If you're looking to make a little extra money, or even kick start your own profitable full time business, summer is the perfect season to cash in on outdoor opportunities.
These small business ideas should make sure the sun shines brighter for some readers.
If some of the ideas on this site sound a little above or below your expectations, just move on to the next. They have been designed to satisfy a very broad range of people, from teenagers to pensioners and from fledgling to experienced small businesses.
Sure lots of them will seem pretty daft to you, but read them all and I just bet in a couple of weeks you will be thinking ' you know what - I just could do...'
1. Be a Mobile Vendor for Refreshment
A roving refreshment kiosk is the perfect way to cash in from thirsty tourists lazing about in the park, on the beach, or queuing for amusement rides.
Rather than lose their place on the beach or in the queue, many would rather pay you double the usual price for a can of pop or an ice cream if you're there in the right place at the right time.
You'll need an ice box or cool bag to keep your merchandise cool—ideally one that's comfortable and easy to carry on your back. This will allow you to reach customers on foot or by bicycle. Strolling along the beach will naturally attract thirsty customers eager for your refreshing drinks.
While you can purchase drinks from the local supermarket and still make a profit, you'll earn a lot more by visiting a cash and carry outlet and buying in bulk - you'll find them listed in your phone book.
Tip. Don't make too much of a fuss about it or you will attract the attention of the busy-bodies who want everything licenced ;-)
I once suggested this idea to a bunch of bored teenagers who were hanging around by the pier. All they did was buy the best sellers from the stand on the pier and walk among the tourists offering their wares for a 50% to 100% markup. (It was the ladies who managed to get away with 100% markup, now I wonder why?)
I had to prove to them that it worked first. I just bought a few cans of drink and walked a short distance to a few families and offered it to them.
You should have seen their faces when they tried it themselves. They just couldn't believe people would pay a mobile vendor so much over the odds for refreshments, just to avoid walking the short distance to the pier and queuing!