25 Part-Time Business Ideas

Looking to earn some extra cash in your spare time? I've got 25 great ways to get YOU started!

Ever dream of running a part-time business while keeping your day job? Want to operate a sideline business along with your current business? Or are you simply curious about entrepreneurship, and want to test the waters before you commit to the world of commerce? Whatever your reason, here are 25 sure-fire ways to get started today with your own part-time business.

Antiques
Make new money from old treasures and have fun doing it! Scout garage sales, estate auctions and flea markets for great buys on antique furniture, toys, clothing and other treasures from the past. Rent space at antique cooperatives, or set up booths at weekend fairs to sell your antiques.

Computer Tutor
Whether you're an expert at Windows or Linux, desktop publishing or Web research, HTML or word processing, you can help anyone enhance their computer skills. Start promoting your computer-training services by teaching classes through organizations in your community which offer adult education courses.

---

Custom Jewelry and Accessories
Put your creative talents to work designing custom jewelry and accessories. Whether you work with sterling silver or recycled metals, clay or papier-mâché, there's a market for your custom earrings, pins, bracelets, necklaces and belt buckles at art shows, crafts fairs and holiday boutiques.

Espresso Cart
Brew up profits day after day! Specialty coffee drinks generate gross profits of 55.1 to 61.5 percent per cup, says the Specialty Coffee Association of America. So brush up on your coffee drinks, buy or rent an espresso cart, and head for sporting events, concerts and farmers' markets in your community.

Garage and Attic Cleaning/Hauling Service
Nobody likes to spend a weekend cleaning out the garage, attic or garden shed--it's dirty and time-consuming, and when it's done, there's still the task of hauling off all that discarded junk. But if you don't mind putting in the physical labor, a cleaning and hauling service can be a lot of fun. You can usually find a few treasures among the trash which most people are delighted to give away, and you can add to your income by recycling bottles, newspapers and metal castoffs. You'll need a pick-up truck or other vehicle capable of carrying everything from cast-iron sinks to old timbers.

Handyman
If it's broke, you can fix it. Your phone will ring off the hook with calls from homeowners, senior citizens and others who don't want to fix it themselves. Advertise in shopper publications and on bulletin boards, and drop off fliers at real estate offices. Then start repairing everything from leaky faucets to broken windows.

Home Inspection
Buyers need not beware when they hire a home inspector to conduct a complete physical checkup on their dream home. You'll inspect the house for structural problems and refer your clients to the contractors or handymen who can make the repairs. Knowledge of construction and your local building codes will get your business off the ground.

Medical Transcription
Work as an important member of a medical team without leaving your homebased office. There's big demand by hospitals, doctors, dentists, chiropractors and veterinarians who need outside help transcribing patient medical records. Training in medical terminology and linguistic skills will keep your business healthy.

Mobile Home-Entertainment Service
When it's dirty, disconnected or in need of repair, you'll save the day for homeowners who want their stereo, compact-disc player or videocassette recorder in working order. Brush up on your electrical and wiring know-how. Door-to-door fliers and calls to retail-store managers about your services will get your business off to a great start.

Mobile Window Tint
With some training and basic equipment, you'll be seeing plenty of green with your mobile window-tinting business. For best results, have a pager and van ready to help car, van and truck owners prevent heat damage to their vehicles' interiors. Other hot markets: homes, high-rise condominiums and office buildings.

Office and Home Organizer
Attention all neatniks: Help packrats, overworked executives, and other organizationally challenged individuals clean out messy closets, straighten files, and throw out the excess clutter. Putting your knack for neatness to part-time business use is bound to arrange some tidy profits for you.

Personal Chef
What's for dinner, honey? Great home-cooked meals for working parents and busy professionals who hire you as a personal chef. There's plenty of demand for this specialized service. So plan your menu, make out your shopping list, and go to work to satisfy your hungry clientele.

Personal Trainer
Pumping iron; pumping profits. Americans of all ages, sizes and shapes want to keep fit, trim and healthy, and they're willing to hire their own personal coach to exercise correctly. Spread the word about your physical-fitness expertise at health spas, running, swimming and biking clubs, and other athletic outlets.

