50 GREAT BUSINESSES TO START FOR $500
There are some of you out there that will scoff, "What kind of business can really start with $500?" Well, consider the fifty we
present here.
When most of us here phrases like "Start a new business" or
"start-up costs," our minds picture figures with a lot of zeros
in them. While it is true that most businesses do require several
thousand dollars to start up, there are certainly some that
don't. They exist; it's just a matter of focusing in on them.
The businesses listed here range from computers to consulting,
from accounting to auto repair, and many more. All can be
operated from your home, eliminating the need for expensive
formal office space. They are quite diverse; the one thing they
have in common is that they can be started for $500--and
sometimes less.
As you are thinking about what kind of business to operate,
consider where you live, your job skills, hobbies, the equipment
you own, the needs of your community, and certainly, the work you
enjoy doing.
Some people operate small manufacturing businesses out of their
garage or basement while others set up service-oriented
businesses in their kitchen or truck; some have discovered the
lucrative field of importing goods, and others have tucked mail
order companies into spare rooms, since they don't need a store
front but only a mail box and space for inventory for this type
of business.
Naturally, you shouldn't expect these ventures to make you
millions, but if you take them seriously enough you'll be able to
do well at them. Some of these businesses might be better suited
for a part-time endeavor, while others (with a little luck and a
lot of hard work) will allow you to devote yourself to them
full-time.
And who knows? Maybe they will make you millions. In any case,
here are fifty opportunities.
ACCOUNTING. The "simplified" tax code has the public more
confused than ever. If you are an accountant for a company, you
can earn excellent part-time profits by offering tax consultation
and tax preparation in your community. If you're not trained as
an accountant, you can receive education from various sources
including: H&R Block, 1-800-7taxlaw; National Tax Training,
Monsey, NY 10952 (their home study course costs$175.75);
Federated Tax Service, 2021 W. Montrose Ave., Chicago, IL 60618
(free info). For other information about this business, write:
National Association of Accountants, Small Business Advisory, 10
Tarragon Drive, P.O. Box 433, Montvale, NJ 17645.
BUSINESS CONSULTING. Consulting is a fast growing small business,
and potentially one of the most profitable. If you have worked in
a particular field for many years, and feel that you have some
expertise, that you can share with other businesses, you can
demand respectable fees for that knowledge. Consider starting a
newsletter. Advertise via direct mail to potential business
customers. Explain your background, what you have to offer, and,
most important, how your knowledge can increase their profits or
efficiency. get more information from: Consulting Opportunities
Journal, published by Consultants National Resource Center, 500
Kaetzel Road, Gapland, MD 21736.
COMPUTER CONSULTING. As the computer pervades almost every aspect
of our daily lives, people need to become computer literate--or
at least know how to work things. If you have basic computer
knowledge as well as specific expertise with popular software
(Word Perfect, Lotus 1-2-3. etc.), individuals and other
businesses will find your help worth paying for. You can have
clients come to your home, but they might feel more comfortable
if you came to their offices or homes to work on their particular
machines. Of course if you consult for business, you must go to
them. Advertise in the Yellow Pages or send direct mail queries
to various business offices that you know use computers. Check
your local computer dealers and ask about businesses that have
just bought computer systems--you KNOW they'll need help, and the
dealer usually isn't interested in helping customers work the
things once they've made the sale. In fact, you might be able to
enter into a deal with the computer dealer in which he recommends
you as a consultant. For further reading: The Computer
Consultant,
Schueler Communications, Inc., 208 N. Townsend Street, Syracuse,
NY 13203.
COMPUTER PROGRAMMING. No software package right now out of the
box is going to work for a business exactly the way they want it
to, so custom computer programming is often needed. Your
programming ability can create a custom applications for
retailers and other businesses. If this idea interests you but
you don't know programming, a home study course available from
International Correspondence Schools, 925 Oak St., Scranton, PA
18508-9989.
CLOWNING. This business is no laughing matter. decent profits can
be earned from doing your funny business at children’s parties and
schools. Contact nursery schools, pre-kindergarten classes, and
day care centers and offer your services. The schools may not be
able to pay much, so birthday parties are probably your best bet.
Advertise on community bulletin boards and in local shopper
papers. Two publications worth getting are: Creative Clowning,
Java Publishing Co.,6510 Lenham Dr., Colorado Springs, CO 80918
($16.95); and Start A Clowning Business by Donna Huff, 203 State
Rd.,Sellersville, PA 18960 ($5).
