What Business Should I Start?. Rhonda Abrams

flowers, trees. If you are a Caregiver/Maintainer E-Type that wants to work outdoors and likes seeing plants grow, keep in mind the many options for working with—and tending to—plants.

      Among the diverse entrepreneurial plant-related options include lawn care, landscape design/maintenance, garden maintenance, tree-trimming and tree care—for both residential and commercial customers. Also don’t forget the possibility of growing and selling your own plants—whether houseplants, herbs, or vegetables.

      Of course, there are even some options for plant maintenance indoors. Indoor plant maintenance for offices and office buildings may be an option to pursue. In some high income areas, individual homeowners may want indoor plant maintenance as well.

       You may be this E-Type if:

      1.You respect the importance of ongoing maintenance, whether of humans, things, animals, or plants.

       2.You have a “helping,” supportive, or nurturing personality.

       3.You like to make sure things work.

      4.You can keep track of things. Often you are responsible for insuring that things happen at certain, regular times, such as a patient taking their pills, lawns being watered, machines being tuned. This requires good personal organization skills, as well as a mindset that keeps track of when things need to be done.

      5.You are not a clock watcher. You have some flexibility with your time. Caring and maintenance takes time, and emergencies don’t happen on a schedule. Machines break down in the middle of the night, and you may have to get out of bed to fix them. Even if you are a home health worker with set working hours, emergencies and unexpected situations will arise. If you have little or no time flexibility, think carefully about what types of caregiving businesses are appropriate for you.

       Obvious (and Not-So-Obvious) Business Choices for This E-Type

      

Home health care provider

      

Physical therapist

      

Petsitter

      

Child day care center

      

Lawn/plant maintenance—including indoor office plant maintenance

      

Recreational therapist

      

Equipment repair

      

Handyman

      

Power washer (decks, driveways, patios, etc.)

      

Errand runner

      

Property manager

      

Taxi/driving service for children

      

Cleaning/janitorial services

      

Aesthetician/facialist

      

Hair stylist

      

Nanny

      

Cleaning/janitorial services

      

Personal shopper

      

Window washing

      

Animal groomer

      

Doula

      

Auto detailer

      6.You are dependable. You are capable of making—and keeping—ongoing commitments.

      7.You are patient. Those you care for often require lots of patience to keep you from tearing your hair out.

      8.You’re not afraid to get dirty. Taking care of something—whether people or things—almost always requires getting your hands dirty and/or dealing with messier aspects of peoples’ lives.

       This E-Type’s secrets & strategies:

      

Look carefully at income potential. Most of the options for this E-Type are in growing fields, but some pay much less than others (e.g., child care). So select an option for caregiver/maintainer E-Types (people, plants, animals, things) that either gives you great personal satisfaction even if you make less money, or one with greater income potential, even if you have somewhat less personal satisfaction.

      

Look for business customers. Maintaining the same thing (e.g., equipment, lawns) for a business client rather than residential customer frequently means you can charge higher prices. Business customers can also mean more stable, longer-lasting work in many cases.

      

Be careful of going it entirely alone. Get yourself a backup to call on when you need time off. Your business is taking care of other people or other things, but who will take care of them if something happens to you?

      

Find a balance of how many clients you can handle at once. Your clients need to be able to call on you for emergencies, so make certain you are not overbooked. If you choose a business serving only one client at a time (nanny, elderly aide), save money for when you are between clients.

       Watch out for . . .

      

It can be hard to get away—either physically (for instance, going on vacation) or mentally (for instance, not thinking about your work during off-duty times). More than any other E-Type, Caregiver/Maintainers often think of themselves last. You will need to find ways to take care of both your physical health and your emotional health.