Everyone dreams of one day being their own boss.
Sure, having your own small business isn’t always easy, but investing in yourself, and putting all that hard work into something that will only benefit YOU has many advantages.
The biggest ‘cock-blocker’ of starting a new business is the sheer start up costs. But there are lots of business ideas out there that are really cheap to get up and running, plus they can be very profitable if you put in the time and effort.
So here are 13 businesses you can start with less than $100. Yes – no catches. Just your time, enthusiasm and dedication. All these businesses are relatively easy to start and don’t have a huge start-up cost – in fact, very few start-up costs at all. So grab your $100 and spend it on your own business!
Here is a list of all the businesses that you can start for under $100 – and how to go about starting them. Click on the title you are interested in – and we go into detail about each one!
- How To Turn Your Crafting Hobby into a Business
- Morning School Run Coordinator
- Become a Mobile Spray Tanner
- Become a Professional Youtuber
- Freelance Writer for Blogs and Websites
- Pet Daycare or Pet Sitter
- Hold Cooking Classes
- Make Your Own Bespoke Handmade Cosmetics
- Become a House Cleaner
- Take and Sell Your Photographs on Stock Photography Websites
- Start a Local Website or Newspaper
- Make Unique Gift Baskets
- Become a Unique Tea Blend Creator
- Make Second Hand Furniture Fabulous!
- Where to Buy Second Hand Furniture
- Where to Sell Your Furniture
A tip before you dive in: If your business idea involves selling products — anything from dog bandanas to custom mugs! Epic Sourcing Australia can help you find trusted suppliers and manage the import process. It’s Aussie-run, mum-friendly, and actually makes sourcing feel doable.
How To Turn Your Crafting Hobby into a Business
Featuring Debbie Hatumale-Uy
The dream we all aspire to do! Crafting can be so fun and therapeutic if only you could turn it into a profitable business. This is what Debbie has done when she was on maternity leave.
Debbie embarked on her career in social media and marketing, dedicating herself to these fields until her maternity leave coincided with lockdowns. Faced with the prospect of costly equipment and seeking a pregnancy distraction, she acquired a Cricut machine, delving into crafting. After extensive research and countless YouTube tutorials, she began selling personalized items, ultimately establishing Only The Sweet Stuff in 2021, marking just the start of her journey.
Today, Debbie wears multiple hats as a crafter, podcaster, marketer, e-commerce business owner, and crafting coach. She imparts her knowledge to families and fellow crafters, guiding them on their crafting journeys. Debbie has fostered a crafting community boasting over 20,000 members across Australia and stands as a prominent supplier of crafting “blanks” in the Australian crafting scene. Her mission revolves around elevating the Australian crafting industry and supporting the success of small crafting enterprises through her expertise, assistance, and sense of community.
Q and A with Debbie
Congratulations on your business lets ask some questions that people who are teetering on starting a business always want to know! How has your working background of social media and marketing prior to Only the Sweet Stuff helped with the growth of your business?
Starting out my career in social media before going on maternity leave did give me a really good understanding of the different platforms, how different content performed on each and how the algorithms supported these.
However, the success of Only the Sweet Stuff came from me sharing what I loved to create and any tips I thought would be relevant. I wasnt posting with the intention to start a business at all.
Once my community started to grow and I realised people were loving the things I was making and learning about the various techniques I was utilising, I then came to the realisation that there wasnt one single community for crafters.
Obviously my business has evolved over the years from making personalised goods to now selling the crafting items for others to personalise themselves, but all of that stemmed from simply just posting something I enjoyed doing and being open to sharing my journey with the internet.
When it came to the point where I had grown my business organically enough and needed to run ads to attract more crafters, this is where my previous experience came in handy.
I have always loved data, so having the knowledge and experience of knowing how to optimise my ads and see trends was the real advantage. Doing so allows me to target my audience more seamlessly. Now Im at the point where I can mostly set and forget which is so great for me as a busy mum.
For people who dont have these skills, do you think it is transferable to learn these skills as you go, or do you think some mini courses are required?
I think its a bit of both! When you start a business, concentrate on pumping out the content and sharing your journey to see who engages, how and when. From there you can take the learnings and have a crack at it with the knowledge youve gained from your organic content.
