Introduction
There are many ways to start a business that allows you to focus less on logistics and initial costs and more on launching your ideas. Let’s overcome the first major mental hurdle, which is the question, “What kind of business should I start?”
Easy Ideas for Starting Small Businesses
You can easily launch a small business with the right idea, such as selling custom T-shirts or offering specialized services, leveraging your skills and using ready-made solutions. Here are some ideas for small businesses that can be started right now:
1. Design and Sell Custom Printed T-Shirts
Print on demand allows you to put inventory, shipping, and fulfillment into the hands of a third-party supplier. The benefit of print on demand is that you can customize products with your designs to create something original.
You can use printing on T-shirts, hats, phone cases, hoodies, skirts, tote bags, and more to express your creativity. You might think of clever slogans for developers or signals that resonate with cat owners – if there is passion and pride in the community, there’s an opportunity to start a T-shirt manufacturing business.
Even if you’re not a designer, you can find a designer to work with using freelance sites like Fiverr, Upwork, Dribbble, or 99Designs. You can even use template designs for your T-shirts so you won’t need to spend money on a full photoshoot for each new design.
2. Sell a Service
Offering services is not a passive thing; it can be a profitable way to transition into freelancing. With service-based small business ideas, “time” is your inventory and your biggest investment. You only have a limited supply of hours in your day. However, it becomes easier to get started if you have in-demand skills.
Writers, graphic designers, virtual assistants, SEO practitioners, cleaning service providers, dog walkers, real estate professionals, and others can build a business around their skills. You can offer these skills as a recurring service or start a consultancy providing advice on projects.
You can use the BookThatApp or Acerill Appointment Booking for Shopify to allow customers to schedule a session or consultation or to purchase tickets for a class with you through your store.
You can also offer your services through freelance marketplaces like Upwork to increase your chances of being discovered by those who need your skills.
3. Join an Affiliate Marketing Program
Affiliate marketing refers to a performance-based marketing tactic where businesses pay individuals, known as affiliates, to promote and sell their products. Every time an affiliate brings in a new customer, they receive a commission from the company.
Affiliates can promote products on their blogs, social media accounts, websites, or within communities. For many, affiliate marketing is a low-cost side hustle that turns into a profitable business over time.
To join an affiliate marketing program, follow these steps: find an affiliate program on sites like ShareASale, CJ, or LinkShare. Choose the offers you want to promote. Get an affiliate link. Promote this link through your assets. Earn a commission every time someone subscribes or makes a purchase through your link.
Commission rates vary depending on the company and the offer. You might earn as little as 5% per sale, while some commissions can go up to 50% if you’re promoting a class or event. Some affiliate marketing programs also offer a flat fee instead of a percentage.
4. House and Pet Sitting
With increased travel, the need for house sitting and pet care while people are away is also rising. As remote work becomes more common, long-term vacations are gaining popularity – so when people can leave their homes unoccupied for a weekend, they may need some additional care.
Sitting
Homes and pets are good business ideas to start if you feel comfortable taking care of a stranger’s home, perhaps with their pets.
You can create your own website on Shopify to market and sell your services, and there are also dedicated sites and apps for house and pet sitting that you can use. Here are some examples:
- HouseSitter.com: This site is dedicated to house and pet sitting. You can create a profile and apply for listed jobs. People needing house/pet care can also browse sitters and contact them.
- Rover: Rover is a site and app dedicated to pet sitting. You can create a profile and apply for jobs. These agreements include short visits and not overnight visits (or house care).
- Care.com: Care.com is a listing site where pet sitters can create a profile and list their experiences. You can also apply for jobs posted by people looking for pet sitters. Care.com is a good site to use if you provide care for seniors or tutoring, cleaning, or childcare.
- TrustedHousesitters: TrustedHousesitters is a great place to start if you need experience or references. The platform specifically prohibits paid jobs, so these arrangements are considered more of an exchange – you get free accommodations, and they get free care.
