Contrary to popular assumption, there are numerous ways to launch a business that allow you to concentrate less on the details and initial expenses and more on launching your ideas. Let’s get you past your initial, most significant mental block, which is “I want to start a business, but I have no ideas.”
You may launch a side business without having to put everything else on wait by using one of these 26 small business concepts. They provide excellent starting points for aspiring business owners, bootstrappers, or anyone with a busy schedule.
Free: The Big List of Business Ideas
To help you find the inspiration to start, we compiled a list of 100+ in-demand business ideas, broken down into categories like fitness, apparel, and gaming.
Best small business ideas to start in 2022
- Start a drop-shipping business
- Design and sell print-on-demand t-shirts
- Launch your own book
- Create digital products or online courses
- Sell print-on-demand posters, greeting cards, and prints
- Start a charitable business
- Sell a service
- Create an online fashion boutique
- Sell handcrafted and homemade goods
- Build an audience you can monetize
- Start a pet business
- Create a membership program
- Join an affiliate marketing program
- Become a virtual event planner
- Start a landscaping business
- Test app development
- Offer child care
- Start an online coffee shop
- Become a handyman
- Sell your photography
- Become a social media management consultant
- Start a beauty business
- House sitting and pet sitting
- Phone accessories
- Sell subscription boxes
- Invest in vending machines
1. Start a drop-shipping business
Buy stock, store it, pick it, pack it, ship it. Managing inventory is a big commitment when you’re running a business.
The first of our good business ideas is dropshipping, which is simple and inexpensive to launch. The fulfillment method known as dropshipping entails having a third-party supplier store and deliver products to clients on your behalf. Due to its minimal overhead, lack of involvement, and scalability, it is among the greatest businesses to launch.
You don’t need to handle any products yourself—you just need to make the sales and pass orders on to your supplier. In fact, it’s one of the quickest and cheapest businesses to start.
You can compile items from one or more vendors into your own online shop with a theme that concentrates on a certain niche, such as yoga equipment or dog water bowls. When a customer places an order with you for a product, your supplier fulfills the order on your behalf. You are still in charge of your own marketing and customer support, though.
You can deal with local and international suppliers as long as you can build a connection with them based on trust; a supplier that is unreliable will negatively impact your brand.
Before investing in your own original products, dropshipping is a fantastic approach to assess product-market fit and begin a business. To ensure your supplier is trustworthy and the quality of the products is appropriate for selling to your consumers, always order a sample for yourself.
2. Design and sell print-on-demand t-shirts
Print on demand is a different dropshipping strategy that leaves inventory, shipping, and fulfillment in the hands of a different provider. The emphasis here, however, is on modifying things with your own designs to produce something unique as opposed to the dropshipping business idea mentioned above..
You may express your creativity on t-shirts, hats, phone covers, sweatshirts, skirts, tote bags, and more. If a community has passion and pride, you may create a t-shirt business by coming up with clever slogans for developers or references that appeal to cat owners.
Even if you’re not a designer, you can find one to work with using freelance sites like Fiverr, Upwork, Dribbble, or 99 Designs.
The base pricing per unit will be more than if you were to order in bulk with many print-on-demand providers because you pay per product. But the benefit is that you haven’t actually paid for the item yet if a particular t-shirt design doesn’t sell (only the design, if you outsourced it).
You can even use t-shirt mockup templates so you don’t need to spend extra money on a full photoshoot for every new design.
You can use a variety of print-on-demand platforms, and many of them can be seamlessly integrated with your Shopify store to fulfill orders. To ensure that your customized products look good, always order a sample of the item (sometimes available at a discount).
3. Launch your own book
A book is just another type of product when you think about it. As such, you can create one to serve a particular demand in the market.
Books, comic books, poetry books, photo books, coffee table books, and novels—if you have the skills or the imagination, you may publish a wide range of unique books. It’s one of the best business ideas to start because there are countless possibilities.
Lulu xPress and Blurb are popular platforms to create, order, and distribute your own books as physical and digital products. You could also sell it on third-party marketplaces like Amazon or Powell’s.
