What Business Should I Start?. Rhonda Abrams

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СКАЧАТЬ Sick, Injured, and Disabled (e.g., home health care, personal assistance, physical therapy)

      

Elderly (e.g., personal assistance, personal driver, shopping services)

      

Overscheduled, busy people, such as executives, housewives (e.g., errand-running, personal assistance, shopping, cleaning services)

      Maintaining things: Most things need regular maintenance and occasional repair to be able to continue to stay in decent condition.

      Certainly most machines need regular service. These can be large machines, such as automobiles, heating/air conditioning systems, irrigation systems, ship engines. Or they can be smaller machines such as computers, appliances, cameras, photocopiers.

      But virtually every other kind of “thing” also needs regular maintenance and repair. Just think about the “things” around homes that need maintenance and repair, such as wiring, pavement, awnings, roofs, gutters, pools, windows and so much more. Similarly, most things in business or industrial settings need maintenance.

      Tending to animals: Americans, as well as many other nationalities, love their pets. As the number of pets has increased—and Baby Boomers have more money to spend on their pets—pet care has exploded as a source of business opportunities.

      These business opportunities include some obvious options such as dog-walking or dog-sitting or pet grooming, which have the added benefit of being very inexpensive to launch. But they also include less obvious choices (such as pet therapist) or more expensive start-up options (such as opening a full-service pet boarding/treatment “spa”). Pet ownership—and spending on pets—has continually increased, and this is a fruitful area of entrepreneurial expansion.

      Animals other than pets also need tending. These may be in stables, on farms, or in veterinary settings. Opportunities also exist in treating or caring for those animals.

      Sustaining plants/lawns: All kinds of plant life need ongoing attention—lawns, plants, flowers, trees. If you are a Caregiver/Maintainer E-Type that wants to work outdoors and likes seeing plants grow, keep in mind the many options for working with—and tending to—plants.

      Among the diverse entrepreneurial plant-related options include lawn care, landscape design/maintenance, garden maintenance, tree-trimming and tree care—for both residential and commercial customers. Also don’t forget the possibility of growing and selling your own plants—whether houseplants, herbs, or vegetables.

      Of course, there are even some options for plant maintenance indoors. Indoor plant maintenance for offices and office buildings may be an option to pursue. In some high income areas, individual homeowners may want indoor plant maintenance as well.

       You may be this E-Type if:

      1.You respect the importance of ongoing maintenance, whether of humans, things, animals, or plants.

       2.You have a “helping,” supportive, or nurturing personality.

       3.You like to make sure things work.

      4.You can keep track of things. Often you are responsible for insuring that things happen at certain, regular times, such as a patient taking their pills, lawns being watered, machines being tuned. This requires good personal organization skills, as well as a mindset that keeps track of when things need to be done.

      5.You are not a clock watcher. You have some flexibility with your time. Caring and maintenance takes time, and emergencies don’t happen on a schedule. Machines break down in the middle of the night, and you may have to get out of bed to fix them. Even if you are a home health worker with set working hours, emergencies and unexpected situations will arise. If you have little or no time flexibility, think carefully about what types of caregiving businesses are appropriate for you.

       Obvious (and Not-So-Obvious) Business Choices for This E-Type

      

Home health care provider

      

Physical therapist

      

Petsitter

      

Child day care center

      

Lawn/plant maintenance—including indoor office plant maintenance

      

Recreational therapist

      

Equipment repair

      

Handyman

      

Power washer (decks, driveways, patios, etc.)

      

Errand runner

      

Property manager

      

Taxi/driving service for children

      

Cleaning/janitorial services

      

Aesthetician/facialist

      

Hair stylist

      

Nanny

      

Cleaning/janitorial services

      

Personal shopper

      

Window washing

      

Animal groomer

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