Find business ideas you can start with the money you have
Business ideas for every budget, each with a realistic cost estimate, a three-month launch plan and the problems that usually come up. Whether you have a few hundred dollars or a few thousand, pick your budget, read the guide, and ask questions in the comments.
Browse all business ideasRead the storiesBusiness ideas by budget
Under $1k 18 ideas $1k – $5k 17 ideas $5k – $25k 10 ideas $25k and up 5 ideas
Business ideas to start with
Six guides with clear first steps and manageable budgets.
The Rage Room
A controlled, safe environment where customers pay to smash old electronics, glass, and furniture to relieve stress.
$500–1,600Print-on-Demand Store
Selling custom-designed merchandise (like mugs, t-shirts, and bags) using platforms like Printify and Etsy. Products are only printed when a customer buys them, meaning zero inventory costs.
$700–2,100Hidden History Walking Tours
Acting as a local guide but focusing purely on the interesting, lesser-known history of your city, rather than the standard tourist traps.
$0–480Language Conversation Partner
Offering paid online video sessions where you simply chat with people who are trying to learn your native language so they can practice in a real-world setting.
$900–2,500Vintage Tech Restoration
Buying broken retro gaming consoles, Walkmans, or classic stereos, fixing them up, and selling them to collectors.
$780–2,380Smart Home Setup Service
A service that helps older generations or non-tech-savvy people install and connect smart bulbs, security cameras, and smart thermostats.
How businesses really start
Long reads on the early days of companies you know: the problem, the improvisation, and what any small business can borrow.
5,127 Prototypes and a Clogged Vacuum: How Dyson Started
A vacuum that kept losing suction, a cyclone from a sawmill and 5,127 prototypes: how James Dyson started.
5 min readBeating Piracy at Its Own Game: How Spotify Started
Two Swedish founders, a free service the record labels disliked and a bet that a legal app could beat music piracy: how Spotify started.
4 min readHow Airbnb Started: Three Air Mattresses, Cereal Boxes and a Rent Deadline
How a missing rent payment in San Francisco turned into one of the largest travel companies in the world.
4 min read$5,000 and a Pair of Scissors: How Sara Blakely Built Spanx
A fax machine salesperson, a drawer full of unusable pantyhose, and an idea nobody in the industry had tried.
4 min readFrom a Car Trunk to a Waffle Iron: How Nike Started
A school paper, two founders with $500 each, a ruined waffle iron and a $35 logo: how Nike started from the trunk of a car.
4 min readA Wooden Duck, a Fire and a Plastic Brick: How LEGO Started
A carpenter with no customers, a Danish town, two fires and a plastic brick: how LEGO started, and what any small business can borrow.
What every business idea guide includes
A realistic budget
Itemized costs with a low and a high estimate, so you can compare business ideas before you spend anything.
A three-month launch plan
What to do in month one, two and three, from setup to your first customers.
Marketing that fits the idea
Specific ways to find your first customers without a big advertising budget.
Risks and fixes
The problems that most often go wrong, each paired with a practical way to avoid it.
Have a question about a business idea? Every guide has a comment section at the bottom. How these guides are made
Run the numbers before you spend
A good idea still needs a good plan for the money. Most people start with savings, and some borrow a small amount to cover equipment or stock. Before you commit, it helps to see what a loan payment or a monthly savings habit actually adds up to.
Our free loan and savings calculators at Vault Calculator let you check monthly payments, total interest and how long it takes to reach a savings goal. Try a few scenarios, then match the result to the budget bracket above that fits you.