Boost Your Income
2009
Boost Your Income
Take in a lodger - tax free
The ‘rent a room’ scheme means you can take in a lodger to live in a furnished room in your home, and it has a special exemption meaning you won’t have to pay tax on the first £4,250 you make each year. This is a huge tax break for most people and really ups the gain. Better still, as a landlord you’ll be expected to ask for a deposit and a month in advance, which means ready cash comes in quickly.
How much? You can take home £4, 250 without paying a penny of tax; if you've a desirable property and don't mind paying income tax on anything above this, you could easily add another £1,000.
Find out more: Read the Govt info on rent a room at www.direct.gov.uk
Party planning
It's possible to make cash by hosting parties, in which of course things are demonstrated and sold. You can make your own hours and work as often or as little as you want. Before starting though, be sure to check whether there's already a popular representative of the company in your area. If so, it's probably best to sell something else. Typical examples include
www.annsummers.com Tel: 08454566948
Www.TheBodyShop.co.uk Tel: 08000929090
Www.Virgin Vie at home.com Tel: 08453008022
www.PartyLite.co.uk Tel: 01923477500
How much? It's commision based, so what you earn depends on your selling ability, and the products you sell. You'll usually have to cover set-up costs with your first parties, but
Count Votes
Register with your council's elections office and get paid to count the votes at election; you can earn roughly £40 for work between 9am and 1pm or other four-hour shifts. Be warned though - you're usually contracted until the job is finished, so if it runs over you won't be paid extra (the flipside being that if you finish quicker you'll still earn the same).
How much? Around £35.
Sell Your Story
If you have a novel, poem, or work of fiction this is NOT the right place for you. Instead you should approach publishers for this kind of work who can be located via search engines such as www.google.co.uk.
If you have a true story which you wish to tell to receive money and or to gain publicity for a cause or charity, or just simply to get something off your chest, then read on.
The true life stories magazines and newspapers are looking for are varied and include true health stories , true love stories amusing animal stories and many more. Just take a look at the daily newspapers and magazines at any news agent.
It can be a little confusing to an individual on how to go about selling their story so here are the basic options.
Option One
Contact an individual independent journalist who can arrange for your story to be sold to a range of publications on an exclusive or non exclusive basis depending on your wishes. This has the advantage of being a more personal service which is free to you and often suits those who have had no previous experience with the media.
Look for an individual with some customer feedback which is positive and who doesn't promise the earth but offers a FREE service to you.
Remember these options are all open to you but whichever one you take, be honest. If you have ever sold your story before then say so, as all publications do library checks to see if the story has been published before. Also which ever one you choose don't try to go with more than one publication at a time as most publications will want your story on an exclusive basis - that's why they pay you the money.
Also remember stories are very rarely undertaken on an anonymous basis and you will be expected to agree to be named and photographed. Ask the photographer if you can have a copy of the photos this can usually be arranged with the independents and at least you will get some free professional images of you and family if the story doesn't sell!
Option Two
Go direct to the Newspaper such as below.
The Sun
The Mirror
The Times
Find out more:
www.firstfeatures.co.uk Tel : 020 7703 8000 to find out if you can earn CASH for your story.
www.cash4yourstory.co.uk
www.talktothepress.com Tel : 020 7792 2011 to find out if you can earn CASH for your story.
www.frontpageagency.co.uk Tel : 0121 288 1738 to find out if you can earn CASH for your story
Typing sell my story on via search engines such as www.google.co.uk.
The plus side is you can choose which Publication to approach and ask for an exclusive fee. This may be your best option if you have a very high profile celebrity story with pictures as you can demand a high fee and choose your favourite publication.
Possible downsides are you have to approach each publication yourself and they are not going to help you get your story published elsewhere such as a magazine. You also need an idea of how much your story is worth . Hollywood star stories can be worth thousands and sell world wide but despite many adverts, true life stories mostly earn in the hundreds so beware agencies who promise probable thousands for a true life story specific to the UK .
