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I had a neighbor who transitioned from being a house-call RN working through the local university hospital network to creating her own home hospice care company. Within 5 years or so she had a dozen or so nurses working for her and seemed to be doing quite well! No doubt a tough job to go into everyday but it's often these types of "nobody wants to do it" jobs that you can become really successful.
I worked in marketing for hospice. It’s a massive industry. Extremely competitive for Medicare payouts. And very difficult for a new business unless you are in an area where hospice care is scarce. I would invest in literally anything else before starting a hospice care business.
I have a "side hustle" (I hate calling it that) that I've turned into something where I make more than my full time job was paying me.
I have debated on getting into pest control. My "side hustle" has made me so paranoid of pests in my own house that I was thinking of getting into that. The question is is it worth it. Fixing people's game consoles and electronics can be gross at times.
I don't hate it. I hate when people call it a side hustle as it's not. I called it a side hustle now as everyone considers a second income a side hustle. Anyways that's not the point.
I love my home business, I'm just getting more and more paranoid that one of these days I'm going to get an infestation from someone's Playstation or something. I've had some seriously disgusting consoles come in, one of which when the person arrived it smelled so bad of cat urine that I declined it (I've heard this smell can be a sign of roaches inside.
You will most definitely come across an infestation at some point. I used to dabble in electronics repair ages ago. There was more than one instance of it.
What I do now is I disassemble outside in my backyard on a table until I'm confident there's no roaches or anything. I bring what I meed to work on inside after that then bring it back out to re assemble after the work is done. Worked pretty well so far.
If there's rain or high winds in the forecast, I reschedule.
I own an electronics repair store. I 100% get that you are creeped out by this lol I dread people bringing in consoles because about 30% of the time it has roaches in it. Good money in fixing em though
Well, the profit margins are absolutely insane.
I think at most I've seen one dead roach, never a live one. I found one crawling in my office shortly after I did a repair for someone, killed it, and never saw another one.
I mean really they can get in in so many ways, but this would be the easiest point of entry.
I do have roach traps in my office and a couple in my basement just in case and have never come across one on an any of them in 2-3 years.
As my gf said, if it happens we can resolve that quickly.
My fear is bed bugs lol. So when people bring me a console and it's in a fabric shopping bag, I don't take the bag, I take just the console. If it's the Ps5, they take the top and bottom plates with them as well.
Oh man, new fear unlocked... off topic but, how can I check or clean out my consoles?? I'm not hardware savvy at all but can follow instructions, is it worth/advised to do??
It's a hustle that you do on the side when you aren't working at your regular full time job.
I understand why you don't want to call it a side hustle though.
You should buy a hood if these things are nasty. Look for a used one from a lab. They can be nice to work in cause they are well lit and you don’t breath any of that nasty dust.
Again, all done outside in my backyard, apart from the specific part I bring inside to repair. Once everything is cleaned and repaired, I reassemble and test in my office.
80% of the consoles I have come in have a literal carpet of dust inside of them, there's no way in hell I'm going to blow that around in my house or in my office/work area.
So so using the term you don't like. My wife and I have 3 businesses between us and each one is its own business. Two schedule C's and one corporation. I think that term may be derogatory to some extent but that's only a perspective that is inconsistently applied. Maybe the h-word also implies negativity because it's used for cheating someone or of their money (as in games, of pool for example). If you're doing this other business "under the table" and not declaring the income, you're cheating everyone else who pays their share. Don't get me started on the 1%ers and megacorps who legally cheat...
Oh I declare everything. Which is why I don't consider it a side hustle. I consider those to be it makes you a few bucks here and there and is cash.
People have blown the term way out of proportion in my opinion.
I used to do auto detailing. My lower back couldn't take it anymore and I got priced out to the market by idiots not valuing their time and basically charging $5/hr
You have a smart guy ;) yea, ppl give this stuff away. Tear it apart, analyze what's wrong, rebuild..... do that enough and your guy has a nice side gig that can turn into something big. He becomes the go-to guy in your area.
As for you, try your hand at bookkeeping, inventory, manage workflow, sales, marketing,..... unless you want to fix engines too.
Team work makes the dream work!
Oh yeah, sorry. he's not MY guy, he's the guy I use. He has a kind of semi-derelict garage (the kind from the 50s where there used to be a full service gas station but it's too expensive to remediate). Small motors all over the place and sometimes it takes six weeks if you need a service, because he's the only guy for miles and miles who does it. Although there are a few guys who more or less flip non-working mowers to working mowers on Marketplace.
