Six Service Businesses You Can Start With Under $600

When the economy stumbles, service businesses tend to keep marching on, because the need for basic services stays steady through boom and recession. Why not start your own profitable service business? Here are six that are inexpensive to start and allow a flexible schedule, so you can operate the business in your spare time or work around your family


Errand service -Today, working professionals have busy lives, which often leaves no time to run basic errands, like taking the dog to a groomer or vet, picking up a gift, or waiting for an appliance repairman to show up at home. These busy professionals need an errand service to help them manage.

In addition to working professionals, seniors and others who are home bound due to injury or illness need help with their errands as well, such as grocery shopping or a prescription pickup. There are also many businesses. such as escrow offices, law firms and accounting firms, who prefer to hire an errand service instead of sending an employee to pick up and deliver documents.
An errand business can be started with a reliable vehicle and a cell phone. Errand running is the perfect "shoestring startup" for anyone who likes to help people and is organized and dependable.


Field Inspector -When a lender, such as a bank, makes a loan on a property or an insurance company writes a policy on a home or other valuable property, they need to have regular inspections to document the condition of the properties. Rather than using employees do the inspections, most hire independent local field inspectors, who go to the property, take a few photos and fill out a short checklist. Most field inspections take 20 minutes or less, so a field inspector can do several in a day.

Field inspections can range from quick property inspections to collateral inspections, which document the condition of equipment, such as bulldozers, excavators, generators, even medical equipment. The recent recession has resulted in a huge increase in demand for field inspections, because of the many new foreclosed properties in all areas. in addition, government regulations now require that lenders have foreclosed properties inspected as often as once a month to prevent problems.

Pet sitting - The dog and cat population has grown so fast in the past few years that there are now over 160 million cats and dogs in the United States alone. This pet population explosion has created a need for pet sitters to care for these dogs and cats when the owners are away. Hiring a pet sitter allows pets to stay in the familiar, safe surroundings of home, and skip the health risks and stress of an unfamiliar kennel.

Most pet sitter start with a "Go" bag that has the essentials like a spare leash and collars, doggie bags and treats, a flashlight and cleaning supplies. It costs around $100 to set one up. Add a cell phone, insurance and reliable transportation, and you're in business. According to a recent national poll, pet sitters make an average of $175 a day -just for playing with pets all day!

Tutoring - Helping struggling students with English, math and other subjects can provide a good income for teachers and others with skills and patience. A small classified ad in the local paper can bring a year's worth of students to you. Online tutoring allows tutors and students to connect virtually almost anytime, so it can provide a flexible schedule for those juggling other work or family responsibilities. There are dozens of online companies that match students with tutors, including Brainfuse, Growing Stars, Kaplan Tutoring, Sylan-Online and Wyzant. A Google search for "online tutors" will connect you with others.

Virtual assistant - Do you have experience and skills as an administrative assistant, legal secretary or office manager? The new field of virtual assistants is growing fast as more employers out-source administrative tasks to web-based independent contractors, most of whom work at home.

Virtual assistants provide administrative help to their clients on a per-job or per-hour basis. According to the Virtual Business Alliance, the average VA earns $40,000 to $50,000 yearly. Virtual Assistance U offers a training program to help new VA's get started, with both training and coaching. An excellent book for newcomers to VA is The 2-Second Commute, by Christiana Durst. Who's hiring virtual assistants? Try Capital Typing.com, Virtual Assistant Jobs.com or Indeed.com  (Do a search on their site for "virtual assistants.")

Window cleaning - Like death and taxes, you can also count on dirty windows! With so many two-income couples who don't have time to clean windows, there is plenty of demand for professional window cleaning. You can start a window cleaning business with a dependable vehicle, a phone and a window cleaning toolkit that costs about $200. Most homeowners have their windows cleaned three times a year, Spring, Summer and Fall, so much of the work comes from repeat customers. Wages are above average, ranging from $40 in small towns and rural areas to $70 per hour in larger cities. Window cleaning is also a recession resistant business, as windows need regular cleaning in both prosperous times and recessions.

Even if your budget is tiny, there's a perfect home-based business that is right for you. Just match your skills and interests to the right opportunity and you can have your own startup on a shoestring.

Craig Wallin is the author of How to Start a Profitable Senior Errand Service, Profitable Pet Sitting, Drive-By Profits - Making Money as an Independent Field Inspector, Profitable Window Cleaning, and the editor of Extra Income Bulletin, a resource about honest businesses you can start on a shoestring. To learn more about service businesses you can start for just a few hundred dollars, go to: http://extraincomebulletin.com

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