I recently vacationed in Charleston, South Carolina, and was blown away by this beautiful historical city in the south. As a person who is eager to know what people in other parts of the country do for a living especially when it comes to self-employment I was most impressed by the local tour operators.

When you think of tour operators, you may think of a large touring company who employ people from all over the country for the summer, give them some scripts and sends them off to entertain the visitors. Not in Charleston, the vast majority of the local tour operators are locals.

One particular business that caught my eye was the local historical walking tour operators. These locals provide a unique perspective of the city and all that it was and is today through their knowledge and background, many of which have lived in the city their entire lives.

So how about you, can you start a home-based historical walking tour operation in your city. Many people in the United States live in the same city they were born in and can tell you so much about the city without much effort. If you are one of these people, you have a leg up on everyone else, but even if you were not born in the city you still can start a profitable home business with just a little effort.

To setup a historical walking tour business, you should do some research on the city even if you think you know everything already. Get your dates and names right of the historical places and people. Know when things started and when they ended, and what replaced them. You should even know some current events, such as who visits they city most frequently. This actually is a great icebreaker, ask everyone in the touring party where they live and then give them some interesting statistics on their State.

Once you have completed your research, develop a colorful walking map, with meeting point, points of interest, public bathrooms, and some historical facts. At each point of interest, you should have you talk memorized, absolutely do not pull out any paper and start reading. Practice continuously on family and friends until you are comfortable.

When you are ready, plan out how you will dress. What will you work clothes look like? Will you wear traditional costume, local custom dress or if necessary, something more dress down?

Lastly be sure you have competitive pricing but not rock bottom pricing, remember that these tours when well organized and fun can be extremely profitable. Vacationers will talk to other vacationers when they get back to the hotel or when they are back home; they can be your best source for referrals. The tips can be extremely handsome also at the end of the tour.

Good luck in your new home-based business, I look forward to hearing from you.

Peter Engelbrecht is President of Diagonal Street Business Services which operates the web site http://www.BestBusinesses4u.com. The web site provides stay at home moms and dads with unique work at home business ideas.

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