$1,700.00 for Creative Suite 4 is inexpensive?
$3,000.00 Mac Pro (I know, you can do GD on a PC now too.)
$300.00-$2,000.00 Monitor
$800.00 QuarkXPress

Then the extras.

Expensive yet I love the field.

It's either InDesign or Quark for print publishing.

@shepd: A quick look at Craigslist will show you how far down in the toilet that whole market has become. The market is flooded with the types. I've been seeing "$20, any PC problem" ads. And there are dozens upon dozens of them.

And if the original writer gets to see it again after you fix it, they'll whine that you "changed their meaning" or some such crap. Yeah, I did. And you're welcome.

I miss editing like I miss a toothache.
(sounds like somebody pissed on my cornflakes too!)

The other thing is that in the music industry, filtering between the dozens of "writers" who just care about meeting the artist, and the actual knowledgeable writers who are good at their craft is a really difficult thing. Any person can swear up and down their professional and then lose it in front of a musician. It's really hard to be make someone trust you, and it takes a lot of free work, lost money, and networking to build a reputation.

Hell, I now get to call myself an award-winning cake decorator and still hardly anybody wants to pay for the hours and hours an award-worthy cake takes.

The best money I've made from crafts is by selling one of my knit patterns, but it's a high-quality, well-researched, intensively-tested/calculated pattern. I see people throw together trashy patterns all the time and hardly make a dime. And even then, I've made just over $800 in two years. Ooo, call me Ms. Moneybanks!

My fiance is a freelance web designer, and every year he grumbles and laments the cost of upgrading all his software, but he has *no choice* if he wants to work professionally in the industry.

@shepd: weird...most mobile guys charge somewhere around 60-70 per hour, shops are closer to 80, both with a half hour minimum. It's a total scam. Memory is dead? They charge you for new memory, pop the case, replace it, put it back together...takes 2 minutes. Markup is higher on hardware too, especially the mobile guys because they know you're probably in a bind and need it fixed no matter what.

(I became a notary because lawyers are allowed to notarize documents they create; it makes will signings with self-proving affidavits a lot more convenient when I can notarize.)

I would not want to make house calls though. The general public is annoying enough as it is to deal with in a retail environment, let alone dealing with them inside their own homes!

Depending on the type of writing you're doing, it takes a whole lot more than mastery of grade school Language Arts.

On the general topic, my real job involves a lot of web design, and there are also plenty of hacks out there who think they can do it because they know HTML or, worse, because they know how to use Dreamweaver or something.

In fact, I wouldn't recommend anyone BUT hacks freelance in either field at this point. There's way too much lowballing going on, and too many jobs that pay in 'exposure' and 'experience.'

All good! I'd also add How Not To Write A Novel to that list: [www.hownottowriteanovel.com] There's a lot of solid information amidst the ha-ha.

Also, should I even note that all too many people don't seem to understand the difference between different kinds of writing? For example, writing literary fiction is not the same as writing speculative fiction, which is not the same as writing historical fiction, etc.. Each requires its own approach and skill set.

10 Inexpensive To Start Small Businesses?

The first three are especially bad because, with the advent of the Internet, everyone thinks they can do them. They're massively overcrowded fields where a lot of people are doing the same work for free.

Prostitution. All you need is genitals and a street corner.

AAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I smell Blog/Book/Showtime series!

If you have a great blog, you can sell ad space on it. It isn't alot of money but it might make you some depending on your traffic.

@Cool story bro: Well I would have never thought of it....

Just don't show your face. OR can you make more money if you show your face.

The best things of all that have helped me are three books that are helping me edit:

Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Browne and Dave King

Write Tight by William Brohaugh (this one ROCKS and is good for nonfiction as well)

Don't Sabotage Your Submission! by Chris Roerden

My copies have 9000 stickies and I made lists also. Now; if only I could FINISH EDITING OH MY GOD THE STREEESSSS!!

I have cut down from 125,000 words to around 117,000. :)

@Radi0logy: This is the list of things I don't have time to do.

@MostlyHarmless: My colleague here is my main dependent, don't mind her see through mini-skirt, 3" platform heels, glittery fairy dust make up, and smell.

Oh and pay no attention to that little blinking camera and microphone on her shirt!

@kateblack: I don't know much about rats, but I imagine you could use a crocheting technique such as this one

[www.cheepparrottoysntips.com]

You could use "super cotton rope" or Polly/Paulie rope for construction rather than sisal if that. They have a lot of great ideas on that site, I'm sure at least some can be modified.

