Five Top Businesses You Can Run From Home

Some people don’t feel they belong in the corporate world. They long to be their own bosses, set their own hours and rules.

They’re great candidates for starting a home business. And they have a range of options.

“See what [services are] lacking in your area, and that’s where you can find the niche,” said Rieva Lesonsky, editorial director of Entrepreneur magazine.

Before starting a home business, make sure it complies with zoning laws. Then start marketing it in the newspaper or on the Web. Use your home computer to make business cards and pass them out to family, friends and people you meet in the grocery store or on the street.

It’s never too late to start. The average home business owner is about 40 years old, with an income of about $52,300, according to Home Business Magazine.

The top home businesses for this year, according to Entrepreneur Magazine, are:

Home party sales

Home party consultants sell anything from kitchen gadgets and cosmetics to home decor and fashion accessories. Most companies allow you to make money from new recruits. You earn a portion of what someone else sells if he or she signs up as part of your group.

The current trend in party sales is jewelry, Lesonsky said. You can buy jewelry wholesale or travel to New York City to purchase it there, she said.

• How to land it: Sign up at a party or contact a group leader with the company you want to sell for.

• Pay range: Varies.

Kids party/event planning

Pin the tale on the donkey won’t cut it with 21st century kids. Today, parents are hiring party planners to go all out for children’s birthday parties. Brides also are using event planners to alleviate the stress of planning a wedding.

• Training: Some colleges and universities offer an event-planning certificate or degree program. Become a member of an event planning organization.

• Pay range: $25,000 to $60,000.

Tutors

Today’s tutors help kids with more than just math or reading. They also prepare high school students for major tests such as the SAT and ACT. During the summer, they may help students with subjects they struggled with during the school year or work to keep young minds active.

• Training: Bachelor’s degree and expertise in a specified area. Also, you should be able to motivate others and have good study skills.

• Pay range: $15,360, based on an average of $20 per hour at 16 hours a week.

Senior services

As people age, they may need help with things like finding assisted-living spaces, selling a home or otherwise making the transition from their own homes to other settings where they can receive more care.

Baby boomers increasingly are turning to senior service professionals to help with their aging parents.

It’s a niche that’s only going to get hotter as the large baby-boom population ages and needs assistance of its own, Lesonsky said.

• How to land it: Place your name on social services lists at hospitals and with senior organizations.

• Pay range: Varies.

Home care

Home care workers provide non-medical services for seniors and other homebound people. Services can range from reading a book to taking them to doctor appointments to grocery shopping. Florence Cummings, coordinator of God’s Angel Helpers, said hours and rates are determined by the needs of each person.

• How to land it: Place your name on social services lists at hospitals and with senior organizations.

• Pay range: About $18,000 a year.