Offer a service where you help people move, without taking everything with them. Usually this is best when someone is moving to a smaller place. Help them figure out what to keep and what not to keep. Help them pack up everything appropriately. Then, you can help move all of the kept items into the new home, even putting things in their places. Movers only move large items. This kind of business will help fill that gap. You could charge about $50 an hour for this service.

This is a much-needed service these days. Offer to help people not only pack, but also sort through their items before packing. Usually, but not always, this is best when someone is moving to a smaller place. Sometimes people are just ready to go through everything and sort before they move things they really don't want to keep anymore, especially if they have lived in one home for a long time. Some people have trouble deciding what to keep, help them figure out what to keep and what not to keep; this is where your expertise can help. Just talking through the reasons to keep something can help a great deal.

Remember that most movers only move large items; this kind of business will help fill that gap. Help pack up everything that has been chosen to be kept appropriately, so that their items will arrive to their new home in one piece. Make sure that you write on all of the outsides of the boxes with the room that they belong in, or use pre-made stickers. This makes the move much easier with each box in the appropriate room. After the move, you should help move all of the kept items into the new home, even putting things in their places if your customers would like you to do this.

You can easily charge about $50 an hour for this service. Just make sure that you are working as quickly as you are able to, if they are paying you by the hour. This will also help you to get them to make quick decisions about items they want to keep. The longer they take in making the decisions, the more they will end up paying you for the move; this is a good motivation to keep them moving quickly when making decisions. You can also set aside a 'maybe keep' pile or box. Then later re-sort through these items at the end and try to make it a goal to get rid of at least half of the items. Always make sure they make the ultimate decision though. You don't want them later blaming you for getting rid of things that they wanted to keep.

Advertise your services in local newspapers and in the phone book. This should help you find constant new customers. Make sure that you make yourself well known with local moving companies also. They can refer customers to you that want more than just movers that move only large items and boxes. Offer to give these companies a small percentage of your profits if they refer customers to you, this will assure you of their support.

Helpful Resources:

http://www.containerstore.com/experthelp/tips/collegeMovingTips.jhtml

http://www.sba.gov/smallbusinessplanner/index.html