123 Business Ideas (Under $500)

Driftwood LED Wall Art

Collect driftwood and branches, use a router to cut notches, install LED light strips, sand and stain the wood, and sell…

$5k-15k/month

Chocolate-Covered Chips at Farmers Markets

Buy a chocolate fountain, set up at local farmers markets, and make chocolate-covered potato chips to order. The visual …

$1k-5k/month

Premium Hot Chocolate Stand

Sell hot chocolate with upgraded presentation at farmers markets or events. Add marshmallow fluff, torch it, add Oreo cr…

$1k-5k/month

Lawn Care Quote Generator App

Build a simple web app that generates instant lawn care quotes based on lot size, services needed, and frequency. The ap…

No-Code App Builder for Local Businesses

Use AI vibe coding tools to build custom simple web apps for local service businesses like roofers, painters, landscaper…

$5k-20k/month

Roofing Quote Bot

Build an automated quoting web app for roofing companies that provides instant estimates based on roof size, materials, …

Landscaping Estimate App

Create a web-based instant estimate tool for landscaping businesses that calculates project costs based on property deta…

Dog Grooming Reminder App

Build a simple reminder and scheduling app for dog grooming businesses that automates appointment reminders and rebookin…

$1k-5k/month

Home Services Lead Generation with Free App

Give away a free quote calculator app to home service businesses as a lead magnet, then upsell them on paid services lik…

$5k-15k/month

Painting Business Quote Generator

Build an instant quote calculator for painting companies that estimates costs based on square footage, number of rooms, …

Fencing Company Quote App

Create an automated quoting web app for fencing companies that calculates costs based on linear footage, fence type, and…

Goat Grazing Middleman Business

Act as a broker between goat farm owners who have herds and municipalities or landowners who need brush clearing. No nee…

$100K-$300K/year

AI Personalized Marketing for Local/Service Businesses

Use AI image generation to create hyper-personalized marketing images for local service businesses like tree trimmers, p…

$3000-$15000/month

Phone Flipping (Buy and Sell Used Phones)

Buy used smartphones at below-market prices from local classifieds or marketplaces like Craigslist and KSL, then resell …

$500-$3000/month

Digital Detox Retreats & Camps

Run digital detox programs for kids, teens, and parents that teach responsible smartphone and social media use. Offer da…

$5000-$15000/month

Bookkeeping Service for Small Businesses

Offer bookkeeping services to small business owners using QuickBooks. The speaker notes thousands of bookkeepers charge …

AI Voice Agent Agency for Home Service Businesses

Build and sell AI voice agents that answer after-hours phone calls for home service businesses like garage door repair, …

$5000-$100000/month

AI After-Hours Answering Service for Garage Door Repair Companies

A niche-specific AI voice agent service targeting garage door repair companies, which are high-ticket ($400-$2500 per jo…

AI Voice Agent Service for Foundation Repair Companies

Sell AI after-hours call answering agents to foundation repair companies, which are high-ticket home service businesses …

AI Voice Agent Service for Roofing Companies

Provide AI-powered after-hours phone answering services to roofing companies, capturing leads that would otherwise go to…

AI Voice Agent Service for Landscaping and Sprinkler Repair

Offer AI voice agent after-hours call answering to landscaping and sprinkler repair businesses. These companies often mi…

Ghost-Free Guarantee Certification for Realtors

Create a tongue-in-cheek 'Ghost Free Guarantee' certification that realtors can use as a marketing differentiator. Sell …

$2,000-$10,000/month

AI Implementation Agency for Small Businesses

Start a consulting agency that helps small businesses integrate AI tools into their workflows. Google AI Studio makes it…

$5000-$20000/month

AI adoption training and workshops for non-technical businesses

Most everyday people and businesses still have not started using AI regularly. Scoble notes that people in middle Americ…

$3000-$15000/month

Website + KPI dashboard building for small businesses using vibe coding

Use AI vibe-coding tools like Replit to rapidly build websites and KPI dashboards for small local businesses like barber…

