Many houses near these big venues do not participate in parking services for a variety of reasons. Maybe the home owner does not have the time, maybe they are going to the actual event, or maybe they will be out of town. Go around to these homes a few weeks before the event and find out if they will be selling parking spaces on their property. If not, offer to set up and run the whole operation on their property and then split the profits half and half. If your prices compete with surrounding parking areas, it is bound to profitable. There are almost no start up costs! All you have to do is collect people’s money and direct them to logical parking spaces. You may want to throw together a little contract for you and the home owner to sign just to be safe and so that you get all the money you deserve.

Photo credit: Thienzieyung

The weather is getting cooler, football season has begun, and soon the leaves will start to fall. Raking leaves is a tedious chore that homeowners hate! This opens up a perfect business opportunity for you and your buddies to take part in. People will be very willing to pay for a leaf removal service because you will save them a whole lot of time and a sore back.

Start-up costs are low, as all you really need to start off with is a rake, gloves, and some leaf bags. Gloves are important because it is very easy to get blisters on your hand from raking. Decide on how you want to charge… maybe by the hour, or maybe by the bag? Create a flyer of some sort and advertise your service in areas that have lots of trees in people’s yards.

Once you establish your business, you may want to think about buying better equipment like leaf blowers and such. This will speed up the time it takes you to do a job, therefore you can schedule more jobs in a single day.

Photo credit: *Mickey

Here’s a bright idea for all you college students who are tight on money during the school year. If you have a car, you should give a student taxi service a shot, especially if the popular night life spots are not within walking distance.

Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights are usually the big nights when college students go out on the town, so I would recommend picking one of those nights to conduct your service. Most “real” taxi services are extremely pricey, so many students would be willing to use your service instead if you charged a smaller fee. It’s a good idea to set a pre-paid amount depending on where the customer wants to go. This will eliminate the problem of people running away without paying too. You will have to figure out a good price depending on how much gas you use up.

Start with your friends and let them know you are willing to transport them for smaller price than a regular taxi. Your service should spread quickly by word of mouth, and you should end up with decent amount of customers to keep you busy all night. Maybe make up some simple business cards with your phone number on it to pass around.

If your customers become too much for one person to handle, it may be time to recruit some other drivers and start your own full blown company. If you do this you will need to check taxi regulations in your town, and get special licenses and such.

Photo credit: Seamus Murray

Who hates grocery shopping? Everybody. Especially old folks who struggle to get to the store nowadays and employed mothers and fathers who just want to kick back in the recliner after a hard day’s work. It’s like picking up dog business… nobody likes to do it, but it has to be done. Many people would be willing to pay you to do their tedious grocery shopping for them, so it is a perfect business opportunity for a young adult.

One reason this is such a great business idea is that start-up costs are very low. Assuming that you already have a car or are borrowing your parent’s car, the only thing that will cost you some money is some advertising. You will also need a decent amount of money to work with, that is if you will be purchasing the groceries yourself and getting reimbursed at delivery. (You can also ask for cash before going to the store) 

Make sure you put your e-mail address on your advertisements so that your clients can e-mail you their shopping lists. Tell them to be as specific as possible to avoid any item miscommunication. Always bring your clients a receipt upon delivery. 

Start collection coupons. Many items on your client’s shopping lists will most likely have a corresponding coupon in penny savers and such. Be sure to your clients know just how much money you saved them. (This could get you some extra tip money)

It is up to you to decide how you want to charge for your services. One blog suggests charging $20 for the first hour and $10 per hour after the first. KEEP IN MIND- As we suggested in our lemonade stand contest article, you may want to experiment with this business venture as well by advertising a free grocery shopping service, but be sure to let your clients know that tipping is more than welcome. 

Happy shopping, and if you try this business idea feel free to let us know how it’s going!

Photo credit: David McKelvey

By Staff

If you or your parents have ever had a garage or yard sale, you know that it takes a lot of time and effort to prepare. Many people these days will tell you that time is something they don’t have (especially for setting up a garage sale), and that fact alone means that there is a great business opportunity at hand. 

People make hundreds of dollars on any given weekend by selling their useless crap that clutters their basements and garages. Many people would like to sell all their junk, but simply don’t want to put the effort and time into such a project. This is where you come in.

• Advertise your new garage sale staging business around neighborhoods
• Offer to haul out your client’s junk and prepare it for selling
• Learn how to advertise garage sales and stage garage sale items properly and effectively. Click here for tips or check out this video
• Set an hourly rate for your services, and come to an agreement with your client regarding how big of a cut you receive from total sales

Photo credit: E. Bartholomew

By Staff

Wield your pooper-scoopers, people.  The poop-scooping market is steamier than ever, and anyone can do it. Nobody likes to pick up their pet’s droppings, so people are very willing to hire outside services to do this dirty work. The thing is, poop-scooping really isn’t that bad if you have the right tools for the job. Start-up costs are low, which makes this a great small business idea for young adults. Advertise your services around wealthy neighborhoods, and you will be sure to see success.