DJ SERVICE. Good disk jockeys are still in demand for large
parties of all kinds: birthdays, anniversaries, small weddings,
office parties, dances, etc. You'll need a large selection of
popular dance tunes that covers a wide variety of tastes and
styles, and quality sound equipment that is both portable and
powerful enough to project throughout a large auditorium. You
might consider staging your own dance weekends at a resort,
charging per couple. Place ads Yellow Pages for this service.
GARAGE SALE ORGANIZER. Sure you can make some money with your own
garage sale, but you can make much more by becoming a
professional. You can organize and run garage sales for dozens of
households in your town. Your sales pitch is that you know what
sells and what doesn't, how to price objects, how to attract
customers and what to serve (such as free coffee). As the
organizer, you can either charge a flat fee for your services or
accept a percentage of the total take. But you must insist that
you run the show, and that your decisions on pricing and display
are not questioned. Look for The Garage Sale Book, $7.95 from
E.A. Morgan Publishing Co., Dept IO-10, P.O. Box 1375,
Huntington, NY 11743-1375. Or How To Profit from Garage Sales,
$5.95 ppd. from Income Opportunities Booklets, P.O. Box 40,
Vernon, NJ 074672.
HAULING, LIGHT. If you have a pickup truck, there are numerous
tasks you can undertake for customers: hauling trash, dirt,
appliances, lumber, etc. Advertise your services on bulletin
boards and in the local Pennysaver. Suggested reading: How To
Earn $15 to $50 an Hour and More with a Pickup Truck or Van by
Don Lilly; available from Darian Books, 4909 W. Joyce Circle,
Glendale AZ 85308; $14.45 ppd.
HOUSE SITTING SERVICE. When families stayed put, it used to be
possible for some member of the family to feed the pets, water
the plants, and take in the mail on those rare occasions when
someone was absent from home. But in today's mobile society, a
homeowner will often have no family member living in the same
town and won't even know the neighbors. So the need for
house-sitters keeps growing. You can provide that service, either
as a sitter yourself, or as a manager of a group of house
sitters. For a comprehensive manual on how to start and operate
this business, write for How to Run A House-sitting Business by
Jane Poston, 1708 E. (th St. Tucson, az 85719; $36.
LAUNDRY SERVICE. There are many services you can provide for the
modern single or couple, both of whom work, and laundry is one of
them. You'll need a large capacity, heavy duty washing machine
and the inclination to wash, dry and fold clothes all day. But
substantial profits are there for the taking. this service might
be perfect in an apartment building where the tenants must share
washers and dryers. The apartment dwellers (most of who dread
doing the laundry anyway) will pay for the coin-operated machine
PLUS your fee. As and added service, you can offer to take
clients suits, dresses, and coats to be dry cleaned, and deliver
them when done.
AEROBIC INSTRUCTION. There is no end in sight to America's
penchant for fitness. If your finished basement is large enough,
you can hold exercise and fitness classes for men and women in
your community. If you don't have the space, see about leasing
space at local YMCA, YWCA or other such facility. Study nutrition
and offer a complete package of nutrition and exercise guidance.
To find out about aerobics certification, contact the Aerobics
and Fitness Association, 15250 Ventura Boulevard, Suite 310,
Sherman Oaks, CA 91403.
MUSIC INSTRUCTION. Whether or not rock and roll is to thank,
today's kids are interested in music as much as ever. And they'll
always need lessons in piano, guitar, clarinet, etc. Schools
usually provide some basic instructions, but instrument-specific,
one-on-one instruction is always necessary. Your proficiency with
a particular instrument and provide your home-based business. If
your instrument is a popular enough lessons to keep you busy
practically all day every day. Advertise everywhere: school and
community bulletin boards, local shopper papers, and Yellow
Pages.
APARTMENT RENTAL LIST. Put your home computer to use and become
an apartment broker finding renters for empty apartments. Allow
the apartment owner to list his rental free; your profits come
from the renter who pays you for finding the space. Add a printer
to your computer and you can publish a local paper of available
rentals. On the flip side, you can also be an apartment locator.
Students and other individuals looking for apartments can come to
your for help. Apartment buildings and homes with rooms to let
will gladly place their names what you.
ROOMMATE SERVICE. The growing number of unmarried Americans has
led to the development of this matchup industry that is easily
run from one's home. You'll find roommates for people who prefer
not to live alone or can't afford to. The high cost of rents and
mortgages, the soaring divorce rate, and the inability of
salaries to keep pace with inflation are sending more and more
singles in search of roommates. For assistance in starting this
type of business, contact: Roommate Referral, 8139 S. I-35,
Oklahoma City, OK 73149.
