From Zero To Start-Up In Thirty 8 Businesses you can start this month

After working for a bank as a repossessor, Russell Kreiss wasready for a new business experience. "I wanted to be my ownboss and run a small business in a relaxed and friendlyenvironment," says Kreiss, who had another big requirement: alow-investment business he could start in less than 30 days.

When Kreiss visited downtown Sacramento, California, five yearsago, he discovered the perfect opportunity. Three blocks from thestate capitol, Kreiss opened Taking Care of Business, a1,000-square-foot postal, shipping and business service center.Here, downtown workers can drop off their clothes for dry cleaningor laundry; buy legal forms, office supplies or small gifts; copy,fax or shred documents; or buy a coffee and a sweet roll.

To set up his store, Kreiss purchased a computer, cash register,printer and other equipment from a shipping business that wasclosing its doors. He developed marketing flyers and advertised inthe Yellow Pages and local newspapers. His best results came frommailing discount coupons to neighboring businesses.

"It was an easy business to start," explains Kreiss,whose initial investment was under $25,000. "I considered allthe services working people need. I started with the most obviousones, and added others as I went along." Today, Taking Care ofBusiness grosses close to $100,000 a year.

You, too, can start a business in less than 30 days and withouta major investment. There are plenty of opportunities in thepostal, shipping and business services industry. Or, you might liketo select one of the seven other businesses profiled here:

1. Coffee Espresso Carts

Americans consume one-third of all the coffee grown in theworld. That translates into 400 million cups of coffeeserved in the United States each day. And that meansterrific opportunities for those who own espresso bars and carts.According to the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA),some 10,000 cafes, espresso bars and carts will be operatingnationwide by 1999, perking up retail sales of $1.5 billion. Annualper-unit sales for espresso carts are predicted to average$75,000.

What to do first: Choose the right location. Do you wantyour espresso cart in a regional shopping mall, a busy downtownbusiness district or an upscale suburban shopping center? Accordingto SCAA, expect to spend between $15,000 and $30,000 for yourinvestment, which will typically include a coffee cart, an espressomachine, a grinder and a regular commercial coffee brewer. Manydistributors offer customers training in running a cart and makingvarious coffee drinks. For a list of distributors, call SCAA at(310) 983-8090, or write to One World Trade Center, #800, LongBeach, CA 90831.

2. Translation Service

If you're well organized, enjoy languages and can workeffectively with independent contractors, start your owntranslation service. The field is wide open. You can work withmultinational corporations, small exporters, universities,attorneys and government agencies.

Surprisingly, proficiency in a foreign language isn'trequired: You can hire certified freelance translators. They can befound by placing ads in the newspapers and on the Internet, or bycontacting the American Translators Association at (703)683-6100.

What to do first: Select a target market. Decide if youwant to work with attorneys, insurance companies, small businesses,the medical community or government agencies. Start-up costsaverage between $8,000 to $12,000, and include the purchase of acomputer, modem, fax machine, printer and translation software.

3. Jewelry and Fashion Accessories

Have a knack for creating unusual designs? Then there may be aplace for you in the jewelry and fashion accessories industry.Jenai Lane found her niche by designing unisex jewelry in pewter.After two short years in business, she and partner Jane Barryexpect their San Francisco-based firm, Respect Inc., to gross $2million this year. You can break into the industry by marketingyour jewelry at local craft fairs, farmers' markets, houseparties and boutiques.

What to do first: "Find a market that's notheavily saturated with competition," says Lane. "Thenpick everyone's brain in the industry and find mentors in otherfields who can serve as role models." Start-up costs arerelatively minimal; Lane invested $3,000 in materials to start herjewelry business.

4. Computer Consulting and Training

According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, computer trainingand consulting is a $66 billion-a-year industry. It's expectedto continue growing, as more businesses and individuals remainuncertain about what new technology to purchase, or buy computerequipment they don't know how to use.

