The Coach's Blog

Okay. Maybe, I am a little bit old fashioned. But, I do think babysitting and child care are wonderful business ideas. In these difficult times, it is imperative to have good day care. I am not an expert but, I do know what has worked for me.

The economy is in a shambles. People are out of work every where. It is hard for parents to be able to keep food on the table. It is even harder for them to find good quality child care. I do not want to leave my children with just anyone. Most parents want to know they can trust their babysitters.

When I was young, I would offer myself for the chore of babysitting. I usually cared for (at the most) three children at once. I did not charge an exorbitant amount of money. It was usually no more than two dollars per hour. If I only had to watch one child, I did it in the customers home. If more than one child, I watched them in my home.

You must like children if you are going to do this type of work. This goes completely without saying. Reports of abuse are everywhere. It is not fair to the parents or the children. I happen to love children and their habits. This is not the kind of work for everyone. Make sure you check yourself accordingly.

Some children I have watched are newborns. They require special attention. You need to know how to change a diaper and how to clean thoroughly. It is not good to leave deposits which have not been wiped properly. You do not want to send a child home with a newly discovered diaper rash.

For older children, it is good to have an amount of toys for their ages. Toddlers enjoy coloring, finger painting, sidewalk chalk, and larger puzzles. You can draw pictures with them and let them enjoy their freedom. Do not be overbearing. They have minds and know how to use them. Give them some space. Let them create what they want.

You may also ask the parents to bring snacks the children like. You do not want a bunch of junk foods. Healthy snacks are best and will keep the children from being over active. Make sure you are also familiar with CPR and mouth to mouth resuscitation. You never know when you will need it.

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The opportunities are out there for profitable small business’s to make it in this market today. You just need to know which ones will work and which ones will not. If you are a true animal lover and responsible as well as reliable then starting your own pet sitting service is a prime small business for you.

Pet owners are everywhere these days and when they travel they would much rather pay you to stay with their animals in their own homes than to place them in a strange kennel.

More and more on-line business’s are starting up now. These consist of many things. The best ones to think about starting are in the gift markets or antique/collectible markets. Hand made gifts seem to be prized above all others and also the additions of gifts for people’s pets as well.

Become a consultant on something you know a lot about or can do very well. These can include weddings, floral arranging, shopping, decorating, clothing, crafting etc. The list can go on.

The cost for starting a consulting business is very low as it will just cost you the price of a box of business cards printed with your information on them. Then hand out to everyone you know and meet.

Are you an excellent cook who love to spend time in the kitchen? Then a small business for you would be as a caterer. Start out with fliers or brochures put in local businesses and also give your friends and acquaintances some business cards you never know when a new catering job will come from. Soon your catering business will be booming as people are always in need of great, tasty foods for many occasions.

If you are a wonderful house cleaner than make that into your own business. Ask around and pass out fliers in your local businesses and supermarkets and soon your phone will be ringing. Many women today also have jobs outside the homes and do not have enough time to work, care for the kids and clean the house so your services would be needed. This would give them more time to spend with their family than on chores once they get home from a long day on the job. These are all great small business ideas for any woman to start in.

Want to find out more about small business ideas, then visit www.businessideascoach.com on how to choose the best low cost business ideas for your needs.

Business Ideas For A Shrinking Economy

Even though there may be hopes of recovery on the horizon, we are still living in a shrinking economy. Here are some business ideas that have proven to work during good times or bad. Take time make adjustments in your business to reflect these principals and you can grow despite the economy.

Increase your marketing and your promotional budgets. If you stop advertising, you will stop growing. You must keep your brand constantly in front of the audience that is your target.

Continue to make your established customer feel like they are important. The do not want to be treated like a number. They need to feel appreciated and valued. Make a personal contact with each client every week. You need to initiate the call and it should not be about a sales pitch or getting an order.

Remember that customers change vendors daily. This means you should work to keep your brand in front of the competition’s clients daily. Woo the completion’s clients with your caring and attention. Remember that the competition is doing this with your clients also.

Remember that no business relationship is permanent. Business deals are based on relationships, so if your company changes staff or if the customer’s company changes staff, you could lose business. Work constantly to add value to the current customer in order to keep the business they bring your way. At the same time, constantly promote your company through PR, advertising and making presentations.

Market your business so that clients feel that you can do what they need done. Forget the this is what I can do for you mentality. Focus on what needs to be done. First meetings should be about your listening to what your potential client wants, feels or thinks. Second meetings should tie what your client wants to what you can do.

Always seek what new opportunities are available. What if IBM had said we make the best typewriters available, there is no need to change? If you do not incorporate the latest and greatest into your business, you can bet that the competition will.

A shrinking economy forces businesses to evaluate their underlying ideas. As you evaluate those ideas you are also forced to change how things are done and the tactics to reach more clients. If you learn to reach more clients even during a time of a shrinking economy, then you will be able to grow even more as the economy rebounds. Want to find out more about small business ideas, then visit www.businessideascoach.com  on how to choose the best low cost business ideas for your needs.