Best small business ideas
Best small business ideas
With your existing skills and some ready-made online tools, launching a small business may be easier than you think. Here are some small businesses you can start today.
1. T-shirt designer
Websites and apps that offer print-on-demand services are perfect for small businesses. With them, you can sell custom products like t-shirts, hats, hoodies, and tote bags without worrying about manufacturing, shipping, or pre-paying for inventory.
Ready to get started? Build, run, and grow your t-shirt business with free training, intuitive tools, and dedicated support.
A print-on-demand company will produce and ship your t-shirts as orders come in; your role is creating original shirts and other items with branding and unique visuals.
“Print on demand gives you that option to be like, ‘You know what, I want to start a fashion brand, not have to pay for any stock, test these designs out, and see if they do well,’” entrepreneur Kamil Sattar says.
If there’s passion and pride within a community, a potential print-on-demand t-shirt business is waiting to be started.
If you’re not a designer yourself, hire one from freelancer sites like Fiverr, Upwork, Dribbble, or 99Designs. You can even use t-shirt mockup templates, so you won’t need to spend money on a photoshoot to model your designs.
2. House- or pet-sitter
House- and pet-sitting are businesses you can start with zero dollars, making them great business ideas for teens. Create an online store to market and sell your services, or register for an account on dedicated home and pet care apps, such as:
HouseSitter.com: This website is for both house and pet sitting. You can create a profile and apply to postings. People who need house- or pet-sitting can browse sitters and reach out.
Rover: Rover is a website and app specifically for pet-sitting. On it, you can create a profile and apply to gigs.
Care.com: Care.com is a site where pet-sitters can create a profile and list their experience and apply to gigs. Care.com is a good site to use if you offer senior care, tutoring, housekeeping, or child-care services.
TrustedHousesitters: TrustedHousesitters is a great place to start if you need experience or testimonials. The platform specifically prohibits paid gigs—instead, sitters get a free place to stay, and clients get free housesitting.
Consider that some pet sitters offer on-site services while others care for pets in their own homes.
3. Tutor
You might be great at math, playing the drums, or speaking French, so why not teach others?
Promote your tutoring services on local Facebook groups and in nearby schools to get the word out and build up your client base. If you’re planning to create courses for your students, start by watching this guide to making online courses.
4. Personal assistant
Becoming a personal assistant requires little upfront expenditure and lets you work with a range of businesses. You’ll essentially be helping business owners with admin tasks, like booking appointments, responding to emails, and taking meeting notes.
Start by networking with business owners to build relationships and market your services.
5. Dog walker
Dog walking is a fun and rewarding job with built-in exercise. Build a dog-walking business by checking your state laws to see what licensing and insurance you’ll need, then setting up a website to advertise. If you want to avoid administrative tasks, sign up with a platform like Rover that connects dog owners and dog walkers.
6. Airbnb host
You don’t need a fancy second home to become an Airbnb host—in fact, the accommodation platform originally started so homeowners could temporarily rent out spare rooms for extra cash. If you have the space (and the permission, if you don’t own) in your house, you can create an account with Airbnb and rent it out whenever it suits you.
Like the idea of running a rental business? Here are some other rental business ideas to consider.
7. Pool host
If your house has a pool, you don’t need to list it on Airbnb to make passive income. You can offer your pool by the hour or day on sites like Swimply.
You can also partner with freelance swim instructors who need a pool to teach from.
8. Backyard host
If you have a large, fenced backyard or plot of land, consider renting it to city-dwelling dog owners looking for a safe and private space for their dogs to play. Simply add a few photos and a description of your property on a platform like Sniffspot.
If you can add amenities like a dog agility course or splash pad, you may be able to charge more for your spot.
9. Car rental provider
If you own a car that you don’t drive every day, why not rent it out when you don’t need it? Platforms like Turo let car owners list their vehicles for rent by the hour or day—think of it as Airbnb for your vehicle.
You can rent out almost any type of car, but there are more monetization opportunities with specialty vehicles. If you have a classic car, you can rent it out for photoshoots or weddings. Consider reaching out to wedding planners and photographers to build ongoing partnerships.
If you have a camper van or RV, you can list it on RV-specific platforms like Outdoorsy, so others can enjoy it while you make money for your next trip.
10. Baker
Are you always called on to bake cakes and sweet 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 birthdays and events, your bakery business plan could include selling baked goods to local cafés, or distributing them through an online store.
11. House cleaner
If you’re a stickler for cleanliness, a cleaning business can be a fulfilling way to make money. Create flyers to stick through doors in your neighborhood, and advertise your services on local Facebook groups. If you do a good job, word of mouth can help you organically pick up customers.
With your clients’ permission, you can create short-form video content for TikTok and Instagram, where satisfying cleaning videos have the potential to go viral. As your business grows, you can hire staff, launch your website, and maybe even put your name on a line of white-label cleaning products you can sell via social commerce.
12. Car washer
Car washing has long been a source of fundraising for high schoolers, but it can work as a business for adults, too. If you have space outside your house or in a nearby yard, you can offer car-washing and valeting services to locals.
You can also partner with a local office building to provide car-washing services in their parking garage. Consider creating—with your clients’ permission—short-form videos for social media showing the satisfying transformation of the vehicles you clean.
AHD Consulting Solution is here to help you with tools and insights to not just deal with these challenges but turn them into opportunities for innovation success. Accessible to corporations of any size, our sprints and programs include interactive workflows, videos, pre-structured workspaces, and much more. If you want to discuss a potential project, you can email on services@ahdconsultingsolution.com or get in touch with us here. Alternatively, you can book in a free 15-minute consultation call here.
