Making money from personal services

Start your own home visit hairdressing service.
An experienced hairdresser can make a good part-time income from this type of work. Lots of people prefer to have their hair done at home, for various reasons. Disabled people and older people especially can benefit. Advertise in the local paper and shop windows until your business builds up through recommendations. Being able to drive is an advantage, but not essential.

Become a childrens’ entertainer.
If you have the talent and imagination to make children laugh, this could be the job for you. Whether it`s dressing up in a clown`s outfit, juggling, or doing magic tricks, a childrens` entertainer can make a good part-time income from doing parties and special events. Perfect your act and advertise in your local edition of Yellow Pages. You might also consider getting an agent if you can`t find the work yourself.

Train to become a masseur or masseus.
When qualified, you can start up your own practice, work for an established firm, or offer a home visit service. Check the local colleges and the internet for training courses available.

Train to become a chiropodist.
If working with peoples’ feet doesn`t bother you, and the satisfaction of helping others is on your priority list, this could be a good business opportunity. Pay is reasonably good, particularly when self-employed. As previously mentioned, training courses are generally available. Alternatively, you could train to become a beautician or manacurist or a combination of all three.

Start a childminding service.
With suitable qualifications, you could do this on your own. However, there`s more potential in building a business which enables you to farm out the work to others, while taking a percentage of the hire fee. To get started you will need to interview candidates who should have previous experience of this type of work. Compile a list of suitably qualified people who you can call on at short notice. Start by advertising your service locally until you build up enough work through recommendations.

Set up a business that specialises in organising weddings.
All the services required for peoples` weddings, including the church service, the wedding car, photographer, reception room, mobile disco and catering would all be arranged by you, taking the pressure off the bride and grooms` parents. Good organisational skills, are of course, essential. Advertise your services in the Yellow Pages, local newspapers and bridal shops.

Become a consultant for people who need debt counselling.
Some people are hopeless at organising their finances. If you have good skills in money management, this could be a suitable business opportunity. Further information on the subject can be found at http://credit.about.com/money/credit/

Start a homebuyers information service.
One of the problems with moving house is that you can never be sure what your neighbours are going to be like. They could be noisy or have mischevious children terrorising the neighbourhood . There may be other numerous drawbacks too. Unacceptable periods of busy traffic, smells emanating from nearby farms or industrial complexes, things that never come to light until you move in. Some individuals are making a good living from offering a service which provides a detailed report of these types of problems. They make a regular survey of the area at different times throughout a specified period. The information and service they provide can often make a big difference in the homebuyers final decision as to whether to buy or not. This is a business that is simple to start and run, but the hours can be unsociable.

Set up your own practice as a health consultant.
Courses in reflexology, osteopathy, iridology, homeopathy etc. can be found on the internet. Once training has been completed and suitable qualifications have been achieved, you could set up on your own, or gain experience first with an established practice.

Take a course in hypnotherapy.
If successful, set up a personal service helping people overcome there bad habits and phobias. In many cases, hypnosis has helped rid people of their bad habits, such as smoking or biting their fingernails. It`s also been useful in overcoming personal fears, such as fear of spiders, fear of open spaces and fear of heights etc. Being able to help people with these problems can be a very satisfying and lucrative profession. If this sounds like something you would like to do, check the internet for courses available.

Start and run a personal home help service.
Busy people, elderly and disabled people often require help in their home to do the cleaning, washing, cooking, ironing and general household chores, which they either don`t have time to do themselves, or can`t because of their incapacity. Advertise your services in the local press.

Become a personal keep fit trainer.
This is a service that seems to becoming more and more popular. It`s not just for the rich and famous. A lot of people are much more health conscious these days and are prepared to pay for the privilege of getting expert help in the privacy of their own homes. If you have good communication skills qualifications and have suitable experience in working in health clubs, you will be particularly suited to this kind of work. A lot of your appointments will come through recommendations, but also advertise in your local newpaper.

Set up and run a home shopping service.
If you don`t mind shopping for other people, here`s a simple business idea that can benefit those who are housebound through disability. Good organisational skills are required to keep track of each client and their list of requirements. To make it worthwhile, you`ll need a few customers and you need to be able to handle more than one shopping list at a time. Having a small van or estate car will make things easier. Build up a weekly round of about ten clients or more and set a minimum handling charge of at least £5

Train to become a practitioner in acupuncture.
Alternative medicine is becoming increasingly popular throughout the world, and acupuncture is perceived to be one of the most effective cures to a variety of ill health conditions. There are courses available where you can learn acupuncture, as well as a number of other techniques in alternative health care. Check the internet for details.

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