In this day and age, making money is just as easy as it is difficult. With so many business opportunities being opened by the world of technology, one might say that there are more options now for making money than any other era. In contrast, the high population leading to a higher competition makes it more difficult to come up with sustainable business ideas. So, we have come up with the best business ideas with a small investment.
While any business ideas will require some kind of research, effort, and time to flourish, they also require tons of money.
RELATED: TOP 40 BUSINESS IDEAS FOR COLLEGE STUDENTS
All of these are your investments.
Whether it is the effort you give or the money you put behind the business, almost any business ideas will require a lot of money to start and maintain.
But here is a list of business ideas that you can start with a low investment.
Fun Business Ideas
Who says work can’t be fun?
So, if you need to spend most of your time behind your business ideas, you would want it to be something exciting – something that you can enjoy.
Let’s take a look at our options that can give an enjoyable business experience.
Here are a few tips on how to start your own business with small investment:
1. Boat Tours
If you love boats, here is your chance to create an entire business out of it.
You should ensure a few things before starting a business.
You need to have sound business ideas.
Randomly buying a boat is not enough either.
You need to choose a type of boat based on the weather patterns and type of coastline in your area.
If you live close to the sea, a speedboat would be appropriate, but if you live near a large lake or a river, a canoe or kayak would be more suitable.
Know your locations well, since you will take people on tours.
There is no point in providing boat tours if your area is not a tourist spot.
You may lease or buy the boat, depending on your financial circumstances.
Lastly, choose a dock where you can keep your boats and attract tourists at the same time.
Follow these steps and your boat touring business ideas will be up and running in no time.
2. Coffee Bar/Tea Salon
Some people can magically make great coffee or tea every single time.
Therefore, if you are one of those people, you might as well plan your business around it.
The process is not so difficult.
Prepare yourself on how much investment may be required.
It will not be a large amount, but rest assured, the profits will be huge in comparison.
Buy a tea vending machine, tea making ingredients such as tea leaves, milk, and sugar, a kettle, stove, a chair and table for yourself, and teacups.
You could offer both tea and coffee, or experiment with different types of tea leaves and coffee beans available.
Set your tea stall in crowded places, tourist spots, or traffic rush.
You could offer biscuits or toast with your tea to your customers as well.
The main business ideas are to keep the taste the same, so ensure you buy the same products regularly, from the same shop if possible.
Ensure proper hygiene.
Once your business is up, challenge yourself by taking it to the next level.
Take online deliveries or set up multiple stalls.
3. Creative Arts Day Camp
A creative arts day camp is a workshop for most young kids, teaching them different forms of arts and crafts at a nice, enjoyable venue.
For that, you need to prepare some projects and a good training class plan and buy the required materials.
Advertise well before the event and see parents sending their children to your day camp for hand-craft lessons.
4. Garden Center
Gardening is a popular hobby, but it is also a neat business ideas if marketed properly.
The amount of investment is fairly small and relatively less tedious.
Just get some plant pots, seeds of various plants, and fertile loamy soil.
The challenging part is to maintain the growth of these plants.
Find a space where the plants can get adequate, sunshine, air, and rain.
Do not just bring flowers.
Try growing herbs, shrubs, and small trees and prune them so that they appear groomed.
This will attract customers.
Do label the plants and mention detailed information on them when the customer asks.
You could sell them online, but for that, you must have your garden ready and also ensure that you upload pretty images of your plants.
While the business is easy, it is also time consuming, so you need to have patience with both your plants and customers.
5. Gift-Basket Design
Remembering the special dates of your close ones is a difficult job for some people.
But what’s more difficult than that is picking out the right gift for your loved ones.
That’s where you step in and create them a customized gift-basket to present to their family members and friends.
Given that there are only 365 days a year and millions of people in your country, you can bet that there’s gonna be multiple birthdays and anniversaries each day.
You will get to create a customized gift basket every single day.
6. Golf Coach
Golf might be a game that takes years to master, but it doesn’t take much to learn the basic rules and techniques.
Therefore, if you happen to already be an avid golfer, you can pick up a set of clubs and a tee and a few balls and start a golf coaching center.
You won’t believe how many people struggle with holding a proper posture for making afore.
With these business ideas, you can go forth and produce master golfers.
7. Hot Air Balloon Rides
Africa is known for its natural mysteries.
People yearn to explore through the wilderness, and this is where a good hot air balloon business can pop up.
Create your business plan and check if you have competitors.
This way, you could get an idea of the price range and how the business might work.
It will also help you to add your creative spin, that is, how you would do things differently.
Do you want these business ideas running only on weekends, or do you want it full time?
Will you expand your business within a certain time frame?
You should also get some training on flying hot air balloons or you could employ a pilot.
Know about the weather patterns in the area where you will set up your business ideas.
Too windy is obviously no help.
Also, the larger the balloon, the greater the number of passengers it can take, and the greater the expense.
So, it is up to you to decide whether you want many small balloons, which would be easier to manage, or a few large balloons.
Do keep in mind that you might deal with certain road transport regulations, licenses, and insurance issues.
Last but not least, think about the design of the hot air balloon and buy the burner system, basket, and balloon envelope.
8. Ice Cream Shop
Setting up an ice cream shop is very easy, and quite similar to setting up a tea stall.
Ice cream is a delight for almost everyone, so, these business ideas will bring a lot of joy.
Just choose your target customers, set up a small stall, and sell ice creams of different flavors.
Of course, you need to keep a small freezer in handy.
Other than the usual ingredients and flavors used in ice creams, you could take further steps and do different things.
Play happy music to attract attention, and dress up into various characters to cheer children.