You can be hired to diagnose a simple computer malfunction,train people to use new software, or consult on the design andpurchase of computer systems. Your potential client list caninclude law and doctor's offices, CPAs, financial analysts,retail outlets, department stores, hospitals, hotels and homebasedbusinesses.

What to do first: Computer training and consulting israpidly becoming a competitive field. Carve out a niche by focusingon one or two target markets and expand from there. Minimumstart-up costs are $5,000 to $7,000, including a computer, printer,modem and other necessary equipment. You'll need a strongbackground in computers to understand how various systemsoperate.

5. Personal Chef

Working parents and busy professionals with little time to plan,shop for and prepare home-cooked meals have created a new industryof personal chefs. To be successful in this field, you should enjoycooking and be able to make detailed plans. Most personal chefscook in bulk, package the meals and write reheating directions fortheir clients. Some prefer to specialize in a particular cuisine,such as macrobiotic foods.

What to do first: Develop a list of commercially testedrecipes for your clientele. These should include three- orfour-course meals for a family of four and offer suggestions forlow-fat meals or other special dietary needs. Start-up costs vary.If working in your client's kitchen, you'll spend about$1,000 for your own cooking utensils and equipment. If leasingspace in a professional kitchen, you could also spend $10,000 to$15,000 for an oven, refrigerator and sinks. In both cases,you'll need liability insurance. For information oninstruction, training materials and marketing tips, contact theUnited States Personal Chef Association Inc. at 4769 Corrales Rd.,Corrales, NM 87048, call (800) 995-2138, or check out their Website at http://www.uspca.com.

6. Building and Home Inspection

Those buying residential or commercial property want to know asmuch as they can about a building's condition before purchasingit. Does the roof need to be replaced? Does the fireplace work? Isthere evidence of asbestos? Purchasers rely on a skilled homeinspector to examine a building's physical condition and issuea report on the findings, including recommendations for correctingproblem areas.

What to do first: You'll need to be bonded and carryliability insurance as well as errors and omission coverage. Thisbusiness is highly technical and requires that you have a workingknowledge of construction, landscaping and architecture, and arecognizant of changes in state law and local building codes. Exceptfor Texas, North Carolina and South Carolina, states do not requirespecial testing and licensing. Start-up costs generally range from$7,000 to $10,000 for a computer, printer, copier, and faxmachine.

7. In-Home Senior Care

The American population is aging. The number of people age 65and older is expected to increase to 35 million by the turn of thecentury. This trend has created a growing demand for qualifiedindividuals to provide non-medical, in-home care to the elderly whoprefer to live at home. In-home care includes physical assistance,light housework, meal preparation and companionship. You can starta placement agency to provide temporary, full-time or live-innon-medical services for the elderly.

What to do first: Recruit and interview qualified careproviders by placing newspaper ads and contacting communitycolleges and technical schools that provide health-care training.This business requires a computer, printer, phone, answeringmachine or voice mail service, fax machine and other standardoffice equipment. Start-up costs run between $10,000 and $15,000,including licensing and liability insurance.

8. Business Service Center

Busy professionals and office workers who must mail a packageovernight, need their shoes shined or have forgotten to buy abirthday card are prime customers for a postal, shipping andbusiness services center. Like Kreiss, you can offer a variety ofservices, depending on your customers' specific needs.

What to do first: "Choose the right location,"advises Kreiss. "This kind of business works well in adowntown business area, and maybe not so well in a suburb."Start-up costs range from $20,000 to $25,000 to purchase acomputer, cash register, printer, UPS mailing software, andcounters (plus tables and chairs if you plan to serve drinks andsnacks). Whatever range of services you offer, the best way toattract customers is by providing great service. As Kreiss says,"Smile, make people feel at home, and they'll keep comingback."

Contact Source

Respect Inc., 300 Brannan St., #603, San Francisco, CA94107, (415) 512-8995.