Blue Collar businesses perform very well, and do you know why? It is because most people do not have the time, expertise, or willingness to do these sorts of jobs by themselves. It is exactly where blue-collar business ideas generate.
If you are here reading this, you must be looking for the best blue-collar business ideas to start your own business. Well, you are in luck. This article intends to present you with numerous blue-collar business ideas – ideas you can start with under $500, huge capital funding, or without any investment.
Stick till the end to find out what works for you the best. Let us start with how you can start your blue-collar work.
Starting a blue-collar work takes four major steps. Let us explores those steps in this section.
Research is the foundation of any business, and blue-collar work is no different. If you have an idea of what you want to pursue as your career, you can do deep research on it. If you are still unsure, ask for blue-collar workers from various niches.
They will help you understand many business-related things, including
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Evaluate your strengths and weaknesses and pick a blue-collar niche accordingly to match your better traits. Most blue-collar jobs require high-level skills, which you should have to secure a position in the job opening.
If you haven’t perfected your skills, you do not have to worry about it because you can always train and gain experience.
Certifying your training and skills from a verified organization is equally important. It validates your claims and proves that you are capable of performing the required tasks.
Different levels of certifications are available for different levels of blue-collar jobs, so you can correlate them accordingly to match your requirements. Do not focus on the certifications that won’t align with your career development.
Finally, accumulate the necessary documentation and apply for job openings you would like to pursue. It is the stepping stone in your career path. You can gain real-world work experience and earn some cash as well.
You should start saving early and get the most out of your job. It builds a base for your own business, which you can start after accumulating enough resources. You can always start small and gradually grow with time.
Impressing your clients and maintaining a healthy relationship with them helps when you start your own blue-collar business.
So, what blue-collar business ideas can you opt for once you have gathered enough resources? Always go for what you do best. However, it isn’t a bad idea to explore related niches. Let us discuss the top 15 blue-collar business ideas in the next section.
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In this section, we shall briefly discuss the top blue-collar business ideas to start your business. We shall only scratch the surface to present you with ideas; you should research in-depth and learn how to pursue these business ideas on your own.
A few thousand daily auto accidents are inevitable, considering the 1.3 million yearly deaths in car accidents worldwide. It is unfortunate but a profound blue-collar business opportunity for those who are invested in the auto body repair business.
Growing an auto body repair business can be difficult in the initial phase; however, once you get going, the ROI is worth the wait and effort. Focus on qualitative work results, customer satisfaction, and proper marketing to make the most out of your business.
Even in the initial phases, you can make roughly $30,000 – $60,000 per annum with a small team. Once you grow big, you can easily make at least $100,000 yearly.
Agriculture is the largest economic industry in the world and is a never-ending process, so why not base your blue-collar idea on it? Running a manure or fertilizer manufacturing plant is arguably the most profitable.
It is not a simple process; however, this niche has a massive scope. Conduct intensive research, study the market, accumulate funding, prepare a well-crafted business plan, and start a manufacturing plant.
The fertilizer industry is a whopping 27 billion dollar industry in the US alone; now you can imagine the demand and profit you can make yearly.
The waste produced daily is huge; you can make that your lucrative blue-collar business idea. Your job is to collect the garbage from localities on a timely basis and charge them money for it.
Investing in a few trucks, securing business licenses, managing geographical plottings, and targeted marketing can quickly elevate your garbage collection business.
Laundry and cleaning are the basic necessities of our lives, and every household spends thousands of dollars on such products every year. You must see my point. The laundry detergent & cleaning chemical manufacturing business is arguably the most profitable blue-collar business idea.
Many research papers have shown that businesses in this niche can make up to 1000% profit on returns. It requires noteworthy funding, a business plan, in-depth research, marketing campaigns, and more to achieve your business goal.
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Relocating people and their belongings from one place to another can be your business if you have a car or a truck. Make money for helping people move to places. It enables you to earn on an hourly basis, meaning you work more and earn more.
Popular apps like Bellhops & Dolly can be handy when getting started with a car or a truck. You can earn up to $15/hour with a car with a load-bearing capacity of 75 lbs and $30/hour with a truck.
Gain experience and evolve it into your own business in the later stages. A proper investment and well-managed marketing campaign can work wonders for you.
The recycling business has the potential to earn huge profits, considering the raw materials will cost only a few bucks. It is a perfect way to aid a greener environment while earning money on the side.
All recyclable waste like plastics, rubber, paper, metals, and so on can be collected door-to-door with a limited investment. You are helping people manage their waste and rewarding them with monetary value.
