By David Forsythe
In the present scenario where incomes can’t keep pace with expenditure, almost everyone tries to do a side job to add to the income. The ground reality is that most people do not earn enough to make both ends meet, leave alone extra money for enjoyment and entertainment. No wonder, millions of Americans have been compelled to think of unique and creative ways to earn some extra money.
Financial experts very often advice us to make investments in mutual funds and annuities. However, the truth is that one needs some set aside money to make these investments. People have now started turning their expertise into profitable ways of making that extra bit of money.
It’s really quite simple, you run errands for people who have the money but don’t have the time to do their grocery shopping, gift shopping, running movies back, picking up dry cleaning, and a host of other rather tedious activities. You can do all these chores for them and earn a profit for yourself. If you have the time to spare and you need cash, you run errands for those who have the cash but not the time to do all that.
The best part about this is that you will not need to invest much to start your business. All you need is a computer and a cell phone. The computer is necessary to help track business expenses, generate invoices, and perform general bookkeeping duties. And, the cell phone is important so that your clients can access you. You have to obtain the necessary business license, and some business cards and you are ready to start your errand service!
Now it may be difficult at first to get clients that are willing to pay you to run their errands. Frankly, the errand service field is definitely a word-of-mouth business where every past success or failure sets the stage for the next step. You may want to try marketing in fitness clubs, coffee shops, and beauty salons that allow you to leave a business card for people to look at and get your number from.
Focus on your target market to build your customer base. You must know the kind of people who are most likely to have the money, but not the time, to run their errands. They will include business professionals and small business owners. Once you know who is your target market, you should focus all of your marketing efforts on this group.
You can start off with doing a little work for friends and family, taking little or no charge. It helps you get good experience and build references in this word-of-mouth business. This is sure to generate more business for you down the road. Finally you can move on to serving more people at a higher cost.
While you may have never considered running an errand service as a viable means of earning some extra income, the fact remains that this is a growing field with unlimited income potential. For people with an established errand business, it is not uncommon for them to command anywhere from 15 to 100 dollars an hour for their services. Truly, an errand service may start out as a part-time thing and turn into your full-time profession allowing you the freedom and financial independence never possible when working for other people.
About the Author
Delphine La Rosa is the chief writer for, and editor of For An Income, there’s a wealth of knowledge on the website, plus while you’re there sign up for the free newsletter. Read many more interesting articles on Income at: www.faincome.com/articles
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