From there, you will quickly find out what you are comfortable doing or where you are feeling really hesitant in progressing and thats where you can focus on learning and investing in a course.
Facebook have Meta Blueprint which is an online learning resource specifically created for small businesses and theres lots of free courses! So I would encourage looking into that first to establish a baseline for yourself. But also social is meant to be just that social! So make sure you are having fun and are enjoying the process too. If you REALLY hate it then maybe deferring to a specialist could take you into a better business mindset and have you focusing on what you enjoy.
What was your final a-ha moment that made you step into creating your business?
It was seeing that there was a community of people who had the same interests as me but didnt have one place to go and learn more.
When I unwrapped my first precision-cutting machine, I had to watch hours upon hours of YouTube videos to learn the basics. When I posted about my learnings and found my own way or a faster way, people really responded to that.
It all happened really organically for me and Im lucky that my passion is very shareable.
How many employees do you currently have? Going from starting small to having employees, how was that transition?
Outside of myself, I only have one part-time staff member. She helps me with everything from customer service, community management, marketing, social media management to even crafting! Hiring her was a no brainer! She had been a part of my community for a long time and she really supported my growth and vision. She is also a very talented crafter herself so that made it easy to transition her from community member to staff.
Hiring within my community meant I had no doubts! I was really confident in her ability and knew she would do an amazing job.
I should also mention I outsourced to a 3PL (third-party logistics) to assist me with the fulfilment side of my business. This really helped reduce the stress and ensure orders were being sent off in a timely manner.
Did you have to get investors or did you begin small and work your way up to the full-scale business you have now?
You can probably already tell that Only the Sweet Stuff was and still is completely self-funded. I have made a lot of mistakes in business that have cost me, however it was a lesson and it has made me a better business owner. My advice for anyone else who is also self-funding their way is to listen to what your customers have to tell you as they will more often than not give you the exact feedback you need to grow and be profitable.
Regarding I havent had a chance to have a listen, but your titles are quite direct with you wanting to educate and help others make their own business. What gives you this passion to want to help other people break into the same industry that you are in yourself?
I believe many struggle with the confidence to take that first step. If my podcast can in anyway help someone feel more confident by answering a burning question theyve had, then Im happy!
Only The Sweet Stuff started because I openly shared my learnings, mistakes, tips and creations. The podcast was a way to continue sharing what I know but also to introduce guests who can add value where I cant. I often find myself asking questions to my guests that I want to know as a crafter which is so engaging and hopefully helpful to my listeners.
Im also a creative can you tell? Any new creative way of sharing my journey, attracting like-minded crafters and hopefully inspiring them to start crafting or even a crafting business I will do! The podcast is another creative outlet for me and I love it!
For any of you crafters out there that have a Cricut machine Debbie has some budget friendly ideas!
Here are some of my fave crafts that parents can follow along with that the kids will love:
I also love getting DMs with questions and ideas. I will always share my tips and if I can direct them to a great resource that wilfl help execute I of course will. They can also feel free to ask away on my pages as many other crafters will also want to help.
At SAHM I have been trying to break into the digital world for a few years and were fortunate enough to be in a position to buy the website when it came up for sale, but now the work starts! Every day I am crash coursing and learning about design, marketing, writing, business models/plans, contracts, the list goes on, but Im having the time of my life. Im currently trying to overcome the overwhelm, while parenting two little people (5 and 18 months) do you have any advice?
First up Congratulations on this new adventure its very exciting!
Most importantly – Be kind on yourself and give yourself the space to be creative and practice self-care whatever that looks like for you!
I started crafting to distract myself from nausea while pregnant and found it to be very calming and relaxing but also gave me a sense of achievement once I had finished a project.
I wrote a blog post on mum life and crafting and it details how many in my community have utilised craft as a way to self-regulate and practice zen. I think this is because many crafts are therapeutic and its something you can do that is dedicated you-time while also feeling a sense of accomplishment and you can go without the mum/dad-guilt.
When it comes to business asking people who you admire and aspire to be, lots of questions about their journey and lessons is a great way to learn and also humanise business.
Consume media on the topics you are wanting to learn about in whatever way you find most enjoyable. You mentioned you are learning about marketing and digital elements of running SAHM this podcast episode may help.
