Crafts & makingBrazil
Coloured rice sensory play kits made in a home kitchen, Brazil
A bag of pantry rice and food colouring bought one mother an hour of peace, then a paying online shop.
Low budgetEasySide income
6 steps
Budget
Low budget business ideas
Startup cost: under $1k. Costs and revenue are rough estimates based on the source and may differ by country.
Crafts & makingIndia
Handmade notebooks from elephant and rhino dung paper in Assam
A kitchen blender, window screens and wildlife dung can become a notebook that tourists happily pay extra for.
Low budgetMediumSide income
6 steps
Crafts & makingBrazil
Scrap-built drums and instruments sold from a home workshop in Brazil
A music student with no budget turned plastic drums and bottle skins into a business earning about R$ 20,000 a month.
Low budgetMediumFull-time living
6 steps
Free chalkboards for restaurants paid by local advertisers
Give a restaurant a free specials board, then sell the strip along the bottom to neighbouring businesses.
Low budgetEasySide income
6 steps
Crafts & making
Crafts & makingUnited States
Plush human-organ toys sold to schools and parents in the US
Soft hearts, lungs and stomachs let children learn anatomy by hugging the body part they are studying.
Low budgetMediumSide income
6 steps
Crafts & making
Crafts & makingUnited States
Paid pumpkin carving for Halloween parties and offices
Two Halloween fans turned a seasonal hobby into paid work, with single pumpkins fetching as much as $700.
Low budgetEasySide income
6 steps
Food & drinkBrazil
Personalised religious sweets made in a home kitchen in São Paulo
A mother and daughter turned hand-decorated sweets for temple celebrations into a full-time income from their own kitchen.
Low budgetMediumFull-time living
6 steps