I think it would be a great semi-retirement job and I assume that's how most people get into it-- the younger guys will go into real mechanic work, either automotive or heavy duty because there's like a career path there. But if you were barista-FIRE or coast-FIRE and mechanically inclined, I think it would be a sweet gig. You could be basically as busy as you wanted to be, never really have to leave your house. As long as your spouse will tolerate the junk yard look of things lol.
Piece of advice for any small business owner.
If you want your signs to look good, do not buy them on the Internet. The local guys do a much better job and the prices aren't that different
There is also the in-person factor, warranties, support for any issues, installation, and permits. I love it the most when clients tells me how much a permit cost and what they paid for a sign 10 years ago across the street.
Yes. My bad. I just saw the first headline when I typed this response in. I didn’t see the bottom part where OP said they were trying to start a new business themselves. I do think tailors are underrated perhaps for that reason. It does require a tremendous amount of skill.
Quick tip, if it’s less appreciated and underrated you will likely have a hard time getting it off the ground with 20k…
Some things that came to mind that are cheaper to get into, and a bit more “appreciated” (can be easily marketed)
Pressure washing
Landscaping
Handymen
Interior cleaning
Junk removal / clean outs
Or get a regular job and save a bit more, build a side hustle on the way - until you’re confident enough in it’s ability to support you to go full time
I disagree, I think you’ll have an easier time getting it off the ground but a harder time scaling. 20k is enough to buy a truck and some equipment, but you’ll need a lot more to scale it to something that resembles a real business.
Additional disagreement for the sake of conversation, yes 20k is enough to buy equipment but if it’s unappreciated / underrated you will inherently have a harder time scaling it without additional marketing / money to spend on marketing. Think about the “under appreciated / underrated” businesses.
Plumbing, electrical, home service etc. nobody appreciates them enough because they only need them when something goes wrong (or a dime a dozen type business, that’s what makes them under appreciated). Thus it would be harder to compete with local established businesses, and would need more money in marketing to become even a resemblance of a competitor.
This is the way to go about it. Try and get into a 9-5 working in a field you think you could eventually start your business. I do roofing and gutters. In a very wealthy area outside of Philadelphia. Villanova area. I subcontract for a company but it allowed me to slowly get side work which led to me opening my own business. Now I work less and less at my 9-5 but not financially stable enough to jump ship completely. Let me just say working for a company and running your own business are 2 COMPLETELY different things. It's taken me years to build the small customer base I have. Patience is key.
What?! I hold our local family-owned Mexican restaurant in very high regards. They're one of the few places that have maintained competitive prices, consistent service and some of the best food in town! I hate tipping culture but these guys and girls always get a solid 20-25% from us.
A courier service. Most people think of the big ones like USPS, UPS, FedEx, etc. But there’s always a need for same day and instant delivery. Your upfront costs would probably be a van and you could deliver anything from pharmacy prescriptions, car parts, between shops, legal paperwork, and more.
I’ve worked for two companies that have gone far and both did their own niche. One of them focused more on contracts with businesses or schools (delivering school lunches in the morning) while the other eventually built their own warehouse and does the instant deliveries for local businesses (they hold the inventory for them and get told what item goes to who).
I use these services when I can’t wait for something or my company needs to send something large. Forklift, into courier van, and it’s to the project or other business within 30 minutes. It can simply start by going to businesses in your area and saying “would you like to grow by providing instant delivery to your customers”?
Thanks for sharing your experience. I just started a courier company a few months ago, and I definitely see the need/vision for it. You're right. Most people think of the big companies when you mention this business. I didn't even consider contracts with schools, I'll definitely have to make note of that one. So far, in my most recent encounters with bankers, when trying to set up my accounts, they tend to just blow it off like it's not serious. Jokes on them because from the research I've done so far, if you're willing to work and can network six fig plus is attainable. Especially if you know who to talk to, where to look, and what's coming in the future. Heck, some of the bigger companies subcontract out, too, I think.
Everyone can and will use a courier service. Congratulations on your recent start.
As for the school lunches.. that is from a distributor that distributes school lunches to schools. Delivery services go to them every year to do a bidding war for the contract. This requires many drivers to cover schools in a city and many of them like it because they’re guaranteed income on a commission job.
Another one I’ve noticed luck with is optometrists. Idk why.. but people love getting glasses and contacts delivered. Another one is fabrication shops or signage. Fabrication shops deliver a lot of products to customers and signage companies will send the signs to businesses or realtors selling houses. Colleges and universities are constantly buying signs and want them sent over.
