One of my reasons to start my own business is to get the freedom in crafting a venture which fit my personal endeavors, not the other way around. I personally not a travel junkie, but I don’t like working in a formal setting. So, what I’m looking for is a business idea which I can turn into reality without the need to pin myself in front of my office desk for hours.
In my quest, I have discovered numerous small business ideas which are either location independent or at least off-premise. There is nothing new with the ideas I found, but people often forget that such ideas do exist.
Hate working behind a desk? Consider these small business ideas
Here are 8 of many small business ideas which I think will fit your need to travel for business and be location independent – perhaps not overseas, but at least outside the office walls 🙂
1. Travel writing/reviewing business
Do you love traveling, eating out or staying at a hotel? You can actually build a business upon your passion and actually generating revenue while you enjoy what you love.
Publications, both online and off line, crave for someone who is an expert in translating what he/she sees, feels or tastes into compelling words. You can offer your service as an independent business owner or a business owner managing staffs who will do the magic for you. If you are web-savvy, you can even start your own blog or online magazine and run your own show.
Getting into this niche can offer you a chance to travel a lot and get unique perks, such as getting-paid-to-travel, getting special discounts, and so on.
Useful read: http://www.theguardian.com/travel/2011/sep/23/travel-writing-tips-expert-advice
2. Internet publishing business
Related to idea number one above, if you are web-savvy and understand how to build your own website, you can start a blog or online magazine covering any topics of your choice – and organize it as a business.
This business involves creating blog posts, videos, podcasts – and publishing them on your site. Revenues are generated from sponsored publications, ad placements and digital products/services sales.
Just like any other businesses in Internet sector, this business allows you to work in location independent manner: You can choose to work from home, a coffee shop or a tourist spot.
3. Mystery shopping business
If you consider yourself as a shopaholic, there is a way to ‘channel’ your passion for shopping into a lucrative business – how about establishing a mystery shopping business?
As the name implies, you are working with a market research companies, organizations or a hiring business (more on this later) to do a specific set of tasks, such as shopping for products, getting your questions answered or even complaining about a particular product/service, and provide reports with regard to your experience.
When you are hired by a business to be an internal mystery shopper, your main tasks involve checking whether everything is in working order, getting some ideas about the staffs’ quality of service, and so on.
Useful read: http://www.forbes.com/sites/learnvest/2013/03/01/how-i-made-14000-a-year-mystery-shopping/
4. Network marketing business
When you involve in network marketing, you will need to meet a lot of people to sell your products/services. You will also need to recruit new members to grow your network. Those often require you to travel a lot meeting with prospects, clients and recruits.
Useful read: http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/77700
5. Event/wedding planning business
There is no shortage of events today. Ranging from business expos to weddings, events need someone – or a group of people – who is willing overseeing and taking care of the nitty-gritty well in order to make an event a success.
Running a wedding planning business, for instance, can take you from one wedding to another. If you love attending weddings and events, this is a dream business for you!
Useful read: http://smallbiztrends.com/2013/06/small-business-event-planning-tips.html, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tag/wedding-planning-tips
6. Tour guide business
If you are someone who has an established knowledge about a particular area, including the culture, language and local customs, you can offer your knowledge as a local tour guide.
Believe it or not, it’s not easy to find a good tour guide; a travel guide needs to be able to present point of interest, local information and so on in an engaging way, as well as have the ability to manage travel needs, such as documents, accommodations and luggage. If you can offer that – along with a strong local knowledge – you can definitely find success.
And oh, as a tour guide, you are obviously required to travel a lot – so, if you like traveling this idea is for you.
Useful read: http://www.ehow.com/how_5868614_start-tour-guide-business.html
7. Pet sitting business
If you have strong bond with pets, this business opportunity is for you. Typically involving frequent travel to your clients’ home, pet sitting involves taking care of pets at your clients’ home.
However, pet sitter’s role has grown today: You can also offer pet care services, including arranging diet, exercise and administration of pet medicines/supplements, dog walking, and so on.
Useful read: http://animalcareers.about.com/od/Animals/a/Sitter.htm
8. Tutoring/mentoring business
Teaching others has been a passion for many. If you are one of them, why don’t you start a small tutoring business? Depending on your subject of interest, tutoring is generally a high demand line of service as people are always interested in the personal development.
From teaching English as a second language (ESL) to teaching how to excel in public speaker, from teaching how to play a guitar to teaching how to build a boat, the niches you can serve is nearly unlimited.
If you love to go places, you can design your business in such a way to accommodate that, such as private tutoring, mentoring for a list of companies, and so on.
Useful read: http://smallbusiness.chron.com/run-tutoring-business-3136.html
Takeaway
Just like what I mentioned above, those small business ideas are not unique by all mean. However, I consider them to be some of the most rewarding opportunities as they are closely related to your interest and passion.
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Photo credit: jjay69
