Hello folks;
 I am looking for 25 small business ideas for businesses that can be
started for under $1,000 investment, provide income within 4 weeks,
and don't require any *extensive* training. Here are a couple examples
to get started: house painting, lawn care service,  food delivery
service. It's okay for the business to require training-- just not
training that would go beyond the type of training one might require
for something like painting houses. The business will be based in a
large city in Texas [a little demographic info].
Thanks! From yet another recently laid-off [read as 'downsized'] high
tech employee.

Greetings!  The following businesses may be started for less than
$1,000.  They are varied lines of work and you may find one that
easily fits your talents:

Field Trip Photo Service (or Church Photo Service)
Geneology Service
Off-Site Secretarial Service
Abstracting and Indexing Service
Virtual Assistant Service
Advice Columnist Online
Computer Bulletin Board
Personal Computer Maintenance
Balloon Decorating
Gift Basket Service
Parties In A Bag
Novelty Message Service
Retirement Life Planner
Kids Clothes
(also same as the above for Ebay on used books, women's plus size
clothes and women's shoes)
Grant Writing (also see Google Answer question #48174)
Forever After Memorial Service
Poetry On Demand
Executive Shine Next Day Shoe Shine Service
Sudz for Dudz
Fetch
Wake-Up and Reminder Service
Dog Grooming Service
Lecture on Subjects You Know

The above ideas came from IdeaCafe Ideas for Small Businesses and
links are live to explanations of each one from the page
http://www.businessownersideacafe.com/bizidea/Welcome.html - so you
may read their full explanations by visiting the headings on that
page.

A few of the ones listed above had a larger start-up cost than $1,000
but the start-up description price included the purchase of a computer
and printer (which they estimated at cost of $2,100 in the Abstracting
and Indexing Service explanation - so I subtracted $2,100 from figures
of other ideas to reach your $1,000 maximun start-up investment).  I
may be incorrectly assuming you have those items but you did state you
were a high tech employee.

Some located there that had a higher start-up (but that I think could
be done for $1,000 or less) were:

Laptop Inventory Service - going to homes and businesses and doing an
insurance inventory for them (people always need to do this but hate t
take the time)
Yard Sale Online
Copywriter

And here are some I just thought of:
Plant Care for Businesses and Homes (the indoor plants)
Computer Tutor (teach people the basics of Windows, email, etc.)
Personal Shopper (Christmas is coming and busy executives have little
time to shop)
Dog Walking Service (for those dog-owners who are out of the house all
day)

So, here are over 30 ideas for small businesses that should easily
begin to pay off after four weeks.  I hope one piques your interest or
your own creativity will take over when reading all the choices and
you'll come up with the perfect job for you.  Again, should you need a
clarification, please ask.

Oh, and one more idea: apply to become a Google Answers Researcher.  :
)


SEARCH TERMS and LINKS:

"small business ideas"  [Google search]
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=%22small+business+ideas%22

"An Idea Cafe Map" to Starting a Small Business -- Ideas, Grants ...
[Idea Cafe]
http://www.ideacafe.com/

Small Business Ideas (in left column of Idea Cafe main page)
http://www.businessownersideacafe.com/starting_business/idea.php

Ideas For a Business You Can Start (in the right column of Idea Cafe
Ideas page)
http://www.businessownersideacafe.com/bizidea/Welcome.html


A Google Answer of mine on Grantwriting that may be of interest -
explains how to use special grantsearch software free at local
library:

Google Answer 48714
https://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=48174

---

Clarification of Answer by journalist-ga on 13 Sep 2002 12:52 PDT

Thank you for your generous rating of my research, and I hope that
whatever new profession you choose, it proves to be very lucrative!

Fine answer.