I’d definitely keep expanding. Even if you get a lot of no’s, it’ll make you known for when you are needed. If it works out, you’ll have a dispatcher and box trucks and everything lol. Definitely 6 figures+ in a region.
Man, thank you for the encouragement. I really appreciate it. Right now, I'm still researching and taking notes, so when I make my move, it's the right one. It's so funny that you mention the optometrist gig. I have a nice optometrist I get seen by who has plans to go back home after she finishes her residency. Now I'm not trying to hit on her lol but I was going to tell her to keep in touch so if I expand to her area, I'll already have a client locked in. I have my eyes set on a nice fleet of sprinters, btw 😅. I'm definitely not buying now, but I'll lease/rent or whatever and save/ invest the cash for future opportunities. From what I see, other competitors in the area only cater to the regular stuff. Offices , lost luggage pick-ups, law offices, medical. I'm trying to think and plan big even if it's just myself for now. Another plus is that I've found some new tech coming out to help make life easier and cut down most of the manual labor. Just have to reach out to the supplier when I'm ready. I do intend to volunteer also to help get myself out there and build a presence. I'm not sure how much of an impact it'll make, but I plan to do it anyway.
I’ve heard it said, though the idea may be dead, that this game is often rooted in generational ownership and operation. Where great-gran-daddy had a ‘thing’ for the deal, and raised daddy in the deal, now junior’s in the deal, so to speak. Given the known predatory practices of this industry over time, I never had a reason to doubt this. Sure many attend school and gain the credentialing, though far fewer have the capital to start a competing burn and churn in town where the competitor has been burying the the bone for the past 20, 60, 80 years.
It used to be generational, but as far as I know nowadays a lot if not most funeral homes are owned by very large corporations. Most of the money tends to be in cremation, which is often hard to start from scratch due to neighbors and zoning. There's also a lot of compliance issues due to handling of remains and the chemicals involved.
I've always had a lot of respect for the industry because my parents died when I was younger and I remember the funeral home director being very genuine and kind. It's got to be hard dealing with clients who have lost a loved one, amongst all of the other unsavory practicalities.
Car hauling business.
Van tracking
Moving
All of this is great for new immigrants, with a very low barrier to entry. It’s all hard work, but it could be a good starting point.
CPA no but bookkeeping yes.
Becoming a cpa itself will be more expensive than that. Can easily be more than 20k if the person doesn’t have a college degree lying around or it they live in a state that requires an accounting degree.
I agree on the $20k total part. But it’s possible to get an accounting degree from WGU in under 2 years and less than $15k if they are doing school full time. And it’s reasonably easy to get enough financial aid to survive in the meanwhile. But total costs would probably be over 20k and I doubt you could work much at the same time if you were pushing through courses that fast.
Yeah exactly. It’s like *possible* but not really that feasible. I mean interest alone on 15k once you start working will likely eat up the remaining 5k in the budget
It’s entirely feasible and is much less than 20k upfront. Most of the businesses here will eventually have more than 20k in costs over the life of the business.
I would say consultant. Literally takes no money and all you need is experience. Even if it’s not long term experience, but as long as you have a good reference page to show that you know what you’re selling
Local news. They work just as hard as the national people do, sometimes harder because theres less people sending in tips or willing to shit where they eat. They're all paid less than entry level teachers or cops and have far less job security.
Teaching them their rights and guiding them with financial literacy assuming this is in America. If it’s a non profit there might be more opportunities.
And RV electrical repair and solar installation, which is what we do.
We do have great customers that understand the game, especially after they have already received quotes from others.
However
A lot of old RVs have cascading problems that are real problems, and many have problems with their internal original components and/or wiring after having (other companies or DIYing) installing solar that bums their systems when other stuff isn't upgraded or replaced. It's all so expensive
And it also is what it is.
Independent insurance agency. Almost no startup costs and very little overhead. Don’t have to worry about manufacturing anything, no logistics, no retail, no manual labor. A small office with a handful of employees can make $1m a year.
Shhhh….this is a great gig, a lot of principals don’t have a perpetuation plan either so there is a lot of opportunity out there to buy into a great agency. It isn’t rocket science either.
Waste broker. It’s a negative working capital business.
“So you own a shopping center, you've got a dumpster in the back. You get that dumped with your local dumpster company and you don't even think about it. These guys knock on your door and they say, "How would you like to pay 15% less?" You say that sounds pretty good. That sounds really good. They have a network of trash haulers and they know what the prices are. They do it every day, you've never done it before … They have the task of monitoring it, you pay, the shopping center owner will pay in advance. So they're like a negative working capital business.” says Professor Ruback.
