by Curtis D. Tucker

Looking for some business ideas? We'll be posting groups of business ideas that we come across from time to time so be sure and check this blog often. Here's a fun group of entrepreneurial business ideas.

1) Chimney Sweep and Fireplace Cleaner
2) Build a Community Website and sell advertising space on it
3) Design and create unique baby and dog costumes
4) Ghost debunker - show people they really do not have ghosts
5) Clothes alterations and shoe cobbler
6) Used musical instruments - fix and resell vintage items
7) Mobile auto detailer and oil changer
8) Movie and book exchange store - help people trade
9) Birthday party entertainer - magic, music and balloons
10) Tree house building and swing set assembly service

Make it happen!

Labels: Business Start-Ups, Ideas

by Curtis D. Tucker

The mission of Etsy.com is to enable people to make a living making things, and to reconnect makers with buyers. The Etsy community spans the globe with buyers and sellers coming from more than 150 countries. Etsy sellers number in the hundreds of thousands.

Etsy requires no HTML to sell online. Setting up shop on Etsy is easy and takes only a few minutes. You can customize your shop with a banner, profile, shop policies and more. It's all done automatically and you do not have to be a webmaster.

You get your own URL for your shop based on your username, http://username.etsy.com

You can sell handmade goods, vintage items and craft supplies on Etsy. Etsy is not eBay. You can reach the ideal customer for your products when you sell on Etsy.

Sign up for free. To start selling on Etsy, you'll first need to register for an Etsy account. To become a seller, you'll need a credit card for verification purposes.

It costs 20 cents to list an item for four months. When your item sells, you'll pay a 3.5% transaction fee.

What is being sold on Etsy?
Candles - Greeting Cards - Belts - Jewelry - Quilts - Stickers - Puzzles - Puppets - Vases - Candy - Pet Supplies - Pottery - Comics - Art - Wallets

What could you make to sell on Etsy?

Labels: Business Start-Ups, Ideas, Internet, Make Money

by Curtis D. Tucker

One of the best shows on television today for entrepreneurs is a show called Shark Tank. This is a great show for finding fun business ideas and also seeing what others have come up with. Watch as young entrepreneurs pitch their businesses and ask for money. Be sure and note the amount of money they ask for and how much control of their companies they lose.

Not only does the show give you start up ideas but the Sharks on the show give some very useful advise and they ask even more important questions. All of the Sharks on the show have made millions or billions on their own and they are using their own money to finance these start ups.

When you watch the show be sure to note the questions being asked. These are the same questions you will need to answer when you go looking for financing your business. The show can give you clues as to which types of products and services the entrepreneurial gurus feel have potential.

Hop on over to this page to see many of the past business ideas and then be sure to start watching the show. Shark Tank Business Ideas.

Labels: Business Start-Ups, Entrepreneurship, Ideas, TV

by Curtis D. Tucker

Who doesn't love a great cupcake? Cupcakes are all the rage and finding original cupcakes that knock your socks off can be a daunting task in most towns and cities. If your town does not have a fantastic bakery that sells cupcakes I can almost guarantee there is a need.

Almost anyone can make cupcakes so you will need to sell more than batter and frosting. You'll need to sell a quality, originality, service or uniqueness that others do not have. Think about unique ways of decorating, unusual wrappers, funky packaging and other hot selling points.

Making ends meet with just cupcakes might be stretching it so be prepared to also offer small cakes, cookies and other fun pastries. Be the alternative to the local donut shop. A great coffee, hot chocolate and tea selection can make the difference. Don't forget about awesome lemonade in the summer and apple cider in the winter.

Also think about other marketing strategies like creative decorations, whimsical designing, fun uniforms, memorable cupcake names, retro furniture, stylish promotional items and any other factor that will set you apart.

Offer a place for tea parties, poem readings, showers and other celebrations. Use fun cartoon characters to help attract those young whipper snappers and senior discounts to draw the old fogies.

Do your research and make sure you have your ducks in a row before jumping in head first. The food industry has many hoops you'll have to jump through so be sure you understand the rules and regulations in your area.

Now start baking and send me a picture of your shop once it's open!

Labels: Business Start-Ups, Food

by Curtis D. Tucker

Here's a service I might actually use. I need someone to take all of my family photos and organize them. They need to be sorted and placed into photo albums. I also need someone to take my digital photos and have many of them printed and the others placed into digital albums.

If you have the patience you can easily start this type of business with very little start up. Advertise yourself as a family photo organizer. Explain to clients the time you can save them and also the benefit of preserving photos in albums rather than envelopes.

You can create family albums, an album for each child, wedding albums, vacation albums and even pet albums. Once your service is up and running you can send reminders so that you get a call once the next batch of photos has been taken.

Organized photo albums not only help families save time but they make great gifts! What could be better than to present mom with a very organized album with all of the kids pictures. Parents can also present the kids with their own albums at graduation time.

Digital photography is another great opportunity. Why not help families upload their photos to Flickr or many other photo sharing websites? Turning photos into easy to view CD's is also an option. Add a slide show with fades and music. Photo CD's make great Christmas gifts to friends and family.