Youre doing great though and as a long-time fan of the SAHM community and purpose, I cant wait to see where you take SAHM.
Morning School Run Coordinator
Got a large vehicle? Are you always reliable, good with kids and available? Then perhaps consider becoming a morning school run coordinator! Loads of Mums have to work – and they have to leave for work before they can get the kids to school – and if the kids are in late primary and high school – and you are going in that direction – perhaps approach Mum’s to do the pickup and drop off in the mornings.
Even consider doing school lunches for the kids too to ‘Up-sell’ your business.
Of course, you will require a Blue Card and appropriate car seats in your vehicle.
How to Advertise for Clients:
- Advertise at your local school through the newsletter.
- If you have a larger vehicle with multiple seats, approach professional child care centres in your area to do the pickup and drop of runs.
Become a Mobile Spray Tanner
If you can give yourself an awesome tan at home, why not look at buying the minimum equipment and start a Mobile Spray Tanning business. You don’t need any qualifications – just to be able to travel to customers homes to give them a beautiful tan on demand!
What equipment will you need:
Pick up a small Spray Tan Kit plus some good quality tan solution. We love the Bondi Sands brand.
A tanning tent is handy too to ensure any over-spray doesn’t get all over the bathroom but you can always use a shower curtain.
Once you have built up enough clientele – look at getting a professional spray tanning machine that will make your job a lot easier!
How much can you charge?
A fantastic tan in the privacy of your own home, you can charge customers $50.00 – $75.00 per tan. You could also offer a bulk package deal – 10 tans paid for in advance for $300.00 or whatever you price you choose.
If you choose to only stock vegan or organic brands, you could choose to charge more.
Where to find customers?
Put a magnetic sign on your vehicle – this is a great free way to get local interest. Also, look at including an advertisement in local school newsletters. You can also look at approaching small beauty salons that currently don’t offer in-house tans and pay them on the commission of work.
Where Can I Learn More?
There are a few great courses which can help you get to the next level when it comes to starting your own beauty business.
Become a Professional Youtuber
This is the dream of many eight year old boys, but if you have the time and dedication to plan a topic, do regular talks and build up your audience – you too can make money by being a Youtuber.
How it Works:
You build up your traffic on Youtube. Once you have over 4000 views in a one month period, Youtube will pay you an amount per month! The higher your traffic – the more you get paid. You can also get product endorsements and do speaking tours.
The hard part is building that initial traffic.
More Reading: Where to Get Work as an Influencer in Australia
What You Will Need:
A good computer, video editing software and a big personality!
Next, you need to map out what your content will be, how your Youtube episodes are laid out and flow. Watch many of the current professional You tubers for some ideas on what is current.
Consistency and listening to what your followers want is the key to success. Expect to put in huge hours for not a lot of money for the first six to 12 months.
Where Can I Learn More?
There are a few really great online courses that show you how to build your channel, how to run your channel and monetization methods. Here are some that we recommend:
- The Complete YouTube Course: Go from Beginner to Expert
- Youtube University: How to Become a Full Time Youtuber
- YouTube Channel Marketing: How to Increase Your Subscribers
Freelance Writer for Blogs and Websites
There are millions of blogs and websites out there now… and they are all screaming for good quality content. So if you can write about a particular topic, have access to a computer and the internet – perhaps start approaching various blogs to see if you can become a guest writer. Expect to be paid anywhere from $20 – $200 per article, depending on quality and style!
Places to start writing for cash right away:
Or we have a list of 100+ Websites that will pay you to write articles!
Writing Ebooks is also a great idea for making cash!
Ebooks are 30 – 50 page ‘snippets’ of rich information condensed into a downloadable package. The beauty of ebooks is that you can sell the same item over and over again – without depleting any stock! There are loads of places you can sell your ebook – we even have an Ebook on How to Sell Ebooks!
Writing and Selling Ebooks for Profit can be very lucrative if you get the right topic!
Where can I Learn More?
There are loads of really great writing courses out there. Here are some that we recommend:
Pet Daycare or Pet Sitter
We all love our pets. And we want them to be happy. If you have a lovely fenced yard and lots of love and cuddles to give, consider becoming a pet daycare Mum. Have your clients drop off their fur babies in the morning, and give them loads of love and attention during the day. Send your client update photo’s about the pets day, and give start a Facebook Page showing how much fun your guest pets will have at your place!
