If you're thinking of starting up your own business, but
don't want to make a huge investment, you're in luck. We've compiled a list of
20 cheap startup business ideas that won't break the bank, and you can work on
in your spare time.
1. Sales Consultant: Avon, Mary Kay, Pampered Chef, and
Tupperware all enlist the help of local sales representatives to get the word
out to shoppers about their products. If you're comfortable talking to people
about a product, this business idea could be for you. To start, Avon costs just
$5 to register, Pampered Chef is $80; both Tupperware and Mary Kay cost $100 to
start with each company.
Beverly Kemner of Pottstown, Pa., sees being an Avon
representative as a way to earn money to supplement her income and has been
running her part-time business for about four years. To get started, she paid
$5 to register with Avon.
"I could do it out of my own home on my own time,"
she says. "They give you everything you need to start the first campaign
... I think it's perfect for this economy."
Kemner says the harder you work at building your customer
base, the more sales you make, and that flexibility appealed to Kemner, who
suffers from a chronic illness. "You do the best when you can put the time
in to it," she says. "You need to give it a little bit of time, but
it's not as time-demanding as some other (businesses)."
2. Lawn care: This is a seasonal job that can be lucrative
if marketed to time-crunched homeowners who have better things to do on their
days off than mow their lawns.
