Top 5 Home Based Businesses for Colorado
Searching for a home business opportunity can be frustrating if you aren’t driven in a particular direction from the start. Many successful people begin with something that they love – like photography, for instance – and develop a unique business idea around that passion.
If you’re more the type who is willing to get some extra training and begin a home business based on current and future trends, this might be just the list you’re looking for. Many of these home-based business ideas will work outside of the state of Colorado – what I’ve compiled here is a list of businesses that are currently in very high demand in this state, but they may be in as much demand elsewhere.
These ideas aren’t “get-rich-quick” schemes. They are true home businesses that you will need to obtain skills for, and invest a lot of time and planning in before you get started. Potential for these businesses right now is enormous in Colorado, based on demand for their products and services, and are only likely to become in more demand as more people continue to move to our state.
Pet-Based Products and Services
There are likely few states as pet-friendly as Colorado. With the number of beloved pets we call ours, the demand for pet products is without equal. If you can come up with an idea for cats or dogs that results in products created in your home, you have a real winner on your hands.
Some of the ideas which might fall into this category include pet bakery items (doggie biscuits and cat treats), organic pet foods, designer collars, and the standard services like grooming and walking. If you can find a unique way of combining more than one idea, you immediately double your chances of success.
To work solely from the home, you will need to come up with a strong product line or selection of services (I would recommend at least 5 unique products or 3 unique/in-demand services) and get the word out. Create a brochure, or if you are selling products come up with a small catalogue. Distribute these marketing tools to places like pet stores, grooming services (if they aren’t your competition!), and anywhere else that pets can be found in numbers.
By and large, creating products will be far more successful. You can develop a strong product line and create a small catalogue that you can use to sell directly to pet stores around the state. This also lets you get creative – but you will need to spend some time doing research. If you decide to bake pet food items, for example, you will need to locate a variety of recipes and find a willing participant (most pets will be more than happy to volunteer) to try out your wares. Experiment, adjust ingredients or patterns, and before long you’ll have something in high demand.
Catering Services
Especially in the metro area, there is a whole business niche that has not been filled in any form – the delivered, served catering service. Career couples and families are found in numbers in the city, and while there will always be a strong need for social occasions to be catered, many couples and families are spending more money on having food brought in. It’s better than take-out, and it’s all served for you.
This idea will work especially well if you focus on catering to a specific customer – the career couple, the family, etc. Once you decide what type of customer you want to work with, then you can further narrow down your specialty. What about a breakfast delivery service, which will arrive with fresh-ground, fresh-brewed coffee, home-made and healthy muffins and bagels, and all the condiments that go with it? Another idea might be to hone in on the organic trend, and offer a vegetarian catering service for couples.
If you have a knack for planning and preparing nourishing, appealing food and can deliver it hot, this is a great opportunity. Make sure to take time creating and testing recipes so that you can offer a complete menu. This allows your customer to order a full meal from you in advance just as they would at a drive-through, but know that they are getting food that is healthy and pleasing.
Wedding Consultant and Planning Services
The baby boomer’s kids have grown up, which means that the number of weddings is growing almost by the day. More than that, the types of weddings are becoming ever more varied, from union ceremonies to lavish traditional affairs.
Once again, the key to real success is to specialize in a specific area. You might like the idea of helping couples create beautiful interfaith ceremonies, or perhaps you’d be able to focus on same-sex couples wishing to ritualize their own union. By focusing in this way, you gain a serious edge on the few more established services that try to offer everything – and become very impersonal because of it.
To get started in this type of business, you need very little investment of money but a lot of research. You will want to know intimately the venues available for wedding ceremonies and receptions, as well as the best dress designers, florists, and bands. Concentrate on ways to organize – not only yourself, but ways to help the wedding couple get and stay organized. There are a lot of wedding planner books available online which you can download for free and gain ideas from. Offer the wedding couple their own personalized planners that contain, step-by-step, the ideas you have worked out with them.
The ideas here are endless, but they key is to remember focus and intimacy. You want your clients to feel special – they deserve it, and the word-of-mouth they pass on about you is better than any marketing dollar spent in advertising.
In-Home Beauty Services
Can you imagine a day more relaxing than having someone come to your home, cleanse and tone your skin, or pamper you with a body wrap? It’s the height of luxury, especially when followed with makeup or hair care and appropriate advice and tips on keeping it beautiful.
To perform this kind of service, you will want to start out with a range of specific services to offer. Brainstorm the most opulent ideas you can come up with – an in-home day spa, for example, or a full-service manicure and pedicure. Then, you will want to locate recipes for creating your own unique products to use performing these services or research where to obtain those products at a very good price.
Concentrate on the natural beauty concept. Everyone is becoming increasingly aware that what goes on the outside of their bodies becomes absorbed into their bodies, and anything that is 100% natural, organic, or hand-crafted will be a huge boost to your services. Take a look around at what kind of specialty training you can add to your skill base – even community colleges might offer up some unique training that you weren’t aware of.
Life or Business Coaching Services
Coaching services have been a hot opportunity for several years now, but this is a new industry which looks as if it is set to continue growing. The trend from everyone having or wanting a personal fitness trainer has grown into something much more inclusive – the full-service personal coach.
This type of business opportunity does require some skills. You need to know plenty about nutrition and fitness, as well as education, and must be able to double as a counselor with the snap of a finger. As a home-based business, this is a truly exciting one because it can be performed remotely as well as in person, doubling your opportunities for specialized services from the start.
