01-May-2025
Thinking about starting a business this year? Whether you’re diving into full-time entrepreneurship or planning a side hustle, this list of small business ideas is for you.
Each idea below is practical and flexible, with proven potential for success.
Whether you start a clothing line, pet business, or wellness brand, put your spin on one of these ideas to serve customers in a new way.
Qualities of a good small business idea
Your business idea should fit your budget, skills, and schedule. It should also meet a market need and have the potential to generate sustainable, long-term profit.
Here’s a closer look at what makes a strong small business idea:
Good business ideas solve problems for specific groups of people. Before moving forward with an idea, research your target market, the needs of your customers, and competitors’ solutions.
Has a competitive advantage
How you meet market demand also matters. Competitive businesses often have an original approach that set them apart. This could be a new product, a unique selling proposition, or a competitive pricing strategy. Develop a business plan that shows how you will outcompete other businesses.
Is scalable
Scalability is about the potential for growth and expansion. Can your business idea grow without hitting geographical, financial, or market limits? Many scalable businesses leverage ecommerce platforms to easily reach global audiences.
Has a low barrier to entry
Businesses with lower costs, fewer regulations, less need for training, and minimal tech requirements are easier to start. For example, ideas like creating freelance content or opening a dropshipping store need minimal setup and no upfront capital.
Demonstrates potential for profitability
Ultimately, a small business idea needs to make money. Estimate potential profits and build a financial model based on predicted sales and operational costs.
Is sustainable
A sustainable business is one with the potential for long-term success. Will your small business be part of a growing industry or a trend that’s already peaked? Will your operations align with environmental, social, and regulatory expectations? Consider the future before launching a new business.
1. Affiliate marketer
Affiliate marketing is a performance marketing tactic where a business pays people to promote products. Every time an affiliate brings in a new customer, they receive a commission.
Affiliates can promote products on their blogs, social media accounts, or websites, or in their communities. For many, affiliate marketing is a low-cost way to earn passive income.
To start affiliate marketing:
Commission rates vary by company and product. You could earn as little as 5% or as much as 50% for each sale. Some affiliate programs offer a flat rate instead of a percentage.
2. Digital freelancer
With a digital freelance business, your time is your inventory and your biggest investment. That makes it easy to get up and running if you have in-demand skills and spare hours.
If you have expertise in graphic design, search engine optimization, or web development, you could offer your skills as an ongoing service. To start, create a website and promote your services on platforms like LinkedIn.
If you use Shopify, an appointment scheduling app from the Shopify App Store will let prospective clients book time with you directly from your website.
3. Content creator
Content creators share videos, stories, and content on social media to build audiences and make money. If your content is received positively, consider turning your social media presence into a business by partnering with brands or by making and selling merch.
4. Influencer
The ability to capture and keep attention is an asset businesses will pay top dollar for. You can become an influencer with a modest amount of followers if you have an engaged niche audience.
Whether you choose to grow your following on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, or a blog (or, ideally, on a combination channels), you have many avenues for monetizing your influence.
Taking an audience-first approach to your small business idea means playing the long game—it might be months until you’ve figured it out. But you don’t need millions of followers to get started.
5. Social media management consultant
If you’re social-media-savvy but don’t want to create content full-time, consider freelancing as a social media manager or consultant. A social media manager creates and analyzes content for brands’ social accounts.
Depending on the client’s needs, you might help create content, brainstorm content ideas, facilitate partnerships with social media influencers, create a social media content calendar, or formalize a social media strategy.
6. Dropshipping store owner
Dropshipping is one of the quickest and easiest businesses you can start without money. That’s because you don’t need to handle any products yourself—you only need to make the sales and pass orders on to your dropshipping supplier.
Entrepreneur Kamil Sattar (The Ecom King on YouTube) recommends starting with five to 10 low-cost products, a Shopify website, and a TikTok account.
“I do believe the best opportunity right now in dropshipping is the TikTok Organic Method,” Kamil says on the Shopify Masters podcast. “The profit margins are between 40% to 60%, and you just can’t argue with those numbers.”
With Shopify, it’s easy to start a dropshipping business. Orders are sent directly to your customers, so you can work on what you do best—reaching your customers.
7. Résumé writer
Résumés are crucial to landing a new job, yet many people struggle to write them. If you excel at writing résumés, you can make a business out of it. Résumé writing and editing are usually performed more quickly than other freelance writing jobs, so it’s a good option for writers looking for a side hustle.
In addition to individual sessions, you can sell digital downloads, like a résumé template, job-hunting ebook, or prerecorded résumé writing course on your website. Try promoting your business on LinkedIn to connect with job seekers.
8. Virtual assistant
Virtual assistants help business owners manage tasks they don’t have time for. Unlike traditional personal assistants, virtual assistants don’t have to be in the same city (or even the same country) as their clients.
Virtual assistant services vary widely and can include social media work, graphic design, general admin, and sales. You can use virtual assistance to make extra income to fund your business idea or grow your virtual assistant business to hire others.
Get started as a virtual assistant by promoting yourself on freelance marketplaces like Upwork, Guru, and Fiverr, or join an agency like Time etc, Wing, or Fancy Hands.
9. Digital designer
You don’t need to sell physical products to make money as an artist online. You can sell digital products like printable bullet journal templates, sewing patterns, or music.
For example, Danish brand Deima Knitwear sells knitting patterns on its Shopify store. Deima also offers a limited number of ready-to-ship and made-to-order pieces to appeal to its audience of knitters and non-knitters alike.
Digital products include downloadable templates, journals, checklists, guides, and designs. It’s easy to experiment with different product types to see what sells—simply use a design tool like Canva to design your downloads, then sell them on a marketplace like Etsy or start an ecommerce store.
10. Online dating consultant
Consider yourself a matchmaker? Become an online dating consultant and help singles find love. Besides helping create online dating profiles, you can source potential matches and offer coaching through first dates. Try it out on willing friends first, then use their success stories to promote your services.
You can also generate passive income by creating an online dating course or workbook to sell on your website via Shopify’s Digital Downloads app.
Reference: https://www.shopify.com/in/blog/low-investment-business-ideas