An Idea for a Small Business You Can Start

Start-up costs range $50 to $500,000+, earnings $5,000 to $2,000,000++, skills from knowing nothing to running an airline. Bon appetit!

INTERIOR LANDSCAPING

Start-up cost: $5,000 - $10,000

Potential earnings: $15,000 part-time, $35,000 to $55,000 full-time

Advertising: Yellow pages, ads in local papers and magazines, referrals from architectural firms and real estate brokers, direct mail followed up with visits to greenhouse owners, plant and florist shops, and garden centers, word-of-mouth referrals, direct mail to new office centers and businesses, organizations' buildings, and other places with lobbies and public areas

Equipment needed: Library of houseplant care books. Home office: computer with design capabilities, printer, photocopier, business phone with answering system, and related software. Promotional materials: portfolio with photos of your work and prices and fees, business cards, and brochures. Van. Watering cans, mister, soil, and houseplant tools (pruners, pots)

WHAT YOU DO
Some scientific studies report that houseplants not only provide an esthetic presence in a home's or building's decorating scheme but actually help filter out impurities in the air. Houseplants, however, have very different water, light, soil, and temperature requirements than outdoor plants do. You can guide customers with suggestions for the best houseplants that will grow, thrive, and beautify their home and/or office.

Excerpted with permission from "More 101 Best Home-Based Businesses for Women" by Priscilla Y. Huff. Published by Prima Publishing. For more on this and 100 other great businesses you can start, Buy the book now or ask for it at your favorite bookstore. You can also call (800) 632-8676 www.primapublishing.com

Ideas for a Small Business You Can Start Classics