Tag: small business ideas

The Name of Your Business Is Important!

The name of your business is important. It can refer to your product or service, but more importantly it should be about an identification with your customers singularly or collectively (i.e. your target market). Ideally your name will be easy to pronounce and have a rhythmic flow of sound.   If your name stirs emotions, it is even better. Do you go to overstock.com because you just know you’ll find a good deal?

If your business has a name and you are working as a “dba” (doing business as), your business needs to be registered with your city or county. Registering your” dba” means no one else in the city/county can use the same name. Of course the name might not be available for your business website. This may not be so bad because on the internet, a business’ reason for being should be apparent in its name. If you intend to do business nationally or internationally on the Internet, you may want to consider trade marking your name.

You can have some fun when trying to come up with your name. Brainstorm, consider a number of names before deciding.

Single Word – Single word business names are easy to remember. (But don’t expect to find a single word domain available) Two words combined also works well. If your consignment shop only sells new, upscale clothing, call it, Upscale. The weekend entrepreneur who tunes pianos can be Intune.

Foreign Words – You can choose a language associated with your business for your name especially if your product is ethnic. Use and Italian or Greek word if you are selling these ethnic foods. In my city, there is a great Italian restaurant called Ciao Bella. If you are importing items from Ecuador you may want a Spanish sounding name.

Play on Words –A business name that is a play on words can be very effective. If your new business is installing home theaters, Sounds Good, Surround In Sound, Vision to Behold plays on sound and meaning, and conveys the idea of home theater.

Some people have come up with very unusual and inventive business names. (not all of these businesses are still in business). Since I promised to do different from usual blogs on Wednesdays, enjoy these business names from http://people.delphiforums.com and other sources.

Many Happy Returns. Tax Preparation, St. Petersburg, Florida
A Den of Antiquity. Ashville, North Carolina
Crapo Appliance Service, Redmond, Washington
Effin Computers. On Site Computer Repair, Connecticut
It’s A Crewel World. Salem, Massachusetts
Amigone Funeral Home.   multiple locations in NY
Cane and Able.   Mobility products   Langhorne PA
Sherrill’s Eat Here and Get Gas. Tipton IN
Leaven and Earth. Bakery, Berkeley, CA
Citizen Canine. Dog Kennel, Oakland, CA
Doggie Style. Dog Grooming North Highlands, CA
Murphy’s Paw. Doggie Gift Store, Pleasanton, CA
Fideaux. Outfitters for Dogs & Cats Napa Valley & Sonoma County
Hades Manufacturing Corporation. Temperature Measuring Equipment, Farmingdale, NY
Hard Wok Cafe. Chinese Take Away, Melbourne Australia
The Yuppy Puppy. Dog Grooming Shop with Velvet Sofas, Melbourne Australia
Dirty Dogs Done Dirt Cheap. A Mobile Dog Grooming Service, Melbourne Australia

Choosing your online name (domain) can involve several different problems. Price and Inappropriateness.

Price: One word names are hard to find. www.uniquebusinessnames.com currently has for sale: Burglr ($1934), Fexy ( $12670), Cazy ($5589)

Inappropriateness: Often the owner never meant to be inappropriate but the letters get misread. www.teacherstalking.org    Are teachers talking or is it “how to” for stalking a teacher? How might the word “therapist” get misread in a url?     Have some grown-up entertainment and visit two collections of inappropriate domains.     http://www.boredpanda.com/worst-domain-names/     and http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Fun:Unfortunate_website_names

August 21, 2013
Entrepreneurial Ideas if You’d Like to Work Outside or with Animals

This post is for the aspiring part-time entrepreneur who does not really like computers and prefers animals and the great outdoors to working closely with other people. Well, you cannot totally avoid the human animals, but there are plenty of opportunities to work with animals and/or be outside.

Pets …..

Dog Groomer: LearnToGroom offers a video training course. Learn how to hold dogs and properly use the tools needed to properly clip Terrier breeds, Spaniel Breeds, Poodles, Mixed breeds and other breeds (Old English Sheep dog, Bichon Frise, Maltese, etc). A second course is available if you want your business to be mobile groomin.

http://learntogroom.com

Pet Sitter: If you love animals Pet Sitters International can prepare you to be a pet sitter or a dog walker. The PSI Accreditation Program is an in-depth educational coursework that has been tailored exclusively for pet sitters. The curriculum includes topics on Pet Care, Health & Nutrition, Additional Services and Business & Office Procedures (37 informative topics in all). The coursework was developed with input from some of the most knowledgeable professionals in the pet-care industry.

