Have you ever considered a plan to start a mobile phone business? Of all the ideas for a business that you might come up with, something in the cellular industry is one of the smartest. In this article, I'll cover the benefits of getting into the mobile phone business, and highlight the areas within that industry that will likely be the most lucrative in years to come.

The Numbers

First, let's take a look at the history of the numbers. Cell phone connections exceeded 1 billion just a few years ago. It took roughly 20 years to get there. Then, from 2002-2005, it doubled to 2 billion total connections. So, it took 20 years to get to 1 billion, then just 3 more years to hit 2 billion.

Today, in 2008, the number exceeds 3 billion. Add in the fact that Americans now spend over $10 billion per month on their cell phone bills.

The lesson is clear: mobile phones and associated industries are experiencing explosive growth worldwide. This is definitely a great field within which to own a business!

Online vs. Offline

You have two basic choices when it comes to starting a mobile phone business: online or offline. A traditional bricks-and-mortar store will require major start-up capital, employees, and overhead expenses that will easily total into the thousands monthly. Unless you have considerable backing or are flush with disposable income, this may not be a feasible option.

Starting an online mobile phone business, on the other hand, is something virtually anyone can do. Your investment to get started will be much smaller - a few hundred vs. thousands of dollars. You will not need employees or add substantially to your existing overhead expenses. And there will be no inventory to stock and keep track of.

What To Sell

Your first thought is probably to sell the mobile phones themselves, and that's certainly a viable option. Accessories are also a major part of the equation for many online cell phone businesses. But there's one aspect of the mobile phone industry that can be the most lucrative: service plans.

The key benefit of income from service plans is their passive nature. In other words, finding a way to tap into a portion of a mobile phone user's monthly bill payments means earning on-going, residual income month after month - without having to do extra work month after month.

Start a mobile phone business that features income from users' monthly payments, and you may be well on your way to a very nice living.

To your success,

Jan Roos