$2500-10000/month

GoHighLevel white-label automation agency

Build a full-service local business automation agency on top of GoHighLevel, offering websites, AI voice agents, SMS mar…

$5000-20000/month

White-label AI automation agency for local businesses

Use GoHighLevel or similar platforms to white-label AI-powered services for local businesses, such as automated call ans…

$5000-$20000/month

AI phone receptionist service for restaurants and local businesses

Deploy AI voice agents as phone receptionists for restaurants, plumbers, and other local businesses that are too busy to…

$3000-$8000/month

Viral loss-leader t-shirt brand with upsell model

Create a polarizing, message-driven t-shirt design and sell or give it away at near break-even ($5) in public or online …

$5000-$50000/month

Facebook Marketplace item flipping

Buy underpriced items on Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, and garage sales, then resell them at a markup on the same pl…

AI-powered website redesign agency for local businesses

Use ChatGPT Agent to find local businesses (plumbers, dentists, etc.) that already have websites, scrape their contact i…

$3000-10000/month

Email list monetization agency for small businesses

Launch an agency that helps small businesses (especially home services companies doing $500K-$5M revenue) monetize their…

$5000-20000/month

AI video content for local service businesses

Create cinematic before-and-after reels and branded video content for local service businesses like roofers, landscapers…

$2000/month

AI Virtual Staging for Real Estate Listings

Use Google Gemini's Nano Banana AI image editing API to virtually stage empty or unstaged real estate listing photos by …

AI Real Estate Photo Enhancement Service

Use AI image editing tools like Google Gemini's Nano Banana to make low-quality real estate listing photos look like the…

Real Estate Agent Lead Generation and Outreach Agency

Scrape real estate agent contact info (phone numbers) from Google Maps using tools like Outscraper, import leads into a …

AI Answering Service for Local Businesses

Use GoHighLevel's AI phone answering capabilities to offer an AI-powered after-hours phone answering service to local bu…

Missed Call Text-Back Service

Set up GoHighLevel's missed call text-back feature for local businesses so that when a customer calls and the business d…

Chat Widget and Lead Capture Form Installation Service

Walk into local businesses on Main Street and offer to install a chat widget and lead capture form on their website for …

Reputation Management Service for Local Businesses

Use GoHighLevel's automation capabilities to help local businesses manage their online reputation by automating review r…

Home cleaning business

Start a residential cleaning service with minimal upfront investment. Average job is around $200 with roughly 50% margin…

$3000-10000/month

Washer & Dryer Rental Business via Facebook Marketplace

Buy used washer and dryer sets for $100-$200 from Facebook Marketplace or garage sales, then rent them out for $60-$85/m…

Appliance Flipping on Facebook Marketplace

Buy used washer and dryer sets cheaply from garage sales or people upgrading their appliances (often free when doing ren…

Short Form Video to Newsletter Funnel

Build an audience by creating short form videos (TikTok, Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, Snapchat, Facebook Reels) and …

Newsletter Advertising Business

Build a large email newsletter in a profitable niche like business or finance, then monetize through CPM-based advertisi…

$20000+/month

Paid Online Community for Entrepreneurs

Create a paid membership community (like TK Owners at $99/month) for business builders that includes weekly AMAs, a Slac…

AI-Powered Business Plan Content Engine

Use AI tools like Claude/ChatGPT with custom prompts to generate keyword-optimized business plans for every short form v…

Drone Social Media Content for Contractors

Upsell drone footage as social media content to roofing, construction, and other trade companies you already serve with …

Bee Removal Directory

A directory for bee removal services targeting the keyword 'bee removal near me' which has only a 4 keyword difficulty s…

$500-2000/month

Mobile Dog Grooming Directory

Directory for mobile dog groomers targeting 'mobile dog grooming near me' which has 15,000 monthly search volume. The to…

