Small business ideas
We have published an updated Top 10 list for 2012:
Top 10 small business ideas for 2012.
Goodbye 2010, welcome 2011.
This year is probably the best time to start a business. Businesses have proven once again that they can survive under heavy pressure – they have adapted well.
Although some big companies are going out of business in 2010, the natural selection has done its job: Giving chances to creative small businesses to strive and thrive. This happens due to some obvious reasons: They are nimble, running on low overheads, and using tech trends to their advantages.
Budding entrepreneurs – to give you some ideas on what business to start this year, here are some small business ideas for you to consider:
- Online business and make money online
You can tell that this is my personal favourite. I continue to root on online business/make money online because of two obvious reasons: Cost-effective and lucrative. With many industries are going online, the future is darn bright! Online tutoring, online store, website flipping, etc. – all look promising. - Personalised products and/or services
Personalisation is trendy. People no longer really want to wear a Mark Ecko t-shirt – you want “YOUR” t-shirt printed with YOUR choice of image; you don’t want a Hallmark greeting card – you want “YOUR” greeting card made especially for you; starting a business offering clients uniqueness and individualistic flavour will give you a best chance to succeed. - Social media consultant/promoter/marketer
Having an established business website for your small business is no longer effective – you need to go social in your effort to promote your business. Unfortunately (or fortunately?) not all small business owner are “social-media-literate” – this is clearly a gap in the market. Starting a social media consulting business helping small business owners to promote their products and services to Twitter, Facebook and the likes will bring you a lucrative opportunity as demand is very high. - Cloud business / cloud working services
The cloud or cloud computing is probably only a buzz word or marketing gimmick, but the benefits are there: Migrating part or all of your business process to the cloud can help you cut costs and increase productivity. Starting a business offering cloud services is a great opportunity to reach huge, untapped market of business owners. What is cloud business, anyway? - Small business with a cause
“Do business with us and we will plant a tree on your behalf” is a great small business idea. People basically love to give to others, in many different ways. Some don’t really want to help others directly; they are more interested in getting what they want while doing something worthwhile in the process. Offering your products and services with an embedded social cause(s) can offer you a win-win situation: Happy customers, happy charities and happy business. - Crowdsourcing services
Your business is only as good as what your target market think of you. That’s why crowdsourcing makes sense. Offering an opportunity for the crowd (passer-bys website visitors, etc.) to decide what’s best for you can eliminate your need for market research. This makes a powerful business idea: Offering a service to meet businesses with the crowd. Kiva.org is an example of crowdsourcing service – it is a crowdfunding business allowing people to fund budding entrepreneurs with limited budget. - Services to Home-based business
Home based business is good, but offering services to those who work at home is terrific. Some small business ideas: An online community for home-based business owners, delivery services for home-based businesses, home office maintenance services, etc. - Natural disaster recovery business
There are plenty of floods and earthquakes, including wildfire and other force majeure issues in 2010. The aftermath is devastating for those impacted by the disasters, and helps are much needed in those events. Offering a natural disaster recovery services to the public is not only a noble deed, but also a lucrative one, due to the possible partnership with the Government; the Gov’t will seek for recovery partners and you’d better be there to answer the call! A quick-construction business, amenities supply business, etc. can be both helpful and profitable. - Green and organic business
Green energy, green construction, organic foods, organic clothing, etc. make great business in 2011, as people are becoming more and more aware toward the impact of carbon and other non-degradable materials to the earth. - Real-time online-off line combo business
Child safety plastic tags that are connected to the GPS and online system to avoid child abduction and interactive restaurant menu with touchscreen are a couple of examples of online-off line combo products/services. Starting a business offering products and services that integrate both worlds flawlessly is well sought after.
There you go – Noobpreneur.com’s top 10 small business ideas to help you out in either starting a business or discovering other business ideas well-suited to your aspiration. If you have a small business idea or two to share, please share yours by commenting to this article.
Ivan Widjaya
10 small business ideas for 2011
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I wonder if you can also include in the list those businesses who can help you free up yourself from all these social media stress and the likes. With more technologies come more time spent in the digital world and yes, it can be really stressful. Just a thought though. Thanks for sharing these awesome tips. I might just as well as take your advice in item No. 5 of your list – it’s good karma for a start.
Ivan, thanks for the very thorough round-up. I also like the opportunities open to those leaving their cubicles to become online freelancers, with Freelanceswitch and other outlets.
