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Business Ideas

Discover sources of small business ideas. Find the resources you need to manage innovative business ideas and creative business ideas. Build the company you always wanted.
Are you an Entrepreneur?
Take our free test to find out if you can own your own business.
www.JoinActionCoach.com
Top 2008 Home Business
Top 2008 Home Business. Training Provided. $240k 1st Year Potential.
realworldbusiness.com/homebusiness
Successful Business Ideas
Search 100's of Top Franchise Opportunities, Start Today!
www.FCSearchSite.com/BusinessOpp
Business Plans by Experts
Professional business plan writers develop your plan with you.
MasterPlans.com
Business Ideas
Turnkey business opportunity in the extremely profitable field of hard surface cleaning. Make tens of thousands of dollars per month.
www.themasterstouch.net
Microsoft People-Ready Business Ideas
People Drive Success. Learn How to Unlock the Potential of Your Workforce with People-Ready Business Solutions.
Microsoft.com/PeopleReadyBusiness
Businesshax
A business & finance portal. Find worldwide business news here.
Businesshax
www.businesshax.com
The Invention/New Product Exposition
America's Invention Tradeshow and Inpex® Inventors University™, with inventions to license, manufacture and market in Pittsburgh, PA June 11-14, 2008.
www.INPEX.com
Carpet Cleaning Business With Fast Results
Full business start-up package. Includes training and marketing for $2995.
www.carpet-cleaning-equipment.net
New Business Idea
Low Cost Maid Service Franchises Available 2003-08. 50K Investment.
www.MaidtoPerfectioncorp.com
Small Business Insurance
Save on small business insurance. Get a free quote from AA & save!
www.AAA.com
New Business Opportunity
Run Your Own Energy Saving Business PLC Seeks Professional US Partners
www.enigin.net
Listings
Authentic Entrepreneur
Offers motivating programs and articles to help entrepreneurs take a holistic approach to building their businesses.
www.aentrepreneur.com
Bainlab
Helps start-ups to identify and refine Internet business models to transform ideas into online success. Part of Bain & Company.
www.bainlab.com
Business Ideas
Turnkey business opportunity in the extremely profitable field of hard surface cleaning. Make tens of thousands of dollars per month.
www.themasterstouch.net (Paid)
Businesshax
A business & finance portal. Find worldwide business news here.
Businesshax
www.businesshax.com (Paid)
Carpet Cleaning Business With Fast Results
Full business start-up package. Includes training and marketing for $2995.
www.carpet-cleaning-equipment.net (Paid)
Creativity and Innovation in the Workplace
Information on culture transformation and creativity in the marketplace.
www.geocities.com
Foster-Miller Engineering Innovation and Technology
Foster-Miller is a technology and product development company with an international reputation for delivering and supporting innovative products.
www.foster-miller.com(Paid)
GoCreative Center
Promotes the development of new ideas through creative thinking, creativity, innovation, invention, problem solving and idea generation.
www.gocreate.com
Idea Finder
Information website featuring ideas of the past, present and future; books and publications; and other idea resources.
www.ideafinder.com
IdeaMarketers
A media-matching service uniting writers and publishers.
www.ideamarketers.com
IdeaSite
The company provides assists in developing ideas for creative business people.
www.ideasiteforbusiness.com
Microsoft People-Ready Business Ideas
People Drive Success. Learn How to Unlock the Potential of Your Workforce with People-Ready Business Solutions.
Microsoft.com/PeopleReadyBusiness (Paid)
Pattern Research
Provider of training, research, consultation, and facilitation services for innovators in the private, public, and nonprofit sectors.
www.pattern.com
Profit Advisors
Site provides articles on how to improve a business and offers reviews of inspirational business improvement books.
www.profitadvisors.com
StartStorm.com
A free service to help brainstorm about product and company names. Enter a name and this site will instantly search available domains, do a trademark search, and suggest related terms.
www.startstorm.com
StartUPbiz.com
This site offers a complete set of resources for people who want to start a business or develop an idea.
www.startupbiz.com
The American Dream: Our Heritage of Hope
Jim Bickford's historic and patriotic writing on The American Dream. Has a variety of inspirational articles, letters from achievers and a featured book for purchase.
www.usdreams.com
The Invention/New Product Exposition
America's Invention Tradeshow and Inpex® Inventors University™, with inventions to license, manufacture and market in Pittsburgh, PA June 11-14, 2008.
www.INPEX.com (Paid)
Virgin Biznet
Provider of information and services to help UK small businesses make the most of the opportunities offered by ecommerce.
www.virginbiz.net
Are you an Entrepreneur?
Take our free test to find out if you can own your own business.
www.JoinActionCoach.com
Top 2008 Home Business
Top 2008 Home Business. Training Provided. $240k 1st Year Potential.
realworldbusiness.com/homebusiness
Successful Business Ideas
Search 100's of Top Franchise Opportunities, Start Today!
www.FCSearchSite.com/BusinessOpp