I get a lot of my parts from eBay, but

[www.cabirdnerds.com]

is pretty popular and cheap amongst bird owners and I've used them more than a few times.

This place has foot toys that my bird loves, that I'm sure could be modified for rat toys to change things up a bit. They're simple to make as well

[www.chopperstoys.com]

Creepy clients can give you new material, however. ;) "Coming soon from ArcanaJ: 'The Dumbshit Horror', a Lovecraftian story about the most frightening client ever!"

@bombhand: There's ALWAYS work in family law, it's just that it's messy, not at all glamorous, and it can pay alot less than other fields (enough to make a good living, but not necessarily enough to get stinking rich). Ditto for Criminal law.

Last weekend I saw a customer go back and forth for 10 minutes on whether or not she wanted to buy a 10.00 marble I made. The 'wants' crafts people are going to be hurting this year, but the folks with a craft that fills a need (e.g. jams, scarves, harakiri daggers) will be doing slightly better, but not by much.

That's why I don't like those old movies. They make me want to puke my guts up!

God, yes.

-"Then" and "than" are not interchangeable.
-The apostrophe is NOT to be randomly sprinkled about like a dog marking its territory.
-A point can be "moot" but not "mute".
-"Taut" and "taunt" do not not the same thing.

On the internet, no one can hear your head smack your desk.

HA! Time to get my newsboy cap and pose dramatically with my wares! I'll be rich in no time!

Oh no. Ooooh nooo. NO! NOOOOO!

@Smashville_makes his own comments at home: Also...massive reading comprehension FAIL and troutslap to me.

@MostlyHarmless: "right" was for the ironing :) I can't make a fully serious comment to my hearted folks.

@pecan 3.14159265: Point understood.

And, of course, I still love you...haha.

Oh! And add to that:

-Doing your own books.
-The time it takes to get your business off the ground before you can even hope to make a profit.
-Difficult (or weird, or creepy) clients.
-Bill collecting from difficult clients.
-Scam artists who complain about "flaws" in your work, no matter how good, and then use threats to get you to let them have it for free.

The list goes on.

@ArcanaJ: Like every Lifetime or Hallmark movie, all you need is perseverance, some tears, a moment of vulnerability, and the support of (circle one) family/friends/a man/a woman to be successful. This is all regardless of real-world factors such as skill and the state of the job market.

Anyhow, if crap lists like this is "freelance writing" then how would anyone ever get paid? Stock photography? Come on, visit 1 stock photo site before you write such nonsense - there's a glut of stock photography.

@HogwartsAlum: So is craptacular, craptitous (as in fictitious crap), and craptitude (crappy atitude or crappy aptitude).

I love word mash-ups. It drives my parents and my in-laws nuts when we start talking about someone's craptitude.

NAILED IT!!!

Especially the part about people who think they are THE BEST at *|SOME SKILL|* and that they don't need any further improvements.

Which is funny, because most of the time, the people I know to be the best in the business are either humble folks who are always working to improve their skills/technique, or people who have reached the top AFTER years of improving their technique.

BTW, being someone who thinks he can write, can you give me some tips on how to identify areas that need improvement and how to improve them?

I love how the article gives the impression that it's all so easy (and seemingly competition free.) No business plan! No materials cost! No listing costs! No advertising costs! No storage or shipping logistics! The author's advice reads like a movie from the 40s:

"Gosh, Judy, we need to raise money for the orphans!"

"That's a well idea! Gosh you're smart for a girl!"

@secret_curse: Anyone can write...but not everyone writes well. This is what frustrates me when people malign writers because they think everyone can do it! What's so difficult about your job?! Arrrrrgh. What's difficult about my job is encountering the same grammatical errors, the same misspellings, the same people who don't understand paragraph returns, and the same people who think they're awesome even though they can't be bothered to proofread anything they write.

She also thinks I should get editing jobs. With no experience? Yeah, right.

@bornonbord What you say is true: But, if you're reading the consumerist you most likely have access to a computer. Also, anyone can write. But writing something other people want to read is another matter altogether...

And yes, you dont HAVE to be a professional to make a successful blog, but you still need to have that X factor. Neither xkcd nor GRS - both of which are right there on top in my faves list - are drawn or written by professionals, but they have that X factor. The ability to connect with their readers. If you have that, great - if you don't, you'll kind of suck.