You can make new products from the collected waste materials and sell them for a better price. Your profit margins can rack up and be above 1000% on returns.
Parking vehicles in city areas have been a serious issue for a long time, and few cities have well-managed parking lots. You can take this challenge and turn it into a blue-collar business of your own.
It might take serious funding and effort to acquire areas that can be turned into parking lots, especially in the city areas. However, the ROI will be handsome for a lifetime.
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Moving on to Stripings on the parking lot. This can be one of the most profitable blue-collar business ideas at present. There are hundreds of parking lots within a city, and the constant use causes wear and tear on the stripes.
You can make deals with parking owners to repaint their parking stripes to preserve a well-managed parking lot. A spraying machine, colors, and mixtures; you are ready to get going.
A low-investment business idea that can reap a huge profit at the end of the day.
There are a lot of gardening enthusiasts who do not have enough time for gardening. All you need to do is establish a company, hire some gardeners, build up a good reputation in your locality, and use it to reach those enthusiasts.
They will pay you handsome fees for caring for their plants and gardens. It is a continuous process, and you can accumulate profitable amounts with a satisfied customer.
Snow during winter can be troublesome in most places, so why not make this a business opportunity, especially if you live in such an area? A shovel and a snow blower can get you started in your locality, earning you at least $30 an hour.
If you have a truck and a mini excavator, you will make a few thousand dollars a day whenever a heavy snowfall hits your area.
Plant enthusiasts do not mind spending money on plants; you can use this to your advantage. You can easily attract those targeted audiences by properly marketing your captivating planter box designs via social media platforms.
You can build their custom planter boxes based on their preferences and charge them accordingly. If you are a handyman with such skills, you can put them to your use and make a living out of it.
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Home renovation is a serious blue-collar job that requires skill, effort, manpower, and similar funding. However, there are a lot of houses that require renovation throughout the year, and you may have a little off time.
If you have what it takes, you have an abundance of customers to work for. The ROI in this field of work is handsomely rewarding, considering you can make anywhere between $100,000 to $200,000 per house.
It might not strike you as the go-to blue-collar business idea when you think of one. However, it can make you a lot of money, considering customers nowadays want convenience and most of the things delivered to their doorsteps.
You can turn your van into a cargo delivery van and deliver customer goods by collaborating with companies like eCommerce stores, food-delivery companies, furniture companies, etc.
However, targeting areas that do not already have such delivery options can be fruitful for your business.
DIY businesses aren’t based on a single niche. They vary from one to another and require serious personal art and craft skills. For instance, you might be very good at crafting wooden culinary or making scented candles; you can definitely turn into a blue-collar business.
You have several social media and e-commerce platforms to sell your products. Doing what you do best and turning it into a business is worthwhile since you can enjoy your work and make money from it.
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Delivering furniture and assembling it for your customers can be a business, despite the furniture stores providing this service with purchase. It can be a part of moving services as well.
To start this business, you need to partner with furniture manufacturers. Once you secure the deal, you can deliver customer orders to their houses and assemble them wherever they ask you to.
It can be a good source of income if you get to partner with big names in the furniture industry.
Above were the top 15 blue-collar business ideas; however, it doesn’t necessarily mean other blue-collar businesses like landscaping business, junk removal, woodworking business, boat repairing, or crime scene cleanup aren’t worthwhile.
It is up to you and your preferences to decide what’s good for you.
In this section, we shall only discuss the top 10 blue-collar business ideas that you can bring to life for at most 500 dollars.
You can start a lawn care or lawn mowing business with a few hundred bucks. All you need is a lawn mower and a leaf blower. This business can be a type of seasonal business, depending on the area where you live.
Marketing strategies like flyers and social media ads can help you reach more targeted audiences around a predefined radius.
The pool cleaning and maintenance business is another cheap business startup that requires a few chemicals and a professional pool cleaning tool. Of course, marketing campaigns and word-of-mouth are equally important to reach targeted audiences.
You can also learn the procedures of mixing cleaning chemicals and effective pool cleaning techniques from other professional pool cleaners. This business is also seasonal unless you live in the equatorial region.
The use of carpets in residential and commercial housing for decorative purposes has increased, increasing the demand for more carpet cleaners. And the good part is you can start your carpet cleaning business with a few hundred dollars.
Investing in quality cleaning items and proper marketing campaigns like flyers, social media advertisements, and telemarketing scripts for cleaning services will help you edge over your competitors and stand out for better conversion rates and ROI.