You can expect to charge from $20 per day per animal.
How to Find Clients:
- Approach local veterinarian clinics to see if you can leave leaflets on their counter tops.
- Pet Food Stores are also a great way to advertise.
- Start a Facebook Page for your Daycare Centre and post loads of images of cuteness.
Where can I learn more?
Although you don’t need any formal qualifications to become a Pet Sitter, it always helps to have a piece of paper that says you have done some training. We recommend this one from Udemy.
Hold Cooking Classes
If you can make spaghetti from scratch that people rave over, or cakes and tarts that you’d sell your Grandmother for, what about teaching others how to make your dishes! If you have a nice and functional kitchen and small classes, you can do this at home! Prepare a list of laminated recipes and ingredients to give each client for each lesson. Provide the ingredients and get cooking – at the end, sit down to all enjoy the fruits of your labour together!
Cooking class ideas include:
- Cheese Making Classes (or sell Cheese Making Kits)
- Fermented Food Classes
- Baking
- Basic Cooking for Beginners
Do Your Classes Online
Even better is that you can film your classes and sell them online!
How Do I Get Started?
Start a Facebook and Instagram Page, design your own logo and branding – put together a lesson plan – and start promoting it! Perhaps get a few well-known people in your local area to do a free course in exchange for them posting on social media to get your name out there.
Make Your Own Bespoke Handmade Cosmetics
More and more people are looking for vegan, handmade lip balms, creams and moisturisers to use for themselves and their family. But did you know you can start your own line of handmade cosmetics for under $100!
If you use loads of beautiful natural ingredients that are in demand, come up with beautiful branding, you can make your own and have them for sale on Instagram or Etsy.
Where to Find Quality Ingredients:
The key to beautiful handmade cosmetics is to have quality ingredients. Here is a directory of where to find them:
- Where to Buy Wholesale Essential Oils
- Green Living Australia has a beautiful range of raw ingredients for cosmetics
But I Don’t Know How to Make Cosmetics?
That’s okay! There is a way around everything and that way is called ‘White Labeling’. What that means is that you take a product that has already been made to strict standards, then brand it as your own – and there are companies out there that will do just that for you!
We have included a List of White Label Skincare and Beauty Companies that will help you on your journey.
Where to Learn More:
- Packaging and Labeling Soap and Cosmetics – this course focusing on labeling regulations in the United States, Europe and Canada.
Become a House Cleaner
If you have a reliable car, some basic cleaning products and a lot of getting up and go, house cleaning is one of the easiest businesses to start. Advertise your services on noticeboards and by word of mouth (tell your local hairdresser!) – and get cleaning.
Happy clients are usually willing to pay $30/hour. You could charge more if you choose to have natural products or go vegan, or naked.
This is great seasonal work coming up to Christmas. Many people don’t have the time (or energy) to do a full house clean before their home is full of visitors.
Where to Advertise for Clients:
- Local Facebook Pages
- Approach local cleaning companies that may want additional staff over the Christmas Season.
- Start a Facebook Page for your new cleaning business – and order some magnetic stickers for your vehicle.
How to Stand Out From the Crowd:
Offer Green Cleaning options with all environmentally friendly cleaning products! There are even cleaners that clean in the nude that demand huge money! (you may need to look into the legalities of that before going ahead!)
Where Can I Buy Eco-Friendly Cleaning Products?
There are some fabulous eco-friendly and green cleaning products available now that you can buy and have delivered online. Here are some of the best!
- The Botanical Life Co has floor wash, room & linen spray, sparkling surface spray and glass & mirror spray – all eco-friendly and green.
- Euclove has beautiful green cleaning products based on eucalyptus oil. They have bedding & mattress sprays, kitchen cleaning sprays, floor cleaner, bathroom cleaner and more!
- Green Potions stocks kitchen degreaser, laundry powder, bathroom cleaner, exhaust degreaser and more.