While you can get a book one at a time, buying in bulk automatically results in lower prices. To establish demand and guarantee a set number of sales so you may feel secure placing a bulk purchase, think about pre-selling or crowdfunding your book concept.
Launching your own book can be a great way to monetize a blog if you have or are looking to start one.
4. Create digital products or online courses
On this list of low-investment small company ideas, digital products like music, courses, podcasts, and templates are exceptional examples. They are not material like the others. It’s another no-brainer as one of the finest businesses to launch because there aren’t any ongoing production or shipping expenditures to be concerned about, allowing your margins to stay strong.
The trick is figuring out what makes for a good digital product. What is useful enough that people are willing to pay to download it?
Original instrumental beats, stock images that can be licensed to other artists, information items, and templates that assist people advance their skill sets in a certain industry are a few examples of the solutions given.
If you’ve got a talent that can be turned into a digital product, think about packaging it into a new stream of income.
Shopify has a free Digital Downloads app that lets you offer digital products in your store as easily as physical products.
5. Sell print-on-demand posters, greeting cards, and prints
You can use a print-on-demand business strategy to dropship if you have photographic skills or artistic flair so that others can own a piece of your artwork. Just make sure you have the go-ahead to publish the content or that you are using freely accessible resources that you may earn money from.
If you’ve already got an engaged online following—say you’re a cartoonist or an urban photographer—you’re in an especially good position to give this small business idea a try.
You can produce your work into items like posters, framed wall art, or even greeting cards, depending on the printer you use. Without having to print out each item and stage your own photo sessions, you can exhibit your products using a variety of free digital templates and mockup makers like Placeit.
6. Start a charitable business
Starting a non-profit organization isn’t the only path you can take to help fund a better world.
Social entrepreneurs have a unique opportunity to position their company in the market while tackling the issues they care about most when they have a purpose to go along with their business and set aside some profit for a cause.
As long as you’re open and honest about how it works, you may take any of the aforementioned low-cost small business ideas and implement that social good on your own or in partnership with a non-profit organization.
You can communicate the effect that your customers are having by patronizing your business as part of your marketing efforts by writing a blog post about your volunteer activity in the neighborhood or by including a live impact calculator on your website.
The Give & Grow Shopify app makes it simple to collaborate with nonprofits and integrate your purpose into your company. You can program it to donate a fixed sum of money or a certain percentage of sales, or you can ask your customers to make a donation when they check out.
7. Sell a service
Although providing services isn’t passive, it can be a successful approach to become self-employed. When it comes to service-based small company ideas, “time” serves as both your biggest investment and your inventory. There are a finite number of hours in each day. However, if you have abilities that are in demand, that makes it simpler to get started.
You can create a business around your skills if you’re a writer, graphic designer, virtual assistant, SEO expert, cleaner, dog walker, real estate agent, or another vocation. You might launch a consulting company that provides project advice or offer these abilities as a continuing service.
It’s one of the best business opportunities because it can be expanded with any of the other ideas above to create additional revenue streams by “productizing” services through physical or digital goods.
For instance, a photographer may cover a nearby event while also marketing prints on Instagram. An independent author can charge for a copywriting swipe file with persuasive sales copy. You can add another source of income that isn’t directly dependent on your time by combining your service-based firm with tangible goods.
You can use the BookThatApp or Acerill Appointment Booking for Shopify to let customers easily schedule a session or consultation or buy tickets to a class with you through your store.
You can also offer your services through a freelance marketplace like Upwork to increase your chances of getting discovered by the people who need your skills.
8. Create an online fashion boutique
Consider starting your own online fashion business if you enjoy dressing up and sharing your personal style online. You may easily arrange products from various sellers into your own online store without having to learn how to be a fashion designer (using the dropshipping model we discussed earlier).
You may create your own fashion brand using one of the many product sourcing apps, model it on your own for product images and social media posts, and gain an online following as a trendsetter. Your brand can include dresses, shoes, swimsuits, accessories, and more. You can import different fashions into your Shopify store using apps like MyOnlineFashionStore.
