If you want to run a side gig, here are some easy small business ideas for you:
With video content becoming more popular by the year, transcription services become even more important. In fact, I was desperately searching for transcriptions just last week. Now, I’m referring to casual marketing video transcription but for a legal or court transcriptionist or medical, you’ll need certifications that are fairly affordable to get.
Aside from our five above, ten more of the best small profitable businesses to start are:
3. Web developer
Last but not least, here is an eclectic mix of interesting small business ideas to get you intrigued…
Transcriptionists make an average of ,000 per year.
Art is everywhere! These creative small business ideas afford you endless outlets of expression!
4. Executive assistant
IT professionals are well-compensated by job or by the hour.
5. Nonprofit Work
If you want to learn about online advertising, you’re in the right place, my friend (both on this blog and in this post). Here are our best recommendations:
Always-good small business ideas
Related: Home Services Advertising Benchmarks
6. Translator
Web dev salaries are fairly high, starting around ,000 per year and going up to 0,000 depending on your skillset and location.
7. Tutor
Influencer or not, the fact that influencers exist speaks to the power of social media marketing, so make sure you’re using it for whatever business you start!
8. Nanny
Being a personal shopper is the dream of so many fashion students. Imagine being able to shop for the perfect jewelry, clothing, furnishings, and not actually having to pay for any of it! With the expansion of online ecommerce stores, most of this job can be done remotely. And personal shoppers are well-compensated, earning about ,000 per year.
9. IT consulting
The most successful businesses solve a problem for a specific group of people. When you’re looking to start a small business, not a big corporation with investor funding, look for a niche that you, and you alone, are the best person to step into.
Salaries for trainers range from ,000 – ,000 per year, but the money you make online would be dependent on your pricing model.
10. Online advertiser
This can be one of the most satisfying, creative jobs. You’ll have the ability to transform properties into magic gardens—or at least maintain green lawns, flower beds, ponds, and make people happy.
Once upon a time, my parents rented out half of their house on AirBnb. They made a killing in their little hotel-less town with grandparents visiting family, families in between homes, and business people staying for a consulting project. Eventually they stopped Airbnb because it was too much work for my mom to clean and sanitize after every guest.
Small profitable business ideas
People just keep having babies! If you love playing with kids, using your imagination and packing snacks, a nanny business might be for you. Depending on your level of commitment to one family, sometimes nannying positions offer food, board, and benefits, or you could be a part time nanny!
11. Handyman
Being an influencer comes with a lot of scrutiny and variable pay; this is truly a pick-your-own-adventure type of gig.
Travel agents typically get paid between ,000-,000 per year.
Pet sitter businesses make between – per hour, depending on the number of pets and your location.
12. Event planner
Not to disregard the effort that goes into raising pets, taking care of pets can be the best job ever. You can be a dog walker, a cat sitter, check on chickens, feed horses, the list goes on and on. You can choose which jobs you want to take, what hours you want to work, and sometimes you’ll get to house sit as an added bonus.
13. Transcriptionist
This may fall into creative small businesses, but it is also a fairly steady job (despite the pandemic). People will always celebrate birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, holidays, and need help with planning the events. If you are hyper-organized, can herd cats with the best of them, and have attention to detail, consider planning events!
Payment for handymen varies based on the type and length of a job.
14. Movers
It’s okay if you don’t know what your passion is yet! Don’t put pressure on yourself to figure it all out on day one. These ideas are meant to be just that, ideas. Iterate on them, make them your own, and we can’t wait to help you succeed.
Starting a small business is a lot easier when you know you’re contributing a net-good to your community. Starting a nonprofit isn’t easy, but it can be done remotely, particularly if you’re looking to run this business yourself. Pick a cause that you feel passionately about and dive right in.
15. Antiquities renovation
Jack of all trades, master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one. While I am in the process of renovating an old house, I have never appreciated handymen more. If you are handy around the house and like figuring out how to fix things, a handyman business could be for you.
Easy small business ideas
Here’s the full list of the best small businesses to start that we covered above. But we’re not done yet! Keep scrolling to find out why.
