One of the effects of societies evolving is people having less time to do chores and run errands. In the past, most people focused on two particular things: raising a family and having a career. As the pace of life becomes faster, and more and more people continue to move from the countryside into big cities and other metropolitan areas, these two factors remain the same. Nevertheless, their scope has changed dramatically.
Raising a family is not only about providing an education to children. It’s about enrolling your kids in the best schools possible, giving them access to as many extracurricular activities as they can handle, and nurturing a sense of independence and responsibility.
As for careers, labor competition is at an all-time high. It is no longer enough to have a degree from a prestigious university. If people want to succeed in the job market, they need post-graduate courses, specializations, several languages, and many other skills.
Along with ever-increasing stress levels, this absence of time has provided the perfect environment for home service businesses to flourish. With them come interesting opportunities for individuals looking to become entrepreneurs. Let us take a look at some of them.
Home Cleaning
A clean home is a happy home. It is true for every home-owner in the world. Cleanliness is not only hygienic but also helps release stress and clear the mind. It is something they want to do for very busy people but often don’t have the time for.
But what if they could have this done by someone else at an affordable price? Not just a maid or two but a group of professionals specialized in deep, thorough cleaning of the entire property inside and out? It would be quite beneficial not only for permanent residents for also for those interested in selling their homes quickly but without the time to prepare for this process.
Butler and Handyman Services
The Cambridge Dictionary defines a handyman as a “man who is skilled at repairing and making things inside or outside the house and who does this in his own home or as a job.” In today’s day and age, handyman services are more popular than ever. Once again, the reason is one based on time.
People need somebody to fix their kitchens and bathrooms, take the kids to school, run errands, make reservations, do the laundry, etc. And they need it done quickly and efficiently.
Aside from providing handyman services, your new business could also include a butler. In this case, he would be in charge of a wide variety of responsibilities inside the home like event planning, cooking meals, minor cleaning, and even serve as a tutor for children. The more specialized the services the butler provides, the bigger the market will be.
Interior Decoration
The concept of interior decoration is nothing new. Yet, as with handyman and butler services, the key lies in specialization. Your business could focus on the ancient Chinese principles of Feng Shui, modern architectural and interior design trends, minimalism, color-based decoration, and so on.
There are plenty of routes you could take and many ways to make money. You could charge based on an idea or a design. You could also provide assistant shopper services. Finally, you could focus on one specific area in interior decoration, such as art, furniture, or color.
Gardening and Landscaping
Another home service business you could look into is gardening and landscaping, both for interiors and exteriors. Aside from cutting grass and watering flowers, you could provide other services such as lawn maintenance and restoration, waste removal, and planting of trees.
If you decide to focus on in-house solutions, you could provide sales and maintenance services on vertical gardens and indoor plant decoration. As always, it’s important to differentiate yourself from the competition. You can do this by providing more services at better prices. You can also look at a specific niche or focus your effort on online marketing.
In our current environment, time is one of our most precious assets. The saying time is money rings true now more than ever before. Hence, people have been forced to prioritize what is important to them and let go of daily, menial activities that, although essential, do not help them advance in their careers and their lives.
This shift has brought forth a great opportunity for aspiring entrepreneurs interested in home-service businesses. Four of them are home cleaning, butler and handyman services, interior decoration, gardening, and landscaping. As far as new business ideas are concerned, they are some of the most relevant, interesting propositions to explore.