ANSWERING SERVICE. When you install an extra phone line (or
several depending on the size of your business) in your home,
busy people can have their calls call-forward to you. You take
the messages for them. the only caveat with this business is that
you have to be home ALL the time (or at least during the hours
that you establish) to answer the phone. A booklet entitled How
to Start Your Own Telephoning Answering Service is available for
$5 from E.A. Morgan Publishing Co., Dept IO-10, P.O. Box 1375.
Huntington, NY 11743-1375. a newsletter called The Message is
available from the Association of Telephone Answering Services,
29 W. 57th ST.,New York, NY 10019.
BABY-SITTING. The old standby is still a money-maker--even more
so, in fact, because mothers are busier than ever. A more
lucrative angle to baby-sitting is to become a baby sitter
broker. You advertise the service in various locations, then have
a number of baby sitters on call. That way, parents can always be
assured of getting a sitter when they need one. As a broker, you
take 10 percent of what the sitter earns. For more information:
The Complete Baby-sitting Handbook, by Elizabeth James and Carol
Barkin, Julian Messner, 1230 Avenue of the Americans, New York,
NY 10020.
BED AND BREAKFAST/HOMESTAYS. Turn your home into a welcome haven
for travelers and tourists. Unlike full fledged B&Bs' homestays
usually have one or two rooms available for paying guest. For
young couples struggling to pay off mortgage, or for retired
couples interested in a part-time business, homestays allow home
owners to turn extra rooms into extra dollars. Of course, not
every home will make a good bed and breakfast homestay. Nor all
people cut out for being a B&B host/owner. A prospective
host/owner should enjoy meeting all kinds of people, like to
cook, enjoy entertaining visitors, keep the house clean and neat,
and live in an area that is attractive to visitors. You can
obtain more information from: National Bed and Breakfast
Association, P.O. box 332, Norwalk, CT 06853; American Bed and
Breakfast Association, P.O. Box 23294, Washington, DC 20026.
CALLIGRAPHY SERVICE. If you already know how to do calligraphy,
the art of beautiful writing, there's a market for you talents
among those needing special invitations, personalized greeting
cards, diplomas, and certifications. You'll need calligraphy pens
or markers, available from any art supply store. The business
cards you have printed up should be done,, of course, in
calligraphy--it is as once a advertisement for your business and
demonstration of your skills. If you don't know how to do
calligraphy, you can learn from the publication, Calligraphy For
Fun & Profit, available for $9 from E.A. Morgan Publishing Co.,
P.O. Box 1375, Huntington, NY 11743.
CHAUFFEUR/LIMOUSINE SERVICE. Everybody wants to go in style to
weddings, concerts, business meetings, even funerals. And what
better way to go than a fully equipped, chauffeur-driven
limousine? In the style-conscious 1990s, when image is
everything, more and more people are doing it to propose
marriage, celebrate an anniversary, close a business deal, or go
to the theater. You as a limo provider and/or driver can cash in
to the tune of $40 to $125 an hour on each car. Check with your
State Department of Motor Vehicle Licensing for special license
requirements. How To Start and Operate Your Own Limousine Service
is available for $5.95 ppd. from Income Opportunities Booklets,
P.O. Box 40, Vernon, NJ 07462.
CHILD DAY CARE CENTER. Today, when more and more mothers are
working outside the home, the need for quality child care keeps
increasing. It is a service that can be operated by mothers of
any age--or even a retired couple. Home care providers are often
regulated just as day care centers are. Call and talk with the
local agency of family and children services; they can advice you
on the licensing or registration requirements you will be
expected to follow. These requirements cover such things as how
many children you may have in your care, how much space you need
for each child, and appropriate meals and snacks. They also offer
classes in child care and development that you may want or may be
required to attend. By registering with family and children
services and following their recommendations, you can gain added
credibility with your new clients. While planning a home day care
service, you should do your own survey of what day care options
are currently available in your area. Charge by the day or week.
Rates run between $150 and $200 per month per child. Be certain
of insurance regulations and your personal liability. A
recommended book is SO You Want To Open A Profitable Day Care
Center--by Patricia Gallagher, P.O. Box 555, Worcester, PA 19490
($12.95).