16. Pet care
We’ve seen a rash of big moves the past few years with people exiting urban areas to purchase homes in the suburbs—and some migration back to big cities as well. Moving isn’t fun for anyone and small moving companies have made a fortune on this real estate boom. Get in on the action by starting a small moving business.
This is my dream job. Travel planners get perks galore, from discounted hotel rates to inside info about airlines and tour guides. It can be the most creative small business through planning trips in a niche–maybe your specialty is South America or Iceland trips for college kids or seniors! Even better, this business can be run from home…or anywhere in the world.
17. Proofreading/quality assurance
If I had leaned into the plant-mom craze, I might want to be a landscaper, but I hate gardening. However, if you’re the type of person who gets stress relief from gardening, landscaping might be for you.
Want to start a small business to lean into your creative juices? Maybe you work in a corporate environment and excel sheets have dried up your brain. I’m all for having a creative outlet, and if you can make money off of it, even better. Here are our creative small business ideas.
18. Notary
There are tons more evergreen needs out there to give you small business ideas. Here are just ten:
At the end of the day, the best small business for you to start depends on your motivation for starting a business. Is it to work from home? Monetize a hobby? Start a nonprofit? Spice up your life? Here are some more great small business ideas to consider.
19. Short-term rental manager
Rental manager salaries are dependent on where you are located, but most profitable in urban centers.
Point of the story: rental managers are largely successful and becoming even more so with the rise of home rentals. Reach out to local Airbnb and VRBO hosts to see how you can help manage their rentals acting as a sort-of superintendent for guests.
Looking for a side hustle that doesn’t take too much effort? Same. We found the easiest small businesses to start that will also be (we hope) fun too!
20. Personal shopper
I’m pretty stoked on this one. Yes, being a proofreader and QA specialist are different…but also very similar. If you are a good writer and have a knack for noticing tiny details, these jobs might be for you. They are always in high demand, because who has time to check their own work these days, and you can easily pick up work on UpWork or a number of other freelance sites until your portfolio is ready to launch your small business.
Creative small business ideas
Over the past two years, we’ve seen a record number of people leave the corporate workforce in favor of gig work, freelancing, or starting a small business. And let’s be honest, everyone has at least thought of quitting their job working for The Man at least twice or thrice (a month?).
21. Landscaper
What do we mean by “good” small businesses? We mean evergreen, stable businesses that provide a service people will always need. Anecdotally, my grandfather heard Hoover promise to put a chicken in everyone’s pot. People will always eat chicken. So he started a chicken business. Don’t worry, these small business ideas don’t require plucking feathers.
If you’re not looking to actually be a web developer, consider starting a small business to manage them. Freelance web development is in high demand!
Fitness trainer or not, video is the way to go. Follow our tips on how to get more video views and rank higher on YouTube.
22. Gift kit creator
While some people might not consider being an influencer a creative business, I certainly think the trendsetters of the world would differ. There are plenty of courses to take that will help train you to be an influencer in this brave new world of social media.
23. Travel planner
Proofreaders and QA specialists can get paid up to ,000 per year.
As the world becomes more global, the need for translation services continues to rise. Some of that involves translating emails, documents, and content, but others are more service-oriented, like accompanying groups or business leaders on international trips. It’s important to note that you’ll not only need conversational translation skills but also grammatical and structural understanding of a language.
24. Influencer
As the economy experiences massive growth through tech, there are plenty of up-and-coming c-suite executives who somehow never learned to schedule meetings (shots fired). But really, being an executive assistant can take place from the comfort of your home at a remote company, and if your executive is looking for part-time help, you can take on more than one. And there you have it, a burgeoning small business from home!
Movers typically get paid per hour or per job, if it’s a multi-day, out-of-state move.
Learning to be a web developer does require training and upfront schooling costs. However, there are plenty of boot camps that will get you up to speed. And the best thing about web development is that you can choose a plethora of specialities, from focusing on marketing websites to e-commerce to blogs…basically anything you can browse on the internet.
25. Thrifting reseller
Why start a business if you’re not sure you’ll make money? We all work to live (hopefully), and these small business ideas will make you the most money to keep your bank account plump and your vacations fancy.
How do you find the best business to start?
Notary salaries have a broad range from ,000-,000 per year. But being able to choose when to work (or not) while you have a high-demand certification will come in clutch.
