I have often heard parents who stay home ask what home business ideas they can invest in. People choose to stay at home to work for different reasons. The reasons vary from health to family responsibilities, especially for women.
Operating a business from home is a good way to survive in families where just one of the parents has a job. The family won’t have to rely on the income of the working parent alone.
Even without the need for extra income, some people simply like businesses that wouldn’t be a problem operating from anywhere. For these types, comfort, flexibility and opportunity to multitask are attractive factors.
In a country like Nigeria, where the patriarchy culture reigns, more women than men stay home. Some of them have been able to include running a business to their programme in addition to getting house responsibilities done. Working at home is awesome and has it’s advantages.
As a stay at home parent, you can make enough money in your house and live the kind of life you want without any setbacks. Of the many businesses stay at home individuals can venture into, this list only contains 10 great home business ideas that would work anywhere with little cash as startup capital.
Home Business Ideas For Individuals
1) Baking /Pastry Making
This works everywhere. If you can make cakes and small chops, you have a good business already. The kids on the street, the teenagers and even adults all need something to crunch in their leisure. You can start by making cupcakes, chin-chin, buns and pies. From a few tens you can start. The taste and pleasure your customers get make the business boom. It will surprise you how much you will expand in just a few months.
Aside from the retail sales, you could eventually become a supplier to children parties, picnics and some light events. People celebrate birthdays every day; just think about having to supply cakes for all birthdays around you. It is a good business that has a very good yield and returns.
2) Running A Restaurant
Running a restaurant is one of the home business ideas that has the potential to bring return because you do not need to invest much. If you know how to cook very well, and often get compliments, you might think of channeling your skills into running a restaurant.
It doesn’t really matter if you are male or female. What matters most is your skill and your willingness. Street restaurants sell so much especially in places where there are a good number of youths.
With a shop or a space you can place your wares and serve your customers. A good number of people patronise restaurants for breakfast and almost everyone does for lunch. You need a little capital to start enjoying the benefit of doing what you like.
3) Jewelry Making
Fashion is an order of the day. It speaks to the visual and attracts attractions. Many people want to look good, not just by the clothes they wear but also the accessories they put on, to complement the dressing. Bead and wirework making is one of the most lucrative small scale businesses these days.
There is hardly a fashionista that does not rock beads or handmade necklace especially to owambes. The simple logic is that every lady in your vicinity is your potential costumer as long as they know you make good ones.
4) Day Care Service
Offering a Daycare service is a good one especially for stay-at-home moms. Their experience with being hands on with their own children is an advantage. If you have the passion for it, you could consider it as an option. Taking kids to work could reduce productivity, so many working moms would prefer to take their kids to a daycare.
The most important things you need to provide is good environment, and assure the parents of good care and security.
5) Freelance Writing
As a sit at home individual, your writing skill should not be a bedroom thing anymore. There are thousands of people that want someone to write their stories for them. Many people want someone to help them with their proposals and business plans.
You could also consider being a writer for daily newspapers, or a copywriter to promote brands for other businesses.
Another great opportunity in this area is editing and proofreading. If your eyes and mind are sharp, and you have a good knowledge of English, you are hot cake. You won’t just write, but work for authors and writers that desperately need editors for their work.
Freelancing is one of the home business ideas where the opportunities are endless.
6) Event Planning
Your job as an event planner is to be in charge of arranging, organising, and executing different types of functions and events. It does not have limitations. It covers musical shows, film festivals, conventions, conferences, etc. As an event planner, you must have a good knowledge and ability for financial management.
It is not something you do alone. You need others to execute many of the tasks you map out for the success of each event. Planning of events is a good business in cities where everyone is too busy to get everything done themselves. You just do the planning while your client focuses on some other things.
7) Fashion Designing
Sewing has always been a lucrative business. While some people take it as a part-time job, it is a full-time job for some others. Now, as a sit at home individual, think of how much time you can dedicate to it. Fashion designing sells everywhere. It is a business that is welcomed by every society, rural or urban.
Fashion is one of the home business ideas that will always be green because people buy and sew clothes almost every day. Putting on clothes is a basic need, whether awesomely made or not, expensive or not. Nonetheless, the kind of society you operate determines how much your income could be.
8) Fruit And Vegetable Retailing
Fruit and vegetable consumption is averagely high. An average person takes a fruit at least once in two days. Sometimes, people take them not just for the fun of it, but for medicinal reasons. For example, in the United States, the Center for Disease Control targets to make nothing less than 75% of their population eat at least two portions of fruits per day. They also aim to see about 50% consume three or more servings of vegetables daily. You know, policies like this can boost your business, and encourage you to do more.
As a stay at home person, you could start a fruit and vegetable business. All businesses can start small scale. Effort is what makes them grow.
You can be innovative with it, by making fruit salads packaged in small disposable containers. This sells very well in the middle of the day when the sun is wrecking hot havoc. If you have a refrigerator to make things chilled, then business will be good.
9) Running A Mini Mart
How you start a Mini Mart depends on the capital you have. With as low as 10,000-naira capital, you could get something started. Start with goodies for children and common house needs. Other households in your neighbourhood would easily turn to your place for basic needs.
Children can get their cookies, sweets and books from your place. Before anyone considers a supermart for any purchase, you rank first in their mind because of proximity. And if eventually you have enough materials to satisfy what they always need at home, you become a first choice.
10) Handcraft
Someone’s palm doesn’t deceive him, says an African maxim. If you are so skillful with handiwork, you should really get something doing. Even if currently you don’t know, it is something you can learn, if you have the interest to learn. Get yourself together and make good use of what you have.
You should be into real business if you make Ankara bags, leather bags, handmade caps, and similar things. The economy is really encouraging small enterprises to grow with the high dollar rate that makes imported goods expensive. You can start now.
It is not respectable or convenient anymore to just sit and expect free manner from heaven. You can be very productive even as you sit at home taking care of domestic duties.
The era of lassitude is gone. There is no more an excuse for being jobless. Look at these home business ideas, see what you are passionate about and invest in it. Do not forget to thank us later!
What more home business ideas? Go here.