Moreover, afaik, all the consumerist writers have some background in the field of either writing or consumer issues, so they DO have a context from which they can speak to us uneducated masses.

Also, you mean "write".

:)

All kidding aside, to extend your point, there are a lot of people who THINK they can write, or want to, and don't give it the time and energy and humility necessary to hone their craft, or they write and are too scared to put it out there. Not to mention people who can't take any editorial suggestions whatsoever. They, like American Idol hopefuls who think they are the best singers in the world and need no further instruction, will never get anywhere. If you're going to make money doing ANYTHING you must be as polished and professional as possible, or you are wasting your time. You must update your skills and make sure they are the best they can be.

The article doesn't mention that writing is HIGHLY competitive. That's something my family doesn't understand. They think that because I write that I should just be able to stick it out there and it will be the toast of the town. Not without a lot of work , and luck to boot.

One thing you didn't mention is how competitive freelance writing has gotten. With so many shuttered newspapers and magazines, there are thousands of out-of-work journalists--many with 20+ years of experience.

Want to go the marketing route and create article content for blogs or websites? Well, you're going to be outbid by amateurs who will write for pennies on the dollar. It is ridiculous.

@Smashville_makes his own comments at home: You mean Chris, Ben, Meg, Phil and Laura? Presumably, Ben and Meg run the site full time. Everyone else may have part-time or full-time jobs and Consumerist may be a freelance gig - that's my point though. The people who run Consumerist know what they're doing, and have made it into a real venture. My point is that you really need to know what you're talking about before you even try to attempt freelancing for money. And then you have to make sure there's a market for it, and people who will read what you're writing.

@MostlyHarmless: By chance can you help me with my taxes?

I wish I liked to sew, because my pet rats always need hammocks and tubes to play in, and they also love to destroy things. There are people like you, with cottage businesses making rat accessories, but most of them use the most heinous fabric. Even for stuff that's going to be destroyed, I don't want what looks like a 20yo vet tech's cartoon scrubs dangling in my home.

As for the crafty ideas, you're right; it takes more than just throwing together a saleable item. Doing that involves TIME as well as skill.

@pecan 3.14159265: Your point is kind of spoiled by the fact that the people who right on this blog are paid to do so.

Freelance writing is hard...especially when you spend a week or more working on an article without knowing if anyone is actually going to buy it. Getting interviews is a lot easier if you have a newspaper or magazine name to tag onto it.

@lincolnparadox: Julia Child trained at Le Cordon Bleu, so Rachel Ray she is not.

He's lucky. 'round these parts, most shops charge $30 - $40 flat rate for labour, and make a 5% margin on parts. House calls cost more, but nobody gets that done here.

Considering most PC repairs require at least 1 hour of labour, and, if done "right", 3 or 4, we're barely talking minimum wage ($10.25/hr here, IIRC).

I suppose it has something to do with the cost of the repair vs. the cost of a totally new PC. Too bad the recycling fees aren't higher, because they will increase the margins on PC repair.

For stock photography, consider iStockPhoto.com as a way to market your photos. Be advised that they only accept very good quality images and pay royalties depending on your volume and whether or not you are exclusive to this service. Note that they have very precise rules about images you submit and releases you need from people in your pictures.

Nonetheless, there are numerous examples of people from all over the world who make a very handy living from this service. Take a close look at this resource to get an excellent idea about how to make money from stock photography.

I have a BS degree in writing and I've been in technical writing for five years now. I don't freelance at all. Why?

It's not worth it. I don't know of anyone that has not gone through what Pecan 3.14 has gone through. It's tough, customers are hard to come by, the money's not good and you frequently have trouble collecting. It's running a small business in a very tough market. You'll be lucky to break even, much less profit from it.

For little to no start-up costs, you, too, can be your own boss and have the option of working in your pajamas! Here's how someone with no capital can create their own schedule and run a successful business venture in their living room.

@shadowkahn: Same with graphic design. Writing is essentially the only thing you can do with just your brain and TextEdit. Even then... a computer is necessary.

@nstonep: You missed my point. My point was that Bob A. Everyman in Seaford, NY can have his opinion all he wants. But saying something is so is not the same as offering a reasoned opinion as to why it is so. Being a fan does not necessarily make you qualified to be an authority on the topic. You actually have to know what you're talking about. And this is at the core of being successful at freelance writing for money. That's what will get you in the door.

