Christmas is a holiday that is celebrated all over the world. Many people use this season to take time off from work, to bond with their families, to travel, and generally to have a good time. In as much as people want to relax and have fun, some see this period as a time to make money and start-up their small seasonal businesses. Many services and goods can be provided during the Christmas holidays. This article will provide you with some business ideas which help you get extra income during this festive season. Have a look at them below.
Sell cakes and sweets
It is a very profitable business. Everybody loves well-baked cakes and sweets. Take advantage of your baking skills, bake some cakes, and make some sweets. You can advertise your business to your family, neighbors, friends, workmates, and schoolmates. You do not need to have a whole bakery to do this. Baking can be done from the comfort of your home. If the treats you make are tasty, you will get a good number of orders during the Christmas holiday.
Make and Sell Christmas Cards
People like to exchange Christmas greeting cards. The cards are exchanged with friends, customers, families, and workmates. Take advantage of this. You can follow these steps to start your Christmas greeting cards business
- Know your market. Knowing the current trends will help you make cards that are trending in the market. Do your market research to know what your potential customers want.
- Know the types of Christmas greeting cards. The different types include calligraphy, rubber stamping, hand-printed, musical cards, and many more. With your computer, you can easily make these different types of cards. Choose your preferred style and perfect on it. You should also use some skills you might have to make these cards.
- Make a business plan. The plan should have
- Your target market
- Your business location
- Pricing
- Marketing plan
- Financial plan
- Buy the equipment you might need to make the cards. It should include scanners, printers, beads, colors, blank cards, e.t.c.
- Choose a business name for your venture
- Purchase or make envelopes for the cards
- Advertise! Tell your friends and relatives about your business. You can also use your social media accounts to advertise your business. Create a website where people will be able to purchase the cards. Make sure you have a working address and telephone number for communication with your customers.
Sell children’s Toys
Children’s toys will always be a good business idea. It is especially true during the Christmas holidays. Many people would like to give their children toys as Christmas gifts. Children’s toys are very cheap. You can purchase them from online stores like Amazon and re-sell them at a higher price. You should have a variety of toys to cater to all ages. If you can, you can custom-make the toys yourself and sell them.
Food-Catering services
It is also a very profitable business during the Christmas holidays. During the holidays, most people just want to relax and are so busy. Cooking can at times be a bit stressful especially if you are cooking for many people. It is where the catering business comes in. There is a demand for catering services during the Christmas holidays. Many will be willing to have their meals cooked and served by someone. If you are using your menu, make sure the menu caters to everyone: from the kids to the older ones in the family. You should also make sure your food is well cooked. Good hygiene is paramount in the catering business. Once the word has gone around that your services are good, you will get many customers.
Photography Services
It is a highly sought-after service. Everybody likes taking pictures, especially during Christmas time. During the Christmas holidays, the photography business is very competitive. Everybody wants to take pictures to have them printed on their gift cards. Some want to take pictures for memories. Have personalized packages and offers for your customers.
Event Planning
During the Christmas holidays, many events are held. The events can be office Christmas parties, school parties, family parties, or even musicals. People are usually interested in attending such events. If you have planned events before, this is your chance to display what you can do. Having good management, organizing, and planning skills will be very helpful. For the events you choose to plan, you should know the venue the customers prefer, the theme they will want, the décor, the food the guests will eat, the color of the event, and more. You can earn a lot of profit by planning and organizing events and shows during Christmas.
Making the Christmas tree
For Christmas to be complete there has to be a Christmas tree. Many people who purchase the Christmas tree do not know how to decorate it. You can offer tree-decorating services. This business is in high demand during Christmas. You can either sell the trees or buy them somewhere else and deliver them to your customers.
Gift Wrapping Services
Christmas is all about giving and receiving well-wrapped gifts. Most people do not know how to wrap their gifts. It is a business idea you can take advantage of. You can find a space or provide the services online. Make sure to show a sample of gifts you have wrapped. Be as creative as you possibly can. If you have a physical location, make sure you offer your services fast because the orders might be more than you expect. If it gets too overwhelming, look for someone who can help you out with your orders.
