Comments on: 50 Side Businesses You Can Start On Your Own

By: TheBudgeteer

TheBudgeteer — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 00:35:05 +0000

What’s great about this list is that you can pick more than one side project and see what works the best. Lots of good ideas here to explore.

By: M Maslowski

M Maslowski — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 15:59:24 +0000

It is absolutely not true that you do not have to file any legal documents to have a sole proprietorship.

Many cities and towns require a home occupancy certificate or other “home business” license in order for you to run a business out of your home. There may also be zoning requirements. States and counties often require you to file doing-business-as documents if you want your business to have a name other than your own.

How do I know this? I went through the trouble of starting a strictly-online web design business, making it an LLC and everything, and then Surprise! The town I live in says they “do not allow home business.” Really? In the USA?

So now what? Break the local law and do it anyway? Move? Do yourself a favor and check with your city or town first.

So much for encouraging small business in this country. I know for a fact the local “dog walker” works “under the table” – but I can’t start my own home business. Love it.

By: Dave Paulson

Dave Paulson — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 05:12:08 +0000

Or you can sell your business ideas at my site, people make over 400$ a month! check it out!

By: Coleslaw

Coleslaw — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 20:31:22 +0000

Awesome List!
I think this is a good idea source. I am sure anyone that takes an idea from this list will do the required homework and research before they jump into it. I don’t think the average Joe out there will just say “Hey I think tomorrow morning when I wake up I am going to be a _________”. If you have the motivation and the time, there is no reason not to take on a side business and be successful at it.
To all the doomsday prophets out there, HOLY COW! Give someone a chance will ya. This was just a list of ideas, not a comprehensive, step-by-step guide on how to start up business ______. In my opinion, it sounds like everyone that puts all the reasons not to do something are more afraid of a little competition then anything else.
I would hope that anyone considering these ideas would look into the requirements and the red tape before just jumping in, but at the same time I say GO FOR IT!! You never know what might happen until you try. “If you aim at nothing you will always hit it”. Look at Famous Amos, he started selling cookies on the advice of his friends and family, now look where he is.

By: elvis

elvis — Sun, 26 Sep 2010 13:03:37 +0000

What a great list i will go for candl making and cleanig service.i need somebody to link me with someone who will teach me how to make candle.

By: anon

anon — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 10:53:42 +0000

The problem with this list is that they’re all time-consuming jobs. A good side business is one that pays you for a product that you can sell a million times over, not the time spent in making the product.

By: Ken

Ken — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 02:44:33 +0000

To the person who put the list together: you can’t do some of the items listed above. Those the relate to food from your home! Catering, cakes, cookies, etc. Check local city and state laws (health dept). Plus they will not approve your home for that type of production!

By: MOHAMMED IRFAN

MOHAMMED IRFAN — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 03:48:27 +0000

ITS INTRESTING TO WATCH LIKE THIS AMZING SITES IN YOUR IDEA WEB SITES…..ITS HELP THE YOUUNG AGERS FOR MONEY

By: Go Cougs

Go Cougs — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 04:56:26 +0000

Being a college student who plans on owning a physical therapy business down the road, I have been strongly considering starting a small scale business more for the sake of fun and learning than making millions. Some of my friends are very skilled photographers and would like to make some money on their work, but not motivated enough to get their names/work out in the public eye. I have been considering playing the role of their ‘agent’ (for lack of a better word). My plan is to use mostly internet and word of mouth as well as displaying their work in businesses in the communities around where we live. With that background info, do you have any suggestions?

By: netskie

netskie — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 03:47:45 +0000

just wanna ask f there are companies who are offering financial assistance especially if you dont have extra money for starting a business

By: rob

rob — Wed, 19 May 2010 12:55:23 +0000

i`d like to go with candle or cookie making….i think cookies but im sure i would have to test some in each batch!

By: anthony

anthony — Wed, 19 May 2010 11:15:50 +0000

very nice article, many key niches reviewed quite detailed. But i haven’t found any info on scrap metal business!
For those of you, who is looking for an interesting niche that is not in the list i suggest taking a look at scrap metal, a brief article about it can be found here:

http://metal-scrap.net/blog/?id=1

By: Adrian

Adrian — Thu, 06 May 2010 09:30:08 +0000

I feel this is a list more for people who want to stop working for someone and start working for themselves. With that being said…

To all of you griping about businesses listed not being cheap to start, not having the necessary knowledge to go about starting one of these businesses, or want a quick fix to your monetary hassles; here are some things to consider.

First; you will ALWAYS have to spend money to make money!!! Nothing in this world is free and everything takes time and patience. Even if something is going to cost you thousands of dollars for necessary equipment, insurance, promoting, or other misscellaneous items; go for it. But make sure you have a plan and the drive necessary to follow through with the end result. Because if you do eventually you will make what you spent to start it up and much MUCH more. Most businesses start in debt, meaning they submitted a sound business plan to an investor or investors and were loaned the money to start their business.

Second; not having the necessary info. to start a business of your own in this day in age is NOT an excuse. It’s called the information super highway for a reason. Google, Yahoo, Bing, and ALL other search engines are at your disposal…USE THEM. You can find out ANYTHING just by typing any question and hitting ENTER. If you don’t get the results you were hoping for rephrase and try again. You can find out anything from the necessary items required to start the business of your choosing, the laws in your state for starting a home or other business, what to charge for your services in that particular industry, how to promote a new small business, etc. There is a never-ending stream of knowledge out there there for your taking, promise :D.

