Don’t think you have any marketable skills that you can turn into a business? Think again. Simple household chores and tasks like cooking, baking, cleaning, childcare, and laundry can all be turned into lucrative home-based businesses.
To help you understand the process and the startup costs involved, we sat down with three women who have turned simple household chores into successful home-based businesses.
Read on to see if one of these is your work-at-home calling.
Baking Business: Nicole Bandklayder
Website: The Cookie Cups
Tell us a little bit about yourself and your entrepreneurial journey.
I am the creator of Cookie Cups. In 2013 I left my full-time job in New York City to build a marketing firm and embark on my entrepreneurial journey. However, along the way, I found my true passion!
One day in 2014, I was baking in my kitchen for Father’s Day, but I couldn’t find the right pan to bake my chocolate chip cookies. I noticed a mini cupcake pan that had never been used lurking in the back of my cabinet and thought to myself, “That could work.” A little risk went a long way because that day Cookie Cups was born!
I worked on a logo with my graphic designer, began my development of flavors, and researched and decided on packaging for the product line. We have 10 flavors to date that are all-natural and nut-free; gluten-free options are also available. Our fruit flavors are all made with real fruit.
The Cookie Cups officially launched on May 15, 2015, which (by the way) is also National Chocolate Chip Day! We began selling online and at local farmers’ markets in the Minneapolis area, which is where I really began to understand what I had created by seeing the reactions from our customers.
The original idea for The Cookie Cups was to create an innovative twist on “Cookies and Milk,” and what happened was so much more. The Cookie Cups is more like a revival. Cookies are fun again! They bring smiles and laughter and make everyone happy! I can’t wait to see what the future holds for The Cookie Cups once we have a proper location to grow and thrive as we share our creations with the world.
How much were your startup costs, and what did you need to get started?
I started with about $5,000 in capital from my personal savings. It was used for baking supplies, tables, chairs, a tent for events, and to pay event participation fees to get the word out locally and sell these Cookie Cups! A little went a long way because I made that back in just a few months.
Realistically, how much can an individual earn annually with a baking business?
Once an actual bakery matures (about three years), it can make anywhere from $350,000-$1.3M annually. Of course, this can vary, but if you look at businesses like Mrs. Fields, Dunkin Donuts, and other comparable brands, you can estimate your projected earnings over the next 3-5 years.
What are some of the challenges you face with a baking business?
Challenges are always with shelf life, to which I think any baker can attest. When you are not using a factory to make your product, you tend to have fewer preservatives, GMOs, and other ingredients that make a product last more than 30 days on a shelf. The positives of this are the homemade taste and use of natural ingredients that are healthier and keep your customers coming back for more.
Give us an example of how you landed one of your first clients.
I have gotten a lot of my catering business from customers I meet at local Farmer’s Markets in Minneapolis. They try a Cookie Cup or buy a pack, and then they call for an order of 100. It’s very grassroots, but it’s worked well for our brand.
What advice do you have for others who would like to start a baking business?
Make sure to write a business and a marketing plan. Everything from your logo to your products, ingredient costs, and where you plan to sell them needs to be outlined. Don’t leave anything up to chance. Also, something that I did early on is connect with the local culinary school, Le Cordon Bleu, which helped me find volunteers and pastry students who wanted to help with my larger volume of orders. Then get ready to be on your feet for hours at a time baking! That’s when the fun begins!
Related Content: Starting a Cupcake Business From Home
Cleaning Business: Claudia Accardi
Website: Mighty Clean Home Atlanta
Tell us a little bit about yourself and your entrepreneurial journey.
My name is Claudia Accardi. In 2007 I was a stay home mom with two children. My husband, at that time, had lost his job, and we were desperate to find a steady income. As the months rolled on without any luck finding work and the recession was about to hit big, we were in financial trouble. Our house was going into foreclosure, and we were living a nightmare. With my brother’s encouragement, I decided to start a cleaning business—I loved to clean and was a compulsive cleaner.
How much were your startup costs, and what did you need to get started?
All it took was a business license and about $200 to get started. I had a vacuum, so all I needed was better cleaning supplies. I picked up some rags, dusters, mops, large bottles of cleaning chemicals, and bags from Home Depot, created some marketing materials, and was ready to get started. My brother was a web developer, and he built me a nice website so people could find me online.
Give us an example of how you landed one of your first clients.
