Q & A: Ten Businesses You Can Start on a Shoestring
In last Friday's post, a reader wrote in asking what
to do when you can't move and the local job market is the pits. One of
the suggestions The Daily Machete provided in that post
was to start your own business. In this post, we'll detour from the
normal Q & A format to piggyback - and expand - on that answer by
providing ten businesses you can start on a shoestring.
You really don't have to spend huge money to start a business. The old saying that you have to have money to make money is still true, but in many cases, the ratios have changed. That is to say, you don't necessarily have to already be rich or go into deep debt to get a business up and running. You really can start a business on a shoestring. In fact, here are ten that you could start today:
1 ) Your own product line. Yes, you can start your own product line business on a shoestring. In fact, you can even start your own product line for less than a shoestring. All you need is some creativity and a broadband Internet connection. Head over to CafePress or Zazzle and you'll be able to design your own shirts, hoodies, calendars, mugs, plates and more. The nice part, here, is that you don't even have to carry - or ship - the inventory yourself. They'll do it for you.
2 ) Hot sauce. You can start a hot sauce business on a shoestring. There are a couple sites that provide "private label" services. Think of a "private label" hot sauce like a department store credit card: you pay to have your label put on their product, then you sell the product and keep the profit (this is how department stores make extra profit off their cards). I wrote a piece a while back for Associated Content about how you can start a hot sauce business on a shoe string and score some pretty nice money in the process. While HotSauce.com is mentioned in that piece, you can also try FireGirl.com, too.
3 ) Gift baskets. Yes, you can start a gift basket business on a shoestring. There are a number of ways to do this. One way to start a gift basket business on a shoestring is to follow Tori's two-part advice on PaidOpps on how to make money off totally free samples and how to turn free samples into dollar bills. Another great way to start this business on a shoestring is to buy closeout items on the cheap, then repackage and sell them for a profit. There's a well thought-out post on how to do just that here.
4 ) eBay. You just knew you'd find this online auction site here, didn't you? It's how a lot of people start a business on a shoestring. Even with eBay's fee increases for sellers, it's still a great way to have a business without a lot of overhead. eBay attracts tons of shoppers, after all. In fact, that's how I started making money online years ago. While there are a number of other sites you can use that charge fewer fees - and you should experiment with a number of them - eBay attracts the most shoppers. Start by selling your own stuff, then pick up more stuff to sell at garage sales.
5 ) Rock and roll all night. If you can sing and/or know how to play a musical instrument, then you can start a band - which is one of the most simple ways to start a business on a shoestring. Most have been to bars where there's a house band. Most have also gone somewhere where there's just one musician who also sings. These singers and musicians started their music business on a shoestring - and so can you. Pitch your act to bars, coffee shops, party houses and for weddings and other functions.
6 ) Party everyday. There are a lot of people who party for a living - and started their business on a shoestring. They help organize parties to sell products like Avon, Amway, Princess House and more. If you're an outgoing, creative person, then you'll be able to develop many ways to sell the products. There are tons of people making very good money out there (think of how often do you see a high-performing Mary Kay seller driving a pink Cadillac) - and they all started their businesses on a shoestring. Seriously. In many cases, they started their businesses for $100 or less.
7 ) Blog. Yes, blog. The Daily Machete wouldn't still be around if it didn't make money, and neither would most other blogs that have been around for as long as the one you're currently reading. Blogging is perfect for those who want to start a business on a shoestring because you can start a blog for free with services like Blogger. Even if you decide to "do the dot com," you'll only pay a nominal fee per month. And you can make money many different ways: paid posting services (e.g. PayPerPost, Sponsored Reviews, etc.), advertising (like Adsense), and though affiliates (such as Amazon.com).
8 ) Make it up as you go. Summer's ramping up. And when summer hits, there are tons of fairs and festivals, where people sell their wares in booths. If you like making crafts, you could be one of them. Selling at festivals is a great business to start on a shoestring because you've probably already made tons of crafts (or jellies, mustards, paintings or whatever) that you can showcase. If so, then you already have the materials you need to start your business. Your expenses will include your supplies, as well as the cost of renting a booth for the weekend. To really ramp up your earnings, sell everywhere there's a festival within an hour's drive, sell from a website, sell at consignment shops and sell at flea markets.
9 ) Cater. If you can cook well, then you can cater - and it's a great business to start on a shoestring. Some caterers handle events, some only cater for families, and others just make one item (cakes, for instance). Even with the expected increase in food prices, your supplies will be cheap enough for you to pull a profit because you won't buy them until a customer places an order. And, if you have a number of orders or a large quantity to make, you may be able to buy your ingredients in bulk to save money - which makes your profits even higer.
10 ) What's that behind your ear? Magicians can easily make $100 per birthday party performance - and easily do three birthday parties on Saturdays and another three on Sundays. That's $600 per week - or $30,000 per year on the side. The best part is you can start this business on a shoestring. Go to the library for a couple books on magic and run a few Internet searches to find a few illusions. If you practice until your tricks are flawless and you develop an on-stage persona, you could be well on your way to a solid part-time business. And, so long as you use common, everyday items as props in your act, you can start this business on a shoestring.
IN THE CARAVAN: You don't have to spend a lot of money to start your own business. You can start all ten of these businesses on a shoestring.
LATER TODAY: What to Do If You're Blackballed (Podcast)
NEXT FRIDAY: How Can I Find a Job When I'm Pregnant?
