If you’re looking to quit your 9-5 job and find a more fulfilling career, starting your own business by making the most out of your DIY skills can be a great way to do this, without having to spend a lot of time and money retraining. Many people find working with their hands more fulfilling than working at a computer all day, and you’ll get to make great use of your design and problem-solving abilities too! Here are five examples of how you can use your DIY skills to earn a living.
Kitchen Fitting
Fitting a brand new kitchen is one of the most common projects that people undertake when they are looking to give their home a fresh new look, but actually getting the units fitted and looking good is a challenge that is overwhelming to the majority of us!
If you are comfortable measuring and assembling kitchen units, and fitting worktops according to detailed plans around pipes and appliances, then you can certainly offer some value to your customers and earn a living out of it, too. Start out by offering your services locally, and let your business grow by word of mouth.
Fix and Flip Real Estate
Buying an old property and working on it to restore it to its former glory can be incredibly satisfying, and it can also make you a tidy profit. It’s important that you work to a plan when you are flipping houses, otherwise you could find yourself in debt or stuck with a house you can’t get rid of! Here are some good steps to follow:
- Establish your budget. You don’t need to have all of the money for your deposit up front if you are planning to flip the house, as you can approach hard money lenders for a loan to help you buy the property. However, you should make sure that any amount you borrow is affordable, and will be paid back according to your projections.
- Research a variety of real estate agents, dependent on your budget. If you have a small budget then you probably won’t find the right property for you if you are using a high-end realtor.
- Make a business plan. Flipping real estate is a business venture, and you should plan it accordingly. Be sure of how much you are going to spend, how much you are likely to get back, and have contingency plans for the worst-case scenarios.
- Decide which elements of the work you are comfortable doing yourself, and which elements you want to outsource. Build a network of contacts with contractors for the jobs you will be outsourcing.
Once you have done this planning work you will be ready to find a house, organize the renovation work, and sell it on.
Handyman Services
If you are comfortable doing work around your house, for example, putting up shelves, fixing dripping taps, or repairing superficial damage or wear and tear, you can make money by doing these jobs for other people. A lot of people are uncomfortable doing these sorts of jobs for themselves, so if you can build yourself up a reputation as being trustworthy, you should find yourself with a steady income stream.
Soundproofing
More and more people are working from offices within their home, which can pose a problem in modern houses where the walls are thin and privacy is difficult.
Offer a solution to this problem by learning how to soundproof a room, and then offer this knowledge out as a service to other people.
Decorating
A lot of people hate decorating. If you are not one of these people, make the most of your skills with a paintbrush by setting up your own home decorator business.
