Often young entrepreneurs have big ideas, but cash deficit holds them down. If you need to amass money for your big idea, start small. The best ways to start a business on a budget is to start a service. For services, customers are more likely to agree to pay an advance deposit on the work, which reduces the initial investment on your part. Here are five businesses you can start with $500 or less.
Gardening and landscaping
If you have a passion for plants or have spent hours in your garden tending to the magnolias and germaniums, you can start charging money for it. To start gardening and landscaping service, you have to buy mower, blower, rake, shovel and organic supplies; if you know where to look, you can manage the entire outlay in $450.
Food delivery service
There must be a number of popular eateries in your neighborhood that do not provide delivery service; delivering meals to offices and even homes can fetch you as much as $3 to $5 per meal delivered. Offices mostly order food in bulk; charging a minimum amount apiece will give you a healthy profit per run. You only need a motorcycle (or even a bicycle if you deliver a smaller region) for the start-up.
Painting or decorating service
If you have a knack for painting or brightening up the house, you can start a service. You need brushes, rollers, tarpaulins, towels, ladders etc- all of which you can buy for about $200. Build rapport with your local hardware store so that you can get discounts on paint. As decorators charge steeply these days, you can do very well with a competitive price.
Pool service
For starting pool cleaning service, you would need chemicals, cleaning equipment, brush, net, hose and so on; you can wrap it up in just under $400. Start with homes, smaller pools. If you do a good job and build a reputation, you will have public swimming pools asking for your service.
Party planner
A lot of young college-goers earn a few extra bucks by planning parties; if you have planned a few successful events, you can consider going professional. For party planners, the initial investment is little to none. However, having contacts of good catering and decorating services is very important.
Apart from these, website designing or carpentry or automobile detailing is a good option as well. However, they require certain skills which everyone may not possess. The aforementioned five businesses can be looked after by anyone, which make them the best budget business start-ups.
