Diversify Your Revenue for 2024 with 7 Side Projects Funded Fully for $100 or Under
In these uncertain economic times, many are looking for new ways to generate additional income streams to diversify their revenue and protect their finances. Side projects and side hustles are a great way to boost your earnings with relatively little upfront investment. In this article, we will explore 7 different side project ideas you can start for $100 or less that have potential for scaling into sustainable income sources.
Mobile Device Repair Hustle
With more and more people relying on their smartphones, tablets, and other mobile devices, repair and maintenance services will always be in high demand. If you have experience fixing electronic devices or enjoy taking things apart and putting them back together, mobile repair could be a great side hustle for you.
For less than $100, you can get started with basic repair toolkits available online. You'll also want to invest in a basic website or online profiles on platforms like Facebook Marketplace to advertise your services. Focus on common repair issues like cracked screens, faulty chargers, and software/connectivity problems that don't require heavy equipment or certifications. Start with friends and family for testimonials as you build your portfolio. Over time, you can choose to invest in your skills with training courses or certifications in more advanced repairs.
There is good money to be made in mobile device repair, and much of the work can be done from home flexibly around your existing schedule. With some hustle on social media and positive reviews, this side project has potential to generate a few hundred extra dollars per month within your first year with minimal startup costs.
Lawn Care & Landscaping Services
If you have basic equipment like a mower, trimmer and garden tools already, a small lawn care business could be another great side project to pursue for under $100. All you need is some affordable marketing materials like flyers and a basic website or Facebook page.
Focus on building relationships in your neighborhood by providing superb customer service along with quality yard maintenance at competitive rates. Consider expanding your offerings over time to include services like tree trimming, mulching, planting, and fence/deck cleaning. Promote yourself locally on Nextdoor, Facebook Marketplace and your neighborhood community pages.
Word-of-mouth is incredibly powerful for lawn care businesses. With a little hustle on social media and delivering a premium customer experience, you could realistically earn an extra $500-1000 per month within your first season with this side project requiring minimal startup costs.
Pet Sitting & Dog Walking
If you love animals, a pet care side business may be up your alley. For under $100, you can invest in basic pet sitting supplies, create a profile on platforms like Rover.com, and market locally.
Focus on building a reputation for excellent and responsible pet care. Promote your five-star pet sitting and dog walking services on neighborhood social pages and door hangers emphasizing your reliability, experience with different animal types/sizes, and competitive pricing.
Within your first year, it's realistic to expect to take on 2-3 regular clients per week, netting an extra $400-600 monthly with a pet care side business run flexibly around your schedule from your phone requiring minimal startup investment. Plus, you get the perk of spending more time with adorable furry friends!
Online Arbitrage and Retail Flipping
For those with an entrepreneurial spirit, online arbitrage and retail flipping can be another side project requiring less than $100 to get started.
The basic concept is finding items selling online or in stores for below market value, then “flipping” them for a profit on platforms like Amazon, eBay, Poshmark, Etsy or Facebook Marketplace. This could involve browsing clearance sections, liquidation sales, or wholesale suppliers.
With $100 or less, you could purchase 5-10 high-demand items to test different markets. Focus on developing product research skills to consistently find discount opportunities. Within 6-12 months of dedicating a few hours weekly to this project, it's very possible to generate an extra $500-1000 monthly through retail arbitrage with minimal startup costs and flexible hours.
Paid Online Courses or Tutorials
If you have a specialized skill, hobby or area of passion that others want to learn, developing online courses or tutorials can be a great low-cost side project. Whether it's painting, coding, language learning, baking or fitness tutorials – people are always looking to invest in their own self-improvement through online education.
For less than $100 annually, you can design and host courses using builder platforms like Teachable, Thinkific or Kajabi. Focus your courses on specific techniques or skills rather than generalized overviews. Market your educational products on social media by providing free previews of your teaching style and content quality.
With 2-5 quality paid courses and a few hours of promotion each week, you could realistically make an extra $300-1000 per month as your materials generate recurring passive income requiring minimal startup costs.
Digital Subscription Box Service
A digital subscription box business can provide ongoing value to your subscribers while generating sustainable monthly income for you. This low-cost side project idea involves curating exclusive monthly or quarterly “boxes” filled with digital products from your niche.
For instance, you could create a coding tutorial subscription with a new set of video lessons emailed each month. Or provide career development resources, healthy recipes, nature photography presets or other virtually-delivered specialty content on a recurring subscription basis.
Start free to build an initial following, then offer various long-term subscription tiers through online payment platforms for a low monthly or annual fee. Within 6-12 months of marketing creatively online, you could realistically net $300-800 per month passively from a digital subscription box side project requiring less than $100 to start.
Social Media Management Services
If you're highly active across platforms like Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, YouTube and TikTok, offering social media management services could be a profitable side project for little startup investment.
Promote your affordable packages for tasks like content creation, community engagement, scheduling, hashtag research, analytics reporting and more. Focus on developing your skills and case studies with small businesses in your local community or industry niche. You can even try bartering your services at first in exchange for client promotion or product discounts.
With quality portfolio work added monthly, experience under your belt and affordable packages, it's realistic within 6-12 months to secure 2-5 paid clients at $100-300 monthly generating $400-1000 extra income each month from this low-cost side project you can run flexibly online. Over time, you may even build it into a full-time agency.
Final Thoughts on Diversify Your Revenue for 2024 with 7 Side Projects Funded Fully for $100 or Under
As you can see, there are many entrepreneurs pursuing multiple small side projects simultaneously for diversification and flexibility. Testing concepts with minimal investment protects you from risk while allowing promising ideas to grow organically over time. Once proven, some may even blossom into full-fledged businesses in their own right.
While results will vary person-to-person, these 7 low-cost side project ideas have real-world potential to generate an extra $500-1000 each month within the first year requiring $100 startup investment or less based on hard work and creative hustle. I hope this article inspires you to explore new opportunities that align with your unique skills, interests and community. Remember – your path to prosperity often lies directly beneath your feet, so keep your eyes open! Let me know if you have any other questions.