Top 10 Small Business Ideas

If you’re planning to start a new company this year then be inspired by our list of the top 10 small business ideas. It’s essential to acknowledge what once worked and resulted in a great business just over a year ago, may no longer be the best plan in the current global economy. The COVID-19 pandemic has altered the way many businesses operate.

Your role as an entrepreneur is to understand the current dynamics in the business world. If you want to succeed, the next step is to make sure your startup fits in with what the market demands. For example, most traditional businesses have had to transition to the online business model in order to survive the pandemic environment. The key to coming up with a successful business idea is figuring out what people want in today’s world.

Advanced digital technology does mean many businesses are moving over to online operations. However, this doesn’t mean you’re limited to online business ideas. While brick and mortar type businesses may not be as popular these days, we’ve also come up with ways you can run a physical entity.

Read on as we share our top 10 small business ideas that are taking off in 2021. These creative small business ideas should inspire and motivate you to be a successful entrepreneur operating according to the new norm.

1. Virtual PA Services

With more companies having to operate from their homes or smaller premises because of rising rental costs, business owners prefer to employ workers who can operate remotely and virtually. This includes the services of a personal assistant. If you love the idea of managing someone’s diary, organizing their weekly tasks, and handling administrative jobs, becoming a virtual PA could be a good business to start.

All you need is Wi-Fi and a fast computer that will help you deliver work fast and efficiently. This means you can work from home and set up a flexible schedule that works best for you and your client. Be prepared to handle tasks such as booking events, managing travel arrangements, issuing online invoices, and scheduling meetings. Running your own successful virtual PA business can be profitable if you’re a meticulous and organized worker.

2. Mobile Mechanic Services

Whether we’re in a pandemic or not, people still need to drive. And that means car repairs still need to take place. While a lot of vehicles require fancy diagnostic machines before repairs can be carried out, this doesn’t mean your services as a mechanic are no longer needed. Often cars need a simple maintenance or repair job that can be done without having to book it into an auto repairs workshop.

If you’re trained in auto repairs and want to start up your own business, offering your services as a mobile mechanic could be a lucrative idea. You’ll be saving your customers the inconvenience of leaving their vehicle in a workshop for the day. Instead, you can perform oil changes, headlight repairs, battery repairs, and more right in your customer’s garage or office parking area.

Yoga teaching as a small business idea 1

3. Personal Wellbeing Services

People are always looking for ways to improve their personal wellbeing, even more so during stressful times. Offering your services as a yoga teacher, life coach, therapist, or fitness instructor are good business ideas to consider. What’s more, you can offer these services online using Zoom or similar video conferencing tool.

If you’re passionate about helping people in personal development, getting fit, or equipping them with the tools to improve their overall wellbeing then turn it into a business. You can offer your services one-on-one, in groups, or through online courses. By tapping into every person’s desire to improve themselves, you can grow your personal wellbeing services into a profitable business.

4. Mobile Nursing Services

Offering mobile nursing services is an excellent business idea for people who have trained as a nurse or caregiver. If you’ve recently retired as a nurse but you’re still keen to keep yourself busy, you can offer your services as someone visiting the homes of your patients. Running your own mobile nursing service could become a profitable business once you’ve built up your clientele.

Mobile nursing services can include:

  • handling blood tests and COVID-19 samples for testing.
  • offer to clean wounds
  • take daily vital signs
  • assist patients with mobility difficulties
  • administer medications

Post-operation care is also often required by patients who choose to go home rather than go into a step-down facility.

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5. Online Copywriting Business

No. 5 in our list of top 10 small business ideas is closely connected to what you are reading now.

If your skill lies in writing, consider starting your own online copywriting business. Content writing has grown exponentially and will continue to do so as long as digital marketing is around. People are always looking for writers who can write blogs, e-books, website content, and email marketing information.

With more businesses going online, business owners are hiring the services of strong writers for their websites. Affiliate programs are also taking off and clients need copywriters to assist with their blogging and writing of product reviews. Offer your services through a freelancing marketplace and just make sure you have a quality laptop and decent internet connection.

6. Mobile Food Trucks

Before the pandemic, opening a coffee shop or restaurant was one of the most profitable business ideas to pursue. However, with brick and mortar rental prices on the rise as well as stricter health and safety regulations, these traditional businesses are taking a knock. Instead, why not turn your passion for food into a thriving mobile food truck business?

Food trucks offer a more flexible way of delivering meals. You can park your truck at a local market, offer your services at events, and serve food during filming when film crews are on location. You can even park your food truck in a strategic spot for people desperate for a good cup of coffee while driving in rush-hour traffic! Just research the health regulations for operating such a business in your area before you start.