GROCERY DELIVERY. There aren't many grocery stores or
supermarkets that deliver groceries to customers anymore, but
with the increasing number of two-income families and the
increasing demand on leisure time, grocery delivery is once gain
needed. So why don't you take up the slack? Here's how you might
work it; arrange with a supermarket to buy groceries at a
discount (because you're buying in quantity), and deliver them to
your customers. During its first week in business, a company
called Grocery Express in Memphis, Tennessee, Made seventy six
deliveries--$2,600 worth of groceries, of which they kept 10
percent.
HOME HAIRSTYLIST. The elderly and otherwise homebound can always
get a visiting nurse, but it's difficult to find a hairdresser
who will make house calls. There's your opportunity if you have
hairstyling skills. In the privacy of a hospital room or their
home, your customers can get cuts, colors, shampoos, perms, maybe
even manicures. if you want to think big, you can run an entire
network of home hairstylists; licensed hairdressers and
cosmetologists might agreed to work for you on an "on-call"
basis.
PARTY PLANNER. Be a professional party thrower for individuals
and businesses. Find the right location, arrange the
entertainment, provide the food and decorations--the whole works.
For supplies, contact: Part Time Inc.,395 94th Avenue, N.W.,
Minneapolis, MN 55433.
RESUME'WRITING. Before anyone embarks on a job search--whether he
is a veteran in the work force or a college graduate--he'll need
a resume'. Since resume' play such an important role in a job
hunt, they demand special attention. Writing designing (choosing
paper, typeface, and format), and producing them may be a job
that you have a knack for doing. You may have heard about resume'
writing services, but never knew how they alone could sustain a
business. This service, though, is something that is always in
demand, can easily branch out into other forms of typing
services, and requires little overhead and start-up capital. Two
good books on the subject are: The Resume' Catalog: 200 Damn Good
Examples by Yana Parker, Ten Speed Press, P.O. Box 7123,
Berkeley, CA 94707 ($10.95): Resumes' That Work by Tom Cowan, New
American Library, 1633 Broadway, New York, NY 10019.
VIDEOTAPING SERVICE. With your camcorder you can produce
"mini-movies" of weddings, baptisms, bar mitzvah, family picnics,
and birthday parties. Other ideas include video inventory for
insurance purposes and video yearbooks for high schools and
colleges. You may need more than one camera (and more than one
operator) and some editing equipment for professional results.
One book on the subject: How To Make Money with Your Video Camera
by Ted Schwarz; Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ.
BOARDING PETS. When their owners go off on vacation, dogs,cats,
birds and other pets require looking after. You'll have to have
the proper facilities to care for them, of course, plus a genuine
love for animals. You may get more information from: American
Boarding Kennel Association, 4575 Galley Road, Suite 400 A,
Colorado Springs, CO 80915.
DOG GROOMING. Pet lovers who want to keep their pooches in
tip-top form will be your customers. Contact: National Dog
Groomers Association of American, Box 101, Clark, PA 16113. It
publishes Groomers Voice and has a licensing committee.
APARTMENT/HOUSE CLEANING. Start your own maid service for
apartment buildings or home residences. House cleaning is one
business that doesn't require special training. Most women and
men have been doing it in their own homes for years. Today, even
teenagers are providing single and team-cleaning services in
their after school hours and during summer vacation. Put a
listing in the Yellow Pages or in the local shopper paper, put up
notices on community bulletin boards. If your service is thorough
and reliable, you'll acquire new customers through word-of-mouth.
Be sure to spell out to your clients exactly what duties you will
and will not perform. A manual called Operate Your Own Maid
Service is available for $31.95 ppd.. from Hanneke Wasserman
Ent.,Dept IO-10, 9070 Kimberly Blvd.,#205, Boca Raton, FL 33434.
AUTO TUNE-UPS. Many times, specializing in a single service can
really bring in the customers. Turn your garage into a business
that just performs auto tune-ups. Be careful of local zoning
laws, however. If you don't have adequate space in your garage,
consider a mobile auto fix-up service (since many cars may not be
in running condition to come to you anyway). You can perform
tune-ups, oil changes, tire rotation, and replacement, fluid
changes, and even auto cleaning, all from a well equipped van. A
home study course in Automotive Servicing is available from NRI
Schools, McGraw-Hill Continuing Education Center, 3939 Wisconsin
Ave.,Washington, DC 20016.