You might also sell candies and balloons along with the ice cream.
9. Jewelry Designer
Designing jewelry is easy but only if you have a knack for it.
While designing does take a long time, it takes even more time and energy to gather the materials and think of different designs.
A good idea is to use everyday recyclable items to save costs, such as metals, clothes, plastics, etc.
You can ensure a large customer base by selling your products online.
Instagram and Pinterest will immensely help you, especially if you can provide beautiful photographs of your work!
Change designs, experiment with different styles and colors so that the customers get something different from you every time.
10. Knitting/Crocheting Lessons
We often see our grandmothers knitting and giving us sweaters, socks, and gloves, on special occasions.
Knitting has always been done with care and love.
Knitting and crocheting are simply not hobbies anymore.
These are wonderful business ideas, with a very low-investment, and large profit.
Knitting and crocheting require talent and focus, so you can be successful in this business only if you are good at it.
Bring home small scissors, yarn, and other types of threads, fabrics, knitting needles, rulers and measurement tapes, stitch markers, crochet hooks and you are already halfway in setting up your business.
Start a business with easy products such as baby socks or baby caps, then work your way into larger items.
You do not need a separate space for this business.
Knit your products at home and sell them online!
11. Logo Design
Various companies and businesses require logos for marketing purposes.
Logo designing for them is easy money.
You can do it at the convenience of your home, with some help from the Internet and professional software such as Photoshop and Illustrator.
There may be some mobile apps that could help you make logos as well, such as Canva, which provide you with ready to use fonts, templates, and themes.
Once you have a portfolio of logos, you could try expanding your business ideas.
12. Outdoor Adventures
Creating a venue for outdoor adventures might be a very big undertaking, but you already own a piece of land filled with trees.
It’s better to make use of that and convert it into an adventure camp instead of clearing the trees and constructing houses on it.
It’s just a small investment on your part, but it is a big business ideas.
All you need to do is set up a few treehouses, an archery range, and a cycle racing track and you will be set with a basic adventure camp.
13. Basement Remodeler
While most people use their basements as a storage space, or for laundry, you can sell them something more useful.
A basement can be a home theater, a man cave, an arcade – whatever your mind can cook up.
But your mind does have to cook up these ideas if you want to start a business of the basement remodeling type.
Just find potential clientele for your business and show them your ideas and designs and they will reach into their pockets to turn their useless basements into something more useful.
14. Carpet/Upholstery Cleaning
Carpet and upholstery cleaning is nothing like washing your clothes.
It is something that is beyond the scope of what a housewife or a maid can do in your house.
Carpets are big and they require some manpower to move.
Above all, you need to remove all furniture from the room before doing it.
And once you are done cleaning, it takes days for the carpet to dry, before the furniture can be moved back in again.
So, most people resort to vacuuming it.
But vacuuming can do only so much.
Eventually, people have to call a carpet cleaning service – and with a low-investment, that can be you, if you choose to get into the carpet cleaning business ideas.
This business idea may be far-fetched for some, but if you have the resources, go for it.
15. Crafting Classes
Crafting is an art form that has allowed us to advance as a race.
We wouldn’t be here if we didn’t learn how to craft baskets for gathering, pottery for cooking, and weapons for hunting.
While we may be far from those days, people are still interested in arts and crafts.
If you have a knack for such stuff, you could make a good business out of it with a low-investment.
Just start providing crafting classes and you will be set.
If you ask the participants/learners to bring their own materials for the crafting projects, you are going to end up spending almost nothing as your investment.
16. Dance Instructor
If dancing is your true passion and you want to pass it down to others, you could teach dancing.
This is more than a business idea, this might be your passion – you might have thought of this before, but somehow did not feel motivated enough.
Africa has so many different cultures and types of dances, that you could easily lose count.
You could use this as your selling point in your business.
If you are familiar with African dance moves in addition to Western styles such as salsa, flamenco, Zumba, or ballet, you could try to teach those to your students.
Technically, for a dance school, all you need is adequate space, mirrors, and music but if you want to add elements of fitness into your dance, some other equipment may be necessary.
In this case, it is wise to collaborate with fitness instructors and other personnel.
17. Day Care Service
The biggest concern for working parents is the well-being of their children when they are away at work.
Neighboring teenagers acting as babysitters might be a thing in the US, but it also comes with its own set of worries.
So, instead, parents choose to send kids to a daycare, where they can be sure that the children are well-protected and cared for by experts.
If you want to start a daycare service business yourself, you need to ensure that the parents can be worry-free while you are taking care of their babies.
That’s why it is important to make a low-investment behind CCTV cameras that the parents can access at any time and the rest will fall into place.
18. Event Organizing
Planning a wedding or a birthday party is no small matter.
The bigger a shindig you want to throw, the more difficult it becomes.
Luckily, event organizers are always there to save the day.
You will also need to throw in some coin to gather a group of photographers, videographers, caterers, and decorators and you are in the event organizing business.
And also, you don’t have to even go big here.
You can invest and hire students who are willing to do these things in their spare time.
You’d be surprised how many gems you can find among students and amateur photographers.
19. Financial Planner
Financial advisors, planners, or consultants are sought after by many of the big businesses.
If you are particularly skilled in this department, you can make an investment behind business cards, a logo, and a website and publicize your skills.
You will be advising different businesses and giving them business ideas in no time.
However, finding the first few leads would be your toughest challenge in this business.
20. Gardening Consultant
A gardening consultant’s services work in two folds:
- They provide designs, ideas, and layout of your garden.
- They provide the necessary manpower and materials to make that design come to fruition.
If you are a green-finger and want to decorate and build gardens for wealthy individuals, this business is for you.
