It’s often said that it “takes money to make money” and while this may be true in some circumstances, there are plenty of hustles that don’t require a big down investment. Assuming you have a business license and a basic at-home setup that will likely include a computer, internet access, and a phone—here are seven businesses you can start for under $100 in 2017.
Wholesale
You might not think a hundred dollars is enough to start a wholesale business, but you’d be wrong. You can buy plenty of products on wholesale sites and sell them individually on sites like Amazon and Ebay. Be warned, you’re likely to run into competition from people selling similar (if not the exact same products), make sure your customer service is above and beyond and your delivery is prompt.
Blogging
You will not see ROI on this for a while. Blogging is time consuming, and search engines can take their time when it comes to indexing your pages and making you relevant online.
The good news? It’s relatively inexpensive to get started/maintain. You can get a domain and hosting for under $100. Once you get enough traffic, you can start selling products, services, and ads pertaining to your niche.
Organization Services
Are you a highly organized person, maybe even to the point that your family considers you “OCD”? Lucky for you, there are many people that could use your services.
The only money you’ll need to start this business is for promotion. Once you get your first client, you can add any dividers, containers, labels or other organizational products to their tab.
Consulting
The only requirement to be a consultant is to possess expertise in an area. Maybe you’re awesome at getting buff at the gym, know a lot about getting a product manufactured, or you’re an expert at getting thousands of visitors to your website—these (and hundreds of other areas) are viable areas for consultant work where you can charge good money for your time.
Freelance Copywriting
Finding enough clients to fill your daily schedule can make freelance copywriting a tough business to make a full-time salary out of, but as a side hustle? You can get great money for your time. Many copywriters can charge in the $30-$100 range for a single hour of work!
Translation Services
You can do many things with a desirable second language—translate texts, localize video game dialogue, be an in-person translator, teach language online, or tutor students in person. Owning a translation service business gives you lots of flexibility. The average pay per hour is around $20.
Foraging
Talk about job security, foraging has been around since prehistoric times, and it doesn’t look to be going away anytime soon. Chefs (as well as those in the nutraceutical community) know that the words “organic” and “local” mean something to many of today’s consumers. Many people make a full time living out of foraging for things like berries, mushrooms, truffles, and ginseng. If you live in the right area, your backyard might be full of profitable resources.
Learn your plants, and study your local laws—you will need to gain expertise as well as permits to forage and sell. Walking around the forest searching for plants can be demanding, but for those who love being outside—foraging can be an incredibly rewarding experience.
Austin Miller is Head of Content Marketing at Bookly. Bookly is an online service that provides virtual accounting for small businesses. When he’s not helping entrepreneurs modernize their accounting solutions, he’s working on his latest fantasy adventure novel.