Читать книгу What Business Should I Start? - Rhonda Abrams - Страница 31

Caring for people: Young people, old people, sick people, well people, people who need to go places, people who are disabled. Lots of people need assistance and care. The most obvious opportunities are in providing services to people who can’t fully take care of themselves, typically because of physical limitations (due to illness or disability) or age (children or the elderly).

But there are also opportunities in providing services for those who can’t—or don’t want to—take care of things entirely on their own, perhaps because of their schedules (such as executives or overworked moms) or personal preference (not wanting to do housecleaning or needing advice from a personal shopper).

Some groups that need assistance and opportunities include:

Children (e.g., child care, nanny, taxi/driving service, tutoring)

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.