I wish I knew someone who would start this business idea in my area.
I have all my family photos from the last 27 years in photo boxes and I would love to have them scanned and stored digitally on a CD for safekeeping, not only from a possible fire or other calamity, but from the effects of age and inevitable decay.
And it would be great to have all those photos on a CD because then I could make copies to give to my children too.
But I just don’t have the time, and I’m actually not sure how to do it correctly.
I'm not the only one in this predicament either. Besides our own family photos, more and more people are becoming interested in their family's genealogical history and are trying to organize and document the many items handed down through the generations that end up in an attic or storage unit.
Yet, despite our best efforts, we just never get around to scanning in all those piles of historical photos and important family documents.
This is where you can be the hero and save the day!
Wouldn’t this be the best home business idea for someone that has the computer equipment needed and the savvy to know how to do this?
You could start a home-based business that creates digital copies of people's priceless old photos and family documents.
Take digital photos and scan copies of people's important aging paper items. Burn them onto a CD or DVD so that your customers will not have to worry about their family's history being lost forever.
You can charge your customers a per-hour dollar amount or a flat fee of perhaps fifty dollars per completed disc.
Another option in pricing that might be even more practical would be to charge your customers according to the number of documents or photos that you create digital copies of.
For instance, you could charge by the page for every picture or document you create a scan or photo of. And you have the option of offering discounts for larger amounts of scanned items.
You will have to decide what you time will be worth and how much you would like to earn per hour and then practice to give yourself a good idea of how many documents you can scan or photograph and process onto a CD in one hour.
You can then figure out your per item price from there.
You can also expand on this business idea by offering photo organization services.
Some people may want to have their photos digitally preserved, and others may just want to find a way to organize all the photos they do have, but don't know how to store safely.
And of course, many clients may want both services, so it certainly would be a good idea to offer photo organization as part of your business.
This instantly downloadable ebook is written by Chris Sutton and Tracey DuBois, owners of The Sentimental Playground, LLC and producers of the acclaimed Treasure Your Memories video.
In Chris and Tracey's book you’ll learn exactly what you need to do to keep photos safe and organized, and this would greatly increase the value and service you can offer your customers.
Another way to earn extra earn income with this business idea is photo restoration.
Many times old photos become creased or the corners break off or become damaged. Sometimes small flecks of dust or other imperfections become embedded in the photo.
In addition, because of the chemical process involved, most old photos turn various shades of yellow, brown, red, or green as time passes.
You could offer to digitally restore some of these old, damaged photos for an additional fee.
Many photo programs will correct this damage automatically. As for imperfections that need additional attention, the fixes generally are very easy to perform and do not take much time.
To get started you can advertise your services by running an ad in a local phone directory, list your business with an online business directory and by printing up flyers and posting them in places where people of all walks of life would be likely to frequent.
Be sure to include popular lunch places and coffee shops! Most post offices and grocery stores also have bulletin boards that they will allow you to place an advertisement on.
Be sure to take advantage of any public bulletin boards in your immediate area to find the people who are looking for you and your services.
Don't neglect places like medical service buildings, health food stores, libraries, bridal shops and any other place that your potential clients may frequent.
You could also
build a website
to showcase your services and reach a larger clientele area.
