Making money from home services

Become a window cleaner.
There will always be a demand for good window cleaners. It`s a surprisingly well paid job and the opportunity to expand and take on extra workers will certainly increase your profit potential. Materials and equipment to get started is cheap and easy to come by. There are a number of firms who specialise in window cleaning supplies. Check the yellow pages for details. Build up a round calling door-to-door. Leave leaflets advertising your services for those not at home. Ensure you give a good service to your customers. You`ll be surprised at how recommendations will help you gain more business. For basic to advanced techniques see window cleaning Essentials

Start your own ironing service.
If you don`t mind ironing and you`re good at it, you should consider offering this, often detested chore, as a service to others. You could start by placing an ad in the local paper and display a small poster/leaflet in local shops until you build the desired number of customers. It`s definitely an advantage to be able to drive so that you can offer a collection and delivery service.

Set up a mobile car valeting service.
Mobile car valeting is another cleaning service that could easily be started without too much difficulty. You can offer more than just a 10 minute car wash. Using good quality upholstery cleaning materials and polishes, plus a powerful vacuum cleaner, you can offer a full valeting service, with a smile. Like window cleaning, aim to build up a customer round and always be on standby to answer emergency calls when your customers need a quick clean.

Start a pet food delivery service.
Pet food deliveries can be useful to many individuals, particularly old and disabled people who find difficulty in getting out and about. Obtaining a stock of popular foods at competitive prices will also be an advantage. Build up a round of regular customers until you have enough to keep you busy. A small to medium-size van will be required. Add an attractive sign and graphics on the side displaying a catchy business name and contact number will help you get noticed.

Offer a gutter cleaning service.
Gutter cleaning is a dirty job, but someone has to do it. If you don`t mind heights and getting your hands and clothes dirty, this could be a good way to make extra cash. The autumn is the obvious time when people need this service most, to clean out leaves that clog up the guttering. But an all year round service can still be offered. If you have enough knowledge to repair or replace broken guttering, this can be a useful additional service.

Start a mobile video and videogame service.
If you like the entertainment business this could be just up your street. A small van is needed plus a good stock of popular titles. Canvas your chosen area with a supply of photocopied list of titles you have available. Don`t forget that not everybody finds it easy to nip down to their local video store. Building up a regular round of reliable, satisfied customers is what you should be aiming for.

Small removals is a service that`s always in demand.
Particularly in the larger towns and cities. A `man with a van` (preferably a large box van) collecting and delivering items such as fridges, cookers and 3 piece suites for people might find this a good little money earner. You will need to be properly insured of course to cover against accidents and breakages. Contact your local insurance broker for details of public liability insurance etc. Advertise your services in the local paper, shop windows and leaflet distribution.

Carpet cleaning is another service which is constantly in demand.
A good income can be made from this type of business for those determined to succeed. The secret to success in the carpet cleaning business, as with many other types of business, is hard work. Try to do as many jobs a day as you can fit into your schedule. This means plenty of advertising, lots of referrals and effective door-to-door canvassing techniques. Obtain the best industrial type cleaning equipment you can afford, suitable for upholstery cleaning as well as carpets. If you do a good job on peoples` carpets they will often ask if you can clean their 3-piece suites as well. Make sure your prices remain competitive and plough some of the profits back into the business if you wish to expand further. Once you are firmly established, consider taking on contract work for customers who require regular cleaning services, such as restaurants, hotels, clubs and pubs.

Start a garden maintenance service.
Build up a regular round of customers whose gardens need to be kept in good order. This will involve weed control, pruning, hedge trimming, lawn mowing and edging. A good knowledge of plants and flowers will also be useful, where customers require advice and help in planning a colourful garden.

Set up a house cleaning service.
House cleaning is a chore that some peopl hate doing, or simply haven`t got the time or energy to do. A well organised person could start a business hiring out cleaners to do the work for these type of people. You could work on your own, but a far more profitable approach is to employ a number of cleaners on a part-time basis, and keep a percentage of the fee charged, for your business. Work can also be obtained for cleaning offices and shops. Ensure the people you employ are totally trustworthy and good workers. Always pay a fair wage for a fair days work.

