Women Get Wealthy

Tough times call for creative solutions.  In the current economy, it seems that many people are looking for new ways to bring in some extra income so I thought we might start a brainstorming session here.  What are some business start-up ideas, which may be  implemented with little or no funding?

Here are few to get us started.......

•    Dog Walking/Pet Sitting – if you are an animal lover, this might be a great idea.  Many people are willing to pay a fee to have their lovable animals looked after by a professional, responsible person.  Start by posting a regular ad on Craigslist and/or hanging flyers in your local library/supermarket, etc.  You could keep it to part-time or build to be a full time business, with employees.

•    Odesk/Elance - do you have web design skills? Writing, translation, editing, software or administrative skills?  Both Odesk and Elance provide opportunities to connect with customers who are looking for these types of services.  You determine your hourly rate and complete all work remotely.  You can have as few or as many customers as you like.  The sites also provide online test/certifications to help demonstrate to potential clients that you have what it takes to get a job done.

•    Gently used Clothing Sales/Ebay – if you have an eye for fashion, there is money to be made selling clothing and accessories on Ebay.  All you need a digital camera, an email account and your local post office.  Start by looking in your own closet!  Once you have depleted your own resources, check out consignment and thrift shops.  If you can sort through the junk and identify the hidden gems, there is money to be made. 

•    Jewelry/Invitations/Other handmade goods – if you have an 'artsy' hobby, it might not take too much work to turn it into a small business.  Etsy.com is a great place to test a product, to see if it might have an audience.  Etsy lists almost anything you can think of when it comes to handmade/vintage goods - handbags, clothing, hand-knit goods, jewelry, furniture, etc.  Etsy does charge a 3.5% transaction fee.

•    Bookkeeping – if you have a working knowledge of Quickbooks (or are willing to learn), your skills are in demand!  My husband and I finally made the decision to hire a part time bookkeeper just this past year.  We did a search on craigslist and interviewed several candidates.  All work is done remotely and I have to say, it is some of the best money we ever spent (and it's not cheap)!  Get yourself a few solid clients and you should have a good income stream headed your way.  You could also apply this approach to a 'Personal Assistant'.

Does anyone else have other suggestions for low cost start-up businesses?  Please share them here!