Guide to Low-Cost Businesses You Can Start

Starting a business can be easy — and inexpensive — with the right venture


If you dream of being an entrepreneur, but lack the big startup bucks required by some new ventures, don't fret. With a little time and not a lot of money, you can still make your business dream a reality. A low-cost business, which requires a minimal investment for supplies and marketing, is perfect for whetting an entrepreneurial appetite if you're:
  1. Already employed, but looking to dabble in your own side venture
  2. Unemployed and looking to start your first business
  3. A stay-at-home parent or student who's looking for extra income
  4. A new "retiree" who isn't quite ready to completely retire


Action Steps

The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Find low-cost business ideas and opportunities online Coming up with ideas for low-cost businesses is easy with simple Web searches. With just a few clicks on your keyboard, you can find business opportunities that won't break the bank.

I recommend:  Find a list of low-investment business startup opportunities at BusinessNation.com and go to Entrepreneur Magazine's SmallBizBooks.com to purchase how-to guides for businesses that take less than $10,000 to launch. Work.com's Guide to Resources for Starting a Business will hook you up with all of the help you need to get going.

Personal services You already need to run your own errands; why not run other people's, too? With a reliable vehicle and available credit you can easily do other people's shopping — for a fee, of course.

I recommend:  Advertise your services at Craigslist, which allows you to post free classified ads that stay online for as long as 45 days, depending on the type of ad and the city in which you live.

eBay sales You can make a decent living buying antiques and collectibles at garage sales or flea markets, then selling them to hungry buyers online.

I recommend:  Sell your stuff online at eBay. You'll need a digital camera with which to photograph your products, which you can buy for under $150 at Best Buy or Circuit City. Or take your items to an eBay drop-off store, such as AuctionItToday, which takes professional photographs of your items, writes copy and posts it for you.

House- and pet-sitting Give your neighbors peace of mind by taking care of their houses when they're out of town, and their pets while they're at work.

I recommend:  Market your services online at HouseCarers.com, which for a small fee will let you post an ad — good for an entire year — to its searchable directory of house-sitters nationwide.

Professional organization Everyone wants to be organized, but few people have the time. For a fee, you can save people from their own stuff.

I recommend:  Join the National Association of Professional Organizers, which will connect you with customers and teach you the tools of the trade.

Clerical work Many businesses can't afford to hire a full-time secretary. That doesn't stop the paper from piling up on their desks, however. Make a business out of doing data entry, bookkeeping and transcription for your fellow business owners.

I recommend:  Microsoft Office Small Business Edition 2003 is all you'll need to do office work for other businesses; it includes all the necessary applications and will be compatible with most any client's existing software.

Tutoring Were you a good student? If so, consider tutoring. You can help kids of any age in any subject, from young children who need help learning to read to teens who need help studying for the SAT.

I recommend:  You'll need to study up on a subject yourself before you can teach it; SparkNotes offers free online study guides on a variety of topics within a number of subjects. Obtain tutor certification from TutorNation.com.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide
  • A low-cost startup isn't likely to make you any money in its first few months. Stick with it, though, and it may just burgeon into a full-time opportunity.
  • Run your business from your home to save money on rent and utilities. Doing so will save on taxes, too, because a portion of your mortgage and bills will be tax-deductible come April.
  • If you're new to business, consider being a weekends-only entrepreneur until you learn the ropes of running your own company.

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How-To Guide from WORK.COM

Guide author
By Matt Alderton
Starting a business can be easy — and inexpensive — with the right venture.
If you dream of being an entrepreneur, but lack the big startup bucks required by some new ventures, don't fret. With a little time and not a lot of money, you can still make your business dream a reality. A low-cost business, which requires a ... Read more
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