Picture Framer
Get in the frame with a picture framing service. You can work with gallery owners, artists, portrait photographers and individuals who've purchased a print, painting or fine photo. If you aren't already a framing expert, read up, take classes at a local college or community center, then assemble your tools--including clamps, saws, miter boxes, glue, and a pneumatic or hand stapler. Establish relationships with local artists' groups, galleries, photographers and print shops that can give you their business or refer their customers to you.

Plant Leasing And Maintenance
Got a green thumb and a delivery van? You're all set to service corporations, home builders, health clubs and other businesses who want fresh greenery. Develop a steady clientele with a regular watering, pruning and fertilizing program and a full replacement guarantee.

Records Search
Using specialized databases, you'll search public records on your computer to help your clients find lost loves, check out questionable suitors, track down debtors, verify a contractor's track record, or dig up facts on a business opportunity. Clients include attorneys, businessowners and individuals.

Restaurant Delivery
Whether it's macaroni and cheese or a five-course gourmet meal, at-home meal replacement is fast becoming the newest way to dine. When customers want their restaurant orders "to go," you'll be "on the go" with your restaurant delivery service. A great way to make your late afternoons and weekends extra-profitable!

T-Shirt Design
If you're an artist in search of a medium, why not make T-shirts your canvas? Paint, draw, bead or appliqué your designs on plain T-shirts, and spend your weekends showcasing your art-to-wear at farmers' markets and crafts fairs.

Wallpaper Hanging
Help residential and commercial clients turn drab walls into works of art with your wallpaper-hanging skills. Build a growing business with great referrals and repeat customers. Drop off fliers at paint and wallpaper stores; also, advertise in shopper publications, in homeowner-association newsletters, and on bulletin boards at local supermarkets and malls.

Yoga and Tai Chi Instructor
In today's hectic, fast-paced world, parents, business owners and students alike can benefit from the deep-breathing, relaxation and centering techniques you can teach them. Get started by offering classes at health clubs, through your city's recreation and parks department, or on your own.

When You have got it right

Here's the Plan

Is your company running smoothly? Then there's no better time to review your business plan and consider what your next move will be.

If you're like most entrepreneurs, you haven't laid eyes on your business plan in a while. Back then, motivated by the prospect of attracting venture capital or securing bank financing, you gave it plenty of attention, poring over projections and getting the words just right. Now, years later, it's collecting dust in a file drawer, and the details within likely bear little resemblance to the business you're currently running. But with sales strong and no immediate need for cash, does it matter?

Yes, if you want to better your odds for success. The business plan is the company's road map and strategic vision for the future. In its first iteration, it's simply a best guess, but later revisions show the business owner what's working, what isn't and why.

"A business plan marks your course, and it's the constant change between what you thought was going to happen and what actually happened that gives you the vision to maintain a course toward long-term objectives," explains Tim Berry, founder of Palo Alto Software, which designs business plan software for growing companies.

---

Examine your company's value drivers and how they may have changed since you started. "The purpose is to reflect on your market opportunity and competitive realities, and make corrections and refinements to your business initiatives, what the opportunities are and what you're doing to target them," says Jay Turo, managing partner of small-business consulting firm Growthink. This will help you identify untapped areas of growth that you laid out in your original plan but never followed through on, or it can help you recognize where you've gone astray.

Without a written plan, you may be tempted to expand your company's scope without understanding the effect on the core business. Peter Sobotta founded Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania-based RecoupIT seven years ago with a focus on buying and selling refurbished technology equipment. He has long thought, however, that the big money might be in refurbishing old equipment himself, then repackaging and selling it. His first business plan, written several years ago with assistance from Growthink, projected that new business would account for 50 percent of the company's revenue in the near future.

When Sobotta and his wife and partner, Vanessa, 35, reviewed the plan about a year later and did a financial analysis, it was clear that the core business would suffer if they branched out, because expansion would be too time-consuming. "It would have been very easy to do it in a half-assed manner, and then when it failed, say ‘I didn't have enough money,' or ‘I didn't go after the right lease deals,'" says Sobotta, 35, who projects sales of $15 million for 2007. "A plan makes it very visible upfront--if you don't do [X, Y and Z], you're going to fail." A look at the competitive landscape section of RecoupIT's business plan revealed that many former competitors were now bankrupt because of their high overhead and personnel expenses; if RecoupIT went after refurbishing, it, too, would have to increase overhead and add employees-- a move their number crunching suggested would be a bad idea.

