SHOESTRING STARTUPS

Be your own boss with these 20 biz for just $100 or less.

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Inventory Service—How many times have you or a friend said, “Wow, I have to make a list of what’s in my home/apartment for insurance purposes in case there is ever a fire or robbery.” Who has the time to do it? Start your inventory service and market it to residential and commercial customers. A laptop would be a big help and a digital camera, but start small and build your business.

Boat/Car Detailing— Car owners are fanatics about their vehicles and so are boat and plane owners. Investigate the products and start your own detailing biz. Check out Bill Rancic’s book, “You’re Hired” and read how he started his own boat detailing business.

Small Biz Vacation Fill-In Employ-ee— There are so many small business owners who can never take a vacation because there is no one to fill in for them. Many don’t need someone to run the entire venture, just be a body to answer a phone and be available if an emergency comes up. You can be that person and roam from business to business filling in for the boss while he or she is away.

Errand Service— If you’re organized and detail oriented, start an errand service helping small businesses, biz owners, harried single parents and just about anyone else get things done.

Pet Walker— All you need is a love of animals and a good reputation to start this business. Charge by the visit. Print up a flyer and start distributing.

Lawns and Landscapes— Start your own lawn cutting, weed cleanup, plant service. Call other businesses in your area that offer these services and see what they charge. Develop your plan of action.

Garage Cleaning & Organizing—Clean a few garages in your area and positive word-of-mouth will carry you all the way to the bank.

Sell Goods Online— Don’t think you can’t make a mint doing this. You just need to follow through. Be a good seller, develop great feedback and ship right away. Look around you. There are great things to sell. Visit eBay.com and start doing research.

Concierge Service— Contact local businesses, community groups and other organizations. Ask if they could benefit from hiring you as their “sometimes” concierge. You’d help the senior citizens group get a bus and tickets to a play; you’d book airline trips and vacations for busy executives; you’d help the local literary club plan an outing to a historic site.

Sell Something— Develop a product that people want and start saturating the marketplace—or the local flea market with it. Go online and do a search for products you can buy at wholesale prices and sell at a nice profit.

Mail Order— You can start your own mail order business. Find a product and start selling. Place ads.

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