Fresh New Small Business Ideas…..

By Helene Labelle

You like to shoot videos with your video camera, or maybe you like to write, take pictures or even collect baseball cards. Perhaps others compliment you on your works of art and talent, your hobby can be an easy source for earning some extra income. And why not using it to your advantage? Attract some extra dollars by getting paid to do what you already love doing. In this article, you’ll find some key points on how to rake in some extra dollars from taking your hobby into business grounds.

1. Have fun

2. Hone your skills

3. Market yourself

4. Commit

Have Fun

In most cases, your hobby will not make you rich. But you do it because you love it, others enjoy it and it somehow makes you feel alive. Your hobby is something that keeps you motivated and therefore should always remain a source of enjoyment for you. Whatever income you wish to make from it, make sure that you enjoy the process.

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By Robin James Hutton

The basics of how to make a board games business are similar to those of making any other business with a critical creative difference. From design right through to selling, the creative element will always be the driving factor. Decisions taken early are crucial to every step of the process and it is important to remember that you will be entering a market that is highly competitive.

Whether you yourself intend to design, or have already designed, the board game that will launch your business, or whether you intend to get somebody else to do this, there are points vital for consideration. Theme and mechanics must be correctly balanced in order to make the board game work. The only way to assure that this is the case is by arranging play-testers to trial run the product. As the brains behind the potential business, it would be wise to observe the reaction of the testers as they try the game. This could and probably should occur before any money is invested in manufacturing, if indeed you intend to release the game yourself rather than trying to secure a licensing agreement. This would mean making a cheap version of the board game from cardboard or whatever other materials suit.

Once you are satisfied that you have a fun, commercial product, it’s time to make a decision on which route to go down when it comes to launching. It is possible to build a board games business by selling your idea to a publisher who will then produce, market and distribute it. If this is the route that you decide to take you will be facing tough odds. In the same way that an author must fight for attention for his book, you will face a similar situation with your game. The best advice you can follow is to be sure to closely follow a publishers guidelines for approaches. Also, be sure to tailor your submission to the right type of publisher – one that deals specifically with the type of game you are trying to publish. If you are successful in this you will be paid in royalties and the hard work will be taken off your hands.

If your intention is to launch the game yourself, be prepared – as with any other business – to pay close attention to cost at every stage. It is advisable if risking your own, or borrowed, money to seek the advice of a board games consultant (yes, they do exist!) as they will give you impartial advice on the market potential of your game. If they respond to it favourably, you will then begin the process of production, investment, selling, marketing and distribution. Always get estimates and ensure that companies stick to them, otherwise your project could go broke well before it gets onto the shelf.

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By Mohamad Imran

Follow your passion, and success will follow you. – Terri Guillemets

Most people tell themselves that what they love to do is merely a hobby or a distraction. If you are one of them, then think about this for a minute. Are you more likely to be motivated to work on and practice a skill, technique, or acquire knowledge about, something that you love, or something that you dislike?

Common sense would tell us that people are inclined to activities that they love or are passionate about. You do not have to persuade or convince a music lover to listen to a song, or a photography hobbyist to learn about the technical aspects of a camera lens. Naturally, intrinsically, there is a drive to pursue that activity and master it. Therefore, grand masters of various fields in the world, whether Gary Kasparov of chess, Albert Einstein of modern physics, or Andre Agassi of tennis, and countless others before and after them, are first and foremost passionate about what they do. For many, it is a passion that seems to many an obsession. As a result of pursuing that passion single-mindedly, fame, success and wealth followed.

What is the lesson that we can learn here? Firstly, whether or not you are an entrepreneur, musician, sportsman or scientist, in order to achieve success, counter-intuitively, you have to master your passion. It is noted in Malcolm Gladwell’s book Outliers that mastery of a craft takes 10,000 hours. In his book, Gladwell cites the story of the Beatles and how they chalked up over 10,000 hours playing in pubs around the United Kingdom before they ever made it big with their records. Success will not follow you unless you commit, every single day, for as long as you are able, to continuously learning, practicing and mastering your passion.

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By Chris J Walker

Jenny was really bereft. In another language, totally stuffed. Her business collapsed leaving her with a huge pile of hard work, massive worries and a personal accountability way beyond what appeared to be her means. She couldn’t even pay my consulting fee, but at least she was up front about it.

