TLC. To fill this need, smart entrepreneurs are starting personal service businesses. These include anything with the word "personal" in it -- personal chefs, personal organizers, personal trainers, and personal shoppers -- as well as errand running, pet sitting, housecleaning, party planning, child transportation, aromatherapy, and flower arranging. And who better to run these businesses than moms? After all, we have hands-on experience in many of these areas! What's more, personal service businesses usually don't require a big dollar investment to start up.
Sound interesting? Here are some tips for getting this type of business off the ground:
- Tap your talents and skills. Do you love to cook? Personal chefs cook up to a week's worth of meals in their own kitchens, then deliver them to clients' homes to stash in the fridge or freezer and reheat. Dual-career families and well-to-do golden-agers are prime markets for this increasingly popular service. Or maybe you're super-organized and can use your skills to minimize the mess or piles of paperwork in other households. Think about the many talents you put to use in your own life and how these can benefit others.
- Do your homework. Make sure your community has a need for your services and that the competition won't be too stiff. Most small towns can't support too many errand runners or pet sitters. And find out if you need any legal documents to run your business, such as a state or local license or a certificate from the Board of Health.
- Structure your business. The sole proprietorship is the most popular and economical setup for a home-based personal services business. But if you're in a high-liability business (personal trainers, chefs and van drivers, for example) you need some more protection in case of lawsuits. A limited liability company or "S" corporation provides extra protection. As a further precaution, it's a good idea to purchase liability insurance.
- Find a unique niche. Personal organizers and shoppers are a dime a dozen, but if you can target your services to a particular market, you may hit gold. For instance, senior citizens going from a large home to a much smaller apartment need a lot of help whittling down and organizing their possessions for the move. As a personal organizer, why not hook up with some local real estate agents who can refer you to this potentially lucrative audience? Personal shoppers may think about specializing in equipping college freshmen for their first year in school, outfitting female executives, or assisting brides with clothing themselves and the members of their wedding party.
- Consider buying into a personal service franchise. Although this requires more of an up-front investment, you do benefit from having a nationally recognized name attached to your business, training materials, and advertising. One umbrella company that offers a range of possibilities is The ServiceMaster Consumer Services Network -- 1-800-WE-SERVE. Its subsidiaries include Merry Maids and Furniture Medic.
- Join the Chamber of Commerce. Your local Chamber of Commerce can be a terrific source for networking and referrals. And most chambers of commerce now welcome home-based businesses, so don't be shy!
