The job world becomes extremely difficult for convicted individuals. Ex-cons often struggle to find employment, even when they are qualified. Entrepreneurship is a great way to free yourself from the biases of a potential employer.

Offer Home Services

This one is a great option because it is relatively easy to learn how to repair or maintain the various utility systems of a home. You can go to a trade school for six months and receive a certificate relating to construction, electrical work, plumbing, and more. Once you have the skills and experience necessary to begin, you can start your own small local business. Offer home repair services according to your skill set. What you might lack in experience you can make up for with enthusiasm and customer service. Use the internet liberally both when educating yourself and when establishing your local brand. Social media is a very important tool.

Start a Restaurant

While this option might be a little more complicated, it also is a fantastic idea for those who have a passion for good eating. You might be ready to unveil your family’s traditional recipe to the world. Or maybe you just want to take over at a franchised location from another owner. Whatever the case, you have a huge range of options when it comes to starting your restaurant. You also are going to need to jump through quite a few legal hoops (which should be expected for any business, but particularly for a restaurant). There are important processes to ensure food safety in a restaurant you need to follow.

Hard Labor Services

At the very least, you can always resort to some good, old-fashioned unskilled labor. Ironically, most jobs that are titled ‘unskilled labor’ actually can be learned and made more efficient by experienced workers. You can become in high demand for your sharpened and thorough ability to clean, move, or demolish. Finding others in your locality who would be willing to join a moving crew, for example, is a great way to help out others in your community who also might be in a tight spot. The only thing you need to run a professional, local service crew is that same enthusiasm and sense of customer service.

The great thing about entrepreneurship is that you are only limited by your imagination. There are a thousand and one business ideas that could have potential in your local market. What’s important is picking the one that is the best fit for you.

Check out this article on factors that may be hurting your job search!