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15 January 2009 |
PROFITABLE HOBBY – RECRUITMENT AGENCY FOR SENIORS
Mary was a qualified nurse, aged 60.
However at her age, there are personal injury risks in that profession so hospitals tend not to hire seniors.
She needed income, and took on some part-time low paid work (from the local council) supporting the elderly in their own homes.
However she needed extra income and it occurred to her that she had ample time to start a hobby business.
Given her own experience, she realised that there must be a population of seniors out there who become “un-employable” at a certain age.
So she resolved to establish a recruitment agency for seniors, working from home with virtually nothing more than a computer.
Fortunately Mary had personality, and went out of her way to promote herself in newspapers that were read by seniors.
She also became passionate that firms could benefit from hiring experience, which helped her promote her hobby business.
Her fees were $25 per annum to be listed on her database, and $300 for a firm to look for suitable employees.
After the first year, she had over 300 seniors registered (revenue $7,500) and 15 employers had paid to look (that was an additional $4,500).
The key ingredients for this hobby to become profitable would be an abundance of personality, and loads of energy.
You would also need to find a large employer who was willing to employ seniors, otherwise you’d have an ethical problem with taking money from registrants without a genuine expectation of being able to match them up. However major retail chains often have a policy of hiring seniors for shifts that students don't want, so they could become major clients of such a profitable hobby.
Refer a Friend – Family, friends and work colleagues can benefit from a continuing flow of detailed case studies after you visit our membership site: www.hobbiesforprofit.com Labels: hobbies, home based business, lifestyle, micro business, microenterprise, profitable hobbies, profitable hobby, retirement, small business, work from home |
posted by Bernard Kelly @ 2:20 PM  |
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13 January 2009 |
MEMBERSHIP SITE
Over the holidays I have taken seriously the warm response to the segment "Profitable Hobbies to Take with You into Retirement" (that appears in my midmonth Lifestyle newsletter from my site:
retirelaughing.com) and taken it to the next level.
The result is that I am now offering (to a world-wide audience) in-depth case studies on the just created membership site
www.HobbiesForProfit.com
You are invited to check it out, and if you become a member, you can expect at least four detailed case studies - every month - of everyday hobbies that have been converted by people (just like you) into micro enterprises.
And we show you how - by using the internet - you can monetarise virtually any hobby.
As a bonus, we pay $20 for case studies sent in by members - provided we can use them.
regards
Bernard Kelly
P.S. If you don't have a PayPal account, just click on the link to Visa/Mastercard at the foot of the signup page Labels: hobbies, home based business, lifestyle, micro business, microenterprise, profitable hobbies, profitable hobby, retirement, small business, work from home |
| posted by Bernard Kelly @ 1:38 PM |
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10 January 2009 |
PROFITABLE HOBBY – SECOND HAND BOOK STALL
Anyone can easily run a second hand book stall at weekend markets.
You source the books you have for sale from charity shops.
You’d buy them for $1 then sell them for $5.
A simple fold-away table is all you’ll need initially for your stall.
Your major expense is the $25 fee that you have to pay to each market, each week, for your space.
In four hours, you should be able to sell at least 20 books (revenue $100).
Your expenses for the day would be $20 for stock, and the $25 fee.
Profit $55.
Over a year, your profits would be north of $3000.
For detailed case studies, go to www.hobbiesforprofit.com
Labels: hobbies, home based business, lifestyle, micro business, microenterprise, profitable hobbies, profitable hobby, retirement, work from home |
| posted by Retire Laughing @ 4:21 PM |
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22 December 2008 |
FROM CHRISTMAS PRESENTS TO A BUSINESS
Ten years ago, Kerry Caloyannidis was making her signature recipe for muesli in her kitchen, packaging it for Christmas presents.
Today she has a commercial kitchen, a café and shop in Medlow Bath in the mountains west of Sydney, and an extensive range of gourmet muesli products sold in up-market food and gift stores.
