Businesses You Can Start for Under $500, page 5

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

Outgoing people who enjoy public speaking on weeknights and want a low-cost side business they can build around a job

Startup cost

$300 – $4,000

Monthly earnings

$400 – $5,000 / mo

First income

2 to 6 weeks

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

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

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 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

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

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

Tech-comfortable people who want recurring monthly revenue and don't mind ongoing customer support and uptime responsibility

Startup cost

$300 – $8,000

Monthly earnings

$200 – $7,000 / mo

First income

1 to 3 months

Developers who can build resilient scrapers and want recurring data-feed income, not just one-off code projects

Startup cost

$300 – $3,000

Monthly earnings

$1,500 – $14,000 / mo

First income

2 to 6 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

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

Patient, detail-oriented people who like steady biological work and want a low-cost side venture they can run from a garage or backyard

Startup cost

$300 – $6,000

Monthly earnings

$200 – $3,500 / mo

First income

3 to 6 months

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, detail-oriented people who like hands-on craft work and can handle weekend installs and physical setup

Startup cost

$400 – $4,000

Monthly earnings

$800 – $6,000 / mo

First income

2 to 6 weeks

Experienced HR professionals who can own compliance, hiring, and people issues for several small businesses at once

Startup cost

$400 – $5,000

Monthly earnings

$3,000 – $15,000 / mo

First income

1 to 3 months

Relationship-driven people who can manage creators and brands at once and stay calm when a campaign goes sideways

Startup cost

$400 – $5,000

Monthly earnings

$1,500 – $20,000 / mo

First income

2 to 4 months

Strong written communicators with sales instincts who can run disciplined B2B outreach and book qualified meetings consistently

Startup cost

$400 – $3,000

Monthly earnings

$1,500 – $10,000 / mo

First income

3 to 8 weeks

People who want active, low-cost outdoor work with a fast start and a clear path to recurring fleet contracts

Startup cost

$400 – $6,000

Monthly earnings

$1,200 – $7,000 / mo

First income

1 to 2 weeks

Strong recreational or former competitive players who enjoy teaching and want flexible, outdoor hourly work

Startup cost

$400 – $4,000

Monthly earnings

$800 – $7,000 / mo

First income

2 to 4 weeks

Technically curious, patient people who enjoy tinkering and want to build a niche product line around machines that run while they do other things

Startup cost

$500 – $5,000

Monthly earnings

$200 – $4,000 / mo

First income

1 to 3 months

Empathetic, organized people, often with lived ADHD experience or an education background, who want to help clients build systems, not diagnose or treat

Startup cost

$500 – $9,000

Monthly earnings

$1,000 – $8,000 / mo

First income

1 to 3 months

Relationship-driven marketers who can recruit partners, negotiate, and patiently grow a brand's affiliate channel

Startup cost

$500 – $3,500

Monthly earnings

$1,500 – $12,000 / mo

First income

1 to 3 months

Experienced professionals who already understand a business domain and can translate AI into practical, trusted advice

Startup cost

$500 – $6,000

Monthly earnings

$0 – $18,000 / mo

First income

1 to 3 months