As the huge baby boomer population comes into old age, new business opportunities, in the service industry, will crop up for those who are looking to start a small business. Many of these new retirees will start to come into failing health, and they will need help with basic daily activities, so an errand business is a good one to start. The possibilities can be as minimal or quantified as you want. House keepers are always in demand, and so are gardeners and landscapers, but it’s the other day to day things that will make your business stand out.
Older people will be looking for people to run their errands for them. Those tasks may be grocery shopping, picking up dry cleaning, taking the dog for a walk, dog grooming, going to the bank, and going to the pharmacy. Some folks may even want to hire a private driver so that they don’t have to give up their cars for public transportations. Another good aspect of an errand business would be to help elderly adults navigate bank or other personal business websites.
If you go into this sort of business you may want to get bonded to protect yourself should someone accuse you of abuse or stealing. Although you are not serving as a personal caregiver, you will be running a business that gets into people’s personal business. The whole operation will be built on trust and reliability. For some clients, it may be that you are in charge of caring for a weekend home. They’ll trust you to take care of every aspect of that house and have it ready and stocked when they come to use it. In that case, your business will be part handy man, part gardener and house cleaner, and part butler. If you’re good at what you do, you’ll likely build a business where you can hire extra staff.