www.petsit.com

Pet Massage: Massage therapy for people is now integrated into traditional Western medicine and wellness care. Massage Therapy and Physical Therapy may soon play a similar role in veterinary medicine and home-based animal care. PetMassage offers basic training and materials for both in-house workshops and Distance Learning courses. Additional courses in energy work and water work are also available.

www.petmassage.com

Equine and Canine Massage: Equissage is the oldest and leading trainer of animal massage therapists in the world. Since 1991, Equissage has graduated more than 10,000 Equine & Companion Animal Massage Technicians, from every state in the US and 20 different countries around the world. As of March 2008, Equissage began it’s nationwide and worldwide expansion of satellite teaching locations.

http://www.equissage.com

Equissage offers on-site program for those in the New England and New York area. The five day intensive program provides certification for Equine Sports Massage Therapy. .

http://www.equissage-ne-ny.com/course.html

Dog Trainer: The Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT) has established a series of standards for professional competence. The site lists the various organizations and links so you can begin working to toward the title of Certified Pet Dog Trainer.

    http://www.apdt.com/

Pooper Scooper / Dog Doo Remover. Yes you can do this professionally. Pest waste is a health problem and many cities and towns have laws mandating that owners pick up after their pets when they are on public property. The Pooper Scooper cleans yards and private property, discarding the wastes in receptacles belonging to the pets’ owners. Generally scooping is scheduled for once a week. This is a business a teen-ager can start. Scoopers charge $12.00 to $25.00 per week depending on the number of dogs. There is even a professional organization. The Association of Professional Animal Waste Specialists

http://www.apaws.org/

National Parks and the Great Outdoors

Seasonal or Year-Round Work in National Parks: CoolWorks.com is the Portal for more than 70,000 seasonal jobs in national parks. http://www.coolworks.com/older-bolder is for you if you consider yourself “Older & Bolder” and are looking for a seasonal job in a great place, the employers listed in this area are interested in older, bolder workers. Each position has varied accommodations; some have RV spaces, some offer private rooms, and others have rentals nearby.

http://www.coolworks.com/older-bolder

http://www.CoolWorks.com

Seasonal, Year-Long, or Volunteer jobs for nature lovers and others. (for example work or volunteer at retreat centers) Back Door Jobs offers jobs and learning experiences in ecology, sustainable agriculture, teaching English as a Second Language and more.

http://www.BackDoorJobs.com

Rancher: If your love of wildlife includes the animal variety, consider alpaca ranching. The Alpaca Owners and Breeding Association can provide information and contacts.

http://www.alpacainfo.com

MISC……

Professional house sitters / property managers get free board and sometimes a salary. Live on estates, mansions, farms, ranches, resort homes, retreat centers, camps, hunting and fishing lodges, vacation homes, and even private islands. Great work is you want to do something seasonal or if you are one of the “working retired.” Caretaker Gazette is published bimonthly and informs member of new caretaking and house sitting jobs via an email update service.

www.caretaker.org

Bee Keeper. You do not need to live in a rural area to keep bees. There are now bee keepers with hives on high rise buildings in major cities.

http://www.sustainlife.org    free coursehttp://www.ohiostatebeekeepers.org/beekeeping_class/http://www.brooklyngrangefarm.com/bgbees-new-beekeeper-training-program/   a program for urban bee keepers

Organic Farmer, Landscape Company Owner, Winery Owner, Travel Writer, and Archeologist Yes, you can get paid to go on digs. There are E-books telling you how to get started, priced from $15.00 to $30.00 at http://www.fabjob.com/

August 16, 2013
Why Become a Halfpreneur?

Besides starting a part-time business as a trial run for full-time self-employment. There are at least three additional reasons why you might choose to become a halfpreneur – Money, Meaning, and Mission.

Money

Money is the most obvious reason. You may be on the halfpreneurial path because you know you will need more money a few years down the road perhaps for your children’s college tuition or for your retirement. However you may need more money in your life right now for your car loan, your mortgage, or the tuition you never saved enough for. If you really need cash immediately, you may have to consider a second job, since few entrepreneurial ventures pay quickly, however affiliate marketing is one means that some individuals have used to quickly bring in income.

