Have Fun, Make Money - Get Paid to Do What You Love

A little creativity can go a long way toward helping you make money doing things you enjoy. Take a look at some of the suggestions here, then think about ways you can get paid to do what you love to do.

Get paid to shop - Mystery shopping is a great way to make money in your spare time by providing valuable customer service feedback to businesses. It's flexible and fun, and just about anyone can do it. The most important quality you need is to be reliable. It also helps to be observant and have good writing skills. Mystery shopping is done around the world, so there are probably mystery shops being done in your neighborhood right now.

Get paid to talk - You've seen those people handing out samples in the grocery store or demonstrating a product at the home show. They get paid to do that, and you can, too. To be good at this, you need an outgoing personality. You have to be willing to speak up and get people to try what you're offering, take a coupon, or watch your demonstration.

Get paid to party - Direct sales companies, such as Tupperware, Pampered Chef and others, offer a great way to make extra money or launch a lucrative new career. You get paid to go to parties, do product demonstrations and take orders. You set your own schedule, so you can fit work into your life, not try to squeeze life in around a job.

Don't want to be a sales representative? You can get free products by hosting a party in your home. Look for a local representative in your phone book and ask how you can earn free products by hosting a party.

Get paid to be in the movies - You don't have to live in Hollywood to be an extra in a movie or TV show. Your city or state probably has a film commission where you can get information about upcoming productions. Do an Internet search for "film commission" and your city or state to find them. My local film commission regularly lists opportunities to be an extra in movies or TV shows, be a crew member on an independent film, or even to get paid to be in the audience of a TV show.

Get paid to drive - If it seems as if you are always in your car, or your car is often parked in a high-traffic area, you can use your car to make money by getting it painted with an ad. Advertisers look at what kind of car you drive, its condition, where and how much you drive, how many people see the car when it's parked and other factors when choosing cars for these promotions. If you and your car are what they're looking for, they will pay you to show their ad on your car. (More info: http://www.autowraps.com/)

Get paid for your opinions - Participating in focus groups and other market research doesn't provide regular income, and there are often limits on how often you may participate. However, I've got lots of opinions, and I'm always happy when I can get paid for them! I've been paid for opinions on music, clothes, and even the scent of a laundry product. You can increase your chances of getting selected by registering with market research companies. Check your phone directory or the local mall to find one in your area.

There are also many places online where you can get paid to write opinions or reviews, or to fill out surveys. Make sure you understand how you will be paid before spending a lot of time on this. Many sites pay in credits that can only be redeemed with them, but some pay in cash.

Get paid to do your own thing - When you can make money doing something you love to do, it doesn't feel like work at all. My main career involves speaking and writing, both things I enjoy. I've also been paid for my opinions, made money as a mystery shopper and been a movie extra! Use your imagination to find ways to make money while doing what you enjoy.

How to Start A House Cleaning Business In 7 Simple Steps

One of the main reasons people start businesses is to make money. For some it’s a blessing to make money doing something they love. I’m not saying that you have to love house cleaning in order to have a successful house cleaning business; however it would be a good idea if you didn’t hate it.

How much money you make depends on how big you want your business to be. It could be a one person operation where you set up at home and service areas close to home, or you could set up a commercial office and hire people to work for you.

Here are 7 simple steps to get you started on your own house cleaning business.

1) Decide exactly what kind of house cleaning services you will offer.

Here you decided what cleaning you will do, like making beds, vacuuming, mopping and waxing floors, dusting and so on. Also note what you won’t do, e.g. laundry. You can also decide to specialize, e.g. by cleaning carpets only, or cleaning suspended ceilings only.

2) Pricing your housecleaning service.

To have an idea of how to charge for your housecleaning service, use your competition. Check your telephone directory and the classified ads section in your local newspapers for cleaning businesses, call them up (pretend to be a prospective client) and find out exactly what cleaning services they offer and how much they charge. With this information gathered decide the best price to charge for your cleaning service.

3) Workout startup costs.

For this you need to consider, tools, material, transport, advertising, insurance etc. Write down a list all the tools and material you need, like cleaners, sponges, mops, carpet cleaning equipment etc. Next find out the cost of each item on the list and write it down next to the item.

Transport: you will have to estimate your costs here. You see it depends on where your client is located and your means of transportation to get to your client. (Having your own vehicle would be to your advantage).

Advertising: You can use free advertising (word of mouth) and paid advertising (classifieds, telephone directory ads etc). Phone calls to your local newspaper and the telephone company who publish your telephone directory will tell you the cost of placing ads.

Once you’ve gathered all this information, calculate your total startup costs.

4) Name your business.

Choosing an appropriate name for your house cleaning business is important. Here are a few examples I got of the internet, ‘Maid Brigade’, ‘All Shine Cleaning’, ‘White Glove Cleaning Service’. Please avoid using ‘Your Name Cleaning Services’. Using your own name as part of your business name is over done by many house cleaning businesses. Brainstorm and come up with a name that helps you stand out of the crowd.

5) Learn the zoning regulations of your community.

Check the city clerk’s Office or your local library for a copy for a copy of the zoning laws governing your community. Your reason for doing this is that some zoning regulations prohibit home businesses in a community.

6) Do a few free cleaning jobs.

Well you’re not actually doing them for free. You’re doing them in exchange for references (these add to your credibility for future paying clients and are invaluable). You can offer these free cleaning jobs to friends, non profit organizations in your communities etc.

7) Get your first paying client then get another and another and another and so on.

Tell everyone you know that you’ve started a cleaning business and place ads in the local newspapers. In the beginning you need to spend most of your time and money getting paying clients. However, the more clients you get the less time and money you spend on marketing and more time you spend on cleaning and making your clients happy.

This is just the beginning. Once you start making money take a house cleaning business course to help you better manage your business in terms of growth, accounting, taxes, insurance better marketing strategies and more.