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 may have received. This can be a golden opportunity to become your own boss, but it takes hard work, determination and perseverance for a new business to succeed and it rarely happens overnight.

When thinking about starting a business, it’s always tempting to do something you’ve always loved doing: make your hobby your job. But sadly, in most of these cases, business is simply not successful. 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 homes ready for sale. Or they could have moved and settled abroad permanently 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. Bereaved people 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 through the deceased’s belongings while coping with her grievance 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 cleaning out other people’s unwanted belongings.

While local auctioneers sometimes offer house liquidation services, they are actually looking for valuable items to sell at their auctions, and are usually not interested in scrap. So if you are embarking on this type of business, you need to be prepared to clear everything up 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 is worth joining the UK Home Clearance Association.

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

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

· Guarantee full liability insurance.

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

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

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

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

Get liability insurance

When you walk into someone’s home and are likely to be moving large, heavy objects, you need to have adequate insurance against damage to the structure of the building or the people inside it.

Obtain a waste transporter license from the Environment Agency

The 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 already own a van, you’ll definitely need one, but while you’re still testing out your business idea, why not rent a van instead of buying one? That way you can decide which type of van is best suited in your local area.

Advertise in the local press and online

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