ohiobeekeepers | Small Business Ideas

Posts Tagged ‘Business’

Starting an auto repair shop can be very profitable, but a shiny complete shop full of new equipment can be out of the reach of most auto repair business entrepreneurs. The cost of a business startup can deter many of us from starting a new auto repair shop now.

However success is never easy and the first thing you need is determination! If you push though this financial obstacle then you will reap huge benefits and rewards. If you have the ability to repair vehicles then you are more than half way there. You can start an auto repair business as long as you can do the work yourself and you have the drive to do it. Here are 5 tips to start your auto repair business with little or no money!

1) Legalities. You will need to get an occupational license and open a business bank account. You will need to file a fictitious name request online to open a business bank account. You may also file for an occupational license online as well.

2) Type of business. You will need to adjust your niche. If you cannot afford a shop to bring customers to why not take the shop to the customers. Why not offer a mobile auto repair business until you can get a brick and mortar shop.

3) Business cards. If you can afford to you should go to a professional for your business cards such as Vista print they offer a onetime free offer for full color and quality business cards. Do not forget to utilize the back of your business cards. Do not leave the back of your cards blank. Think of the back of your business cards as a free billboard that you can use to offer discounts or referral fees to consumers who send customers your way.

4) Free ways to market. Marketing is the key to any businesses success or failure. You should utilize every social media site that you can such as Twitter, MySpace, Facebook, LinkedIn and Google+. It may seem daunting at first but you can use Ping.fm to update all of your social media sites at once. You will need a website with your local keywords in the Meta tags. You must submit your website to as many search engines as you possibly can. You can start search engine submissions with Addme.com. You will also need a keyword rich blog. You should use the services section of Craigslist to post your auto repair niche classified in for free. Do not post a plain old ad to Craigslist, go to Google and type in free Craigslist template and you will get an eye catching template for free. You should post your classified to as many free classified sites that you are able to. Post a free ad on Manta and post your business information on Google maps and places. This is by no means a complete list but these ideas will get you started on your path to owning a successful auto repair business.

5) Failure is not an option. If you really want a repair shop full of equipment that you own then you will need to make it happen. You will need to save 20% of the profit that you make and save it. If you can you should open an interest bearing account and keep adding 20% of your profits to your savings account and you will be on your way to owning the auto repair shop you have dreamed of.

Whatever you do make it count! Do not take no for an answer! Do not listen to nay Sayers! If everyone in history listened to the masses we would still believe the world was flat. 2012 can be the year you started on your road to success!

By: Larry Holisky

So you want to start a home based business but don’t have a lot of money. This is the stumbling block for many people, but don’t worry, there are some low investment business opportunities out there.

So the first thing you need to do is figure out what type of business you would like to try. Got to have the horse before the carriage, right? I know you’ve read this a hundred times already online but I will repeat it again; look at what you like to do already. Do you enjoy playing the guitar, BAM, guitar lessons. Do you like to socialize, BAM, event planner. Trust me, good business ideas are everywhere, but you just need to look for them.

If you are one of the individuals out there don’t have any hobbies or pastime passions then this is for you. I did(and what you should do also) quick search online and found some good business ideas for a very low, some none investment.

1. Event Planner – Like I mentioned about, if you like to socialize and go to parties, then this could be the ticket for you. You do need to have good organizational skills to pull this one off though. Maybe a good smart phone with a calendar and a little advertising and you’re off to the races. You can start small, only doing certain types of parties like kid’s birthday parties and build the business from there.

2. Daycare in Your Home – This one is more suited to the stay-at-home mom or day, that are home already. But you could always do this on the weekend too. Many parents need a good sitter on the weekends and who would the trust more, a 16 kid that might have her boyfriend over or a responsible parent that will be watching their own kids at the same time. Maybe charge extra for them to sleep over, all kids love sleepovers!!!

3. Cooking Instructor – Do you make a cheese cake that is to die for, or everyone tells you that your ribs are the best, then there could be an opportunity there for you. Usually word of mouth advertising between your friends, family and Facebook can get the ball rolling for this one. Some newspapers will allow you to put free announcements in the announcements/workshops section of the paper. Who doesn’t like free.

4. Handyman Service – There a a lot of baby boomers out there now that don’t want to or just aren’t capable of doing a lot of the “around the house” chores anymore which leads an opportunity a mile wide for a few sharp individuals to capitalize on. Power washing the driveway, trimming the shrubs, changing the lightbulb in the hallway and the list goes on and on. A free ad on Craigslist or probably better, a small classified ad in the paper could bring in a lot of business. And you know how the senior citizens are, when they find a good thing, they let others know about it, good or bad. (NOTE: in some states and cities, you are required to get a business license first before doing any work on somebody else’s property for money.)

I often hear reports on the news about scams and cons perpetrated via the Internet. Someone somewhere has been hurt by some untraceable, unscrupulous scum that does not want to put the energy into a legitimate enterprise.

Almost every business has been scared by this negative information. The sad part is the reports are true. However, you can overcome the damage done to you quickly and effectively.

Almost 20 years ago when I started doing traditional business consulting I knew what the first step was to start up a business. And I knew the reasons for it. Besides being the law everywhere, this builds credibility. It makes your business a legal entity. You can also think of it as creating an abstract being. You register with the state you will be doing business in.

How does registering with a state relate to online business. An online business is everywhere. Why should I get the state involved? The answer is credibility. You need credibility. By registering in your state you are demonstrating that you are not one of the con men/women over in Africa or somewhere. You are publicly announcing who you are and what you do.

Getting registered is the first, best, most effective and most important way to overcome the damage done by online scams.

Okay what is registering? It is when a small businesses creates an LLC, S-Corp, or C-Corp. Most companies become LLC’s. LLC means limited liability corporation. Another way is to register as a partnership or sole proprietorship. The LLC is to help protect your personal assets. This can be important if you have a lot of assets.

Okay so you are registered. You are now: Busy Business LLC. What is next. Prominently and proudly state the fact on your website. If possible state it in the site heading as part of the title. Example: Busy Business LLC Vendor Of Delicious Cookies. We are registered in “Our State.”

A large number of brick and mortar companies market products online. Most of them are registered in their home state. However, they don’t state this on their website. It is a good idea for them to state that they are registered.

There are some other advantages to being registered. You can open a business bank account using your company name. You will be able to get paid other ways besides PayPal if you choose. In time you can build a line of credit.