Service-businesses to start now from your home!

The on-demand services are growing rapidly. According to the US Chamber of Commerce, the gig economy will exceed 50% of the workforce in the USA by 2027. Indeed, many individuals are creating small businesses to help other people solve a problem or meet a challenge as it arises. Everybody has skills matched with passion that offer great value to others. Wouldn’t it be great if you could capitalize on your personal interests and talents to create a gig or a home business and help others at the same time, and hopefully fill a gap in the marketplace?

The US Chamber of Commerce has identified the following service-driven small businesses that have strong growth potential post-pandemic. In each category, you will face high competition level, so you need to think about how you could offer a unique angle or skill that would make your proposal different from others, to capture a more significant market share.

Academic Tutoring

Due to COVID-19 which has severely affected education, many parents are looking for private tutoring to bridge the learning gap for their middle and high-school children. The global market for private tutoring is expected to soar to $218 million by 2027.   Educators looking to start a side hustle as academic tutors can earn quite a bit of money while providing much needed support to struggling students. 

Depending on the geographical location, and on your experience and certification, the hourly rate is from $40 to $100- or more. You can pick a subject to specialize in, depending on your interests and experience. You can start as an online tutor to gain experience. There are many courses to take to prepare you like this On-line tutoring course offered by Udemy.

Virtual Assistant

Many companies are hiring remote Virtual Assistant (VA) to handle administrative and project management duties. Many self-employed VA are contributing greatly to the companies productivity and help them save operating costs. In order to be a successful VA, you should be tech-savvy and have excellent organizational and communications skills. There is high demand in social media management, SEO, blogging and on-demand customer service.

VAs are either paid hourly or may ask for a monthly retainer. How to start a VA home business? Check out this Blueprint to launch your Virtual Assistant home business course. Once you establish your VA gig, you should start marketing your services by creating a Linkedin profile and share your skills and build your network.

Elder-care and companionship

Since 2010, the 65 and over population has increased by over 30%. Of the 50 million seniors aged 65 and over, nearly 85% report at least one chronic health condition but would like to maintain an active quality of life at home for as long as possible. Hence, the demand is high for Caregivers and companions for older adults to provide non-medical care that helps to achieve that.

Are you suited for a career as an elder care provider? For example, you will need to be effective at scheduling activities and doctor’s appointments and accompanying your clients as needed, provide light housekeeping, help with meal prep and help keep them active, engaged, organized and entertained, both mentally and physically.

Consider to take this course which covers critical information for elder care to get a better understanding of the realities of caring for the elderly and know how to prepare and handle the responsibilities you will face, before getting a certification course to optimize your skills.

Interior Decorating Services

Do you have an eye for style, a flair for decoration and a strong sense of space, combined with the resourcefulness of finding the best deals? You may consider to be a personal decor consultant to help consumers who feel they lack the vision to reflect their personal style to create their ideal interior space. Home decor sales are surging, and kitchen remodeling projects which are boosting the home value, are getting more and more popular. You could consider taking a certification program through a reputable and accredited course like The Interior Design Institute, or take beginner’s steps with a course on how to design an ideal home and how to design your dream kitchen.

Aside from your sense of style and a certification, you also need to create a portfolio of your work. The rates for home decorating are from $75 to over $150 per hour, for a seasoned professional. To start, you may want to help a family member or friend to decorate their space for free or a nominal fee to get references for your portfolio.

To differentiate your services from others, why not offer a special angle like decorating with the Feng Shui concept, which is gaining in popularity as a way to harmonize people’s living space to achieve peace, wellbeing and luck. Here’s a course to learn the Feng Shui principles in interior decoration.

Career Coach

The career coach or counselor is an industry currently valued at $15.9 billion. It has grown further to the pandemic which has forced millions of workers to reassess their job or professional goals. It’s a great career if you have experience in human resources, talent management or psychology and have the patience, communications skills and empathy to help people evaluate their strengths, experience and most marketable attributes.

Not sure if this career is for you? You could take this free course which teaches 10 Essential Things You Absolutely Must Know Before You Start Your Coaching Career.

If you decide to pursue this career, here’s a Career Coaching Certification Career Development Coaching course to enroll.

You may want to consider a specialization such as resume preparation, entrepreneur counseling, or a specialized professional goal.

Child-care

Before the pandemic, 88% of two-parent families and 83% of single parent families have relied on help with childcare, and have spent $42 million on early care and eduction. The need for safe and high-quality child care has grown since the pandemic and the trend is for personalized small-sized child-care “hubs”. If you love children and have a home that can be made safe to accommodate a few children, this could be a great home-based business for you.

To learn more about your role and responsibilities as a family home provider and gain information on setting up child care environment, and how to keep children healthy and safe, you can take this free Family Child Day Care Home and In-Home Provider Orientation.

As a starting point, you’ll need to establish yourself as a business, take childcare and life-saving and first-aid courses, child-proof your home and invest in age-appropriate equipment, toys, books, music and non-toxic cleaning supplies. Spread the word about your service to friends, family and neighbors and through online community groups.

After the above free orientation, if you are confident about your child-care path, check out this Course on how to start a Home-based Daycare business.

You should also child-proof your home and invest in age-appropriate equipment for your home and bathroom, toys, books, natural / sustainable cleaning supplies. Spread the word about your service to family, friends, neighbors, community groups etc.

Pet-sitting

Pet-sitting services are estimated at over $2.6 billion worldwide, with steady growth. This is due to a sharp increase in pet adoption, and pet owners spare no expense to care for their furry friends. If you are an animal lover who has the time and patience, pet-sitting can be a lucrative home business, which will be in even higher demand when people start to travel again.

This How to Start a Pet Care Business: Open Your Own Dog Kennel! course can help you learn how to open a dog kennel or any pet care business from scratch.

Once your pet sitting business is up and running, you could take a course on how to Market your dog care services: pet sitting, dog walking, dog training, pet boarding & dog kennel locally with Google SEO as it’s crucial to develop an online presence with a website that shows your love for animals and knowledge. You should also include testimonials from satisfied clients. Reach out via other social media like Facebook groups, Instagram, Twitter etc.

Does any of the tips inspire you to start a service-based business from home? Always check and read through the curriculum before enrolling in any course to make sure this is what you are looking for. You should also check with local cities requirements or permits for some home-based businesses.

Launching a home business is not your cup of tea but you still would like to earn extra income? No worries, check out my post about the top free lancing jobs.

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