I don’t work for free. People get what they pay for in life, and good advice doesn’t come cheap. So, Jenny and I worked out a way and then got on with the job of rebuilding her enterprise.

Step 1. Work Out What Went Wrong and make sure we close that potentiality for the future. Simply put, we evolved her by learning from the past. That’s essential if we want to make the past the past. If we don’t learn why stuff happened in the past, we either fear it happening again or stay stuck in the past. Just look at business people whose business is repeating and repeating old mistakes. To get past the past, learn from it. Jenny and I went through every step of her business and how things would have been different if she’d done things different. She learned, it was, in her words “almost worth failing to learn all that.”

Step 2. No More Ground Hog Day.. Reinvent Yourself Often.. many people find themselves digging their way out of struggles and simply hoping for recovery, to get out of desperate places. They say things like “I just want to be free of this mess” or “If only I could free myself up from this crap”.. Jenny was no different, so I explained to her that escaping desperation is no way to create what she wants. What she really needs to do is to take a weekend to go into suspended animation and find a new picture, new vision of the future she wants to create, not based on escaping the drama, but on building success. We did this sitting by the beach for two whole days just talking, visioning and creating the model of the enterprise she wanted to create. It wasn’t the same as the old one, we’d learned from the past, it was new and exciting but leveraged the past. (nature never destroys the past, she just builds new future’s on top, greater in consciousness (smarter) less in number (simpler).

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By Jamie A Gough

Passive income doesn’t need to be a strange businesses you don’t know anything about. Can you turn your hobby into a passive income? Here area some ideas.

If you’re a sailor or bushwalker rent out EPIRBS (Emergency Personal beacons) to sailors, divers, hunters, bushwalkers and the like in your area.

If you enjoy perusing art galleries consider buying some art and then get companies to rent it from you on an annual basis. What else could you potentially rent out? Plastic Plants, Projectors…

If you like fashion and are savvy on the Internet you could set up an automated eBay business. Set up a “shop” on eBay using drop shippers. People order from your website, the drop shipper sends the order and you get paid.

If you like a punt and your successful oil and/or natural gas wells could potentially return you a passive income for up to 25 years. It’s a bit like share investing and very risky but if you’re lucky you could hit an oil/gas well that lasts for years, giving you continuous passive income.

If you have a few acres consider planting some pine trees and potentially sell them within a few years in your local town at Christmas time.

For those at school you could buy mice, however I suggest you get your parents approval before you do so. Mice breed relatively easily and don’t need a large area like some other livestock. Potentially you could start with a few and sell their off spring online or to the local pet shop.

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By David Housse

Before I go and explain how you can start a flower business, I first need to make sure that you understand this business very well. I know that you’ve probably read many articles who claim that you can definitely open a successful flower shop without any prior experience. However, you should believe me when I say that this isn’t correct. It’s true that the flower business isn’t complex as it might look like, but if you don’t know the very basics of this job, you’ll be throwing your money for nothing. If you’re confident that you have the required skill set to manage such a business, here 5 tips to help you do so:

1- Which type of flowers you’re going to be selling:

Before you start a flower business, you need to decide whether you’re going to be selling silk flowers or fresh real ones. Just put in mind that if you intend to deliver your arrangements elsewhere, then silk flowers are going to be easier to handle than real ones. Delivering fresh flowers, especially in gift boxes, requires some expertise and special care, and that’s what you exactly need if you want to sell these.

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By Chris Farrance

1. Walk the Talk

It’s tough, but the people around you will be able to assess your mood when you walk in to a room pretty much instantly. In an office, that mood can permeate the room in seconds. It may go against the grain but aim for upbeat and smile, smile, smile. If necessary fake it! People will also be constantly checking – rather like a virus check -what you say against what you do. So, if customer service is your thing – as it should be – then make sure you remain customer focused in all that you do and say. Think of your suppliers and staff as customers too.

2. Attitude v skills

There’s a popular mantra that goes ‘Hire for attitude, train for skills’. Ideally you want both of course, and in some circumstances – where, for example, there is an urgent need short term for some pretty technical stuff – then you can park this. But if you’re recruiting people in to the business, and especially if they’re customer facing – then the right people focused, positive attitude is critical. Teams, too, tend to be more successful if members are positive and goal orientated and this goes a long way to creating a positive climate for your business.