$1000-3000/month

Filter-Based Micro Directories

Build micro directories where the entire value proposition is one specific filter that mainstream directories ignore. Ex…

$1000-5000/month

Anti-Knot Wedding Vendor Directory

A directory for wedding vendors (DJs, videographers, caterers, photographers, event venues) who are NOT listed on The Kn…

$2000-10000/month

Medicaid Therapist Directory

Directory of therapists who accept Medicaid and actually respond to emails/calls. The number one complaint is therapists…

$2000-8000/month

BYO Food Event Venue Directory

Directory of event venues that let you bring your own food and catering. Most venues force $40-60+ per plate catering th…

$2000-10000/month

Commercial Kitchen Rental Directory

Directory for commercial kitchen rental spaces targeting ghost kitchens, meal prep businesses, food startups, and cottag…

$3000-10000+/month

Goat Rental Directory

A niche directory for goat rental services, discovered through Ahrefs 'near me' keyword research by scrolling past obvio…

$300-1000/month

Mobile Car Tinting Directory

A directory for mobile car tinting services, found through Ahrefs long-tail 'near me' keyword research. 'Mobile car tint…

$500-2000/month

Dentists That Take Medicaid Directory

A directory for dentists that accept Medicaid and speak Spanish, targeting underserved search queries. Current results s…

$1000-5000/month

Parking Lot Trash Pickup Service

A simple service business that picks up trash at commercial parking lots for restaurants, grocery stores, convenience st…

Book Pallet Arbitrage on eBay

Buy pallets of school curriculum and textbooks for as low as $1 from GovDeals government liquidation auctions. Use ChatG…

$2500-$12500/month

Acquiring Customer Lists from Closed Businesses

Find businesses that have recently closed their doors through CPA outreach or Facebook Marketplace and acquire their cus…

Niche Content Creator with Automated Research

Build a social media following by posting niche content (local events, parenting hacks, motorcycle reviews, power washin…

AI-Powered Retail Arbitrage with Operator

Use ChatGPT Operator ($200/month plan) to automatically scan Facebook Marketplace for underpriced items, negotiate purch…

New Business Lead Scraping & Selling Service

Scrape publicly posted new business listings from city and secretary of state websites, then use AI agents to find owner…

Local Marketing Agency for New Businesses

Use scraped new business listing data to cold-email newly registered business owners offering marketing services at $2,0…

Executive Functioning Tutoring Company

Tutoring business focused on executive functioning skills for students, helping them with organization, time management,…

AI Web Design Agency

Start a web design agency using AI website builders like Wegic to build sites for local businesses in minutes instead of…

Tax Strategy Consulting for Entrepreneurs

Become a tax strategy advisor (not a CPA) who helps entrepreneurs maximize deductions and savings through 401k contribut…

$20000+/month

Home Services Content Creator / Lead Gen for Franchises

Instead of starting your own home services business, film satisfying time-lapse content of existing businesses (pressure…

AI Agent Installation Service

Set up and install AI agents (like OpenClaw/Moltbot) for busy executives, business owners, and individuals. Charge $300-…

AI Customer Support Agent as a Service

Install AI customer support agents for small businesses, synced to their email, support tickets, and FAQs. The agent han…

AI Consulting and Implementation Business

Become an AI consultant who helps small businesses integrate AI tools into their operations. Offer services like AI agen…

Journal and Records Digitization Service

Offer a service to digitize handwritten family journals, records, and documents for elderly people and their families. U…

AI Consulting Business

Start an AI consulting firm helping mid-market companies (50-500 employees) implement AI into their workflows. Offer AI …

$80000+/month

$10000-15000/per engagement

AI Readiness Assessment Service

Conduct paid AI readiness assessments for businesses, delivering a 15-page report on the state of their AI maturity and …

AI Training Workshops for Businesses

Run AI training sessions and workshops for company employees, teaching them how to use AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude, an…

Facebook Marketplace Reselling

Buy and resell products on Facebook Marketplace, eBay, and other online marketplaces. Growth hack listings by optimizing…