BICYCLE REPAIR. If you like working with your hands, don't mind
getting dirty, and have an interest in getting paid while you
learn mechanical skill, then bicycle business is where you can
take a ride on the road to good part-time profits. Part-time
mechanics command $25 per hour for their labor. It is not
uncommon for the twenty-hour per week bicycle business to earn
over $20,000 per year. And the great thing about it is you can
start immediately, purchase the necessary tools, and acquire the
skills as you go along. Plus, because bicycle riding is becoming
increasing popular with the young and the old alike, ace
mechanics will be in demand for the next century. If you are a
mechanically inclined or have a good working knowledge of
bicycles, then you're all set. Make yourself know to the schools
and bike clubs. If you need to learn how to repair bicycles, a
manual A Bicycle Repair Business System is available from:
Bicycle repair of America, P.O. Box 24106, Minneapolis, MN 55424.
CARPET CLEANING. This type of business for which the demand will
never lessen. With the right kind of equipment you can "clean up"
so to speak. Quality equipment is available from Von Schrader
Co., 1600 Junction Avenue, Racine, WI 53403, With it you can
clean carpets, walls and furniture.
CHIMNEY SWEEP. Fireplaces and wood stoves are more popular than
ever, which means there's opportunity in cleaning chimneys. In
your advertising, stress that dirty fireplaces are a serious fire
hazard as creosote builds up inside the chimney can combust. For
supplies, contact: Copperfield Chimney Supply, 1-800-247-3305. Or
write to: National Chimney Sweep Guild, P.O. Box 1078, Merrimack,
NH 03050.
DRIVEWAY FINISHER. Many home owners like to have their driveways
resealed and recoated with blacktop every year or every other
year. But it's a messy, time-consuming task. Hence, an
opportunity for you. You'll need a pickup in which to carry your
tools, blacktop, and sealer which you can probably get at
discount if you buy quantity. Ads in local papers and Yellow
Pages probably work best.
FURNITURE REFINISHING/REPAIR. rockers with loose spindles, tables
with wobbly legs... they can all come into your home workshop in
sad condition and leave in tip-top shape. Also, people like to
buy furniture from these so-called naked furniture shops with the
hopes of saving some money by finishing it themselves; often,
however, they never get around to it or chicken out. Perhaps you
can even affiliate yourself with a naked furniture shop who will
refer customers to you as a finisher.
HOUSE PAINTER. House painting is a chore most home owners need,
sooner or later, but often dread. You can paint the houses
yourself, but it might be more profitable to organize a group of
painters to work for you. You find the clients through local
advertising and hire students to do the work.
LANDSCAPING. Commercial sites as well as residential homes are in
need of this service. Seed lawns, plant trees, arrange shrubs,
plants, rocks, and more for a healthy fee. Some periodicals that
may be of interest include: Landscape and Irrigation, P.O. Box
156, Encino, CA 91426; Western Road, Suite 250, Santa Ana, CA
92705. A related business is just lawn service in which you cut,
lime, fertilize, and water lawns for a circuit of customers.
Charge them by the season or per visit.
LOCKSMITH. In this security conscious day and age, a good
locksmith is always in demand. And today, locksmiths are usually
well versed in mathematics and basic electronics because of the
many new types of locks being introduced. Without a full line
equipment required to handle a wide variety of jobs, you will be
limiting your total income potential. The more you invest in
quality equipment, the more different jobs you can handle.
Equipment and a locksmithing course are available from
Foley-Belsaw Locksmiths, 6301 Equitable Rd., Kansas City, MO
64120. One report worth looking at is: How To Start your Own
Mobile Locksmithing Service from E.A. Morgan Publishing Co., P.O.
Box 1375, Huntington, NY 11743; $7.00.
SMALL ENGINE REPAIR. Fix small engines for lawn mowers, leaf
blowers, chain saws, go-carts--anything that utilizes a small
gasoline engine. If you have knowledge about small engines (or
are willing to learn) you could turn that interest into extra
income. The secret is to find small gas engines, buy them cheap,
and resell them at a profit. Where can you find small gas engines
for five dollars or less? Check out the local flea market, or ask
the trash haulers to set aside lawn mowers, edgers, anything with
a small gas engine for you. Pay them up to $5 a shot, depending
on the condition of the items. You can learn more about small
engine repair from Foley-Belsaw Institute, 6301 Equitable Rd,
Kansas City, MO 64120.
UPHOLSTERY REPAIR. Rather than buy new sofas, chairs, loveseats,
couches, and ottomans, people would prefer to have someone like
you reupholster them. The numbers practicing this skill seem to
be dwindling, so there's a real opportunity there. As apart of
your services, consider the making of slip covers for the
furniture. For upholstery training and tools, contact:
Foley-Belsaw Institute of Upholstery, 6301 Equitable Rd.,Kansas
City, MO 64120.
