Just a few years ago, a working-class American could only dream of starting a small business. Especially in the economy at that time. But things have improved considerably since then.
The economy has taken a positive turn, businesses are booming and the dollars are flowing in. There are over 22 million small businesses in the United States, with more opening every day.
So what’s holding you back from following your dreams of being a business owner? If you’re thinking investment, then it’s time for a wakeup call. In the 21st century, solid internet plans may be all you need.
10 Startup Ideas That Only Need Small Investments
So you have a dream of owning your own business. That’s great, but it’s not enough on its own. You also need the will to make that dream come true. Most of the time, we discourage our own selves before we even begin.
Most potential entrepreneurs have one common concern: capital. We have a nebulous idea that it takes a ton of investment and capital to create and run a business. But that’s only true for certain types of businesses.
If you’re finding yourself holding back just because you don’t have seed money lying around, these 10 startup ideas could be just the thing:
- Start a Design House
- Become a Mentor or Coach
- Check out Photography
- Become a Social Media Manager
- Open a Travel Agency
- Try a Food Truck
- Become an Event Planner
- Become a Freelance Developer
- Start a Bakery
- Start a Blog
Let’s take a closer look at these not-so-investment-intensive startup ideas.
Start a Design House
Whether you have skills in fashion design or graphics motion design, you can put them to use by opening up your own design house. Designing is a field that will never become obsolete.
Businesses these days are trying to be as distinct as possible from one another. As a designer, you can sell your services and make a tidy profit with little to no investment.
Become a Mentor or Coach
Have you been a career employee for most of your professional life? Good, because you can monetize your experience. As a professional in your field, you will have amassed a significant amount of knowledge and expertise.
You can use this to start offering mentoring or coaching services within your niche. Put that work experience to use for yourself.
Check out Photography
With better cameras and equipment every year, it is no wonder that photography is a hot field to get into. If you’re the type who doesn’t like regular schedules and prefers creativity with the camera, this could be for you.
Become a professional photographer after investing in a few courses and start earning money for your lens-view of the world.
Become a Social Media Manager
Social media is a billion dollar industry and has billions of active users online every single day. So it should come as no surprise that businesses invest heavily in maintaining a strong social media presence.
The problem is, there aren’t enough social media managers to go around. If you’re an expert at social media, or if you can take classes that teach social media management, try this.
There is ample room in a growing market for a social media manager to make his or her presence felt.
Open a Travel Agency
There are more tourists now than there were at any point in history. Thanks to cheaper airfares, more connecting flights, and emerging tourist destination, the travel industry is booming.
So why shouldn’t you get a piece of the pie too? Starting your own travel agency doesn’t need much investment. And you can always partner with a host agency for commissions.
Try a Food Truck
The food business isn’t going out of style anytime soon, mainly because people love to eat. But you don’t need to find a posh location and invest in redesigning and redecorating a space.
A food truck can serve much the same purpose for a fraction of the cost. It’s mobile so you can go where your customers are. Once you’re there, trust to the yummy food smells to get customers lining up.
Become an Event Planner
Event management, planning, catering, and all the things associated with a great party have one thing in common. They’re not from the event manager’s pocket. You barely need any investment to start your own event management business.
The clients pay for everything, including your services. You just have to focus on putting together a great event.
Become a Freelance Developer
If you have coding skills, there is a ready market for them out there just waiting for you. But instead of trying yourself down to a single employer, start offering your skills freelance. Most companies prefer to outsource technical functions to freelancers anyway.
All you need is your computer and a reliable internet connection to get the job done.
Start a Bakery
If you’re good at baking and putting together amazing goodies to eat, consider opening a bakery. The biggest investment you’ll need to make is on equipping the kitchen. If that’s a bit outside your budget, you can bake and sell from home too.
A social media page or a website will bring orders right to your doorstep.
Start a Blog
Starting a blog is one of the best career moves in the current digital landscape. Bloggers make decent money with very little investment in the first place. And there are fewer ancillary costs than other startups. You don’t need to offer customer service. You don’t need to employ staff.
You don’t need to pay overheads. All you need is to keep paying your hosting service and creating engaging content. As your blog builds up readership, you can look into affiliate marketing, sponsored content, and advertising revenue.