Bum Marketing

Some individuals still swear by Bum Marketing as a way of quickly generating money. Unfortunately that second job may be difficult to find. Just ask anyone who is unemployed and wants to supplement their income or a retiree who needs to return to work for more money or because they are incredibly bored. Yes, there are retirees who put far more planning into their finances than into what they wanted to do with the rest of their lives and discover that with no structure in their lives they are bored and miserable. This leads to the second and third reasons for becoming a halfpreneur – meaning and mission.

Given a choice everyone wants to do work that they care about and find interesting. There are a few people who might say that it does not matter, that they don’t care what they do, but if given a choice they would pick something they care about before choosing something they found totally uninteresting, even if money was their primary motive for self-employment or employment.

What is interesting, worthwhile, meaningful is however highly personal. Our personal perspective on what is meaningful is largely based on our personality, our upbringing, the culture we are part of, and even our genetic heritage. So one person’s definition of “meaningful” might be working toward filling their

Solar Power

highest ideals, whereas others may define “meaningful” as raising their children and grandchildren, and others would say that meaningful would be contributing to a cause or campaign like developing the solar power necessary to get the world off of its gluttonous appetite for oil. There is nothing that makes one person’s definition of meaningful better than any other.

Meaning combined with passion is even better, and there are two ways this connects with your home business or small business. Your business may allow you to create income based on what you find meaningful or are passionate about. For example, you get the basic 200 hour yoga certificate so you can begin teaching yoga or you might run summer programs teaching urban and suburban families how to enjoy fishing as a family activity, if fishing is your passion.

Fishing for Families

Mom with home-based business

On the other hand, It may be your passion that you want your halfpreneurial venture to support . If your passion is your children and you want to be able to stay home and raise them, then starting a home-based business that provides sufficient income allows you to live your passion. Someone approaching retirement age may have

Travel

a passion for traveling and once thought that travelling is what they would spend their golden years doing. Now a hard look at their finances puts their dreams in serious doubt. Are there travelling halfpreneurs?

Brainstorming

Yes, with a little brainstorming, we could identify several businesses that can be done from varying locations. For example, becoming a self-employed copy writer might never have been this 50+ year old individual’s first job choice, but it is very mobile and

Mobility – Work anywhere in the world!

pays well. OK, he may have to do some writing while he is traveling, but he does get to travel as much as he wants! Other ideas for work and travel include operating tours and starting import and/or export businesses.

A third reason for starting your own small business is that you feel that you have a mission. There is something else in life that you must do or you see a need that you can fill. While researching the term “mission” several equivalent terms kept emerging: purpose, life purpose, and calling, a long with some interesting definitions:

– an overall theme for your life which transcends your daily activities.

– an ongoing commitment to a principle that becomes who you are. It is not a belief or a goal to be achieved. It is not what you do but who you are being. It is not something that is discovered like interests, but a commitment you chose. It’s essence is contribution.

– the quality you have come to earth to develop, the type of service you are here to render, the segment of the planet or population you have come to enhance, improve, or heal. It pervades your entire life; it is much broader than one job, one business, or even your entire career.

Does everyone have a mission and is it a good reason to start your own business?   I have talked to people who say definitely “YES” and most people know from an early age what they are here to do. Most of the students in my Self Assessment and Career Planning courses, however, hope they will someday discover their mission. This may be more realistic. Mission may be something that we grow into as we live our lives and we may not discover that need that we can uniquely fulfill until we

Coach

have experienced a great deal of living. There are coaches, advisors, healers, yoga practitioners and others who start businesses to work with those who are experiencing what they overcame: PTSD, ADHD, cancer, drug abuse, divorce, bankruptcy, etc.

We probably have many missions over our lifetimes. Raising our children may be one mission, but we may have other missions.    And then I have spoke with people who seem to firmly believe that a paycheck is more important than meaning or passions or interests. If they had to admit to a mission or purpose they would say that it is to make money, which means they do believe there is a purpose to their life.

Now the halfpreneur is in business and the goal of any business

Care for your source of income

is to make money, however the need for money may very well overlap with needs for meaning, passion, and a sense of purpose or mission. If you choose to start your small business or home-based business just to make money, that is OK too. Just remember that every thriving business meets a need or provides a service.

July 11, 2013
What Is a Halfpreneur?

So what is a Halfpreneur? I coined the term when I was taking a coaching course (Profiting from Your Passions) that was designed to help individuals change course and start their own businesses. Most of my colleagues wanted to have full-time businesses and help others escape their cubicles and start their own businesses. The trouble was that I liked my full-time job and the part-time business that I had on the side. I liked having both and I knew many others who were part-time entrepreneurs and had “day jobs.” So a halfpreneur had one foot in employment (paychecks, benefits) and one foot in self-employment (additional income, better use of talents or skills, passion, mission ….) However, since creating this term, new definitions have kept emerging.