Kerry had trained as a pastry chef, and had worked in some high end kitchens around the world before returning to Australia to give her four children “the lifestyle I had myself as a child”.
However, her own recipe for muesli was the foundation for turning a hobby into a “profitable hobby” and eventually into a business.
EARLY PRODUCTION
Starting in her kitchen at home, Kerry initially bought 400 kilos of ingredients in bulk to make four muesli products, to be packed in 600 gram and 1.2 kilo bags.
If she was starting today, she would be buying 400 kilos of ingredients @$2 which would give enough to fill 200 bags each of 600 grams plus 200 or the 1.2 kilo packets. Total cost $800.
The only other significant cost today would be to have labels made and printed. You can find a design you like by visiting gourmet food shops to obtain ideas for your own labels. Then allow $500 for the graphic design and another $500 to print off your first batch of labels.
Then you simply fix the labels to the zip and seal clear cellophane and pour in the muesli mix.
You’d start selling at your local weekend market.
PRICING
Pricing should always be set at what it will need to be in five years time to make a profit when your overheads have ballooned. Never sell on the basis that you are covering your costs for the moment, and making a profit working from home.
For a start-up today for Whisk & Pin, you would have expenses of say $3-$4 per packet, but when you get into up-market stores, they will want to be able to make up at least 40%.
So you would set your price for a 600 gram packet at what the retailer can sell it for – let’s say this will be $12 and the 1.2 kilo pack at $20.
So your wholesale prices would be 70% of this – around $8.50 and $14.30.
If your ingredients, overheads, wages, and profit can come in at around half of your wholesale price, you are onto a winner. Of course, every retail sale you make yourself provides extra revenue, however those sales should be only a small percentage of the total.
You can see that all you have to do is keep marketing the brand name and the range, which is what Kerry has been able to do with style.
MARKETING
Always conscious of marketing, Kerry named her business Whisk & Pin (after the egg whisk and rolling pin that were at the core of her home-based kitchen production) and used these as a simple logo. That logo is still used today.
She was able to differentiate her products by (a) product quality and (b) presentation. She contrasts her muesli to breakfast cereals that either highly processed, or natural but bland, and set about to bring a quality of taste, nutritional value and innovation to the breakfast table.
Her attitude is “Breakfast Is King” and she started initially selling at local weekend farmers’ markets.
With outstanding packaging, Kerry was able to build in a substantial profit margin for her products, which enabled her to satisfy the criteria for being in upmarket stores.
Whisk & Pin is based upon a simple philosophy to maintain that
home made quality, featuring generous quantities of real fruits and fresh nuts, hand cut and blended in unique and tantalizing combinations.
Kerry is always focused on marketing, and has adopted the strategy of constant, integrated marketing. This means that each month she updates her marketing calendar for the next 18 months, and is often found at breakfast demonstrations at up-market food halls, at local weekend community markets, and as often as possible in food and lifestyle magazines.
She remains the enthusiastic face of the business, leaving the actual production in the hands of her small kitchen staff, telephone sales to the office staff, and the shop and café in the hands of her manager.
Today Kerry’s product range includes muesli, dried fruit, cookies, and baking mixes. The shop also sells other gourmet foods by other small producers, and a range of gift items that particularly appeals to tourists.
Labels: hobbies, home based business, lifestyle, micro business, microenterprise, profitable hobbies, profitable hobby, retirement, small business, work from home |
| posted by Bernard Kelly @ 3:56 PM |
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18 December 2008 |
PROFITABLE HOBBY – WRITE AN E-BOOK
There are probably thousands of people that would love to know your secrets or tips you've discovered over time about your hobby or expertise.
Publish what you know and love... and monetize it.
You simple create an informational web site and blend it with affiliate programs, blogs, referral deals and AdSense Ads.
Over time you could earn $1000 per month from an online, niche-oriented business.
And once you have mastered that level of income, you would then want to go for $1000 per week, wouldn’t you?
