Cool Small Business Start-Ups On The Cheap

• Handyman

Homeowners are trying to find handymen like never before, and they’re hard to find. Home improvement projects are expensive, and homeowners with little know how and a lot of work needed are dying to come across the jack-of-all-trades. If you have the know-how and the tools, you can establish a great small business and run it as a sole proprietorship. If going solo isn’t your thing, you can connect yourself with the many handyman franchise operations around the country.

• Amazon Book Seller

Like books? You can make a very decent living selling used books on Amazon.com. If you have a car and a computer then you can start making money off Amazon book sales in as little as a few days. The hook is to search through thrift stores, garage sales, and flea markets for great books and re-sell them at a higher margin on Amazon to people looking for those particular books. You need to know your authors and publishers well for this type of start-up. What separates to successful Amazon bookseller from the rest is this simple fact. For example, a boring law book can be picked up at a yard sale for a quarter and sold to a law student online for up to two hundred dollars. It happens every day!

• House/Pet/Babysitter

Times are tough. Get back to the basics and pick up a ton of extra cash sitting in for someone while they’re away. In a post 9/11 economy more Americans are concerned about security for their loved ones. Take advantage of this. You need nothing for this start-up; only trustworthiness and reliability. This job also affords you the opportunity to work on studying another start-up while your sitting around waiting for your clients to return. If you have little cash and not  many skills, this could be a gateway to more lucrative opportunities.

• Word Processing Service

All you need for this one is a laptop, and if you want to go all out, a good mechanical keyboard. Businesses, students, law firms and more are always in need of professional typing services. If you have the discipline and typing skills them you can supplement your income from home, the library, or anywhere you choose. Put up a craigslist add and you will be surprised at how many responses coming in from professional businesses and the like. Write your own rates and build an impressive resume with respectable clients. You can double your income by adding resume or report writing to your services.

• Bed and Breakfast/Small-Inn

If you have a stately home or simply a charming one, you can open your doors to travelers from all over the world looking for that special bed and breakfast experience. This is good for couples looking to pay off a mortgage, or retired people who don’t have many visitors and like the extra income. Turn those empty rooms into cash and get the thrill of meeting interesting people from all over. No cash is required for this start-up, but you must be a charming host, be able to cook, and don’t mind cleaning up after strangers.

• Mobile Auto Tune-Ups

If you’ve got the skills and a small truck or van you can offer a mobile automotive service in your area that is more then likely to succeed. People are getting more wary of taking their cars to garages with the increasing prices mechanics are charging for more complicated modern cars. Take advantage and offer basic services like oil changes and tire rotation on the cheap. If you have a garage at home, you can slowly build a customer base and continue on by doing more complicated repairs from home. Everyone loves an honest mechanic that will drive to them and save the day.

• Domestic Services

As couples, parents, and even singles are more busy working, those with domestic skills can capitalize on this and take care of people’s home needs. The income you can earn delivering groceries or doing laundry is more impressive then you might think. A car will be required for this job, but that’s it. This is important work, and the more skill you have around the house, the more services you can offer. Getting a gig cleaning a multi-million dollar house is easier to land then might think, and people pay well for a dependable person that can get things done.

• Light Trash Hauling

All you need is a pick-up truck and a little muscle to start a successful trash hauling business. People need this service for a variety of reasons. Old furniture, trash, and lawn waste pile up, and specialists will charge a steep fee to clean up after themselves. Offer the service for cheap and watch the money pile up. You can also turn around extra profit by taking in old furniture and scrap metal for cash. This is dirty work, though, and not for the faint. If you have some pep in your step and are looking to come up quick then flyer yourself out and take the calls. You can pick up extra side work to as you meet with homeowners, lawn care services, etc.

• Computer Repair

If you grew up on the cusp of the information age and have been working with computers for a while then chances are you know how to fix most people’s computer problems. If you can change out a light bulb then you can change a hard drive, and get paid handsomely. Older folks who get computers to stay in touch with their kids make almost no attempt to learn anything about software. Start a mobile service and help these folks get connected. Computer problems drive people crazy. They feel powerless to these emerging technologies when things go wrong. Set their minds at ease and make great profits. Most people are hesitant to take their computers to a repair shop because they’re afraid to even disconnect the cables from the back of the tower. Mobilize your service and swoop in to save the day. Computers aren’t going anywhere, and the skills required to fix them are getting more complicated. Take advantage of your previous know how and get into this lucrative game.

• Auto Detailing

Another tired but true way to make a dollar. Americans are still in love with their cars, and like to keep them clean, as long as it’s someone else doing the work. A full detail to a new Cadillac starts at one hundred dollars and goes up from there. Two hours max for a job; you do the math. A simple trailer hitch, a pressurized water pump, and miscallanious car cleaning things is all that’s required to start a successful detailing business. The added advantage to this start-up; getting a list of clientele with hot cars that want them detailed every month. With around twenty loyal clients that drive expensive cars, you can put a killer small business under your belt in around five months. When you get enough clients you can expand this business easily.