Mike loved growing up in the country. He could always be found on his bicycle roaming around. Whenever he had a flat, he fixed it himself and was always washing and shining it. When the new multi speed bicycles first were introduced, he couldn't wait to get one. His parents didn't have much money so he worked after school cleaning at the local grocery store to buy parts. He finally got enough money and bought what he needed to make his own. He still had pictures of that first bike.
Now he's got a wife and a baby on the way. While looking through some old photos, he found the picture. He sat staring at it when the idea came to him for a new business. He grabbed the newspaper and scanned the want ads for bicycles for sale. Sure enough, there were several ads for used bicycles. He got on the phone and arranged to see them the next day.
He bought several cheap bikes that day and took them home to fix them up. When he was finished, he called and placed his own ads to sell the bicycles he had renovated. Within a week, he has made a large profit.
Now he works at home in his garage renovating bicycles and enjoys every day. He has plenty of time to spend with his wife and their new baby. He also had a Trike ready for when the baby is old enough to ride it.
If you love bicycles too and were always, good at fixing them up, you can make money this way too!
-How to Get Started
This type of home business takes very little investment. Look in the local want ads for garage sales, auctions, yard sales, and sporting goods for sale. Call and ask for the address, then visit the different locations. Pick the bikes you can afford and know you can fix to make the most money.
Since bicycles take very little in the way of tools, you should have all you need in your toolkit. After you repair the bicycles (adding paint, tires, etc.) it is time to place ads.
-Getting Started Selling
The same way you found the bicycles is the best way to sell them. Ads in the local papers are very cheap and you can indicate that you have several bikes to choose from. If you word your ad carefully, you will be able to keep to the minimum words and make maximum profits.
You should place one ad for selling bicycles, and one ad for buying old junk bikes. Make sure you include your phone number on both ads. An answering machine is a good idea so you do not have to be tied to home, but a cell phone can work just as well if you have one available.
Another idea, if you have a computer at home, is to create a flyer and post the flyer on bulletin boards at places where kids go frequently. You can create the flyer with MS Word, Publisher or any other similar program. You can print several in color on your home printer on bright colored paper so it gets noticed easily. (A printing service is more expensive and may not be worth the price until your business is established.)
Resources:
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/wheelbuild.html
http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Build-Up-a-Bike/
December 7, 2009
