Mortgage Brokers - Articles & Advice

Make Money This Holiday Season; Don’t Just Spend It

What if you could make more money than you spend this holiday season? Sounds
like a pretty good idea, you say? If you’d like to be on the making money
end during the holidays, now is the time to start preparing. Below I’m going
to give you several money-making ideas. Pick the one or two that interest
you the most and have fun!

CRAFTS

It doesn’t matter if you’re into woodworking, sewing, painting, pottery, or
creating handmade paper. More than ever, people enjoy giving that
one-of-a-kind special gift. You can sell your wares via the Net, at holiday
bazaars or craft shows, or even consignment style. Once you become known for
your crafts, word-of-mouth will keep you very busy.

RUBBER STAMPING

One idea is to create your own line of holiday cards with rubber stamps.
Melissa Duquette has found this to be a profitable business. She explains,
“The card season is upon us and everyone will soon be searching for the
perfect holiday card to send to family and friends. This is your opportunity
to break out into business and create unique hand-stamped holiday cards. Or
why not offer a class teaching this great hobby? Rubber stamping can be
worked into so many different businesses.”
I’ve been to a rubber-stamping party where we were able to create our own
cards. I had a great time hanging out with my friends and making my own
unique cards. If you are into rubber stamping, seriously consider having a
rubber stamping card party. You would supply everything needed, and could
charge either a flat fee or charge per card made.

T-SHIRTS

Kim Moya runs a T-shirt business and finds this a way to make extra cash
during the holidays. She says you can create inexpensive holiday
sweatshirts, and long- and short-sleeved T-shirts. And she doesn’t stop at
T-shirts, but also includes tote bags, felt and cloth ornaments, advent and
traditional calendars, aprons and many other items that you can purchase
wholesale and sell at retail prices!

FLEECE BLANKETS

I don’t know about you, but I love fleece blankets. I was really excited
when I found out I could make these awesome “Snuggly” blankets without
having to sew a stitch. Cinda Louden has been making these types of blankets
for a while now and explains, “These blankets are made out of Polar Fleece
material. They are soft, warm, cozy, durable, and wonderfully ‘Snuggly.’
There's no sewing or needlework involved; all you do is cut and tie. Making
Snugglies is a great way to start and create a business, make a little extra
cash, or just make them for gifts. It's all up to you!”

SANTA LETTERS

Tamaira Sandifer, the owner of Fun Mail For Kids, has been creating Santa
Letters for a while now. “I thought, what child wouldn't like to get a
letter in the mail full of goodies just for them from Santa Claus. Once I
informed family and friends about starting Fun Mail For Kids, the letters
practically sold themselves. Last year brought in approximately 680
requests, which is pretty phenomenal since I don't do much advertising.”
Tamaira says that running this type of business is fun because it allows her
to do something she really enjoys. “So it doesn't really seem like work,”
she says.

ONLINE AUCTIONS

The hype of eBay has not gone away, but has only grown. When among a group
of people, I can usually find someone who has either bought or sold
something in an online auction. Colleen Wallace has made it her business to
sell merchandise online. “The holiday season is the best time of year for
me. People are always looking for unique and interesting gifts to give their
loved ones. What better place to find something different than the online
auctions,” says Colleen. Start thinking about what you might have that you
could sell online. Colleen has found that the items that sell well are those
that can be used for stocking stuffers, are limited editions, or are signed
items.

BAKING

Then there are the people who cannot stop baking during the holidays. Are
you the type of person who finds that at the close of the season, all of
your neighbors’ refrigerators and cookie jars are bursting at the seams
because baking is just your thing? Believe it or not, this is not the
favorite activity of some people.

Stacy Robinson has found that A Holiday Home Boutique is a fun way to
network with others who provide a holiday-related product or service. Each
vendor displays her product or information about her service, and friends
and neighbors are invited to come to shop and share fellowship.

“As a cake decorator, I sell gingerbread houses, as well as display and
serve a holiday-themed decorated cake - which the hostesses love because
this becomes part of the refreshments! Visitors to the boutique get a chance
to taste and see my cakes, and I take orders for holiday party cakes. I also
display a few ‘dummy cakes’ to showcase my designs for birthdays, weddings,
etc.”
The niche market that has been Stacy’s holiday bread and butter since 1991
is selling gingerbread houses to real estate agents. She leaves a
gingerbread house with order information in large real estate offices for a
few days. She also offers free delivery to the real estate office, or
delivery for a fee to their home-buying customers and other colleagues, such
as mortgage brokers, closing attorneys, etc.

PLAN IT RIGHT

These are just a few ideas you can use to make a little extra cash this
holiday season. Use your imagination. Remember, people are more than willing
to spend money for that special gift and holiday service. Why can’t you be
the one who pockets that money? This is such a great time of year to make
your business work.
Another great reason to consider this type of seasonal work: If you plan it
right, you shouldn’t be working too close to or on the actual holiday. Being
your own boss has never sounded better, now has it?
Start thinking now if you want this to be seasonal work, or if you want to
continue your business into the new year. All of the business ideas I listed
above can be run throughout the year. This could be the start of something
very profitable!

Additional Resources:

Ebooks are available on each of the subjects listed above, and each ebook
contains more information on starting that particular business. They
include:

* Bizy’s Guide To: Making Snugglies! A Step-by-Step Guide to Making and
Starting Your Own Fleece Blanket Business - By Cinda Louden
* Bizy’s Guide To: How to Create a Profitable Cake Decorating Business
“From Scratch” - By Stacy Robinson
* Bizy’s Guide To: Making Money With Online Auctions - By Colleen Wallace
* Bizy’s Guide To: Starting Your Own Personalized Letter Service For Kids -
By Tamaira Sandifer
* Bizy's Guide on How to Start and Operate A Home-Based T-Shirt Business -
By Kimberly Banfield Moya
* Bizy’s Guide To: Starting a Rubber Stamping Business - By Melissa
Duquette
You can purchase any of these ebooks at:
http://www.bizymoms.com/main/?10000!1001

Liz Folger is a work-at-home expert and author of "The Stay-at-Home Mom's Guide To Making Money From Home." Her book is available at your favorite bookstore, such as www.amazon.com or by calling 800-632-8676. Liz has also created a resource site for work-at-home parents at http://www.bizymoms.com. When you visit, don't forget to sign-up for the free Bizymoms newsletter.

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