Make $3,000 a month—from home
“A few years ago, I wasn’t working and I wanted to try something new. I asked my family for ideas and they thought I should open an errand service. I love helping people save time and get things done, so I knew it would be a great opportunity to make money.
“To start, I called a woman in Atlanta who had an errand-running business. I picked her brain about how to launch the business and how to structure my fees. Then I hired a designer to create a logo and I made a website [ErrandRunners.SquareSpace.com]. I also had a car-wrap advertisement created so I could market my business while I was out and about, and I put fliers in nearly every store window that would let me.
“People hire me to help them with a variety of errands. I do grocery shopping, bring vacuum cleaners to get repaired, buy clothes and gifts or wait at a home for the cable company to show up. When I get very busy, I have at least one person I can call to help me.
“To market the business, I made a Facebook page and read up on tricks, such as using the right keywords on my website to help it show up on the first page of Google search results—and get seen by the most people. A lot of my business is from repeat customers.
“I usually work about 30 hours a week. I charge $30 an hour and 50 cents per mile in areas more than 15 miles away. I love this work because every day is different and I get to meet and help so many people. I take home $300 to $500 a week after I pay the person who helps me. The money I make is fun money for new clothes and trips!”