Make Something — And Sell It

Another way to start your own business is to make something, and then sell it. There are a number of places to sell your handmade goods. From local craft fairs and shows, to online marketplaces like Etsy and eBay, it is possible for your to earn a living from making things. Here are a few items that you can make, if you have the skill, and sell:

  1. Fishing flies: Fly-tying is a great art — and fishermen and would-be fishermen will pay good money for high quality flies.
  2. Sewing/knitting/crochet/quilts: If you can produce handicrafts by sewing, knitting, crochet or quilting, you can sell the results for money. You can create custom pieces, made to order, or you can produce items to sell later. My sister-in-law even creates patterns to sell so others can make her designs.
  3. Woodworking: Create beautiful items out of wood. You can produce items to order, or see what sells.
  4. Jewelry: My wedding band was made, custom, by a jewelry maker who created items out of a workshop attached to her house. Create jewelry, and sell it to others.
  5. Scrapbooks: Put together albums for others. Create scrapbooks and other memory books for those who want to capture the essence of life. You can even use your skills at digital scrapbooking to make items for others.
  6. Get creative: There are a number of other things you can make to sell. An enterprising young man in our neighborhood makes wallets out of duct tape and sells them. Consider what else you can make, than might be creative and useful, to sell.

Passive Income

No home business list is complete without passive income ideas. It’s true that no income is truly passive, since you will need to do some work to maintain your income stream. But it is possible to set money-makers in motion, under the name of a home business, and cultivate revenue.

  1. Income investing: Create an income portfolio with dividend stocks, bonds and P2P lending.
  2. Real estate/rental property: Buy income property and earn money. Whether you lease it out a business, or get renters, you can receive income regularly. Hire a manager, and you won’t have to do much at all.
  3. Web property: Buy web sites and monetize them. Yes, this can be work at the beginning, but once you get things going, it can provide income. Hire others to write for you, or do other tasks, and you won’t have to do as much work.
  4. Affiliate marketing: You can sell items through affiliate programs. As long as others keep buying in, or participate, you can earn money.
  5. Royalties: Create something once, and keep receiving money from it. You can also do this without sharing the profits with someone else. Create your own ebook and sell it yourself on a web site, or even on Kindle.

Miranda

Miranda

Miranda is freelance journalist. She specializes in topics related to money, especially personal finance, small business, and investing. You can read more of my writing at Planting Money Seeds.