Starting a small business from home can be an exciting and rewarding venture, offering the flexibility to be your own boss and the potential to turn your passions into a profitable enterprise.
In this article, we’ll explore 17 of the best small business ideas that you can start from the comfort of your own home, ranging from service-based businesses to online ventures.
Key Takeaways:
- Service-based businesses, such as personal training, home cleaning, and event planning, can be launched with minimal startup costs and offer the flexibility to work on your own schedule.
- Freelance opportunities, including web development, graphic design, and writing, allow you to leverage your skills and experience to provide valuable services to clients worldwide.
- E-commerce ventures, such as Amazon FBA and dropshipping, enable you to sell products online without a physical storefront or extensive inventory.
Top 17 Small Business Ideas List
Delivery Driver
One of the top small business ideas that you can start from home is a delivery business. There are different types of delivery businesses that you can branch into.
This type of business is not just limited to food and parcel delivery but can also include:
- Laundry and dry cleaning delivery
- Furniture delivery
- Clothing and accessories delivery
- Pharmacy delivery
- Courier delivery
No matter what type of deliveries you choose to do, the tools you will need remain mostly the same. Any delivery business will require a delivery vehicle, typically a van or truck. At the start, you might need to carry out deliveries yourself.
However, as your business expands, you can hire other delivery drivers to do the deliveries. Doing so will give you more time to spend on growing your business. The best part of a delivery business is that you can start it from the comfort of your home.
Personal Trainer
Another small business that you can start from home is a personal training business. Personal trainers offer coaching and nutrition services to people who want to get in shape or become fitter.
Anyone with a good understanding of exercise and nutrition can become a personal trainer. You do not even need a large amount of equipment. If you want to have classes at home, you will need to have some essential gym equipment.
However, you can also host classes at your clients’ homes or the gym. Doing so might cause you to incur travel costs, but you will not need to invest in gym equipment.
Freelance Web Developer
Alternatively, you can also become a freelance web developer and start a web developing business. To start such a business, you will ideally need to have experience in web development. In addition, having a portfolio of websites that you have designed or worked on can also help you promote your services to potential new clients.
Thus, if you don’t already have a portfolio or experience in the field, it might be a good idea to take some web development courses. Alternatively, you can also take on a web developer job to gain some experience before striking it out on your own.
Email Marketing Consultant
An email marketing consultancy is another one of the top small business ideas you can start from home. Email marketing is the form of digital marketing with the highest returns on investment. Thus, most firms have already begun using email newsletters for their marketing needs.
However, many of these firms do not have experts in email marketing and are often less successful in their email marketing efforts. Thus, if you are an expert in email marketing, you can plug this gap in the market by offering consulting services to companies that want to improve their email marketing.
Here are some of the top email marketing courses that can help you develop your knowledge of email marketing before you start your very own email marketing consultancy.
| Email Marketing Course | Pricing | Type of Course |
|---|---|---|
| HubSpot Academy Email Marketing Course | Free | Beginner course |
| Email Marketing, Strategy, and Optimization course on LinkedIn Learning | $29.99 | Beginner course |
| Udemy email marketing course | From $20 to $99 | Beginner and intermediate courses available |
| ClickMinded Email Marketing course | $997 for this course alone, $1997 for access to all ClickMinded courses | Advanced course |
Graphic Designer
You can also start a graphic design business from home. As a remote graphic designer, your job scope consists of creating graphics based on the specifications provided by your clients.
However, this type of small business may not be ideal for everyone since you will need at least some level of artistic ability to be good at it.
Freelance Writer
Fiverr Summary
- Set your own prices for your services
- Choose from over 500 service categories
- 3 different options for cashing out
- Protection from fradulent chargebacks
Alternatively, you can also start a freelance writing business from home. If you have a strong command of the English language, what better way to put it to use than by providing writing and content creation services. Almost every company with an online presence will need content.
The types of content that freelance writers create can include:
- Website copy
- Blog posts
- Articles
- Newsletters
- Advertising material
- Academic writing
Regardless of what kind of content you want to specialize in, one of the best platforms you can use to kickstart your freelance writing business is Fiverr. Fiverr is a platform where you can post your services and reach out to potential clients. You can also upload samples of your past work to the platform to entice new clients to hire you.
Videographer
If you’re skilled at videography, you can also consider starting a small business offering videography services. Most videographers make money by providing their services at events such as weddings and conferences. Some videographers also have video editing services.
However, if you’re thinking of starting a videography small business, do note that there is a high startup cost. You won’t be able to start a videography business by filming on your phone.
Thus, you will need to purchase professional videography equipment if you don’t already have it. Videography equipment does not come cheap and can cost several thousand dollars for a basic setup.
Home Cleaner
Alternatively, you can also start a cleaning business. There are several types of cleaning businesses that you can start. One of these is home cleaning or housekeeping.