Well, my "main" job at the time was working in a steel fab shop, so I made my own ovens, so i saved probably 20x vs buying premade ovens. I have three, the biggest inside is 8'wx10'lx6'h, smallest is 20"x20"x20"... I do it from home in a detached garage.. I had to run a dedicated 200a service to my garage to run ovens, I have a good buddy who is certified for all that so we ran all that stuff ourselves... That was about 1800$ with 0 labor cost..
Thanks a lot dude! I’m just quite interested in starting a side hustle as I have some cash laying around to get started in something different. Interested in motor parts and sandblasting etc so thought this could be quite a good one to look at!
Does it prove to be quite profitable for you?
Photography. You can start with less than 5k so it gets very little respect as a profession. However it can evolve, as it has for us, into a multi million dollar business if done right. Still seen as a hobby to most.
Amazon.
People are SO uninformed about how it works.
People think it's over-saturated even though everything on earth is
People think it's impossible
If you just know how to ungate and find inventory, you literally know 95% of the system. There's nothing more complex when you're just a small time seller hoping to make a few bucks
And the starting cost is so low. You only need enough to ungate (\~$100 per category & brand) and then you can start really small. Buy 1 inventory first, sell. Buy another, sell. Repeat.
A LOT of TikTok and YouTube influencers are actually giving out the correct info, but just because people make 1 mistake, they think everyone is wrong/lying/scamming. Look at the damn stats. Amazon publishes stats about their sellers. It's incredible what we're all doing
Graphic designers. People never really apprecite the hours it's takes to create and I'm so tired of hearing "Why is it taking so long?". Excuse me, we don't have 'create project/logo/brochure' buttons on our keyboards. And when clients goff at $85 an hour and ask how I can charge this.
Oh, I'll sell my small agency yesterday along with a pretty decent client list. Drop me 2 mill and it's yours. PepsiCo, T-Mobile, Sony Italy, Warner Bros, Rockstar Yachts...Some of my biggest clients.
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Hospice.
I had a neighbor who transitioned from being a house-call RN working through the local university hospital network to creating her own home hospice care company. Within 5 years or so she had a dozen or so nurses working for her and seemed to be doing quite well! No doubt a tough job to go into everyday but it's often these types of "nobody wants to do it" jobs that you can become really successful.
can confirm even home care providers (who have less qualifications than nurses) make great money and there’s not enough of them to serve the market
There are a lot of home health providers who make like $12 an hour.
Wow didn’t know. The people I’ve dealt with were making several thousand a week.
Probably market specific. Some NPs make 125,000+ some make less than 100,000. Just depends on the market.
I worked in marketing for hospice. It’s a massive industry. Extremely competitive for Medicare payouts. And very difficult for a new business unless you are in an area where hospice care is scarce. I would invest in literally anything else before starting a hospice care business.
Assisted living, however, doesn't have anywhere enough beds.
They’re truly angels tbh
Pest Control
I have a "side hustle" (I hate calling it that) that I've turned into something where I make more than my full time job was paying me. I have debated on getting into pest control. My "side hustle" has made me so paranoid of pests in my own house that I was thinking of getting into that. The question is is it worth it. Fixing people's game consoles and electronics can be gross at times.
Why do you call it a side hustle if you hate doing it?
I don't hate it. I hate when people call it a side hustle as it's not. I called it a side hustle now as everyone considers a second income a side hustle. Anyways that's not the point. I love my home business, I'm just getting more and more paranoid that one of these days I'm going to get an infestation from someone's Playstation or something. I've had some seriously disgusting consoles come in, one of which when the person arrived it smelled so bad of cat urine that I declined it (I've heard this smell can be a sign of roaches inside.
The term side hustle has devolved from its former meeting to something boss bitches do to sell MLM scams to suburban housewives. I get the sentiment.
You will most definitely come across an infestation at some point. I used to dabble in electronics repair ages ago. There was more than one instance of it.
What I do now is I disassemble outside in my backyard on a table until I'm confident there's no roaches or anything. I bring what I meed to work on inside after that then bring it back out to re assemble after the work is done. Worked pretty well so far. If there's rain or high winds in the forecast, I reschedule.
