There are few things that are “more American” then someone starting their own business. When you take a look at some of the success stories here in the United States like Mark Cuban, Sam Walton and Bill Gates, it’s easy to see what an excellent idea and a good bit of hard work can accomplish.
The fact is that small businesses, or businesses that employ fewer than 50 employees, makeup over 98% of the businesses in the United States and approximately half of the economy in the private sector.
With the unemployment rate in the United States still hovering around 7 to 8% many people are on the lookout for a different way to earn a living than working for someone else and indeed, at least based on a recent survey by the UPS store, the dream of nearly 50% of all Americans is to start their own business.
When a person has little or no capital to actually start their own business it can be difficult but the fact is that there are quite a few service-based businesses that can be started on very little capital and allow someone to start making money right away.
One of the biggest industries for doing just that is in scientific or technical consulting services including those that focus on management, marketing, safety, human resources and energy efficiency. People that have experience (and of course the degree to go with it) can be very successful as either building or landscapes architects as well as designing computer systems, both industries that are growing at about 15% per year. Translation services, photography, personal fitness training as well as pet care and even things like having your own hotdog stand, balloon-o-gram service or edible arrangement company are also some unusual jobs that can pay surprisingly well and don’t require a huge initial investment to get started.
Of course many of the jobs and industries that we noted above require some amount of certification, experience and schooling. These aren’t all jobs for people who have just graduated from high school and have no real world experience or have never been to college at all. Some of them are definitely possible for people who fall into that category but for the most part it’s best if you have some years in the actual working world before you start.
At the end of the day the simple fact is that more and more Americans are starting to avoid the typical career arc of going to college, finding a job working for someone else and then working until retirement. If you’re one of those people your best bet is to sit down and make an honest and thorough list of your strong points, your desires and your financial goals.
Once you have that then it’s time to do your due diligence and research online to find the right kind of business to start or go out into your community and talk to the people who actually done it. If you are polite and offer to buy them lunch you be surprised how much information you’ll get, info that can help you to make a decision and get started on your own business today.