Many of those who lose their jobs during a recession will find it difficult to find another job and may begin to think about investing in their own business with any severance pay they received. This can be a golden opportunity to become your own boss, but it takes a lot of work, determination and perseverance to make a new business successful and it rarely happens overnight.

When thinking about starting a business, it’s always tempting to do something you’ve always loved to do: make your hobby your job. But unfortunately, in most of these cases, the businesses simply don’t succeed. This is mainly because they have been undertaken with a personal bias and not from a purely business perspective. Whatever decision you make about going it alone, that decision should always be a business decision first and foremost.

The best approach to starting your own business is to research all those services or products that are required in both good and bad economic times.

A house cleaning business is one of those services that will always be in demand. More and more people are seeking this service, sometimes simply to get their houses ready for sale. Or they could have moved and settled permanently abroad and now want someone to clear the house to prepare it for sale. Establishing a good business relationship with local real estate agents can lead to regular business referrals.

But the authorization of the house is required more particularly after a death in the family. Mourners often don’t want to empty the house at such an emotional time, and the act of getting rid of a loved one’s belongings can be overwhelming. Family members may find it difficult to sort the deceased’s belongings while coping with her grief and the constant demands of work and family life. Or there may simply be no emotional ties and the deceased is a distant relative in another part of the country.

Whatever the reason, there’s a booming business clearing out other people’s unwanted belongings.

While local auctioneers sometimes offer home liquidation services, they are actually looking for valuable items to sell at their auctions and are typically not interested in junk. So if you are embarking on this type of business, you have to be prepared to come clean and often deal with people at a difficult time in their lives.

Many items that are unwanted by a person can still be recycled or donated to charity, so be sure to consider these options when possible.

To distinguish your business from the rogue element operating bogus home clearance services, it’s worth joining the UK Home Clearance Association.

Each member of the association makes some key commitments, which are simply good business practices:

· Provide a clear description, price and schedule for cleaning the house.

· Ensure full liability insurance.

Be in possession of the current waste carrier license issued by the Environment Agency.

Be courteous, competent and committed to providing a high level of service.

· To deal promptly and understandingly with anything that can go wrong.

If you think this might be the business for you, then it’s a relatively easy business to start with little capital outlay (so you might actually save some of that layoff cash). There are just a few simple steps to follow to be your own boss:

Get liability insurance

When you enter someone’s home and they are likely to be moving large, heavy objects, you should have adequate insurance against damage to the building’s structure or to the people within it.

Obtain a waste hauler license from the Environment Agency

Dumping of waste at municipal sites on a commercial basis requires a license. These are inexpensive and last 3 years, so order one well before you clean that first house.

Decide what vehicle you need

If you don’t own a van yet, you’ll definitely need one, but while you’re still testing your business idea, why not rent a van instead of buying one? That way, you can decide what type of van is most suitable in your local area.

Advertise in the local press and online

The advantage of a small business like home liquidation is that you can avoid expensive advertising costs by advertising your services in local publications and at local venues.

House liquidation is just a small business idea that is a required service regardless of the economic climate and is simple and inexpensive to start. But there are many other similar businesses that could mean the start of a new life as your own boss.