Businesses You Can Start Part-Time, page 15

People who want a low-cost food business, enjoy being out in public, and can grind through permits and weather

Startup cost

$3,000 – $15,000

Monthly earnings

$1,500 – $7,000 / mo

First income

1 to 3 months

Skilled musicians who can lead a tight band and run it like a service business, not a hobby

Startup cost

$3,000 – $25,000

Monthly earnings

$800 – $12,000 / mo

First income

2 to 4 months

Detail-oriented, trustworthy people who like hands-on technical work and being the calm help in a stressful moment

Startup cost

$3,000 – $20,000

Monthly earnings

$2,500 – $11,000 / mo

First income

1 to 3 months

Experienced mechanics who want to escape shop overhead and work directly with customers at their location

Startup cost

$3,000 – $25,000

Monthly earnings

$3,000 – $12,000 / mo

First income

2 to 4 weeks

Hands-on, detail-oriented people who can run a clean, controlled grow room and build steady restaurant and market accounts for a perishable product

Startup cost

$3,000 – $25,000

Monthly earnings

$300 – $6,000 / mo

First income

2 to 4 months

Patient, people-focused photographers who are great with anxious parents and fragile infants and want a referral-driven, studio-based niche

Startup cost

$3,000 – $20,000

Monthly earnings

$1,000 – $8,000 / mo

First income

1 to 3 months

Outgoing hosts who can entertain a room and sell seats, not just paint well

Startup cost

$3,000 – $60,000

Monthly earnings

$1,500 – $12,000 / mo

First income

1 to 3 months

Patient, detail-obsessed people willing to spend months building a genuinely difficult hand skill before earning well

Startup cost

$3,000 – $25,000

Monthly earnings

$2,000 – $12,000 / mo

First income

2 to 6 months

Hands-on people with vehicle and storage space who want a weekend-heavy local business and can handle physical setup and logistics

Startup cost

$3,000 – $50,000

Monthly earnings

$1,500 – $12,000 / mo

First income

2 to 6 weeks

Hands-on, organized people who can do or manage property maintenance work and tolerate slow B2B payment in exchange for steady volume

Startup cost

$3,000 – $20,000

Monthly earnings

$2,000 – $12,000 / mo

First income

1 to 3 months

Mechanically handy people who can tolerate night and weekend calls and want a mobile service with recurring motor-club volume

Startup cost

$3,000 – $20,000

Monthly earnings

$2,000 – $9,000 / mo

First income

2 to 6 weeks

Hands-on, design-minded people who want a production print shop serving teams, events, and local businesses on bulk orders

Startup cost

$3,000 – $35,000

Monthly earnings

$2,000 – $15,000 / mo

First income

1 to 3 months

Physical, weather-tolerant people who want a seasonal cash business with low overhead and strong repeat demand

Startup cost

$3,000 – $25,000

Monthly earnings

$3,000 – $15,000 / mo

First income

2 to 6 weeks

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

Brand- and marketing-minded people with a distinctive blend who want a shelf-stable product they can sell online and into retail

Startup cost

$3,000 – $60,000

Monthly earnings

$500 – $9,000 / mo

First income

2 to 5 months

Visual storytellers who can both shoot and edit and are comfortable selling project work to businesses

Startup cost

$3,000 – $25,000

Monthly earnings

$1,500 – $12,000 / mo

First income

3 to 8 weeks

Hands-on people comfortable in attics, crawlspaces, and on ladders who like problem-solving and don't mind handling live animals and droppings

Startup cost

$3,000 – $25,000

Monthly earnings

$3,000 – $15,000 / mo

First income

1 to 3 months

Movement-minded people who like teaching one-on-one and small groups and are willing to invest months in real certification first

Startup cost

$3,500 – $30,000

Monthly earnings

$1,200 – $7,000 / mo

First income

3 to 9 months

Active, personable people in a tourist or scenic area who enjoy storytelling, the outdoors, and managing a fleet and seasonal demand

Startup cost

$4,000 – $40,000

Monthly earnings

$800 – $12,000 / mo

First income

1 to 3 months

Detail-obsessed people who want a higher-ticket specialty than basic detailing and will invest in paint-correction skill

Startup cost

$4,000 – $35,000

Monthly earnings

$3,000 – $14,000 / mo

First income

1 to 2 months

Technically minded people comfortable with software and data who want to serve construction, surveying, and agriculture rather than shoot pretty photos

Startup cost

$4,000 – $30,000

Monthly earnings

$1,500 – $12,000 / mo

First income

2 to 4 months

Hands-on people who can master surface prep, work meticulously, and want a high-ticket trade with strong margins

Startup cost

$4,000 – $25,000

Monthly earnings

$3,000 – $18,000 / mo

First income

3 to 6 weeks

Technically minded, physically capable people who can manage gear, work intense weekend setups, and build relationships with venues and event planners

Startup cost

$4,000 – $40,000

Monthly earnings

$2,000 – $14,000 / mo

First income

1 to 2 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