Freelancing is always a good business idea – cubicles curb creativity and “prison” people from working while doing what they love :)
I love Freelancing…you can manage your time at ease. You can control everything compared working inside a cubicle. Anyway would like to say thanks for this article.
Thank you, for these ideas!
I do have an Idea of one other business idea: there are many business that need councils about how to manage their own business. making standards procedures for them, including software, it might be a good idea….
again thank you for the Ideas below…
Erjon,
That’s a good idea – something similar to small business local chambers. So, I think it’s like a consulting business?
Thanks for sharing!
I am an online entrepreneur and for me it was interesting to know about the latest tendencies in the world of business. This article just tells about the best business ideas.
They are not tendencies – the are suggestions :)
Thanks for your comment!
Learned something new. Can’t say that about many blog posts.
Cheers, Fay!
Those are some great business ideas! I have a good bit of experience with one of them myself! Thanks for sharing noobpreneur! We also give free webinars for those who want to know the ins and outs of social media! Thanks again for the great article. Have a great week!
J. Souza
SocialMediaMagic.Com
John,
Thanks all the same – cheers!
This is a great list. I’m particularly encouraged by the fact that I’m already involved in a couple of the models that you mention. Great minds think alike! Keep up the great writing.
Darin,
That’s great! I hope you are doing well with your endeavours :)
They all sound like good ideas, but would you happen to have any ideas on get any of the business’s off and running. I can fix about anything, but knowing how to market that ability (no clue)
Lucas,
Here’s an idea: How about starting a consultation blog from where you can share some tips and offer hourly-rate-based consultation via Skype or any other communication methods?
Just a little contribution. With the recession, a lot of people are now imbibing the culture of reusing or restlying instead of discarding. Sewing and alteration business is proving very popular and profitable now, as people are mending clothes instead of throwing them away. People are also buying end of line clothes which are either too big or too small, but extremely cheap and now bringing to us for altering. So if you can sew (or learn), there are prospects in sewing business.
Hi,
I am a real estate broker here in the philippines. The 5th small business idea for 2011 gave me a very good idea not only for my personal satisfaction but also a contribution to social cause. why not get my services like for example a client wants to buy a property or wants to sell his property. Once this transacztion is consumated there will be a corresponding commission as payment for my services. Part of this commission will be then used to help charitable institutions the client would prefer like hospitals, for education, building of new houses for the poor, feeding programs, environment related foundations etc. It is about time that we share the blessings we get to others who are less fortunate in life. You are right, HAPPY CUSTOMERS, HAPPY CHARITIES, HAPPY BUSINESS and Everyody is happy. I hope those who are in the sales business would consider this very unselfish idea.
Jon,
Glad you enjoy our tips… Indeed, social entrepreneurship is on the rise today due to the rising demands to support causes – all thanks to the social media.
Thanks for dropping by :)
These are nice little nuggets. With the proliferation of the Internet I think a lot of people are looking to do something where they are tucked away in the safety of their home, perched in front of their laptop and still making a decent living.
Enter Social media consultant/promoter/marketer. Crowdsourcing – meeting business with the crowd – shouldn’t there be a witty new dating-related term for that?
But there’s still something to be said about starting a business based on a traditional trade such as plumbing, or, even, the classic Man and Van moving service. Put that together with basic local SEO to put your basic but effective website onto page 1 of Google and I think you might be onto something.
Of course, once the government returns your call, taking you up on your Natural Disaster Recovery Business you’d have a choice of which business to concentrate on. But, I suppose, that’s one of those good problems to have.
Good Luck, everybody!
Derek.
I agree. With technological advancement scopes of online businesses have widened. You’ve thrown light on all the considerable facts in this regard.
Thanks for these suggestions! Technology has greatly changed small business opportunities and these are great ideas.
I love these selection of business ideas you have provided. They are good for anyone who wants to find something viable to do with little capital to spare. Nice Post
Riding in the current of the Green Movement is a sure way to go, people’s awareness with the global warming issue gives a lot of opportunity for alternative, organic and eco-friendly products and it will continue to flourish.
Online business has always been very interesting. I really like your list of the top small business ideas here. But what I would like to apply is the number 10 on the list, I only need to add the offline part to make the online offline combo!
Hi Review Centers,
Yes, some online retailers are actually establishing offline presence to gain from the best of both worlds :)
By the way, here’s an updated list of small business ideas – Top 10 small business ideas for 2012.
Cheers!