Art/Design Money Making Ideas : Knitting/Crochetting Lessons
Everyday, thousands of baby blankets, booties, sweaters, scarfs and afghans are knitted with love and given as gifts to friends and family. More than just offering warmth and practicality, these knitted gifts have an heirloon quality and are often treated as treasures for life. If you've been investing lots of time and effort crafting such items for your friends and family, why not consider turning this craft that you love into a small business that will make your a little money and allow you to meet people? Teaching others the craft of knitting/crocheting requires patience and an eye for detail. Since you should already know how much time it takes to complete a project and you can read intricate patterns, the trick is not to transfer that knowledge and skill into easy do-it-yourself lessons that someone else can follow. This isn't as difficult as it seems - you first have to list the basic skills and patterns in knitting and write simple notes to describe how to do it. If you can manage it, simple diagrams can enhance your notes tremendously. You'll want to keep any "secret techniques" out of these notes because these are what will set your knitting lessons apart from all the Do-It-Yourself books on the markets. If you've been practising the craft yourself for years, you most likely have all the equipement you need - needles, crochet hooks, yarn, simple patterns, books and scissors. Initally, your students can use your scraps of leftover yarn for practice. Pick an easy pattern, then have your students purchase the appropriate supplies before they come to your next class, that way you won't have to shell out your own money and wait for reimbursement. Plan on grossing only about $5000 per year; this is a sideline business and not a full time career. You'll most likely have the greatest success marketing your availability through craft shops and networking with friends and family. Sell some of your handmade creations at art and craft shows to showcase your abilities and always have plenty of business cards on hand. If you're the sort who loves to travel, then you don't necessarily have to confine your lessons to your studio or home. You can always set up a mobile class, packing all your material into a small trolley trunk that you can fit into a car and roll right into your class wherever it may be - at a community college, retirement home or even to your clients' homes. Lots of people would love to learn knitting and crocheting but would rather do it at a place where they're comfortable. Of course you will charge a higher fee if you are required to travel to your students' homes. Be prepared to hold class at hours that are convenient for your students, including weekends and evenings. Try to fill your classes with more students than you think you can accomodate; there is always the possibility that more than one may drop out without notice. This can be a very relaxing venture to do in your home. It's an opportunity for you to be creative and to pass down these centuries-olf technique to others. You never know - this simple small business could very well open the door to much bigger things for you. If people find your crafted designs and patterns so unique, you could even compile them into a book or series of books and market them. There's always more than one way to make money from a skill. Personal/Public Services Money Making Ideas : Lactation Consultant
New mothers often find they have a world of adjustments to make as soon as their little one comes into the world. From diapering to bathing baby, there seems to be a thousand and one new skills that they are suddely expected to have. Among them is one of the most crucial and womanly art of breast-feeding. Contrary to what people may think, breast feeding is not as simple as putting baby to breast and letting things happen naturally. New mothers often find out the hard way that there are lots of factors that contribute to the rewarding and relationship-bonding experience of breast feeding. For one thing, many new mothers are frightened by the prospect of having to be completely responsible for another human being; for another, many hospital professionals are simply not well trained in teaching new moms how to breast-feed properly. As a result, there are many young women out there who are breast-feeding incorrectly - and quite painfully so. Your prospects look good for this consulting business if you are patient and caring enough to show them the way, and with hospitals increasingly being forced to release mothers and their newborns in a short period of time after birth, there will be plenty of room (and need) for outside professionals. Since many new moms like to share their positive experiences, word-of-mouth could bring in quite a few referrals. Being a mother yourself and having successfully breastfed your own babies is a crucial credential to have. This alone enables you to empathize with your new mom clients on the many subtle nuances (and discomforts) of breastfeeding. Your start up costs are minimal; mostly you'll need to make sure you have an adequate amount of resource materials and dependable transportation. For marketing materials, invest in professionally designed business cards - something that gives off a warm, caring feeling. Your fees should start at $40 per hour, collected at time of service, although this may vary depending on your location and/or schedule. It can be stressful dealing with frightened new mothers and helpless fathers; you'll need a cool head to deliver this service. On the bright side, once you've taught the mother how to feed her baby properly, the stress level will sharply drop and you'll have three happy customers!