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101 small business ideas for under $5,000 corey sandler janice keefe john wiley sons inc.

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101 small business ideas for under $5,000 corey sandler janice keefe john wiley sons inc.

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this book is printed on acid-free paper copyright © 2005 by word association inc all rights reserved published by john wiley sons inc hoboken new jersey published simultaneously in canada no part of this publication may be reproduced stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic mechanical photocopying recording scanning or otherwise except as permitted under section 107 or 108 of the 1976 united states copyright act without either the prior written permission of the publisher or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the copyright clearance center inc 222 rosewood drive danvers ma 01923 978 750-8400 fax 978 646-8600 or on the web at www.copyright.com requests to the publisher for permission should be addressed to the permissions department john wiley sons inc 111 river street hoboken nj 07030 201 748-6011 fax 201 748-6008 limit of liability/disclaimer of warranty while the publisher and author have used their best efforts in preparing this book they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose no warranty may be created or extended by sales representatives or written sales materials the advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation the publisher is not engaged in rendering professional services and you should consult a professional where appropriate neither the publisher nor author shall be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damages including but not limited to special incidental consequential or other damages for general information on our other products and services please contact our customer care department within the united states at 800 762-2974 outside the united states at 317 572-3993 or fax 317 572-4002 wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic books for more information about wiley products visit our web site at www.wiley.com library of congress cataloging-in-publication data sandler corey 1950­ 101 small business ideas for under $5000 corey sandler janice keefe p cm includes index isbn 0-471-69287-5 pbk 1 new business enterprises 2 home-based businesses 3 small business i title small business ideas for under $5000 ii title one hundred one small business ideas for under $5000 iii title one hundred and one small business ideas for under $5000 iv keefe janice v title hd62.5.s272 2005 658.1 141 dc22 printed in the united states of america 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 2004059648

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to william sandler about to embark on the first of what may be 101 jobs in his career here s hoping every one of them is a success.

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contents preface acknowledgments how to use this book chapter 1 chapter 2 chapter 3 chapter 4 chapter 5 business insurance and risk management legalities and taxes setting your price financing a small business home services exterior 1 lawn mowing service 2 snow removal 3 garden tilling 4 window cleaning 5 deck cleaning 6 landscape designer 7 deck construction 8 storage sheds playhouses doghouses 9 children s outdoor playset installer 10 low-voltage outdoor electrical wiring 11 stonemason and decorative brick worker home services interior 12 housecleaning 13 rug cleaner 14 interior decorator 15 upholstery and slipcover maker 16 wallpaper hanger 17 specialty indoor painting 18 furniture stripping 19 furniture repair ix xi xiii 1 11 17 25 29 chapter 6 59

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vi contents 20 21 22 23 chapter 7 closet organizer bookcase and shelf builder indoor plant care custom silk and dried flower arrangements 89 home services specialty 24 handyperson 25 errand runner 26 vacation home caretaker 27 vacation house watcher 28 house painting 29 chimney cleaning 30 pool service 31 firewood delivery 32 on-demand trash removal 33 christmas tree service 34 small engine repair parties entertainment and special events 35 party planner 36 children s event organizer 37 party and special-event rentals 38 catering 39 visiting chef 40 specialty cake baker 41 prepared custom-meal service 42 freelance bartender 43 entertainer 44 holiday decoration service personal services 45 personal shopper 46 personalized gift basket maker 47 travel planner 48 historical tours 49 personal fitness trainer 50 sports trainer chapter 8 119 chapter 9 149 chapter 10 children family and pet services 51 babysitting 52 babysitting agency 165