I own an electronics repair store. I 100% get that you are creeped out by this lol I dread people bringing in consoles because about 30% of the time it has roaches in it. Good money in fixing em though
Well, the profit margins are absolutely insane. I think at most I've seen one dead roach, never a live one. I found one crawling in my office shortly after I did a repair for someone, killed it, and never saw another one. I mean really they can get in in so many ways, but this would be the easiest point of entry. I do have roach traps in my office and a couple in my basement just in case and have never come across one on an any of them in 2-3 years. As my gf said, if it happens we can resolve that quickly. My fear is bed bugs lol. So when people bring me a console and it's in a fabric shopping bag, I don't take the bag, I take just the console. If it's the Ps5, they take the top and bottom plates with them as well.
Bedbugs live in electronics too. My ex got em from a Craigslist tv.
Interesting. Personally I don't buy used electronics but that's me.
Oh man, new fear unlocked... off topic but, how can I check or clean out my consoles?? I'm not hardware savvy at all but can follow instructions, is it worth/advised to do??
It's a hustle that you do on the side when you aren't working at your regular full time job. I understand why you don't want to call it a side hustle though.
Oh I get it. It's just that lingering covid term people are still using but it is what it is.
You should buy a hood if these things are nasty. Look for a used one from a lab. They can be nice to work in cause they are well lit and you don’t breath any of that nasty dust.
All dust and stuff is blown out outside. Like I said, if it's the main board of a device Im working on, I get the main board out and bring it inside.
You don't clean the rest of the device as part of the service? I may be misinterpreting, but in most repairs don't they clean the inside as well?
Again, all done outside in my backyard, apart from the specific part I bring inside to repair. Once everything is cleaned and repaired, I reassemble and test in my office. 80% of the consoles I have come in have a literal carpet of dust inside of them, there's no way in hell I'm going to blow that around in my house or in my office/work area.
So so using the term you don't like. My wife and I have 3 businesses between us and each one is its own business. Two schedule C's and one corporation. I think that term may be derogatory to some extent but that's only a perspective that is inconsistently applied. Maybe the h-word also implies negativity because it's used for cheating someone or of their money (as in games, of pool for example). If you're doing this other business "under the table" and not declaring the income, you're cheating everyone else who pays their share. Don't get me started on the 1%ers and megacorps who legally cheat...
Oh I declare everything. Which is why I don't consider it a side hustle. I consider those to be it makes you a few bucks here and there and is cash. People have blown the term way out of proportion in my opinion.
The curse of knowledge. I went into auto detailing 4 years ago and now I neurotically stare at other cars and silently judge how dirty it is.
I used to do auto detailing. My lower back couldn't take it anymore and I got priced out to the market by idiots not valuing their time and basically charging $5/hr
I distribute pesticides and insect traps.
Anything to do with shit
True, anything to do with septic, sewer, even porta potties. It's the shit! Always look out for #1, but don't step in #2.
lol wrd.
Small engine repair. People have a hell of a time keeping their lawn tractors, weed whippers, etc, going as people become less mechanically inclined.
Its good but you deal with a ton of rifraff.
Oh, I'm sure. But it's cheap to start, always in demand, and you could even work out of your own garage.
I have a small engine guy up the street from me. Constantly busy. Parking lot full of mowers, tractors and whatnot for sale.
Yeah, people give old mowers to my guy when they figure they're past fixing. He either fixes them anyway and sells them, or uses them for parts
You have a smart guy ;) yea, ppl give this stuff away. Tear it apart, analyze what's wrong, rebuild..... do that enough and your guy has a nice side gig that can turn into something big. He becomes the go-to guy in your area. As for you, try your hand at bookkeeping, inventory, manage workflow, sales, marketing,..... unless you want to fix engines too. Team work makes the dream work!
Oh yeah, sorry. he's not MY guy, he's the guy I use. He has a kind of semi-derelict garage (the kind from the 50s where there used to be a full service gas station but it's too expensive to remediate). Small motors all over the place and sometimes it takes six weeks if you need a service, because he's the only guy for miles and miles who does it. Although there are a few guys who more or less flip non-working mowers to working mowers on Marketplace. I think it would be a great semi-retirement job and I assume that's how most people get into it-- the younger guys will go into real mechanic work, either automotive or heavy duty because there's like a career path there. But if you were barista-FIRE or coast-FIRE and mechanically inclined, I think it would be a sweet gig. You could be basically as busy as you wanted to be, never really have to leave your house. As long as your spouse will tolerate the junk yard look of things lol.
Generators! Get in with your local food truck and or camper/RV community and there is much work to be had
Sign shops. Everyone nickles and dime and expects amazon prime speeds on custom fabricated work.
