Killer Business Ideas

Many would-be entrepreneurs are in search of good business ideas that are low cost, so I thought I’d put together a list of my favorite, ever-reliable small businesses that anyone can start with little or no money.  These may not be the most fulfilling start-ups, but if quick cash is your main concern then you really can’t go wrong with one of these ideas.

1.  Start a house painting business.  If you have a good work ethic, a steady hand, and at least average customer service skills then you can quickly generate some serious cash as a house painter.  It’s one of those industries that’s always in high demand and will probably be with us forever.  The market is huge if you have the ambition to go for it.  Your start-up costs are ridiculously low as you’ll need little more than brushes, rollers, trays, and cover sheets.  Eventually you’ll upgrade by purchasing ladders, sprayers, etc. but these are not necessary in the beginning.  I know local small-time painters who average $50 an hour and are consistently booked for two months out or more.

2.  Start a power washing and window cleaning business.  This is one of the easiest good business ideas here because it could work as either a side service for your painting business or as a stand-alone operation, but either way it’s a good business idea and a real money-maker.  Your initial costs would probably be in the $500 area as you’d need to purchase a basic pressure washer along with hoses and tips, but this would quickly be recouped with only a few jobs.  Pressure washing is so simple that anyone can learn to do it well in no time at all.  Window cleaning skills will take a little more time to perfect but will add an additional revenue stream to the mix, and all you need is a squeegee and a few towels!  The great thing about a pressure cleaning business is that over time you will add repeat commercial accounts to your list of customers which will mean more time earning money and less time hunting down new work.  If you price your jobs appropriately and work hard it is not unrealistic to eventually get to a point where you are consistently earning $50,000 or more a year as a sole operator.

3.  Start a lawn care and landscaping business.  This has to be one of the easiest and cheapest startup businesses on the planet.  To start out you’ll need three things you probably already own: a mower, a trimmer, and a broom.  A truck or trailer would also be helpful but are not necessary in the beginning.  This is one business that I have personally tried and I can tell you from experience that the opportunity to make a quick and substantial profit from mowing grass is there for the taking.  You will have lots of competitors in this space that will range from 13 year-old kids to mega corporations, but if you do good work and price fairly you will eventually have more work than you can handle.  I know a local man who teaches school nine months out of the year and mows lawns for six months out of the year and guess which one earns him more money every year?  Yep, the lawn mowing.

4.  Start a pet waste removal service.  Okay, before you laugh this one off just keep in mind that some of the most profitable industries are cash cows primarily because they address problems that are disgusting.  Therefore nobody wants to do it.  Therefore there’s a huge opportunity to make money.  If you’re a cheap person then you’re going to love this one because all you’re going to need to get started is a shovel and a trash bag.  Seriously, if you can’t make instant and meaningful money with this small business idea then you’re doing something wrong.  Talk about huge profit margins.  Yes, your friends and family may initially make fun of you for starting a poop scooping business but their tune will change when they start seeing the large amounts of cash that you’re pulling in.

5.  Start a junk removal service.  There’s a virtually endless supply of people who have junk sitting around their home, and you might be surprised by how many of them are actually willing to pay someone to haul it away.  If you doubt the profitability of this idea then consider the story of 1-800-Got-Junk?.  It was started by a college kid who had nothing more than an old pickup truck and the desire to make some extra money.  Today it’s a worldwide enterprise that does annual sales in the hundreds of millions.  If you have a truck or van and aren’t afraid of some hard work then this could be the opportunity for you.  You can charge people to haul away their junk, and then sell some of it to recycling centers for additional income.

6.  Start a residential maid service.  Like many good business ideas that are very lucrative, home cleaning services can rake in a lot of money because costs are so low.  If you can afford to spend $50 on scrub brushes, mops, and cleaning chemicals then you have all it takes to get this business off the ground.  As is the case with many of the businesses on this list, your earnings are limited only by your work ethic.  If you don’t mind cleaning up other peoples’ messes then you can make a very good living in this line of work.  Another bonus is that, like exterior cleaning, this service lends itself to repeat business so that less of your budget is tied up in marketing efforts.

7.  Become a tutor or instructor.  If you have knowledge of a subject or are highly skilled in something but have never been able to convert it into meaningful income then becoming a tutor, instructor, or coach could be a good move for you.  Parents spend unbelievable amounts of money to ensure that their children are up to speed on everything from math to language arts, so becoming an in-home tutor could be a very lucrative venture.  If you’re a musician you can give private lessons to local young people who are intent on mastering a particular instrument.  If you have an athletic background you can set up strength and training sessions for local high school athletes who hope of someday competing at the college level.  The startup costs for these types of businesses are typically very low, especially if you’re an academic tutor.

8.  Start an event photography and/or videography business.  Most people don’t realize how much money can be made as a professional photographer, especially when it comes to weddings.  If you’re highly skilled and have a good reputation you can often demand in the thousands of dollars for a wedding shoot, and that’s before any prints or albums have even been purchased!  Wedding videographers can sometimes make even more, believe it or not.  If you already own a good camera and some editing equipment then your costs up front are virtually zero, and it doesn’t get any better than that.  Another bonus with these good business ideas is that it could easily work as a part-time enterprise on the weekends if you want to hang onto that day job for awhile longer.

9.  Start a resume writing business.  There is BIG money to be made in resume writing if you’re good at it and have some experience.  In fact, if you price your work correctly and have a steady stream of clients it’s not out of the question to earn six figures on a yearly basis.  Lots of people need a resume at any given time, but only a small minority of them actually have the writing skills to pull it off in any kind of passable way.  This kind of service is often a great fit for people who earned a degree in English but are struggling to find a well-paying career in writing.  Take my word for it that unless you’re a professional screenwriter, novelist, or high-level editor then you should consider becoming a resume writer, even if only part time.  It is boring and monotonous work but the pay can be downright unbeatable.  Start-up costs?  A computer and a printer.

10.  Start a home daycare business.  If you love kids and have your days free then starting your own home daycare service could be a perfect match for you.  Depending on your state you may have to get licensed first, but once that’s in place you’re ready to go.  Upfront costs would be minimal: toys, mats, a first-aid kit, and snacks.  With so many moms and dads in the workplace these days this is an industry that should continue to grow at a healthy clip year after year.  Traditional daycare centers often charge an arm and a leg for their services, so you could undercut them and still make a very nice living.  The only catch is that you better have a huge amount of patience for this kind of service.  If you don’t absolutely love kids and can’t tolerate the occasional whiny parent then you probably need to find another idea.

So there you have it – ten good business ideas that have low start-up costs and are near instant money-makers.  If you need cash flow right away then one of these could be just the thing for you.

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