Are you interested in having a small home-based business but can‘t handle large start-up costs? Don‘t worry. All of the businesses listed below demand minimal capital to begin. What you contribute is your skill, knowledge and experience!
But remember…
your business is more likely to succeed
if this is something you truly enjoy
and not just a way of making money.
You will need to consider who your customers are and how to reach them. Also check out your competition to determine appropriate rates and how you can make your business unique. Start small, with people you know. After you gather valuable feedback on your own services, you can grow from a solid foundation. For more information, go to Turn Passions into Profits, in particular section 5.
Good luck!
- Aerobic instructor
- Aquarium service
- Astrology
- Auctioneer
- Auto dealer
- Baker – cakes or cookies
- Balloon design and delivery
- Bed and breakfast reservation service
- Bicycle repair and sales
- Bicycle touring
- Blinds cleaning
- Boat maintenance
- Burglar alarm sales and installation
- Business plan writing
- Cabinet maker
- Calligraphy
- Car alarm installer
- Car wash
- Care of disabled
- Care of elderly
- Career Counselor
- Caricaturist
- Carpet Cleaning
- Cartoonist
- Catering
- Ceiling Cleaning
- Childcare
- Child-care referral
- Chimney sweep
- Chinese food take-out service
- Christmas tree lot
- Cleaning service – for houses
- Cleaning service – garage & attic
(you haul away junk) - Clown
- Coach – Personal or Business
- Coffee shop owner
- Coin dealer
- Collection agency
- Columnist
- Comedian (stand-up)
- Companion to elderly or disabled
- Computer animator
- Consultant – (according to expertise e.g. business, computer, or publishing)
- Cooking classes
- Costume rentals or sales
- Courier service (bike)
- Crafts businesses
- Crafts instructor
- Craft supplies catalogue
- Dance instructor
- Dating service
- Daycare (for adults or children)
- Desktop publishing
- Disc jockey (mobile)
- Disk duplication
- Dog grooming or training
- Drapery cleaning
- Dry waller
- eBay Seller (buy items at garage sales & flea markets, sell on eBay)
- Editing and proofreading service
- Errand service
- Etiquette training
- Event planning
- Executive recruiter
- Financial planning services
- First aid instructor
- Flea market sales
- Flower stands
- Foreign language instructor
- Formal wear rental service (male or female)
- Freelance writing
- Fundraiser
- Furniture refinishing & repair
- Gardening consultant
- Garage sale organizer
- Gift basket maker
- Glass tinters
- Grant writing consultant
- Graphic design services
- Greeting card service
- Gutter cleaning
- Hairdresser (mobile)
- Handyman services
- Healthcare consultant
- Herb farming
- Home inspection service
- Home repair
- House cleaning
- Housekeeper
- House painting
- Housesitting
- Ice cream truck
- Image consultant
- Import products
- Human resources consultant
- Information and research service
- Interior decorating
- Janitorial services
- Jewelry design or repair
- Juggler
- Knife sharpening
- Knitting
- Landscaping
- Laundry service
- Lawn care
- Letter writing service
- Limo service
- Literary agent
- Loan consultant
- Locksmith
- Macramé
- Mail order
- Magician
- Marketing consultant
- Massage therapist
- Meal delivery
- Meeting planner
- Message answering service
- Mime
- Multilevel marketing
- Music instructor
- Musician
- Nail salon
- Nanny placement service
- Newsletters
- Novelty shop
- Organizational consultant
- Packaging and shipping
- Painting service (interior or exterior)
- Party planner (children or adults)
- Personal fitness trainer
- Personal services – shopping & errands
- Personal services – for the elderly
- Pest removal
- Pet grooming or sitting
- Photographer
- Piano tuner
- Picture framing services
- Plant maintenance
- Plant nursery (grow & sell plants)
- Plasterer
- Pool service
- Portrait artist
- Posters
- Pottery
- Private investigating
- Publicist/agent
- Public speaker
- Puppeteer
- Recycling service
- Relocation service
- Rental finding service
- Restaurant delivery service
- Resumé writing
- Reunion planning
- Roof restoration
- Sandwich stands
- Screen printing
- Seminar services
- Sewing school
- Shoe repair
- Shopping service
- Sightseeing tours
- Small business consultant
- Snow removal
- Stamps
- Tax preparation service
- Teaching English as second language
- Technical writing
- Telemarketing service
- Television and appliance repair
- Temporary help service
- Thrift store
- Tour guide (walking, hiking, cycling, car)
- Training consultant
- Translator
- Tutoring
- Upholstery cleaning or repair
- Used bookstore owner
- Used clothing sales
- Vending machine service
- Videotaping service
- Web designer
- Website hosting
- Wedding planner
- Wallpaper hanging
- Window cleaning
- Windshield repair service
- Word processing service
- Yoga instructor