A little under a year ago, I moved back to my hometown in the US and started a new job. Almost on a whim, I decided to start a free walking tour on the weekends, and although I started off with modest results, I am getting lots of business. I now make roughly $2,000 per month by giving two tours on the weekends, and my tours are often fully booked (max out at 20 walkers) before the weekend arrives.

What I’ve come to understand is that there is a lot of unmet demand for walking tours in my city, and I want to be able to expand to meet this demand. I’ve also learned more about the business and can be a better provider.

Here are my thoughts:

• Offer the tour on more days, by hiring a subcontractor, including weekdays (when I’m at my day job and can’t give the tours). How do I find a good tour guide? How do I train him? What is a good pay model if he’s going to be earning money from tips?
• Offer private tours and for corporate clients. How do I get corporate clients? How do I advertise for private tours?
• Offer upsells and add-ons to my free tours. I have been trying to brainstorm things that are not gimmicky or lame. Any ideas?