Christmas Light Fixing
Christmas holidays usually have attractive lighting arrangements. Most businesses and homes want to have their premises well decorated with the right lighting. If you have the skills and art, then this is the business for you. Look for the license you might need before starting the business. You might also need equipment like a ladder for installing the lights, vehicles to transport the lights, and even insurance in case of an accident that might occur. You should have good quality lights.
Travel Planner
Most people like to travel during the Christmas holidays. Many have saved throughout the year to visit their dream destinations. Travelling requires a lot of planning. As a travel planner, you should be able to assist them to have a good time during the holiday. People have trusted you with their money, do not make them regret it.
As a planner, you should book the flights, book their accommodation, and provide them with an itinerary they will use during the vacation. Make sure you do your research much earlier before the travel date and know what is required of them before the travel date.
A good makeup artist will always have clients. It is Christmas and everyone especially women wants to look good. There are so many events women attend and hence the need to be made up. You can take advantage of this and sharpen your makeup application skills before the Christmas holidays. If you are good, your clients will refer you to other people and your business will boom.
Selling Winter Clothes
The Christmas holidays are usually in winter for most European countries. It means that people have to be protected against the cold. Selling fashionable winter clothes will put you at an advantage. People want to be warm and still look good. Have a variety of clothes that cater to the needs of everyone: from male to female, young to old.
As you sell winter clothes, you can also add winter accessories like gloves and mufflers. Your customers will thank you for making them stylish even when cold.
As people travel around during Christmas, they usually look for people who can clean their houses. If this is your cup of tea, you can take this to your advantage. Offer to clean for them and earn some money from it.
During the Christmas holidays, many families love to host their friends and relatives. It leaves behind a lot of dirty utensils and houses too. You can offer your cleaning services to such individuals at a fee. You should hence make sure that you have the right equipment like gloves, brushes, mops, detergents in case you get such jobs. This will make your work easier.
Shopping Services
You can take advantage of your free time and start a business where you can help others do their shopping at a fee. Some might be having difficulties finding gifts they can get their loved ones. You can help them out by giving them suggestions on the gifts to get. You can also get gifts for them. You can also offer to shop for household goods and groceries.
Providing Electronic Sales
Most people usually have been saving throughout the year. Some save so that they can buy electronics at the end of the year. You can get the electronics that are on-trend and bulk buy them at a cheaper price. You can then sell them at a price higher than you bought them. The desired electronics include flat-screen televisions, digital cameras, laptops, refrigerators, the latest phones, and others.
Designing Clothes
For some people, having tailored clothes is better than buying ready-made clothes. It is because one gets to choose the color they want, the design they have can be made to perfection and the tailor-made clothes can be rectified by the tailor if need be. If you have a machine and can offer tailoring services, do not hesitate and take the business opportunity that is there.
Branding Services
It is a business opportunity one can look into. With the many end-of-year parties happening, most companies want to give branded gifts to their employees and customers. If you have a printing machine, this is a business idea you can do. With the many computer applications available today, you can easily do a course on branding and become an expert at it. You can also ask around from more established people how they go about their business.
Offer pet sitting services.
Everybody is usually busy during the Christmas holidays. Pet owners barely have time for their pets. Many families have traveled for vacation and need someone to take care of their pets. It is a business opportunity you can take if you are an animal lover. You can decide to take care of many pets at a fee.
Balloon decoration services
This business is picking up. People are embracing the use of balloons. There are so many types of balloons available on the market. You can use some of the ones available in your area. You can also buy online some balloons and sell them to kids. Balloons can be used as photo props at events. It is as easy as going to YouTube and learning how to make such balloon props. You can share your idea on your social media platforms and with your friends and family.
Now that you have an idea of the businesses you can start during the Christmas holidays, you should make sure you start up a limited company. A limited company is one where the owner’s assets and income are separate from the company’s assets and income. How can you do that?
- Find out if setting up a limited company is good for you
- Choose a name for your company. Make sure you choose a unique name that no other business has.
- Have directors for the company
- Choose the shareholders
- Prepare the needed documents like the bank statements and names of the shareholders
- Check your records like your accounting statements
- Register your company and start your business
With the business ideas above, you should be able to make an extra income during the Christmas holidays. Remember to check in with your State’s rules and regulations for business owners before deciding on starting any business. All the best!