Or if these eco-friendly products are a bit out of your price range – you can make your own green cleaning products at home. Here are some recipes to try:
- Dishwashing Liquid
- Carpet Shampoo
- Window Cleaner
- Laundry Powder
- Toilet Fizzies
- All Purpose Cleaner Recipes
Where Can I Learn More:
Take and Sell Your Photographs on Stock Photography Websites
Even if you are an amateur photographer, stock photography websites are always looking for new images. It could be of any topic you love! Once your photo is uploaded to one of the many photography websites, you can sell the same image again and again and again! If one goes viral, you could make a LOT of money!
Stock photography you could sell your images to include:
- Shutterstock
- iStockphoto
- Getty Images
- Adobe Stock
- Alamy
- Fotomoto
- Crestock
- PhotoShelter
How to Stand Out from the Crowd:
Stick to a niche market – and stick with what you love. Ideas for niches include:
- Baking Photo’s
- Nature
- Eco-Friendly
- Little Things
What’s Types of Photographs are in Demand
Food Stock Images are in HUGE demand – so if you can take a great photo of a dish – you could make a lot of money!
Start a Local Website or Newspaper
Do you know what is going on in your community? Perhaps start a Facebook Page about all the things happening, activities for kids, new businesses and functions, and keep the community involved. Once it is up and running, you could start charging advertising space on either a website or start a basic newspaper that you can distribute to local businesses.
You can include local stories, promote events happening in your area or even keep people up to date during a disaster.
Where to Find Advertisers:
You will need to build up your audience first, but have an ‘Advertising Page’ that can list all the services you can do such as sponsored stories, website banners or promotion of an event.
But Starting a Website is Expensive?
It doesn’t have to be – there are plenty of cheap or even free website platforms out there if you have an eye for detail and style! Even a directory website is a great start to build traffic by offering free listings until you really build up a following.
Where Can I Learn More?
Make Unique Gift Baskets
Gift baskets make a wonderful gift for new Mums or business people as they can be totally personalised. If you are good at putting together beautiful gift baskets and photographing them, maybe sell them online and offer your services to other locals who may also enjoy your gift baskets. Other items that you could do include Nappy Cakes and Chocolate Bouquets.
You can even start selling your gift baskets on Etsy!
Become a Unique Tea Blend Creator
Tea is so hot right now. If you have a good palette for flavoured tea’s, why not look at creating your very own blend of tea and selling it for a profit. For under $100 you could purchase a few teas to blend and keep the packaging extremely simple. I’ve even seen tea blends sold in test tube containers which are super adorable. You could sell your new tea blend at a local market, on Etsy or just start up your very own Facebook Page. Have influencers try your tea.
These are really popular ideas for wedding favours too!
You can purchase tea from reputable sellers (you must have top quality!) such as:
- T2 Tea has teas and tools and also offers Afterpay.
- Tealth has handmade white tea that is a luxury tea famous around the world.
- Debonair Tea Company is UK based and makes exceptional tea
You can pick up clear test tubes with stoppers from:
- Petals x Bonbons has 7ml plain test tubes with cork top tubes for $1.20 each
- I Love Love Australia has 40ml plastic test tubes (5 per pack) for $16.99 including free delivery
Wrap them in bubble-wrap to post with a little twine tie and label – and you are set!
Make Second Hand Furniture Fabulous!
Look at purchasing a few pieces of furniture from Ebay or local Buy, Swap and Sell Pages. Then buy a few pots of Chalk Paint – this paint is brilliant as you don’t need to sand the furniture first, just give it a coat, sand, then add a waxy coat over the top – and your furniture goes from drab to fab! You can purchase chalk paint from most hardware stores.
Even better if you are handy with a sewing machine and can re-upholder old chair seats etc.
Furniture is always fairly high-demand and by making it look great, you could easily double or triple your money!
Where to Buy Second Hand Furniture:
There are actually loads of great places to look such as:
- Ebay
- Gumtree
- Local Facebook Buy Swap and Sell Pages
- Trading Post
- Advertise in local newspapers
- Thrift Stores
- Garage Sales
Where to Buy Chalk Paint:
The cheapest place we found to purchase chalk paint is:
Where to Sell Your Furniture:
You can look at selling your furniture at local markets, Etsy, Ebay, Gumtree, advertise in your local newsletters or even approach furniture stores in your area to see if they will sell your products on commission!
If you are passionate about becoming your own boss, just take the step and do it! Many of these business ideas are perfect to start on the side, and you can work your way up as you get busier and busier!
Have your say!