$1,000-$10,000/month

$3K-$20K/month depending on service offered

Review-Based Business Consulting

Scrape Google reviews of local businesses using Outscraper, filter for negative reviews, use ChatGPT to find common comp…

$500-5000/month per client if sold as a service

Vibe-Coded Quote Generator for Home Service Businesses

Use AI vibe coding tools to build instant quote calculator web apps for any home service business - roofing, painting, f…

$50K-$200K/year depending on volume and pricing

Digital Detox Camps for Kids and Teens

Run digital detox day camps or week-long retreats teaching kids and teens responsible smartphone and social media use. I…

$5000-$50000/month depending on number of clients

AI Automation Agency

Start an agency that helps small to medium-sized businesses automate processes using AI agent platforms like Lindy. Char…

Abandoned Meetup Group Takeover

Take over abandoned Meetup groups when organizers step down. Meetup.com sends emails to all members when an organizer le…

Meetup-Based Link Building for SEO

Use meetup groups to build white-hat backlinks for SEO. Take over or join meetup groups, then offer to co-host events wi…

varies by volume and margins on liquidation goods

Reselling on Facebook Marketplace

Buy products from liquidation sites like BStock and GovDeals, then resell on Facebook Marketplace. List items before pur…

$50K-$200K/year depending on volume and geography

Construction Permit Lead Reselling

Buy unlimited construction permit leads from Construction Journal for $200/month, then resell individual leads to contra…

IntermediateOfflineUnder $500

Subject-To Real Estate Investing

Acquire real estate properties using subject-to-existing-debt (sub-two) deals where you take over the seller's mortgage …

$500-$5K+/month per property in cash flow. Equity buildup as mort

$150-300 per delivery, multiple deliveries per day possible

Appliance Delivery Service

Partner with mom-and-pop used appliance stores to deliver appliances to their customers. At least half of small applianc…

$100-200 profit per flip, multiple per week

Used Appliance Flipping

Buy or collect free used appliances (washers, dryers, fridges) and resell them for profit. Source from Facebook Marketpl…

Flipping Rugs from Liquidation Auctions

Buy pallets of customer-return rugs from liquidation auctions at 2-6% of retail Costco price (e.g. $200 for $10,600 wort…

$5,000-$15,000/month

Digital Marketing Agency for Farmers Market Vendors

Visit farmers markets to identify vendors with popular products but no online presence. Offer to set up Shopify stores, …

$200K-$500K/year

White-Label SaaS Agency (GoHighLevel)

Use GoHighLevel's white-label platform to rebrand CRM, email marketing, funnels, and booking tools as your own software.…

$20,000/month

AI Implementation & Automation Agency

Start a consulting agency focused on implementing AI tools and building automations for businesses. Position as 'McKinse…

$20,000-$100,000/month

Facebook Marketplace Flipping

Buy items for cheap and resell them on Facebook Marketplace for a profit. Simple first step into entrepreneurship - buy …

$1,000-$5,000/month

$100/hour consulting, per-GPT project fees

Custom GPT Builder for Small Local Businesses

Create and sell custom ChatGPT GPTs for small local businesses like realtors, therapists, coffee shops, and local servic…

$100/hour consulting, scalable to retainers and larger projects

No-Code Automation Consultant for Service-Based SMBs

Become a no-code automation and productivity consultant for service-based small businesses. Use tools like Zapier and Ai…

$1000-$10000 in first week depending on deal flow

Flipping High-Value Items on Marketplace

Buy undervalued items on Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, and other platforms, then resell them at a profit. Start with…

$5K-$50K/month depending on number of clients at $1500+/month ret

AI Implementation Agency

Start an agency that helps small business owners implement artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT, Claude, Zapier, M…

Variable commission income; potential for significant earnings se

Commission-Based Sales Rep for Existing Product Company

Partner with an established product company (e.g., electric grill manufacturer) as a commission-only sales representativ…

