Category: Business Ideas

I was talking to a friend the other day who would love to start her own business. She wants to be free to travel while also being able to bring in an income. 

So this got me thinking on how to choose a business idea that’s right for you .

My story: choosing a business, twice

I sold my first 2 businesses when we moved from Auckland to Cambridge. We had Ruby 4, and Jack 2, and they kept me busy enough mentally to not need my own business as mental stimulation. Once in Cambridge, we had Bella and then Maggie. When Maggie was 3, I found myself quite organically, just thinking of businesses again. Previous to that, starting another business would have been well beyond me. 

What I learned from my first two businesses

My first 2 businesses offered products. In Blooming Beautiful we sold secondhand maternity clothes on behalf of others. So I needed a full room to be available for the stock and then each client would have that room as a changing shed. I booked individual appointments at home for this business. 

I wasn’t holding any in stock here as the clothes still belonged to my sellers but it took up physical space.

With Lioness, we sold breastfeeding tops. So we were holding stock that was either ready to go to a retailer or for orders coming in via our website. Here we needed physical space and we had money held in existing stock and also keeping money aside for future material ordering and production, not to mention, packaging etc. 

Choosing a business idea the third time around

This time, I had 4 children aged 3-10 and as I was thinking of starting another business, things were different.  I wanted to earn some extra money and use my brain for something other than meal planning and housework. 

So when deciding which business to start, straight away there were restrictions in place. 

I found that having these parameters actually helped weed out any business ideas that weren’t suitable for our needs at the time. 

Also dispositionally, I am creative, I am efficient and I love to make things better. I am good at problem solving and I get great pleasure in taking an irritating issue and working out how to make it better. 

 So my list of non-negotiables looked like this:

1. Being able to be home with my young children ( had 3 at school, 1 still at home)
2. I wanted a service not a product due to lack of physical space and not wanting money held in stock
3. Something creative that satisfied my personality
4. I was willing to retrain but had limited hours available
5. I needed very flexible hours as my kids could get sick and need time off school – and I wanted work I could still do with them sick beside me. 
6. I would be working from home

The moment it clicked: my landscape design story

Then one day I was visiting my cousin, and they had had a landscape design plan drawn up for them. And I remember thinking “what a waste of money!” I come from strong DIY parents, they did everything themselves, so the mentality of paying someone to tell you what to plant seemed odd. 

Anyway, we both had our own homes. They were following their plan as they had the time and the money. As the weeks passed, their place just blossomed. It looked so good. They were planting the right trees, shrubs and groundcovers. The gardens were interesting and looked fabulous.

My garden on the other hand was a different story. I was buying random, unnamed cheap plants from the dairy. And guess what? These unidentified plants grew way too big for where I planted them. I put gardens in, then realised that area was shady and nothing would grow. 

Comparing the 2 gardens, my cousin and I concluded that hers looked like the botanical gardens and mine like a cheap playcentre.

I could now see the benefit of having a professional landscape plan drawn up and then being able to implement the plan ourselves. 

So I looked into retraining as a landscape designer. I found a reputable qualification that I could do over 18 months online!

This ticked all the boxes. 

How to choose a business idea that fits your life

When you are wondering what business to build, start by writing your list of boxes that need to be ticked.

Begin with Essentials, then Ideals and lastly Hopefullys.  

You saw my list above, now grab a piece of paper and make yours.

ESSENTIALS & NON-NEGOTIABLES – these are the deal breakers. No compromises here. 

Where do you want to be working? 

Do you, like me, need to be working from home (clothing repairs, proof reading, ironing)?

Or are you ok needing to be out (dog walking, care taking, garden maintenance) ?

Are you wanting to provide a product (bespoke birthday cakes, handmade candles, jewellery)  or a service (window cleaning, dog grooming, bookkeeping)?

How much time do you realistically have and how flexible do you need to be?

Can you work school hours only, or evenings?

Could you still get it done with a sick child home on the couch, or does it tie you to set appointment times? 

Are you willing to retrain? If so, how much time and money are you happy to spend?

What can you realistically invest to get started? 

Do you want money tied up in stock, or not? 

IDEALS – you’d love to have these, but if you can’t it’s not the end of the world.

Do you want this to be a creative endeavour?

Would you love to work with people or prefer to be on your own?

Do you want this to grow into something bigger or keep to just you?

Do you want to use skills you already have, or learn something completely new? 

HOPEFULLYS -this the cream on top. Dream big here

Do you want to be able to travel while working?

Could this one day replace your wage, or even become the family’s main income? 

