For my Shantytown Challenge, my poverty sims need some really tiny startups. They have no spare money; they can't afford to buy anything much, and definitely not a community lot. They need a fast return on any investment they make.

I spent some time thinking about what my sims could do, and reading other people's ideas. It was hard to get my head around the possibilities, so in the end, I made a list. These are bare-bones businesses, using the cheapest and fewest items possible. For instance, a ticket-machine venue doesn't require active input to function, so those startups don't really need a closing sign. And new businesses only get three customers at a time, so the poker table only needs three chairs.

Requirements:
-initial outlay under $2000, with immediate turnover
-can start as home business, or without a business
-no construction, lights, bathrooms etc included – customers may need to use yours!
-no reward objects or CC objects (buyables mod okay). Can use any EP items.

Business / Fittings Required / Startup Cost

Minor Retail / register + island + closing sign + goods $100 / 535

Minibar / nectar bar + ticketing machine / 574

Book Stand / Billy Bookcase + island + register + closing sign / 625

Darts / dartboard + ticket machine / 679

Takeaway / 2x buyable chinese/pizza + 3 islands + register + closing sign / 895

Chess / Chess table + 2 chairs + ticket machine / 1008

Salon / salon chair / 1200

Poker / poker table + ticket machine + 3 chairs / 1294

Tea Room / tea ceremony table + ticket machine / 1349

Video Arcade / video game + ticket machine / 1549

Bar / Crank Out The Beverage Bar + ticket machine + 2 barstools / 1619

Crafting stations - sell direct from inventory for least outlay (also less profit)
Ceramics / Station / 1000 + materials outlay per item.
Flowers / Station / 1000 + materials outlay per item.
Sewing / Station / 1250 + materials outlay per item.
Toys / Station / 1500 + materials outlay per item.

I wasn't trying to be exhaustive, but this is most of the cheapest startups I could see.
I haven't tried them all, of course, so some businesses might need tweaking. I think the salon chair works with no other equipment required, for instance.

Some next-level startups - these require larger starting funds (up to $3000), waiting periods or a community lot to work.

Robotics / Station / 2000 + materials outlay per item.
Bubbles / Bubbleblower + ticket machine / 2219
Jewelry / Display + 2 islands + register + closing sign / 2145 + community lot
Games Counter / Display + 2 islands + register + closing sign / 2145 + community lot
Market Garden / 4x plot + 4x tomatoes + register + island + closing sign + compost bin + bug house / 1057 + growing time
Orchard / 2x fruit tree + register + island + closing sign / 2835 + growing time
Fruit Stall / grocery display + register + island + closing sign / 935 + community lot
News Kiosk / magazine stand + island + register + closing sign / 1435 + community lot
Coffee Shop / espresso stand + 2 living chairs + closing sign / 1675 + community lot

Do you have other ideas for tiny startups? Please add them!

I have many poor sims and have done every business under the sun.

I have had my sims do a garage sale. Sell off items on the lot that were not needed, including ugly lamps, an old side table but also trees. Obviously the price of digging up and cartage would be on the buyer but a family recently made some decent cash from selling off 3 palm trees, enough to buy a 1 tile desk, chair and computer so she could do financials for cash. Depending on the family I have allowed them to add garage sale items by digging for items. *One time a sim did dig up a treasure chest, they kept it as a decorative item.

You can also paint and have them sell paintings via OFB methods.

The OFB car can be done up and sold on a driveway piece at home.

Food: I have had sims fish and do fish meals and sell plates of food. Can also sell other homemade foods from homegrown produce. They can also sell fish and produce directly to the customers.

Car salesman without OFB requires a community lot, driveway piece and a vehicle.

If you are allowing it, writing novels and food guides also pays well but not technically a business.

I had an old guy sell the crappiest car on his driveway. Only needed cash register and open/close sign. Easy money. After a few sales he could sell a better car while fixing one up in his garage.

Good ideas!
My poorest sims are not allowed to dig for treasure, or own computers, fishing ponds, cars or driveways. They cannot write novels or paint for money.
Obviously, if you aren't adding those restrictions to your game, there are a number of useful businesses in that selection.

My sims could fish on a public lot and then sell the proceeds, but I didn't include that because of the pond restriction, with resulting delay in profit. I haven't included any cooking business ideas so far, either.

I've used a career reward unlocker for placing those items on community lots and can give the charisma podiums to poor sims to help out with earning enough money to buy a community lot though it's not all built up.I'm not currently able to do that in my BACC due to having a tiny population though I can set up vocational community lots where sims can go out and work to earn money outside of their home if it's too small or just a rented room in a boarding house.

In my game, I have a hacked speaker's podium where a pixel can go into a church and earn money while giving 'sermons', while also earning charisma points.
it's pretty good for earning enough money to pay the bills.

They can also go to the community lot to do telemarketing to earn both money and charisma while making cold calls to others.

Of course these scenarios require hacked objects so that might violate the 'no hacks' rule for the poverty challenge, but life is hard enough for poor pixels. Why make it any harder?

@FranH -That sounds like you're using a career rewards unlocker to unlock them to buy mode like I am.I don't have any rules against allowing that charisma podium to be used on community lots or in a common area in the apartment lots.It's against the rules to use money cheats to grant extra money to sims though fine to use money cheats to subtract funds from the family starter funds to force them to move into a boarding house and earn enough money to buy a home lot.

Of course there are lots more amazing things you can do with CC and mods. But we don't all have the same content, and I was looking to stretch the vanilla options first.

I also thought, if I was going to make an itemized list, that others might find it interesting/useful as well. It has at least sparked some conversation!

There is a hacked podium by Cindy Sims as part of a Secret Santa gift at PBK, in the set of religious objects.
(if you're a member, you should see this topic.)
http://www.medievalsims.com/forums/...r+pulpit#p90567

It allows you to give a sermon, and earn $5 simoleons for every minute you're preaching-as well as increase your charisma while giving the sermon.

Dog/cat breeding. It takes a few days, but all you need is to buy/adopt a pet (costs vary, but start at 399 each) and a few pet items. Two pets and the cheapest items will cost less than 1000 for initial costs. You don't even need a cash register, just Propose-Sale- Pet. A litter of 4 puppies or kittens will bring in almost 1600, and a lot more if you train them. After the first litter, it's all profit minus food costs.

I've had that hack that unlocks career reward items for years and it fixed an issue with having to use that cheat to unlock them for each sim.I just enter apartments lots in buy mode and place them in common areas and save it before moving sims in.I also place them on community lots and sims who visit those lots make use of them to earn extra money.These items were released with the game and I just use a hack to unlock them into buy mode.