The Ultimate List of Small Business Ideas

Whether you’ve always dreamed of starting a business of your own, or you’ve become frustrated after a long and unsuccessful job hunt and decided to go independent, deciding what kind of small business to start is the first and one of the most important decisions you must make.

When deciding what small business is right for you, a few questions to consider include:

• What are my marketable skills and interests?
• What marketable skills could I learn or improve?
• Is there a market for my product or service?
• How much money will my small business cost to start?
• How long before I can expect to see profit?
• Does this business idea suit my preferred lifestyle?
• Will this business idea help me achieve my goals?

This list of small business ideas was created to offer inspiration to would-be small entrepreneurs. It focuses primarily on business opportunities with low start up costs that can be started easily from home by anyone with the skill and motivation to succeed.

One of the best home based business ideas is a craft business. Talented crafters with a good head for marketing can develop extremely successful craft businesses with few start up expenses, thanks to popular websites such as Etsy.com.

Cool craft business ideas include:

• upcycled jewelry
• handmade wooden toys
• personalized dog sweaters
• beeswax candles
• vintage furniture restoration

For a more complete list of craft business ideas, check out:

Depending on local regulations in your area, starting a home-based food business can be easy or complicated, but if you love food and cooking, the red tape may be worth it!

There are hundreds of niches for a small business selling specialty foods. Here is a sampling:

• artisan breads
• dried fruit
• gluten-free baked goods
• vegan cupcakes
• barbecue sauce
• meal delivery service
• ethnic foods

For a more complete list of small business ideas for food lovers, check out:

For many people, one of the first jobs they ever get paid for is babysitting a neighbor or family friend’s children. If you remember your babysitting days fondly, there are dozens of great small business ideas that will allow you to work with children while making money doing something you love!

Here is a sample of some unique small business ideas for people who love working with children and teens:

• baby footprint bronzing
• child proofing service
• doula
• game arcade
• home day care
• music lessons
• organic baby food
• storyteller
• teen dance club

For a more complete list of small business ideas for people who love working with children, check out:

Many animal lovers dream of starting a small business working with animals in some way, and with the pet industry surpassing $45 billion dollars per year in the United States alone, it is certainly a lucrative market!

There are many fun small business ideas that will allow you to make money and indulge your love of animals at the same time. Here is a sampling:

• homemade pet toys
• designer dog houses
• breeding exotic fish
• pet photography
• raw food for dogs
• therapy animals

For a more complete list, check out:

Many people ignore agricultural enterprises when considering possible small business ideas because they believe you need a lot of land to successfully make money growing crops or raising livestock. While it’s true that you can’t keep a dairy cow in a suburban backyard, some entrepreneurs have had amazing success even in tiny areas. For example, the Dervaes family runs a successful produce business on 1/10th of an acre in urban Pasadena, California! SPIN farming is another system suitable both for urban areas and more traditional farms.

Here is a selection of small-scale agricultural enterprises suitable for anyone with a backyard:

• gourmet salad greens
• heirloom tomatoes
• worm farming
• organic eggs
• aquaponics
• homemade potpourri
• herbal teas

For a more complete list of agricultural enterprises, including everything from bison ranching to breeding rabbits, bamboo to broccoli, check out:

A business in the wedding or romance industry may be a profitable and highly enjoyable choice for anyone who loves to celebrate love and romance in all their forms:

• carriage rentals
• wedding planning
• ballroom dancing instruction
• romance novelist
• bridal consignment shop

For a more complete list of small business ideas for romantics, check out:

If you have a gift with engines and gears, there are many small business opportunities available in the automotive and transportation industries. Here are just a few:

• antique car rentals
• valet service
• custom car art
• car sharing service
• bicycle repair
• guided kayaking tours
• hayrack rides

For a more complete list of small business ideas with cars, trucks, motorcycles, boats, bikes, draft animals, and more, check out:

For many years, the concepts of “sustainable” and “profitable” were considered to be contradictory, not complementary, but as energy costs rise and concerns over environmental degradation grow around the world, green businesses have exploded in both popularity and profitability.

Here is a selection of cool green business ideas:

• car sharing service
• architectural salvage yard
• home energy audit service
• solar panel installation
• green wedding planner
• eco hair salon
• organic pest control service

For a more complete list of small green business ideas, check out:

Seasonal businesses are a great opportunity for entrepreneurs who need flexibility, as they can be combined with other seasonal enterprises to create year round income or taken up only part of the year, to leave the rest open to pursue other opportunities.

Some sample seasonal business ideas include:

• lawn mowing
• leaf raking
• haunted house
• holiday decorating service
• gift wrapping
• Easter lambs

For a more complete list of seasonal business ideas, check out:

• accounting
• event planning
• virtual assistant
• giving lessons
• web design
• book indexer
• house sitting
• local tour guide
• home day care
• carpet cleaning
• delivery service
• pool cleaner
• house painter
• gift baskets
• personal shopper
• home organizing
• proofreader
• flea market
• graphic design
• makeup artist
• office plant care and rental
• piano tuner
• tarot reader
• interior decorator
• tool rental
• used bookstore