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Smart Business Ideas That Don’t Involve E-Commerce
When you’re a stay-at-home parent, entrepreneurship is a great way to generate income without working a traditional job. While many people default to e-commerce, it’s certainly not the only option. In fact, if you don’t want to sell products online, there are plenty of alternative business ideas. The trick is finding one that matches your skills, interest, and availability. Here are some tips from Buckeye Ads to get you started.
Online Business Ideas
The internet has opened up a whole world of business opportunities. Just a few of the things you can do are:
- Writing. Offer your freelance-writing services to businesses, or submit articles to online publications that pay contributors. You can also start a website and monetize it with ads and affiliate links.
- Virtual assisting. Become a virtual assistant on a full-time or part-time basis. VAs handle a wide range of tasks, including phone calls, administrative work, research, and travel booking. Agencies, such as Time etc and Fancy Hands, are good places to look for work.
- Tutoring and teaching. Teach kids and adults virtually. The options are endless — you can work for a company such as Tutor.com, find clients on marketplaces such as Fiverr, or create your own content for websites such as Outschool.
- Independent consulting. Provide services to businesses on a contract basis. Graphic design, web development, social media management, and software development are just a few of the possible options.
Offline Business Ideas
Prefer to stay away from the computer? These businesses require minimal screen time:
- Music lessons. Teach instrumental or singing lessons. You can host them at your home or at students’ homes. Alternatively, rent a practice room, rehearsal space, or church.
- Pet care. Do you love animals? Start a business walking dogs, pet-sitting, or grooming.
- Day-of wedding coordination. Supervise weddings on the day of the event to ensure everything goes off without a hitch.
- Baking. Sell baked goods or decorate cakes from the comfort of your home. Most states offer a cottage food license to cover this type of food-service business. Pay close attention to restrictions and revenue limits.
Starting a Business From Home
Once you’ve settled on a business idea, it’s time to tackle the practicalities. Start with these steps:
- Find funding. Get a business loan, use credit cards, or fund operations out of your own savings. Don’t be afraid to start small and reinvest the profits as you grow.
- Choose a legal business structure. Options include sole proprietorships, LLCs, and corporations. If you’re thinking about taking on investors, consider jumping straight to a corporate structure — high-value investors usually like the familiarity and convenience. As the owner, you have an easier time selling shares than transferring interest in an LLC. Do your research first; every state has its own laws and procedures surrounding corporation formation.
- Create a workspace. Find a quiet spot in your home to work.
- Market your business. Use digital ads, word-of-mouth marketing, and social media to advertise your services. There are plenty of free online tools to help! For instance, if you’ve made a promotional PDF that you’re sending to customers via email and you need to delete extras from the total number of pages, this tool can take care of that in moments.
Start Your Small Business Today
If you’re a stay-at-home parent looking to start a small business outside the realm of ecommerce, these tips can help you reach and exceed your goals. With a solid plan, you can build a thriving business without detracting from your role as a stay-at-home parent.
Buckeye Ads offers more than most if not all of the competition. Try us today – you’ll be happy you did!