What Kinds of Small Businesses Are Hiring?

Written on October 10, 2010 – 1:30 am | by Ashley Johnson

Small business news isn’t all bad. While many small companies have suffered during the economic downturn, some industries have proven to be recession-proof and a few have even benefited because they offer a service that people need in tough financial times.

CNN.com looked at some businesses that have grown and hired new employees during the past year:

Auto care: As more people put off buying a new car, they are trying to keep their old vehicles in tip-top shape. Honest-1 Auto Care in Oregon takes customer service to a new level by providing plasma televisions, free coffee and tea, play stations for kids, and an Internet café while people wait.

Mobile video technology: Thwapr, a New York-based startup, is creating a patent-pending system that downloads video on to mobile phones, without users having to download an application. “Mobile video is one of the cutting-edge technologies that people are interested in,” Leigh Newsome, senior vice president at Thwapr and professor at New York University, told CNN.

Home help care for seniors: In-home assistance for aging baby boomers could be a small business goldmine in the coming years. Instead of going to assisted-living facilities many seniors will want to remain independent in their own homes but will need help with daily activities or rides to doctors’ appointments or the grocery store.

Time management services: There’s a growing market for services that help businesses or busy individuals organize, prioritize and use time efficiently. Marge Murphy of Dayton, Ohio started Arcadia, which helps businesses weed through sales leads and find the hottest ones. “Companies can bring us in when they need us,” Murphy told CNN. “We do the behind the scenes work.”

Budget consultants: Businesses of all sizes have tried to trim their budgets to the bare bones. Mongoose Metrics, in Cleveland, Ohio, uses special tracking software to analyze businesses’ marketing budgets and give them a clear idea of how every dollar is being spent. The need for this kind of service is there – of Mongoose’s 18 employees, 12 were hired in the past year.

Perfect Business!