Businesses You Can Start for Under $500 — page 4

Analytical people who can sell, tolerate accountability for spend, and enjoy optimizing toward a measurable return

Startup cost

$300 – $4,000

Monthly earnings

$1,500 – $18,000 / mo

First income

1 to 3 months

Developers and technical builders who can combine Liquid/theme skills with an understanding of what makes an online store actually sell

Startup cost

$300 – $3,000

Monthly earnings

$1,500 – $12,000 / mo

First income

1 to 3 months

Capable composers and producers who can write fast, finish tracks, and tolerate a long, uncertain ramp

Startup cost

$300 – $4,000

Monthly earnings

$0 – $3,000 / mo

First income

3 to 9 months

Handy people who are comfortable with tools and basic tech and want a low-cost, flexible side business they can run around a job

Startup cost

$300 – $2,500

Monthly earnings

$800 – $6,000 / mo

First income

1 to 2 weeks

Designers who love reading and can absorb genre conventions, working solo from a laptop for self-publishing authors

Startup cost

$300 – $2,500

Monthly earnings

$500 – $6,000 / mo

First income

2 to 6 weeks

People with real hiring, recruiting, HR, or management experience who like guiding others and can market themselves

Startup cost

$300 – $3,000

Monthly earnings

$800 – $9,000 / mo

First income

1 to 3 months

Detail-oriented people who want flexible, fully remote work and are willing to handle the state commission and compliance steps

Startup cost

$300 – $1,500

Monthly earnings

$200 – $4,500 / mo

First income

1 to 3 months

Hobbyist designers with a fandom, niche, or community who enjoy art and want a low-cost physical product to sell online and at conventions

Startup cost

$300 – $4,000

Monthly earnings

$100 – $4,000 / mo

First income

3 to 6 weeks

Clear writers with software or engineering domain knowledge who like turning complexity into usable instructions

Startup cost

$300 – $2,500

Monthly earnings

$2,500 – $12,000 / mo

First income

1 to 3 months

Fast, confident artists who enjoy performing for a crowd and want flexible weekend and seasonal income

Startup cost

$300 – $2,500

Monthly earnings

$0 – $4,500 / mo

First income

1 to 2 months

Reliable, fast, detail-oriented people who can hit tight same-day windows and want recurring hands-on work

Startup cost

$300 – $3,000

Monthly earnings

$1,500 – $8,000 / mo

First income

1 to 3 weeks

People with a genuine eye for style, strong communication skills, and the patience to build a clientele largely through trust and word of mouth

Startup cost

$300 – $3,500

Monthly earnings

$800 – $6,000 / mo

First income

3 to 8 weeks

Hands-on people who want a low-cost, low-risk mobile side business with simple, repeatable work

Startup cost

$300 – $2,500

Monthly earnings

$800 – $5,000 / mo

First income

1 to 2 weeks

People who understand the YouTube algorithm and audience growth and would rather run a creator's whole channel than just edit clips

Startup cost

$300 – $3,000

Monthly earnings

$1,500 – $12,000 / mo

First income

3 to 8 weeks

Creative-technical people comfortable with 3D, design tools, and constant platform change who can sell to brands and marketers

Startup cost

$300 – $4,000

Monthly earnings

$800 – $8,000 / mo

First income

1 to 3 months

Editors and writers who can turn one long recording into many sharp, on-brand pieces and run it as a reliable monthly system

Startup cost

$300 – $3,000

Monthly earnings

$1,000 – $9,000 / mo

First income

2 to 6 weeks

Strong writers and relationship-builders who can earn media coverage and links for SEO clients and stay patient for results

Startup cost

$300 – $4,000

Monthly earnings

$2,000 – $16,000 / mo

First income

1 to 3 months

People who can combine persuasive copy, clean design, and basic tech to build pages that actually convert for coaches and info-product sellers

Startup cost

$300 – $3,000

Monthly earnings

$1,500 – $12,000 / mo

First income

3 to 8 weeks

People who can sell to local business owners and patiently execute the unglamorous, repeatable work of ranking businesses in Google Maps

Startup cost

$300 – $3,000

Monthly earnings

$1,500 – $12,000 / mo

First income

1 to 3 months

Visually creative people who can design scroll-stopping pins, understand SEO, and sell a retainer by tying their work to traffic and sales

Startup cost

$300 – $2,500

Monthly earnings

$800 – $9,000 / mo

First income

3 to 8 weeks

Detail-obsessed, deadline-driven organizers who want a low-cost, mostly remote business serving busy real estate agents

Startup cost

$300 – $3,000

Monthly earnings

$800 – $8,000 / mo

First income

2 to 6 weeks

People with a design eye and image-editing skill who want a low-cost, home-based service with recurring real estate clients

Startup cost

$300 – $3,000

Monthly earnings

$500 – $6,000 / mo

First income

2 to 6 weeks

Relationship-driven salespeople who understand media buying and can sit comfortably between publishers and advertisers

Startup cost

$300 – $4,000

Monthly earnings

$500 – $15,000 / mo

First income

1 to 3 months

Detail-obsessed people with strong Photoshop skills who prefer focused screen work over client-facing photography

Startup cost

$300 – $3,000

Monthly earnings

$500 – $6,000 / mo

First income

1 to 3 months