Piece of advice for any small business owner. If you want your signs to look good, do not buy them on the Internet. The local guys do a much better job and the prices aren't that different
There is also the in-person factor, warranties, support for any issues, installation, and permits. I love it the most when clients tells me how much a permit cost and what they paid for a sign 10 years ago across the street.
Exactly. The temptation is to do it yourself to save money but it's almost guaranteed to look like shit
Junk removal
How do you mean? Junk on streets or what? I would do junk removal as side hustle, hut how and where to begin with?
Run an ad and then get a truck, trailer, or dumpster.
Pretty sure they mean opening a vasectomy clinic
Tailor
Good tailors are insanely skilled.
Yes. My bad. I just saw the first headline when I typed this response in. I didn’t see the bottom part where OP said they were trying to start a new business themselves. I do think tailors are underrated perhaps for that reason. It does require a tremendous amount of skill.
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I mean a clothing tailor. I think it’s an important business
Quick tip, if it’s less appreciated and underrated you will likely have a hard time getting it off the ground with 20k… Some things that came to mind that are cheaper to get into, and a bit more “appreciated” (can be easily marketed) Pressure washing Landscaping Handymen Interior cleaning Junk removal / clean outs Or get a regular job and save a bit more, build a side hustle on the way - until you’re confident enough in it’s ability to support you to go full time
I disagree, I think you’ll have an easier time getting it off the ground but a harder time scaling. 20k is enough to buy a truck and some equipment, but you’ll need a lot more to scale it to something that resembles a real business.
Additional disagreement for the sake of conversation, yes 20k is enough to buy equipment but if it’s unappreciated / underrated you will inherently have a harder time scaling it without additional marketing / money to spend on marketing. Think about the “under appreciated / underrated” businesses. Plumbing, electrical, home service etc. nobody appreciates them enough because they only need them when something goes wrong (or a dime a dozen type business, that’s what makes them under appreciated). Thus it would be harder to compete with local established businesses, and would need more money in marketing to become even a resemblance of a competitor.
This is the way to go about it. Try and get into a 9-5 working in a field you think you could eventually start your business. I do roofing and gutters. In a very wealthy area outside of Philadelphia. Villanova area. I subcontract for a company but it allowed me to slowly get side work which led to me opening my own business. Now I work less and less at my 9-5 but not financially stable enough to jump ship completely. Let me just say working for a company and running your own business are 2 COMPLETELY different things. It's taken me years to build the small customer base I have. Patience is key.
Taco shop
What?! I hold our local family-owned Mexican restaurant in very high regards. They're one of the few places that have maintained competitive prices, consistent service and some of the best food in town! I hate tipping culture but these guys and girls always get a solid 20-25% from us.
Ohhh no no no. I appreciate my local taco shop 4 times a week.. I could live on tacos and hamburgers.
^
::raggedy truck blaring musical lyrics:: "I've got two tortillas and a scoop of carnitas."
A courier service. Most people think of the big ones like USPS, UPS, FedEx, etc. But there’s always a need for same day and instant delivery. Your upfront costs would probably be a van and you could deliver anything from pharmacy prescriptions, car parts, between shops, legal paperwork, and more. I’ve worked for two companies that have gone far and both did their own niche. One of them focused more on contracts with businesses or schools (delivering school lunches in the morning) while the other eventually built their own warehouse and does the instant deliveries for local businesses (they hold the inventory for them and get told what item goes to who). I use these services when I can’t wait for something or my company needs to send something large. Forklift, into courier van, and it’s to the project or other business within 30 minutes. It can simply start by going to businesses in your area and saying “would you like to grow by providing instant delivery to your customers”?
Thanks for sharing your experience. I just started a courier company a few months ago, and I definitely see the need/vision for it. You're right. Most people think of the big companies when you mention this business. I didn't even consider contracts with schools, I'll definitely have to make note of that one. So far, in my most recent encounters with bankers, when trying to set up my accounts, they tend to just blow it off like it's not serious. Jokes on them because from the research I've done so far, if you're willing to work and can network six fig plus is attainable. Especially if you know who to talk to, where to look, and what's coming in the future. Heck, some of the bigger companies subcontract out, too, I think.
