14 Ideas for Small Businesses With Little Investment
Until a few years ago, the life plan of most people consisted of a fairly common and uniform project: study until you get a degree, start a family, and keep a good job until the age of retirement. Simple, safe, quite comfortable, and predictable.
If there were any questions in this plan, they were: what should I study? To which company do I apply? What additional incentives can I aspire to?
The space for uncertainties or innovative thinking was minimal, if not zero, and was limited to making proposals (and crossing your fingers) with one or two improvements to the work environment or the products and services of third for company they wo.
Fortunately, times and people have changed synergistically; depending on that, the tendency to undertake has taken over. It is no longer so rare to get those who look with favourable eyes to exploit their own ideas for small businesses.
In other words, it is now extremely rare to find anyone who wants to stick to the traditional plan and leave the idea of starting their own business to others. Some even combine both visions to obtain an intermediate version with the best of both life plans.
For these people, the predominant questions are: What do I invest in? Which business ideas yield the greatest benefit in the shortest time? How much money do I need to invest?
If you are looking for ideas for small businesses that answer these questions, here is a very interesting list with the latest trends in ideas for small businesses.
I hope they will inspire you and help you take the necessary actions to transform them into your new reality.
This list of 14 ideas for small businesses does not follow a particular order, although it is organized by the two main forms of entrepreneurship: traditional and online.
Review it and allow the trends in businesses that require little investment and always have room for another value proposition to surprise you.
Traditional Entrepreneurship Modality: 7 Face-to-Face Business Ideas
1. Personal Trainer
Is the fitness lifestyle your thing? Are you happy to sweat and move your body? So becoming a personal trainer is ideal for you. This idea of starting your own small business comes to you like a glove if your willingness to help others and your voice of command is combined with a certification. A popular and booming trend in all sports disciplines is also marketed well on social networks. It can lead to other related businesses, such as healthy meals, food, and living coaches.
2. Local Delivery Services
The big courier and package delivery companies are still there and will not go anywhere. However, nothing is better than a motorcycle, car, or private bicycle to deliver packages locally quickly, efficiently, and at a lower price. Every day, more people add their particular means of transport to help avoid bureaucracy and slightly more expensive rates that involve using more recognized courier and delivery services. So, the image of a person in shorts and a uniform delivering packages no longer dominates the market. And it makes sense.
The field of work has expanded thanks to the entrepreneurship of many others. Thus, other small entrepreneurs do not have their own home delivery service, and there is the individual who needs to be brought lunch or a pair of shoes because he was stranded somewhere. You fit there perfectly. Your business opportunity is fixed if you add the services to an application. Get to know yourself and start pedalling.
3. Food Trucks
The big business of preparing and dispatching fast food from a truck has always been part of the panorama. However, new trends and market demands add differentiating elements that you can use to introduce your successful business idea and make it extremely profitable. Do you prefer sweets to fast food? A food truck of waffles and cupcakes is also perfect for running it!
In any case, investing in a food truck does require a little more investment, study, preparation, and compliance with laws and regulations. Among them, you must specify where you will put your truck, the demand for similar businesses at that point, and the permits related to handling and selling food.
4. Local Tourism
Tourism has also evolved in terms of tastes and demands. Thus, from so-called extreme tourism or adventure tourism to cultural or experiential immersion tourism, the strong point is to get accommodation in places other than hotels and add to the experience with the guidance of the so-called banians. How do you enter as a tourist guide, and how do you make it a very profitable small business idea? Simple: Design several packages and offer close and real experiences for people interested in coming into contact with the unique opportunities offered by your immediate environment.
You can even offer one of the rooms in your own house to accommodate your customers and include typical breakfasts to offer them a completely immersive experience, first-hand, and with the potential for word-of-mouth recommendation that you need so much to make your business flourish. Likewise, if you rely on an Airbnb-type application and make some contacts and alliances with interpreters, restaurants, inns, and iconic places according to their interests (you can collect that information from a form), you have the possibility of making a name for yourself with all the long-term business potential.
Get creative! Design immersion tour packages for the elderly, those with religious interests, adventurers who thirst for extreme experiences, animal lovers, etc. And speaking of animal lovers…
5. Canine Hotels (and Other Related Services)
Many people are not allowed to go on trips, even for short periods, because they have no one to take care of their pets while they are away. This idea for small businesses lacks innovation; however, it has rebounded recently because traditional canine hotels or pensions are usually expensive.
You can start by hosting one or two animals in your house for some weekends and include other services such as hairdressing, morning walks, and even pet accompaniment for international trips. They are ideal for small businesses settled in the same niche of pet services that make good money, whose investment is quite low, and whose ROI is usually practically immediate.
6. Manager
Many people who meet during office hours or dedicate themselves to their own endeavours lack the necessary time to do personal errands such as going to the bank, taking clothes to or taking out clothes from the dry cleaners, buying food for the week, etc.
In some countries, the action of dealing with these tasks is called management, and whoever executes it is called a manager. It is usually an occupation that leaves good money since the services can range from going to notaries to withdrawing tickets for the cinema and the like. Having an agency that places a manager on third-party services is an idea for a small business that promises to stand out in the coming years. The best thing is that it can evolve into other unsuspected areas such as…
7. Personal Shopper
This is the most stylized and elegant name for Personal Buyer. A personal shopper is usually responsible for choosing, buying, and delivering clothing and footwear for special events. However, some hire services to take care of the entire wardrobe without obeying a special event.