Start with one e-book and create a web site around it.
If you need a website that enables you to make sales, go to www.valuewebsites.info Labels: hobbies, home based business, lifestyle, mental health, micro business, microenterprise, profitable hobbies, profitable hobby, retirement, small business, work from home |
| posted by Retire Laughing @ 2:46 PM |
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10 November 2008 |
MAKE A PROFITABLE SUCCESS OF YOUR HOBBY
Lance Winslow writes:
Despite what you might think success is never an accident.
Oh sure, you might have some luck along the way that puts you in a nice situation for a while, but it's not long term.
Success is achieved by those who capitalize on their luck and reduce their risks or turn-around their failures and challenges.
If you look at some of the most successful folks in the world, you will realize that they often came from nothing.
Many were orphans and didn't even have a pot to use for their bathroom needs.
But how can this be, how is it that someone can have such bad luck and turn all that around and become successful?
Simple, because success is never an accident, many of these people because they worked hard, they had no choice, it became a habit and they just never stopped once they achieved a comfortable lifestyle.
Working hard, working smart, making lots of friends and never giving up were just part of who they are.
These same elements of success are available to everyone, even if so many people choose not to accept these principles.
After all, we have free choice, free will and we live in a free society.
You are allowed to succeed beyond your wildest dreams or fail, but it is your choice.
Success is no accident, no one I know is successful over the long-haul without working to attain it.
No one should feel guilty for being successful, just like no one should make excuses for choosing not to be successful.
The fact is that it is up to you, so please consider this.If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; http://www.WorldThinkTank.net/.
Labels: hobbies, home based business, lifestyle, mental health, micro business, profitable hobbies, profitable hobby, retirement, small business, work from home |
| posted by Bernard Kelly @ 1:52 PM |
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06 November 2008 |
SELLING RAW PEANUTS
This hobby business would suit someone who’s already not working a full week.
If you’re ever worked in an office or factory, you will be familiar with Honesty Snacks – the mini stand of low value chocolates with an adjacent honesty box for your money.
And even more profitable hobby business (so I’m told) is to package up raw peanuts and sell – as snack foods - in factories.
SNACKFOOD
Whilst roasted and salted peanuts are the most popular as snackfood, unsalted is growing in popularity.
Peanuts are a great, healthy snack on the run - nature's "health food in a nutshell".
And the great advantage of green peanuts they are sold in their raw state. So this eliminates the process of roasting or salting.
STARTUP COSTS
Every business – even a hobby business – incurs some start-up costs.
For this venture you will need to purchase peanuts, a quantity of clear polyester bags, and point-of-purchase merchandisers to hold your stock.
But you won’t have to buy a set of scales. You will be able to use your kitchen scales to weigh the measures.
And you will probably need to be approved by your local food licensing bureau.
All up – we suggest that you allow $1000.
OPERATIONS
You don’t need much equipment to get started, and raw peanuts are easy to source.
You’ll need to pack 60 grams into clear cellophane bags and arrange a fixed schedule to refill your display (and collect your money).
PRICING
Pricing might be tricky – but try to sell at four times the cost of the ingredients. The rationale is one quarter for the raw materials, one quarter for wastage, one quarter for overheads, and one quarter for profit.
If customers baulk at your price, just say “unless I make a profit, I can’t provide the service”.
Most of your customers won’t have anything to compare your prices against. So provided your price appears reasonable, and is priced in easy coin denominations e.g. $2.50 so that no change is required.
MARKETING
You will need to approach the factory manager and get his consent to place your peanut stand.
An essential part of your marketing pitch will be to assure the factory manager that if things go wrong – and something will definitely happen – that he carries no responsibility. And if he tells you to take your displays and go, just go gracefully. There are always other opportunities in the next street.
Labels: hobbies, home based business, micro business, profitable hobby, retirement, work from home |
| posted by Bernard Kelly @ 2:41 PM |
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