If you have time to dig into only one section, says Jim Anderson, a management counselor at the Santa Ana, California, SCORE office, it should be the plan's financial section, particularly cash-flow projections. "Your financials are a dynamic thing," he says, noting that a hard look at the numbers can reveal why your business is experiencing a sudden cash-flow crunch. Anderson recommends updating financials at least once a year, and more often during times of industry flux.

Revising the plan now can help reduce the time it will take to get it ready if and when you need capital in a hurry. Or even better, saysNasiiro, you can more easily set up a line of credit now, while the business is healthy, for when you really need it down the line.

HOW TO DEVELOP YOUR SELF

Personal Development Plan

What’s it all about?

Most of us have dreams or ambitions, or at least used to! Successful people translate those dreams into reality. How do they do that?

It is accepted that writing down sound goals helps you cross over from dreams to reality but. what do you do if you maybe lack a skill or are a little under-confident about achieving something? That’s where personal development planning comes in. OK, so what is ‘Personal Development Planning’ then? Like so many buzz-words, it’s easy to lose sight of the real meaning. Lets look at what the individual words mean:

Personal – individual, own, special
It’s common for people to get into the “personal” part and seek to better understand themselves, their motivations, why they are where they are. We all like to think about ourselves and indeed there are a plethora of counsellors and psychologists happy to help you on that journey of self discovery. The ‘cut to the chase’ question here is: “Do I want to know why, or do I want to develop?” Time is short – choose one and move forward.

Development – growth, improvement, advancement
As the saying goes, you don’t drive your car by looking in the rear view mirror, so why take that approach with your life? Development comes through knowing what you want to learn or change, what you need to do to achieve that and how you will know when you have arrived.

Planning – structured preparation, ground-work, scheduling
The not-so-glamorous part that most people do anything to avoid. This is the nitty gritty of booking that course, making an appointment to see that specialist or completing some other task that will improve the quality of your life. Why do we avoid it, when the benefits are so great?

The importance of objectivity
It’s common for people to have a ‘mental block’ when it comes to solving problems about themselves. Give them a room to decorate, a work project to complete or someone else’s problem to solve and they are great. What is usually missing is the objectivity and emotional detachment to transfer those skills for use on yourself. This guide will help you with that…

The 10,000 foot view
This is how the personal development process goes together:

1. Do some groundwork to create a focus for your personal development.
2. Create a draft development plan by following the seven step process later in the planner.
3. Revise the draft plan into a final development plan.
4. Implement the plan with assistance from the resources you identified.
5. Evaluate your progress and revise your plan as needed.

Well that’s the theory. The next lesson will start the ball rolling in earnest by going into the detail of compiling your personal plan.