As a home cleaner, your job involves visiting clients’ homes and tidying up the place. Housekeeping jobs are not only simple but also pay decently well since there aren’t many people willing to do it.
There is also no need for specialized equipment, so the startup cost for a home cleaning business is next to nothing. This relatively low cost makes it one of the best small business ideas.
Window Cleaner
If home cleaning isn’t for you, you can also start a window cleaning business. Unlike home cleaning, some window cleaners also offer commercial window cleaning services. To do so, you will need professional equipment such as water-fed poles and window cleaning machines.
Thus, if you want to start a window cleaning business, be sure to factor the cost of the specialized equipment into your startup costs.
Carpet Cleaner
Like window cleaning, carpet cleaning requires specialized equipment. However, unlike window and home cleaning, you don’t always need to travel to your clients’ locations to get the job done.
If you have a spare room or space in your garage, you can use that space to clean carpets. You can then have your clients bring their carpets to your home to have them cleaned. Thus, unlike home and window cleaning, you can do carpet cleaning from home.
Thus, a carpet cleaning business is one of the best small business ideas for people who prefer not to travel.
Bed and Breakfast
If you prefer not to get your hands dirty, you can also start a bed and breakfast business. Such a business involves renting out a room or multiple rooms in your house to guests. If you own multiple properties, you can also rent out entire homes to families.
One of the best platforms to advertise your bed and breakfast business is Airbnb. Airbnb enables hosts to post listings of their property and interested individuals can make bookings via the platform.
Starting a bed and breakfast business may not be ideal for everyone since it requires you to own a house. However, if you already own a house, this can be a good way to earn extra income from rooms that you are not actively using.
Event Planner
Alternatively, if you have a passion for people, you can also consider starting an event planning business. As an event planner, your job is to plan events for clients down to the very last detail.
Thus, this means that it will be your responsibility to ensure that all the necessary preparations are done for the event (such as the logistics, venue, and food) and that the event runs smoothly on the day itself.
Some of the most common types of events that event planners do include:
- Weddings
- Parties
- Conferences
- Trade shows
Moving Company
Another one of the top small business ideas that you can start from home is a moving company. The services provided by moving companies mainly involve helping people move houses. Sometimes, companies may also engage you to help them move their equipment between offices or locations.
The job scope of a moving company is not very complex, and anyone can start one. However, if you don’t own a truck, you may need to rent one, which can increase your costs. In addition, moving involves manual labor and may not be suitable for everyone.
Dog Walking
If you want to start a small business with little to no startup costs, then a dog walking business is one of the best ideas out there. As a dog walker, your job will be to help dog owners walk their dogs. Dog owners will usually engage your services when they are too busy or out of town.
Once you have built a pool of regular clients, you can also schedule your dog walking sessions to overlap with one another. Doing so will enable you to walk multiple dogs at once, allowing you to increase your earnings.
One of the best places to find clients for your dog walking business is Rover. On Rover, you can post your availability, location, and the services you offer. Clients who are interested in your services can also contact you directly through the app.
Bakery
Another small business you can start from home is a bakery. If you are skilled in baking, you can provide custom baking services in your area and offer a menu that customers can order from.
Most home bakers choose to advertise their services on social media platforms such as Instagram. When someone places an order, you can deliver it to them or have them travel to your location to collect it.
Amazon FBA
You can also start an Amazon FBA business if you have a unique product to sell. With Amazon FBA, you list your products for sale on the Amazon website. Then, you send a large volume of your product to the Amazon warehouse.
Amazon fulfills your order each time someone purchases your item. Thus, this frees up your time to spend on other aspects of your FBA business, such as developing new products or advertising.
Dropshipping
If you don’t have a unique product to sell, you can also resell products via a dropshipping business. To start a dropshipping business, you will first need to find a reliable supplier. You will then market the supplier’s products via a new website or on an eCommerce platform.
Whenever someone buys the product, you will then purchase the product from your supplier, who will send it directly to the customer. Dropshipping businesses earn a profit by acting as middlemen and charging customers a higher price than the price at which they buy the product from their supplier.
What Are The Most Successful Small Business Ideas?
All of the small business ideas on this list can be successful. To achieve success in your small business, you must do your market research beforehand to ensure that the market you are about to enter is not already oversaturated.
Bear in mind that you may not always succeed on your first try. However, if you keep trying and aren’t afraid to get help when you need it, your business will eventually succeed.
What Is The Best Business for Beginners?
Most, if not all, of the small business ideas on this list, are suitable for beginners. As a beginner, you should choose a business idea that you are comfortable with starting.
It is always better to start your business in a field that you are familiar with or have had experience in. For example, if you have worked in a bakery before, then starting a home-based bakery is a no-brainer.