Hands-On Business Ideas You Should Consider Starting

Selective Focus Photography of Woman Holding Dslr Camera
Photo by Andre Furtado from Pexels

There are loads of home business ideas to choose from. But not everyone wants to work from home. Some people want to work face-to-face with others, work with their hands, travel the world, be creative, and more. That’s perfectly okay if you don’t want to follow the remote working trend. But this might leave you in a tough spot, not knowing what kind of business you can start and where you want your career to go.

Working from home comes with many benefits, such as the absence of a commute and the ability to be more flexible with your time. However, it can also mean that you have limited communication with others, and it can get quite lonely if you spend your life sitting in front of a computer screen to earn a living.

The great thing is, there are lots of opportunities out there. Whether you consider an existing skill you have, or you learn something completely new, there is a business idea out there for everyone.

What You Should Consider

Before you jump into a hands-on business, you need to consider a few important things first. This will ensure you do your research and will aid in choosing the right business idea. You must first think about your current capacity to start a new business and what time, money, and energy to have to invest in a new one. You will also need to consider your skills, experience, passion, interests, what it takes to run a business, your finances, and more.

Your Capacity and Commitment

You must consider your mental and physical capacity before you start a business. Starting a business is no small task to take on. You will have to spend a lot of time and hard work on the business to start it and get it up and running, let alone be successful. If you are starting a hands-on business, you may also need to source equipment, and clients and have the time to do the work. You need to be committed to your new business if you want to earn money.

Your Skills and Experience

A great place to start when considering what hands-on business to create, is to consider the current skills and experience that you have. This might be from your current employed work, that you want to utilize in going out on your own and starting your own business. On the other hand, you might have a variety of skills and experience in a personal interest or hobby that can be translated into a new business idea. Make a list of all the things that you are good at and have experience in. You can then add a column to consider how that could turn into a business idea.

Your Interests and Passion

If you lack skills and experience or do not have any that you want to turn into a business, then you should consider where your interests and passion lie. Maybe you currently work in construction, but travel and photography are something that interests you. There is nothing wrong with picking a business idea that you have no experience in. Make a list of all the things that you are passionate about. You should then narrow this list down and pick your top 3. Then you can add columns to your list with all the things that you would need to do to start a business in that topic. It might be that you need to learn a new skill or take a class.

It can be helpful to consider the pros and cons of each idea that you come up with, and what they would entail. This will help you get a bigger picture of the ideas and make a more informed decision.

The Business Involvement

Starting a business sounds like a great idea, especially if you are passionate about the idea and have skills and experience in that area. However, many people make the mistake of underestimating the business involvement. When you start a business, you will likely wear many hats, especially if you are starting it by yourself or decide to work alone. You will need to consider the finances, the planning, the marketing, the sales, the customer service, sourcing materials and equipment, setting up hardware and software, and more. This is in addition to carrying out the service or creating the product. Do some research into what it takes to start and run a business. This will give you a good idea of what you need to do and what you need to know. Then you can plan accordingly. It will also help you to fully commit, as you will better know what you are signing yourself up for, as well as how much time, money, and effort you will need to commit.

Your Finances

Finances are a really important part of any business, whether new or experienced. You will need to consider how much money you have to live off while you start your business and get it off the ground. You will need to be able to estimate and forecast your finances, so you have a good idea of where you are and what you need to do to meet your goals. You must have money to live off and an emergency fund. There will always be circumstances that you cannot plan for, so you should always have a safety net just in case. You will need to consider the start-up costs of your business. This might entail sourcing materials, equipment, vehicles, software, and travel costs. You will also need to consider a budget for marketing and other internal business tasks.

Hands-on Business Ideas to Get You Started

If you need inspiration, here are some of the most popular hands-on business ideas to get you started!

Travel Photography

Travel photography is an excellent business idea to start. It will mean you get to travel the world and see all the amazing places. You will need to set yourself some big goals and make a plan of locations you will travel to. Learn how to be a good photographer and pick a niche to get you started. You can earn money as a photographer by selling pictures and prints, sharing them on social media, working with brands, and more. You will need high quality equipment to be able to produce good work that will earn you money. This will include a camera, different lenses, and a drone. Drones are extremely popular in travel photography and videography, as they provide unique perspectives that the human eye wouldn’t be able to capture and can give you a competitive edge. You will need a good drone if you want to be able to run a business, such as the DJI Air 3S.

Dog Walker

Dog walking is an excellent business idea and a very rewarding job for people who love animals. You can set your own days and hours. You will need to walk dogs locally to you or invest in a vehicle that can safely transport dogs. You will get to meet lots of dogs and get to know them as you walk them more. This job is excellent as clients tend to be loyal to you, as they need the service regularly. You will be able to find a few dogs to walk a day, and you will be walking them every week. You get to spend time in nature and with animals.

Activities Instructor

An activities instructor is a lot of fun. You get to choose what activities you want to do and where in the world you want to do it. You will need to gain skills and experience in the activity that you choose. This could be mountain biking, skiing, horse riding, hiking, canoeing, and more. There are hundreds of options to choose from. Many people will do what they call seasons, so you will work across the peak times for 6 months. For example, if you wanted to become a ski instructor, then you would do 6 months over the winter. This means you can choose a summer activity, or use the time to do something else you love.

Airbnb Host

Airbnb hosting is an excellent idea, but you will need more money upfront to get started. You will have a variety of properties in popular tourist locations that you can rent out. You get to travel around to each property to welcome guests and get them set up for their holiday. You will also have to do the admin, such as marketing the Airbnb, as well as the cleaning and organization of the property.

Upcycling

If you like to be creative and get stuck into projects, then upcycling is an excellent option. You can go around to thrift stores and find old or worn-down furniture items and take them home to upcycle. Once you have some tools and paints, you will be ready to go! You can do whatever you want to the items to refresh them, and then sell them on. You can get creative, or you can check out what is trending.

Having your own successful business doesn’t have to be from home. There are plenty of options that enable you to travel, get creative, or work with other people.