If you’ve asked several people what is their goal in life, many would say ‘independence’ – working as your own boss, in the comfort of your own home, and according to your own rules. Well, it is easier than you might think with these small business ideas.
The two things that are crucial at the beginning of starting your own business are a workspace and a business idea. If you have an empty garage, you already have the first thing. Now, you just need to know what it is that you want your business to specialize in. If you have no clue, don’t worry – we are here to help.
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Small Business Ideas
Here are a few small business ideas you can start even today. Who knows, maybe one of them will turn out to be the perfect choice for you.
1. Handyman Service
This is the perfect option for people who are good with their hands. You will be surprised at how many people in your area google things like ‘garage door installation near me’ to find a handyman located close to them.
For a small fee, you can come to your clients and perform various maintenance and renovation jobs for them – from cleaning their windows to painting their walls or putting together furniture. The more work you do and the more services you are able to offer, the more money you will make.
2. Carpet Cleaning Service
Carpet cleaning is a great business idea. Not only does it have a constant demand, but it is also very profitable. You don’t need employees, and it is incredibly easy to learn how to do it. You can start with using simple equipment, and once you gain more clients and more experience, you can invest in some more professional tools.
3. Selling Used Things on Craigslist
If you have a lot of stuff lying around in your garage that you don’t use anymore, you can make quite a sum by selling them online. There are bound to be some people interested in them.
It is extremely easy to get started. Simply open an account on Craigslist and put your items up for sale. Although you can use pictures from the Internet to show what the items look like, it is better to use your own photos – it makes you appear trustworthy.
4. Lawn Mowing Service
Mowing lawns is something that can be easily outsourced. Each lawn mower has their own way of doing business, but the principle is always the same: find a client that is willing to pay for their lawn to be mowed, and do it. You can get clients for as little as $20 per month per area.
Just like with handyman service, the more clients you find, and the more time you are willing to spend at work, the more you earn.
5. Computer Repair Service
If you are tech-savvy, you can offer your neighbors computer repair services. It is a very simple job to do, and almost everyone needs it from time to time.
Depending on how you want to price your services, you can either establish the price per hour or per service. Even though this isn’t a lot of money, it is still easy to find enough clients to support your needs. Just put an ad on Craigslist and tell them that they can come over to your house, and you’ll solve their computer problems.
6. House Cleaning Service
There are many people out there who do not like cleaning their homes – they don’t want to spend hours mopping the floors or washing the windows. Well, if you are their opposite, and you actually enjoy cleaning, this might be the perfect business idea for you. Instead of forcing themselves to clean their place, they will pay you to do it for them – they will tell you what they want you to do, and you will come over and get it done for them.
This is actually a very profitable business – if you get really good at it, you will be able to charge a lot more than minimum wage for your work. Additionally, you can also provide other services like taking care of pets or babysitting.
7. Decluttering Service
Just like most services mentioned in this article, decluttering is also something that can be outsourced. There are people who don’t like to or simply don’t have enough time to clean their attic or garage, so they will hire people like you to get the job done for them.
Again, you can either charge per hour or per service – truth be told, everything depends on how difficult the task you are being asked to perform is. If they want you to declutter a whole house, why not charge a little more?
8. Consultant
If there’s something you are very knowledgeable about – be it business, social media, marketing, and so on – you might consider starting a consulting business. In the beginning, when you have only a few clients, you can work by yourself – however, as your business grows (and trust us, there are a lot of people looking for this type of service), you might need to hire other consultants as well. When that happens, it’s a good idea to hire people with knowledge in different areas, so that you can offer your clients a range of services.
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The Bottom Line
Owning your own company with these or other small business ideas makes you feel independent. You don’t have to worry about an unpleasant boss and clients that will make you want to rip your hair out. Instead, you’ll be the one in charge of yourself, and you will be the one to decide which clients you will take up.
Although starting a business per se is not that difficult, many people face troubles before they even start – when they have to decide what kind of services their business will offer. If you are one of those people, we hope that our article showed you some ideas you can get inspired by. Who knows, maybe one of your small business ideas will be the next Apple or Microsoft? Good luck.
