10 Great Part-Time Business Ideas
By TRISOFT team
If you’ve ever considered trying a side-business, apart from your 9 to 5 job, your current company or freelance endeavor, or have just always wondered would it would be like to delve into a new domain that you’ve always been interested in and had a penchant for, maybe you should try it out and see if it fits you. As long as it doesn’t require too much money, time and energy investment, or it doesn’t gravely affect other areas of your life, you are free to test the waters and have a go at entrepreneurship and finally doing something you like.
However, be advised that it will take some commitment on your part, the proper use of your skills, knowledge and assets, and you will have to be very organized and meticulous. Here are a few part-time business ideas to consider and get you started toward your new career or lucrative enterprise.
1. Antiques
Scout the neighborhood, newspaper ads, flea markets or garage sales and search for those items that have a special appearance, purpose or patina, which collectors adore. Then, sell them at organized events or online, and turn a profit by reintroducing these wonderful treasures from the past into their new homes. Be advised: you should have some general knowledge of many items from various domains (tools, posters, toys, kitchen utensils, vintage clothes) that you might come across, so that you won’t invest in something which will turn out to be worthless. If you’re not sure about an article, go online and search for background information or call a friend that might have some expertise in the field.
2. Tutoring
Think about a field that you have some mastery of or are talented at and be aware of the fact that there will always be someone interested in learning how to develop that certain aspect of their lives, for whatever purpose. Whether it’s foreign languages, computer skills, photography, arts and crafts, history, math, etc., you will certainly find a clientele willing to pay for gaining extra competence in that domain. You can go to your students’ homes, have them come to you or, better yet for everyone, teach online courses from wherever you both might find yourselves at the moment. Just make sure you really know the discipline and are competent in transmitting your prowess to others, or else word will spread and you will lose your paying customers.
3. Coffee cart operator
Invest in a small cart or booth — buy or rent one — and go out to public events, parks or professional areas and serve your outstanding brews to connoisseurs. Make sure you have some knowledge of and practice in preparing all kinds of coffee drinks, in various ways, for customers with different tastes or even allergies, and spend your money on quality appliances and coffee beans. Specialty and origin coffee have been gaining ground lately, and although it will be more expensive, customers will prefer to pay for your exquisite product than gulp down a tasteless brown hodge-podge from the nearby coffee machine.
4. Real estate cleaning out and hauling
Most people could find better ways to spend their weekends or afternoons than by cleaning out their garage, attic, garden shed or storage space. That’s why you’re there — to get the unpleasant task out of their way and allow them to concentrate on more pleasant activities. It does involve physical labor, working in dusty spaces and risking to have something drop on you, but if you’re careful and hardworking, cleaning out people’s real estate could be fun and profitable. Usually, you can find a few gems in the trash that most people are delighted to throw away, which can add to your income: sell antique items and furniture to collectors, recycle bottles, paper and metal scraps at specialized collection centers and donate whatever can still be used, but has no real value, to charity. You will need work overalls and boots, a dust mask and a pick-up truck or another vehicle capable of carrying large or heavy items that need to be discarded or resold.
5. Personal chef
Do you love to try out new recipes and have friends over every other night to try out your exquisite dishes? Why not turn it into a productive endeavor and put out an ad that advertises your cooking skills and availability to meet clients’ desires and preferences by catering to their culinary needs? Given the busy lifestyle of everyone these days, many people simply cannot find the time to cook or are just not talented at it. Working parents, busy professionals, physically challenged individuals will resort to this specialized service in order to make more time for themselves or other chores. Plan a menu, discuss it with your clients, make the shopping list, get the groceries and satisfy your hungry clientele.
6. T-shirt designer
If you’re an artist with imaginative and alluring ideas, searching for a medium to express yourself, or if you have a knack for innovative jokes and funny sayings that just come off the top of your head, use them on the fabric of t-shirts. The current fashion market is oversaturated with brand clothes that look the same, so many people are in search of something unique and fanciful to show their personality through. You can print, paint, draw, bead or sew the images and quotes you’ve invented and show them off at craft fairs, a pop-up store or online.
7. Personal trainer
Whether it’s yoga, karate, bodybuilding or aerobics, people will always be in search of experts to tell them how to do the exercises correctly and motivate them to keep going. People of all ages, sizes and shapes want to be fit, lean and healthy, and are willing to spend their dime on being taught the right way of achieving their physical goals. If you’re an active, energetic individual and passionate about sports, you can offer classes and instruction at gyms, in parks, at health spas, athletic clubs or other venues.
8. Gardening
Do you have a green thumb and a vehicle to get around from one place to another? Brush up on your knowledge of plants, watering habits, trimming, pruning and fertilizing and help senior citizens, corporations and other clients to keep their gardens looking fresh and thriving. Offer a full replacement guarantee, should any shrub or flower wither, and you will ensure a steady clientele that trusts and recommends you to other interested parties.
9. Handyperson
If you’ve always liked to see how things operate, if you spent hours during your childhood taking apart appliances and toys with your father or an uncle, only to see how they work and why they don’t work anymore and how they can be fixed, or you’ve just had a run of bad luck and a lot of things broke down, which you then had to repair by yourself, then you might be prepared and qualified to help others with their malfunctioning equipment. Advertise your services in the community, drop off fliers at hardware stores and office buildings, then start repairing everything from broken windows to leaky faucets, TV sets, radios, computers, cracked walls and squeaky doors. Your motto should be “If it’s broken, I can fix it” — no matter what the “it” is.
10. Records searcher
Attorneys, business owners and private individuals will seek out your services for finding lost family members, checking out questionable litigators, tracking down debtors, verifying employees’ history or digging up facts regarding a business opportunity. You can use specialized databases, search public records or go door-to-door in order to meet your clients’ needs and find out whatever you can in order to deliver an adequate result.
Do it with passion
At TRISOFT, we encourage you to take chances and try something new. And remember, no matter what area you chose to take up, just make sure you do it with passion; get additional information if you need to, or ask for help whenever you aren’t sure what to do. It won’t only be professionally challenging, it will also be a fun new adventure! ;)
