Editor’s note: This article was first published in July 2018. Statements such as “cycling is booming”, “people spend a lot on bikes” and business brokering being uncommon in Spain reflect that time.
Continuing our list of small business ideas, this time we look at another set of businesses that can be very profitable if you approach them the right way. As we said in our previous article with 30 small but profitable businesses, all of these ventures have been carried out by people who made a good amount of money by getting the approach right.
We’ll start with several businesses you can launch with no investment, where your first office can be your own home.
Best business ideas that don’t need commercial premises
31. Manufacturer’s representative
Calling it “commission-based salesperson” may not sound great as a business idea, but the truth is it’s an excellent way to make money. Even though we live in a digital age, there’s still room for independent sales reps. In fact, you don’t have to limit yourself to a single product: you can make the most of your visits to certain areas by carrying products from several different companies.
The good thing about this idea is that it requires no investment at all, and you can even start part-time without leaving your current job. Or you can decide to take it seriously and make a lot of money.
As I’ve mentioned before, one way I personally made a lot of extra money was by working with different companies that paid me a commission simply for putting a customer in touch with the supplier.
32. Small photography business
Photography is like many other professions. Lots of photographers say you can’t make a living from it, or that there are already too many photographers. But the fact is that plenty of photographers earn good money. Why is it so profitable for some while others say they make nothing from it? It always comes down to the approach.
That said, taking a course and owning a camera doesn’t make you a good photographer. If you have something that sets you apart and you’re passionate about photography, you can start this business by setting up your own studio in a room at home.
To start earning money quickly, you can also go straight to people who need photos, such as those who place personal ads in your area. You can make an offer to small local shops. There are countless things you can do to make your passion for photography pay. One of them is selling your photos on stock image sites, which can be a good way to earn passive income.
See also: 16 ways to make money without working or doing anything
33. Selling promotional merchandise
Small and large companies can be an excellent market for this. In fact, they already demand this kind of service. You can carry out this business idea in two ways.
On the one hand, you can start your own business. That would mean negotiating a good price with a screen-printing company and finding your own original products to carry the client company’s branding. These products can be lighters, pens, T-shirts, jackets or any other product you think could be innovative in this business. Starting a company like this really isn’t that hard.
The other way is the one we mentioned in the previous point: reach an agreement with a company already working in this sector and become its sales representative, taking a commission on every sale you make to customers.
34. Sales trainer
If sales are your passion, starting this business is easy. At first you don’t need premises or an office if you focus on training other companies’ salespeople. Personally, this is a side business I still haven’t given up and that I combine with my other activities. A couple of times a month I train the sales teams of several companies.
If you decide to get into this field, you can also offer your services to individual salespeople, running group sales courses so it costs each participant less. To begin with, the ideal client is usually a company with between 5 and 25 salespeople. They’re small enough that not everyone is trying to sell them sales training, and big enough to recognise the need for training and be willing to pay for it.
35. Making soap and lotions
There’s demand for homemade soap, and if on top of being homemade you can give it attractive packaging, this small business can bring in a lot of money. The same goes for lotions, and even for making your own fragrance. It isn’t as complicated as you might think.
You can make soaps with different scents and lotions yourself and sell them in nicely presented bags. One way to sell your product is to talk to a shopping centre and rent a space there. You can also sell online, and you can even distribute through certain shops in your area.
36. Organising specific types of events
It’s a very common idea, and you might think there are already thousands of event organisers, but it’s the same as with every other profession. Specialise in birthday parties, in corporate events, in nightlife, in whatever you like, but specialise.
Best part-time small business ideas
Sometimes the best way to start a business is part-time, while you keep the income from your day job. Once we see that it’s becoming profitable, we can take the leap.
37. Bicycle repair
People spend a lot of money on bikes these days. Cycling is booming. Most repairs aren’t that complicated if you know a bit about them. You can start this business from your garage, or even away from home. And if you want to think bigger, you can also sell accessories for cyclists, or even sell bikes.
Learn the basics of fixing gears and the other most common breakdowns that cycling enthusiasts tend to run into.
See also: 22 profitable and creative business ideas
38. Reselling cars
Some people have practically become rich with this business. Of course, to be that successful you need a big source of good-value used cars, such as dealership car auctions, government vehicle auctions and so on. That part of the business isn’t easy.
But the most common approach is to buy a car in good condition or with a few defects, make the necessary repairs, get it looking like new and sell it at a good price for the customer. If you know nothing about car repairs, you can always team up with someone who does and work together.
