Businesses You Can Start for Under $500, page 2

People who already have a niche audience or expertise and genuinely enjoy facilitating, teaching, and showing up for members every week

Startup cost

$100 – $3,000

Monthly earnings

$200 – $10,000 / mo

First income

1 to 3 months

Detail-oriented people with solid Photoshop skills who enjoy meticulous, meaningful work and can find clients in genealogy and memorial niches

Startup cost

$100 – $1,500

Monthly earnings

$300 – $4,000 / mo

First income

1 to 4 weeks

People who want a near-zero-cost way to learn real estate investing by finding leads, and who are fine with irregular, unpredictable pay

Startup cost

$100 – $2,000

Monthly earnings

$0 – $4,000 / mo

First income

1 to 3 months

Strong writers who can interview people, understand hiring, and translate a messy career history into a focused, results-driven document

Startup cost

$100 – $1,500

Monthly earnings

$500 – $6,000 / mo

First income

2 to 6 weeks

People who enjoy the hunt for undervalued items, have flexible time to source and list, and want a very low-cost, low-risk way to start a product business

Startup cost

$100 – $1,000

Monthly earnings

$200 – $4,000 / mo

First income

1 to 2 weeks

Genuinely bilingual people with strong writing who can specialize and position themselves above commodity machine translation

Startup cost

$100 – $2,000

Monthly earnings

$0 – $7,000 / mo

First income

2 to 8 weeks

Knowledgeable, patient people who can explain a subject clearly and enjoy helping students improve

Startup cost

$100 – $2,000

Monthly earnings

$400 – $5,000 / mo

First income

2 to 6 weeks

People comfortable on camera who want flexible creative work without needing a personal following

Startup cost

$100 – $1,500

Monthly earnings

$300 – $6,000 / mo

First income

3 to 8 weeks

Organized, dependable people who are good with email, calendars, and software and want fully remote, flexible work

Startup cost

$100 – $1,500

Monthly earnings

$500 – $6,000 / mo

First income

2 to 8 weeks

Confident public speakers and warm writers who are comfortable being the calm voice at the center of a couple's ceremony

Startup cost

$100 – $1,500

Monthly earnings

$300 – $4,000 / mo

First income

2 to 6 weeks

People who want an extremely low-cost mobile side gig and like quick, visible before/after results

Startup cost

$150 – $1,500

Monthly earnings

$600 – $4,500 / mo

First income

Within 1 week

Patient, detail-oriented hunters who enjoy sourcing, do not mind handling and storing inventory, and want a low-cost side business

Startup cost

$200 – $2,000

Monthly earnings

$300 – $4,000 / mo

First income

1 to 3 weeks

Sociable, organized people who enjoy making online spaces feel alive and can prove their value to clients

Startup cost

$200 – $2,000

Monthly earnings

$800 – $9,000 / mo

First income

2 to 6 weeks

Patient builders who can do SEO and sales, and survive a long stretch with little income while traffic compounds

Startup cost

$200 – $3,000

Monthly earnings

$0 – $8,000 / mo

First income

6 to 12 months

People who can sell and project-manage but do not want to deliver the work themselves

Startup cost

$200 – $2,500

Monthly earnings

$500 – $9,000 / mo

First income

1 to 3 months

Reliable, organized people who enjoy helping others and want a near-zero-cost business they can start around a job

Startup cost

$200 – $2,000

Monthly earnings

$800 – $5,500 / mo

First income

1 to 3 weeks

Strong ranked players who can teach clearly and are comfortable on camera and voice

Startup cost

$200 – $2,500

Monthly earnings

$400 – $4,500 / mo

First income

2 to 6 weeks

Creative, outgoing people who enjoy working with children and crowds and want flexible weekend work

Startup cost

$200 – $1,500

Monthly earnings

$400 – $4,000 / mo

First income

2 to 6 weeks

Strong researchers and writers who are patient with long sales cycles and want meaningful work with nonprofits and mission-driven organizations

Startup cost

$200 – $2,500

Monthly earnings

$1,000 – $8,000 / mo

First income

2 to 4 months

Crafty, hands-on people who enjoy product-making and selling, and accept it is a labor-heavy small-margin business at first

Startup cost

$200 – $3,000

Monthly earnings

$200 – $4,000 / mo

First income

2 to 6 weeks

People who genuinely enjoy creating and are willing to publish consistently for a year or more with little or no pay before monetizing

Startup cost

$200 – $3,000

Monthly earnings

$0 – $5,000 / mo

First income

6 to 18 months

People with hiring, recruiting, or strong professional experience who can give blunt, useful feedback

Startup cost

$200 – $2,500

Monthly earnings

$800 – $6,000 / mo

First income

2 to 6 weeks

Creative people who enjoy detailed handwork and want a low-cost craft business they can start from home

Startup cost

$200 – $3,000

Monthly earnings

$100 – $4,000 / mo

First income

2 to 6 weeks

Organized, reliable people who want a flexible, low-cost mobile side business and are comfortable driving to meet clients

Startup cost

$200 – $1,500

Monthly earnings

$300 – $5,000 / mo

First income

1 to 3 months