Specialise in interior design and decoration of childrens bedrooms and playrooms.
This type of business will require you to have a good sense of colour coordination and design, and a good idea of what children like to have in their rooms. To do this you need to find out what things are of interest to the particular child whose room you are designing. Preferably a design that will please the parents too. After all they will be the ones who are paying your fee. Let your imagination run free however, and come up with at least three or four designs that might be suitable. The parents can then decide which one to choose.

Offer a ‘timesaving’ service
This would be a service designed for busy people whose lifestyles leave them little time to do the more mundane everyday jobs in life. These might include walking the dog, cutting the grass, cleaning the dishes, doing the ironing etc. Charge for your services by the hour, and customise your service to suit the requirements of each individual.

Start a housesitting service.
This would be an ideal business for a mobile couple who are not tied down with property of their own. Its a business which involves you living in and looking after other peoples` homes. It`s designed to provide a way for people, who are regularly away from home, to have some measure of security and peace of mind that their property is being looked after and kept in good order. References will be required as proof of your reliability and trustworthiness. This will be easier to substantiate once you have some experience behind you.

Supply and fit smoke detectors to homes.
Find a reliable wholesale supplier, canvass housing estates for work, leaving leaflets for people not at home, and advertise in the local press. Once the business is running successfully, consider offering the same service for small businesses.

Offer a service fitting security locks on doors and windows.
If you`re a handyman, this should be a fairly simple business to start up and run. As with smoke detectors, you will need to canvas for work as well as advertise in the press. One of the benefits worth mentioning to homeowners is that when security locks are fitted throughout the home, the housholder can usually get an extra discount on their home insurance.

If you`re good at laying tiles, start a floor tiling service.
Floor tiling is generally easier and quicker to do than wall tiling, due to the larger size of the tiles. With the right equipment, tilecutting, even around awkward shapes will become easier the more jobs you do. The main thing to remember is that with wooden floors a suitable flexible cement and grout must be used to avoid tiles cracking afterwards. Learn all you can about how to plan a layout and calculate the amount of materials and time it will take when estimating jobs. You`ll also need a good knowledge of what kind of tiles are available, to help customers who need advice on choosing the best tiles for the job. Advertise your service in the local newspapers and through tile suppliers who can recommend you to their customers.

Start your own business fitting security lights.
An experienced electrician would find this business easy to start and run. Even a competent do-it-yourselfer, with enough knowledge of electrics, shouldn`t find this business to hard to set up. First find a supplier of a good range of security lights and fittings, get familiar with their products, then advertise your service through local classified ads and door-to-door leaflet distribution.

Sell and fit electric showers.
An ideal business for an experienced electrician. Some plumbing skills also required. However, if you have the right qualifications, specialising in the fitting of electric showers, as opposed to wiring a house or plumbing in a bathroom suite, is generally a fairly quick job and very profitable. Arrange an account with suppliers of the most popular models. Advertise your services in the local newspapers.

Offer a service for painting or creosoting wooden fences.
Canvas suitable areas where there are plenty of fences evident. Ensure that you do a really good job and build up a large annual round of customers. Obtain your materials in bulk to get the best discounts.

Start your own wheelie bin cleaning round.
Using a small van, a mobile industrial pressure spray unit, plus suitable detergents, you could gradually build up a monthly round for cleaning household wheelie bins. The smell from some bins can be pretty disgusting. Not everyone cares to clean them themselves. A cleaning service is therefore useful, and a large, regular round means good profits. Remember the old saying? Where there`s muck there`s money.

Build patios for home improvement customers.
If you have the knowledge and experience of building a patio, laying garden paths, erecting garden walls or fences, you could start a home improvement business offering other people the same type of service. Start by advertising in the local press and through leaflet distribution in suitable areas.

Offer a service for fitting dado rails, delf racks and replacement skirting boards.
Your main business would be catering for homeowners, but some small businesses may also require your services. If you`re handy at woodwork this is a fairly simple business to get started. Materials are easy to obtain and reasonably cheap to buy. Most of your profits will come from your labour charges. Advertise in the local press and through door-to-door leaflet distribution.

Train to become a carpet fitter.
After training and some background experience, start your own carpet fitting business. You will need all the right tools, plus a van to collect and deliver new carpets. Contract out to established carpet firms where possible, or advertise your services through the local newspapers.

