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7 smart start-up ideas for HOUSEWIVES
Last time, Murtuza Rohawala, founder and CEO of Edfin Consultancy suggested 10 brilliant start-up ideas for college students. Here, he shares 7 interesting start-up ideas for homemakers.
Bored of the saas-bahu serials?
Tired of network marketing ideas which yield no returns?
Looking to do something interesting and be your own boss?
We present seven great ideas that a housewife can use to start-up her own business without any 'business' skills and still earn the extra bucks by becoming hot shot entrepreneurs.
Illustration: Uttam Ghosh
The author is the founder and CEO of Edfin Consultancy which provides strategy and financial consulting to a lot of promising businesses. An MBA from Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies, Mumbai, he also actively mentors students from various institutes in India.
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1. Healthy corporate lunch
Given the hectic corporate lifestyle and increasing nuclear families with both spouses working, there is a growing need for 'ghar ka khana' type lunch that can be delivered to offices.
There is immense demand from professionals who are becoming health conscious and don't want to binge on street food or fast food for all the days in the week.
All you need to do is create a menu, arrange the kitchen to professionalise it, get the packing in place, reach out to office areas with simple fliers or through friends who are working in offices and put in place a delivery mechanism like a part-time delivery guy or a cabbie. And you are in business!
2. School uniforms
With schools mushrooming all over the country, there is a growing demand of school uniform makers.
Nowadays, even business schools, medical and law colleges are making it mandatory for students to wear uniforms.
To get started with, one needs to establish connections with schools or uniform manufacturing companies and provide dresses at convenient prices.
The most important skill in this business is man management and getting work done through tailors. You may even hire part time women workers and train them.
3. Home-made chocolates
Thanks to so many 'special days' in a year, namely Valentines' Day, Mothers' Day, Fathers' Day et al, homemade chocolates are pretty much in demand.
What you have to do is simple -- google the recipes, make chocolates that are chemically fine and also taste great. While doing so, it is important to love chocolates and also be creative to thrive in this business.
Selling is relatively easier -- besides registering oneself in online directories like JustDial, you can also use Facebook adverts to get noticed.
And of course, nothing beats the word of mouth publicity which you can create through your own circle of friends or acquaintances.
4. Packing gifts
Another good business idea is gift packing.
Given the fact that in our country gifts are exchanged throughout the year, come festivals or occasions, there is a need of professionals who can creatively pack gifts.
Given the amount of expenditure incurred in average Indian weddings and the number of weddings taking place in a populated country such as ours, the market is humongous!
Besides, one needs to have a flair to use various packing materials, source them and be creative.
5. E-shop seller
More and more of us are buying stuff online and one way to easily make money is to join E-bay as a seller.
As a housewife, if you love shopping around and your taste of household stuff is appreciated by people around you, you are on.
As an entrepreneur, you need to look at novel and useful stuff which is generally not available everywhere and put it up on your e-shop.
Contact a courier and he will deliver your stuff once you receive online orders. With e-Bay, the payment is guaranteed as well!
Illustration: Dominic Xavier
6. Content writing
If you love reading, working on a laptop and blogging, why not become a writer as well?
You can start of as a freelance content writer, translator or a blog writer (having a blog, the money can be obtained through a variety of programs one of which is pay per click) and eventually start managing website content and copy for a host of small business enterprises.
Big businesses generally have a marketing team which may take care of the online content. However, smaller businesses, which equally realise the business opportunity that the internet offers, look for niche consulting firms which can help them write and create a buzz about their products and services online.
7. Business handicraft
If you have an edge for design, the handicraft business can be a very interesting business.
In fact, an increasing number of corporates are looking to gift their business associates/partners with some novel artifact which will be valued longer and hence the relationship remembered.
Being a housewife, one can easily comb various markets to find product ideas and source them through local shopkeepers.
As an entrepreneur, you have to professionally market these by categorising and packing them attractively.
Not to forget, an entrepreneur housewife is the most difficult role to play around if one has to manage the house, kids etc.