Are you ready to start your dream business? Many people associate starting a business with huge expenses. The great news is that if you want to start a business, you can do it very inexpensively.
There are literally thousands of entrepreneurs making hundreds of thousands of dollars working from home. An equally high number have combined their home and a vehicle to provide services ranging from music lessons to personal chef services; from concierge services to software training; from auto detailing to pet grooming.
The term “cheap business ideas” does not mean that the business is cheap in terms of quality or value. In fact, many of these businesses are in major demand right now. There is a growing market for services that customers cannot do or do not want to do for themselves.
Recently, a freelance company called Upwork posted the 20 Most in Demand Skills of 2015. The interesting thing about their list of skills is that you can build a business around any of them very inexpensively.
From Your Home Office
The rapidly expanding world of freelancing makes working from your home an ideal way to start. Job postings for editing, proof reading, and content writing have the potential for you to make a good living through your love of words and writing.
If you are fluent in more than one language, translation services are in demand. Freelancers translate French, German, Dutch, Spanish, Italian, Arabic, and Hungarian to name a few.
You may have expertise in a specific field and experience teaching it to others. Providing online courses and tutoring are other ways to get started working from home.
Do you type quickly and accurately? Medical transcription is another area where you can work directly from home. It is important to know that all ‘to and from’ communication must be conducted on a secure link to protect patients. Setting this up may be an initial expense you need to incur.
The rapid increase in social media marketing has opened doors for those who can assist small businesses with their social media presence. The business owner may say, “Yes I know I need to get on there but I just don’t have the time!” That’s where you come in – ensuring their pages are up to date, adding photos and postings of special events, responding to posts, and answering customer questions. Social media consulting is on the rise.
All of these kinds of at-home businesses do require up to date software and a strong, consistent internet connection. A good printer, a scanner, and a reasonably new computer will also make your life much easier.
Should you have a home large enough to accommodate clients on site, you could provide music lessons, software training, personal care, and esthetician services. It is reasonably inexpensive to outfit a spare room to provide those services, and it’s ideal if it has its own entrance. Check with your local government and your insurance agent for rules and regulation for home-based businesses where clients are on site.
Mobile
Another inexpensive way to develop a business is to become a mobile company. Services delivered to the client’s home or office are on the rise. Services such as bike repair, mobile pet grooming, or auto detailing as well as software training or music lessons, cooking, handling errands, house cleaning, childcare, and more.
As working parents struggle to make money, commute, and try to spend some time with their children, having someone else take on the tasks of everyday living can be a dream come true.
For all of the mobile business ideas you will need a solid, reliable, and well-cared for vehicle. Other considerations are:
- What will you be using it for?
- How often?
- How much space do you need?
For example, childcare business certainly requires proper safety-approved child seats. Cooking may mean taking along your favorite tools of the trade, and deliveries may be handled best from a hatchback or van.
Event planning is another area that can be managed from home but also requires a vehicle. Are you that person who just seems to have a knack for putting together the best parties? Have people suggested that you do it for a living? Perhaps event planning will be your niche. You will need to put in significant effort to gather together an extensive list of suppliers – caterers, party rental businesses, musicians, and DJs – and network with facilities that host events large and small.
This article has touched on 25+ possible cheap business ideas. These are just the tip of an ever-increasing iceberg. If you are serious about researching even more cheap business ideas and finding the perfect one for you, take some time to dig around on the net and see what else might be out there just waiting for your skill set.
Monika Beck
Monika Beck is a serial entrepreneur and the co-founder of Success Harbor a website for entrepreneurs. Success Harbor is dedicated to documenting the entrepreneurial journey through interviews, original research, and unique content. Monika Beck is also co-founder of a website designer and online marketing company.
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Because that is the rule of business. Profitable may not be cheap. Cheap may not be profitable. You cannot get both.