9. Sell handcrafted and homemade goods
If you’re a maker—whether you DIY soap, candles, sauces, or pottery—you’re in a unique position to find a small business idea, because product development and procurement are literally in your hands.
Unlike many of the other ideas on this list, you will need to consider shipping and inventory management, but you can start out simple on a per-order basis or with a small batch until you start generating consistent sales.
Many makers on Shopify actually began with a home-based company idea, selling on Etsy or eBay, or through word-of-mouth to friends and family, and developed into full-time small-business owners after demonstrating the market need for their goods.
Just be mindful of any regulations in your product category, especially for anything customers will eat, inhale, or put on their skin.
Brooklyn Candle Studio is one of many maker-owned businesses on Shopify that started on Etsy.
And Arounna Khounnoraj and John Booth are a couple who have been operating bookhou, an online and physical shop selling handmade goods and functional bags.
A valuable skill in today’s interconnected world is the capacity to draw and hold others’ attention. It’s one that lots of companies are even prepared to pay for, and lots of producers can turn it into a multi-streamed company.
You have several options for making money from your audience, whether you decide to build a following on YouTube, Instagram, or a blog (preferably a combination of different channels):
- Sponsored posts on behalf of brands
- Becoming an influencer
- Selling physical or digital products (via any of the ideas on this list)
- Patreon
- A combination of the above (they’re not mutually exclusive)
When it comes to your small business idea, putting the needs of your audience first implies you’re playing the long game (it could take months until you figure it out). However, you don’t need a ton of followers to succeed; Instagrammer Kat Gaskin, for instance, launched a $10,000 product for her firm, The Content Planner, with just 3,000 followers.
11. Start a pet business
All types of small company opportunities are abundant in the pet sector. There is a lot of demand, and the sector is worth more than $100 billion. You may sell accessories, food, or toys in your pet store or provide services like grooming, walking, or training.
Perkie Prints makes personalized printed pet products—everything from apparel to framed prints, plus fun projects in between.
On the service side of things, Let the Dog Out offers dog walking and “bathroom breaks” to its customers.
12. Create a membership program
Online memberships are more than simply a trendy new business idea that arose as a result of people being forced to stay at home due to the COVID-19 problem. Online memberships are ideal for company owners that have a vibrant, enthusiastic community. Like a subscription-based business, customers make recurring payments in exchange for a virtual good or service.
Memberships are excellent for controlling members-only access to information on a website and even for brick-and-mortar stores that provide online classes. Examples of companies that can benefit from this business strategy include yoga studios, gyms, clubs, and art schools.
You can offer exclusive livestreams in addition to (or instead of) downloadable content because this content is protected behind a gate that only paying subscribers can access.
Regardless of the route you take, be sure to record in a quiet space so the audio is clear and distraction free.
Utilizing email marketing to remind your members of fresh information is another smart move. The best ways to generate interest for new launches are through emails, video teasers, and client endorsements.
Additionally, Shopify makes it simple to launch your membership-based business. Just as you would for a real item, create a new product and give it a name and description that mentions your subscription services.
When checking out, be sure to deselect “This is a physical product” to exclude shipping alternatives. (Note: Depending on the apps you decide to utilize later in the process, some of the setup needed may change.)
13. Join an affiliate marketing program
Affiliate marketing is a performance-based marketing strategy in which a company pays individuals, known as affiliates, to advertise and sell their items. An affiliate is compensated by the company every time they bring in a new client.
Affiliates can advertise goods on their websites, blogs, social media profiles, and forums. Many people use affiliate marketing as a low-cost side job that eventually grows into a successful business.
To join an affiliate program, take the following steps:
- Find an affiliate program on sites like ShareASale, CJ, or LinkShare.
- Choose offers you want to promote.
- Get an affiliate link.
- Promote that link across your assets.
- Get a commission every time someone signs up or makes a purchase through your link.