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contents vii 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 children s night out vacation child care dog walking and vacation pet visits pet sitter and doggie day care elder companion elder care consultant genealogical research family biographer 195 chapter 11 educational services 61 tutoring 62 language instructor 63 music teacher 64 computer instructor 65 sat or act college test preparation 66 college selection advisor 67 college application consultant 68 instructor at community school chapter 12 arts crafts jewelry clothing and musical instruments 69 alterations 70 custom tailoring 71 custom knitting sweater and afghan design 72 custom quiltmaker 73 jewelry making 74 portraiture from photographs 75 custom-built dollhouses 76 musical instrument tuning and repair chapter 13 transportation delivery and auto services 77 car service 78 independent delivery contractor 79 auto detailing chapter 14 computers graphics and photography 80 computer buying consultant 81 computer repair and upgrade 82 web design and maintenance 83 graphic designer 84 freelance photographer 217 237 247

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viii contents 85 film to digital scanning 86 photo and document restorer 87 videographer chapter 15 office and professional services 271 88 temporary secretary 89 transcription services 90 temporary worker at conventions and business meetings 91 bookkeeping 92 billing service 93 resume design 94 letter writing chapter 16 sales 95 yard sale organizer 96 consignment resale 97 antiques and collectibles wholesaler 98 used book reseller 99 tool and equipment rentals 100 newspaper delivery route 101 online auctions ebay and beyond appendix index government and private resources for small businesses 287 309 313

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preface every business from neighborhood to global begins with an idea the next general motors or wal-mart or microsoft will not spring forth fully developed from the back of an envelope big ideas need big funding but your next job or your next source of supplemental income can begin with a small idea and grow from there the two keys to success in small business are these 1 find something that makes good use of your skills and experience 2 market that idea to people and businesses that need your product in 101 small business ideas for under $5000 you ll find a realistic guide to turning your ideas and skills into a business that you can run part-time or fulltime or even as an absentee owner some of the other books about starting a small business are little more than a laundry list of job ideas some practical some ridiculously fanciful there may be millions to be made in recycling toxic waste but it s not realistic to consider setting up a processing plant in your backyard pool you may be able to earn a nice income running a dog-walking business but you do need to give serious thought to things like liability health codes and personal safety some jobs such as babysitting or vacation house watch service are simple to set up and run and we discuss those and show you how to keep it simple and beneath the radar other jobs very quickly become more complex for these we discuss the real-world issues an entrepreneur will face · start-up costs · legal matters · accounting and tax issues · liability insurance · zoning

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x preface we help you draw up a sensible business plan that can be used to direct the start-up to present to a banker government agency or foundation for funding or to help design a publicity marketing and sales program we give suggestions on how a successful business can be scaled up from a one-person start-up to a mini-empire icons help you quickly identify the type of business required skills estimated start-up costs and an indication of legal zoning and insurance requirements most of the jobs can be set up for just a few hundred to a few thousand dollars for the more expensive start-ups we show ways to ease into full operation one step at a time.

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acknowledgments a book is a piece of business that begins with an idea followed by months of hard work in the case of the book you hold in your hand the idea originated with editor michael hamilton of john wiley sons in conjunction with trusted agent gene brissie though this finished book bears just two names on the cover dozens of capable and creative people were involved in its conceptualization design production and distribution we d like to thank the capable editors and production staff at john wiley and north market street graphics including linda witzling christine furry lainey harding mary jo fostina and tracy pitz we also thank you the reader for buying this book we wish you great success in starting your own small business and expanding it as far and wide as you can dream corey sandler and janice keefe

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how to use this book various levels of professional assistance will be required in setting up your small business we have tried to make it easy for you to zero in on some of the major issues you may confront and who can best help to solve them following is an explanation of the visual devices used in this book for quick reference when to seek professional advice legal legal legal accounting insurance insurance legal consult an attorney for assistance in drawing up a contract that spells out the duties you will perform the type and quality of materials you will use the compensation you will receive for your work and the schedule for payment the contract should also identify any safety and security responsibilities of the client and limit your liability for accidents errors and omissions legal if you will be entering a client s property home or office while they are there or if you will be given a key alarm code or permission to enter a client s property home or place of business the contract should include specific language limiting your liability for any incident that might be related to your access.

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