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By Ajaero Tony Ifeanyi

Indeed, “going green” is the big news anywhere these days. You can see it in people’s faces; feel the excitement in the air. Yet everyone seems to have a hard time buying into the idea. To attract more prospects, most of today’s successful green companies are focusing on other great benefits they can provide to their clients. You should too. This article will provide a great insight on how to start a green business. But before I go into the details of how to start a green business, I want to emphatically state that the information provided in this article does not in any way replace the need for you to conduct a feasibility study, write a business plan and do your own due diligence. Secondly, the information shared in this article is applicable to any locality; be it USA, Canada, UK, Nigeria, Ghana, etc.

Now when it comes to starting a green business, you have to understand that even if you have this noble “going green” idea inside you, the market appeal may not be enough as of the moment. But as the awareness of the need to preserve the ecosystem increases; consumers may likely switch over if you offer them other benefits such as cost saving features, or greater convenience and additional health benefits. Entrepreneurs keen on learning how to start a green business must understand the “green” appeal alone will not be enough; they have to offer other choices and benefits to convince their markets.

Whatever the case may be; customers still and will always want a good deal. To help save the environment may be a good rallying call, but economics still proves to be heavier down on people’s pockets. Everything still boils down to the price factor; so you must take your cost into consideration before starting a green business. Without wasting your time, below are more tips on how to start a green business.

How to start a green business

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By Andrew S Kuhns

Score one for the packrat! I don’t think of myself as someone who will eventually end up on a reality television show, climbing over piles of junk, refusing to abandon that old dish rag. I do however have an appreciation for stuff, my wife does not. So in the spirit of compromise it is necessary from time to time to lighten the load and part ways with some of my collection. Like any self-respecting eBay Power Seller with just a bit of research my junk is quickly converted into eBay products to sell for a nice profit. Below are five niches I just found while clearing out my closet.

*My first score from the top self was two old iPod retail display boxes. The hard plastic cases were not in the best shape, a bit dusty and scratched, but complete with the original documentation and labels. A quick eBay completed listing search revealed that priced correctly these would be an easy sell. That got me thinking as I have a habit of holding onto my empty retail boxes. Game consoles, cameras, printers, you name it and I’ve probably got the empty box stashed away somewhere. Armed with my completed listing tool I began searching and was a bit surprised to find many of these empty boxes are selling pretty well. Just like the item inside the package the more demand there is for the product, the more demand there is for its retail box. Apple iPad and iPhone retail boxes were easily selling in the $15-$30 range! Not bad for an empty box that most would have thrown away the day of purchase.

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By Tom Gruich

If you’re a student who needs a little extra income, a stay at home Mom, or anyone who wants to earn a few extra dollars to go on a special vacation or pay off credit card debt, data entry jobs from home may be exactly what you’re looking for.

There are many advantages of online jobs. The work schedule is almost always flexible, allowing you to work early in the morning before going to class or later at night after the kids are in bed. You can also elect just how much work you want to take on. You can work anywhere from a few hours a week to eight hours a day. Finally, the extra money you bring in from your work-at-home job can help your family stay afloat in these challenging economic times.

The first step to launching your new career is to find data entry jobs from home. Unfortunately, many work-at-home business opportunities are scams. To avoid becoming a victim, remember a few simple rules. You shouldn’t have to pay to get started; employers should pay you, not the other way around. It’s also not a good idea to become involved in any business where part of your salary depends upon getting family and friends to join. And I’m sure you know the rule, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

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By Dave J Warren

If you like gardening and want to start your own home business, then growing herbs might be an excellent way to make some extra income. All you need to figure out is how to grow your herbs and how to sell your herbs – and you’re well on your way to making money from doing something that you love.

Growing herbs in a garden bed will give you lots of space, so that you can not only grow many herbs, but lots of different types. However, be aware that not all herbs grow well together. Also, some herbs will take over the garden bed, stopping other herbs from thriving. For example, mint is usually best grown alone and it tends to run wild. You also need to consider the best growing conditions of each herb.

Some herbs prefer lots of sun (for example, basil, chives, parsley and coriander), where others are okay in shade (mint, comfrey and lemon balm). Generally, though, most herbs prefer sun to shade. So if you do only have the one garden bed, pick a nice sunny position to see your herbs thrive. You don’t need to have all your herbs in the one garden bed, though. You can have lots of separate garden beds, ensuring that you have the best growing conditions and best companions for each herb.

