In this day and age, people are becoming more and more interested in being their own boss. There is a lot to be said for setting your own hours and not having to answer to anyone else. The main obstacles that many people face involve the initial start-up costs surrounding the formation of small business ventures. Fortunately, there are a variety of sectors that you can enter into without needing a lot of money up-front.

If you are a handy do-it-yourself type of person, you can make money by outsourcing your skills and turning your natural talents into cash. One area that is constantly being updated, and therefore it will always have a steep learning curve, is the field of technology. People will always need IT guidance. Since you will be working on other people’s machines, there are very few upfront costs to you. The only thing you will charge for is your labor. 

This holds true for other fields as well. You can charge for your labor in a variety of different industries, such as house painting or assorted handyman jobs. Taskrabbit was founded on this exact premise – that people could offer up their skillsets in exchange for payment. If you want to dip a toe in the freelance world, this could be a good place to start before investing time, energy, and money into a solo venture.

Many people nowadays are looking for their first big break in the publishing industry. This is also a great opportunity for you if you are a talented grammar enthusiast, fact-checker or proofreader. From the comfort of your own home, you can make money by editing other peoples’ work. There is a high demand for this type of consulting work and there are plenty of sites like UpWork that follow this same business model. 

Many people either starting out or needing a brand-refresher will seek out a public relations strategist. The major cost to you, if you decide to follow this path, will be paying for access to a media database in order to service your clientele. 

If you love animals, there are choices for you there, too. Many people need dog walkers and trainers and sitters. In order to qualify as a trainer, you would need to take a course, but beyond that, your expenses lie in the ability to provide enough clean spaces for your animal companions whenever they visit.