If you’re looking for a way to earn extra income while you’re at the office, allow us to give you some small business ideas that are easy enough to do and only require basic knowledge or skills you might already have.
1.) Prepaid Mobile Loader (E-Load business)
Selling prepaid load is probably one of the easiest things you can do. There are still many people who are using prepaid mobile services and you can easily tap into them as your customers. Although profit margin isn’t really high and income would only depend on how many customers would come up to you, it’s still a hassle free small business that can at least guarantee to buy you coffee or lunch.
What you’ll need:
- A retailer SIM card
- A cellphone, a cheap analog one would be fine
How will you earn: You will be earning by rebates added with your add-on charge. Example, when someone buys load from you for Php30, there’s usually a rebate from your network provider. Let’s say that rebate is Php1. On top of that, you can charge your customer an add-on charge for Php3. So that’s 1+3 = a profit of Php4
Some strategies: Tell of of your office mates that they can buy load from you instead of going to a store. You can even charge a lower add-on to make it more appealing to your friends. Also spread the word on Facebook.
2.) Jewelry Making and Selling
If you have a knack in creating accessories, like bracelets and necklaces, then selling them to your office mates and friends might be a great idea.
What you’ll need:
- Tools like pliers and containers for your beads and ornaments, etc.
- A trusted accessory shop from where you can buy quality supplies
- Patience and skills. You can learn from tutorials on Youtube.
How will you earn: Depending on the materials used for each jewelry and the amount of effort you put into it, you can charge 30% to 80% out of what you’ve invested on it, sometimes even more. Getting the supplies cheap is a great way to increase profitability.
Some strategies: People pay good money for good products. So make sure you really put on the effort and attention to details for your jewelries. It also helps to use quality materials. Example, instead of using copper wires for bracelets, use authentic gold wire. You can buy authentic yellow gold wires with low karats like 10 karat round wires. You can copy jewelry designs online and offer pre-orders to your customers in case you have plenty of work to do. Sell them to your female friends for fashion and sell them to your male friends as gifts to their wives or girlfriends. Also, sell them on Facebook.
3.) Food and Meal Prep
This might be a difficult endeavor but if you’re passionate about cooking and feeding people, then this could be a good opportunity for you to earn extra cash at the office.
For office people in big business cities like Makati or BGC, it’s sometimes difficult for them to go out and have lunch or snacks. Especially for those who work in offices situated in tall buildings. They want to avoid the hassle of lining up on elevators or even competing for vacant seats at canteens and food courts during peak hours. Not to mention, the quality of food they’ll be buying might not be healthy or satisfying. Or even unreasonably expensive. That’s where you come in to offer them an alternative meal and to help them save time and effort.
What you’ll need:
- A big bag to store food
- You’ll need to wake up earlier to prepare peoples orders
- Proper transportation. Perhaps your own car or just take a taxi or Grab
- Kitchenware and individual meal packagings
How will you earn: People still prefer to buy cheap food. So having a high price might not be that great of an idea. Unless it’s a “special” meal order. So I recommend a 15% – 20% profit for every snack or meal you sell. Or just enough to compete with fast foods and nearby canteens.
Some strategies: Start simple. Instead of full meals, try selling snacks first like clubhouse sandwiches or other meriendas. Sell your office mates the idea that they’ll be able to save more money and eat healthier by buying from you instead of going out.
Offering “free tastes” is a good idea to entice them. You can try coming to work one day with a big container of your specialty food and just give it to your colleagues for free, and if they liked it, that’s when you start pitching in your selling points.
To avoid preparing too much food and waste, you can also just prepare food based on orders. List down your colleagues orders and bring them the next day.
4.) Seasonal Selling
As the seasons change in a year, so are the people’s needs. If it’s the rainy season, then you might want to sell essential items like umbrellas, waterproof bags, and fashionable rain boots. If it’s summer, selling hats, apparels, and vacation items might be a great idea. If it’s Christmas season, selling items to friends that they can use as presents is also a good option. The good thing about these goods is that if your office mates don’t buy them, then you can sell them online. If you have a locker or a pedestal, you can just store them there for a while and wait for the opportunity to arise to sell them again.
What you’ll need:
- You need to have a list of ideas of what people usually buy during these seasons.
- Storage of your own at the office. Like pedestals or lockers.
- You need a lot of patience since seasons come and go. So technically, people’s wants and needs come and go to. What you sell today might not be needed by anyone tomorrow
Some strategies: Never buy by-the-bulk from your suppliers, unless highly in demand. Offering different payment options or installments might be helpful and attractive for as long as you know that they’ll pay you back. Make your friends understand that they can get it cheaper from you rather than getting it from a shop. You can also tell them that you’ve used the product yourself and give it a good review.