Besides, everyone knows the best movie ever is either Citizen Kane (according to AFI) or Star Wars (according to geeks).

@pecan 3.14159265: Sorry, I was referring to actual artisan stuff, like pottery and paintings. From the behaviour I've seen at the local markets, people are more than willing to browse and coo over the detail and quality of the works for sale, but when it comes down to forking over $200 for a painting, they'll balk and head down to the overstock store for a canvas print of something famous. The whole art industry locally is propped up by a few wealthy people and an even fewer people who just genuinely appreciate quality.

This is true of all the freelance jobs in the list. There's always some idiot out there who will underbid you for a price that he can't live on, but he's so desperate to "make it" in the industry that he'll eat Ramen and sleep under a bridge for a year in order to be able to attract clients with his low-low prices.

@bombhand: Well, there's handcrafted and then there's crap your neighbor makes. I'll gladly pay more for handpainted, glass or ceramic Christmas ornaments. I love the detail and the craftsmanship that goes into things like that. I won't buy an ornament that is made of felt glued to popsicle sticks, no matter how cheap.

@SexCpotatoes: Actually, the legal profession is hurting really bad these days. The lawyers who DO have work are still making bank, but a lot of lawyers are high and dry and there are still more pouring into the workforce. With hundreds of thousands of dollars in loans to pay back.

Word of mouth has been more useful for me getting graphic design work than any of the freelance sites. I signed up for oDesk and saw that many companies were requesting graphic design for cents on the hour and were successfully finding people in countries who will work for that little to do their jobs.

Uh huh. And if you want to be a serious stock photographer, you're going to need a camera (a real camera, not your cell phone or a Coolpix) and several lenses, lights, gells, scrims, flashes, batteries, gear cases, and photoshop. You'll be well into 5 figures if you equip yourself correctly.

It absolutely feels that nowadays people value "handcrafted" a lot lower than they value "mass-produced." At the very least, people seem to expect to pay mass-produced prices to hand-crafted artwork. They don't really consider how much work is behind something that's only made once.

@shepd: A buddy of mine opened up his own little mobile repair business. People call and he drives over and fixes their computers. He's doing pretty well for himself, aside from it not being a real business with paperwork and taxes and such. He charges something like $40/hour + whatever parts he buys. He started in college doing it on the side then dropped out and is doing it full time.

Of course, when you find a job that actually pays you well for your work it's absolutely amazing. It's just that these jobs rarely show up.

Who's to say the dark knight isn't the best movie of all time to Bob A Everyman in Seaford NY? And who's to say that's wrong?!?

Besides...if the mainstream and freelance media were doing their jobs properly and untainted the blogger might never have existed, except to post stories about dressing up animals.

Common exchange:
Lookiloo: "Is this glass" *digs fingernail into candle*
Me: No, it's wax.
Lookiloo happily walks away after successfully damaging product

I've been making extra money selling homemade bird toys. I buy parts in mass quanities to make toys for my own bird, but seeing the huge markup that big companies place on bird toys I thought I'd give it a shot. So far, so good.

Parrot parents are fiercely loyal to brands that takes extra precautions with safety. Plus you average about 10-15 toys a week for the medium to large birds because of their search and destroy tendencies. That figure doesn't include all the stuff around the house you convert to toys (water bottles, pen caps, newspaper etc). Now imagine doing this for 50+ years!

The only downside is how pissy my conure gets when I make toys he can't play with.

@nstonep: You weren't doing freelance properly then. The freelance work described here involves reputable organizations. Many magazines and newspapers solicit freelance writing to supplement their publications. It's a business transaction. They pay you to write. Who owns the first run rights is always discussed, whether you're able to market the piece to other organizations is always discussed.

@rickinsthelens: As folks said, there are legitimate mystery shop programs. Some companies administer their own mystery shop programs, and some use one of a few larger mystery shop companies.

I mystery shop restaurants. I don't really make a great deal per shop once the meal is taken into account, but it's a good way to be able to go out without dipping into my woefully small entertainment budget. My mother, however, used to mystery shop more seriously as a side job when I was younger, and would be able to supplement her income to the tune of a couple hundred dollars each month.

@JohnQPublic: I know what you mean. In college, my roommate and I painted pitchers and flower pots as a hobby and we thought about trying to sell them. They were good quality and we did a good job painting them and weaterproofing them - but the booth fees were ridiculous, more than our cost of materials! We were never going to make enough to break even, let alone make a profit.