Okay, it’s likely you’ve never heard of this one, and it likely mostly applies to people who live in historic areas. However, there is a niche market for people who are able to restore and reinstall original fixtures in old homes, from cabinet pulls to bricks and old window panes. In fact, I just bought 200 year old bricks specific to my town to place in the house I’m renovating. So if vintage charm is your style, this small business may also be.
The best small businesses to start [recap]
Landscaper pay can be between -25/hour, or you can price your services by project.
- Childcare business
- Fitness trainer
- Web developer
- Executive assistant
- Nonprofit Work
- Translator
- Tutor
- Nanny
- IT consulting
- Hospital janitorial agency
- Handyman
- Pet care
- Proofreading/Quality Assurance
- Landscaper
- Gift kit creator
- Travel planner
- Influencer
- Thrifting reseller
- Notary
- Short-term rental manager
- Personal Shopper
- Event planner
- Transcriptionist
- Movers
- Antiquities Renovation
Even more great small business ideas
At this point, to say that digital marketing is an ever-growing industry is to say that the sky is blue. It’s a fact and businesses that want to survive must invest in online marketing strategies, but small business owners wearing many hats don’t have time to learn or keep up with the ever-changing platforms. Consider starting an advertising gig for small businesses. You might even end up starting your own agency.
At-home small business ideas
Thrifting, altering, and upselling vintage goods was the way NastyGal got their start—and has now become somewhat of an online business. If you have an affinity for spotting diamonds in the rough, hit your local goodwill, grab some clothes, make an eBay account, and get selling. You can be your own boss, designer, brand, or whatever you please with this creative small business.
- Publicist
- Voiceover-er
- Grant writing
- Photographer
- Accountant
- Dropshipping store
- On-demand printing
- Social media manager
- Online advertiser
- Freelancer (write, code, design, video)
Always-good small business ideas
Here are some at-home small business ideas for the introverts, the homebodies, or the homebound!want to have to leave your home!
- Home inspector
- Snow clearing
- Online therapy
- Elder care
- Senior move manager
- Junk removal
- Bicycle repair
- Credit repair specialist
- Career coach
- Ecommerce store for sustainable products
Small profitable business ideas
Ever receive a box in the mail full of customized snacks, wine, gadgets, and knick-knacks? I’ve been loving the gift boxes I receive now that I’m working fully remote. And you better believe I love working with gift kit creators, who search markets far and wide to curate the perfect batch for their audiences. Gift kit businesses don’t require too much upfront, as you can ask the buyer to pay before purchasing and drop shipping any items.
- Caterer
- Auto repair
- Food truck
- Carwash
- Electronics repair
- Interior designer
- Virtual assistant
- Locksmith
- Real estate brokerage
- Electrician
Easy small business ideas
If you’re an adult who has graduated from high school and/or college, you likely have something to teach kids. If you have an affinity for teaching, try out tutoring first. Not only can you tutor multiple students, you can dabble in different subject matter, like SATs or remedial Spanish. The time commitment stays according to what you want and small tutoring businesses are in high-demand, even remotely.
- Resume writer
- Pet care
- Proofreading/quality assurance
- Notary
- Short-term rental manager
- Personal shopper
- Affiliate marketing
- Jam seller
- Data entry
- Menu planning
Creative small business ideas
Ever need something notarized and don’t know where to go? Luckily, I know some small business owners who have a notary on-call. Becoming a notary isn’t the easiest process, but it isn’t expensive. And once you’re done, you too can be an on-call notary or offer your services to courthouses and small businesses full-time.
- Landscaper
- Gift kit creator
- Travel planner
- Influencer
- Thrifting reseller
- Photographer
- Baker
- Professional organizer
- Jewelry designer
- Homemade natural beauty & cleaning products
Cool small business ideas
This is a small business that is always needed by other small businesses. If you know your way around an IT stack and know how to fix it when it breaks, make a website and start collecting payments because you’re in high demand.
- Hot air balloon operator
- Home staging
- Drone trainer
- Christmas tree farmer
- Online dating consultant
- Tour guide
- DJ
- Herb farming
- Mobile anything (pet grooming, hair stylist, bike repair)
- Freelance bartender
