Businesses You Can Start for Under $500 — page 3

Designers who can pair clean visual craft with clear storytelling and are comfortable working closely with founders and executives

Startup cost

$200 – $2,500

Monthly earnings

$1,000 – $12,000 / mo

First income

2 to 6 weeks

Music-knowledgeable people who enjoy the hunt, can learn grading and pricing, and are patient with the slow work of sourcing and listing

Startup cost

$200 – $5,000

Monthly earnings

$200 – $5,000 / mo

First income

2 to 5 weeks

Writers who understand video pacing and hooks and can write to retain an audience, not just to read well on the page

Startup cost

$200 – $2,000

Monthly earnings

$500 – $8,000 / 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

Skilled musicians who genuinely enjoy teaching and can be patient, encouraging, and reliable week after week

Startup cost

$200 – $5,000

Monthly earnings

$600 – $6,000 / mo

First income

2 to 6 weeks

Systems-minded people who love organizing information, can translate messy workflows into clean tools, and can teach a team to actually use them

Startup cost

$200 – $1,500

Monthly earnings

$1,000 – $9,000 / mo

First income

3 to 8 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 test-takers who can teach strategy clearly and want premium hourly rates without inventory or a storefront

Startup cost

$200 – $4,000

Monthly earnings

$1,500 – $9,000 / mo

First income

2 to 6 weeks

Detail-oriented, software-comfortable people who enjoy production work and want a part-time-friendly business serving self-published authors

Startup cost

$250 – $1,500

Monthly earnings

$800 – $6,000 / mo

First income

2 to 5 weeks

Detail-oriented, trustworthy people who want low startup cost and steady recurring revenue from repeat residential clients

Startup cost

$300 – $3,000

Monthly earnings

$2,000 – $9,000 / mo

First income

1 to 2 weeks

People who want a very low-cost start and the chance to build short, frequent recurring storefront routes alongside higher-ticket residential jobs

Startup cost

$300 – $3,500

Monthly earnings

$1,500 – $8,000 / mo

First income

1 to 2 weeks

Skilled home bakers who want a low-cost, flexible side business and accept the legal limits of cottage-food rules

Startup cost

$300 – $3,000

Monthly earnings

$300 – $3,000 / mo

First income

2 to 4 weeks

Creative, detail-oriented people who enjoy editing and want recurring client income editing video for creators and businesses

Startup cost

$300 – $4,000

Monthly earnings

$800 – $9,000 / mo

First income

2 to 8 weeks

People with design or coding ability who can also handle clients and want a mix of project income plus recurring care-plan and hosting retainers

Startup cost

$300 – $4,000

Monthly earnings

$1,000 – $12,000 / mo

First income

3 to 8 weeks

Detail-oriented, hands-on people who want a very low-cost service they can start fast around a job

Startup cost

$300 – $2,500

Monthly earnings

$1,000 – $6,000 / mo

First income

Within 1 to 2 weeks

People who want an extremely low-cost, fast-start outdoor service and are genuinely comfortable and careful working on ladders

Startup cost

$300 – $3,000

Monthly earnings

$1,500 – $7,000 / mo

First income

1 to 2 weeks

Hands-on, crafty people who enjoy making physical products and are willing to learn labeling rules and grind through markets and online sales

Startup cost

$300 – $4,000

Monthly earnings

$200 – $3,500 / mo

First income

1 to 3 months

Organized, people-oriented people who are trustworthy in clients' homes and enjoy turning chaos into calm

Startup cost

$300 – $3,000

Monthly earnings

$800 – $6,000 / mo

First income

2 to 5 weeks

Patient builders with a real connection to a specific industry who can grind through a slow start

Startup cost

$300 – $5,000

Monthly earnings

$0 – $7,000 / mo

First income

4 to 9 months

Detail-oriented people with strong hand-lettering skill who enjoy precise, deadline-driven creative work and don't mind a seasonal income

Startup cost

$300 – $4,000

Monthly earnings

$300 – $4,500 / mo

First income

1 to 3 months

Strong writers and editors who would rather build a repeatable production system than write every word themselves

Startup cost

$300 – $3,500

Monthly earnings

$1,500 – $16,000 / mo

First income

1 to 3 months

Writers who can also read data and want a results-tied service with predictable monthly retainers

Startup cost

$300 – $3,000

Monthly earnings

$1,500 – $15,000 / mo

First income

1 to 2 months

Hands-on people with a good eye for value who have space, a way to move furniture, and patience for inconsistent sales

Startup cost

$300 – $3,000

Monthly earnings

$400 – $5,000 / mo

First income

2 to 6 weeks

People who think logically about apps and workflows and want to build software for clients without learning traditional programming

Startup cost

$300 – $3,000

Monthly earnings

$1,000 – $12,000 / mo

First income

1 to 3 months