How to Earn Extra Money and be your own Boss

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Step 1

Mowing Lawns

You have done this with your own lawn, you probably did it as a kid. Believe it or not there is a lot of people out there that don't want or need a landscaper, they just want someone to mow there lawn twice a month. Post an ad on craigslist.com with your services. Do the opposite of what gardeners do and offer a flat rate for mowing a lawn, one time. Be bold about what you charge and don't make people call you to find out because they will think they can't afford you. If they know right up front that you only want $20.00 for example to come mow their lawn for an hour, you will have lots of phone calls and repeat business.
Step 2

After school tutoring

You've helped your own kids with their homework now you can help other kids with homework. Let parents know at your child's school that you are starting an after school homework program. You can also branch out and with a Paypal account, get paid online so that you can offer help through email or phone. There are also several websites on the internet that are looking for people just like you to start tutoring. You can start working for them and branch out on your own at a later time. Although, you have to split the rate, you don't have to go out and search for clients.
Step 3

Deliver Flyers

There are small business everywhere that need reliable people to deliver their flyers door to door. Make up your own flyer and drop them off at pizza parlors, dry cleaners and realtor's, for example. Tell your potential clients that you are looking for extra cash and are reliable and can go door to door for $20.00 an hour. Walk your neighborhood for an hour and count how many houses you walk past and let your potential client know how many houses you can cover in an hour.
Step 4

Errands

There is a growing number of baby boomers that have parents that need errands done, such as picking up dry cleaning or they need their parents driven to doctors appointments and they can't do it because they are working. Offer your services and base it on a flat rate. Soon, they will find it so convenient they will pay you to do it for them all the time.
Step 5

Cooking

Baby boomers also worry about whether their parents are eating well and you can start a part time business, delivering pizzas once a week to their house or your own home-cooked meals.
Step 6

Car Wash

Most people don't have the time to stop on the way home from work to have their car wash, but it sure would be nice if you would do it for them. Offer to pick up their car at work, wash it and bring it back or offer to pick it up at their house on a weekend and drive it to the car wash and back. Charge what you would charge to have someone do that for you. If you think that $20.00 would be too much to pay for that service then so will others.
Step 7

Walk Dogs

How many dogs are sitting at home right now waiting for their owners to come home and walk them? Start in your neighborhood, introduce yourself as a dog walker and offer to walk their dog while they are at work. Not only are you making a dog happy, your making your neighbor happy. They can come home and relax and know that their dog has already had their walk for the day.

Also, if you go for a walk every day, let your neighbors know and tell them that you could take their dog with you when your walk. Going for a walk every evening, Monday - Friday, at 6:00 p.m. with 5 dogs can add up. Charge $2.00 a walk or a flat rate of $10.00 a week for one dog. Times that by 5 dogs, equals $200.00 a month. Don't forget plastic doggie bags for the poop!
Step 8

Appointment Waiter

You have to be home in order to get your a phone installed or your cable fixed. And what about grocery delivery? Most of the after work appointments are already filled up by the time people order their groceries, but you can do the waiting for them and even put the groceries away.

Another idea is to have clients email you a grocery list and you do the shopping for them. You could shop for several clients at one time and then delivery them.
Step 9

Housecleaning

Search ads in craiglist and then post your own ad. To get started, advertise your rates and make them flat and less expensive than anyone else's. Keep it simple. What do you do in your house every day and how long does it take you to do it. You may be surprised to find out how much cleaning you can do in an hour. Figure out if you had someone come in and clean for you, what would you want them to do, then do it yourself and keep track of the time. From that, develop an advertisement that outlines exactly what you will do for an hour and a flat rate.
Step 10

Babysitting

Believe it or not, it is hard to find a babysitter now a days that will come to your house for a couple of hours. If you are able to do that at the last minute, then advertise yourself as a babysitter and not a day care. Let people know that you can come to their house and watch their children when they go exercise or go to dinner. Charge a flat rate by the hour. Start with passing flyers out to parents at your child's school. That way, parents are able to meet you as you are handing them your flyer.