Low start up business ideas
Discussion
Hi all
Going for a complete change in lifestyle and hopping off the contractor gravy train. I'm finishing my current position in August and plan to work for myself again. The only problem is what to do....
I have a total of £2-3k to spend on start up (very low, I know) but can do my own website & marketing. I have additional working capital to weather the initial quiet times. I have a single garage and triple garage sized store room I can dedicate to it (although not able to operate anything too conspicuous from it).
The requirement is to make at least £100 per day, 5 days a week. Low start up cost, some retraining is ok, but it has to be less than a months worth.
I live in a fairly affluent part of a fairly big city, bordering the peak district - so a good audience for many services.
I've been working through my ideas, but I'm wondering if i'm missing something? - none of them seem to make use of my workspace at home.
I have an engineering degree and used to be a mechanic - but sometimes the obscure sounding businesses are the best.
- window cleaning - no experience but training available - pay seems limited?
- mobile mechanic - experienced, with most of the tools still - used to have my own garage
- mobile valeting - experienced - again, like window cleaning - pay seems limited.
- car sales - I'd have to take on premises and stock - biggest outlay and risk by far (it seems) - however most appealing long term prospect if it works.
- dog walking - I adore dogs, have plenty of experience with them and live in an ideal location to offer this.
- Handyman - Again, enough experience for most requirements, wouldn't take on anything I wasn't comfortable with. Although in my city (Sheffield) many when asked seem to consider £100 a day top money for one (!!!).
Any thoughts? What would you do? - small, simple, low risk business...
Going for a complete change in lifestyle and hopping off the contractor gravy train. I'm finishing my current position in August and plan to work for myself again. The only problem is what to do....
I have a total of £2-3k to spend on start up (very low, I know) but can do my own website & marketing. I have additional working capital to weather the initial quiet times. I have a single garage and triple garage sized store room I can dedicate to it (although not able to operate anything too conspicuous from it).
The requirement is to make at least £100 per day, 5 days a week. Low start up cost, some retraining is ok, but it has to be less than a months worth.
I live in a fairly affluent part of a fairly big city, bordering the peak district - so a good audience for many services.
I've been working through my ideas, but I'm wondering if i'm missing something? - none of them seem to make use of my workspace at home.
I have an engineering degree and used to be a mechanic - but sometimes the obscure sounding businesses are the best.
- window cleaning - no experience but training available - pay seems limited?
- mobile mechanic - experienced, with most of the tools still - used to have my own garage
- mobile valeting - experienced - again, like window cleaning - pay seems limited.
- car sales - I'd have to take on premises and stock - biggest outlay and risk by far (it seems) - however most appealing long term prospect if it works.
- dog walking - I adore dogs, have plenty of experience with them and live in an ideal location to offer this.
- Handyman - Again, enough experience for most requirements, wouldn't take on anything I wasn't comfortable with. Although in my city (Sheffield) many when asked seem to consider £100 a day top money for one (!!!).
Any thoughts? What would you do? - small, simple, low risk business...
DELETED: Comment made by a member who's account has been deleted.
At present I'm a Vehicle Durability Test Engineer (Contractor). Nothing like it nearer so ordinarily I'd relocate nearer to work (145 mile round trip) - but long term I want to be my own boss again anyway. That and I love living in Sheffield, my OH and I have a good life there. £100 a day is the minimum, I would expect to grow from there. Being poorer and working for yourself beats working for a large corporate any time for me.
Dan_M5 said:
If you think there is low money in some of those ideas i suggest you look into them more
I'm just going off the going rates locally. Which I've looked into, willing to be proven wrong though. The amazing thing is the discrepancy in rates between handymen in Sheffield and handymen in the South East. Really shocked me. There's a lot of very council-cash in hand types flying under the HMRC radar. That's not my style.
jeremyc said:
Bicycle repairs, second hand sales and hire?
Is there a significant cycling/mountain biking scene in the Peak District you could serve? Maybe offer mobile repairs/recovery as a differentiator?
Excellent suggestion and one I hadn't really thought of or looked into. From a quick Google, its going on the list!Is there a significant cycling/mountain biking scene in the Peak District you could serve? Maybe offer mobile repairs/recovery as a differentiator?
If you love dags (
) then that sounds like a good one but does it mean walking a ton of them in bad weather picking up poo all the way?