True to my background as an educator, I can’t resist putting my definitions into categories and giving examples.

Photographer

THE TRUE HALFPRENEURS – those who work year round or have a continual passive income

– New Biz Halfpreneurs – the most entrepreneurial of the halfprenuers – those who start new businesses and run them by themselves or with others. Personally I know an industry sales manager who is also a part-time real estate agent; a full-time health care professional and Reiki Master who teaches Reiki and performs Reiki treatments; and a full time social services worker who owns and manages a bar and employs the bartenders.

–Professional Halfpreneurs – those who have a licensed profession, work for an organization and have their own private practice. Among my friends and acquaintances there is an agency social worker with a private practice and a teacher who offers tutoring.

– “Artist” Halfpreneurs – this includes artists, photographers, musicians, authors, speakers, and performers who work in their art and have a “day” job.

–Craft Halfpreneurs– those with a craft who work on their craft/”hobby” year round and sell their crafts at craft fairs, in consignment shops and/or online. One of my colleagues gets free empty liquor bottles from bars and turns them into lamps. He has friends who recycle liquor bottle glass into ornaments and cheese trays.

–OnlineHalfpreneurs – those who do all their work online or by phone. Online halfpreneurs may be coaches, internet marketers, affiliate marketers, or do online auctions.

– MLM Halfpreneurs – Due diligence is required for this option, but some MLM organizations are much better than others. I know people who love and are doing very well in vitamin and jewelry MLMs.

Decorated House, picture image

SEASONAL HALFPRENEURS – those who work only at certain times of the year

Depending on the season:

Winter – Christmas house decorator. (Decorate property and take down decorations after Christmas)

Fall –Researching, organizing and leading October ghost tours.

Summer – I worked with a client who decided with his wife to offer bass fishing outings (food, equipment instruction) to couples looking for a new shared out-of-doors leisure time activity. Offering before and after daycare for summer camps is a godsend for parents whose work schedules don’t mesh with the 8:00am -3:00pm camp program.

Spring/Summer – Yard sale shopper – buy “stuff” cheap and resell at profit in consignment stores, on Craig’s List, or online,

Professor

CONTRACT HALFPRENEURS – those whose work is contractual

–Adjunct professors – usually teach one or two courses per semester and the commitment of the college and the professor is over at the end of the term.

–Online contractors – get work assignments for writing, graphic arts, web site development through fiverr.com, elance.com, or other sites.

Trailer

ASSET HALFPRENEURS – those with something to rent

–The Landlord – owns property and rents out apartments, rooms, or a summer home.

–The Mini-landlord – rents out an empty garage, extra storage space, space for yard sales, or a garden.

–The “Rental Agent” – briefly rents out his or her boat, camper, rototiller, cement mixer

Landscape

LOOK BEFORE YOU LEAP HALFPRENEURS – those who start a business while still employed as a trial run to see if their business is something that they really want to eventually pursue full time or to see if their entrepreneurial idea is even feasible.

Consultant

ENCORE HALFPRENEURS – individuals over 50 who start new businesses or are in the process of planning/starting a business as they continue working. The Encore Years have been roughly defined as 50 to 70+. Encore halfpreneurs have often thought earlier in life of starting businesses but as older, experienced adults, the timing now seems right. Many gravitate to consulting, public speaking, writing, coaching, although I know one woman who makes and sells jewelry. Younger encore halfpreneurs may return to school to get the training or credentials that might be needed for their future business.

Working Retiree

RELUCTANT HALFPRENEURS – half-hearted, reluctant individuals who never saw themselves as entrepreneurial, but now are unable to find suitable, well paying positions.

–Forced early retirement – the early retirement package could not be turned down, but they are not ready to be retired and meaningful or adequate paying jobs are not coming through. They know that somehow their expertise, interests, or passions could become the foundation of their own business.

– Running out of money retirees – retirement was great but either they overspent or their nest egg has vanished during the Great Recession. Not wanting to be a greeter or work in a fast food restaurant, they may somewhat reluctantly decide to use their skills and start a small business.

–Long-term Unemployed – the options have become Welfare (Transitional Assistance), trying to convince a doctor and the government that you are disabled, or figuring out if you have what it takes to start a business that will provide some financial security and a needed boost to your self-esteem and self-efficacy.

Let me know if I need to put another category on my list.

June 23, 2013