10 Low Cost Businesses You Can Start
 Starting one's own business is a dream shared by millions of people. Unfortunately, many of them feel as if it's a dream that will never come true because they think they simply don't have the capital needed to start up a successful business.
In today's marketplace, however, a lack of funds doesn't have to tie you down. There are a huge number of lucrative businesses that you can start on your own for as little as $500… or even less! Let's take a look at the ten most popular…
1. House Sitting
When it comes to businesses that you can start for under 500 dollars, house sitting immediately comes to mind. This is essentially a very low maintenance sort of job, but one that does require a particular vital skill: trustworthiness.
You'll be left in charge of people's homes while they're away, so obviously you need to be good at cultivating relationships, and the most important thing you can do to start off is to develop a strong base of clients who will recommend you to others based on your performance.
House sitting duties that you might run into would include basic matters of upkeep such as saving and forwarding mail, feeding and watering pets, and other basic tasks.
2. Pet Care
Just as people need their homes looked after when they're away, they also need someone to look after their animal companions. If you love animals, pet care is a lucrative business that you can start for virtually nothing at all, and which can take many different forms.
For instance, you might bring a pet into your home to keep it under 24 hour supervision, or you might simply visit the client's home once or twice a day to feed or walk the animal in question. Alternately, you might provide every day services regardless of whether the clients are out of town or not, such as dog walking or grooming.
3. House Cleaning
Another step up the ladder as far as responsibility is concerned, house cleaning is another home business that you can start for next to nothing.
It's another of those businesses where you need only a few established clients, and you tend to advertise through word of mouth. As such, expensive marketing isn't really necessary. What you will need, though, is good business sense to know how much to charge, and the ability to develop trusting relationships quickly.
Furthermore, you'll need an eye for detail work as house cleaning typically involves getting down to the very nitty-gritty of things: even cleaning windows and baseboards depending on the client.
4. Auto Detailing
Auto detailing is a business that's really taken off in recent years. People are paying more and more for their automobiles, and they'll do whatever it takes to keep them looking nice.
Typically, an auto detailer will thoroughly clean and shampoo or vacuum the interior of a car, as well as use detail brushes to remove all the grime and dust from small areas such as air vents and the various nooks and crannies of the instrument panel.
Professional auto detailers charge around $100 for their service, so as you can see it's a very lucrative opportunity. Best of all, it requires very little in the way of start-up: just some cleaning supplies and a bit of marketing.
5. Direct Sales
The de facto “small business” model, direct sales is as popular now as it ever was. As time passes, the opportunities available with direct sales tend to increase as well. In the past, those involved with direct sales were largely limited to acting as representatives for major corporations such as Avon or Fingerhut.
That's certainly still a viable option, as there's still very little in the way of initial costs beyond the need to buy some samples.
However, in the modern day, direct sales are also growing on the internet. It takes next to nothing to become an affiliate for a direct sales organization, set up your own website, and do some marketing. Best of all, this method allows you to earn money on the side through click-thru advertising and affiliate linking.
6. Freelancer
Freelancers who work from home tend to have very little operational costs, and this makes it a very attractive business to get into for those who have little in the way of start up capital. What's more, those who use their home as an office also qualify for some exciting breaks come tax time.
Freelancing is a broad field that encompasses many disciplines. All that's required is that you possess a skill that is in demand, and that you have the means to advertise yourself as highly skilled in that area. For instance, if you're a copywriter, you can find a great deal of work as a freelancer for little to no investment at all.
7. Networker
Do you have strong people skills? If so, you might want to look into acting as a network manager. No matter what business someone is in, contacts and potential clients are a valuable asset to them. As such, they tend to view networking as one of the most important activities they can take part in. A network manager simply capitalizes upon this need.
To be more specific, they go to trade shows and the like to get to know local professionals and develop relationships with them.
Over time, they build a database of these individuals and keep in touch with them. As their list of contacts grows, they are able to start charging businesses for the service of putting them in touch with other businesses where they might form valuable networking links.
The good thing about this business besides the low start up cost is that your client base tends to grow exponentially as word of mouth gets around, provided that you do a good job.
8. Property Management
Property management can be seen as the evolution of the house sitting business we mentioned earlier. As a property manager, you essentially take care of someone else's property in a variety of specified ways.
You might hold office hours at an apartment complex, for instance, in order to speak with tenants about property issues and even collect rent. Or you might be in charge of the upkeep on a property that the owner is looking to sell.
Whatever the case, property management is a somewhat demanding business, but it's also one that offers a lot of potential rewards depending on how far you go with it. For someone looking for a real opportunity with a low start up business, this is an excellent way to go.
9. Bookkeeping
Ostensibly considered freelancing, bookkeeping deserves its own category on this list because it is probably the number one job that companies tend to outsource to freelancers. You don't really need much in the way of start up to perform this job, you simply have to form relationships and advertise your skills. As a bookkeeper, your job will basically consist of data entry and bill paying, as well as making sure that a company's financial records are intact and reflect reality.
Many people are intimidated by this job because it carries a stigma of requiring a great deal of training. This simply isn't the case. Nowadays, many people are able to perform as bookkeepers with just some basic pieces of software and a small degree of learning. There are even courses online that you can take to develop your proficiency.
10. Blogging
 Probably the most non-traditional option on this entire list, it still gets the top spot just because of how lucrative it really is, potentially. As a blogger, your job is essentially to write about whatever interests you, and then post it online.
It's as simple as that! Of course, not every blogger makes money at what they do, but the ones who do tend to make a great deal of money. Some of the most popular bloggers on the internet can make up to six figures a year, and there are literally thousands who bring home a comfortable living.
The start up costs for a blogger are negligible. You don't even really need to register a domain name, though you might eventually want to.
All you need is to register a blog on a popular site such as blogspot.com, and begin marketing your blog on the appropriate internet forums. In time, you'll be receiving the kind of traffic that can really generate some strong income for you in the form of affiliate advertisements and click-thrus.
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