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It might be one of those businesses that require you to get your hands dirty – literally. However, it gives you a handsome payment in return; $10-$20 per trash bin isn’t bad, considering it only takes a few minutes to clean.
It requires a pressure washer and a few cleaning detergents to keep your client’s trash bins clean and germ-free. Every house owner will willingly pay to see clean trash bins every trash day.
Do you have good eyes for spotting treasure in a heap of junk? If you do, flea market flipping can be your go-to blue-collar business. It requires minimal investment and effort; all you need is good eyes.
You must visit flea markets, buy low-priced items, and flip them for better prices. Flipping items in online platforms like eBay, Craiglist, Amazon, etc., can help you earn more without marketing investments.
You can easily make up to $10,000 per month if you excel at selecting items and have a good knowledge of item demands.
If you like spotless windows and enjoy cleaning them, why not start your own window-cleaning business? It takes only a few hundred to do so. Use social media platforms to advertise your service within a targeted radius.
Windows require regular cleaning, which means you will never be out of business if you have at least 20-30 house owners as your customers. Keep circulating around the houses for over a month.
If you secure more customers, you need to grow your business accordingly by hiring more cleaners and investing in more resources. It is a profitable business that enables you to earn around $60,000 per month.
Most houses have chimneys requiring regular cleaning for fire safety and regulations. Many house owners clean their chimneys by themselves; however, a lot of people do not have time to clean their dirty ones.
You can target those people to run your chimney cleaning business. You will require a Chimney Sweeps Certificate to start your business in certain countries, which isn’t difficult to obtain.
Decorating people’s houses with lights during Christmas can be a lucrative blue-collar business idea despite being seasonal. People love their homes to be decorated and covered with lights during this season. You can take advantage of this human nature to build your Christmas light installation business.
It is a highly profitable business since the house owners pay for all the lights; all you need is your decorative skills to make their house stand out with lights. A ladder might be the only infrastructure you need to invest in besides marketing campaigns.
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If you excel at repairing electronic items, you can opt for a mobile electronic repair business, considering the number of electronic items we use on a daily basis. People want their devices fixed as soon as possible, which you can facilitate by traveling to their doorsteps.
You will require a few repair items and a lot of skills. The item owners will buy replacement items themselves from you, making it an even more profitable business. You can charge them your travel and repair fees separately to earn extra income.
Painting homes is yet another business you can start with a low startup cost. You might need to invest in ladders and painting equipment; the rest is on the house owner.
This job requires serious dedication, precision, skill, and time to produce high-quality results, which in return are highly paid.
Every homeowner likes their home well painted inside and out, which is an opportunity for starting your own business of painting houses.
You can opt for any one of the above low-cost startup businesses if you have the skillset but lack capital funding. Start small and keep grinding; eventually, you shall make it to the top.
Now, let us take a look at the business ideas that can make you millions of dollars within a short time. However, these businesses require a considerable amount of capital funding, which might not be for everyone.
The Silver Book’s research projects the 75 and older population to reach 33 million worldwide by 2030. It means the demand for medical equipment like wheelchairs, hospital beds, and other medical infrastructures will rise accordingly.
The demand for medical equipment is a never-ending process, meaning you will always stay in business no matter what. Starting this business involves huge funding, detailed market research, skilled blue-collar workers, and effective marketing campaigns.
However, the ROI is worthwhile. This business has the potential to make you millions within a few years if everything goes as planned.
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Scrapyard business may seem like a scrappy business idea on the surface; however, it is a very profitable business when you dig in. This business can make you millions since the upfront investment is considerably low for raw materials.
Wasted metal products and other recyclable items that are discarded by the owners cost you no more than a few bucks. And sometimes you might get them for free. You can build your fortune in these scraps.
Recycle them and produce high-quality raw materials that you can sell for high prices.
Waste management is a serious environmental issue since tons of waste are produced daily, and it requires proper disposal to maintain a clean and fresh environment. Don’t you see a blue-collar business opportunity here?
Starting this business requires government licensing, good relationships with recycling businesses, and labor manpower ready to dig into the waste. Proper planning to educate and create awareness among the people to segregate waste based on its types, degradable, non-degradable, recyclable, non-recyclable, and so on, can ease your waste management tasks.
It has a massive potential to make millions within a few years since the investment is minimal and earning potential is super-high.
