Profitable Hobbies
As a general rule, people do not come to Belize to make money. Minimum wage was raised to $2.50US in January 2023. Before that is was $1.15US. A wage of $20US a day is common. Unskilled labor typically makes $25US a day (construction workers) and dive masters or skilled construction is $50US a day. Many people make more money having their own business and do not have to commit to a schedule—which many are reluctant to do. However, there are many opportunities for expats to start a profitable hobby or for a local to make a good living. This list mostly has Hopkins in mind, but it may work in other places as well.
Our Highly Opinionated List of Profitable Hobbies is as follows:
Organic Debris Pick Up Service. Coconut Trees produce a tremendous amount of organic debris. Other trees shed leaves, etc. and most people do not have a way to get rid of it as they don’t have a vehicle, tools, or desire to haul it themselves. Many would be happy to have someone pick up their organic debris and haul it. They could then compost that debris, turn it into soil, and sell that back to people. This is a rather low-cost start up as it could simply involve a truck and a small trailer. Land in the savannah to dump it runs about $2,500US.
Trash Service. In rural areas in Belize, trash service is not provided for by the village. Many places do not have a garbage service, so people bury and burn their trash. Or dump it in a river or sea. Other places, like the Hopkins area have a For-Profit trash service—Hopkins Sanitation. However, with the growing area, they struggle to keep up with demand. Understandably, fees have increased. Residents used to pay $5US a month and it is now double. Some businesses are charged around $35US a month. They have legitimate garbage trucks that they brought in from the U.S. There is room in the market for another trash service. While it could be a big garbage truck, it could also work with a truck and trailer.
Selling Trash Cans or including them in the trash service business. There are no stores in Hopkins that carry trash bins. Some residents do not want to go to Dangriga, purchase a trash can, and bring it back on the bus. However, if one is offered and delivered, they are inclined to purchase it. We know of a few people that were burning and burying their trash. Their neighbor gave them a trash can and they began using it for trash instead of tossing it on the ground.
Bakery. Many women bake in the village and their creole bread, powder bun, and puddings are delicious. However, understandably, they bake when they want to bake. Sometimes one has to search to see who baked what for what day. And the women baked traditional Belizean breads, meaning sourdough, baguettes, English Muffins, bagels, muffins, are not common. Also, Belizean women baked in late afternoon as opposed to morning.
Cleaning Service. There are a lot of people who would like for someone to clean their homes and cabanas, but they do not have enough work for a full-time employee, nor are they wanting someone at their home or business all the time. People also don’t want to have train staff. On top of that, some workers do not like having a schedule, but prefer flexibility. To hire a service rather than a person is quite desirable. Places like Belmopan and Belize City have cleaning services, but most areas are lacking.
Laundry Service. While there are lots of laundry services around the country, they seem to be overwhelmed, and appears there is room in the market for additional laundromat services. Also, Belize is lacking in delivery laundry service. (Most places you must drop off and pick up.) Some laundry mats insist on putting everything in the dryer, even swim wear and delicates. So, a laundry service willing to tailor to customers preferences may do well.
Lawn Services & Maintenance. The beach needs to be regularly raked and flowers and plants regularly cared for. While a few offer these services, they have mostly done it in “gated communities” and have gotten away with charging U.S. prices, but they are more in the landscaping business than beach raking and care of those types of plants. Just like a cleaning service, some people would be glad to hire someone but do not have enough work for a full-time person.
Vegetable Stand. While Hopkins has two nice vegetable stands, they run out with quite some frequency. Both stands have the same delivery days (Tuesday & Friday) for fresh produce. It sometimes can be a “food desert” for vegetables Sundays and Mondays. In the past, vegetable stands delivered to your home. But even then, you wouldn’t know when they would show up. Some still do home delivery or are starting back to be more competitive.
Dog Service/Pet Sitting. Across Belize, folks find it challenging to have their pets taken care of in the way they are accustomed to. As a result, many people don’t travel as much as they would like because they can’t find anyone to watch their puppy dogs and are tied down, unintentionally.
Property Management. There is not enough competition and not enough knowledgeable property managers that can “do things” themselves or find qualified workers to fix, repair, and maintain all those things that need to be taken care of even when the homeowner is away.
Tile Store. There are not proper tile stores in most of the country. Meaning they do not sell the proper thin set with the proper tile. (That’s why all the tiles are popping up.) Worse, they don’t seem to think this is a problem. We’re only aware of one store in Belize City sells porcelain thin set for porcelain tiles. Many stores do not have enough of any of the same tiles for projects. This is why you see many different patterns in tile projects as they cannot find matching tiles. (More on this in another blog post, “Why are the Tiles Popping Up All Over Belize.”)