Learn to fit gas fires and fire surrounds.
If you don`t already have the experience, try to get work with someone who does. When ready, set up your own supply and fit fireplace business. There`s a good profit in fitting new fireplaces, and more and more people seem to be needing this type of service. Advertise locally in the press and Yellow Pages.

Start a furniture removals business.
Start with a large box van and move up to something larger when business increases. You will need to be fit and active if you want to do the lifting yourself, and you`re going to have to pay someone to help you, as many items require at least two people to lift them. Also, keep with you an appointment book and mobile phone until you can employ someone to answer telephone enquiries and arrange appointments. Ensure that you`re properly insured by taking advice from a reputable insurance firm.

Supply and fit spas and hot tubs.
There are a number of specialist firms who can supply spas and hot tubs at discounted prices. An experienced plumber would find this a lucrative market to get into as the profit margins on these products can be very good once labour charges are taken into account. Any structural work needed to accommodate such items can be sub-contracted out to a builder, unless you can do the work yourself. Advertise your business in up-market home improvement magazines. Check manufacturers trade directories for suppliers, available at your local reference library.

Supply and fit power showers and shower cubicles.
This can be a business run on it`s own, or as an additional service to fitting jacuzzis. Here again is a business idea that could be set up and run by a competent plumber with some electrical experience, or vice versa. Obtain literature and price lists from trade suppliers or manufacturers, and work out any additional standard costs involved before adding your fitting charge. Advertise your services in the local papers and selected magazines.

Supply, fit and replace or repair television aerials and satellite dishes.
You don`t need any special qualifications, just a head for heights. Fitting aerials mainly involves selecting the appropriate aerial, fixing brackets to walls and chimney stacks, or a loft stand, pointing it in the right direction and running a length of coaxial wire to a tv aerial socket. Materials can be obtained from certain electrical wholesalers or in larger quantities from manufacturers. Advertise in the Yellow Pages and the local press.

Start and run a house clearing service.
Quite often family relatives and sometimes estate agents require the help of firms who offer this type of service, to clear houses of elderly or deceased people. Unwanted items need removing and disposed of, sometimes within a period of short notice. Occasionally, items need clearing and sent to an auction house. Whatever the case, if you`re fit and healthy and have access to a large van, this can be a good part-time business to get into. Contact estate agents and auction houses, leaving your business card or leaflet, and advertise your services in the local newspapers.

Start a mobile car servicing business.
A good mechanic would find this an easy business to set up and run using a small van with a supply of popular items such as air filters, oil filters, spark plugs and brake pads etc., for servicing peoples` cars at their own home. It can save people time and money, and if you give a good service you will find that it won`t take long to build up a good round of regular customers. In fact, you could very well expand your business and operate more than one vehicle for extra profit.

Start a mobile exhaust fitting service.
This could be run along similar lines to the previous business idea. However, you would need to have quick access to a wide range of exhausts for different models. These could be provided by another firm at trade prices. Ideally, you should be able to take a customer`s order by phone, deliver and fit the exhaust the same day, if possible, to make this type of business a success. Only qualified mechanics, or people with a lot of experience fitting exhausts should attempt this type of work, due to the dangers involved. Advertise your service in the local newspaper for best results.

Supply and fit wrought iron gates.
Find a manufacturer who can quickly make up gates to your own specifications at trade prices. Your job would simply involve advertising your service, showing the customer a few designs, getting the orders, taking the measurements and fitting the gates when ready.

Supply and fit interior replacement doors.
When people need new doors fitted, they usually call in an expert. There`s a knack to hanging doors correctly. It`s not too difficult to learn, providing you also have some experience in woodworking. Interior doors are generally supplied without handles, locks or catches. This means you`ll need to know how to fit them accurately, and with the right tools. But once you`ve mastered the art of fitting doors, you shouldn`t find it too difficult to get enough work to keep you busy.

Start a sewing alterations service.
Anyone with good sewing skills could set up a business like this, providing you have the patience and confidence in dealing with customers. Work might include alterations to dresses, skirts, suits, and soft home furnishings like cushions and curtains. You can work part-time from home or set up a full time business. Apart from local advertising and recommendations, extra work can often be obtained through offering your services to drapery stores, clothing shops and dry cleaning services.

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