Mining involves a huge investment and effort, but it also guarantees you a greater ROI in the end. Digging up valuable metals from the earth, refining them to their purest forms, and selling them on the market can make you millions in a short time period.
Mining can be of various types based on your target elements, like a diamond, emerald, limestone, gold, silver, or any other valuable element. It requires proper government licensing, advanced equipment, and skilled human power.
With proper research and investment, you will become a millionaire in no time in this business.
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If you have some experience working for an Aluminum company, you can start your own Aluminum Door & Window Fabrication. Doors and windows made from Aluminum are gaining popularity worldwide for their durability and easy installation.
You can run your business within a small workspace and utilize your skill to earn millions. You can buy low-cost extrusions from dealers, craft customized doors and windows, and deliver them to your customers.
These doors and windows go for high prices, enabling you to earn hefty profit margins in each Aluminum Door Window Fabrication.
The transportation business is an evergreen blue-collar business idea that can make you millions. It requires you to invest big while starting this business since you need vehicles, boats, ships, and so on to transport people and their goods from one place to another.
Along with the investment in transport infrastructure, you need some investment in marketing campaigns, brick-and-mortar setups, and call center services for shuttle companies for proper operation and greater ROI.
Transportation has the potential to make you a millionaire within a few years if you have what it takes.
Becoming a general contractor takes some serious experience as a part of a well-experienced team and a government-approved license. It is a difficult task since you oversee your teams, attend meetings, make deals, accumulate resources, and do everything that comes along.
However, it is a high-paying business, and the ROI is worthwhile. You and your team need to build, repair, improve, wreck, or demolish any road, building, or other structure. It is difficult, but you can make around $340,000 annually.
Plumbing is a very on-demand business since only a few percent of homeowners know their plumbing. Most of them require professional plumbers to fix, repair, and upgrade their plumbing on a regular basis.
A plumbing business can make you millions per year if you have a team of professional plumbers. You might need to pay half a million dollars to each plumber. Still, it is only a small portion of your total income.
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The construction business holds a lot of potential in today’s market since it includes many niches like painting, flooring, drywall, roofing, siding, waterproofing, and utility construction (electricity, gas, oil, etc.).
If you want to run a complete construction business, you will require a huge investment and massive manpower. However, the ROII from this business is also rewarding. You need to think out of the box for marketing campaigns to reach more likely customers.
A well-established construction business can make billions per year.
HVAC, an abbreviation for Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning, is one of the growing businesses compared with plumbing and electrical businesses. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, or BLS, projects 5% growth, creating 19,000 more jobs from 2020-2030.
The demand for this business is considerably high and on the rise, every year, providing you with an opportunity to start your own HVAC business. You get the freedom and time to start small and grow your business in this niche.
Every upgrade and new build complements your business, and you have the opportunity to make millions from every project you take.
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You can have side hustles in the blue-collar business, which is exactly what we shall discuss in this section. Below is the list of 10 blue-collar side hustles you can opt for to make enough money on the side.
Power washing or pressure washing is definitely the blue-collar side hustle you can opt for since it requires a small startup cost. A pressure washer and cleaning solution can get you started in your neighborhood.
Well-crafted digital marketing can help you reach your target audience around a predefined radius. It takes some practice to perfect your washing business; however, you will need to obtain a license to start your business.
You can charge your customer from $60 to $100 per hour, which means you can earn $360 to $600 per house.
Mobile carwash is a good blue-collar side hustle where you visit people’s houses and wash their cars. It requires a low investment and offers you a high return on investment. You can perform this task during your holidays and after-work hours.
You can make up to $30 per car if you are good at your work. The best part is you can choose your work hours and various work settings like residential sites or commercial areas.
A person with handyman skills can easily get side hustle jobs in both residential and commercial areas. From fixing plumbing problems to repairing electronics, a handyman can do everything a household infrastructure requires for proper functioning.
A handyman can earn a decent amount of money from such little tasks. You require a little training to extend your abilities and land more handyman jobs. The good part is it requires minimal funding for tools you don’t already have to carry out tasks.
A targeted radius, social media advertisement, and some flyers can help boost your reach amongst possible customers.
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If you are good with knives and have good sharpening skills, then why not try knife sharpening as your blue-collar side hustle? You can target institutions like hotels, restaurants, residential areas, etc., as your possible customers and run digital marketing campaigns.
Considering that every household requires sharp knives, you will definitely land a handful of sharpening tasks, which you can perform to earn some extra income.
Many people own pets despite not having a proper place, especially in the city areas. These pet owners face problems with their pet waste disposal, which is your blue-collar side hustle opportunity.
