Ideas for a family-friendly, family-run business?

Question

When we start a family, we would like to get out of the 'corporate world' and run a business / work together in an atmosphere that would allow us to spend fairly equal time with our children and each other.

The only ideas we've come up with so far are: 1) running a B & B, or 2) training & boarding dogs.

We're seeking as many ideas as possible! - All help is appreciated.

BACKGROUND: I am currently in the e-Commerce & Marketing Analytics field. My interests are in Interior Decorating, Dance, Teaching, and Spanish (i.e., tutoring & studying the language). My significant other has interests in Music, Film, and Literature.

OTHER: We would need to make enough money to comfortably support ourselves and our children, but becoming 'rich' is not the goal.

Answer 1

Hello,

Great post.  The most important part of business is advertising.  This makes or breaks a business.  Some of the best ways to advertise I've found are:

1.  Offline promoting (business cards, flyers, newspaper and other print advertising).

2.  Online promoting (buying banner ads, forum posts, email auto replies).

The best method that's worked for me so far is handing out business cards.  I don't do this in the usual way.... I buy them in bulk from a place online (they give the cards for free, I just  paid shipping and handling...they also give a really nice free business card holder, it looks impressive).  They're really high quality.  I just put all of the info about my business on the cards, and I hand them out on cars at bus stations, malls, etc.  It's worked out really, really well for me, and it's completely inexpensive =)  

http://www.free-cards-2-bis.info

Good Luck with your business!

Answer 2

There are a lot of different things you can do together!  I'll give you another idea and refer you over to a place that has an article written on different business opportunities.  My husband and I started our business a number of years ago for this exact same reason. We started a home based business.  This way we could have our children with us while we conducted our business.  In any business you start, you have the opportunity to make whatever amount of money you want.  If you want to make enough money to comfortably support yourself like your stating, then you will need to put some effort and time into building the business to meet that expectations.   If you don't, then you won't make that happen.  Businesses are far different then just having a job.  The fate of the business relies on you.  If your not willing to put into what it takes to build a business together, then don't do it.

You asked for ideas.  Okay I'll give you one idea that my husgand and I have been involved in like I said for many years.  It's in the telecommunications industry and we work our business from our home.  Same income as a traditional business owner, without all the massive over head expenses.

If you'd like to see what we're doing, take a look at this web site http://www.tiffanyvague.acnrep.com  

Another place you can go for more ideas of different businesses in different industries is through this article that I know of that will explain a lot about home based businesses as well as give you several different ideas like you asked.

Good Luck to you!

http://blog.360.yahoo.com/blog-eqfAfFMlc...

Answer 3

Day care, family restaurant, craft center, summer camp, I think however the Bed and Breakfast is most likely your best bet. It is fun profitable, and not that hard to do. But I would however hope you live in a city that would attract the B&B crowd.