Home-based Businesses?

[Albertan mom]

Tell me about your home-based business!

What was the start up fee?
What are your committments/quotas? Do you have to have so many parties a month?
What kind of money do you make doing it?
Is it easy, hard, time consuming?
Any other pros/cons to it?

I am thinking of taking something on, and am wondering what is all out there, specifically for Canadians to do.
I already do AVON, but not really serious, mostly just for me and a few friends. B

Thanks!

 

[mamatojade]

I just signed up to do Usborne books as I have several friends who are doing it and are very happy with it. At the least, I keep my child in books.

 

[SandraC]

I won't retire on my homebased business, but it's completely fulfilling. I work P/T in my son's school as the Program Director of the before and after school recreation program. It's a great permanent income that allows me time with my kids, time to do my P/T home business and leisure time which is a priority for me and my family.

My home-based business can be seen on my website www.freewebs.com/healingarts/

I am an artist, healing arts teacher, yoga teacher....I do Reiki, Tarot....well you'll get the idea from the website. Since it's P/T I don't do a lot of hours, but I do get paid well for the hours I work. From $40 - $150 an hour. I also teach a workshop for the city called Planning Your Walt Disney World Vacation. That pays very well!

I believe if you do what you LOVE, what you have a PASSION for, you will make money!

My income goes towards our leisure life. That is very important for us! Blessings, Sandra

 

[BitsnBearsMom]

I do home childcare - I was a VP in a montessori school before I had my 2nd child and having had a bad experience with my oldest's childcare provider I just decided no more childcare for my kids - plus my youngest had multiple food allergies and I wasn't ready to give that up to someone else so I decided to be a sahm. When my youngest was 4mo I met a person in our new neighborhood who had also had a bad childcare experience we got talking and so my daycare opened and has been so full it's bursting at the seams since! I have been doing it for 7 yrs and we just had a new house built with a separate entrance for the basement, had nice big windows put in so it would be bright and not feel like a basement and finished it into my dream playroom - we are in it for the first time today actually!!

It's very time consuming but so rewarding - my hours are from 7:45am until 5pm but I have a friend that all the parents know that will come in to take over when I need to go to an appt or want to accompany my kids on a field trip (they are 7yo and almost 13yo now)

Dh says we will stay in this house for 15 yrs so I will continue to run my daycare until we move and I loose my space or until I just can't do it anymore. then I retire and spend my winters near Disney!!

I am lucky that I get to do what I trained to do and enjoy doing but still get to stay home for my kids.

Now I need to get off here and finish making lunch before they decide to gnaw off my leg!!

 

[dangler]

Hi,

A friend of mine just starting selling Mary Kay. She joined more to have fun and experiment with it, I am so glad she did! I love the products!
It was 150 to join, that is your start up kit (promo for March the kit is 99) and I know you can make a lot of money doing this. Parties and book parties, plus if someone joins under you, then you get commission from them as well.
Good Luck!

 

[tone.def]

We run a custom costuming biz out of our home - we've targeted some great niches and works for us. It's not a lot of money, now is a slow time, but we always win the contests close to Hallowe'en!

 

[Albertan mom]

I also teach a workshop for the city called Planning Your Walt Disney World Vacation. That pays very well!

OOOh, tell me more about this one!

 

[Albertan mom]

Bump!

Any new great businesses out there?

 

[Sugar Jones]

I make and sell hair clips & headbands for little girls. I go to local craft shows & fairs. I sell some on Etsy as well. It's definiately not a huge money maker, but I do make profit.

If I was super agressive about it I could do much better. The costs are minimal and the mark up is huge, so it's fairly easy to make a profit.

 

[tone.def]

Bump!

Any new great businesses out there?

I became a Stella & Dot Stylist, but I'm not agressive enough to really make this work for me - I might pull in about $100/month - I honestly feel bad constantly calling prospective hostesses and being rejected. BUT, I do know of some stylists that are making a living though - they do 4-5 trunk shows a month and have sponsored some new stylists - so it is working for some.
This is Stella & Dot:
www.stelladot.com/toofabulous

 

[CrystalS]

Since 2007 I've been knitting and selling baby pants from wool (most often bought as a cover by cloth diapering families). I also would sew and sell cloth diapers too.
Once we started planning our disney trip last year, I made enough with that biz to put $1200 towards our trip just from my sales!!

The biz has started to slow down for me, partly because I have an almost 4yr old and a 7week old now, and it's getting harder to find the time to make the items.

Now I'm trying to get in to the photographer world. I've photographed two weddings and a few portrait sessions now. Not making huge money off it yet, since I'm only charging half price right now until I feel more confident about my work.

