Please don't consider this list as a list of the only businesses out there.  There are literally thousands of businesses you can start at home.  These are just the ones I thought of while I was typing.  Use this list as a starting point to help you discover a business that's right for you.

• Free Businesses You Can Start
• Businesses You Can Start For Under $100

Businesses You Can Start for Free

• Sell on Ebay - Do you have junk in your house or things you want to discard?  Sell those items on Ebay.  You will pay less than $1 for the first listing.  Take the money you make from selling those items and go to flea markets and garage sales.  Buy more items to sell.  Continue this process.  I know someone who started out this way and now sells over $20,000/month on Ebay.  It's possible.  Starting cost:  less than $1.

Don't fall into the trap of thinking "Oh no one will buy my junk.  No one wants that old thing."  A man recently sold EVERYTHING in his house including a 5 pound bag of sugar, a half used tube of toothpaste and a broken toaster.  If he can sell that, you can sell YOUR stuff. 

Tip:  Unless you know the item is worth something, start with a bid of .99 with No Reserve.  Make sure to add the shipping costs so the buyer pays that. 

• Be a Phone Buddy.  This is a business that really makes a difference in people's lives.  It's sometimes called a How are you today? service.  You phone a senior citizen or shut in 5 or 6 days a week to check on them and to chat.  You spend a few minutes on each phone call (between 5-10, sometimes less, sometimes more.)   In order to build up business you can put up notices on a couple of community bulletin boards.  People who have older parents may also be interested in this service.  Make the fee reasonable.  Please remember that a lot of seniors are on fixed incomes, but would like the companionship.  Cost to Start:  Free.

• Shopping Service.  You do the shopping for seniors, disabled or people that don't have the time to shop for themselves.  Cost to Start:  Free.

• Beware of Other "FREE" Businesses.  The ones I mention above are the only ones I know of that are legitimate and free and that can make you money.  There are tons of places that say they have free businesses but they aren't worth your time or money (yes, even though these offers say they are free, they really aren't.)  Offline these are the "envelope stuffing" type offers.  Online they are the free money making websites.  The only people making money from these types of places are the people who started them.  Don't waste your time or money. 

Businesses You Can Start for Under $100

These are just a few of the businesses you can start for less than $100.  This isn't a complete list at all.  There are thousands more possible businesses you can start.  These are just the ones that I thought of while I was typing this page.

Tip:  I believe almost all businesses should have a website including the ones I list here even if you are just selling the item in your town.  It's a great advertising tool for you that's cheap, encourages word of mouth and if used appropriately can really increase your sales.  I explain how how to build a web site step by step here.

• Arts and Craft Type Businesses

These type of businesses usually build by word of mouth and can become very profitable.  They require very little upfront costs, just the initial cost of your material and your advertising.  Don't go overboard with your supplies in the beginning.  Just buy what you need to do one or two of the items you are selling then as you sell, re-invest your profits back into the business.   

Here are some arts and craft products that you could make and sell:

• Gift Baskets
• Door Wreaths
• Jewelry
• Soap
• Candles
• Plans for Do it Yourselfers  (ex: you build the plans for someone who wants to build a dollhouse, birdhouse, country dolls, needlework items, door wreath, gift baskets, etc.)  You write out what they need to do and sell the plans.  You can also include the material and sell it as a kit.
• Make a Doll that Looks Like the Specific Child - these are always a hit.  Make a large doll and from a photo of the child create a likeness of the child's face on the doll.  Dress the doll in clothes like what the child wears.
• Sell Birthday and Special Occasion Birthday Cakes

• More Businesses

• Birth Announcement Signs:  Build, Buy or Pay Someone to Build a Couple of 6 foot signs in the shape of a Stork or other Baby Item.  Paint one pink and the other one blue.  Rent them out.  When there's a birth, they call you, you put the appropriate stork on the person's lawn, then after 10 days remove.   

• Consulting - do you have special knowledge that people will pay for?  A consulting business is a great business to start part time out of your home. 

• Create Letters from Santa, the Easter Bunny, etc. (create a generic letter on your computer that you personalize with each child's name, get some nice holiday stationary, print out the letter and mail.  If it's from Santa - send a batch of the stamped letters to the North Pole post office before Dec. 15 and ask them to mail the letters for you.  The letter will then be postmarked North Pole.)  In the non-holiday times you can sell pen pal services for a year where you send letters once a month to a child.

• Sell and Deliver Balloon Bouquets

• Start a Car Pool Service (for kids or seniors)

• Lost Pet Location Service (people pay you to put up flyers about their lost pet and look for their lost pet.  You get an additional fee if the pet is found.)

• Resume Writing Service

• Window Washing Service

• Photo Album Service (people give you their loose photos, you put them in albums for them.  Don't laugh at this one.  Tons of people have a bunch of old photos and just haven't had time to put them in albums.)

 Next step:  A Business Plan - do you need one?