Home-Based Business Idea 1 - Garage Organizing

Be your friendly neighborhood garage organizer! With this home-based business, you don't need big capital and special skills. If you have time and aren't afraid to get your hands dirty, go for this one. Get yourself an assistant as a temporary helper, and you might need one or two more helpers for those big projects.

Why a garage? There are so many places to organize! You can start pretty much anywhere. And this will give your first clients a sample of your working caliber.

Also, garages are always over-looked and taken for granted. For most of us, the garage is just a place to put our cars into when not in use; and, a large storeroom for our unclassified things (unclassified because we're not sure if we still need them or where to use them). Garages are often cluttered with old furniture, used appliances, half-full paint cans, boxes full of books and mementos, old clothes and fabric, assorted electronics, etc.

1. Always make a survey on your prospects' garages. Accessibility to roads is important for the transportation of large items disposed by the owner.

2. Make an inventory of every single thing you find inside the garage. Put these down in categories to make planning easier.

3. Create a plan with the client. Show the inventory list and ask him/her what things to discard, to retain, and to relocate. And what items to relegate to a garden shed or a separate storeroom. If these places are not available, suggest a donation website such as www.RestoringOrder.com.

4. Discuss additional expenses if the garage needs additional built-in cabinets, lighting fixtures or minor repairs on walls, floors, and roofs. The prices of storage boxes and bins (preferably durable plastic material) should be included in your service fee. Find out the on-going rate of local professional garage organizers and try to lower your asking price to be competitive. Showing detailed information on your pricing will always help the would-be customers to hire you.

5. After reaching a final plan of action with the client, measure the perimeter and height of the garage.

6. Always do your garage projects during sunny days, to avoid any water damage to the things that have to be piled outside.

7. First, move out the things to be relocated inside the house and have them cleaned by your helper/assistant. Second, relocate the tools and containers with chemicals (paints, thinner, etcetera) to the garden shed. Third, separate the still useful items from broken ones. Fourth, put all garbage inside black bags. If these are recyclable materials, have them delivered to the local drop-off bin. Fifth, categorize the items that should reside inside the garage. Put them inside suitable storage containers, which are labeled properly. (Books, newspapers, souvenirs, small tools, Christmas decorations, decorative lights, etcetera).

8. Always remember that garage organizing is a fast-paced job. Everything should be done very quickly, or you will ruin your reputation. After all things are pulled out of the garage, instruct your workers to do the cleaning, repairing, installing, and repainting of the garage. So the interior will be ready when you're finished with the categorizing task.

9. Order is an art itself. Always try to arrange all items with similar colors and sizes in one place. But do not sacrifice harmony; put a recyclable bin near the entrance to be accessible and hang tools and items frequently used.

10. Lastly, do not pretend that you already know everything in this kind of business. Never hesitate to hire a skilled worker when a project requires special attention.

Create a one-page newsletter with a catchy design and interesting images on it. Here's a suggestion for your newsletter photo: take a picture of your cluttered garage. The worse it looks, the better.

Then set aside the coming weekend to do your first project -- your own garage. And before starting, keep these 3 things in mind:

1. Be emphatic. Think of yourself as a client.
2. Be professional. Follow all the tips to the letter.
3. Be generous yet practical. Splurge a little on sturdy but attractive cabinets, shelves, and containers. Also on wall paints, new flooring tiles, and a new roof, if necessary. This is a business investment, as well as home beautification.

Right after your garage has been transformed into something out of interior design magazine pages, grab your camera and take photos at all angles.

1. Before buying anything used for the business, canvass your local stores for prices and quality. Take note of the brands and their performances.
2. Consider buying these materials by the bulk and direct from factories, to take advantage of the lowered prices. Do this when your business has earned profits and good reputation though. Also, when you have enough storage space.
3. Do not delegate important tasks to your helpers. You might be the owner and the manager of the business, but you're also the only one responsible for quality of performance.
4. Don't be picky about the projects. If a customer requested you to organize a closet, an attic, a kitchen cupboard, or any part of the house, just do it.