For some budding entrepreneurs, a business idea comes easy; it’s a hit and hope for others.
If you’re thinking about starting a small business but struggling to identify a good idea, we have 11 that are in high demand today. Whether you want to work online, offline, with your head or hands, we’ve got you covered.
Our first small business idea suits the bold, independent type. It’s also a growing industry anyone with a free spirit can enter–AKA, the freelancer:
The dictionary describes a freelancer as “a person who works as a writer, designer, performer, or the like, selling work or services by the hour, day, job, etc., rather than working on a regular salary basis for one employer.”
It’s an excellent description, but it misses some vital lifestyle points. You get to work in an industry that interests you, choose projects that excite you, and provide services for clients that appreciate you.
Plus, you get to enjoy geographical freedom, a flexible work schedule, and a better work-life balance.
Blogging refers to photography, writing, and any other self-published online media. It began as a way for individuals to record diary-style entries but has evolved into a crucial communication channel for businesses and websites to engage with their target audiences.
Blogging is also how innovative entrepreneurs build communities around a specific topic (like travel, food, beauty, and fashion) and generate income through sponsored advertising, direct sales, and crowdfunding.
Once your blog generates consistent traffic (visitors), you can monetize it using Google AdSense and affiliate marketing.
A handyperson is anyone skilled in a vast range of repairs, with a broad knowledge of trades and craftsmanship. Handymen and women work at people’s homes doing odd jobs homeowners can’t do themselves or ones too small for a registered tradesperson.
Tasks could include repairs, trade skills like carpentry, and interior and exterior maintenance work.
E-commerce is a business model that enables individuals and businesses to sell and buy products and services online.
E-commerce has 4 major market areas where you can trade every imaginable item and take payments using electronic gateways like PayPal. Buyers and sellers can create an e-commerce store and run entire brands from smartphones, tablets, computers, and any location with an internet connection.
An Amazon seller is a business or individual that sells their products on the Amazon e-commerce platform.
Selling on Amazon enables thousands of entrepreneurs to reach a global audience who knows and trusts the Amazon platform, increasing the seller’s chances of making regular sales.
You become an Amazon seller by joining the Amazon Seller Central platform relative to the country where you want to sell. Once you enroll, you can upload your product visuals, write your description page, and use FBA (fulfillment by Amazon) to store, pick, and post your products.
Amazon sells 12 million products and Amazon sellers a further 350 million, so there’s no shortage of product options. Some categories include:
Etsy, like Amazon, is a 3rd party online marketplace platform that enables people to sell and buy handmade, bespoke, vintage, and art and craft items.
To sell your products on Etsy, you create an account and open an Etsy storefront. Etsy charges you $0.20 per product listing, plus a 5% fee on every product you sell.
There are over 50 product type categories on Etsy; here are the top 6:
A consultant provides expert analysis, recommendations, and strategies for individuals and businesses drawn from their experience and expertise within a specific industry. Organizations with complex problems that in-house staff can’t solve employ consultants on a project basis to train staff, improve workflow, and provide insights on how to move forward.
Traditionally, tutors provided additional academic instructions on specific subjects to students outside the classroom at school and college levels of education. Today, however, tutors teach a vast range of academic and non-academic subjects to people of all ages with online learning.
Tutors no longer require degrees or specialized training to teach, but you’ll need a keen knowledge of your subject and the ability to explain it clearly.
You can tutor by joining one of the many established online tutoring businesses that provide different levels of education in various subjects. These include Brainfuse, Chegg, Brainfuse, PrepNow Tutoring, TutorMe, Skooli, VIPKid, or Tutor.com.
Or you could start your own tutoring business locally or online by taking the following steps:
Airbnb is an online platform that enables property owners to rent short and long-term spaces to private and business individuals.
You can rent anything from a single room with a shared bathroom, a beachfront condo, a luxury city apartment, or a country mansion. To rent a room/property, you list it on Airbnb, write an engaging property description, add high-quality images, set your rates, and include contact information.
The average Airbnb business earns $924 per month, but that can rise depending on your property and location.
Spaces of all shapes and sizes work as Airbnb rental properties, and often, the quirkier, the better. Here are some examples of what you can rent:
Landscaping businesses provide residential and commercial clients with plant care, garden maintenance, and construction services. Starting a landscaping business might be a good fit for anyone who enjoys physical work and also enjoys working outdoors. And if you live in a warmer climate, you could work all year round.
Landscaping covers several services from indoor plant care and weeding to complete installations, including trees, plants, decking, water features, lighting, and stone terracing.
Cleaners are in high demand, which means starting a cleaning business can be lucrative and rewarding.
The cleaning industry also has low entry fees and set-up costs, enabling people from all backgrounds and locations to start and run a successful enterprise.
There are 2 types of cleaning businesses: Residential and commercial, each with several niche services.
Residential cleaning involves working in a client’s home cleaning kitchens, bedrooms, bathrooms, etc. Residential cleaners provide all equipment and products and require fewer licenses and permits than commercial cleaners.
Commercial cleaners often require specific training and licenses to enter the sector, using specialized equipment to clean commercial buildings like offices, schools, banks, factories, and hospitals.
Now you have 11 in-demand, profitable, and accessible small business ideas to choose from. When you’ve picked yours, buy some insurance, form your business entity, create a target audience-focused marketing campaign, and up-skill yourself at every opportunity. You never know your idea might become one of the next top startups.
The secret is to take it one step at a time, be patient, and never give up. I know you can do it. Good luck.
This portion of our website is for informational purposes only. Tailor Brands is not a law firm, and none of the information on this website constitutes or is intended to convey legal advice. All statements, opinions, recommendations, and conclusions are solely the expression of the author and provided on an as-is basis. Accordingly, Tailor Brands is not responsible for the information and/or its accuracy or completeness.
Terry is a serial entrepreneur with over 25 years of experience building businesses across multiple industries – construction, real estate, e-commerce, hotelier, and now digital media. When not working, Terry likes to kick back and relax with family, explore Taoism’s mysteries, or savor the taste of fine Italian red wine.