Small Businesses that can be done at the Work Place

The great thing about working in the office is that you are most likely in what’s called a “captured market”. It has to be the most ideal condition that every entrepreneur dreams about because it borders on a near monopoly.

Why is this? Because you are in a place where people don’t have the option to go out to buy things that they need. Its like winning a canteen concession in a private school where the children aren’t allowed to go out to eat for lunch or break time, ensuring that you have a bunch of people who have no other option but to buy from you. Yep, if you land this you’re in Businessman’s Nirvana. Starting a small business couldn’t be anymore easy since the problem of generating a consumers has been partially solved already.

Most companies however have a policy where employee’s are not allowed to conduct businesses of their own in company premises. The logic behind this is so that your “sideline” will not affect your work and other employee’s work in the company. Quite acceptable really since you are paid to do a job and your employers are expecting your undivided attention.

Some companies however have this as a “Boiler Plate” entry in their Employee Handbook but don’t actually enforce it. If you are in this type of company then you could seek to add a little to your income by having a side business. It would be wise however to check first if this is acceptable in your company, least you get terminated for violating company rules.

It would also be wise to sell something discretely so as not to attract unwanted attention to you. Just to give an example, selling packed lunches can not be considered discrete, nor is selling jeans and other huge items. It will also hamper you when you go to the office as you will be carrying a lot of stuff.

A simpler way to circumvent this rule is to transact your business outside the office and after office hours.

Some Small Businesses that can be done at the Office:

1. Selling Cellphone Load - yes, you can cash in on the Billion dollar pre-paid enterprise that is fueling the telecoms sector today. A simple retailer account from the telecoms company can give you the opportunity to start selling “load” at the office. Be sure to have change handy though. Aside from earning money, you are also performing a service because you ensure that people will always have the means to communicate. But why stop there, there could be other “cards” that you can sell in the office, like game cards and internet cards.
2. Reselling handmade jewelry - This will work if you are in company that has a high population of women, better still if a certain degree of formal attire is needed from the employees. The beauty of handmade jewelry is that it looks classy but without the exorbitant price tag. Ideally your target market should able to afford it and come back for seconds. If you can make your own that looks attractive and “buyable” then you can cut down on the cost, but if you can’t then you have another option. You can visit the mall and offer to resell the fancy jewelry being sold there. One way of doing this is being a loyal customer from the onset. As a reseller you get the benefit of a discount while offering access to a lucrative market to the stall owner. I know of one friend who was able to save up for her wedding much quicker with the help of this business.
3. Selling Cosmetics - I remember a passage in Ricardo Manapat’s book, (Some are smarter than others: The history of Marcos’ crony capitalism), on how during the early eighties when the Philippines economy was in a tailspin, the cosmetics sector was still making record sales. Just goes to show the vanity never follows a recession. Example of stuff you can sell are simple skin whiteners, face powders, lipstick etc.
4. Selling Health Products - there seems to be a trend nowadays for health products. Vitamins, Liver supplements, Malunggay capsules, Tea and other natural herb based supplements are but some of the products that offer simple retailer status to individuals. Here you are banking on the people’s desire to stay healthy. I’ve even heard of some one who sells them by piece and not per pack.
5. Referrals - your true asset is that you have a captured market. If you can’t find a way to profit from it, then maybe you can earn by matching other people to this market. A fine example would be directing office mates who are looking for an educational plan to an agent, people looking for car insurance to a broker, etc. This is known as earning by referral fee.
6. Reselling company food chits - some companies give food chits as a form of meal allowance. Since this guy ate the leftovers from last night’s dinner for lunch everyday, he decided to convert his food chits to cash by selling it to his officemates at a discount. At 10% off people were lining up to buy his food chits.
7. Paid Carpool - if you have a car and usually take it to work, you can offer to take along your fellow co-workers who do not have vehicles and live near your area. The money they would have spent for public transport will then go to you. The benefit is that you get other people to share in your car’s expenses while offering the comfort of being brought directly to the work place. I don’t think it would be ethical however to ask your officemates to pay up when you are driving a company car, whose expenses and maintence are shouldered by the company.
8. Reselling Cigarettes - this borders on the obscure already but I’ve heard of one guy who does this. Tired of people always asking for “cigarette” alms from him whenever he was on a break in the company smoking room, he decided to teach these folks a lesson by selling them cigarettes from his pack. This way he stopped subsidizing other people’s nicotine addiction.
9. Pick Up Laundry Service - this breaks the “keep the produce small” advice mentioned above but its an interesting story to tell. A man working in a company has a laundry business run by his wife. He picks up the laundry of his officemates at work then gives it back to them when its done. The great thing about this is that it gives him a regular revenue stream in the otherwise cut throat laundry business while providing a pick laundry service for his officemates. This works well if you have a car to haul the laundry. If the market is that big, you might need a bigger car.

If you hold a supervisory or management position, it wouldn’t be prudent to embark on a personal venture at work, because you place your subordinates in an awkward position. Awkward in a sense that they will think that their evaluation could hinge on them buying something from you. Common Leadership etiquette dictates that one should never put oneself in a position to profit from one’s subordinates.

If you have other ideas for a good business that can be done in the office, kindly post it below in the Comments section.