Get Cashin 2009

All Unusual Home Businesses have one great thing in common in that they're, well, unusual. This often means both that tons of other people haven't gotten in on them yet and that you can find them in all sorts of unexpected places. This can have you on the road to having your own successful at home business a lot quicker and without a lot of competition.

One of the more unusual money making ideas that's a great deal of fun is mystery shopping. While you may have seen a lot of ads on the Internet about this unusual business opportunity, it's a safe bet that there aren't a lot of people performing this service in your area'which means you don't have a lot of competition to deal with.

For a nominal fee, you can sign up with an online service that supplies you with contact information for companies that are looking for people to become mystery shoppers. You not only make money at this, you get great deals on eating out, movie tickets, and of course, shopping. Might be something to check out if this interests you.

Maybe shopping isn't your thing. Have you considered selling books? Many of today's book publishers have decided to boycott the huge bookstores by hiring people to market and sell their books directly to buyers. This is especially true of publishers who predominately publish Christian and children's books.

By doing this, they generate more sales without what amounts to having to pay the major bookstores to carry their books (although many of these publishers will also have their books on the shelves of your nearest Borders which makes them all the more credible).

This is one of the truly great unusual business opportunities if you love books, and it can net you a hefty profit. This is becoming a hot trend for people searching for money making opportunities online, so the time to get in on it is now.

Another one of the unusual money making opportunities that you've probably heard about is pet sitting. For this to be an unusual money making opportunity to you, you have to think outside the box. For instance, when people hear about pet sitting, they automatically think of dogs and cats. But there is big money to be made in this area if you work for farmers or breeders. Think about it.

What does a farmer, or a horse, dog, or cat breeder do if they want to take a vacation or have to have surgery? Call you! Seriously, if you have experience with farm animal care or are willing to take on a large number of animals to care for, you can make a tremendous amount of money at this. You can also hire people to help you and make more money by just taking a small percentage of their regular charge.

These are just a few of the many unusual money making ideas out there today. You can literally find thousands more when you look at money making opportunities online. You'll find information on how you can have your own successful glass replacement business, carpet cleaning business, lawn care business, typing or proofreading business, credit counseling business, even your own rent-a-clown business. These are unusual businesses because people don't realize they can be run from your home, with minimal to no start-up costs.

You can also look at franchises for unusual business ideas. New ones are popping up every day, especially in the fitness area. The costs to having your own franchise range from nominal to huge. It all depends on how much you're willing to or have the funds to invest, but it's likely you can find a franchise that fits your budget.

And franchises are a particularly good idea if you live in a bedroom community or small town'or there's one close to you. You can make huge profits there with one of the hot deli or sub franchises. People don't always want to drive to the largest city near your location to grab a sub and a cup of coffee, so that makes these great unusual business opportunities for your area. And once you have them set up, you can usually manage them from your home!

Before you sign up for or invest in anything, whether it's one of the unusual business opportunities or a franchise get the facts. If you decide you want to be a rent-a-clown, make sure there's a market for that in your area.

If you're signing up with a mystery shopping service online, make sure it's the real deal. And have a plan on how you're going to turn your unusual money making opportunity into a successful business. Planning makes all the difference when it comes to starting, owning, and running any business. So do your homework. You won't regret it!

© Copyright Randy Wilson, All Rights Reserved.

About the author: Randy has dozens more home based business articles such as Credit Repair Business Opportunities and Creative Home Businesses.