Charge clients monthly retainers; scalable by adding more local b

Digital Marketing Agency for Local Service Businesses

Offer digital marketing services to local service businesses like dog trainers who have great skills but no online prese…

Roofing Company (Marketing-Only Model)

Start a roofing company without owning trucks or employing roofers. Focus solely on marketing and sales, subcontracting …

$500K-$2M+/year

$1,000-$10,000+/month recurring per client, scalable by adding mo

AI Voice Agent Agency for Local Businesses

Build and sell AI voice agents to local service businesses like roofers, garage door repair companies, and other home se…

Treasure Hunting Content Channel and Resale

Create a social media channel around treasure hunting - finding lost disc golf discs in water, golf balls in ponds, or d…

$1K-$100K+/year

$5000-$20000/month with 10-20 clients at $500-$2000/month each

AI Voice Agent Agency

Build and sell AI voice agents to local small businesses like tree trimmers, HVAC contractors, pool services, and other …

Course/consulting fees plus ongoing brokerage margins on produce

Ringless Voicemail Drop Lead Generation Service

Offer ringless voicemail drop campaigns as a lead generation service for other businesses. Use tools like Sly Broadcast …

$3000-$10000/month

AdvancedHybridUnder $500

Produce Brokering & Roadside Stand Consulting

Teach others how to start and run roadside produce stands through one-on-one training or an online course. Charge a flat…

Government Contract Arbitrage

Act as a middleman by bidding on government contracts on SAM.gov and subcontracting the actual work to capable small bus…

$10,000 - $12,000+/month

Percentage of 6 to 7-figure contracts

Government Contracting Consultant

Help established offline businesses navigate the complex procurement process to win local, state, or federal contracts. …

Hundreds of dollars/month per client

Social Media Comment Automation Agency

Use software like GoHighLevel to create automated Instagram comment-to-DM workflows for local businesses, such as offeri…

Hundreds of dollars/month per client

AI Voice Agent Agency

Deploy AI voice receptionists for local businesses like HVAC contractors and orthodontists to handle calls and book appo…

Food Delivery Courier

Deliver food for apps like DoorDash as a flexible side hustle. You can run tests like sending jokes to customers to see …

$15 - $25+/hour

Rare Ant Foraging and Sales

Forage for rare and colorful ants in environments like the West Texas desert to sell online to niche collector communiti…

$5,000 per rare find

$500 to $600 per 3-hour event

Event Cotton Candy Stand

A highly profitable, low-overhead event business using a basic cotton candy maker to spin treats at private Hollywood pa…

Website Landlord (Rank and Rent)

Build simple websites targeting local service niches like junk removal, rank them on Google, and rent the lead flow to l…

$104,000+/month

White-Label AI Phone Assistant

Resell a white-labeled AI receptionist using platforms like GoHighLevel to local businesses that frequently miss after-h…

$1,000+/month recurring

High-ticket (thousands per client)

AI Implementation Agency

A consulting agency that helps small to medium-sized businesses implement artificial intelligence to optimize their work…

Hundreds of dollars per day

Custom Hat Vendor

Use a hat pressing machine to create and sell custom patched hats at local markets. A child started this business with a…

Powdered Drink Mix Business

Mix and package a simple powdered drink mix using minimal ingredients to sell locally at farmers markets. You can offer …

70% profit margins

Baked Goods Vendor

Bake breads and other home-baked goods to sell at local farmers markets. Vendors with high-quality baked goods frequentl…

Variable

Independent IT Consultant

Transition from a corporate IT help desk role to independent consulting. After 8 years of experience, this is the lowest…

$4000+/month

Website Landlord

Build lead generation websites for local businesses (like Marietta, Georgia plumbing) and start sending them free leads.…

$1000+/month per site

AI Voice Agent Agency

Use Outscraper to scrape local businesses with cell phones listed on their Google Business Profiles and cold call the ow…