Keep in mind that some pet sitters offer on-site services while caring for pets in their homes. You can even add a dog walking service to target a wider audience. Whichever option you choose, it’s important to communicate this from the start.
5. Tutor
Teaching students, whether they are kids or adults who want to learn a new skill, can bring in extra income around regular working hours. You might be good at math, playing the drums, or speaking French, so why not teach others? You can promote your tutoring services in local Facebook groups and at nearby schools to spread the word and build a client base.
6. Personal Assistant
Being a personal assistant requires little upfront expense and means you can work with a variety of businesses. Your job would simply be to help business owners with administrative tasks like scheduling appointments, responding to emails, and taking notes in meetings. Start networking with business owners on LinkedIn and marketing your services to them.
7. Dog Walker
Dog walking is a fun and rewarding job (and you get some exercise at the same time). Check your local state laws to see what licenses and insurance you will need, then create a profile on Facebook or a local website to advertise your dog walking services. If you don’t want to manage the administrative aspects, sign up with a company like Rover, which is a directory that pet owners can use to connect with potential dog walkers.
8. Airbnb Host
You don’t have to own a fancy second home to become an Airbnb host – in fact, the lodging platform started as a way for homeowners to temporarily rent out their spare room to earn extra money. If you have extra space in your home, you can create an account with Airbnb and rent it out on weekends, for overnight stays, or anytime that works for you.
9. Selling Baked Goods
Are you always being called upon to make cakes and treats for your friends and family? If the answer is yes, you can sell baked goods to locals in your community. In addition to baking cakes for celebrations and events, you can also produce batches of baked goods to sell at local coffee shops and cafés.
10. House Cleaning
If you care about cleanliness, starting a cleaning company can be a fun way to earn money. Create a batch of flyers to put on doors in your neighborhood and advertise your services in local Facebook groups. If you do a good job, people are likely to help you gain clients naturally through word of mouth.
Best
Business Ideas to Start with Little Money
If you’re struggling with a lack of funds and want to start a small business, check out these business ideas you can begin today:
12. Start a Dropshipping Business
Dropshipping is a demand fulfillment model where a third-party supplier stores products and ships them to customers on your behalf. It’s one of the best businesses to start because it requires little capital, runs automatically, and can be scaled up.
You can source products from one or more suppliers to your own online store under a theme focused on a specific category of products, like equipment for yoga enthusiasts or water bowls for dogs. When a customer purchases a product from you, the order is sent to your supplier, who fulfills it on your behalf. However, you are responsible for marketing and customer service.
Dropshipping is a great way to sell trending products and start a business before investing in your own original products. You can find dropshipping products on AliExpress.
13. Build an Audience You Can Monetize
In today’s connected world, the ability to attract and retain the attention of others is an asset. It’s one of the assets that many businesses are willing to pay for and one that creators can turn into a business with multiple income sources.
Whether you choose to grow your audience on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, or a blog (or ideally, a mix of different channels), you have many ways to monetize your audience:
- Sponsored posts on behalf of brands
- Becoming an influencer
- Selling physical or digital products (through any of the ideas mentioned in this list)
- Patreon
- A combination of the above (not mutually exclusive)
Taking a crowd-focused approach to your small business idea means playing the long game (it may take months to achieve this). But you don’t need millions of followers to do it: for example, Kat Gaskin, an Instagram user, successfully launched a $10,000 product with only 3,000 followers for her brand The Content Planner.
14. Offer Childcare Services
Increased demand for childcare services with a decreasing supply is the perfect mix to start a new business. If you enjoy taking care of children and can get the right licenses, this could be a good business idea for you.
15. Become a Crafter
If you’re a maker – whether that’s making soap, candles, sauces, or pottery – you’re in a position to find a small business idea, as product development and sourcing are skills you practice yourself.
Unlike many other ideas on this list, you’ll need to
Source: https://www.shopify.com/blog/low-investment-business-ideas
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