New Small Businesses - Which are most viable? (insurance, contractor, company)

[Cyanna]

For someone looking to start a small business which can be started from home and then eventually grow into something outside the home, what would you recommend? What is the trend for the very near future?

[maschuette]

Lawn care, cleaning services, pet care, painter, hard surface cleaning, and i hear of a bunch of computer type businesses that i dont fully understand. I read about one where you go sort through health care forms for doctors or something like that. I have been looking into different ideas myself. What are you looking for? Internet related or something more hands on?

[killer2021]

Well the businesses with the highest margins are those that can be 100% online. No need for a physical presence and the start up costs are relatively low. You can also offshore the company very easily while still being able to tap foreign markets. Likewise, if your product is a digital good it should be easy to outsource most of the develop/content creation tasks.

If you have a physical business you are stuck paying US taxes, following US laws, and hiring US labor (expensive relative to other locations).

Lawn care, cleaning services, pet care, painter, hard surface cleaning, and i hear of a bunch of computer type businesses that i dont fully understand

All of these sectors are highly saturated and mostly small niche industries. I'd say the profit margins for these industries are low. Unless you have an insanely brilliant new way of carrying out your business it will be lots of hard work without much payoff.

I wouldn't bother with a cookie cutter business idea. You should really put some serious time and effort into thinking up a brilliant business idea that is innovative and unique.

[maschuette]

Most "work from home" jobs are saturated because there are loads of people looking for them and there are just as many gimmicks to go around. A lot of those gimmicks are internet based and probably scams. I like to do what i know. And there are always lawns to cut, no matter how saturated the market may be.

[Cyanna]

I am looking for ideas which are internet or hands on. I have 28 years experience in research, and I am also very experienced in office management, property marketing and advertising and also enjoy hands on work like gardening and DIY. I have built walls and large outside decks which were of a higher standard than those done by many professionals. Is a permit needed to build a deck in California? The last ones my husband and I built were done in the UK when we lived there for 8 years.

If I am able to build a business from home and then expand to an outside office with employees I want to be able to create jobs for Americans who live locally.

My main concerns are dealing with Workman's Comp and Insurance. This is the same problem which ultimately sunk my brother's very successful plumbing business. When he was finally in a position to hire employees the costs of doing so made it impossible.

Is it easier and better to hire 1099 contractors?

[maschuette]

You should not be to concerned about hiring employees yet. Employees are an after thought once your business is becoming successful and expanding to the point that you wont be able to manage it. Employees are a pain in the a$$ to deal with in person, taxes, and financially. First you need to do some research and focus on what you will be investing your time and money into. As far as 1099 contractors are concerned they can be simpler then an employee but that depends on the business your going into.