And no...I did not use crapulous...but it SHOULD be a word.

@Saboth: Try explaining that to people who think clicking on the IE icon gives them the internet or who think Yahoo is a browser.

Isn't that just logging into the router and creating a password and enabling the WEP or whatever is strongest basically?

As Pecan said, there are the legit kinds, and then there are the scams.

The economy peed in your corn flakes, and mine too.

The ideas are OK but far too simplistic. I've done the Etsy (and still do) thing, there's a WHOLE lot more involved than simply: Make nice thing + Sell nice thing = Get nice money.

Also, only someone who has never braved the terrifying waters that are the Craigslist "writer's wanted" postings would suggest going there for freelance work. Those listings are what my friends and I (writers all) use for a good laugh. But we certainly don't go there for work.

Freelance writing isn't all roses. It's sporadic for most people and the money doesn't always match the amount of work you have to do.

Freelancing is easier if you're working part-time. I spent many moons trying to freelance to supplement a full-time job, and it's grueling. I stopped almost entirely because there just wasn't time. Most people think that if they choose something "simple" like movie reviews or opinion, that they'll be so good at it because it's all opinion anyway - well, the really good movie critics have a lot of knowledge and context for film. They've honed that. They're not the guy who posts "OMG The Dark Knight was the best movie EVAR!" on IMDB at 3 am.

And people who write opinion professionally usually have some authority - academic background in the subject, real world experience, and something that makes them reputable. Paying taxes does not make you qualified to talk tax reform.

Why do you think there are a billion blogs? Those who can't write professionally, blog. Granted, a great deal of bloggers are professional writers, but that's an extension of skills and talent to another medium. For every Smitten Kitchen or Cute Overload, there's a guy who thinks The Dark Knight was the best movie of all time.

@bornonbord: What you say is true:

The article is about businesses that cost little to start--nowhere does it say, "here's a list of businesses anyone can start." It's a list of businesses where capital is not much of a barrier.

Just because I have a stove and a frying pan - that does not mean I can be a chef.

This really isn't a list of inexpensive businesses to start. It's more a list of freelance things you can do; of course they can be your fulltime business if you so choose. But if you get a waiter or a bartending job you'll have cash in your pocket at the end of the same day. And it's also easy to start. And this left out the world's oldest profession.

@rickinsthelens: Mystery shopping itself is not a scam - but it's certainly not a get-rich-quick opportunity. There are, however, many scams based around Mystery Shopping, that try to suck people in with promises of free hotels, shopping sprees and money to burn. I do it as a sideline to FT office work and I make between $20 and $100 a month depending on how ambitious I am. People who do it FT can make much more.

@rickinsthelens: There are two kinds of secret shopping organizations. There's the scammy kind and the legit kind. The scam places will give you a check or money order and have you wire part of it to a third party. Real secret shopper groups don't do that. They're very much a real business, and you should never have to pay to work with them.

"Check your email often" is advisable because if you sign up for three legitimate companies, you're going to get a lot of email and you have to stay organized.

[phoenix.about.com]

But if you get into something more intensive it does get pricey. Painters need paint, brushes, canvas and some consumables like cleaners, gesso, etc. Potters need clay, but also a wheel, kiln, glazes, brushes, etc. If you get into lampworking glass like I did, you need glass, a torch, ventilation, safety glasses with the appropriate filters, a kiln, a more or less dedicated place to work, and depending on the glass and torch...oxygen, propane, regulators and inspections. Woodworkers will need wood (can be scavenged) but also tools, and all the fun stuff used to fasten it all together. And don't get me started on packing materials and customer consumables like business cards, boxes, and bags. In this economy it's been god awful out there for sales.

However some cotton balls, a box of pencils, a sharpie, and some string, and a ripped up t-shirt is a good way to make ghost pencil toppers. Maybe you can sell them to school kids. Oh wait, that would put you afoul of the new consumer protection regulations unless you pay for lead testing on each component of your creation.

Ok, off to find out who pee'd in my corn flakes this morning.

Of course, just like a lot of occupations on the list, don't expect to end up with more than $40 in your pocket once you're done the day.

Isn't being a secret shopper one of the biggest scams out there. Especially with the "check your email often" part?

In keeping with that, here are two more:
Buy a squeegie and a bucket. There is money to made at intersections washing wind shields

Invest in Nigerian liquidity markets. There are dozens of diplomat's widows and extended royalty looking to get funds out of the country. Just check your email often.