Car sales is easy to get into, you don't need anything to start other than the money to buy a car. Do that once or twice and see how you go. You can trade from home too if you like.
Random thought but there are always these people on the web who tell you how you can make a lot of money doing what they say, they can't all be bulls
tters.
) then that sounds like a good one but does it mean walking a ton of them in bad weather picking up poo all the way?Car sales is easy to get into, you don't need anything to start other than the money to buy a car. Do that once or twice and see how you go. You can trade from home too if you like.
Random thought but there are always these people on the web who tell you how you can make a lot of money doing what they say, they can't all be bulls
tters.Frimley111R said:
If you love dags () then that sounds like a good one but does it mean walking a ton of them in bad weather picking up poo all the way?
Car sales is easy to get into, you don't need anything to start other than the money to buy a car. Do that once or twice and see how you go. You can trade from home too if you like.
Random thought but there are always these people on the web who tell you how you can make a lot of money doing what they say, they can't all be bullstters.
Car sales for me would be tricky, I would really need to find a pitch. Living in a ground floor flat (which we own) with its own parking, but nothing I could sell cars from on anything more than occasionally. ) then that sounds like a good one but does it mean walking a ton of them in bad weather picking up poo all the way?Car sales is easy to get into, you don't need anything to start other than the money to buy a car. Do that once or twice and see how you go. You can trade from home too if you like.
Random thought but there are always these people on the web who tell you how you can make a lot of money doing what they say, they can't all be bulls
tters.I do have the advantage of being able to fix anything on a car, so profit margins may be larger than many dealers whilst volumes low.
How is window cleaning limited? £100 a day is 10 houses a day 50 a week and is 10-20 minutes work per house our window cleaner certainly isn’t scratching around with his superbike and 2 works vans.
I don’t see car valeting as a goer myself everyone is doing it at every supermarket or disused scrap of land.
Everyone needs a reliable handyman.
What about a combination of businesses window cleaner plus seasonal businesses cycle hire or a chimney sweep I’ve alwats thought cycle hire would be an easy one if you had the space to store the bikes it wouldn’t cost too much to start they don’t need to be all singing carbon bikes just reliable and safe.
I don’t see car valeting as a goer myself everyone is doing it at every supermarket or disused scrap of land.
Everyone needs a reliable handyman.
What about a combination of businesses window cleaner plus seasonal businesses cycle hire or a chimney sweep I’ve alwats thought cycle hire would be an easy one if you had the space to store the bikes it wouldn’t cost too much to start they don’t need to be all singing carbon bikes just reliable and safe.
BoRED S2upid said:
How is window cleaning limited? £100 a day is 10 houses a day 50 a week and is 10-20 minutes work per house our window cleaner certainly isn’t scratching around with his superbike and 2 works vans.
I don’t see car valeting as a goer myself everyone is doing it at every supermarket or disused scrap of land.
Everyone needs a reliable handyman.
What about a combination of businesses window cleaner plus seasonal businesses cycle hire or a chimney sweep I’ve alwats thought cycle hire would be an easy one if you had the space to store the bikes it wouldn’t cost too much to start they don’t need to be all singing carbon bikes just reliable and safe.
Lots of good advice there. I wasn't sure on the pay for window cleaners - realistically (unless the houses where very close) you'd get 2 in per hour. Once the admin & marketing is factored in £20 an hour as a limit seems a bit...limited. I appreciate I could be very wrong, will look into it more - it's my least researched plan thus far. I don’t see car valeting as a goer myself everyone is doing it at every supermarket or disused scrap of land.
Everyone needs a reliable handyman.
What about a combination of businesses window cleaner plus seasonal businesses cycle hire or a chimney sweep I’ve alwats thought cycle hire would be an easy one if you had the space to store the bikes it wouldn’t cost too much to start they don’t need to be all singing carbon bikes just reliable and safe.
A combination of businesses is probably where i'm going to end up. But I'd rather give 1 my full attention.
BoRED S2upid said:
How is window cleaning limited? £100 a day is 10 houses a day 50 a week and is 10-20 minutes work per house our window cleaner certainly isn’t scratching around with his superbike and 2 works vans.
I don’t see car valeting as a goer myself everyone is doing it at every supermarket or disused scrap of land.
Everyone needs a reliable handyman.
