Are You An Employee with a Small Salary? Come on, Try These 7 Side Business Ideas

Being a full-time employee is not an obstacle to earning more. It just takes creative ideas, hard work, and never give up to make it happen. Side business can be taken by employees to generate more income and certainly does not interfere with the main job.

Quoted from Cermati.com, here are some side business ideas for employees with a small salary to supplement income without disturbing the main job.

1. Online Shop

Usahaonline is now increasingly prevalent and a new trend in the midst of society. The super-sophisticated and instant-mess era makes people prefer to shop at online shop because it is more practical. This opportunity can be an inspiration for employees to start a side business.

Many types of goods that can be sold through an online shop, such as clothing, makeup, household appliances, gadgets, and others. For employees who do not want to spend much capital, can choose to become a reseller or dropshipper.

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Budget 2015: Ten reasons to run a small business that Joe Hockey hasn't thought of

Alan Stokes - I am just as proud as Joe Hockey to have grown up in a small business household.

"As the child of a father who came to Australia in 1948 as a refugee from Palestine and built himself into a successful businessman, I know that being successful in Australia is not the product of belonging to rich and prosperous families, but rather is the result of hard work and diligence," Joe told the Institute of Economic Affairs in London in 2012 in his now infamous "Age of Entitlement " speech.

"You don't have to answer to anyone - no boss, no smiling HR assassin, no bus driver or train ticket Nazi. No, just yourself - and the taxman." 

Joe's dad owned a deli in Chatswood then a real estate agency in Naremburn.

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Small-business Q&A: Workshop explores options for starting a business

Ron Consolino - Q: I want to get started in a small business, but I can't decide among buying an existing business, operating a franchise or starting from scratch. Can you suggest anything?

A: There are a number of ways of getting into business, each with its pros and cons. Fortunately, there's a free workshop coming up that can help you sort through the alternatives. SCORE and Capital One Bank have partnered to present the "Business Alternatives for the Entrepreneur" workshop scheduled for 9 a.m. to noon Thursday at the Kingdom Builders' Center, 6011 W. Orem Drive. This is one of a series of workshops designed to help small businesses survive and thrive.

The workshop has three parts.

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How Washington Punishes Small Business

STACY MITCHELL & FRED CLEMENTS - Small business looms large in American political rhetoric. From the campaign trail to the floor of the U.S. House and Senate, members of Congress love to evoke the diner and dry cleaner, the neighborhood grocer and local hardware store. Ensuring the well-being of Main Street, we might easily assume, is one of their central policy aims.

The legislative track record tells another story. It is one in which the interests of big corporations are dominant, and many laws and regulations seem designed to bend the marketplace in their favor and put small, independent businesses at a competitive disadvantage.

Since the late 1990s, the overall market share of firms with fewer than 100 employees has fallen from 33% to 28%, according to U.S. Census data. There are nearly 80,000 fewer small retailers today than in 1999. Starting a new business also appears to have become harder. Despite their prominence in our tech-fueled imagination, the number of startups created annually fell by about 20% between the 1970s and the 2000s, Census data shows.

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6 Habits To Make Your Small Business More Productive

John Paulsen - Not enough time in the day? Too much to do? That’s the lament of all entrepreneurs and small business owners!

There are lots of ways to save time, and plenty of tools to help you work faster. Recently I talked about super handy smartphone apps that make work easier and improve time management, and I also rhapsodized about this year’s new gadgets that can help you work smarter. And of course you know how a business-savvy storage solution can simplify your workflow!

But some of the best things you can do to be more productive are simply about habit and intentions.

You may have tried using an organizer system, or reading a self-help book on getting organized. Those are great things — keep plugging away. But perhaps these few tips about how to attack your workload can serve to quickly remind you how simple it can be to take control of your work and improve your productivity.

Think of these as the basics. Look at this list each day (it’s short) until one day you find you’ve incorporated all these practices into your daily work habits.

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The latest small-business productivity tool: The robot

Elaine Pofeldt - Robots aren't just for corporate Goliaths; even the little guy on Main Street is adopting them. Their goal: to boost sales and productivity. But at what cost?

Take Sam Kraus, a Hungarian immigrant who founded what became Skyline Windows in 1921. In the early days, the tinsmith traveled around with a small cart to do his roofing and waterproofing work by hand.

Fast-forward to today, and the fourth-generation business, based in New York City's South Bronx, has left the pushcart era far behind. Skyline, which has evolved into a custom window manufacturer and installer, now relies on robots to do some of its work. In the factory in Woodridge, New Jersey, where it makes its windows, Skyline uses a $150,000 computer-operated machine to automate tasks like cutting holes in the metal and two $20,000 robots to install its windows, which sometimes weigh 600 pounds.

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David Cameron boosted by 5000 small businesses backing Conservatives

Kevin Rawlinson - The heads of thousands of businesses, who collectively employ nearly 100,000 people, have signed a letter in support of the Conservatives.

The letter, published by the Daily Telegraph and organised by the Tories’ small business ambassador Karren Brady, warns that putting Ed Miliband and the Labour party into office on 7 May would be “far too risky” for Britain’s economy.

The document, which is signed by bosses from around 5,000 companies, follows a similar letter from more than 100 leading business executives.

In response to that, Labour sought to portray the Tories as a party that has the interests of major corporations at heart. But the Conservatives will produce Monday’s letter as evidence that they are, in fact, the party of small and medium sized firms.