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Little Business Ideas

List of Small Business Ideas – My Top 4
By Deanna Ries

A large part of the population has been affected due to the recent economic downturn. Small business registrations have increased due to the search for alternative forms of income. Indeed, the recession has made people realize that one cannot solely depend on their income alone. Worse, the company they work for might even be gone tomorrow! For this reason, the search for low capital, gradual growth companies has increased. So here’s my top 4 list of small business ideas:

#4. Cosmetic Representative:

The cosmetics business does not seem to be as critically affected by the recession. In fact, women like to look their best, especially when economics are slow. Since a little dash of good lipstick color makes one feel confident. It is an inexpensive way for women to give themselves a little self-esteem boost. Besides, who doesn’t know a few women who enjoy taking the time to look their best? It takes less than an hour to be briefed by a cosmetic representative on how to sell cosmetic products. Start-up capital required is minimal, allowing one to get started quickly and affordably.

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How to Start a Small Scale Business

Small Scale Business – What Is Right For You?
By Kurt Harold

If you have decided that you want to own a small business, you are probably very excited about entering the world of commerce with something that you can call your own. Perhaps you want to supplement your salary or are looking for ways to earn additional money during your retirement. Maybe you want to see if you can turn something that you love, such as a favorite hobby, into a profitable venture.

Why a Small Scale Business?

There are a number of reasons that many people choose to think about owning a business on a small scale. There certainly are lifestyle justifications for such a decision. Here are a few of the most common of those:

• Without employees, you never have to worry about meeting payroll commitments.
• Required record keeping can be less intimidating without having to worry about employee liability, workman’s compensation insurance (tax), withholding money from the employees for federal and state taxes, meeting your share of the payroll tax, etc.

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Small Business Ideas to Supplement Your Income
By Jeremy Winters

Certain small business ideas can go a really long way in supplementing your income. With well directed research you can be earning a sizeable amount of extra money every month.

Choose a particular hobby you love intimately and turn it into a small business. A lot of people make the stressful mistake of following the tide and trying to make money the exact same way other people are making it. Take for instance a person’s passion for music. You can very easily open a small music store that is a regular supplier of old and new music.

If you are a passionate dancer you can offer dancing classes for the youth in your neighbourhood. Business is an energy sapping activity and the best way to go at it is by following your heart and not following the tide. If you follow the tide you might all of a sudden find yourself in a situation you hate, all alone and miserable.

As a recognized professional in your field of expertise you can diversify your portfolio and offer services to private clients. An accountant can very easily do the books for fellow friends and family at a low cost. A lawyer can also represent clients with legal battles he or she stumbles upon on a daily basis. At the very core of this effective strategy is a good listening ear. This means you must not only be geared up for exciting social interactions, but be alert for opportunity. The awesome thing about doing this is that you will have the experience to back you up, plus of course your company’s reputation as a proof of your competency.

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By Jill A Harris

If you’d like to know how to get started with Forex, and you’ve never done anything like this before, use this basic three-point plan – oh, and the secret ingredient too. This is not what you think. You don’t need heaps of money, but you do need the right mind-set. You don’t have to work at it all the time, but you do need to think of it as a real business – even if it’s just a sideline.

1. Firstly, do the work! Learn everything you can about foreign currency exchange trading.
2. Secondly, you’ll need to find a good broker to make the trades for you, preferably someone who comes recommended.
3. And thirdly – you should make sure you’ve got a reliable computer with broadband.

There’s another – much more important secret ingredient. We’ll have a look at that right now. Before you begin trading Forex, make sure you understand that everything you do when you enter this arena is based on your psychology.

There’s nothing airy or difficult or weird about this. I don’t mean you need to start lucid dreaming the signals or repressing your emotions. And you don’t have to be a maths genius or have past experience in trading stocks etc. The deep psychology of trading in a volatile market means you should know what kind of personality you have and how to play to your strengths. Also, you need to work on your cognitive abilities and make the most of them.

Are you good at perceiving things, pattern recognition, memory and do you know the right way to approach learning? If not, you should find out how to maximise what you already have.

In order to minimize your losses find the best course on Forex you can and work at it. And, before you invest any serious money in this business – practice on a demo platform.

Unless you work in the industry, I strongly suggest you find a reputable broker to do the trading for you. You wouldn’t think of scuba diving without a tank of oxygen would you? Spend time on forums and trustworthy websites and find out which brokers have consistently good recommendations

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