You can run your advertisements on social media targeting such pet owners; more than 80% will be happy to find you. They will pay you a handsome rate for your services.
At the end of the day, the parking lots will be filled with unwanted waste, which requires someone to clean up on a regular basis. Here is your blue-collar side hustle. You can contact parking lot managers around your locality and secure parking lot cleanup business.
This business guarantees up to $100 per visit, which consumes about 30-40 minutes of your time. Imagine if you clean up only 5 parking lots per day. You make $500 on the side daily.
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If you are good with interior and exterior customization of cars and other vehicles, you can take on mobile detailing as your side hustle. First, customize your friends’ and families’ vehicles and use them to advertise your job on social media and allure customers.
Auto detailing is a high ROI job that you can carry out in your garage. It takes time and dedication, but you get to enjoy what you do best. And the best part is you get paid up to $500 per customization at the end of the day.
The lawn care business includes not only lawn mowing but also lawn aeration. Mowing has more competitors in the market so you can opt for aeration instead for better side hustle opportunities.
Aeration takes less time, and you can cover a lot of space in a small time window, making it a perfect blue-collar side hustle. You can earn at least $100 per aeration, which can be completed within an hour.
Grout makes people’s homes dirty and unsanitary if left uncleaned on a regular basis, which compels people to hire grout cleaners at specific time intervals. You can also offer grout cleaning services in your locality for some extra income.
You can easily charge from $0.5 to $3 per square foot, which can earn more cleaning bigger houses.
It can be a very rewarding blue-collar side hustle because you don’t have to waste time creating products and selling them. All you do is buy or collect pallets from various places like pet stores, furniture stores, bars, and so on, and resell them to people who buy pallets for higher prices.
You might need good connections with people in your pallet collection places so that they only give you their unused pallets.
Happy Side Husting, Folks!
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Can you imagine blue-collar workers making it big and turning themselves into millionaires? Well, if you don’t, the table below will blow your mind. And more importantly, it will serve you as a source of inspiration so that you can also follow in their footsteps to establish your own successful businesses.
| S.N. | Name | Former Blue-Collar Job | Current Business | Net-Worth |
| 1. | Steve Hightower | Janitor | Hightowers Petroleum | 400 Million USD |
| 2. | Howard Buffett | Farmer | Farming | 400 Million USD |
| 3. | Sidney Torres | Construction Worker | IV Waste LLC | 320 Million USD |
| 4. | Bob Vila | Home Remodeler | This Old House, TV Show | 70 Million USD |
| 5. | Charlie Mullins | Plumber | Pimlico Plumbers | 70 Million USD |
| 6. | Thomas Keller | Dishwasher | Per Se | 50 Million USD |
| 7. | Phil Robertson | Duck Call Craftsman | Duck Commander | 40 Million USD |
| 8. | Mignon Francois | Baker | The Cupcake Collection | 10 Million USD |
| 9. | Lee Haight | Roofer | Roofing & Reconstruction Contractors of America LLC | 8.5 Million USD |
| 10. | Josh Downing | General Contractor | Direct Movement Group | 5 Million USD |
| 11. | Sig Hansen | Crab Fisherman | Reality TV star | 4 Million USD |
| 12. | Bruce Schindler | Bus Driver | Ivory Mammoth Tusk Carver | 3 Million USD |
| 13. | Paul Teutul Sr. | Steel Worker and Motorcycle Builder | Orange County Choppers | 1 Million USD |
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Blue-Collar businesses have the potential to make it big in the financial industry – several business owners have made it in the past. You also can do it starting today.
There is money in evet blue-collar job, from graffiti removal business to commercial cleaning and pest control business to home building. Just focus on which services or products have high demand, and not many people haven’t already started them.
Starting as a blue-collar worker in someone’s business and learning all the necessary traits while prioritizing saving to accomplish your big dream is the best way to get started. Remember to pursue what you love doing – switching career paths is an option too.
The advantages of starting a blue-collar business are extremely low startup costs, to begin with, no high tech-savvy competition, easy to market your business, quick income, and small startups for gradual growth.
Becoming a blue-collar millionaire is not an easy task; you need to work for it with serious determination, keeping the following in your mentality:
Various profitable blue-collar businesses include construction, HVAC business, plumbing, roofing, painting, and electrical.
The blue-collar business that makes the most money is Electrical Installers and Repairers. However, the monetary value varies from one country to another and one geographic location to another.
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