5 Small Business Ideas to Start This Summer

 

Starting a business can be the first step toward becoming your own boss, paying off debt, or finding more cash to put in your investment account.

But figuring out what type of business to start can be overwhelming. For starters, there are so many different options. Plus, a lot of business ideas sound

good but also require a large investment in start-up costs.

Luckily, not all business ideas require sinking thousands of dollars in equipment or years of training. Here are five business ideas you can start this summer to set yourself up for financial success by fall.

1. Turn past experience into a freelance business

There is a good chance your past jobs or schooling prepared you for a freelance business. For example, in college, I wrote dozens of papers about Mesoamerican art and culture. While I don't write about those topics now, it did prepare me to write for a living. So, think back to the work you did in school or at past jobs and consider how that experience can be turned into a new business venture.

If you were the go-to photographer in your job as a baker, you might have the skills to turn photography into a business. If you were responsible for handling the social posts at your restaurant job, you likely have the skills to become a social media manager. Even experience at the college level, like organizing clubs, can be leveraged into a freelance business.

According to Statista, 64 million people in the U.S. are freelancers -- maybe it's time to join them.

2. Offer pet- or house-sitting services

For millions of Americans, summer is travel season. If you don't have any big trips planned, you could start a business taking care of your neighbors' pets or houses while they're gone. This job has almost no start-up costs, especially if you start with people who live close to you.

Use a platform like Facebook or Nextdoor to connect with your neighbors and offer dog walking, cat sitting, and house sitting services. You'll have the flexibility to set your own schedule and rates. If you have experience taking care of less common animals like lizards, birds, or exotic fish, you can likely charge a premium rate.

3. E-book publishing

Writing and publishing e-books is a low-cost way to earn income over time. Rather than offering a one-time service (like pet sitting), an e-book can be sold again and again. Whether you write a non-fiction book about filing business taxes or a murder mystery, you only have to write, edit, and format the book once. Once it's written, upload your book to a site like Kindle, Nook, or Google Play Books, where users can purchase and read your books.

You do need to be realistic about how much you'll earn. Most Kindle books sell for less than $10, so one book is unlikely to earn you thousands of dollars a month. However, if you can write several books in a popular niche (romance and science fiction tend to do well), you can earn a decent amount.

4. Offer online tutoring

Online tutoring allows you to turn your skills into income. Thanks in part to the COVID-19 pandemic, several sites, like Outschool and Brainfuse, now allow you to host classes on any number of topics. You could teach kids how to play Minecraft or the guitar, help high schoolers with algebra, or even offer budgeting advice.

Summer is a perfect time to dive into online tutoring, as many parents are looking for summer camp options. While you obviously can't create a sleepaway camp online, you can offer drawing lessons, share gaming tips, or lead kids through a fun craft.

Class costs vary between $10 and $25 per lesson, and some classes can have 15 or more students. My own children have taken karate, ballet, and reading classes online, so there's really no limit to what you can offer!

5. Home services

This business idea is a bit broader, but there are plenty of opportunities. Taking care of a home is a lot of work, and many people prefer to hire out tasks like leaf raking, cutting the lawn, gutter cleaning, or power washing. Some people even hire someone to clean their yard of pet waste. Spend some time on Facebook or Nextdoor to find out what services your neighbors are looking for and start offering those services.

Just remember to vary your services by season. Summer is an excellent time to offer power washing, pool maintenance, and gutter cleaning, while in the winter, snow removal or holiday light installation and removal might be better options.

Starting a new business is an exciting opportunity, but be strategic. Think about your current skills and pay attention to the demand in your city. Offer services that are in demand in your neighborhood and match your skill set.