Businesses You Can Start for Under $5,000 — page 15

People who want a skilled, physical craft with high earning potential and don't mind precise, demanding work

Startup cost

$3,000 – $20,000

Monthly earnings

$3,000 – $14,000 / mo

First income

2 to 6 weeks

Experienced IT professionals who can sell, want sticky recurring revenue, and can carry real responsibility for clients' systems

Startup cost

$3,000 – $40,000

Monthly earnings

$1,500 – $20,000 / mo

First income

2 to 4 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

Brand-minded operators who can sell relentlessly and stomach regulation, thin margins, and slow retail traction

Startup cost

$3,000 – $40,000

Monthly earnings

$0 – $6,000 / mo

First income

4 to 9 months

Experienced developers or 3D artists who can build immersive apps and tolerate uneven, project-driven demand

Startup cost

$3,000 – $25,000

Monthly earnings

$0 – $20,000 / mo

First income

3 to 6 months

Organized, people-oriented retailers who can curate goods, manage consignors fairly, and run tight intake and turnover without owning the inventory

Startup cost

$3,000 – $60,000

Monthly earnings

$0 – $8,000 / mo

First income

1 to 3 months

Credentialed registered dietitians who want clinical autonomy, a niche, and the ability to provide medical nutrition therapy in private practice

Startup cost

$3,000 – $20,000

Monthly earnings

$2,000 – $12,000 / mo

First income

2 to 4 months

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

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

Tech-comfortable people who can sell to local businesses and want recurring software revenue layered on top of one-time installs

Startup cost

$3,000 – $25,000

Monthly earnings

$1,500 – $14,000 / mo

First income

1 to 3 months

A detail-oriented, creative person who is comfortable learning the technical side of machine embroidery and digitizing and chasing B2B repeat orders

Startup cost

$3,000 – $30,000

Monthly earnings

$500 – $8,000 / mo

First income

1 to 3 months

Experienced ERP implementers or finance/operations professionals with deep platform expertise and a network of mid-market contacts

Startup cost

$3,000 – $30,000

Monthly earnings

$0 – $30,000 / mo

First income

2 to 6 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

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

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

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

Detail-oriented finish carpenters and remodelers who can learn acoustics and set honest client expectations

Startup cost

$3,000 – $30,000

Monthly earnings

$3,500 – $14,000 / mo

First income

1 to 2 months

People with patience, sewing or craft aptitude, and an eye for detail who enjoy restoring and customizing interiors by hand

Startup cost

$3,000 – $30,000

Monthly earnings

$3,000 – $12,000 / mo

First income

1 to 3 months

Physically capable, weekend-available people who want a rental business with real assets and are willing to handle delivery, setup, and strict safety practices

Startup cost

$3,000 – $30,000

Monthly earnings

$1,500 – $12,000 / mo

First income

3 to 6 weeks

Hands-on operators who like running events and don't mind heavy weekend hauling and setup

Startup cost

$3,000 – $30,000

Monthly earnings

$500 – $9,000 / mo

First income

3 to 8 weeks

People who can read grade and water flow, do heavy excavation work, and want problem-solving trade work with strong per-job revenue

Startup cost

$3,000 – $30,000

Monthly earnings

$3,500 – $13,000 / mo

First income

3 to 6 weeks

Skilled, experienced riders with deep horsemanship who can build trust with both horses and owners

Startup cost

$3,000 – $80,000

Monthly earnings

$1,500 – $9,000 / 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