5 Cool Summer Business Ideas

Summer’s here! With school finally over and trips here and there, you deserve a break. But with much time on your hands, how can you be productive? Easy–start a summer business!

Having a business during the summer actually makes a LOT of sense. For one, most of your target market is in the neighborhood, spending the days at home. This means they’re either too bored to go far or they find trips to the mall inconvenient. For two, it can also mean you have students at home with nothing to do and eager to help. This presents a wonderful opportunity to teach them the value of business and spend quality time with them as well.

Here are five summer business ideas to make your vacation fruitful and memorable.

Halo-halo

No summer is complete without halo-halo, a shaved ice dessert with mixed fruits, jellies, and beans, topped with ice cream or flan and slathered in creamy fresh milk. Halo-halo literally means “mixed together” because one has to mix the ingredients in the cup for the dessert to make sense.

From fastfood restaurants to roadside stalls, there’s always someone selling this well-loved treat guaranteed to help beat the summer heat. This shouldn’t come as a surprise, because most of the ingredients can be easily bought from the supermarket or made at home. Low overhead costs make for good profit margins, starting at P20.00 per cup for the regular halo-halo to more than P100.00 for the really special ones. It can take only half a day to break-even especially if it’s very hot. No wonder halo-halo is the most popular summer business at home.

The secret to great halo-halo isn’t in the ingredients but in the ice AND the milk. Freshly shaved ice is preferred, not just because it makes mixing easy, but it causes the ingredients to blend well. Halo-halo isn’t enjoyable if what you have is a thick, hardened snowball in your cup. Similarly, fresh, creamy milk adds a layer of taste that complements the other ingredients. Too thin a milk mixture will result in the halo-halo tasting flat, so be sure to invest in good quality milk for your business.

Iced candy and iced buko popsicles

Gone are the days when there was a house selling iced candy on almost every corner. With ice cream readily available in the neighborhood convenience store, it seems iced candy and iced buko (coconut) popsicles are becoming rare even at the onset of summer. Which is quite a shame, because these luscious iced desserts are quite a treat! However, this provides you an excellent summer business opportunity to offer something “new” and different.

Iced candy and iced buko popsicles are made in almost the same way. Fruits such as mango or avocado are shredded or cut into chunks and mixed with milk. For iced buko, one uses strips of coconut meat; usually, red mung beans are added for taste and texture. The mixture is then poured into small plastic bags or popsicle molds and frozen overnight. The harder the popsicle, the better. Selling price ranges from P8.00 to around P15.00, depending on the size of the popsicle and the ingredients used. For the complete recipe for homemade iced buko, you can check it here.

Beverage coolers

Add a dash of pizzazz to your ordinary powdered fruit juice to make it more exciting! The recent tax adjustment may have made the reliable powdered juice a bit impractical, but here’s an easy way to earn from it, sugar tax notwithstanding.

Take a one-liter pack of powdered juice (costs around P20.00) and mix with water. Add a shot of Sprite and voila! Instant carbonated beverage perfect for a hot day. For an even refreshing drink, add ice cubes and a sprig of mint. At P7.00 or P8.00 per cup you can earn as much as P20.00 per one-liter pack of powdered juice.

Siomai

Why not offer something for your customers to chow down together with their drinks? You can’t go wrong with steamed siomai, those luscious pork dumplings dipped in soy sauce and garlic chili paste. Siomai provides a welcome energy boost because it is made up mostly of meat. This can be helpful especially for those playing in–or simply watching–the barangay basketball leagues.

If you’re doing business at home, there’s no need to invest in a glass case steamer. An electric rice cooker with steam tray will do. Siomai is readily available in the supermarket in packs, or you can choose to source these from restaurant commissaries that sell wholesale. The taste of siomai relies mainly on the meat dumpling itself, but soy sauce plus a dash of calamansi (Philippine lemon) helps enhance it. Chili garlic paste is optional. Selling price may range between P20.00 to P35.00, depending on the size, taste, and quality of the siomai.

Fried snacks

Another summer business idea is fried snacks, such as french fries, turon (fried banana roll), bananacue (fried banana on stick), cheese sticks, and fish or squid balls. As there are so many possibilities, choose the ones that fit in your budget. It doesn’t make sense to break the bank for a business that’s supposed to give you extra income. Pair these together with a cool beverage to make your store a customer magnet.

Some of these fried snacks may require additional preparation, such as turon and bananacue. Others are readily available in the supermarket and can be prepared conveniently. Whatever your preference, choose a fried snack that you can work with easily and will require less manpower so you don’t end up stressed.

Some summer business tips!

Here are a few more tips to keep in mind as you start earning this summer. First off is location. Where will you do business? Do you have an existing store where you can sell these as an add-on? Or will this be purely a home business? Whatever your location, make sure your business area is easily accessible and well-ventilated. Keep in mind you are giving a reason for your neighbors to choose you instead of going to the mall or someplace else.

Interestingly, among Filipinos, when a halo-halo business starts on one street, another sprouts within the area in less than a week! Given this competitive nature, scout your area to see who is selling which, and find out how your business can be different. Why not get your customers to pay their bills or send money or buy tickets while waiting for their snacks or beverage? You can learn more how POSIBLE.NET can level up your summer business here.

Lastly, don’t forget to make your summer business experience a memorable one. Enjoy the moments with your kids and take time to teach them the value of work. Who knows, you might inspire them to do something incredible. Have a productive summer!