Derek Lotts

About Derek Lotts

Derek Lotts is a Sydney based writer and researcher, a regular contributor at Smooth Decorator blog. He writes about décor, gardening, recycling, ecology and business. He thinks all of these topics fall under the self-improvement category. He believes in the power of sharing ideas and communicating via the internet to achieve betterment. You can reach him on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+.

Starting a family is always filled with challenges, especially financial ones. People want to provide all of their attention to their spouses and kids, but that’s difficult to manage when you have a regular 9 to 5 job. That’s why many people decide to start a home-based business and try their luck in the entrepreneurship world.

The fact of the matter is that owning a home business does include a lot of responsibilities, but it also provides a lot more flexibility than a regular job. What’s more, everything you earn belongs to you and you can manage your wealth as you see fit.

Being both stay-at-home parents and entrepreneurs may be difficult at first, but the entire family is together in the long run. With that in mind, here are a few family business ideas you should consider for a sound future.

Home-based food business

Handmade food, such as pastries, is always in high demand. People simply love traditional recipes that were passed down through generations. If you like cooking delicious food for events, such as birthdays, weddings, parties and so on, you can consider a home-based catering service.

Aside from investing in kitchen equipment and marketing, among other things, you’ll need a permit from the health inspection, as well as business licenses that are common for the food industry. Also, make sure you check the local zoning laws to determine if a food business is allowed in your neighborhood.

Organic gardening

If you have a large garden or a backyard, you should know there are a lot of business opportunities sitting on your property. Organic gardening is very popular nowadays, especially since people are losing trust fast in the major industries that provide consumers with various products through mass-production.

Therefore, you can consider business opportunities, such as selling flowers, fruits, vegetables and herbs produced in your own garden. You can also use your garden to become a landscape professional or a garden decorator and tutor others on how to maintain their gardens.

Investing in real estate

Property investments can be a lucrative job and you can do most of the work from your home. Real estate investments consist of buying and selling properties. However, you can do a bit more and invest in renovations before you flip properties to inflate the price so that you don’t have to wait for the market price to rise on its own.

If you don’t want to bother with such dynamics, you can simply buy properties and rent them for a rental income. Still, if you’re new to the whole real estate business, it’s advisable to find a reliable property investment company and consult with them on how to make your business more efficient. The real estate market is quite stable but it doesn’t hurt to get some advice, beforehand.

Tutoring

Sharing your knowledge and your skills with others is a great way to earn a living and all from the comfort of your home. Whether you can teach art, music, foreign language, history or anything else, you can make a business out of it. The good thing is that people or neighboring kids can come to your house for classes or you can teach people online. The choice is yours, and there’s a lot of flexibility to enjoy as well.

A pet daycare

If you and your kids are animal lovers, you can create an entire business from it. To be more precise, a pet daycare is a very famous endeavor that’s always in high demand. Pet owners won’t leave their pets with just anyone while they’re away, so they will be picky about it.

You can create a daycare for dogs, cats or any other pet you wish. Just make sure you include other services, such as feeding, walking, grooming and so on. The more versatile your pet daycare is, the more customers you’ll have.

Freelancing

The most famous type of home job is freelancing. You can create a freelancing business in just about any industry. As an example, you can opt for freelance writing, web design, web development, digital marketing and any other activity that can be conducted online.

You can also create a home office and enjoy the benefits of being self-employed. Self-employment may not be as fancy as working for a company, especially since you have to worry about taxes on your own. However, working from home and spending time with your family can be more rewarding than a full-time job.

Family business opportunities are numerous and you can choose to do whatever you want. Creating a home-based business is also a lot cheaper than starting a regular business since you don’t need to buy or rent an office. That being said, do some research to determine which type of home business will be ideal for your family both financially speaking and otherwise.

Nowadays, we spend the majority of our free time inside, watching television, reading books, connecting on social media or playing video games on the computer. Unfortunately, a lack of fresh air and physical activity can have negative consequences on our health. Therefore, it’s time to get up and start spending time outdoors with the people that we love. In order to help you create a fun outdoor space for the whole family, we have singled out our ultimate design tips for you to follow. Let’s take a look.

The perfect kid’s corner

First things first, if you feel like your children are not getting enough physical activity, why not build them the perfect playground right in the backyard? Before you start looking for jungle gyms and slides, you have to cover the ground with faux grass so that they can stay safe while playing. Alternatively, if grass is not an option, you can go for playground tiles made from recycled rubber to achieve the same effect. Afterwards, you can invest in a multi-functional play set with features such as ropes, slides, a zip line and many more. Finally, if you truly want to make your backyard the talk of the town among youngsters, you can invest in a high-quality tree house equipped with ladders, swings, hammocks and a large porch. This investment will definitely pay off in the long run since your kids will be able to use it as an intimate study room during high school.

Create a luxurious dining area

More and more homeowners are opting for outdoor dining since it provides the family with a chance to have lunch in a relaxed, natural setting, or dinner under the stars. If you like the sound of this, you can start by bringing out a set of wrought iron chairs and a table. However, for those who want to add an elegant touch to the look, you can opt for a round, one-piece stone table which will organically blend in with the rest of the decor. Additionally, if you want to start a new family tradition, you can invest in a wonderful outdoor grill and countertop where every member can take part in preparing the ingredients and barbecuing the meat. Just don’t forget that you’ll need a kitchen trolley to serve you as outdoor storage for all the utensils and linens.

A spot to cool off

During the hot summer days, it gets increasingly important to find the perfect ways to cool off. Luckily, all you need is a few simple décor ideas which won’t break the bank, but will instead help you create a perfect chill zone for the entire family. You can begin by investing in gorgeous shade sails which will eliminate the need to spend money on expensive outdoor air conditioning. These can easily cover a large outdoor seating area and add class and style to the look. On top of that, you mustn’t forget to install fans with mist umbrellas which will keep the air fresh throughout the day. Finally, remember to create a lovely bar so you can mix and serve delicious cocktails and cold soft drinks right on the spot.

A home cinema in the backyard

Last but not least, every family loves to get together for a movie night and munch popcorn during a blockbuster. Nowadays, you can recreate the atmosphere of a movie theatre in your back garden with easy-to-follow décor tips. Start by finding the perfect spot far away from loud street noises, lights and indoor lighting. Then, you will need to construct a leveled wooden platform, stretch a white canvas tightly onto a dark-colored panel and position the projector in front of it. As far as seating is concerned, feel free to bring out lazy bags, large pillows, and cozy outdoor armchairs so that the whole family can be comfortable while enjoying the movie. For the best movie viewing experience, you should get a popcorn machine and a nacho cheese mixer for the delicious tortilla crisps. As you can see, it doesn’t take much effort to turn a dull backyard into an ultimate family-friendly entertainment space. You just need to experiment with design ideas until you create something that each member of your family will love. Good luck with your remodeling project!

6 Family Business Ideas for a Sound Future