You may not be interested in learning how to start an errand business right now, but that’s likely because you’re not familiar with how easy it is to start and operate this business. Simple things like buying groceries and gifts, waiting for the cable guy, and even getting movies back are things we have to do anyway, so why not get paid for it? With more and more people busy with their careers and complaining that they have more time than money, there is a growing market for people looking to learn how to start an errand business and earn real money.

Estimated start-up costs:
As long as you have reliable transportation, a cell phone, and some basic office supplies to fill out and create invoices for customers, you have all the essential supplies needed to run an errand business. There are starter kits available to you for less than $50 that can provide you with all the materials you’ll need to prepare professional-looking invoices and keep track of your expenses. Other than that, learning how to start an errand business may involve some “seed money” at the beginning to cover the miscellaneous expenses needed to complete the errands.

Pricing Guidelines:
Pricing guidelines are only limited by what your market can bear for the services you offer. Many professional errand services charge by the hour for their time, while some prefer to set up monthly or even yearly packages to get more money up front. On average and depending on the service, someone learning to start an errand business can expect between $15 and $35 per hour for their services for most residential customers. But, if you can break into the office support services market, then learning how to start an errand business can really become a profitable endeavor.

Recommended Experience, Skills, Training:
Having the ability to prioritize tasks and organize your time are probably the most essential skills for this job. However, as with any business owner, you will need to market yourself and your company to people, so any type of sales or marketing experience will go a long way. Some general business and accounting courses will prove useful when it comes to the financial and administrative tasks inherent in any business.

Marketing tip:
Success tends to breed more success and that is precisely how your errand service will grow. As you network and build your reputation, so will your ability to charge more. In the beginning, word of mouth advertising will be the thing that makes or breaks your business. However, you may find it useful to advertise your services and business in the classifieds and make sure you print and distribute business cards everywhere you go.

Sources of funding:
With relatively zero startup costs to really speak of, securing financing isn’t really necessary when learning how to start an errand business. However, you may want to try starting part-time as it will be slow at first and you may still need the income from another job to pay the bills until you get up and running.

Income Potential:
The earning potential for those who own an errand service really increases if you can break into the office support services market. There are people who are looking for workers with clerical skills to just come in and help them once a week or even once a month and they are willing to pay top dollar for this limited time. For people just looking to help others with their shopping and errands around the house, it’s nothing for someone learning how to start an errand business to make $35-40,000 a year doing things they normally would for free anyway.