What business would you start with £5000

[Simplelife78]

My background is in administration but nothing fancy just healthcare. I don’t have any specific talent that I can think of to turn into a business.

i so want to start working for myself but just keep drawing a blank on what I could do.

Dont need to be earning millions, £30,000 after tax per year would be fine.

Ive researched and not really getting any suitable ideas.

Things I’ve looked into are …
Beauty - lashes, facials etc (wouldn’t want to do nails as would be rubbish at nail art)
Dog grooming - reputable courses are around £4000
Selling pet supplies - apparently a booming business but can’t lie, it doesn’t really excite me at all.

Im happy to start something that needs building up slowly whilst I stay in regular employment but the aim is to eventually be fully self employed.

Any ideas would be appreciated. I’m happy to do some training in something if needed.

TIA

Mobile beauticians are doing well near my area. Facials and hair too whichever one you choose. They are always busy and booked up weeks in advance.

Dog walker/sitter.

My friend has a yoga studio. It’s hard work but she pays her mortgage and bills with it. Just had to invest in special yoga or Pilates beds from China recently.

You don't need to be a solicitor, no. Study at home courses specific to will writing are sufficient.

(quite similar to financial advisor qualifications)

I’m a cleaner and earn decent money. My clients are all lovely too and we are flexible with each other (I have small kids which is why I started in the first place). I charge £22/hour in the South East. Outgoings not huge, easy to set up, days go really quickly. I love cleaning so it was a no brainer for me, but if you hate cleaning it might be tricky 😂

In this climate especially, if you don't have a clear business idea - something you are both passionate and knowledgeable about - then starting a business for the sake of it sounds like a disaster waiting to happen (I say this as someone who has started two in the last 12 years).

Are you single or do you have a partner with a regular income?

All the women I know who have their own businesses like dog grooming or nails etc have a partner with a regular income and it’s more of a side hussle.
I doubt they could live off of it.

The only business I know that does do well is a women who does cleaning but she works very hard and is out of the house 7 days a week - I’m not sure how this is preferable to working a 9-5. I guess she’s building up to hire more staff and eventually do less of the cleaning herself.

In a HA home, you would need permission and need to think about business insurance etc.

If you’re doing it outside of the home, you’re looking at things like cleaning or a mobile nail tech etc but you need to have enough hours to make it worth it.

Why do you want to start a business?
Whats the long term goal?
This will help you decide what area to go in.

How about combining doggy day care with the grooming?

What do you enjoy doing separate question what are you good at? what’s your work ethic/restrictions ?
these are the starting points.

from
what you have said I don’t feel dog grooming is right for you at all

@Simplelife78 How many hours a day do you want to work?

This is what I was going to suggest. A van kitted out to walk and groom dogs.
Imagine coming home and your dog had been on a lovely walk, was tired out AND clean!
I would happily pay for that
If you charged say £40 for a walk and a bath/dry/brush you could do 4 or 5 dogs a day maybe?
£200 a day. Soon adds up.

Dog walking and dog sitting?

I am trying very hard not to come off rude here OP but I think your experience of a cockapoo and a Labrador is a big red flag for someone hoping to work with dogs. I wouldn’t be able to trust this for any challenging breeds whatsoever, it’s not DOG experience it’s a “little bit of pet owning experience”. You would end up with so many breeds that are wildly different and possibly outside your comfort zone - don’t even consider a doggy daycare for example as this requires extensive experience with dog behaviour and mixing, and knowing what to do with fights etc.

Other posters are correct though that for £30k self employment is a rather raw deal. I’m self employed myself purely due to being disabled which has meant I need part time, flexible hours and no employer has wanted to give me a go.

I have spent about £3700 the last few years taking 1 day per week accounting classes (AAT). I now have two remote part time jobs and my own company doing bookkeeping. It has been worth spending the money and time to learn a completely new skill. I may start the next level this September so that I fully understand financial statements and can offer more services to clients. It has definitely been an investment which is paying dividends.

And there is no dog hair everywhere

there was a dog groomer on here who hurt her back at work and was self employed and looking to diversify into something else. i think thats a warning.

In my pp I warned about businesses because a lot of my relatives have opened up businesses and only 1 really succeeded. Some have made enough to support a family for a few years. My dad was self employed. And very successful. In 2 different businesses. But even he had 1 unsuccessful one.

I mean I’d love to have my own business and I’d probably be good at it, but I have no idea what to do!

Cake sheds seem to do well here. If you're good at baking then they seem to provide a decent return.

@kurotoraSorry, I didn’t explain that very well. Owning a lab and a cockapoo isn’t my only experience of dogs. I’ve always had dogs in my life of varying breeds and sizes.
I also wouldn’t even consider doing grooming unless I’d done in-depth training.

@Loobylootunfortunately numbers is definitely not my thing lol, along with baking @Glitterandmud

I spent yesterday doing loads of research and talking to a few different people and I’m going to look more into doing lashes, lash lifts etc.
I also contacted my housing provider to enquire about running a business from home.

Oh the poster who asked if I had a partner, sorry can’t find the post now but yes I do. We don’t currently live together but are planning on doing so in the next year. He’s all for me being self employed as he’s a self employed landscape gardener.

£30k after tax is not barely more than minimum wage. Minimum wage is under £30k before tax

You'd need planning permission from the council (separate to permission from your HA) to run a business from home. This could very well be refused on the grounds of increased traffic to your home.
I'd be very surprised if your HA allowed it, also.

I retrained in my early 40s as a Pilates instructor. It was something I already loved.
I am now self employed in a flexible job i love that fits around family life. I work 35 hours a week term time, 15 hours a week in the school holidays and take 6 full weeks off a year.

Is there any type of fitness that you particularly enjoy?

£5000 would cover a fitness based course and allow for set up costs. It's also an industry that you can start in along side an existing job and build up over time.

I don’t want this to seem discouraging because it’s great when people start out.

But really I am not seeing anything in your post that makes me think this is going to work out. There’s literally a million different businesses you could start. If you can’t think of one or don’t have a dream to do it then it’s quite unlikely to work.

Business now is the toughest I have ever seen it. You need to be visible, good at what you do (with a background or history), priced at irresistible levels and have atleast a few years of running at a loss in terms of time in money out.

You also need to continually upsell and reinvent the wheel/ add extra add on services or subscriptions. You really do need to be sharp on your feet to stay afloat in this climate.

@Simplelife78 nothing in beauty, its an already over saturated market.

I'd either start a coffee stand/shop or an online TikTok lucky scoops shop.

For coffee, i'd look at where a stand could go selling hot drinks and packaged snacks that was near a train station or a coffee shop near one for best foot traffic.

TikTok lucky scoop shops have existed since it began in many forms from crystal confetti to oyster openings for pearls. The latest trends are curated goodies (from temu and shein). I'd start one selling goods the others haven't tapped into yet. Handbags, water tumblers etc are popular but add on home goods, makeup, slippers and other useful but nice items.

Home baking is another option. Post boxes with cookies, brookies etc.