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Will Google 'Mobilegeddon' Wreak Havoc on Small Business?

Matthew Rocco - A new Google (GOOGL) search formula set to go in effect Tuesday could deliver a smackdown to small businesses.

Following an initial announcement in February, Google is implementing a new search algorithm that will change the way it ranks websites on mobile devices. Websites deemed mobile-friendly will get sought-after placement atop search results on smartphones and tablets. Other sites will be demoted.

Google’s new algorithm will look for sites that load quickly on mobile handsets. They also should have easy-to-read text, large link buttons and web pages that adjust to smaller screens.

Google is the leading search provider in the U.S., holding a two-thirds share by most estimates. So this week’s mobile shift will have a significant impact on businesses whose websites are designed for desktop PCs only.

Industry experts have gone as far as predicting “mobilegeddon” on April 21.

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Money Smart Week offers 'speed dating' for business owners

Susan Tompor - Money Smart Week has a variety of programs in southeast Michigan, Lansing, the Grand Rapids area, Berrien County, Muskegon County, the Alpena area, Saginaw County and St. Clair County, and elsewhere.

It's a quirky little idea. What if you could let small-business owners go on aspeed dating spree to meet with experts who can talk about how to maximize cash flow, use social media to market a product, or give tips on how to use micro lending or crowdfunding to raise capital?

Quirky, yes. But Money Smart Week is full of all sorts of clever ways to get the community thinking about how we spend, save and, yes, even how we waste our money.

Angela Barbash, founder of Reconsider, a research and development firm in Ypsilanti, will be one of the experts hosting a speed dating table at the "Small Biz Buzz" seminar to be held Tuesday.Preregistration is required.

She'll be talking about the Michigan Invests Locally Exemption, which offers game-changing potential for local restaurants, brew pubs and Main Street-oriented outfits to raise capital through intrastate investment crowdfunding.

Barbash, 34, noted that campaigns like Kickstarter might raise about $5,000 or so for a local business. But she maintains that the Michigan program, known as the MILE Act, has the potential to raise $100,000 or $150,000 in many cases and rebuild local economies. The MILE Act, signed into law in 2013, expands investment opportunities by allowing Michigan residents to support local businesses.

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Women Are Owning More and More Small Businesses

GILLIAN B. WHITE - Owning your own business is often touted as the ultimate coup in the working world. You set your own hours, pursue projects you're interested in, and maybe work in your pajamas. Obvious challenges aside, it sounds like a pretty nice gig. Such jobs are largely enjoyed by men, who make up an estimated 71 percent of business owners in the U.S. But that might slowly be changing.

A report from the Institute of Women’s Policy Research (IWPR) shows that women are steadily increasing their presence in the world of small-business ownership. About 29 percent of America's business owners are women, that’s up from 26 percent in 1997. The number of women-owned firms has grown 68 percent since 2007, compared with 47 percent for all businesses.

The progress for minority women has been particularly swift, with business ownership skyrocketing by 265 percent since 1997, the report says. And minorities now make up one in three female-owned businesses, up from only one in six less than two decades ago.

Why have minority women had such an apparent breakthrough in the world of entrepreneurship? It’s partially a numbers game—in 1997 minority women represented such a small number of owners—less than one million—that even moderate growth would have likely helped them outpace the growth of the broader field of women-owners. But Jessica Milli, a senior research associate at IWPR, says that the characteristics of minority women who opt to open businesses may also play a role in the runaway growth.

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To Succeed With Your Small Business Avoid These 5 Mistakes

CHUCK PISTOR - At one time or another, virtually everyone thinks about starting a business. The allure of being your own boss can be strong, but it’s important to remember that launching a new business is risky: According to a recent SBA report, [PDF link] about 50% of all small businesses will fail within just five years.

Managing a startup can be a minefield, especially when the pull of entrepreneurship clouds your decision-making – and when you go it alone with no business experience. But if you do decide to start your own business, it’s a great idea to learn from other’s mistakes and set yourself up for success. Here are five mistakes to avoid:

1. Inaccurately gauging demand for your product or service.
Remember – just because you like jalapeño-flavored pickled okra, that doesn’t mean everyone likes it. Too many small businesses fail because the owner overestimates demand. Before launching your venture, find out how strong the demand is for your product or service. Is it a product or service that most people need or want? Does it fit with current trends? For instance, a DVD rental store is probably not a good investment now due to the popularity of streaming services. Before settling on a business venture, ask yourself if the benefits to the customer are compelling and easy to understand. Test demand for your product or service by vetting it with a wide range of friends and family who will be brutally honest with you.

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Perform Due Diligence on Potential Investors

Tom Taulli - Before your company receives an infusion of equity capital—whether from a venture capital firm or an angel investor—an investigation into your operations usually takes place. The process is commonly known as due diligence, and it can be grueling since the investor uses it to try to uncover weaknesses, potential liabilities, and risk exposures.

I propose the following: why not perform a similar investigation on your potential investor? After all, she will essentially become your long-term partner. Knowing her background, in terms of prior deals, industry expertise, and executive stints, is important.

Assuming the investor will allow you to engage in reverse due diligence (and it's a warning sign if she won't), how you start the process depends on whether your investor is a VC or angel. It's generally easier with VCs, since there will probably be more information available on the firm than on an individual or an angel group.

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