Get busy thinking of how you can start your own photo organizing business. Be the first in your town or city and you'll be the go-to person in your area. A great business to start part-time if needed.

Much success!!

Labels: Business Start-Ups, Ideas, Photography

by Curtis D. Tucker

An idea. What if you could create an efficient service that would go from house to house helping women fold their laundry? The number one complaint I hear from mother's is that they hate to do the laundry, and they really hate to fold it.

Can you create a service that could make this easier for them? Could you pick up the clean laundry in special bags and bring it back ironed and folded in special baskets? Could they drop off the laundry, have it folded and then pick it up again? Can you invent something that would eliminate folding?

That is your mission - solve the case of the unfolded laundry.

Labels: Business Start-Ups, Ideas, Laundry

by Curtis D. Tucker

That's right. Start your own magazine. Creating a magazine is not as difficult as it was in the old days. Computers and easy to use software have made it very possible to layout and design your own rag.

All you need is an idea, niche or specialty. A few magazine ideas would be: photography tips and examples, how to bake and recipes, repairing your own car, local or community news and events, gardening and landscape lessons, how to homeschool, gadget reviews, report on a sports team, scrapbooking articles, etc.

Your first question might be as to how you can afford to get a magazine produced and printed. Well, it's not all that difficult any longer. You can purchase the equipment and do it yourself or you can hire the right people to put it together for you.

To design a magazine you will need a graphic designer or software, a reporter/writer, a photographer and possibly a salesman to sell ad space. You can hire out for all of these positions or you and family members can do the work yourself.

The next step is getting the magazine printed. Thanks to new websites like Magcloud.com you no longer need the backing of million dollar investors. With services like these you can have a single issue printed only when a customer orders one. There's no investment and no inventory! These sites even help you sell and market your magazine.

Marketing the magazine would be the last step. The Internet is the perfect place to begin. Sites like Facebook, YouTube, and MySpace help you connect with potential readers. Build a website using your keywords and create an online readership. You can also market your magazine to local bookstores, local clubs and interested friends.

Viral marketing (word of mouth) can really get things going. Create a fun, informative magazine and you could be on your way to financial freedom.

We're thinking of starting our own magazine and will show you step by step the process we take to get it created.

Labels: Business Start-Ups, Ideas, Magazines

by Curtis D. Tucker

The recession is here and many hard working people are losing their jobs. This is not a time to feel glum and wonder where your next job might be. This is the time to become an entrepreneur and start your own thriving business!

Control your own destiny and earn as much money as you possibly can. A recession can be a great time to start a new business. Many people that would never go out on their own are now being forced to find other avenues of income. Even if you have job you might want to consider starting one of these businesses on the side. You never know when "the man" might let you go.

These are just ideas to get you started. I will try to come back soon with more detail on how to start many of these business ventures.


1. Residential and commercial cleaning. Individuals and businesses need their stuff cleaned. We currently have a housekeeper that drives a nicer car than I do. Hook up with some small businesses or a network of households. A well organized, reliable cleaning service will attract great viral marketing and can grow very quickly.

2. Professional organizer. This is not about straightening a closet. This is like being a personal assistant. Help busy people take care of their dry cleaning, shopping and bill paying. Set up a schedule to meet with several clients a week and work out a system to help them stay on schedule and get things done.

3. Home improvement. This is a great business and an easy start up. Most everyone needs a fence fixed, a faucet washer replaced or a room painted. Get the word out that you do handy man jobs and your business will grow into a full blown home improvement company in no time.

4. IT services. If you know a bit about computers your skills are needed! I don't know how many times I am asked to help people set up their email accounts. Help people hook up their computers, teach companies how to network their computers and even teach a class on how to surf the Internet.

5. House or pet sitting. If you are reliable and honest you can make money just house sitting. This is a great part-time job and especially works for singles. Get the word out to family ad friends and start your business today!

6. Second-hand goods. Find a really inexpensive location and sell used merchandise. The more unique your items the more word will spread. Keep your inventory changing and you'll have many return shoppers. Auctions, garage sales and eBay are great locations to find second-hand goods.

7. eBay seller. Expand on the idea above and sell on eBay. Although eBay is not what it once was it is still a viable place to start a niche business. Find a product you are passionate about and you should do fine. Create an easy to follow procedure for packaging and shipping and things should run like clock work.

8. Secretarial services. Many individuals now have a computer, printer and e-mail – which makes a perfect situation to help businesses with typing, newsletter writing and many other small office projects. This is a job you can do at home and send everything electronically.

9. Tutoring. If you know something about something this can be a great job for you. Teach students and prepare them for college or teach adults that are lacking in certain business skills. The door is wide open and you can pick your own niche.

10. Web design. If you know the slightest thing about web design you should be able to start your own business. The majority of companies in the U.S. still do not have their own websites! Help businesses create simple brochure websites and charge for updates. Learning HTML is not that difficult and this is a great home based business.

Start your business today! Just talking about it won't get it done. Immediately go to Google and start researching your business idea. Come up with a name for your company before the end of the day. When you wake up tomorrow you'll be enthused and you'll know that you now control your own destiny.

Good luck!

Labels: Business Start-Ups