More than an investment, what you really need to become an excellent personal shopper and make it your successful business is to have a good eye and sensitivity to choose the best clothes and shoes for your customers and to take care of details related to the finances of those who entrust their wardrobe to you.
Start with your friends and make them spread the word. Then you can open your own blog or website and share tips related to your niche. If you have constancy and dedicate yourself, you will soon hire and train others to make your small business idea a real personal brand.
Online Entrepreneurship Modality: 7 Ideas for Small Non-Face-to-Face Businesses
On the other hand, the Internet has given way to a whole new range of jobs that began to exist barely a couple of decades ago and have emerged a lot in recent years.
The particular thing about this line of jobs is that they do not require the presence of the employee or even the employer to meet the demand for services. Most importantly, each one represents an idea of a successful small business to manage from the comfort of your home.
8. Online Tutor
Education has always had a place of honour in all societies. Boys will always need someone to clarify their doubts, and they will feel more comfortable at home in a controlled and safe environment where they can use other tools.
If you can and desire to teach online, this small business idea is designed for you. Topics can range from simple to complex, and creating an interactive platform with interesting programs can be an adventure that also pays off.
9. Translator
Although Google and other similar companies offer instant translations online, the truth is that translators have such sensitivity and knowledge of the world that they lack automated translation tools.
Creating an online business that brings together translators willing to provide human solutions to translation problems is an excellent idea for a small business that promises a lot of demand.
10. Web Content Manager
Every entrepreneur who wants to successfully overcome the barrier of the first years of uncertainty and risk needs, among many other things, to become visible on the web. There, the creation and management of content enter as an idea for a small business that, in reality, can grow very quickly. Just think about the number of web pages that are published daily in your own locality and how much money it represents to make those businesses visible.
Search engine bots require content and tag distribution to be able to position pages. In other words, a website without content to optimize is a wasted website. Having the ability to create, curate, and optimize content for the Internet and social networks is a tremendous business that demands little investment. And if you have the ability to manage staff that helps you get rid of the creative process, then you have the idea of a small business that can guarantee the comfort of your golden years!
11. Virtual Assistant
From the same tenor of the creation, curation, and optimization of content, and even of translation and audiovisual production (which we will reach shortly), comes virtual assistance (VA), as an idea of a small enterprise that requires very little investment.
The business model that usually accompanies them is the direct hiring of people with the most diverse profiles and abilities to assist in specific tasks for those who hire their services. They offer their services through a virtual catalogue to the most diverse companies.
The company that hires the individual serves as a bridge between both ends of the equation and guarantees two things: to the virtual assistant, a fixed rate per hour, project, or unit of production, and to the contractor, the management of the payment and supervision of the virtual assistant.
12. Audiovisual Producer
In the past, audiovisual production used to be an extremely select guild. It was covered by a veil of zeal and professional secrecy that only a few could access. If you were an audiovisual producer, you surely enjoyed an enviable status, in addition to many business opportunities and the promise of earning good money if you made the right connections. With the advent of the Internet, audiovisual production became simpler, more dynamic, and more accessible since it demanded new approaches and an opening that you can perfectly take advantage of as a small business idea.
Best of all, audiovisual production, in addition to covering the traditional forms of editing and massification of final products, also has online versions with which you will surely be more familiar. The investments you make to devote yourself to audiovisual production will depend on the formats you prefer. What is true is that your investment will always be worth it.
13. Social media manager
Large companies with an Internet presence usually have complete marketing teams that perform many functions in parallel. Among the many functions that team members must take care of is managing social networks. Although it may not seem like it, taking care of an ever-growing community requires a lot of time—time that the marketing team members need to create strategies and measure results. Thus, since it is not a neuralgic vacancy for the optimal development of the department, it is generally obvious, and its functions become in the background.
A recent trend indicates that companies are outsourcing the social media manager position. Here is another small business idea you can exploit without investing too much money, which will surely make you a lot of profit with an increasingly large customer portfolio.
14. UI/UX Designer
As social media managers generally make their way through outsourcing, UI/UX designers also ride this wave. The functions of the UI/UX designer are simple: Ensure that a website or application is friendly, attractive, and fast-loading in browsers.
It is said to be easy, but it demands a lot of inventiveness and dedication to achieve it. Thus, a microenterprise that recruits and places UI/UX designers takes little investment and promises a tight schedule for the year and beyond.
Something in the middle…
Just as there are ideas for traditional and online small businesses, there are some hybrid ideas that can turn out very well, such as:
15. Expert Consultant
Withdrawn or with enough experience? If you have already closed a cycle and would rather help others flourish in theirs, then the idea of turning your experience into a business combines the best of both worlds because…
- You can offer webinars, online counselling, valuable content, and evaluations from the comfort of your home.
- Reach agreements to offer talks and conferences in your area to empower those who come to take the baton in your niche.
Your experience, despite being yours, has the potential to serve others. Make it your new business idea, and prepare to postpone retirement.
16. Public relationship
As mentioned, your expertise and knowledge leave many alliances, acquaintances, and contacts that can help those arriving.
Put your face at their service, and it serves as a bridge between contracts and contractors because what good is it for you to keep a secret that does not bring you benefits?
Ideas for Small Businesses That Create Great Profits
Entrepreneurship ceased to be a word and concept of taboo widely related to risks, uncertainty, misfortune, and bankruptcy. However,To maximize your investment, small business ideas must match your essence, potential, and talents.. That simple action will leave you with great profits and better experiences.
If you have other ideas for small businesses that can translate into big profits, share them here. You can always learn and undertake the suggestions.