It doesn’t cost much other than your knowledge, all the rest will be paid for by your clientele.
21. Interior Decorating
The inner organizer in you might have some neat ideas on decorating homes and spaces.
Every square foot of your home matters, and can be made to look more appealing and be functional at the same time thanks to interior decorating.
The investment is pretty small, if you try with small things first, for example setting up lighting, using decorative plants, pots, showpieces, artworks, etc.
You can collaborate with local artists to install their artworks in different homes for interior decorating.
Handwoven items such as rugs, table mats, bowls, and other decorative pieces can be put to good use.
It would be a great idea if you could scour out local handweavers and showcase their products.
Slowly you could expand your business and use recycled material to create handmade paper, furniture, pillow covers, and so much more.
The possibilities are endless here.
22. Music Teaching
Either you could take singing lessons or you could teach various musical instruments, or you could simply do both.
If you have talent in certain instruments and you believe you can teach them, this business is pretty easy, with very low investment.
You could ask your customers to bring their instruments.
If they do not own them, you could advise them on how to buy them.
Buying multiple instruments might become costly, which is why clients bringing their instruments is a safer option.
The more classes you take, the more the money but it is always better to start slow and learn wisely.
Build a reputation among your students so that your talent reaches out to other interested people.
Culminate different types of music, from classics to reggae to African contemporary into the classes so that the students can enjoy it.
Create a good sound system in the space where you will conduct your lessons.
23. Sales Trainer
Making sales is a difficult job with lots of hard work and uncertainty.
However, it’s a lot easier to just read up on the material and give the people the sales training that they need.
And if you happen to be an experienced salesman yourself, this business is just right for you.
Just start the business by creating an online crash course on sales training, do a little advertising for your courses, and watch the money roll in.
It’s big business ideas for a small investment.
24. Soap and Lotion Making
With so many chemicals in the cosmetics out there, people are looking for more organic alternatives nowadays.
A deep cleansing gel made out of Aloe Vera and Coconut oil or a Soap made of Neem extract is just the thing any health-conscious woman would be looking for.
So, these are homemade products that sell well in a niche market.
If you know the market well, try turning it into a business.
25. Sports Coaching and Training
Have you always been an athletic spirit?
Does your neighborhood know that?
If they do, this is your chance to do something about it.
Set up a signboard and let the world know that you are ready to offer your training insights on various sports.
Of course, you should consider the kind of sport that is popular in your country and area.
This way you can get an idea of what you will teach and what customers may come to you.
You can be inclusive of all ages.
Sports equipment can be easily found and bought, but finding an open ground for training might be difficult.
If you put some effort you can invest in this business and make wonders.
26. Art Lessons
African art is highly sought after, both in Africa and other continents.
But it’s something abundant in Africa.
It’s just a matter of handpicking the hidden talents.
And what better way to explore than to open up an art tutoring center and giving out art lessons.
If you have the artistic caliber and experience with a pencil and a brush, you can easily turn it into a profitable business.
It will require just a low-investment behind the space needed to accommodate the art students.
27. Bicycle Repair
A bicycle is a very basic mechanical device that transforms force into velocity, giving its rider a mechanical advantage when riding.
Due to its simple nature, it doesn’t take long for someone to start learning how to repair a bicycle and tune it.
Once you have the know-how, get yourself a toolbox, a bucket, and a sponge and open up a bicycle repair business.
Whenever you get a customer who is here for servicing, give the bike a wash, grease the moving parts and you are all done with the servicing.
It’s a good business for a small investment.
28. Cooking Class Instructor
Cooking is a difficult undertaking for some and a fun pastime for the others.
If you are one of the people gifted with a talent for making delicious food, you should consider sharing your knowledge and skills with others less fortunate.
Start a business by up a cooking class and distribute leaflets, letting everyone know that you are open for business.
Don’t forget to add some appetizing pictures of tasty treats in the leaflets.
29. Custom Embroidery
Embroidery gives a particular charismatic sheen to a dress, which is very appealing.
However, embroidery by hand could take hours.
If you want to run a business and take it fast, then it is best if you get an embroidery machine that will help you in your job.
You will need to invest in different types of threads, various fabrics.
And also develop many embroidery techniques as you progress through your business, just in case you want to try hand embroidery.
For starters, try embroidery on dresses, children’s clothes, baby clothes, bags and purses, pillow covers, etc.
Then you can slowly work your way towards curtains, mats, rugs, and pillow covers.
30. Family History Writer (Genealogical Service)
While most of the people in modern times have started to go by their own names and deeds, some people still hold on to their traditions and want to remember the old days.
Some people want to learn and value their ancestral history.
For them, you can start a business by opening a genealogical service.
Not only would it help them document their past.
But also learn about the history of their genetics, giving them a better insight into what genetic diseases they are susceptible to and how they may avoid them.
31. Graphic Designer
Graphic designers have demanded in many different fields.
Web Designing, Logo Designing, Business Card Designing, Letterhead Designing, Cover Page designing, and lot more.
If you have the know-how and the artistic talent for the job, start providing your graphic designing services.
You may turn it into a business once you find a fixed set of clientele through Upwork or such a service, making it a very good starting business.
32. Haberdashing Business
Hats are a sign of classiness.
Although the days are gone where a hat was indispensable for men’s fashion, people still value this headwear for different reasons.
Whether they are wearing hats for religious reasons or hide their baldness, or just to look plain sharper in a suit, hats still fly.
However, haberdashers are declining in number, meaning that the field is opening up for any prospective haberdasher.
Try opening up your Haberdashing service and craft custom hats for your customers, making it a unique business idea.
