3 Simple Business Startups Anyone Can Do With Little or No Money

I am happy to introduce you to 3 simple business ideas that require very little initial investment aside from some ambition and a good work ethic.

I write these 3 business ideas based on experience. I’ve done them all, having eventually run them all at the same time. With proper time management, you can easily manage these two or three businesses with time to spare. I’d recommend you take it easy at first. Try just one out for a while. Once you’ve figured it out and are hungry for more, move on to the next one. Remember, this is real work. But you will work for no man, and will not be slave to whistle, clock, or bell. There is no greater feeling in the world.

It’s best if you have a pickup truck or large van for this to easily transport your goodies. Storage space is also important to build up some inventory. The more goods you have, the more browsing options your customers will have, which will increase your chances of making a sale.

You would be surprised at the number of quality goods people will post on the free section of Craigslist, with furniture being the most common. Which is good for you, because quality furniture is always in demand, never goes out of style, and requires no experience to find, buy, and sell.

Besides the free section on Craigslist, you should always:

-Be on the lookout for cheap quality furniture on Craigslist that will easily double your money or more

-Roam affluent neighborhoods on garbage day

-Roam college neighborhoods when summer break is around the corner. Rich college kids will throw anything away.

Advertising

-Post your goods on craigslist. But don’t be greedy. Ask for reasonable prices, maybe even drastically undercut the competition and become known as the guy with super cheap, quality goods.

-Make business cards

-Advertise in college neighborhoods

-Make a website if you have enough goods

If you grow large enough, you may even be able to hire a part time crew to sell for you at flea markets and do all the grunt work.

What I really like about this idea is the fact that all you really need is your bike/car to get you around and your tools, which can easily fit in a backpack.

Many people will leave their bicycles in disrepair for months, and even years over something as trivial as a flat. Simply because they are too lazy to fix it themselves or take it to a bike shop. But with you as the friendly neighborhood bicycle mechanic, a seemingly difficult repair job is only a phone call away. Cheaper than a local bike shop too! (If you choose to undercut the competition)

Don’t fret if you don’t have experience in bicycle repair. A few weeks of study and practice and you’ll be on your way. Check out your local bicycle shops and enquire about bicycle repair classes. Most places offer free or very affordable courses. Check out a few bicycle repair books at your local library and study hard. The basic tools needed for bicycle repairs are very affordable and you can find them even cheaper used.

How to gain clientele:

-Offer very competitive services. Look into your competition’s rates (local bike shops) and drastically undercut, while still making a decent profit of course.

-Offer emergency services. Weird hours, rain, or snow shall be no obstacle, for a special emergency fee.

-Business cards

-Advertise on craigslist and bicycle friendly establishments such as Wholefoods and college campus businesses.

You’ll need storage space and a truck or large van for this one.

Junk bicycles are a dime a dozen and can be seen everywhere on garbage day and the free section on craigslist. Even if the bicycles seem to be beyond repair, you can always harvest them for parts and sell the useless parts to scrap dealers. Win-win.

Quality bicycles tend to be thrown away a lot in rich folk neighborhoods, usually because of some minor damage or simply because they are moving away. It’s best to get there before the scrappers do.

If you have the funds, you can always buy cheap quality bikes, do some repairs and sell for a lot more than your initial investment.

How to gain clientele:

-Advertise repaired bikes on Craigslist

-Advertise in college neighborhoods

Make Money:

- Charge money to deliver bikes. A fee of $5 is reasonable to most people.

- Waste not want not. Even a pile of useless bike frames and parts can make you money at the scrap yard.

- Even the ugliest looking bike will sell as long as it works right.

Keep in mind that this is a summarized account of some of my money making exploits. If you have any questions feel free to comment. Later on I’ll be posting more detailed guides for each business idea as well as more business ideas.