Event Planning Home Business

You must like people and like solving their problems to own an event-planning home business. You'll need lots of creative ideas and patience as well as a small office, transportation and the ability to organize your own time well. You'll bill clients and sell the package of your services, but you'll also see people during the happiest times of their lives and get to plan parties and events that are memorable for them.

Geography

You can probably earn the most money in a small city. There are more people in need of event planning and you have access to more services, such as caterers and party rental places, than in the country or a very small town. You can even take advantage of public transportation to stage unusual events, such as having a breakfast for the city planning commissioners and requiring them all to come to the breakfast by bus.

Types

Think up new twists on factory tours, open houses or ribbon-cutting ceremonies for businesses. Or you could specialize in events for children. What about outdoor events? Indoor events? Active or sit-down activities? Maybe you want to help launch new singers or musicians and will plan press parties and autograph or photo opportunities for fans. You could also concentrate on people with special hobbies, such as coin collecting or gardening.

Considerations

Running a business from your home means you must check on business zoning regulations in your area. Will you have people come to your home? If so, will several cars parked near your home cause traffic or parking problems for your neighbors? Do you need storage for large items such as a popcorn wagon or soft drink dispensers, or will you do only the planning and not the actual serving or supplying of needed equipment?

Potential

Making enough money to compensate you for the hours you'll put into your business depends on how well you can market and publicize your new services. Do you have a large network of people who might be interested in hiring you? Are you already known as a person who throws a fabulous party, and do you have the potential for creating those parties week in and week out?

Time Frame

If you like to do things for your own family and friends around certain holidays, you may have to turn down assignments for these holidays. Insist that you be hired to plan an event well in advance of the actual date of the party or observance, so there's no last-minute urgency from your client. Planning events by the season or quarter can help you divide your time more evenly among a growing list of clients.

Benefits

Freeing up someone else's time so she can enjoy the event is the main benefit to this home business. You may help someone observe a special anniversary or birthday, so even if your client can't attend in person, she knows the guest of honor will very much enjoy the special party. You may even get to watch a small business grow and know that your events helped make that growth possible.

Resources

• Entrepreneur Magazine on starting a business
• Blog with ideas on event planning