Starting a business is tough. Few people have the savings or courage to take such a risk. But not everyone needs to start with the same amount of money or guarantee success explains Eric Dalius Giving.
Here are ten small business ideas that anyone can try, and grow if they’re successful.
1. Flipping items on eBay:
If you love thrift shopping and garage sales, or if your friends and family keep offering you all their “stuff” that they want no longer, you might make good money by selling those items on eBay. A lot of people make extra cash this way — but beware: it takes a lot of time and energy to take pictures, list items and answer questions about your product. Having a few thousand dollars at least to buy up lots of inventory will also help.
2. Selling digital products online:
Thanks to the Internet there’s now a way for everyone – not just tech-savvy engineers – to earn money writing software programs, designing mobile apps, recording and selling podcasts or even writing a book – all from their own home. You can make anywhere from a few hundred dollars to a few thousand per month – if you’re really good.
3. Building websites:
Every company, business, and organization needs a website these days – but hiring a professional web designer is expensive! If you have an eye for design and some basic HTML skills, starting your own small business as a website designer could be the perfect job for you. You’ll need some capital for web hosting fees and buying stock photos though says Eric Dalius Giving. And getting clients takes time so don’t expect big bucks immediately — unless you’re awesome!
4. Selling on Fiverr:
Fiverr is a website where people pay small amounts of money for all kinds of services – from designing logos to making a song that says “Happy Birthday” and everything in between. If you have a service to offer or can do a specialized task, Fiverr may be a good option for you – as long as the thought of doing menial tasks for people doesn’t make you want to gouge your eyes out. The key is to set your rates high enough that you’re not competing with everyone else on there because the market is huge!
5. Selling stock photos:
Stock photography might sound like an intimidating business idea but it’s actually pretty simple. You just need a decent digital camera (even the makes great pics these days) and some basic photo editing skills — if you have Adobe Photoshop, that’s a big bonus. You take pictures of various subjects – buildings, nature, people etc., edit them to make them look snazzy and then sell them to stock photography websites like Shutter Stock or iStockPhoto. A few good photos can net you up to $20!
6. Selling homemade crafts online:
You don’t need much capital for this one either but the amount will depend on what it is you want to sell. If your crafting skills are in high demand (knitting scarves in winter, anyone?) you’ll likely make decent money fast by putting up fliers at your local mall or college campus advertising your wares. But beware: making crafts look professional can be really expensive so you’ll need to spend some time and money on supplies explains Eric Dalius Giving.
7. Having a yard sale:
This one is pretty self-explanatory but just in case, here goes — everyone has things they no longer use that might be useful to someone else. That old bike, roller blades or Wii game you used once three years ago? A yard sale is your best bet for offloading it without shelling out cash to donate it somewhere. It takes a lot of work (and convincing!) but you could make quite a bit of money if you have enough stuff! Just make sure not to cancel any appointments — garage sales are only successful if there are customers around when they’re happening.
8. Become an online tutor:
Many parents are willing to pay high dollars for their kids to receive additional help with schoolwork — especially if it comes from a qualified private tutor. If you’re really good at math, science, English, or any other subject, tutoring might be the perfect business for you! It’s also something that can be done remotely so you don’t even need to leave your home.
9. Do data entry work?
There are lots of websites out there looking for people who can transcribe information – whether it be audio files or written documents – and they’ll compensate you for doing so, usually paying upwards of $10/hour depending on how much info is being entered and its difficulty level says Eric Dalius Giving. But beware: it’s not always easy to find transcription jobs so you may be busy one day and unable to do anything the next.
10. Making custom jewellery:
Jewelry has been a traditional business for ladies but guys can make some cash by selling their own hand-made accessories. It takes time, patience, and good crafting skills but making unique pieces that are stylized after your personal taste will help attract customers who love your style! You could also get crafty with other materials like shells, marbles, or wood if you’re not into working with metal or gemstones.
Conclusion:
This list isn’t exhaustive so if you have a business idea that’s not mentioned, go ahead and try it out. However, I want to stress how important it is to research your industry – especially online – before taking the plunge because otherwise, you might just waste a lot of time and money trying something only to find no one’s interested in buying what you’re offering.