And lastly, there is NO quick fix!!! There is no “easy side business” to start. No matter what you’re going to have to do some kind of extra work to start a side business. You’ll have to pay taxes for that business unless you want to TRY to sneak it past the governments always watching eyes. You’ll have to buy supplies, equipment, promotional resourses(even if it’s only printer ink and paper to print flyers, gas to deliver those flyers, and a website for that business), again etc.

This is in no way meant to deter ANYONE from pursueing some means of a second income, but is instead meant to let you know that if there’s something you don’t know, you can find it, if there’s something you want go get it, and if you want freedom fight for it. Because having your own business is exactly that; freedom!!! So again in my opinion this isn’t a list for someone working for someone, but a list for those wanting to work for themselves, but it will take time, patience, and research. Stick with the job you have and buy the necessary equipment piece by piece. Once you have the equipment, make or provide your service to friends and family and take pictures of your work and have those people for references and make your business plan if you need one for a business you can’t run from home. Get legal by getting insurance and a business license if you’re required by your state to have those. It could take years to get to that point where you’re ready to start your business officially, and it may take thousands of dollars, but when the end result could be hundreds of thousands or even millions, is that such a bad thing?

By: Outdoorseaguy

Outdoorseaguy — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 18:32:08 +0000

I liked this article as it’s really supposed to get you thinking about things you might be able to do to get some extra income. This will work for some and not for others, obviously. Now that fall and winter have arrived in the Pacific Northwest, I’ve started a small side-business. I take people’s old VHS and cam-corder tapes and transfer them to DVDs, using an old VCR, tape adapter and my existing Mac. Basic transfers and copies, cost $20. More advanced ones where I edit out things or put in titles and transitions are $30-40 per tape. Sure, I have to be careful with fragile tapes, but so many people have tons and tons of video tapes of birthdays and holidays just sitting in drawers or shoe boxes. So yeah, people do start side-business and can make a little money to help pay off those credit cards.

By: Rosa Rugosa

Rosa Rugosa — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 23:14:23 +0000

Hey, #53 whoops
Wow, does that ever sound snotty! “Demean” yourselves? I’m sure I can’t be the only one who has had days at the office that would making pulling weeds and cleaning toilets seem pretty sweet in comparison! In any event, I have the utmost respect and gratitude for the woman who cleans the restrooms and supplies us with toilet paper. I’m glad she doesn’t find this too demeaning, or we would really be in a sorry state of affairs!

By: Karen

Karen — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 04:07:27 +0000

Teaching appears on your list a couple of times, (fitness, tutor, music). I would like to add teaching adult education classes at a local school or church too. I have taken gardening, craft and cooking classes. I know a professional welder who makes more money teaching night classes then he does waiting for union jobs. I used to work for a florist and I have taught classes such as making a holiday centerpeice and arranging supermarket bouquets. I took classes on understanding intrest rates and the stock market and the instuctor suggested teaching classes as a way to make extra $$ to pay down debt. Organic or herb gardening, any kind of cooking, sewing, knitting. There are classes in my area on tarot card reading, self-hypnosis, the power of positive thinking, journal writing, and how to play casino games (with a field trip). Don’t forget basic language courses. Basic carpentry, plumbing, electricity and home repair. Shop Math. Makeovers. Possibilities are endless. How about teaching web design!

By: joe

joe — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 06:17:03 +0000

It’s tough to make any business profitable when more and more compromising regulations and personable situations hinder the ability to do so . There are Many ideas on how to bleed honest large companies- and Now any small workforce !! That compromises startup and development- Now even local government need help so bad that their allowing gambling casinos — legal?

By: Julia

Julia — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 05:33:19 +0000

Addition to last post: I looked at Bethany’s site and realized that she’s a PhD student, not a professor. Even better! I have some great ideas for how to position my services on campus.

To other readers – have you thought about hiring someone for one of the jobs on Trent’s list? How about another kind of work or odd job? Do you have suggestions for people who are looking for this kind of side work? Thanks in advance!

By: Julia

Julia — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 05:23:18 +0000

@Bethany (#11) – Thank you so much for the tip! I was thinking of offering proofreading services to other students, but was worried that the stream of work would be too inconsistent. I hadn’t thought of advertising to professors. That’s perfect!

As for other business ideas, I’m surprised that no one else has mentioned bartending for private parties. It can be tough to get a part-time job at a bar if you have little or no experience (unless you know someone), but private parties could be an option for some people. If you’re a student (or recent graduate), you might be able to get work through your school’s alumni association.

By: Jess

Jess — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 12:05:54 +0000

I agree that you have to play to market with things like web design, but as long as it’s good enough for the customer, that’s enough.

I loved the list! I have a few hobbies that I could likely get a few extra dollars out of- cross stitching would be a favourite- and all I’d really want is recoup of materials, and maybe enough for an extra coffee or two. The whole point of hobby-businesses is that you enjoy doing it. If you’re looking for a serious income, then it’s more of a side-business. The two are pretty different. It’s like the difference between a casual job and a part time one.