33. Speaking and Presentation Coaching
In modern times, communication is the single most important skill to have.
However, some people lack confidence and as a result, they develop introversion.
They have a hard time presenting themselves and speaking comfortably.
This is where you could pitch in!
If you are someone comfortable in your own skin and know how to engage a crowd, you can easily turn it into a business.
There is always a certain degree of nervousness when it comes to talking to strangers or crowds in general, but you will know the steps to overcome these issues.
If you could teach these skills, not only will you earn money, you will also feel great about helping someone achieve the confidence they were looking for.
34. Art Restoration Services
As a starting business in the field of art, one needs to take some time to learn the history of art and sculptures.
Once you know what makes art great, you can start a business of art restoration.
The way it works is that you find antiques and artworks that are almost in the ruins and repair it to a condition so that it lasts for even longer, increasing its value even further over time.
It’s a good starting business and many people have already started working on this business idea in China, Japan, and the US.
You can make money using this business and help preserve art.
It’s a win-win situation for everyone.
35. Baby Proofing Service
When a baby is born, apart from all the love in the world it also deserves safety and security.
There are so many ways that a baby can hurt itself and permanently get scars.
For any parent, the idea can be shuddering.
Your baby proofing service would be appreciated at that point.
The investment is not too much and pretty simple.
You just need soft materials, preferably rubber or foam, and cover sharp corners where a baby could get hurt.
For example, the corner of a chair, or a table, or doors.
You could place rubber mats on entire floors so that when the baby learns to walk it does not hurt itself.
There are several other ways of babyproofing.
You need to prepare adequate research and then buy the required items.
Sell yourself both on the streets and online and make money easily!
36. Bicycle Rentals
One of the business ideas that’s going to fly well around a beach or a safari park is bicycle rentals.
Basically, you need to start this business by making a low-investment behind buying different types of bicycles.
It’s going to be better if you come to a contract or some sort of agreement with bicycle companies before starting this business.
Buying bicycles wholesale is going to save you money in this endeavor.
Just remember to get a mountain bike, a fat bike, and a road bike at least, before starting a business.
37. Furniture Making
Furniture making is a really easy and effective way of making money.
While there are several traditional materials used to make furniture, mainly wood, board, steel, PVC, etc., that might become costly, there are simpler materials as well.
For cost-effective furniture making, the best way is to use recyclable materials.
For example, old clothes can be upcycled and used to create chairs or couches.
It would produce a funky look and also be functional at the same time.
Bamboo or cane can be used to create all kinds of furniture, such as rocking chairs, baby cots, seats, patio tables, etc.
You will find more information as you make your business plan.
You should pick a name for your business based on the type of furniture you are willing to sell.
38. Maid/guard/driver Service
As a starting business with a low-investment, you could consider starting a human resource service as one of the best business ideas.
This is due to the fact that many people are looking for a job as a maid, guard, or driver and you should be there to refer them.
Once referred, you can take a commission and keep reeling in the cash.
However, bear in mind that this will just be one of the local businesses and you won’t be able to go international with it.
39. Mobile Hair Salon
One of the best business ideas that I have heard came from a friend, who told me how he opened up a mobile hair salon.
What is a mobile hair salon?
Well, you make a low-investment behind some grooming equipment, put them inside a rented van with a chair, and drive around town looking for a client.
RELATED: HOW TO START A LUCRATIVE SALON BUSINESS IN KENYA
If you don’t want to be a barber, you can hire multiple people to increase your income.
However, this is going to increase the investment required for this business.
40. Computer Training
Starting a business in IT is difficult.
So, you may opt to choose a simpler business idea for a low-investment.
All you need is a few computers and a handful of technophobes to teach.
You won’t believe the number of computer-illiterates out there.
In fact, with the next generations being more fixated on mobile phones, unlike the millennials, they are not getting any practice using computers.
Soon, we are going to have a generation that prefers using cellular devices over computers, leaving a huge gap in the office place for computer users.
That’s where your business idea will shine and prove to persist through generations.
41. Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing seems to be a small business idea for some.
However, for companies like Spruce, it is a huge deal.
The business idea is being affiliated with Amazon to promote the sales of their products and get a percentage of their sales amount.
RELATED: AFFILIATE MARKETING: HOW TO START?
All you need to do is make users click an affiliate link, and after that, any product they purchase in Amazon over the next 24 hours, will get you a royalty.
Starting a business in this way would be beneficial for someone who has enough time to invest.
42. App Creator
The best business idea for the modern era would definitely be app creation.
As evidenced by the popularity of certain apps like Flappy Bird, it is obvious that this is doable by a single person.
Even if you can’t go big like Flappy birds, you can at least make a small business out of app development.
You don’t always need a big team for creating useful apps.
43. eBay Selling
For a starting business, a good small business idea is to buy used products from pawn shops and selling them on eBay for a little higher price.
With the bidding system open, who knows?
You might even end up making a large fortune on a specific product.
This will be a small investment business from home.
44. Internet Researcher
One of the most innovative business ideas would be starting a business of internet researching.
While it might not be one of the most successful small business ideas, it can definitely satisfy the needs of a niche market.
And the biggest benefit of catching a niche market is that, since they are not widespread.
And the prices do not fluctuate and seem to stay a bit above the average range.
This means, that whenever you choose to research a client, you are susceptible to getting paid more.
45. SEO Specialist
The search engine optimization was not even a business idea even two decades ago.
Right now, it is one of the most important businesses for other businesses.
The way it works is by optimizing keywords and through proper linking and interlinking on a business website, making it more visible on Google search results.
If your business website comes up on the top, you are going to get more customers.
