Starting a business is often seen as a daunting task that requires meticulous planning, endless preparations, and a desire to take big risks. Sometimes its hard to even come up with an idea to start with.
It doesn’t have to be that way. Starting small is an excellent way to dip your toe in the pond and get a deeper understanding of what it takes to run a business on a bigger scale.
Starting a small business require a little bit of planning, time, and resources on your behalf and can yield you exceeding benefits.
Here are some small easy business ideas to help you start a business with minimal resources and lay a foundation for bigger ventures.
15 Small Business Ideas for Entrepreneurs
50% of all businesses start at home. However, many entrepreneurs struggle with coming up with a winning idea for their small businesses. A good business idea is one that is usually in the realm of something you’re familiar with.
Moreover, it requires minimal training on your part to get started. It should have low startup costs. That said, if you’re going to start small, you should have a dedicated space for all your business activities — either in your home or elsewhere.
This helps you stock items needed for the business as well as have a space for all the administrative tasks. You may take the help of other people to manage your business, such as consultants or delivery services.
Without further ado, let’s take a look at some interesting small business ideas for entrepreneurs:
1. Sell something unique
In a sea of similar-looking businesses online, having something unique and rare to sell can give you an edge right away. It may be something purchased or made by you but it should be a rarity in your community or local area.
It can be products not available in your region that you import from their respective countries to sell locally. Or it can be a unique collection of handicrafts that are curated by you by scouting through various markets.
It can be perfume collections sorted by zodiac signs. Or a vape shop if it's legal in your area. Find out more about bringing unique business ideas like the ones mentioned to life in this article. The goal is to entice shoppers with something out-of-the-box on offer.
2. eCommerce store
Opening an eCommerce store doesn’t have to be about huge inventories and an endless variety of options. You can sell niche and a limited number of products and services via an eCommerce platform and turn in a profit.
There are plenty of online platforms available today that can help you create an eCommerce store with ease and help you display your unique collection to your audience — whether it’s showpieces and flowerpots you want to sell or sports memorabilia.
You can even start with a single product if it’s unique enough, say, 10 cricket bats from the 1800s. The goal should be to educate the target audience about what makes it special and why they should take an interest in it.
3. Sell homemade products
In a world of machine-made products, handmade products hold a special value for shoppers. 38% of shoppers say that they choose to buy handmade products because of the quality they offer. They can make for excellent small business ideas.
Mostly because you don’t need much outside help to sell them or much to market them either. Simply make them yourself and advertise on social media about their uniqueness that comes from being homemade. For example, homemade oil for hair growth, cupcakes, and crochet items.
4. Consulting services
The market size of global management consulting services is over a billion dollars as of now. It’s an extremely lucrative industry that you can capitalize on with your small business. If you have certification in any professional field, you can provide consultancy for it.
It can be management, finance, baking, grooming, etc. The best part of this business idea is that there are no tangible products, only the time that you give your customers. So, you don’t have to worry about shipping and storage and can virtually work from your bedroom.
5. Travel planner
If you’re a travel enthusiast and love planning vacations and your travels, travel planning might be a lucrative business proposition for you. You don’t need to have traveled a lot to do it, but be knowledgeable about traveling in general.
You should be up-to-date about travel trends and hidden gems about popular travel locations. Advertise yourself on social media to let people know that you’ll help them get the most out of their travels and vacations
6. Translator
With the amount of marketing material being created by brands today coupled with the drive to have a global reach, translation services are some of the most in-demand ones. Starting a translation business allows you to tap into the marketing need of brands.
If you’re fluent in two, three, or more languages, it can help you land gigs with brands and organizations that create multilingual content. You can create subtitles for online videos or translate documents that help brands reach wider audiences.
7. Freelance artist
If you have artistic skills, you can well make a business out of it. However, it’s important to have an impressive assortment of artwork to display your prowess and attract clients. It will also let clients know your art style and if it suits their project.
You can set the price that you believe is worth your hard work. Though it will serve you better to search about the ongoing rates to help you negotiate with your clients better. Having a social media presence helps attract clients.
8. Resume writer
Job seekers often struggle with creating attractive resumes, cover letters, and portfolios, especially if they’re not creatively inclined. This is why they’ll gladly hire outside help to create compelling job applications and increase their chances.
If you have a knack for writing, you can turn yourself into a resume writer and help job seekers out. You can learn more about creating compelling resumes and better your skills before you sell your services.
9. Online thrift store
While it will take some time to create a collection of second-hand products, an online thrift store is an excellent business idea that engages people of all income groups. You already have a large audience to begin with.
Selling second-hand clothes will require setting up an eCommerce platform and stocking second-hand products from different. But after the initial setup, it’s virtually smooth sailing from there as people are more likely to check out products available at low rates.
10. T-Shirt Printing
T-shirt printing is one such business that doesn’t require much space to operate. You can print your own designs, license someone else’s, or better yet, print custom designs provided by the client.
This allows you to go slow with your printing while still finding takers for it. It also helps give your business a unique touch. Secure a separate room for the printing setup and related tools to get started.
11. Pet sitting
If you enjoy spending time with pets, pet sitting can be the ideal small business for you. You’ll have to take care of your client’s pets when they’re away for extended periods of time. Feed the pet, take care of them, and update the client about the routine.
12. Professional organizing
People often struggle with organizing their belonging and get stressed about it. If you enjoy putting things in their right order, being a professional organizer can be a rewarding business choice for you. You may organize clutter yourself or coach people to do so for themselves.
13. Online recipes
If you have a love for food and cooking, then providing recipes for people to use from a website platform could be a great way to get known and drive customers to your website. You can then add advertisements to your site to make money from the traffic using the free recipes. Or, set up your site as a membership model, where you provide a range or regular new recipes for members only.
14. Handicrafts
If you have a knack for collecting or crafting pretty showpieces, you can turn them into a business venture you enjoy. Take beautiful pictures of your items to display them on social media and set up an eCommerce platform to sell them to your target audience.
15. Custom calendar
A fun business proposition can be selling calendars with custom images. The customers will select a layout from the ones you offer and send you their pictures to be printed on them. All you need is a printing setup and an eCommerce platform to get going.
Custom calendars make for an out-of-the-box gifting option and can be advertised as such. People can use their family photos, photos of their pets, or their artwork to be printed on the calendar.
Ace your small business project with the correct knowledge of the trade
Starting with small easy business ideas is an excellent way to gain the know-how of the trade and make a profit out of doing something you love. When picking a business idea, see that it’s in a field you’re accustomed to.
Don’t be afraid to take outside help with consulting or managing your business. Dedicate a separate space to manage it better. And try choosing a proposition that is unique and comes from you.
Author bio
Atreyee Chowdhury is a freelance content writer with more than 10+ years of professional experience. She is passionate about helping SMBs and enterprises achieve their content marketing goals with her carefully crafted and compelling content. She loves to read, travel, and experiment with different cuisines in her free time. You can follow her on LinkedIn.