ADVERTISING COPYWRITER. If you are clever with words and have a
good sense of salesmanship, there are many small businesses in
your community which can use your services. You can write
newspaper ads, brochures, radio ads, catalogs, and more. For more
ideas, look for a copy of the 1990 Writer's Market, Writers
Digest Books, F&W Publications, 1507 Dana Avenue, Cincinnati, OH
45207.
COURIER SERVICE. Deliver messages and packages for various
businesses within your town. If you have a car, you can even
offer to deliver parcels to neighboring towns and cities. How To
Start and Operate Your Own Delivery Service is available for
$5.95 ppd. from Income Opportunities Booklets, P.O. Box 40,
Vernon, NJ 07462.
TYPING/WORD PROCESSING SERVICE. Students, businesses, legal
professionals, writers and many others need reports, papers,
documents, and manuscripts professionally typed. Of course it's
much easier to provide this service if you have a good word
processor, small changes can easily be done without having to
retype the entire document. Post ads on school bulletin boards,
and send direct mail flyers to doctors, lawyers, and other
businesses.
BAIT SHOP. Do you live near a well-stocked lake, river, bay or
stream? Fisherman will need bait, lures, line and other
equipment. You don't have to offer all of that, of course. Just
posting a sign telling fishermen you have good bait worms will
bring in the profits.
BRONZING KEEPSAKES. What mother wouldn't want a bronzed
remembrance of her child's babyhood? Bronzed baby shoes have long
been cherished memento adorning mantelpieces and curio shelves.
You can find customers by checking registration lists at day care
centers and preschools; these kids have outgrown their first pair
of shoes which are ready for bronzing. You can obtain materials
and instructions from these companies: Nicholas Bronze Supply,
10555 U.S. Highway 98, Dept W488, Sebring, FL 33870; or United
Bronze, Rumford, RI 02916.
FIREWOOD SALES/DELIVERY. Provide seasoned firewood by the cord or
by the fraction of the cord to a growing number of buyers. One
angle is to buy cords of seasoned wood, then cut it in
fireplace-size logs and sell fractions of the cord to a route of
clients. Tell them you can bring a fresh supply of firewood every
week (or however long the wood happens to last) for a set price.
You can charge for each delivery, or offer a special deal to
provide wood for the whole winter.
FRAME MAKING. Make frames of all kinds for customers paintings,
reprints, and posters. Stock a wide variety of wood and metal
frames in your garage or finished basement. You will need framing
skills and tools, as well as glass cutting skills. For added
profits, you can sell posters and prints of various kinds.
GIFT BASKETS. This is one of the hottest product-oriented home
businesses around. You don't have to make the wicker baskets
yourself (check your Yellow Pages for a supplier), but it is up
to your taste and imagination to fill them with tempting goodies.
Create baskets for all occasions--birthdays, anniversaries,
retirements, births, Mother's and Father's Day, Valentine's
Day--or no occasion at all; "I Miss You" gift basket. Find
suppliers who will sell the items in quantity for the best price.
Put a variety of food items in the basket along with small gifts
appropriate to the occasion: satin hearts for Valentine's Day; a
rattle, baby birth (gift baskets don't always have to contain
food) champagne for anniversaries, etc.
STAINED GLASS. Customers will pay a premium for well-executed
stained glass. Many local stained glass shops offer lessons, and
once you become proficient at it, you can create stained glass
ornaments, gifts, even windows. A three-year program is sponsored
by the Stained Glass Association of America, 8821 Bridgeport Way
S.W., Tacoma, WA 98499, Attention Chairman, Education Department.
CATERING. Quality catering is more in demand than ever before.
Your culinary skill can bring in lots of profits. Home study
courses are available from: International Correspondence Schools,
School of Catering, Oak and Pawnee Streets, Scranton, PA 18518;
and NRI Schools, McGraw-Hill Continuing Education Center, 3939
Wisconsin Ave., Washington, DC 20016.
LUNCH DELIVERY. Make specialty and conventional sandwiches for
delivery to hungry office workers. Create a menu of what you're
prepared to offer for lunches and distribute them to every office
possible in your area--you’ll be surprised at the great number of
orders you'll get, so prepared. You may even need help in making
the lunches. If you don't want to make the lunches yourself,
another angle deals with area restaurants and deli's to provide
the food--you will deliver fresh and hot. Your menu will consist
of these restaurants various house specialties. The restaurants,
because you're buying in quantity will give you a discount on the
food; you mark it up for your
profits.
