8 Reasons Why Senior Downsizing Is a Great Small Business Idea

Starting a small business today is unlike any other time in history.  Yes, COVID-19 has thrown us some temporary curveballs, but so did the 2008 Recession. Many small businesses, including my own, were successfully launched during that difficult time.

The fact is that most businesses today will rebound post-COVID if they have the capacity to stay flexible.

So, what’s stopping YOU from creating your own business right now?   

It might be one of these most common reasons:

1. You’re frustrated trying to narrow down a business that fits your skillsets and allows you to serve others.

2. You think you’ll need more capital to launch that business than you can afford.

3. You’re overwhelmed just trying to figure out where to start.

I get it. These are what I was thinking and feeling when I was laid off back in 2008 and considering senior downsizing as a new career.

What is Senior Downsizing Assistance Exactly?

Senior downsizing assistance is a group of services that supports seniors and their families during a transition or downsizing move.

Services vary but often include assistance in pre-move organizing, packing, unpacking, move day oversight, mover services or assisting clients in coordinating mover arrangements, help with disposition of unwanted items, space planning, estate sales, estate clearing, and other personalized concierge services.

Some incorporate senior downsizing services with their existing professions such as professional home organizers, Realtors, or moving companies.

Senior downsizing has only been recognized as a national profession since 2004 and many people still don’t know this service exists!  

I promised you eight reasons why senior downsizing is such an incredible small business idea and here they are!

1. You’re helping others in your community!

Is helping others a BIG requirement in your dream business? If it is, this is a great way to support those in your community who need it most! Seniors! Many seniors don’t have local family members who can help with the logistics or physical assistance that a move can create.

Family members can find it difficult to provide help and still maintain their own work and family responsibilities.

Curious about just how much of a difference it can make? Check out the ‘Make a Difference’ tab. There you’ll find personal and heartfelt testimonials from many of my clients over the years on what it meant to them to experience this unique service.

 2. It has huge, sustainable client demographic growth!  

Downsizing services will be greatly needed in the future as the senior population continues to increase by 45% by 2050! That’s over 88.5 million seniors aged 65 years or older in the US alone!

Areas outside of the United States are also starting to take notice of this rapidly expanding client base with new downsizing businesses just beginning to branch out in Canada, Europe, and down under in New Zealand and Australia!

3.  It’s a home-based business!

This business can easily be operated from a home office. That means you save on the substantial expense of paying for a commercial location. 

Most of these services are provided in your client’s home. That saves you from one of the most expensive costs of owning a business, the cost of renting a formal office space.

Your home office doesn’t require more than basic office equipment and supplies, like a desk, computer, printer, file storage, etc.  Thinking of offering packing services that require supplies? You can store moving or organizing supplies in a garage or off-site storage facility.

4. The business is scalable and flexible!

Not everyone has the same business dream!  Do you want to ultimately build a larger business with multiple service locations or multiple teams? Or do you want a smaller-scale, part-time business where you can control the number of hours you work?

That’s what makes senior downsizing such a great fit! It’s extremely scalable and can vary in size, time commitment, and service specialties based on your personal skills, interests, and priorities.

Each full-time business owner typically offers at least five of the core services previously described as part of their ongoing business practices. However, there is still a great opportunity to tailor your unique skills and experience to create new and innovative services of your own!

5. Ease of Start-Up!

Setting up a senior downsizing business requires hard work, diligence, and a strong commitment to helping those who need assistance during a transition. However, it does not require a large capital investment that other typical brick-and-mortar-type businesses or franchises do.

Downsizing is a process-driven business, so training by an experienced Downsizing Specialist mentor who can help guide you through the start-up process can make a world of difference in how fast and effectively you get your service message out to your customers and start earning an income. 

That’s why I developed the online, self-study Senior Downsizing Specialist Training program, so students can create their businesses at their own pace.

But, sometimes a person needs a little more support during start-up and I have you covered too! I offer training in conjunction with one-on-one coaching called The Mastery Program. It includes all four of the Senior Downsizing Specialist training modules plus 12 hours of personalized coaching.

6.  It pays well!

Regardless of whether you’re looking to create a solo practice or a large-scale downsizing business model, senior downsizing can make you GREAT money!

This is where having tailor-made training to guide and prepare you can make all the difference as to how quickly you can find your Ideal Client base, get your business up and running, and make money faster.  

Senior Downsizing Specialists, also known as Senior Move Managers, commonly make six-figure incomes. Especially given that it has a much lower overhead cost than many other types of businesses.  

7. You don’t need a specialized degree or vocational certification to operate a downsizing business

With the increasing complexity of technical training that many businesses require today, it’s refreshing to find a business that welcomes new business owners from a variety of backgrounds and experiences.  In fact, it’s this diversity that makes each Downsizing Specialist so unique.

The most important aspect of being successful in this industry doesn’t necessarily require previous direct downsizing experience. It’s more about your core attitude, willingness to learn, and invest in the right training, so you can develop the skills and processes you need.

Key personality traits that are known to do well in this industry include great communication skills, a love of problem-solving, a sense of humor, being disciplined, responsible, process-oriented, being highly ethical, compassionate, patient, organized, love of working on multi-faceted, fast-paced projects, detail-oriented, love to work as a team, people-oriented, strong leadership skills, action-oriented and flexible.

8. You don’t have to create your business alone!

Many Senior Downsizing Specialists, including me, started their businesses because of their own profound personal experiences of downsizing within their own families. 

Though I had plenty of passion and dedication I had to learn everything from scratch and, unfortunately, it was done mostly through trial and error. The kind of step-by-step, in-depth training I was looking for didn’t exist at the time.   

But, your experience can be very different.

I started The Downsizing Institute because I know how special this small business idea is and what a difference it can make for seniors and their families.

I knew I had to pay it forward to up-and-coming heart-centered, senior downsizing entrepreneurs who need that guidance as I did.

What’s not to love about helping others while earning a great income?

Without a doubt, serving seniors was the best decision I’ve ever made.  Each, and every client that I’ve helped along the way has truly been a blessing. They changed my life in ways I could never have imagined. 

If you’re ready to make a difference in your community and change your life forever too, check out my program details, plus other downsizing training course options, at The Downsizing Institute and take that first step toward creating a better future for yourself. It’s easy!

Hope to see you there!

Deborah

Founder/CEO – The Downsizing Institute, Inc.

P.S. Have questions about whether senior downsizing is a good business fit for you and your skills? Schedule a FREE, one-time 20-minute consult with me by phone by clicking here!