4. Children Arts Education: The growing mantra of companies today is innovate or die. In a global village with short product cycles and intense cost competition, ideas and creativity are the competitive advantage for American companies. While innovation is the driver of competitive advantage, the future lays in the next generation of workers; our kids.
Daniel Pink, author of "A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future" reveals the need for our next generation to be right brainers or highly creative. "These people - artists, inventors, designers, storytellers, caregivers, consolers, big picture thinkers - will now reap society's richest rewards and share its greatest joys," states Pink. Research firm Eduvenutres pegs the tutoring market alone at $4 billion dollars.
Home businesses creating products and services to the creative generation will reap big rewards in the years to come. Companies like Texas-based KidzArt provides creativity-oriented educational programs to this market. Mother Shell Herman saw the early need in 1993, when schools were reducing art budgets and America lacked a national arts program. Today the company has over 58 franchisees and is growing yearly.
5. Garage Organizers: It would seem in the booming interior design and home makeover industry that every space of the house has been covered. The last frontier in the home business is the garage. A Harris Interactive study indicated almost 40% of Americans rate their garage as the messiest room in the house.
As Americans continue to consume more products than ever, the garage often becomes the cluttered space in the home. Enter the garage organizer who puts the clutter away and gives homeowners a peace of mind. The number of garage organizers is pegged at 500, double the rate of 2000, according to the National Association of Professional Organizers. Just as organizing closets was the next big thing in the 80's, the messy garage is the final space to clean up.
6. Background Checks: Hiring employees used to be a simple matter of a call to a few references. Today, employers find the task of finding a skilled workforce more challenging following security concerns and workplace violence. So companies are turning to background checking for pre-employment screening. Over 96% of HR professionals report that their companies do background checks of new hires, up from 66% in 1996 according to The Society for Human Resource Management Workplace Violence Survey.
Small businesses with limited resources are turning to background check companies to handle investigation, due diligence, and understand legal requirements. This business is ideal for start ups who want to operate from the home and provide a vital service to companies.