I also am trying my hand at being a travel agent. I haven't made any sales yet since not many people know about me yet. But I'm trying to get my name out there and hopefully will be able to make some sales and make up for the start up costs for it.

And thats what I'm up to. Trying anything I can to bring in some extra money while still being able to stay home with my kids. (except party style biz's, I'm not suited to that...)

 

[FLVacationGirl]

Tell me about your home-based business!

I was home-based but we are moving it out of the house into an actual store this month. http://ClothDiaperMom.com

What was the start up fee? inventory + shipping fees + tax + border crossing fees, website hosting, domain name, home insurance, business name, home permit at the time, fuel, car maintenance, shelfing and storage bins, printer, printer ink, office supplies, mailers, retail packaging, etc
What are your committments/quotas? Keeping up with customer demand and fulfulling orders on time. Right now there are so many different brands and prints coming out that it's a challenge to keep the right products in stock.
What kind of money do you make doing it? We are still putting all profits back into the biz (on year 4)
Is it easy, hard, time consuming? Tons of work! I just got into it because cloth diapering was one of my favourite choices that I made as a new parent and we couldn't find any cloth diapers locally.... so it just ended up that I started carrying my favourite brands.
Any other pros/cons to it? It's a ton of work but I like helping other parents make an eco-friendly choice for their children. This was something that I was passionate about so starting the business just fell into place for me.

Good like deciding on something! It's nice to read about what other people are doing.

 

[drag n' fly]

My office is home based but part of the work I do is outside of the home for my clients. It is directly related to the oil and gas industry here in Calgary.

What was the start up fee? For me the cost was fairly low approx 3000.00.
What are your committments/quotas? Sometimes I work late evenings and weekends to provide my clients what they require in a timely manner. Time is money in this business.
What kind of money do you make doing it? I charge 30.00hr.
Is it easy, hard, time consuming? No! Yes and Yes! Being self employed requires tremendous discipline and exceptional time and money management. You do not get a regular cheque every 2 weeks you have to wait for invoices to be paid to you.
Any other pros/cons to it? Being self employed gives you a lot of freedom. You are not tied to a corporate calendar. The comps from my clients is nice

 

[Tower]

My office is home based but part of the work I do is outside of the home for my clients. It is directly related to the oil and gas industry here in Calgary.

I too am home based as a Professional Engineer in Private Practice. I've been doing it for 15 years now and it's enough to support our family of 5 and the odd Disney trip
Like drag n' fly, I'll answer in the same manner. Not that it can be done by anyone who is not a P.Eng., but to give further details on what is done.
What was the start up fee? For me the cost was fairly low approx 1500.00. Back in 1995, that was very econimical. We already had a P.C. just getting started with dialup internet. Used to receive mailings from prospective customers to provide quotations and courier my quotes back out, but it's mostly done by email now.
What are your committments/quotas? Usually Up early, around 6:00AM to work on projects, but stop at 7:30AM every morning until 10:00 to take the kids to school, handle Kiss N Ride at the school, and have breakfast with DW and DS (3). Then, after our morning meeting, it's back to the basement office (sometimes referred to as the 'dungeon'). After supper and the kids put to bed, I'm usually back in the office on average 2-3 hours.
Most times I work late evenings and weekends to provide my clients what they require. For my business travel, I try to get as much travel done for as many clients as possible to reduce extra hotel costs. Because of that, I have significantly fewer Holiday Inn Priority Club points this year.
What kind of money do you make doing it? I charge $100.00/hr plus the McWimpy HST. That is what I charge, and work into my quotations, but, depending on the project it may work out to between $60 and $150/hr.

Is it easy, hard, time consuming? No! Yes and Yes! I agree 100% with that. Some really busy periods and some very demanding clients occasionally make you feel you don't see your wife/kids and your office is just below them! Having to wait for invoices to be paid to you is sometimes stressful.
Any other pros/cons to it? Freedom of my time is definitely there. Regardless, when we go on vacation, I always bring my laptop. When the kids sleep, I check emails and plan my week with my clients for when I get back. DW tolerates it as I only work when the day is essentially done.

