It is fairly easy to get cynical about work at home opportunities because we have heard about so many scams, or maybe even gotten involved in some fairly shady schemes that really did not work out very well. But there are many people who have either started, or continue to, run real legitimate and useful businesses from their homes. Sometimes they even hire other home workers, and so they provide work at home jobs.

Many of these opportunities can be started part-time with a very small investment. So they are the type of small businesses where a person can dip a toe in, as they say, to see how it works out. Then they could expand or contract as the individual owner requires.

Food Catering Business: The general term, food catering, actually covers a lot of niche businesses. They could range from specialized mobile catering or lunch trucks to preparing gourmet treats for business events and weddings to delivering healthy meals in the same way that a pizza man delivers, well, pizza!

This can be simple or complicated. Some areas may require a licensed kitchen in order to prepare food for sale. If you run a snack truck where you only sell pre-packaged food from wholesale distributors or if you prepare food at the customer’s house or location (personal chef), you will need much less paperwork than if you want to prepare the food on your own site and deliver it.

You may be able to cater from home, but in many locations you would need a seperate commercial kitchen. Legally, you probably cannot use your family kitchen. However, many flexible caterers have solved this problem by renting (or working out an agreement) with a local church or similar organization that does maintain a commercial kitchen.

Otherwise, the rest of the business like planning, meeting clients, or advertising for more clients, can be done from a home office.

Party Planner:Again, this could cover anything from planning a toddler’s first birthday part to a wedding with 300 guests. It all depends upon your own particular expertise, talents, and ambitions.

Virtual Assistant: This field is actually growing right now. As small businesses try to control costs, they are more willing to hire out certain tasks. Of course, the particular tasks you would be open for will depend upon your skills, abilities, and training.

You may work purely from home, over the Internet or a phone, setting appointments, filling out spreadsheets, handling social media (i.e. Facebook, etc.), or handling customer service. If you are mobile, small businesses may need somebody to run errands, hand out fliers, or man booths at local events.

Real Business Ideas?

If you have any other real business ideas, we invite your comments!

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I am always on the lookout for home business ideas that are fairly quick to train for, but which can be run as actual full or part time businesses. I just got a call from a friend who is a full time para-legal, but who runs a commercial notary public business in the evenings, one week-ends, and on alternate Fridays which his flex hours give him off. Now, I understand that is is common for para-legals, and other types of legal assistants, to act as notaries. But I was still interessted enough to do a little more research.

How Much Do Notaries Make?

You may have taken advantage of free notary services at your bank or place of business. Some companies keep a notary on their staff, and they provide free services to their customers or employees. This is because fees are regulated at a state level. Individual fees are fairly low. But commercial transaction fees are higher, like $100, so some notaries make a business as a signing notary. Some are mobile notaries, and they will travel to different offices, like title companies, to put their seal on contract.  Even though fees are strictly regulated, it may be possible to also charge for travel expenses.

Here is an example of a Houston Mobile Notary website.

Notary Public Training and Certification

Notary Training requirements may vary by state, but even in states where it is not requires, most associations recommend it. We found an online notary course which can be completed in about 3 hours for $25. We also found a reference to a 1 day course which was given in a college setting.

Notary Certification requires also vary by state. In some states you will need to pass a state test, but in other states you just have to apply, be over 18 years, have no felony record, and be a legal resident of your state. You will have to pay a fee for your state application, be bonded, and pay for some supplies.  Notary associations also recommend purchasing an E&O policy to protect yourself against any claims of eerrors.

This may seem like a lot of requirements, but I found information that one association sold a package for Texas residents which only cost $79 for everything. Even if you add in another $25 for an online class, your initial investment is only a little over $100. This can almost be recouped in your first commercial transaction.

More Information

This website has a lot of information on becoming a Texas notary. You can certainly find similar online information for your state.

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I talk to a lot of people who would love to run their own business, and they would like to start as a small home based enterprise. But these people never really take the first step because they do not believe they are qualified. On the other hand, I have surveyed dozens of people, from many different backgrounds who took the plunge. What is the difference between the two groups of people? Really, the only difference I can see is that one group never got started, and the other group went ahead and took a risk!

Here are some ideas for some very simple home based businesses that require very little startup money, special skills, or time. They can be started out of a kitchen table, and can also be performed on a part-time or moonlighting basis. This list is not all-inclusive by any means but should give you some ideas for futher research.

• EBay Seller – If you read about many very successful online auction sellers, you will find that many started by selling the things they no longer wanted around their own home. Do you have obselete video games, outgrown clothes, or books you have already read around the house? If so, you already have some inventory to go ahead and test the waters as an EBay seller.
• Yard Care – Not all work-at-home jobs must be based upon the internet. The guy who mows my lawn started out because he was displaced during a hurricane. He borrowed an old truck and a lawn mower, and he started knocking on doors where he saw some unkept lawns. As luck would have it, one of my neighbors runs a property company, and she ended up hiring him for her business after using him on her own lawn. Now he is so busy it is hard to get him, and he ended up buying a new truck, new equipment, and hiring employees.
• Pet Sitting/Dog Walking – I met a lady on the beach who was relaxing because she could now hire employees to walk dogs and pet sit. She started out promoting herself in a neighborhood newspaper, and then expanded to regional ads.
• Mystery Shoppers – Again, I spoke with a woman who made $1,500 one summer, and also got some great goodies and free meals, by doing mystery shopping. I think it is hard to make a full time income, but it can be a fun and flexible way to earn some extra cash.
• Online Freelancers – The internet has generated a lot of demand for freelance work, which could be anything from article writing to programming. Visit some webmaster forums and find a buy/sell/trade section where you will see jobs for hire. You may need special technical skills for some of them, but you do not need much more than the ability to write or fill out forms for others.
• Professional Organizers – Are you organized? Well, it may not suprise you that many people and even businesses are not organized. And they will pay a person to help them get things in order. There is a growing demand for people who will come in and get things cleaned up, both at home and in an office.

No matter what you’re good at, you are sure to find a market for that skill. The only real thing that is holding you back from starting a home based business is your own fear.

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