Microbusinesses You Can Start Today

The first edition of this book, released under the title Home-based Businesses You Can Start Today, was published in 2011 both in print and as an e-book. As is common given the pace of change in the 21st century, some of the information became outdated over the course of a few years. This second edition was prompted, at least in part, by the need to update some of the information in the book. The focus of the book has also been refined slightly to encompass all microbusinesses rather than only those that can be operated as home-based businesses as was the case in the first edition.

This second edition also features additional microbusiness ideas. All of the business ideas from the first edition are still included in the second edition, but a number of new ideas have been added as well.

Finally, the structure of the book has been revised. All of the ideas for microbusinesses are contained in Part I, while some of the marketing and business operation material has been moved from the into dedicated chapters contained in Part II. This should result in a smoother reading experience while still providing the same material, albeit in several dedicated chapters. This arrangement also allows the microentrepreneur to look only at business ideas or a specific business topic without needing to wade through material that may not be of interest at the moment.

Contents

Preface

Introduction

Part I

Web Design

Property Maintenance

Income Tax Preparation

Home Care

Handcrafted Greeting Cards

Lawn Care

Snow Removal

House Painting

Online Auctions

Online Auction Consignments

Pet Care / Dog Walking

Article Writing

Photography

Videography

Call Center / Answering Service

Telemarketing

Virtual Office Assistant

Computer Repair

Home / Office Cleaning

Catering

Event Planning

Social Media Marketing

Dry Cleaning Delivery

Grocery Delivery

Restaurant Delivery

Driveway Sealcoating

Computer / Software Tutoring

Academic Tutoring

Fitness Trainer

Life Coach

Consultant

Seminars / Public Speaking

Window Washing

Auto Detailing

Clothing Repair and Alterations

Picture Framing

Fly Tying or Lure Crafting

Handcrafted Jewelry

Lawn and Garden Equipment Repair

Small Engine Repair

Handmade Clothing

Scrapbooking

Desktop Publishing

Junk Removal and Recycling

Interpretation and Translation

Mobile Oil Change

Public Relations

Beauty Consultant

Financial Consultant

Cake Decorating

Interior Decorating

Music Lessons

Landscaping

Internet Research

Advertising

Bicycle Repair and Sales

Toner / Ink Cartridge Refill

Resume Writing

Antiques and Collectibles

Special Order Bakery

Bookkeeping

Mobile Food Vending

Grant Writing

Personal Chef

Pressure Washing

Affiliate Marketing

Mobile RV Washing and Cleaning

Mobile RV Service

Mobile Auto Repair

Transcription

Craigslist Arbitrage

Domain Arbitrage

Software Development

App Development

Part II

Business Structures

Marketing

Finances: Bookkeeping and Taxes

Getting Paid

Growing Your Business with Freelancers

Additional Resources

About the Author

Introduction

What is a microbusiness

A microbusiness is typically considered to be a small business with fewer than five employees (frequently only the owner/operator). Microbusinesses are also frequently defined as having less than $1 million in annual revenue, though the criteria can vary.

Microbusinesses are frequently operated as home-based businesses, with some being location independent and suitable to being operated from anywhere.

Why start a microbusiness

Microentrepreneurs may have many different reasons for starting their own small business. The reasons can vary just like the individual business owner.

Consider these reasons why some people choose to start a microbusiness:

Security - no one can fire you or cut your income except you

Freedom - a microbusiness can provide you with the freedom to work when and where you choose

Profit - a microbusiness allows you to earn more money than you could earn working at a traditional job

Passion - a microbusiness allows you to focus on work that is meaningful and rewarding to you

A microbusiness may be designed to provide a full-time income or simply to supplement an existing income. Some people also start a microbusiness to provide a layer of security so their entire livelihood is not dependent on a job.

Small business in the USA

Small businesses have always been the backbone of the American economy. Despite the attention that large corporations receive in the media, the majority of businesses in the USA are actually small businesses. In fact, according to statistics provided by the US Census Bureau, 74 percent of US firms reported receipts of less than $100,000 in 2002. The US Census Bureau's Survey of Business Owners (SBO) further revealed that half of the 16.7 million business owner's surveyed were operating home-based businesses in 2002.

Anyone considering launching a home-based business is in good company. These government statistics only consider businesses that are reporting business activity - not people who conduct a part-time hobby from their home, but who do not consider it to be a business. The SBO data also reveals that 33 percent of non-employer, small business owners started or acquired their business with no capital at all.