What about a combination of businesses window cleaner plus seasonal businesses cycle hire or a chimney sweep I’ve alwats thought cycle hire would be an easy one if you had the space to store the bikes it wouldn’t cost too much to start they don’t need to be all singing carbon bikes just reliable and safe.
No wonder he's got a superbike, our window cleaner charges £6.I don’t see car valeting as a goer myself everyone is doing it at every supermarket or disused scrap of land.
Everyone needs a reliable handyman.
What about a combination of businesses window cleaner plus seasonal businesses cycle hire or a chimney sweep I’ve alwats thought cycle hire would be an easy one if you had the space to store the bikes it wouldn’t cost too much to start they don’t need to be all singing carbon bikes just reliable and safe.
OP - one of the default answers is supplying sandwiches and snacks to office workers. Get up early and have your day finished by 3pm. I suspect it's a very competitive market especially with the likes of Subway popping up everywhere. Any new office or industrial estates being built near you?
crosseyedlion said:
Car sales for me would be tricky, I would really need to find a pitch. Living in a ground floor flat (which we own) with its own parking, but nothing I could sell cars from on anything more than occasionally.
I do have the advantage of being able to fix anything on a car, so profit margins may be larger than many dealers whilst volumes low.
If you can cope with things like replacing gearboxes or repairing accident damage could you fix them up and find a dealer who will sell them for you?I do have the advantage of being able to fix anything on a car, so profit margins may be larger than many dealers whilst volumes low.
The guy who cleans my office windows drives a very nice m3.
Obviously is a very cash rich job, not sure how much of it goes through the books, but he certainly seems to be doing well.
Equally, the mobile valet that does my cars, does a fantastic job and because of that gets repeat business from me. His van holds a water tank for his pressure washer. My car looks like new every time he has been.
He charges £80 for my s3 and £90 for my defender, for a full valet inside and out, more for full detailing.
Lots of local dealers use him too, so he is up to his eyeballs in work.
Obviously is a very cash rich job, not sure how much of it goes through the books, but he certainly seems to be doing well.
Equally, the mobile valet that does my cars, does a fantastic job and because of that gets repeat business from me. His van holds a water tank for his pressure washer. My car looks like new every time he has been.
He charges £80 for my s3 and £90 for my defender, for a full valet inside and out, more for full detailing.
Lots of local dealers use him too, so he is up to his eyeballs in work.
andyb28 said:
The guy who cleans my office windows drives a very nice m3.
Obviously is a very cash rich job, not sure how much of it goes through the books, but he certainly seems to be doing well.
Equally, the mobile valet that does my cars, does a fantastic job and because of that gets repeat business from me. His van holds a water tank for his pressure washer. My car looks like new every time he has been.
He charges £80 for my s3 and £90 for my defender, for a full valet inside and out, more for full detailing.
Lots of local dealers use him too, so he is up to his eyeballs in work.
There's quite a lot of crossover in facilities (Water tank in van and pure water system). Maybe this could be a good combination to do both - with careful marketing/managementObviously is a very cash rich job, not sure how much of it goes through the books, but he certainly seems to be doing well.
Equally, the mobile valet that does my cars, does a fantastic job and because of that gets repeat business from me. His van holds a water tank for his pressure washer. My car looks like new every time he has been.
He charges £80 for my s3 and £90 for my defender, for a full valet inside and out, more for full detailing.
Lots of local dealers use him too, so he is up to his eyeballs in work.
I think there is plenty of mileage in the handyman idea. Make sure you charge enough and wherever possible conceal your substantial hourly rate from your customers by giving inclusive prices rather than parts and labour.
Once you get known and (crucially) trusted you can do well. Follow the seasons too, gardening in the spring and summer, clear gutters in the winter, clean windows as well if you want, that can be a good way in.
Once you get known and (crucially) trusted you can do well. Follow the seasons too, gardening in the spring and summer, clear gutters in the winter, clean windows as well if you want, that can be a good way in.
Have you considered giving quotes for major gas plumbing work? A customer calls you re a problem with their central heating. You diagnose it within 20 minutes and then charge £140 for the quote. You could bring along a £20 damp meter for added importance.
Remember to make the quote massively overpriced so they don't go with you then you don't need to do any work and thus be qualified.
Remember to make the quote massively overpriced so they don't go with you then you don't need to do any work and thus be qualified.
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