Businesses for a Larger Investment — page 18

Detail-oriented makers who enjoy a real craft and can handle food regulations, seasonality, and finicky technique

Startup cost

$2,000 – $25,000

Monthly earnings

$500 – $7,000 / mo

First income

2 to 4 months

Patient, detail-obsessed people who like precise hands-on work and are willing to get licensed and build a recurring client base

Startup cost

$2,500 – $12,000

Monthly earnings

$1,000 – $7,000 / mo

First income

3 to 6 months

Creative makers who can design a clear, repeatable project and enjoy sourcing, assembly, and marketing a tangible product

Startup cost

$1,500 – $18,000

Monthly earnings

$200 – $7,000 / mo

First income

1 to 3 months

Cooks who love pasta-making and selling and accept that fresh pasta is perishable, so a commercial kitchen and reliable cold chain are non-negotiable

Startup cost

$4,000 – $30,000

Monthly earnings

$500 – $7,000 / mo

First income

2 to 4 months

People with sales ability and real estate finance literacy who can tolerate irregular, deal-dependent income

Startup cost

$2,000 – $25,000

Monthly earnings

$0 – $7,000 / mo

First income

3 to 8 months

Skilled fermenters willing to master food-safety regulation, who can handle perishable product and the grind of markets and wholesale

Startup cost

$5,000 – $40,000

Monthly earnings

$500 – $7,000 / mo

First income

3 to 6 months

People skilled at building trust and rapport who want to help clients with habits, stress, and performance within a clearly non-clinical scope

Startup cost

$1,500 – $12,000

Monthly earnings

$500 – $7,000 / mo

First income

2 to 5 months

People-oriented photographers who like working with entrepreneurs and businesses and can sell ongoing content, not just a single shoot

Startup cost

$2,000 – $12,000

Monthly earnings

$800 – $7,000 / mo

First income

1 to 3 months

Patient, mechanically inclined people willing to spend months learning a genuine craft trade with little competition

Startup cost

$2,000 – $25,000

Monthly earnings

$1,500 – $7,000 / mo

First income

1 to 4 months

Detail-oriented people who love baking, can sell a signature product, and want to start small from a home or cottage kitchen

Startup cost

$800 – $25,000

Monthly earnings

$800 – $7,000 / mo

First income

2 to 6 weeks

Performers who will put in the years of rehearsal a polished act demands and treat magic as a booking-and-marketing business, not just a hobby

Startup cost

$1,000 – $12,000

Monthly earnings

$600 – $7,000 / mo

First income

1 to 3 months

Service-minded people who can build a recurring delivery route and serve customers online giants ignore

Startup cost

$6,000 – $45,000

Monthly earnings

$1,500 – $7,000 / mo

First income

1 to 2 months

Detail-oriented operators comfortable with tenant management and local regulations who want higher cash flow than standard whole-unit rentals

Startup cost

$10,000 – $120,000

Monthly earnings

$500 – $7,000 / mo

First income

2 to 5 months

Detail-oriented people comfortable with compliance, data accuracy, and reselling regulated consumer reports to landlords

Startup cost

$1,500 – $12,000

Monthly earnings

$800 – $7,000 / mo

First income

1 to 3 months

Sociable, organized people who can work weekends and want a relatively low-cost, equipment-based events business

Startup cost

$3,000 – $20,000

Monthly earnings

$800 – $7,000 / mo

First income

1 to 3 months

Confident horse handlers who want hands-on bodywork in the equine world and can build trust with owners, barns, and the local veterinary community

Startup cost

$3,000 – $15,000

Monthly earnings

$1,000 – $6,500 / mo

First income

3 to 8 months

Sociable foodies who can build restaurant relationships and host a group through a tasting walk with energy and warmth

Startup cost

$1,500 – $10,000

Monthly earnings

$800 – $6,500 / mo

First income

1 to 3 months

People with a sharp eye for fashion and eras who can source cheaply, merchandise well, and stomach retail overhead

Startup cost

$15,000 – $90,000

Monthly earnings

$0 – $6,500 / mo

First income

2 to 5 months

People who know sneaker culture, can stomach inventory risk, and treat it as data-driven trading rather than a guaranteed flip

Startup cost

$500 – $10,000

Monthly earnings

$300 – $6,000 / mo

First income

2 to 6 weeks

People with mechanical knowledge, cash to tie up in inventory, and the patience to buy carefully and negotiate well

Startup cost

$4,000 – $30,000

Monthly earnings

$0 – $6,000 / mo

First income

3 to 8 weeks

People who want a recurring-subscription route business and are willing to grind for the customer density that makes it profitable

Startup cost

$2,000 – $30,000

Monthly earnings

$800 – $6,000 / mo

First income

2 to 6 weeks

Hands-on makers who enjoy building physical products and accept a real ceiling on how much one person can produce

Startup cost

$1,000 – $15,000

Monthly earnings

$200 – $6,000 / mo

First income

1 to 3 months

Skilled designers who understand both creative design and the unglamorous realities of patternmaking, production, inventory, and cash flow

Startup cost

$3,000 – $40,000

Monthly earnings

$0 – $6,000 / mo

First income

6 to 18 months

Detail-oriented people who like consistent indoor growing and are willing to sell to chefs and markets every week

Startup cost

$1,000 – $10,000

Monthly earnings

$500 – $6,000 / mo

First income

1 to 2 months