The people you pay for this optimization gets money from you.
It’s a good starting business for someone with knowledge of SEO.
You can even evolve an SEO business to an affiliate marketing business, combining it with some internet research.
46. UI/UX Design
UI/UX Designers develop user interfaces for different apps, video games, and websites, that give their users are a better experience.
Hence, it is known as UI/UX (User Interface/User Experience) Design.
For starting a business in this field, one must be a professional graphics designer with a good idea of what the users of a certain app might want.
47. Website Developer
Many people are picking up web development as a starting business in the field of IT.
This is because of the availability of packages like WordPress that make the act of building a website so easy.
They start the business by creating accounts in Upwork and other media and garnering popularity.
Once they gain enough popularity, they move on to provide professional web development services by starting a business and opening a company.
48. Advertising Agency
Advertising agencies work on the business idea of creating advertising campaigns for different clients.
These clients might be big businesses or small businesses, looking to promote their products or services.
The advertisement might be through any media, such as Facebook, Brochures, or TV commercials.
It’s a good small business idea if you want to start off with just social media advertisement for a start.
49. Commercial Real Estate Broker
Commercial real estate brokers work as mediators between a house seller and a potential buyer.
To start a business in real estate, you should realize that it is not a small business idea.
You need to go big and create a website and integrate an IDX plugin for it to work.
Apart from that, if you want your business to flourish, you need to have a convincing personality.
And go out in the real world and do some footwork.
50. Day Spa
Who does not want to take a break at a spa and get their feet and hands done with a great back massage as a bonus?
Starting a business of day spa would be a good business idea, especially for the tourists who hang around all day and want some relaxation and peace of mind.
For them, you could make the place look exotic, and use all kinds of traditional perfumes, oils, cosmetic products, etc.
However, you must ensure the safety of the brands that you will use.
You want to look good in your business, so obviously you should pick a theme or a color scheme and order your products from the right business organizations.
You can’t do everything alone.
The spa business is the type where you have to employ trained people.
You will not be able to handle multiple customers and give them mud baths, manicures, pedicures, or facials all at once.
51. Demolition/Wrecking Contractor
A Demolition contractor helps out people clear out old houses so that they may build a new one on the plot.
Sometimes, this business requires you to demolish more than houses.
You may need to clear some trees and bushes as well.
So, starting a business in this field might require more than just a handful of men, mind you.
You might need to buy some heavy-duty construction equipment.
Or you may contact other businesses and give them leads and take a small commission from them.
Whichever business idea works for you.
52. Funeral Services
Starting a business of funeral service might be difficult, but also worth a lot of money.
You will have to deal with emotional clients, but also not let emotions get in the way of business.
Each client wants something different.
Some might want to be buried in a specific manner.
Others might want to light up a funeral pyre.
Therefore, your business should be able to cater to these needs.
Some clients prefer light forms of entertainment (coffin dance, anyone?), music, food, a bright atmosphere, lovely decorations, etc.
Since the needs of clients are varying, you need to be able to prepare for it and adapt very quickly.
Collaborate with catering services so that when your funeral services are required, their business gets a heads up as well!
Or, you could cater to food yourself, if you prefer to work alone.
53. Fitness Rental Equipment
One very small business idea would be the renting of gym equipment.
The way this business would work is basically buying some fitness equipment and renting them out to people who want to work out at home.
In the COVID-19 situation, the number of home exercisers increased and this is the time to shine in this business.
Just start a business like this today, so that you may reap the benefits tomorrow.
54. Mobile Billboard Service
This is a fun business to start with.
You have to contact with anything that moves!
Buses, trains, and certain transport vehicles can provide space for advertisements.
Also, the ad companies will get money and you get your share too.
For this business idea to start, you might have to run around for quite a long time.
55. Musical Instrument Leasing
Musical instrument leasing is a fairly great business if you have a large number of instruments lying around.
You should not simply stick to typically used instruments such as guitars.
Ukuleles, flutes, drums- you should keep them all in handy.
Leasing musical instruments will definitely make money for you easily.
56. Porta Potty Rental Business
Portable bathrooms are very important, especially if there are no public restrooms around.
It would be great for tourists, who are far from their hotel rooms and might need to use the bathrooms in case of emergencies.
Just contact a business that sells porta-potties and start your business by buying a couple of those.
Set them up next to a concert venue or where a gathering is happening and watch your business grow without any effort.
57. Residence for the Elderly
It is sad to see a child abandon their parents, after all, they have done.
But the least you can do is to ensure that the elderly have a safe place to retire to, once they have nobody else in their lives.
If you have a big home with many rooms, you should consider opening up a retirement home instead of just leasing it out to a tenant.
It would be much more profitable and you will be doing people a great service.
58. Security Business
Starting a security business might not be an easy undertaking.
You need to hire manpower, provide adequate training, and then rent out your men for providing security to different homes and businesses.
This is a good business ideas if you are ready to go the extra mile for it.
59. Aquarium Maintenance
Whenever looking for a small business idea, the idea of cleaning aquariums seldom comes to mind.
However, if you start a business in this field, you are going to realize that you will be the single most important business that keeps an aquarium business alive.
A large aquarium for people to visit and see, cannot even survive without your services.
However, it is important to note that you need to do proper research on the demand for this before starting a business.
60. Building Maintenance Service
Building maintenance is a lot of work.
That’s why this job is almost exclusively left for experts.
Almost no landlord maintains their buildings with their own hands.
That’s because, to keep a building in shape, you are going to need carpenters, plumbers, electricians, gardeners, and a lot more people with different specialties.
If you happen to have connections with such people, this business idea is for you.
