Low-Cost Business Ideas 5 businesses that won't empty your wallet

(YoungBiz.com)- Sure, starting your own business would be a dream come true. Butthat takes money, and, when it comes to greenbacks, you're alittle thin in the wallet. So much for that idea, right? Not sofast. Being the big cheese doesn't have to cost big bucks. Hereare five low-cost biz ideas to get you started.

1. Party animals. A book, a pump and a bag of balloonswere all 13-year-old Bethany Martin needed to start her business.Martin, now 17, of Richardson, Texas, twists long, skinny balloonsinto crazy shapes that make children laugh--like frogs, dogs,horses and bears.

Bethany found out she could do free performances in restaurants,give away her creations and make about $45 to $50 in tips for afour-hour evening. Not too shabby for a business with start-upcosts as low as $7 for that first bag of balloons!

2. Down on the farm. Siblings Evan and Elise Macmillan ofEnglewood, Colorado, take care of the farm animals--chocolate farmanimals, that is. The pair makes candies and markets them using afarm theme. Their barnyard lineup includes such specialties asBrown Cows (chocolate, cow-shaped lollipops), Pigs in Mud (largemarshmallows rolled in caramel and walnuts, then dipped inchocolate) and Pecan Turtles (caramel and pecans dipped inchocolate).

Start-up expenses were minimal--a few molds, candies andchocolate. And there's no candy store overhead, either. Evanand Elise, now 16 and 14, respectively, sell their sweetconfections via their Web site, www.chocolatefarm.com.

3. Singing her own tune. Marlena Cooper, 19, ofJefferson, Texas, has been singing the sweet song of success eversince she made her professional singing debut at age 13. "Welive in a tourist town, and people come here to get married,"Cooper explains. "I keep in touch with bed and breakfasts andwedding coordinators. When they need entertainment, they callme."

Cooper's voice, of course, is the key to her success. As herbusiness expanded, though, she did have to invest in someequipment, such as soundtracks, a sound system and her ownmicrophone.

4. Seeds of success. An avid gardener from a family ofgreen thumbs, Deanna Thies of Glasgow, Missouri, discovered anuntapped business opportunity in her community: gardening. Touringher neighborhood, Thies found two senior citizens with overgrownplots of land. She convinced them to let her grow a garden inexchange for upkeep of the lots and a portion of her crops. Bystriking those deals, Thies was able to keep her start-up costslow--just seeds and plant sprays.

Deanna, 19, and her sister Jana, 16, co-owners of The VeggiePatch, grow 80 varieties of fruits and veggies--including specialtyitems like cut flowers and gourds--then sell them at two nearbyfarmer's markets. The pair net an average of $300 to $400 aweek, but a good week can bring in $1,000.

5. Have your cake. Seventeen-year-old Rudy Montoya hascooked up a heck of a good low-cost business idea: He bakes customcakes for special occasions, running his business, The Cakery,right from his home kitchen in Mora, New Mexico. Montoya'sstart-up costs were minimal--a cake decorating kit and ingredients.Because The Cakery is so small, he doesn't have a lot ofgovernment rules and regulations. "I don't sell any foodsbesides my cakes, so I only have to have a certificate to sellbaked goods," Montoya explains. "If my kitchen werebigger, or I sold other food, I'd have to get alicense."

So you see, you don't have to break the bank to start abusiness. In some cases, all it takes is $25 to $50. And if youwant to give your new business a quick boost, reinvest the moneyfrom your first few jobs into more advertising. You'll soongain even more customers, and you'll be on your way up!