The firm and the offer all influence the commission rates. If you’re marketing a class or event, some commissions can be as high as 50%, but you could make as little as 5% on each sale. A flat charge as opposed to a percentage is also offered by some affiliate schemes.
14. Become a virtual event planner
If you enjoy creating events and bringing people together, starting a virtual event planning firm could be lucrative. The huge increase in corporate events and widespread use of virtual meeting technologies will maintain this market’s high growth rate of 23% annually. You’ll be in charge of organizing virtual conferences, networking events, and training sessions for businesses all around the world as a virtual event planner.
Event organizers will soon have more options thanks to Facebook’s entry into the metaverse. Party. For instance, Space has gathered money to expand its virtual events business with a metaverse theme. Virtual event planning is an excellent option if you seek future work security.
15. Start a landscaping business
Love the outdoors and outdoor architecture? You should think about starting a landscaping company. Lawn care, another name for landscaping, is the process of changing and preserving a land area’s observable features. You are in charge of enhancing the beauty of organic, living components like flowers, grass, and trees.
Up through 2025, the US landscaping market is anticipated to expand at a compound annual growth rate of 4.5%. Younger households across the nation are placing an increasing demand on residential outside landscape upkeep services. Market competition is moderate. There are a few well-known landscaping businesses, such TruGreen, as well as more modest neighborhood service providers.
16. Test app development
It’s difficult to make a million dollar app. Actually, 99.5% of consumer apps are a failure. The majority of apps lack product-market fit. They require extensive marketing. They also cost a lot to produce.
So why even bother including this to our list of tiny business ideas? Because entrepreneurs have other options besides creating mobile apps for consumers. Every day, new apps for the Shopify App Store are released, catering to the market of motivated companies looking for the resources they require.
17. Offer child care
There is a child care crisis happening right now. Coronavirus exposure, day care closings, and rising costs has left parents with no choice but to take care of their kids at home.
A new firm can thrive in an environment of rising demand and shrinking supply for child care services. Federal investment has been committed as part of President Joe Biden’s infrastructure program to assist repair the child care industry as well. A new child care business could be a wonderful business idea for you if you enjoy caring for children and can obtain the necessary licenses.
18. Start an online coffee shop
With the correct marketing strategy and a strong brand, selling coffee may be profitable. Yes, there is a lot of competition for coffee. However, you shouldn’t let it deter you from entering this multibillion-dollar sector. Selling a high-demand item like coffee has various advantages:
- There is a high volume of customers.
- Customers typically associate small brands as having a higher quality than corporate brands.
- There are many niching opportunities.
Because coffee is so widely available, it’s easier to sell. People already want coffee, you just need to make them want your coffee.
19. Become a handyman
My dad was a handyman when I was little. Always making repairs around the house, whether it be a broken pipe, a tile installation, a gutter cleanout, or a fence installation. For odd jobs around the house, he was always the person that friends and family would contact. He could have set up a website and provided his skills locally if only the internet had been common back then!
The home repairs and improvement industry sits at around $500 billion in market value. Whether it’s fixing a boiler or building a patio deck, if you’re a handyman who likes to fix things, this could be a lucrative business for you.
20. Sell your photography
Do you love capturing pictures? Create a full-time photography business out of your pastime. You don’t only need to market services for weddings and business advertising campaigns these days. Setting up a business and selling prints, posters, NFTs, and other items is simple. Alternatively, you might make money while taking pictures by selling them on stock photography websites.
21. Become a social media management consultant
There will be more than 4.65 billion users who are actively using social media by April 2022. That is about 60% of all people on the planet. Brands require assistance managing their accounts across all the accessible social networks, including YouTube, Instagram, Facebook Messenger, TikTok, and others.
The creation and analysis of content for brands’ social media accounts is the responsibility of a social media manager. Customers will pay you to write appealing copy, respond to comments, run advertisements, and more. Either the project rate or the hourly rate are options.
22. Start a beauty business
The pandemic had a significant positive impact on the beauty sector. According to our research, 55% of entrepreneurs in the health and beauty industries expressed satisfaction with their companies’ 2020 financial performance. Businesses who sell products online and provide a variety of delivery options will continue to prosper.