How much? A 'star letter' will usually fetch £50, and stories can earn £150 . Even amusing photos can earn good cash prizes in some magazines.
Be a T.V Extra
There are plenty of legit online extras agencies, and none charge you for signing up although they'll generally take an 'administration fee' out of your first pay packet. If you're serious about it, you'll need to sign up for quite a few agencies to guarantee work; and travel expenses may not be paid for.
www.filmextras.co.uk www.2020casting.com www.extras.co.uk
are good starting places.
How much? Most extras earn between £60 and £80 per day, with overtime paid at £10 per hour. It’s a good idea, though, to have to some professional (or at least professional-looking) photos taken in order to start off getting work.
How to make money with your car
Advertise on your car.
If you don't mind having your car turned into a billboard, some agencies will pay you to advertise on it, or you can get given a car to drive for free. It costs nothing to enrol and there are hidden advantages; cars with large adverts on them are unlikely to be stolen, and the ads protect paintwork.
How much? How much you'll earn will depend on what type of car you drive, where, and even (possibly and quite horribly) what you look like.www.adsonvans.com, and www.money4space.com promise up to £100/month for your trouble, but on the downside, reports of successful applicants are scarce. During the contracted period, your vehicle will be checked on a monthly basis to ensure that the vehicle and advertisement are clean, undamaged and not defaced in any way. Your mileage shall also be recorded and you’re Location History to. You have go to complete at least 500 miles per month in the vehicle.
Start a delivery service
Start a small haulage business.
The trend is increasing for people to order goods by phone or the internet, so more companies may consider using this type of service. Operate your service to delivery within a 100 mile radius or less. Firms who already have delivery vans but may need extra help during busy periods may consider to. Sent leaflet to local businesses like florists & all your local shops.
Pizza parlours and Chinese take a ways are often in need of delivery drivers.
They generally take on part-time drivers for their home delivery service. Contact all takes a ways shops in your local area to ask if there are any vacancies. In most cases you will be required to use your own vehicle and they pay you cash to.
Deliver cars for money.
Offer your services to car dealers who regularly deliver or purchase cars from the motor auctions. Also, individuals who are going on holiday but don`t want to leave their car at the airport. Business cards and word of mouth are usually the best way to proceed. An insurance which allows you to drive any vehicle is also essential. Sent leaflet to car dealers and pot sum in your local shops windows.
Start your own mobile advertising firm.
A large van or car with trailer can be used to advertise firms in your local area. Using a set of 4 x 6 foot boards made up in an A-frame, or fixed to the side of a van, a number of large printed posters can be displayed on either side to promote local businesses. Charge a reasonable set fee for each day, with a slightly higher rate on busy days such as Saturdays and market days. Sent leaflet to local businesses
Free 250 Business Cards Just £3.62 for Post & Packaging at www.VistaPrint.co.uk
LOOK UP flyers printing on google.co.uk for your leaflets
Hire out Your Parking Area
If you live in an area where parking is expensive yet have got an empty parking space in your driveway, you could rent it on a monthly basis. Online parking marketplaces, such as www.Parkatmyhouse.com will allow you to list your space in their databases, and set a monthly price for it. You can also set restrictions on use if you're likely to need the space yourself during the weekend or at certain times of year.
One thing to note though is that some more officious local councils may deem renting your parking space out 'a change of use' for the property, from residential to mixed residential/commercial use. It's a grey area, and you're unlikely to be pulled up, but if you are you may have to apply for planning permission to continue doing it.
How much? You should be able to take just slightly less than the going parking price in your area. Spaces in London generally go for around £200 per month, though security is also a factor in determining price.
Profit from Photographs
Budding photographers can upload their digital photos to photo bank websites and earn royalties for each one sold. Ten per cent of the sale price will go to the website, and you'll probably need to advertise elsewhere to drum up demand. However, if you have an interest in niche photography subjects, or take particularly beautiful shots, you could make good money.