Need some ideas to run through your list? Take a look at my 7 Low Cost Businesses to Start from Home and Service Businesses Ideas for Women to start with skills you already have, then see which ones tick your boxes

Your list won’t look like mine, and that’s the point

My friend’s list and yours will look very different from mine. 

My friend’s top priority is earning while she travels.  Mine was being home with my kids. Yours might be to never leave the house in winter. Different priorities, different lists, but the exercise is the same. 

Your next step

Once your list is made, I have something further for you to consider. Watch my free class here on the very first step when considering starting a business. It’s 30 mins long. Keep your paper with you because you’ll want to take notes.

Service Business Ideas for Women Who Already Have the Skills

I have spoken to women looking for service business ideas, wanting to bring in some extra money but they are just not sure of what they could offer. Starting a business can bring up thoughts of having to have a product and employing someone. This is not true.

The simplest way to start is to have a look at what you already know. Don’t worry about finding a product to sell. Sell your own skills and you do have them. You just may not recognize them yet. 

Often we believe that what comes easy to us, comes easy to everyone else as well. 

This is not the case. I tell my kids, we all have different brains and skills. Therefore what you can do, can very likely be just what someone else is needing. 

Why a Service Business? 

A service business is different from a product business. My business Lioness was a product business. We sold breastfeeding tops that I had designed and made. With a product, we had a good amount of money held up in stock and also had the physical product to store, package, send off etc. There is none of that in a service business. In a service business, you are the product – and that changes everything. 

When my youngest was 3, I was ready for a new business – and with four kids and absolutely no room for boxes, a product was off the table!

So I decided on Landscape Design. I wanted a service with minimal outlay. I did need to retrain but the potential income far outweighed the cost of doing so. And the way I structure my payments – a deposit upfront, and full payment before final documents are printed – means my costs only happen after I’ve been paid. That’s a very comfortable place to be.

Service businesses are great if you don’t have a lot of money to invest. My approach has always been to start with money you could afford to lose. No investors, no debt, no financial pressure hanging over you before you’ve even begun.

As you are the product, all you need initially is money for marketing and with social media being what it is, you can likely advertise for free on community pages, or depending on your service at schools etc. 

The Skills You Already Have 

Here are some service business ideas to consider :

Tutoring

I tutored my neighbours child maths while my baby daughter slept. She was being home schooled for health reasons so a couple times a week, we would have a maths class. 

This could also be done online if you don’t want to be restricted to your area. That would reduce travel time. You could charge more for in person tutoring. Or keep it all online if you’d rather not go to people’s houses. All subjects can be tutored. Art, history, maths, science, english, cooking. If you know a language, you could offer conversation classes. The options are endless. 

You would need a laptop with zoom, latest curriculum for that subject perhaps. Overall, the outlay for this one is minimal.

You could market in homeschooling communities, at your local school during term time, as well as extra support before exams, even the adult education market.  

Landscape Consultations

I am a Landscape Designer. I have a diploma, but I was with a friend recently and have often thought she could do Landscape Consults. All her gardens are interesting, well designed, and especially not boring. 

Consults are wonderful in that they are just your time and thoughts with the goal of providing people inspiration and ideas they could implement. People are paying for your ideas. I spend the time writing and drawing ideas with plant suggestions and then leave the notes with them.

If you are creative and can think outside the box when it comes to design, this may be for you. If you have some gardens of your own to start marketing with, then go for it. You could offer free consults for friends in order to get some reviews, and some before and after photos. Often people just need fresh eyes on their property, someone who isn’t stuck in the way things have always been done.

Organization/decluttering

You don’t need a qualification for this, just the right disposition. I love decluttering. It is not hard for me at all. There are of course people that struggle with this, and would love someone to come alongside them and talk them through their stuff. 

A sensitive personality may be needed here as people might need some gentle persuasion to aid their letting go. 

In terms of supplies, some large plastic bags or boxes are about all you need. You could offer to take things to thrift shops yourself, which is a lovely added touch. And if you want to take it further, you could move into storage solutions and closet design.

All of these services can be advertised locally and for free – community Facebook pages, a flyer at the supermarket or school, word of mouth. You don’t need a big budget to get started. 

Finding Your Own Service Business Idea 

When you are looking for a business to start, look at what you want and what you can do. Start a list. Do you want to leave the house or work entirely online? Are you happy going into other people’s homes? Do you want to work with kids or adults? Are you open to retraining or do you want to start immediately with what you already know?

Your answers will point you in the right direction.

If any of these service business ideas resonate, you might enjoy my blog on 7 low cost business ideas here. Either way, my free class is a great next step. In just 30 minutes it will help you get clear on what you actually want from a business of your own. And it’s free. Sign up here.