Some product ideas with high demand are:
- Personal care products like hand soap and sanitizer
- At-home spa rituals like face masks
- Beauty technology like massage guns, smart mirrors, and makeup refrigerators
23. Housesitting and petsitting
The need for house and pet care while people are abroad rises along with travel. Long-term vacations are also becoming increasingly popular due to the rise in remote work, so while you might be able to leave your house alone for a weekend, a month-long trip might require a little more caution.
Housesitting and petsitting are good business ideas to start if you feel comfortable caring for and staying in a stranger’s home, potentially with their pets.
You can create your own website on Shopify to market and sell your services, and there are also dedicated home and pet care websites and apps you can use. Here are some examples:
- HouseSitter.com:Both house sitting and pet sitting are available on this website. You can register for postings and make a profile. Additionally, people who require sitters for their homes or pets can search for and contact them.
- Rover:A website and app made exclusively for pet sitting is called Rover. You can make a profile there and submit applications for jobs. Drop-in visits are permitted under these arrangements, but not overnight stays or house sitting.
- Care.com:On Care.com, pet sitters can create a profile and detail their experience. You can also submit an application for employment that pet owners have advertised. Care.com is a great website to utilize whether you offer senior care, tutoring, housework, or childcare services.
- TrustedHousesitters: A fantastic place to start if you need references or experience is TrustedHousesitters. These agreements are seen more as an exchange because the platform expressly forbids paid gigs—you get a free place to stay, and they get a free sitting.
Note, some petsitters offer on-site services while others care for pets in their own homes. Regardless of your choice, it’s important to communicate this upfront.
Always take the time to work on building a strong profile if you want to explore these profitable company ideas. Pick images of you smiling and joyful, ideally with animals (be sure to get permission from the pet owners first). Make sure your profile is complete by filling out every field. Be detailed about your experience looking after houses and pets, and don’t forget to mention any unique credentials or certificates that might set you apart from other potential sitters.
Ultimately, the best plan of attack for these new business ideas is to use a combination of your own Shopify site and third-party platforms.
24. Phone accessories
There is a tremendous market for cell phone accessories because so many people now own them. Additionally, you can approach these accessories in a variety of ways, including print-on-demand, handmade, specialized by product type, dropshipping, and more.
Some ideas for phone accessories to sell include:
- Phone cases
- Car and desk holders
- Tripods
- Charms
- Earbuds/headphones
- Bluetooth speakers
- Portable chargers
- Wireless chargers
Remember to indicate the devices that the accessories are compatible with when you put them for sale. You don’t want to give them a bad but preventable experience by sending them something they can’t even utilize.
You can select products if you don’t want to create your own to sell. Selling subscription boxes filled with carefully picked goods that adhere to a particular theme is one of the best small business ideas.
One of the best things about subscription boxes is that you can make them for just about any market segment. One of the best local business concepts for subscription boxes, for instance, involves showcasing local retailers and craftspeople. The options are essentially endless, and you can choose topics like yoga, beer brewing, or pets.
Like memberships, subscriptions are good business ideas to start because they create a recurring revenue stream. People have to proactively cancel their subscription if they don’t want to continue paying for it.
Collaboration is another benefit of subscriptions. You may reach their audiences—a large pool of prospective new subscribers—by curating products from various merchants.
26. Invest in vending machines
Vending machines make for a creative business concept. Vending machines can indeed bring in money. Despite the COVID-19 epidemic having a negative impact on the sector in 2020, predictions indicate that vending machines would recover along with the economy.
Reduced foot traffic—fewer people shopping, traveling, and going to work—and hesitations about touching surfaces due to hygiene are a couple of the causes of the reduction. Therefore, if you decide to go this route, you might want to adopt a progressive stance and search for vending machines that provide touchless options.
Offering the appropriate goods in the appropriate setting is essential to the success of this business concept. Find busy spots by doing your research, and learn who is passing by and what they could need right then. Vending machines can be a successful business idea with minimal cost if approached strategically.