I landed my first job in my own community. I went to Kinkos and had some fliers printed out, and went door-to-door offering my services. This was difficult for me since I had no experience in sales. Regardless, I put on a brave face and trudged on. Eventually, I landed about five people in my neighborhood. Some were one-time cleans, and others became routine. The routine customer is the ideal customer, for it becomes a recurring job and stable income. You will not have to work as hard getting new customers if you have customers paying you to come back every two weeks. At this time, I also listed my site on review sites such as Yelp, Kudzu, and Google and asked all of my customers to leave reviews. This played a major role in attracting new business and opportunities.
After two months, I was making enough to cover all our expenses and had some cash left over.
Realistically, how much can an individual earn annually with a cleaning business?
Today the husband is gone (kicked to the curb), but I still have my business. This business has been a lifesaver, allowing me to support myself and my children and live in the comfort of my own home. To this day, I still run my business out of my home. When I started my business, I was making about $40,000 in my first year. With hard work, I would say you could really make anything between $25,000-$50,000 in your first year if you run your business full-time. After that, I know cleaning businesses where the owner makes hundreds of thousands of dollars. These days, I have grown my business to where I have a few cleaning crews to work with me, and I am growing every year.
One of the best things about running a cleaning business is the ability to start one relatively easily and with few start-up costs. You can decide what kind of hours you want to work and can have your weekends off. But there are also plenty of challenges. Getting your first customers is always difficult, especially if you have no referrals. You will have to find the best way for you to find these leads and how much to charge. In the starting days, dealing with customers can be particularly challenging; There will always be that one customer who finds one speck of dust and gives you a hard time, even if you’re doing a great job. You will have to grow a thick skin and learn not to take things personally. Another major issue you will deal with as you grow is employee turnover. This business has a high turnover no matter what you do.
What advice do you have for others who would like to start a house cleaning business?
My advice for anyone wanting to start a cleaning business is to make sure you enjoy the work. If you are not a person who enjoys cleaning, this job is not for you. You should have a plan. How are you going to obtain customers? What services will you offer (make sure you have a checklist of all the things that will be cleaned to give to your customer per service: No surprises, no angry customers, no loss of revenue). Find out what your competitors are charging; you don’t want to price your services too high or too low. Make sure to build a network of customers and businesses that will refer you to others. Last, treat your customers like gold, and you will have a great way to support yourself and your family.
Related Content: How to Start a Cleaning Business From Home
Laundry Business: Ashly Carroll
Business: Laundry Care
Tell us a little bit about yourself and your entrepreneurial journey.
I’ve always had a dream of being able to work from home and care for my kids. I never thought I would be able to do that until I started with Laundry Care. I now stay at home with my son, and I’m able to contribute to my family’s income. The best part about it is I get to make my schedule, and that works out perfectly for our family.
How much were your startup costs, and what did you need to get started?
The start-up fee was $10, Which included laundry return bags to get you started as well as access to the online work desk, which has tons of resources available to you. I also purchased a few additional items, like hangers and a folding board. Together I probably spent around $50.
Realistically, how much can an individual earn annually with a laundry business?
Starting out can take some time, and you may only make $20-$60 per week. As your client base grows, you can earn as much as $500 or more a week. Our clients don’t have to sign contracts, so the pay can vary from week to week depending on how many clients you have scheduled and bags received.
What are some of the challenges you face with this sort of business?
I find the biggest challenge in the laundry care business is consistency. Some clients may only need you for a one-time service, and others may need you every other week. I try to build up my client list so that I have laundry to do every week.
Give us an example of how you landed one of your first clients.
For weeks, I had been posting every day on different Facebook pages for my area and handing out flyers. I was discouraged because I hadn’t received a client yet, but my husband kept me going. We went around to businesses, passing out flyers and hanging up ads. I was so excited to get my first email stating I had a client! After that, my business took off, and I was receiving new clients every month.
What advice do you have for others who would like to start this type of business?
There’s a lot of hard work that goes into starting a business. Don’t become discouraged if you don’t receive clients right away. Having a great support system is key. I don’t know what I would do without my family’s advice and support. Also, it’s good to establish a schedule, especially for advertising. I live in a big area with a lot of community Facebook pages, and many will only let businesses post on certain days, so establishing a schedule helped me stay organized.
Related Content: How to Start Your Own Laundry Service Business From Home
Conclusion
Ready to start a service-based business from home? Be sure to grab our free business plan template right here! Or if you need more small business ideas, check out this post.
Have you started a household chore business? Or do you have an idea for one? Drop a note below — I’d love to hear from you!
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