How much? You decide the retail price of your photos at Photobox.co.uk giving you the freedom to adjust the profit margin in line with different print sizes. And typing income from your photography on google.co.uk
Be a Betterware Distributor
earn a minimum of 20% of your sales plus bonuses. In addition thay run various prize and bonus incentives throughout the year.
Betterware Customer Service,
Betterware UK Limited,
Stanley House, Park Lane, Castle Vale,
Birmingham,
B35 6LJ
TEL- 0845 121 1010 OR Betterware.co.uk
Business Ideas You Can Start For Under £200
Business Ideas You Can Start For Under £200
Start A Vacuum Cleaner Servicing Business For Under £200
I’ve never met one but I’m told that door to door vacuum cleaner salesmen used to be common, but while I don’t believe you’ll get far selling the latest Hoover or Dyson cleaners these days I do think there’s a good opportunity for someone to travel around door to door offering to service the cleaners.
Consider this, last year we thought our Dyson was dead but on careful inspection and with the confidence (ok gleeful delight) that comes from being technically minded I started taking it to pieces and found that it was simply blocked, a quick clean and some long overdue new filters and it was as good as new. Total spend around £8 for the filters if I remember rightly, whereas a new one would have cost around £230.
The population in general though doesn’t get the same excitement when things break, to them it’s not a “good reason to take it apart” instead it’s a complete pain in the neck. This presents the budding entrepreneur with a business opportunity, for little more that the cost of a small toolkit and a starting stock of common vacuum cleaner filters and bags.
Simply take this equipment and stock around the houses door to door offering to clean and/or fix vacuum cleaners, in the case where no fix is needed there’s the opportunitity to supply and fit new filters. Get it right and you could schedule a portfolio of customers whose filters you’ll replace on a regular basis.
Start A Car Washing Business For Under £200
What could be simpler than washing cars, we’ve all done it (probably as a child for pocket money) and it’s a very simple service to sell. With over 20 Million cars on the road in the UK there’s a massive market too.
All you need to get started is a bucket, some sponges, car shampoo and a good location with access to water (or you can be mobile and wash cars on the owner’s drive). If you invest a little more money in starting up you expect to make a higher overall return by offering various add on sales such as alloy wheels cleaning, tyre blacking, internal car clean, car waxing and selling those nice smelly Christmas trees so the car continues to smell nice for a couple of weeks after you’ve been.
If you’ve got a bit more money, once you’ve built a reputation you could offer a collect and return service where you collect the car from them, perform a full wash/valet and return it later. You’ll need to make sure you’ve got the right insurance too!
Hanging Basket Sales Business For Under £200
It’s a great business idea, people love those, but most can’t be bothered to go to the trouble of making their own - despite repeatedly commenting on how nice the neighbours baskets look my wife and I have certainly haven’t got around to making any.
It’s wonderfully cheap to start as you can buy the baskets, compost and plants for about £9 and should easily be able to sell them for £18, so £200 should allow you to make up 22 baskets which if you sell them all will net you a profit of £198. What’s more in many areas you should be able to sell them two at a time and you can upsell value added services such as fixing kits, possibly even installing the fixing kits. If you also take a note of who buys and get their permission to contact them again next year you can probably get a lot of yearly repeat business.
Start A Leaflet Distribution Business For Under £200
One business opportunity is to set yourself up as a leaflet distributor. It’s a service that many businesses need, just look at the number of leaflets that come through your door from free newspapers, insurance firms, local takeaways, restaurants, or property developers.
Typically most businesses expect to pay between £25 and £40 per one thousand leaflets depending on the area (terraced houses versus widely distributed properties). The main cost of distribution is your time and some travel to the target area if you can’t walk there. It should be possible to deliver between 200 and 400 leaflets per hour depending upon the area.
The £200 startup budget would be used to get some leaflets and business cards printed and a cheap pay as you go mobile phone, you can then approach local businesses and offer your services, providing them with the mobile phone number to contact you.
You can run this business totally by yourself or scale it up by employing other people to do the deliveries for you and concentrating your efforts on sales and marketing of the service. A simple scalable business, all for under £200.