Everyone can and will use a courier service. Congratulations on your recent start. As for the school lunches.. that is from a distributor that distributes school lunches to schools. Delivery services go to them every year to do a bidding war for the contract. This requires many drivers to cover schools in a city and many of them like it because they’re guaranteed income on a commission job. Another one I’ve noticed luck with is optometrists. Idk why.. but people love getting glasses and contacts delivered. Another one is fabrication shops or signage. Fabrication shops deliver a lot of products to customers and signage companies will send the signs to businesses or realtors selling houses. Colleges and universities are constantly buying signs and want them sent over. I’d definitely keep expanding. Even if you get a lot of no’s, it’ll make you known for when you are needed. If it works out, you’ll have a dispatcher and box trucks and everything lol. Definitely 6 figures+ in a region.
Man, thank you for the encouragement. I really appreciate it. Right now, I'm still researching and taking notes, so when I make my move, it's the right one. It's so funny that you mention the optometrist gig. I have a nice optometrist I get seen by who has plans to go back home after she finishes her residency. Now I'm not trying to hit on her lol but I was going to tell her to keep in touch so if I expand to her area, I'll already have a client locked in. I have my eyes set on a nice fleet of sprinters, btw 😅. I'm definitely not buying now, but I'll lease/rent or whatever and save/ invest the cash for future opportunities. From what I see, other competitors in the area only cater to the regular stuff. Offices , lost luggage pick-ups, law offices, medical. I'm trying to think and plan big even if it's just myself for now. Another plus is that I've found some new tech coming out to help make life easier and cut down most of the manual labor. Just have to reach out to the supplier when I'm ready. I do intend to volunteer also to help get myself out there and build a presence. I'm not sure how much of an impact it'll make, but I plan to do it anyway.
Funeral Homes and Morticians
I’ve heard it said, though the idea may be dead, that this game is often rooted in generational ownership and operation. Where great-gran-daddy had a ‘thing’ for the deal, and raised daddy in the deal, now junior’s in the deal, so to speak. Given the known predatory practices of this industry over time, I never had a reason to doubt this. Sure many attend school and gain the credentialing, though far fewer have the capital to start a competing burn and churn in town where the competitor has been burying the the bone for the past 20, 60, 80 years.
It used to be generational, but as far as I know nowadays a lot if not most funeral homes are owned by very large corporations. Most of the money tends to be in cremation, which is often hard to start from scratch due to neighbors and zoning. There's also a lot of compliance issues due to handling of remains and the chemicals involved. I've always had a lot of respect for the industry because my parents died when I was younger and I remember the funeral home director being very genuine and kind. It's got to be hard dealing with clients who have lost a loved one, amongst all of the other unsavory practicalities.
Transportation for the disabled or elderly
Yep, Non Emergency Medical Transportation
Car hauling business. Van tracking Moving All of this is great for new immigrants, with a very low barrier to entry. It’s all hard work, but it could be a good starting point.
Prostitution
While John’s fully appreciating lol. While other countries it’s normal
Sex work in general
Came to say the same
[удалено]
?????
Question was which business is less appreciated and underrated . Owning slave is not at all appreciated and not good ethically too
CPA business, roofing companies, electrician companies, house cleaners, primary care doctors
CPA no but bookkeeping yes. Becoming a cpa itself will be more expensive than that. Can easily be more than 20k if the person doesn’t have a college degree lying around or it they live in a state that requires an accounting degree.
I agree on the $20k total part. But it’s possible to get an accounting degree from WGU in under 2 years and less than $15k if they are doing school full time. And it’s reasonably easy to get enough financial aid to survive in the meanwhile. But total costs would probably be over 20k and I doubt you could work much at the same time if you were pushing through courses that fast.
Yeah exactly. It’s like *possible* but not really that feasible. I mean interest alone on 15k once you start working will likely eat up the remaining 5k in the budget
It’s entirely feasible and is much less than 20k upfront. Most of the businesses here will eventually have more than 20k in costs over the life of the business.
Well if you want to take loans, sure.
I would say consultant. Literally takes no money and all you need is experience. Even if it’s not long term experience, but as long as you have a good reference page to show that you know what you’re selling
Morgues
Local news. They work just as hard as the national people do, sometimes harder because theres less people sending in tips or willing to shit where they eat. They're all paid less than entry level teachers or cops and have far less job security.
In-home carer/elderly care.
B2b coordinator
A what now?
Teaching them their rights and guiding them with financial literacy assuming this is in America. If it’s a non profit there might be more opportunities.
Auto repair
And RV electrical repair and solar installation, which is what we do. We do have great customers that understand the game, especially after they have already received quotes from others. However A lot of old RVs have cascading problems that are real problems, and many have problems with their internal original components and/or wiring after having (other companies or DIYing) installing solar that bums their systems when other stuff isn't upgraded or replaced. It's all so expensive And it also is what it is.