There are many reasons to start a microbusiness. In fact, there are probably about as many reasons as there are microbusiness owners. Starting a microbusiness can be hard work, but it can also be rewarding. Working for yourself also provides a measure of security and flexibility not available in any job. How much security and how much flexibility depends on the type of microbusiness you operate, as well as your motivation and determination to succeed.

The Great Recession, as the 2008 economic recession has come to be called, resulted in frightening numbers of layoffs for American workers. Five years later the economy shows signs of improvement, but millions of people are still unemployed, underemployed, or facing uncertain employment. There are many areas of impact with this level of recession, including significant losses in retirement and investment funds, distrust of corporate decision-makers and executives, and a loss of confidence that any job is really safe from sudden downsizing or layoff.

For many people, being self-employed or operating their own microbusiness has always been a dream. Leaving the corporate world behind, eliminating long commutes to work, spending more time at home with family, and a desire for a simpler lifestyle have all been listed as reasons why people decide to trade the supposed security of a corporate job for their own microbusiness.

Individuals with disabilities are also frequently attracted to self-employment or small microbusinesses. Information from the 1990 national census shows that people with disabilities have a higher rate of self-employment and small business experience than people without disabilities (12.2 percent of people with disabilities versus 7.8 percent of people without disabilities). This is not surprising for several reasons, whether ease of accommodation or greater scheduling control than would be available with a conventional job.

Starting and operating a microbusiness is an exciting adventure filled with variety and surprises. You will not be alone on this exciting journey though. Small businesses have always been an important part of the American economy and continue to be so today.

Part I of this book includes dozens of ideas for microbusinesses that you can start quickly with little investment. Several of these ideas are microbusinesses that I have actually participated in myself. Other ideas are microbusinesses that I have known others to participate in starting and running. Not every idea will appeal equally to everyone; however, there should be at least a few ideas that are interesting to every aspiring microentrepreneur. Most of these ideas can be started on a limited budget using tools or equipment that you probably already own or can readily access. A few are seasonal, may require a larger investment to run well, or may require some degree of experience or training thus limiting who may be able to start that particular business. Overall, these ideas should be a useful resource to anyone considering starting a microbusiness, but unsure of which direction to explore.

Part II of this book includes several chapters on general microbusiness operations. The chapters in this section address topics like which business structure to choose for your microbusiness, dealing with bookkeeping and taxes, and getting paid.

Getting ready to start your microbusiness

Starting a microbusiness can be as easy as announcing you are in business through word-of-mouth announcements, setting up a website or social media profile, or ordering business cards. Nonetheless, there are some steps you can take in advance of launching your new microbusiness that can improve your odds of success.

Pay off debt

This may sound like an odd recommendation at first glance; however, cash flow is an issue for many new microbusinesses. The fewer bills you need to pay each month the better.

Save money in advance

Closely related to paying off debt is the suggestion to save some money for emergencies or unplanned expenses. Putting some money into savings before you start your microbusiness will provide a buffer when an expected payment is late or when a piece of equipment fails unexpectedly. Think of a savings plan as good insurance against Murphy's Law, because something will go wrong eventually. The easiest and least stressful way to deal with this eventuality is to have a little money set aside to handle the problem.

Set up your bookkeeping and record systems

The only way you will know if your new microbusiness is making money or losing money is to keep accurate financial records. Equally important is the need to file regular tax returns (tax authorities find no humor in being told you are not sure how much money you made last year).

Bookkeeping is not all that complicated for most microbusiness. Two caveats on the simplicity of bookkeeping though: bookkeeping becomes exponentially more difficult when it is postponed, and it is often a very wise use of money to hire an experienced accountant to help set up a good record keeping system to be sure you are appropriately tracking income and expenses.

See the chapter on finances in Part II of the book for more information about bookkeeping and business records.

Get started

There really is no time like the present to begin changing your life for the better - and that includes taking the plunge and starting your new microbusiness.

It is easy to become sidetracked with lots of planning, organizing, and other details that do not directly produce revenue. Be careful about spending too much time on projects that do not help your bottom line.

Minimum Viable Product

One great way to get started quickly is to determine what is your minimum viable product. In other words, what is the minimum you need to do in order to make your product or service salable? Bells and whistles can always be added later after you are sure you have a product you can even sell.

It is never a good idea to tarnish your business reputation releasing junk, but it is very helpful to identify the minimum viable product. You might be surprised at what features your customers actually want once they are using your product or service.

Determine your minimum viable product and then ship, deploy or publish.

