Travis Creek found himself out of work soon after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

As a skilled worker in structural steel, he felt the impact of a slowing economy. He was living in Houston, and building projects had significantly decreased.

To fill the time, he started making smoker barbecue grills, and he got a friend and a family member to help him.

“I was just killing time waiting on the structural steel business to come back,” Creek said. “About six months after we started the barbecue pits, our (structural steel) contracts in the Houston area started calling again, and we had to turn them down. We had too much work to take on anything else at that point.”

Creek, 35, sold his first barbeque pit on eBay for $800. read all »

An Army man of eight years, Ron Johnson figures there is a right way and a wrong way to do just about everything.

So when he started his own business after being laid off from 25 years in the telecommunication industry, Johnson read everything he could about his new field and exhaustively researched the competition.

Then he named his business Ron John Poo-B-Gone. read all »

Most people today are so busy that the last thing they want to do is wait in line to get an oil change or car wash. So why not develop a car care service that goes to the customer’s home? read all »

Here’s a business that, almost more than any other with equal potential for real wealth, meets the most stringent requirements of just about any skeptic. In fact, there’s so much in favor of the “little guy” with this business, it’s a real mystery why more people don’t choose this one as the vehicle for their ultimate independence and financial security. read all »

Doug Knippel was looking at his compost a few years back and noticed a group of redworms crawling around in the dirt. That’s when he began to unearth his business plan. read all »

The Power Washing Business is a lucrative business that most anyone can start and make a honest living. The start-up capital required is low and there isn’t expensive overhead required to keep your business running. In many areas there is low competition and high demand for both residential and commercial work. read all »

Because few homeowners or tenants have the time, means or energy to do it themselves, there is always a need for someone with a pickup truck to transport things found or accumulated around the house and yard. Examples are trash from private homes and businesses (most collection services will not pick up certain types of refuse), carting off things that have been cleaned out of the garage or attic, delivery of large items, picking up tree and shrub trimmings, etc. all that is needed is a truck and a strong back. read all »

Here is a really great idea for someone who wants to start their own business, start a sidewalk and driveway edging business. Edging is where you use gas powered equipment to trim away the excess growth of grass and dirt over the sidewalks and driveway and then remove the debris to leave the yard looking neat and manicured. read all »