With this, you can make money due to most of the landowners being wealthy.
61. Repairman
You can be a repairman or a contractor who provides repairmen.
In either case, you can be sure that you are going to appeal to a large market due to things always breaking down.
Whether it is a wristwatch that needs the batteries replaced, bracers fixed or an appliance that broke down, you are always going to need a repairman.
So, if you have contacts with repairmen with different types of specializations, you can opt to start a business of repairing.
All you need to do is contact the repairmen and give them their assignments and take a commission from them for giving them the business lead.
62. Locksmith
There is nothing more frustrating than losing your keys, forgetting them in your home, or locking yourself out in a car.
Luckily, there are locksmiths around, who can help you out in situations like these.
While locksmithing is an art that takes precise hand movements and patience, you can start a locksmithing business with a small investment.
All you have to invest would be your time and not money.
63. Pest Control Service
Killing cockroaches and spiders might not be the first thing someone wants to do as a business – but it is something that absolutely needs to be done.
Fortunately, you don’t have to pick up your sandal and start killing all the cockroaches one by one.
All you need is a fumigator and some toxic gas and you can start with the pest control business.
64. Storage Service
This is a small business idea that can revolutionize your income.
Buy a space or a warehouse.
Offer people the option to store their unused valuables in your storeroom.
If you can provide security and timely delivery and access to the items, you can easily make a big business out of it with just a low-investment.
You can make money without even doing anything in this business.
65. Tailoring Service
It’s OK if you don’t know tailoring yourself.
You can still get started on a tailoring service.
For starting a business of this sort, you need to find a good tailor, hire him or her while you handle the cash register.
66. Vending Machine Owner
Just buy a few vending machines and fill them up with chips and drinks.
Place the machines at different public venues and you are all set.
Watch the money roll in without even making an effort.
67. Handmade Cosmetic Sales
The most difficult part of this business is not the sales part.
It’s the handmade part.
But if you have the know-how and the time to do it, you could start this business right away.
Unfortunately, if you don’t have the know-how, you might have to spend time behind learning and that also becomes a part of your investment.
You can make money from home if you adopt this business idea.
68. Leaflet distributing
Leaflet distribution might sound like very small business ideas.
But imagine finding 1000 people who would be potential customers and then hand over leaflets to them.
Instead, you find a person who specializes in it and gives the leaflets to him.
It’s a much simpler solution.
All you need to do to be that person is to find people who are ready to make a little money in their spare time and ask them to distribute the leaflet in a specific place.
If you have a good enough team, you can cover a larger area and distribute the leaflet to a larger market.
69. Moving Service
Assemble a team of bulky and brawny men and buy yourself loads of tape and cardboard boxes.
One of the ideas is that rent a pickup truck and put out the ads that you are in business.
Start getting phone calls after phone calls, requesting you to come over and help them move.
70. Personal Concierge
Hiring a group of desperate people and training them into sophisticated, full-time servers is not an easy task.
But it is a business one can start with a small investment.
Promise them to pay based upon their employment, and promise them the employment opportunity and free training.
Eventually, you will have a handful of desperate men, whom you are going to turn into experienced butlers.
Then send the butlers to wealthy families and reap the benefits.
This is a unique business ideas, so keep it to yourself.
71. Matchmaking services
Finding the right person to be your life partner is difficult.
That’s why you need to be prepared.
Let everyone know that you are here to get them married to the right person and have them submit their Bio-data to you.
Now, just go through the bio-data and make the perfect match and get people married.
It’s simple, yet rewarding.
Not to mention that happy couples would be ready to reward you generously for finding them the right mates.
Starting this business takes time and patience.
72. T-Shirt Business
Design T-Shirts using Illustrator and print them.
You can sell them out of your van, the window of your house, or at a mall kiosk.
Learning to use illustrator is something you can do in a month and buying T-shirts in bulks from third world countries like Bangladesh will give you a great edge in the business.
You can eventually evolve your ideas into a huge fashion mogul through this business.
73. Yoga Classes
Learning yoga is difficult and is, under no circumstance, something you can learn in a day.
But if you are someone who has been involved in learning and practicing yoga for a very long time.
You can be sure that you will be able to make good money by opening a yoga studio.
Start a business by renting a place and filling it up with as many yoga mats as fits and see the participants coming in.
74. 3D Printing Business
3D Printing is a booming business in today’s world.
However, even today, not many people have a 3D Printer at home.
So, you can use these ideas and help them out by just buying one yourself and doing 3D printing for them.
All it costs is a printer, some hours learning the 3D software and you will be set for this business.
75. Cigar Shop
Cigarettes and cigars are the most common forms of drugs in the world.
In fact, they are the only legal drugs out there for the consumers.
This leads to many consumers out in the world.
If you can provide cigars that range from fine to cheap, you are sure to be making a lot of sales.
Starting this business is safe, whether you do it from an established building or the side of the road.
76. Collection Agency
Whenever it’s the time for someone to make a payment after work, they start having all complaints about your work to evade paying you.
Above that, if someone takes a loan from you, you can be sure that you will be spending hours each month trying to call him/her to get your money back.
And also to help people with collecting the money they are owed, you need to come up with manpower, psychological manipulation techniques, and processes to collect for your clients.
77. Dog Trainer
A dog is a very useful companion for a person.
However, an untrained dog is just a liability.
You don’t want the headaches of dealing with people’s complaints because of your dog attacking them, or pooping in their yard.
You want to train it in a way that it can be of some help to you and not a nuisance.
That’s where you come in and train their dogs.
It doesn’t take more than a 9-hour online course to learn how to train a dog.