Part I - Microbusiness Ideas

Web Design

Web design can be a great microbusiness for anyone who is technically proficient, detail oriented, and at least somewhat creative.

The Internet has been referred to as a disruptive technology because it has completely transformed so many aspects of modern life. The Internet has permeated nearly every aspect of society, from communication to banking, and from research to shopping. The Internet has changed our world to the extent that most people have a hard time remembering life before the Internet.

This amazing technology, coupled with the universal mainstream adoption of the technology, has created new business opportunities for entrepreneurs. Many people now earn a respectable living working from the comfort of their home in jobs or businesses that were not even invented a few short years ago. The web design business is one of these new opportunities afforded by the popularity of the Internet.

As Internet usage continues to rise around the globe companies are constantly in need of web design services. Some large companies hire in-house web designers and web programmers to maintain their websites; however, most smaller businesses (and a lot of large businesses) contract out their web design and web content needs to freelance web designers or web design businesses.

Getting started

Web design businesses are ideally suited to starting and operating on a limited budget. (This assumes, of course, that someone interested in starting a web design business already owns a computer and has access to the Internet.) Web design businesses can be easily run from a spare room at home, a corner in the living room, or even from a local Internet cafe. Most communications are handled via e-mail or phone with perhaps an occasional visit to the client's office.

Hosting providers and domain registrars

Domain name registrations and web hosting are two closely related income streams that should not be ignored. Some business customers may already have a domain name registered and hosting set up. These customers may only want you to provide design or content. Many businesses though, particularly those without an existing web presence, may want you to handle the domain name registration and hosting as well. Domain names are typically renewed annually and hosting is typically renewed monthly (though either can be renewed for longer periods). The actual income from either source is small by itself but quickly adds up with multiple accounts. Domain registrations also provide residual income that requires little or no work on your part.

Some hosting providers offer reseller accounts that will allow you to easily set up customer hosting accounts and even integrate billing. This is convenient since billing for hosting can become complicated once you start amassing more than a few hosting accounts.

There are many excellent hosting providers to choose from and more than a few not-so-good hosting providers. Carefully check out any hosting provider in advance and research what their customers are already saying about them. Cheap is not necessarily a good thing when it comes to web hosting. Remember, your customer will not be calling the hosting provider when their site is down - they will be calling you. Save yourself these headaches and choose an affordable, quality hosting provider.

Local web server

Simple HTML pages can be tested by loading the page in a browser. Pages that need to access a database or use a scripting language like PHP will need to be served from a web server to test.

Installing a local web server, if not already included with your operating system, will allow you to test web applications and projects on your local computer without repeatedly uploading to a remote server. Installing Apache, MySQL, etc. can be complicated and tedious. Fortunately, packages like XAMPP simplify the process. Install one of these free packages and you can test your design and programming on your own computer without uploading to a remote server.

Considerations

Web design or development can be challenging. Standards and technologies evolve rapidly requiring the web professional to stay abreast of current trends.

Any type of computer work can be frustrating at times when you cannot make something work the way you intend. Web design or development is no exception. Patience is not only a virtue but a necessity.

Conclusion

Any microentrepreneur with decent technical knowledge (or the ability and willingness to learn), a laptop, and some freely available software can start a web design business quickly. Download some free software if you don't already have it installed and start practicing. Web design can be fun and rewarding (if challenging). It can also be profitable.

Resources

W3Schools - http://www.w3schools.com

SitePoint - http://reference.sitepoint.com

Dive into HTML5 - http://diveintohtml5.info

XAMPP - http://www.apachefriends.org/en/xampp.html

Property Maintenance

The property maintenance business, also known as a handyman business or caretaking, provides property, building and grounds maintenance services to property owners. Customers may be either homeowners or business owners who need assistance with small projects.

Property maintenance projects may include painting, carpentry, electrical, plumbing, landscaping, junk or debris removal, or other similar type of work. Some people choose to specialize in limited fields while others take on a variety of work.

Working as a handyman/handywoman is a good business for those who like to work with their hands, like to fix things, and like to work on a variety of different projects. This work tends to be varied and can also be somewhat seasonal depending on where you live.

The variety in this business can also be a challenge as it can be difficult to know which tools you will need to bring with you each day. This business will also challenge you to learn new skills frequently.

Many homeowners or property owners do not have the time, interest, skills, or tools to handle many of the routine tasks that accompany owning property

Many people would prefer to give additional projects to someone they already know and trust than to find a new contractor they do not have an established relationship with

This business easily generates repeat business from existing customers since property owners always have another project that needs to be done

Marketing

Marketing can be