Obviously it is more fun doing things we like. Too often in life we are forced to tolerate things because we have no choice and this is particularly so with a job. Most companies know specifically what tasks they need done and define a job by those tasks. Sometimes we are fortunate enough to have a job that at least offers a variety of things to do. That makes it possible to like some aspects of it more than others, which helps a little to get through it.
So if you are planning on starting your own business this is your chance to design something that you enjoy doing. You might start by making a few lists that include your interests and hobbies and another one that has all your job experience and skills. Then you can drill down on each point and for example start to analyze ways you could make money from your interests and hobbies and/or with which you could use the skills you have.
Some examples might be if you really love to play golf. The first thing you might do is start a blog and start writing about golf – techniques, trivia, news stories, reviews, etc. You might include a calendar or schedule of tournaments in various geographical areas with information to help people travel to those destinations. Think in terms of attracting other golf enthusiasts to your ‘conversation’.
Then to monetize the blog you might add some ads for golf equipment – you could find outlets that have golf clubs, golf shoes, golf clothes, and other golf equipment and make arrangements to either become an affiliate or a distributor so that you would have a way to drop-ship. You could take the orders and add a ‘handling’ fee to process the transaction end-to-end.
Another example would be if you love crafts which can include candle making, soap making, candy making, baking, ceramics, jewelry, etc. You could make gift baskets that include a little of each or stay with one theme. These baskets are really festive and a lot of fun to receive on the holidays. This model is a little more intensive in that you have to consider the cost of all your materials to create your gifts, as well as shipping materials. You could then just run your ads on an auction site or online store front so that they could handle your order process, payment gateway, etc.
If you are more on the ‘office’ side of business then you could offer to do services with your computer such as running SEO campaigns for Internet businesses, offering to tutor people online in computer or Internet basics, ghostwriting or copywriting, tax preparation/accounting, or customer service. Again look at your list of skills and try to translate them into something you can do as a home business.