Take business ideas and start the business today.
78. Drone Business
For real estate agents or just people wanting to sell their houses, you would want to help them out by taking aerial pictures of their houses.
What would you need for that?
Just a camera drone.
Once you have one, you are all set for getting into the drone business.
If you want to go one step further, just get yourself multiple drones and start renting them out to different people for a steady source of income.
79. Electrical Contractor/Electrician
Everyone had needed an electrician at least once in their house.
You can either fulfill these demands by becoming an electrician yourself and helping people out with appliance installations and solving electrical wiring problems.
Eventually, when you are more experienced in the field, have more contacts, and learned more about the craft, you can go on to hire and provide electricians to different houses.
This way, not only you are using your expertise, but making money from all directions as an electrical contractor.
80. Fence Installation Service
Installing a fence around your house to keep unwanted guests and thieves away is very important.
Not only does it remind the neighbors of the borders of their properties, but fences also make your house look more beautiful and safe.
And if you happen to have a pet, you can bet that you need to ensure that it does not go outside the boundary and get lost.
To help them with that, you learn a little about how to install fences, from either a book, a professional, or a video, and go ahead and start your own business.
81. Formal Wear Rental Service
Custom-made tuxedos and complete suits for men are expensive.
Especially when you intend to use it only once for one special occasion.
Spending that much behind clothing just for a day is a wasteful endeavor in some people’s eyes.
Hence, they go out looking for a formal wear rental service.
The providers are scarce, meaning that the market is open.
Just choose a few typical body sizes and have formal wear of different colors made for those sizes.
And watch as people come in and reuse the same formal wear for different occasions.
Starting this business is just that simple.
82. Framing Service
Even though everyone is taking a selfie and taking photos digitally, the demands for framed pictures remain.
Everyone wants their cherished memories to hang on their walls, beautifying their rooms in the process.
And framing a picture is no big deal.
You take pieces of recycled wood, or just plain old by-products of your carpentry, and frame a picture.
It’s so easy that you can do it after watching a youtube video or two.
83. Instant Signs
Instant signs are signs that are created on the fly, on spot.
That means the owner can get a signboard ready without having to go to a graphics designer first to have the billboard drawing ready.
And then going to a printing company to have the whole thing printed and then paying people to put the sign-up.
For starting this business, you can just take a bucket of paint and a paintbrush, and prepare the signboard right then and there without a worry in the world.
It costs just as much as a few buckets of paint and an assortment of the paintbrush.
Occasionally, a ladder.
84. Jet Ski Rentals
Whenever tourists go to a tourist spot or the beach, they would want to and love to ride the waves at high-speeds to feel the adrenaline rush.
Unfortunately, no one would want to buy a jet ski for just having a 5-minute ride per year.
But you would.
You would buy a jet ski and rent it to the tourist so that they can get the fun they are yearning and don’t even have to pay a ton behind buying one just for a day.
You make money, the tourists stay happy, it’s a double win.
85. Massage Therapist
Massage has a lot of health benefits.
Especially for the people who are investing hours of their lives, sitting on chairs during their desk jobs.
Unfortunately, Massage Parlors come with somewhat of a bad reputation with them, due to them running a brothel racket.
If you can start a reputable, legal, massage parlor, the reputation alone can get you tons of business ideas.
And the investment you need is nothing more than your arms and a massage table.
86. Power Wash Service
To start a power washing service, all you need is a power washer.
That’s it.
While people struggle with stains on their cars, or the floors or the moss on their walls, you go up to them and clear their problems using hot water and a lot of pressure.
It’s fun, it’s cheap and it’s easy.
A power washing service shouldn’t be very difficult for you as a starting business.
87. Sports Equipment Sales
Badminton rackets on the days without the wind.
Soccer balls for the rainy days.
Baseballs for sunny days.
We have evolved into lifestyles now that is far from our primitive hunter-gatherer days and have more time for luxury and enjoyment.
Whether you are selling to kids or adults, sports equipment always has a demand and you should be there to fulfill it.
Make money and make the kids happy.
88. Trophy/Engraving Service
Trophy and engraving services are underestimated at all times.
Every single office needs an engraved signboard outside their buildings.
Also, every gun needs engraved handles to fetch higher prices.
Every tournament needs its trophies engraved with the winners’ names.
Engraving is a business that is always going to exist because the engraving is an art form that never goes out of style.
89. Vacuum Cleaner Repair
Vacuum cleaners are indispensable tools in a modern household.
It has been one since the 1960s.
And whenever one breaks down, the people in charge of the home break into a panic.
You walk up to them and ask them not to fear because you are here.
Fixing vacuum cleaners are easy and fast.
You can fix a lot of vacuum cleaners and start the business today to give the owners great ease of mind in a day, making a lot of earnings.
90. Video Production Company
A video production company can provide a multitude of services, increasing the avenues for you to make money.
You may also hire a professional videographer, or just learn it yourself and go to different wedding venues to shoot the events.
Then put the events on the computer, add some nice effects using after effects and sell them for tons.
Or you can find incidents to shoot and sell them to news companies for video coverage.
Either way, you are going to be paid.
91. Ride-sharing services
A taxi service might require a lot of investment for a starting business, given that you have to buy cars, paint them into taxis and hire drivers for the trips.
However, a ride-sharing service costs nothing.
Just create an app to allow the registered riders to find passengers, and take a share of their fares, while they use their cars and fuel and expertise to make the rides.
It’s a win-win situation for all three parties involved.
It’s no wonder that Uber is a rich company.
92. Leatherworking
Leatherworking is essentially different from tailoring.
Much different.
The cost of leather is actually lower than you would expect.