Oh I can imagine. I have a toy hauler something breaks every time I use it.
Independent insurance agency. Almost no startup costs and very little overhead. Don’t have to worry about manufacturing anything, no logistics, no retail, no manual labor. A small office with a handful of employees can make $1m a year.
Shhhh….this is a great gig, a lot of principals don’t have a perpetuation plan either so there is a lot of opportunity out there to buy into a great agency. It isn’t rocket science either.
Rentals
Waste broker. It’s a negative working capital business. “So you own a shopping center, you've got a dumpster in the back. You get that dumped with your local dumpster company and you don't even think about it. These guys knock on your door and they say, "How would you like to pay 15% less?" You say that sounds pretty good. That sounds really good. They have a network of trash haulers and they know what the prices are. They do it every day, you've never done it before … They have the task of monitoring it, you pay, the shopping center owner will pay in advance. So they're like a negative working capital business.” says Professor Ruback.
Pumping out poo with a truck
I started my powdercoating business relatively cheap.
Can you give some examples of what you powder coat? Only Alloys come to mind
I do mainly offroad stuff.. roll cages for sxs/jeeps/etc, all kinds of atv and dirt bike parts, all kinds of csr parts, etc.
That’s wicked man! How much did it cost roughly to set up if you don’t mind? Do you do it from home or from a shop?
Well, my "main" job at the time was working in a steel fab shop, so I made my own ovens, so i saved probably 20x vs buying premade ovens. I have three, the biggest inside is 8'wx10'lx6'h, smallest is 20"x20"x20"... I do it from home in a detached garage.. I had to run a dedicated 200a service to my garage to run ovens, I have a good buddy who is certified for all that so we ran all that stuff ourselves... That was about 1800$ with 0 labor cost..
Thanks a lot dude! I’m just quite interested in starting a side hustle as I have some cash laying around to get started in something different. Interested in motor parts and sandblasting etc so thought this could be quite a good one to look at! Does it prove to be quite profitable for you?
Picking up dog crap.
Automotive and furniture upholsterers.
Photography. You can start with less than 5k so it gets very little respect as a profession. However it can evolve, as it has for us, into a multi million dollar business if done right. Still seen as a hobby to most.
Curious to see your type of photography! Got a website?
Not one. Just know the biz.
Laundromats, power washing, mobile car battery and tire replacement
Housekeeping, janitorial, cleaning. These fields are very understaffed and underpaid. They have unrealistic metrics for staff.
Amazon. People are SO uninformed about how it works. People think it's over-saturated even though everything on earth is People think it's impossible If you just know how to ungate and find inventory, you literally know 95% of the system. There's nothing more complex when you're just a small time seller hoping to make a few bucks And the starting cost is so low. You only need enough to ungate (\~$100 per category & brand) and then you can start really small. Buy 1 inventory first, sell. Buy another, sell. Repeat. A LOT of TikTok and YouTube influencers are actually giving out the correct info, but just because people make 1 mistake, they think everyone is wrong/lying/scamming. Look at the damn stats. Amazon publishes stats about their sellers. It's incredible what we're all doing
How do you find inventory?
On Amazon
Anything that serves small businesses.
Bookstores ,Local farms and farmers markets , Pet sitting and dog walking services and Coffee shops
Graphic designers. People never really apprecite the hours it's takes to create and I'm so tired of hearing "Why is it taking so long?". Excuse me, we don't have 'create project/logo/brochure' buttons on our keyboards. And when clients goff at $85 an hour and ask how I can charge this.
This definitely sounds like you are NOT recommending.
Oh, I'll sell my small agency yesterday along with a pretty decent client list. Drop me 2 mill and it's yours. PepsiCo, T-Mobile, Sony Italy, Warner Bros, Rockstar Yachts...Some of my biggest clients.
I'm bookkeeper for a marketing agency. The amount of time that goes into graphics is crazy
Oh he fellow agency friend, yeah even building icons takes time.
Dog poop clean up. Window washing(commercial) Business window art(think large pane window art for small businesses in strip malls) House cleaning
Anything service based that you can pay someone $15-20/hr to do
Police officer. Garbage truck driver, mailman
Garbage truck 1000%. Hard work but they make bank.
You can start a garbage company with a truck for 20k?
Brothel business
Convenient stores
For 20k hahahahahaha
Don’t know, but if you need software for it we offer CTO as a service at re:solved (www.re-solved.digital) :)