Small business ideas - online courses

7. Online Courses

If you have experience in a certain industry and want to share your knowledge with others, why not start creating and selling online courses? For this aim you can use the StuDocu digital resources, one of the widely popular study materials sharing platforms helping to share your precious experience with other learners. Online platforms such as GetResponse are making it easier for businesses to create, market, and sell their digital courses. Never before has online teaching been such a viable business to tap into! So, if your skill lies in education, turn it into a profitable service.

To be successful as an online teacher you need to take advantage of one of the many online course platforms designed to help you create and sell your courses. Once again, you’ll need a decent PC and good WiFi connection but also the ability to craft interesting curriculum content. You can either teach online through an existing online education marketplace or build your own website.

Although online courses have been around for a while, their usage has skyrocketed over the past 2 years and running your business in this niche is definitely one of the top new small business ideas that are around.

8. Bookkeeping and Accountancy Services

Bookkeeping and accountancy services will never go out of fashion! Business owners are always looking to hire the services of a bookkeeper or accountant. If this is your field of expertise, consider turning it into your own income stream.

Many entrepreneurs may come up with good business ideas but when it comes to managing their cash flows they get overwhelmed. Your services as a bookkeeper or accountant will be invaluable when it comes to helping startups with money management. Your role could include processing invoices, preparing financial reports, and handling tax submissions.

9. Mobile Car Wash Services

One of the most profitable business ideas 2021 has seen come to light is providing mobile car wash services. Once again, as more people continue to work from home, taking their vehicle to a car wash facility may become a bothersome task. A mobile car wash service is a convenience many people are willing to pay for in order to save time.

The benefit of running a mobile car wash business is that you don’t need a physical location that’ll often cost you an arm and a leg. Minimal capital layout is required with startup kits available for starting your own mobile car service. Always do a full market assessment to see if this kind of service is in demand in your particular area.

10. Consultancy Business

Put your knowledge and expertise of an industry to good use and make yourself available to advise others in the same field. Setting up your own consultancy business is an excellent way of putting years of experience in a certain industry to good and profitable use. Business owners are always looking for advice and guidance so make sure you’re the person they hire.

Offering your services as a consultant can include presenting at conferences in your area of expertise or serving as a board advisor for a business. Your expertise could also be used for companies developing strategic plans and visions for their own businesses. The benefits of running a consultancy business are minimal capital outlay, working to your own schedule, and empowering other businesses to be successful.

Now we’ve covered the top 10 small business ideas which you can use to start and/or develop your small business in 2021. But what is there to know before you start a small business? Read on!

What You Need to Know Before Starting Your Small Business

Before acting on one or more of these small business ideas and setting up your own small business, it’s essential to know what you’re doing and why. The good business ideas we’ve shared here involve operating in different industries and having various skills and knowledge. In order to turn these ideas into successful, profitable, and satisfying businesses, ensure you do the following:

1. Explore Creative Small Business Ideas and Do Research

Most of the business ideas we’ve listed in our article offer a service most people need. But to make your small business stand out in the crowd, you need to be innovative and creative. Exploring different creative small business ideas is always key to finding a concept that may sell your services. But, always do your research and make sure there’s a market for what you’re offering.

Your research should include:

  • Knowing your niche market: Identify your target audience and determine what their needs are.
  • Being the solution: Does your business idea help to solve your niche market’s needs and problems?
  • Identifying the competitors: Gauge the competition in your market and determine if it’s going to be a challenge to obtain a piece of the market share.
  • Earning potential: The aim of your small business is to make it profitable so check out the earnings potential of your idea before putting it into practice.

By using these guidelines, you can do an in-depth research of your business idea. The results will help you decide if it’s a business worth investing in.

2. Be Organized – Develop a Business Plan

If you’ve decided your business idea is a profitable one, then you need to start organizing and setting up your company. The first place to start is preparing a good business plan. This includes all the information you need for setting up your small business such as:

  • Core activities
  • Objectives
  • Financial obligations.

Every startup should have a well thought out business plan so their goals are clearly defined. Going forward you can keep yourself focused and on track by measuring outcomes against this plan.

Also make your business official and ensure all the legal aspects of running a company is taken care of.

A well-developed business plan is also useful if you want to approach a bank for a loan or attract other investors.

Get inspired by examples of small business plans to enhance your project management skills.

Final Thoughts

Starting a small business should be exciting, since it contains potential to help you live your dream and benefit your bank balance. Our list of the top 10 small business ideas can help you get started as an entrepreneur. However, before starting any business it’s crucial to do your own research. What works well for one business owner may not necessarily work for you. But, this shouldn’t stop you from running your own small business.

Get creative and explore the many ways you can run your own small business whether it’s online or through offering mobile services to make your customers’ lives a little easier. Through innovation and taking advantage of digital technology, you can come up with a range of good business ideas to help you succeed as an entrepreneur in today’s business world.

Remember, our Billdu website contains excellent features for managing all your small business invoicing needs as a digital Nomad! Once you’ve got your business idea up and running, make sure you take advantage of automated invoicing software to ensure your company’s cash flow stays healthy!

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