Check out last Friday's posts:
Q & A: How to Get Blood From a Stone
Q & A Podcast: How Do I Fill Seasonal Employment Gaps?
You really don't have to spend huge money to start a business. The old saying that you have to have money to make money is still true, but in many cases, the ratios have changed. That is to say, you don't necessarily have to already be rich or go into deep debt to get a business up and running. You really can start a business on a shoestring. In fact, here are ten that you could start today:
1 ) Your own product line. Yes, you can start your own product line business on a shoestring. In fact, you can even start your own product line for less than a shoestring. All you need is some creativity and a broadband Internet connection. Head over to CafePress or Zazzle and you'll be able to design your own shirts, hoodies, calendars, mugs, plates and more. The nice part, here, is that you don't even have to carry - or ship - the inventory yourself. They'll do it for you.
2 ) Hot sauce. You can start a hot sauce business on a shoestring. There are a couple sites that provide "private label" services. Think of a "private label" hot sauce like a department store credit card: you pay to have your label put on their product, then you sell the product and keep the profit (this is how department stores make extra profit off their cards). I wrote a piece a while back for Associated Content about how you can start a hot sauce business on a shoe string and score some pretty nice money in the process. While HotSauce.com is mentioned in that piece, you can also try FireGirl.com, too.
3 ) Gift baskets. Yes, you can start a gift basket business on a shoestring. There are a number of ways to do this. One way to start a gift basket business on a shoestring is to follow Tori's two-part advice on PaidOpps on how to make money off totally free samples and how to turn free samples into dollar bills. Another great way to start this business on a shoestring is to buy closeout items on the cheap, then repackage and sell them for a profit. There's a well thought-out post on how to do just that here.
4 ) eBay. You just knew you'd find this online auction site here, didn't you? It's how a lot of people start a business on a shoestring. Even with eBay's fee increases for sellers, it's still a great way to have a business without a lot of overhead. eBay attracts tons of shoppers, after all. In fact, that's how I started making money online years ago. While there are a number of other sites you can use that charge fewer fees - and you should experiment with a number of them - eBay attracts the most shoppers. Start by selling your own stuff, then pick up more stuff to sell at garage sales.
5 ) Rock and roll all night. If you can sing and/or know how to play a musical instrument, then you can start a band - which is one of the most simple ways to start a business on a shoestring. Most have been to bars where there's a house band. Most have also gone somewhere where there's just one musician who also sings. These singers and musicians started their music business on a shoestring - and so can you. Pitch your act to bars, coffee shops, party houses and for weddings and other functions.
6 ) Party everyday. There are a lot of people who party for a living - and started their business on a shoestring. They help organize parties to sell products like Avon, Amway, Princess House and more. If you're an outgoing, creative person, then you'll be able to develop many ways to sell the products. There are tons of people making very good money out there (think of how often do you see a high-performing Mary Kay seller driving a pink Cadillac) - and they all started their businesses on a shoestring. Seriously. In many cases, they started their businesses for $100 or less.
7 ) Blog. Yes, blog. The Daily Machete wouldn't still be around if it didn't make money, and neither would most other blogs that have been around for as long as the one you're currently reading. Blogging is perfect for those who want to start a business on a shoestring because you can start a blog for free with services like Blogger. Even if you decide to "do the dot com," you'll only pay a nominal fee per month. And you can make money many different ways: paid posting services (e.g. PayPerPost, Sponsored Reviews, etc.), advertising (like Adsense), and though affiliates (such as Amazon.com).
8 ) Make it up as you go. Summer's ramping up. And when summer hits, there are tons of fairs and festivals, where people sell their wares in booths. If you like making crafts, you could be one of them. Selling at festivals is a great business to start on a shoestring because you've probably already made tons of crafts (or jellies, mustards, paintings or whatever) that you can showcase. If so, then you already have the materials you need to start your business. Your expenses will include your supplies, as well as the cost of renting a booth for the weekend. To really ramp up your earnings, sell everywhere there's a festival within an hour's drive, sell from a website, sell at consignment shops and sell at flea markets.
9 ) Cater. If you can cook well, then you can cater - and it's a great business to start on a shoestring. Some caterers handle events, some only cater for families, and others just make one item (cakes, for instance). Even with the expected increase in food prices, your supplies will be cheap enough for you to pull a profit because you won't buy them until a customer places an order. And, if you have a number of orders or a large quantity to make, you may be able to buy your ingredients in bulk to save money - which makes your profits even higer.
10 ) What's that behind your ear? Magicians can easily make $100 per birthday party performance - and easily do three birthday parties on Saturdays and another three on Sundays. That's $600 per week - or $30,000 per year on the side. The best part is you can start this business on a shoestring. Go to the library for a couple books on magic and run a few Internet searches to find a few illusions. If you practice until your tricks are flawless and you develop an on-stage persona, you could be well on your way to a solid part-time business. And, so long as you use common, everyday items as props in your act, you can start this business on a shoestring.
IN THE CARAVAN: You don't have to spend a lot of money to start your own business. You can start all ten of these businesses on a shoestring.
LATER TODAY: What to Do If You're Blackballed (Podcast)
NEXT FRIDAY: How Can I Find a Job When I'm Pregnant?
Check out last Friday's posts:
Q & A: How to Get Blood From a Stone
Q & A Podcast: How Do I Fill Seasonal Employment Gaps?
Copyright 2007. All rights reserved.
Comments