The Simple Dollar » 50 Side Businesses You Can Start On Your Own

This link has been bookmarked by 42 people . It was first bookmarked on 13 Apr 2009, by Jannah.

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Each of these ideas is very simple to start, and most can be done as a sole proprietorship at first.

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some good ideas for my kids, for my wallet...

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- Pinecone Research (when they’re recruiting), Viewpoint Forum, BuzzBack Research, Opinion Outpost, Survey Savvy
- Again this is one where you have to be careful, because some companies claiming to do mystery shopping are really just giant scams, but you can find the legal ones at mysteryshop.org or jobslinger.com
16 Apr 09

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- April 11, 2009 @ 11:00 am - Written by Trent
- Blogging If you enjoy writing, find a topic you’re passionate about and start a blog on the topic.
- 17 more annotations...
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  - Furniture making If you’re adept at woodworking and have just a bit of basic equipment, it’s easy to get into business making deck furniture. It only requires a few items - a saw, a drill, a sander - and some creativity and passion for working with wood.
  - Produce selling Like to grow vegetables? Focus in on one vegetable and sell the excess to grocery stores and at farmers’ markets. My father does this with tomatoes and earns some solid extra money during the summer months. You can do really well, though, if you can grow things inside during the winter - February fresh tomatoes can sell quite well.
  - Proofreading Have strong English skills and exceptional grammar? You may have opportunities to work as a proofreader from home. Advertising for this can be difficult - seek out those who might actually be able to use your services and advertise directly to them.
  - Teaching music If you know how to play an instrument (particularly the piano or the guitar) and have patience, you’ve got what you need to teach others how to play. Offer lessons in that instrument to others - this can also be an excellent thing to barter with, too.
  - Tutoring Did you major in a particular topic in college? Do you have patience with children? You likely have what you need to tutor kids in particular subjects. Seek out parents and let them know that you tutor in a particular subject and provide materials for them to share and phone calls will often trickle in.
  - I have had many of these “side jobs” as real jobs and it takes as much work or more that a “regular” job.
  - now that I’ve been laid off my last job, they all seem much more attractive and my enthusiasm for success it much greater than it has ever been. The multiple streams of income is easier when you can do many different types of things. It’s more interesting and keeps me from getting bored.
    
    Plus, I like my boss!
    
    paula d.
  - if you do anything involving food please please PLEASE make sure you know the local rules & regulations associated with handling food for sale to the public.
    
    Also if you do anything with food or other peoples’ stuff please get insurance first and make sure your personal and professional accounts are kept 100% separate.
    
    Anne
  - I decided that frugality would be my “business”. I work four days a week and spend one day doing things for myself so I don’t have to pay the plumber, I don’t have to pay for convenience foods, I don’t have to commute as much, I don’t pay as much tax….
    
    Dwight
  - Unfortunately with the economy tanking, many of these businesses are going under. People are unwilling to pay out money for the “extras”.
    
    Denise
  - if you want to tutor students, I would suggest calling the high school or middle school guidance department. I teach HS, and our guidance department is kind enough to keep a running list of potential tutors in different subject areas.
  - Teaching music–Believe it or not, knowledge and patience are not the only skills you need to be a good teacher. Understanding of learning theories, teaching strategies, music theory, improvisation and ear training techniques, an ability to prioritize curricular goals based on a student’s unique abilities and learning style, and a lot of organization go into this field…
  - I personally would many times prefer to work with someone with true expertise, knowledge, and training… which is why I tend to avoid hobbyist businesses.
  - If you love
    
    local history and have reasonable writing skills,
    
    consider doing family histories. You interview the
    
    family members, especially the elderly members of
    
    the family and then you write a history/autobiography for the family. After doing
    
    a few of these, I suspect that a person would get
    
    pretty good at guiding interviews and getting to
    
    the really interesting things for that family.
  - Trent, I hope you are planning a follow
    
    on article on how to promote your side business.
    
    Part of the effort is selecting the right business
    
    and doing it well, but another big part of it is
    
    promoting your offering.
  - The weekly garage sale thing used to be very common here and now it’s outlawed (western MA) since they were essentially tax free stores. They allow you to have two per year by permit. Stupid but whatever.
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13 Apr 09

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Jannah
- Blogging
- Cookie making
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- - Toy making
  - Tutoring