TIPS TRAVELLING TO UGANDA

Travel Tips Getting There Entebbe International Airport, which lies 40km from the capital Kampala, is serviced by a number of international airlines, including SN Brussels, British Airways, South African Airways, Kenya Airways, Air Tanzania, Rwandair Express, Egypt Air and Ethiopian Airlines. Uganda can also be reached overland from Kenya, Rwanda and Tanzania. On Arrival Customs and immigration officials are polite and efficient, and a visa - for those who require one - can be purchased on the spot at Entebbe International Airport or at any overland border. Foreign exchange and ATM facilities are available at the airport, which is also serviced by several shops and restaurants. Most midrange to upmarket hotels in Kampala and Entebbe will arrange airport transfers by request, as will any tour operator based in or around the capital. Health A certificate of yellow fever vaccination is required. All visitors should take malaria prophylactic drugs. It is advisable to drink bottled rather than tap water. Money The unit of currency is the Uganda shilling. The US dollar is traditionally the hard currency of preference, but Euro and Pound Sterling are also widely accepted. Hard currency cash can be changed for local currency at banks and private bureaux de change in all large towns, but travellers’ cheques are not widely accepted outside Kampala. Local currency can be drawn against Visa and other major credit cards at selected ATMs in Kampala, at Entebbe International Airport, and in a few other large towns. Language Educated Ugandans are generally fluent in English, which is the official language. Of 30-plus different indigenous languages, Luganda serves as something of a lingua franca. When to Visit Uganda can be visited at any time, though mountain hikes, gorilla tracking and other forest walks are more challenging during the rains, which generally peak over mid-September to November and March to May. What to wear Daytime temperatures are generally warm to hot, so bring lots of light clothing. Evenings are cooler, especially at high altitudes, so carry a couple of light sweaters too. Those who intend to hike on the mountains will be exposed to alpine temperatures and should pack accordingly. Solid walking shoes and sturdy clothing are ideal for forest walks. Don’t forget to bring a hat, sunglasses and a waterproof jacket. What to Bring A valid passport is mandatory, and visa requirements should be checked before you travel. To make the most of the game reserves and national parks, carry binoculars and field guides. Photographers will need a zoom lens for wildlife (70-300 or similar). Print film and developing is available in Kampala. Toiletries and other essentials can be bought in the cities. Driving Driving is on the left side. Visitors without experience of African roads are advised to organise a vehicle with a driver rather than self-drive. Tipping Tipping is not standard practice at local hotels and restaurants, but it will always be appreciated. It is normal to tip 5-10% at tourist-oriented restaurants. Guides and drivers should always be tipped. Further information Uganda: The Bradt Travel Guide is one the most detailed guidebooks in print. Other guidebooks are produced by Lonely Planet, Footprint Guides and Spectrum Guides. The Uganda Tourist Board website (www.visituganda.com) contains information about all tourist attractions and protected areas. CONTACT: 256 773 002459 nsrrobert@yahoo.com

YOU CAN MAKE MILLIONS WHILE AT SCHOOL

The Time Is Now

Yes, you can build a million-dollar business while you're still in college.

Can you turn your college business into a million-dollar enterprise? Abso-freakin-lutely. All you need is a great idea, excellent follow-through and, of course, a little help. "First, you have to have an idea that can be scaled that large," says Cameron Johnson, author of You Call the Shots and a veteran entrepreneur at age 22. "If [your market is limited to] your own campus, it's going to be very difficult to get to a million dollars in sales."

Come up with a business idea that can grow nationwide or even worldwide, says Johnson, whose most recent venture is EasyFollowups.com, a company that helps small businesses connect with customers. Also, choose a business that's your passion, because you'll be eating, breathing and dreaming it for the foreseeable future. Finally, get past your fears of business startup--and realize that there's no better time to launch than college. "[Some people] are afraid to get started, or they don't know how to take the first step," says Johnson. "You've got to push those thoughts out the window."

---

Corey Kossack certainly wasn't afraid to launch Koss DVD, a DVD store on eBay, as a college sophomore in January 2005. He started out buying packs of DVDs on eBay to sell off individually. He then contacted some of the largest DVD distributors so he could buy his inventory in bulk. He actually made one of his biggest deals from the study room in his dorm complex. Kossack, 23, recruited his mom to help with the back-office duties while he focused on growing the company and managing his studies.

It was a college mentor who encouraged Kossack to outsource his distribution in 2006--which helped his business skyrocket. "I negotiated with different suppliers so I could offer thousands of products out of distribution centers, instead of out of my mom's house," Kossack says. Increased efficiency in packaging and postage helped him manage the rapid growth. In fact, he even wrote a book, eBay Millionaire or Bust, detailing his cost-saving tricks. Now a student at Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, a school specializing in entrepreneurship education, Kossack has sold over $1 million in DVDs.

Mentors and partners are vital to starting a business with explosive sales, notes Brent Richardson, CEO of Grand Canyon University. "Get a couple of people around you who have some expertise," he says. "When you look at the guys who did big [business] in college, once they got the concept up, they hired guys who had run companies or been in business to help them carry out the [idea]."

In fact, you never know which contacts will help you launch your business. Adam Blake, 22, started his company, Blake Venture Corp., in 2004 with funding he secured through a fraternity brother. A student at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas, Blake saw the high demand for rental units in his area and started a property management business, which he has since turned into a real estate investment company. Employing every on-campus resource he could find, Blake even used faculty connections to bring him into contact with local real estate developers who gave him advice. "People respect and admire your youth and ambition," says Blake, whose company projects $2.4 million in sales for 2007. "[They] are more than willing to consult [with you] on everything."