 

[drag n' fly]

I too am home based as a Professional Engineer in Private Practice. I've been doing it for 15 years now and it's enough to support our family of 5 and the odd Disney trip
Like drag n' fly, I'll answer in the same manner. Not that it can be done by anyone who is not a P.Eng., but to give further details on what is done.
What was the start up fee? For me the cost was fairly low approx 1500.00. Back in 1995, that was very econimical. We already had a P.C. just getting started with dialup internet. Used to receive mailings from prospective customers to provide quotations and courier my quotes back out, but it's mostly done by email now.
What are your committments/quotas? Usually Up early, around 6:00AM to work on projects, but stop at 7:30AM every morning until 10:00 to take the kids to school, handle Kiss N Ride at the school, and have breakfast with DW and DS (3). Then, after our morning meeting, it's back to the basement office (sometimes referred to as the 'dungeon'). After supper and the kids put to bed, I'm usually back in the office on average 2-3 hours.
Most times I work late evenings and weekends to provide my clients what they require. For my business travel, I try to get as much travel done for as many clients as possible to reduce extra hotel costs. Because of that, I have significantly fewer Holiday Inn Priority Club points this year.
What kind of money do you make doing it? I charge $100.00/hr plus the McWimpy HST. That is what I charge, and work into my quotations, but, depending on the project it may work out to between $60 and $150/hr.

Is it easy, hard, time consuming? No! Yes and Yes! I agree 100% with that. Some really busy periods and some very demanding clients occasionally make you feel you don't see your wife/kids and your office is just below them! Having to wait for invoices to be paid to you is sometimes stressful.
Any other pros/cons to it? Freedom of my time is definitely there. Regardless, when we go on vacation, I always bring my laptop. When the kids sleep, I check emails and plan my week with my clients for when I get back. DW tolerates it as I only work when the day is essentially done.

This sounds like our life. Dh is a P.Eng and he has a consulting business out of our home also. With both of us being self employed it can be stressful
His services are very specific so he charges 1500.00 a day. A lot of money goes back into our business because his costs are very high eg: we use a specialized type of sofware that costs us 2000.00 for rights a month to use. This past week and into this week you may have seen the news with the shale gas hearings in Quebec. Dh was on the committee for the Quebec Oil and Gas commission to answer questions.

 

[two*little*birds]

I have a friend who sells Jockey clothing, and I have been a customer of hers for years. When I go to Disney, literally 90% of my attire is stuff I bought from her.

I've thought of doing it myself, but my regular full-time job is enough!

http://www.jockeypersontoperson.com/

 

[Terapin]

I have a friend who is a consultant through Passion Parties. She does very well and people seem to buy her products easily. It's a fun business, and she has made very good money through it. Even she didn't think that she had the right personality (shy, not someone who can lead people into having fun) but she has done really well. The start-up was less than 200. In my area the reps are doing very well and she likes that she is dealing with mostly women.

I am a consultant for Silpada jewellery. I have had modestly good sales with very little effort, and found that the home parties paid off very well. However, once people have bought once or twice, they don't tend to come back because jewellery lasts so long, ykwim? I love their stuff and was happy to get a nice collection of jewellery for myself at a hefty discount. I like that I can jazz up a simple jeans and t-shirt outfit with some nice pieces of silver jewellery and look put together in a flash. The start-up was around 300 (but you get to choose your own pieces).

 

[DbleTheFun]

I am a supervisor with Usborne Children's books and I can say that it's fantastic. I have a full time job that I love, but the books were so wonderful, that I knew i had to sign up... that was 2 years ago, and i havent looked back.

Unlike a lot of home businesses, there are no monthly quotas.... just incentives. You can sell in home party setting, schools or at events... they are HUGE sellers and its rewarding to bring award winning books into kids hands.

I average about $1000.00 a month, but that is not doing a ton on the business. Maybe 3 parties a month and an event every other month.

The great thing is the company wants you to use your books with your own children, so your "samples" are your children's personal library...it's great!!!

If you want more info, send me a note, I would be happy to share more offline.

 

[two*little*birds]

I've always loved Usborne books, are they a part of Scholastic? I see Scholastic offering Usborne books from time-to-time in the flyers my kids bring home from school.

 

[DbleTheFun]

I've always loved Usborne books, are they a part of Scholastic? I see Scholastic offering Usborne books from time-to-time in the flyers my kids bring home from school.

We are definitely not part of scholastic... in fact in many regards, they are our competition. Usborne however, feels so passionately about bringing quality books to children, that we allow Scholastic to "borrow" the rights to a few titles a month and produce them with their standards. Their prices are sometimes significantly cheaper than our version, but they will be staple stitched, paperback or using low resolution dyes to produce a more economical version of the true Usborne book.

We do this because for many families, this is their only source for books (There are some families that simply dont go to the book store for their children) and we think it's important to add a few "non-fiction" or activity books to the ever growing slew of "Sponge Bob" and "Dora" titles available through Scholastic.

It's a great company... and just the fact they allow another company to use our titles in their flyers, is an example of how much they believe in bringing great books to children!

Can you tell I love working with Usborne?