That is because, when you are browsing a leather jacket and see a large price tag on it, the cost of the raw materials is not what’s contributing to its expense – it’s the cost of production.
The cost of making leather jackets and shoes are higher than the leather and materials required to make them.
That’s why, if you can provide the expertise, you are going to end up making tons of money out of the deal.
93. Solar Panel Installation
Solar electricity is not only environmentally friendly but can also save you a lot of money.
However, most people have no idea how to install a solar panel, connect it to batteries, and power a whole house and its appliances.
That’s where you come in.
Also, using your electrical knowledge and experience, you would be setting up solar panels in different homes.
Not only would you be making good profits from selling batteries, inverters, and solar panels, but also will be paid for your expertise and services.
Double Profit.
94. Auto modification
While starting this business might require a little more investment than the others, the Auto Modification business can give you great returns.
Given that auto modifications are mostly done by people who do it for luxury and not out of need, they are usually people with money to spare.
So, you may charge them a hefty sum to work on their automobile and transform their looks.
For example, an RV conversion could take from 4000 to 11 thousand dollars for the materials and services.
However, for these services, the standard going rates would be around 20000 dollars, making one project worth 9000 dollars profit.
And that is in US dollars.
95. Ikebana
Ikebana is an art of arranging flowers.
You have to open a floral shop where you can sell flowers to different customers for different occasions.
Roses on Valentines’ day, bouquets for weddings – all can be found in your floral shop.
However, what would make your floral shop stand out as a “classy” one would be the use of Ikebana to liven up the whole place.
Once customers enter your flower shop, they will be willing to pay more just for the classiness and the ambiance of the place.
Learning Ikebana is easy when you have free access to Youtube.
96. Pottery business
While handmade pottery is a thing of the past and nobody eats on a clay plate anymore, the pottery business isn’t dead yet.
Companies are making millions selling china clay potteries and custom, artists-painted regular clay potteries to clients with a good eye for art.
Given that the raw materials required for this business are abundant in this world, you can start the business ideas without spending a dime.
97. Data mining
Also known as cryptocurrency mining or bitcoin mining by some, Data Mining is a booming business in the modern world.
Although the market keeps fluctuating, there’s always money to be made in this business.
During their peaks, you can even end up becoming a Billionaire through these business ideas, as evidenced in the past.
The way it works is that you build a strong computer rig and use it to compute data needed for different companies and research.
In return, they pay you back with cryptocurrencies.
98. Stuffed Toys
Kids love toys.
You can contribute to their jolly giggles by making them plush toys.
All you need to do is to learn the art of stuffing cotton into cute little shapes.
Start easy, for example, bananas, geometric shapes, moon, stars, and then head on to creating cartoon characters.
99. Data Entry
There are a lot of companies and research projects who are dealing with tons of raw data.
Whether it is because of the data being initially recorded on paper, or the different formats of the software and the datasheets, most of the companies dealing with tons of raw data, require some form of Data Entry process.
And most of the times, companies from the first world countries outsource the data tasks.
You can easily assemble a team of students or low-income people, and have them enter the data for these foreign companies at a very low cost.
Not only will you be making money, but also be creating job opportunities for people who need it the most.
100. Tour Guide
Africa is a country that is well known for its heritage, famous flora and fauna, and diverse culture.
Starting a business as a tour guide, or as a supplier of tour guides would be very profitable.
However, it should be noted that this business will be only viable during the tourist seasons.
So, if you are planning on hiring 20 something tour guides and train them for this purpose, make sure you have the funding required to keep paying their salaries during off-seasons.
Protip: Try to hire freelance or part-time tour guides during the peak seasons to avoid this problem and save money.
1. How do I decide what business to start?
There should be a lot of things to take into consideration whenever trying to start a business.
However, one should consider these three things before choosing to start a business.
Ask yourself these three questions before deciding to start a business:
1. Which business has a good market?
2. Do you have the required knowledge about this product or service?
3. Do you have the money required to fund this business?
If the answers to all these three questions are yes, then you are good to go.
If you are unsure about any of these three, it’s better to explore your options further.
2. What are the 5 most profitable businesses?
There is no easy answer to this question.
Depending on the amount of investment made behind a business, the profits can vary.
For example, Youtube was worth 4.6 Billion Dollars when Google bought it off.
Now it stands at 160 Billion Dollars.
Even if we chalk it up as a profitable business, most people will not have the finances required to start a business as such.
But if we are looking to get a ballpark idea, we can say that Restaurant businesses, Real Estate, Fashion, Transportation, and Medical Services will turn out to be profitable.
This is because the increasing population in the world increases the demands of the people’s basic needs such as Food, Accommodation, Clothing, and Treatment.
3. What is the safest business to start?
The safest business is the one that has a very low chance of failure.
As such, for the people in Africa, the safest business option might be opening up a restaurant.
However, one should not get carried away and start with expensive decorations and a large area, hiring a five-star chef for their restaurant.
If the businessman has no idea about the local food demands, it is better to start with the staple foods that people have every day.
So, starting a business with a food stall selling Sadza, Ugali, and Nsima – things that people normally eat – would ensure that there is always a demand for your business.
4. Which industry is most profitable?
In this day and age, the most profitable business industry to be in would be Information Technology.
This is due to the world currently being in the technological era, with the majority of the world having access to some form of technology.
This roughly translates into you being able to have the entire world as your market, when you are in this business.
Conclusion
Above all, future generations are invested in the world of IT.
So, you don’t risk losing your business ideas anytime soon, even if the generation changes.
And once you can establish a business that is running through two different generations, you end up having a brand as big as Coca Cola.