When you start, start small, with a couple of cars. That way you risk little and can see how the business goes for you.
39. Cooking class instructor
Cooking classes have ended up being about everything except cooking, although people do still learn to cook. For many people, going to these classes is really a way to have a good time as a couple or to meet other people. So if you start this small business, make sure the people who come along are decent, well-mannered people, because in the end what sells most isn’t what you offer but how people felt while they were there.
40. Crafts business
Many people make handmade goods and crafts as a hobby, but if you want to make money you can also put a reasonable price on your products and even take them to market. In fact, local retailers and craft fairs can become your target for profitability. That said, you can also sell your products online, which is the route most people who make money from this small business choose.
See also: Ideas for making money fast online
41. Custom embroidery
Anything with the word “custom” in it lets you stand out from the rest and charge a little more for your services. Offering this service online lets you set your own hours and start the business part-time.
42. Editing services
Every business needs editors, but you have to know how to sell it to them. These days every company, however small, has to be online. On top of that, they usually write their own advertising in all sorts of formats, so a good editing service for the web, backed by good SEO, or good copywriting for whatever documents they need, can help that company sell more.
Some editors specialise in one aspect of editing. Others cover every aspect. Either way, you can start this business from home.
See also: 16 businesses you can start from home
43. Family history writer (genealogy service)
You might find very good family history resources online, but in the end it takes someone patient to put it all together. That’s where you can come in as an expert family history writer. Pull it all together, do enough research, answer your clients’ questions and you can grow this business.
44. Personal finance consultant
Financial education is still the subject most people never got round to, so if you’re good at it, you can advise families on how to save more and even teach them to invest their money, along with any other options you can offer in the field of personal finance.
See also: 10 recommended books on financial education
45. Pop-up art gallery
In our previous article we talked about a full-blown art gallery; this time the idea is probably one of the smartest businesses on the list. It’s a way to have your own art gallery with no overheads. You can talk to the owner of a bar or restaurant and host your gallery there as an event.
Why would the restaurant or bar owner say yes? Because they profit from the food and drinks they sell, and on top of that you can give them a small commission on every painting, sculpture or work of art that’s sold.
See also: 20 original business ideas that work in other countries
46. Interior room painting
If you can paint rooms artistically or do something original with interior walls, it’s just a matter of offering your services. Professionals are often needed to hang photo murals on walls. In fact, there are companies that specialise in installing photo murals, which usually come in 8 pieces that have to fit together perfectly.
If your thing is turning bedroom walls into a real work of art, you can earn good money from it.
In another article we also mentioned painting house fronts at low-cost prices as a way to make money.
See also: Ideas for making extra money from home: 38 ways to do it
47. Party planner
When we say party planner, the first thing that comes to mind is children’s parties, but we forget about parties for adults, which are a fast-growing field. To get started in this business, you should first offer a few really attractive package deals. Later on you can try to add extra services.
Best low-investment business ideas
48. Antique restoration
You’ll need some experience to make progress in antique restoration, but some skills can be learned fairly easily, such as stripping paint and old varnish and refinishing. If you want to get into this business, I’d suggest you start by restoring antiques for other people, and little by little start buying pieces to restore and sell on your own account. But get to know the market before you start handing over cash to buy antiques.
49. Mediator
I can assure you this business idea is very profitable once you become known. In fact, it was the first business I started, with my partner Victoria.
We started out mediating family conflicts, disputes over inheritances and divorce cases. We ended up mediating business negotiations to keep companies from losing deals or ending up in endless legal battles.
The secret to success in this business is having a method, being completely objective and having a degree of influence and negotiation skills, and above all, above all else… a whole lot of patience.
What I learned in this profession is that most of the time both sides actually agree, they just don’t know it, because they’ve started arguing instead of talking. After a few hours of mediation, the two sides reached a good agreement in the vast majority of the cases we handled.
Here I tell you about my experience in the mediation business.
50. Baby-proofing services
This is a small but pleasant business, in a market that isn’t just looking for the cheapest product but for the one that best protects the baby: railing nets, door latches, socket covers, door locks and so on.
Where’s the profit in this business? Mostly in selling the best products at a good price as well as giving advice (advice on its own won’t bring you many customers). The advice can become added value on top of selling and installing the products.
51. Business broker
This profession isn’t very widespread in Spain, and where it exists it operates at a large scale: giant corporations acquiring a big company. But when it comes to smaller businesses, there’s a wide market that can be very profitable, especially if we find mid-sized companies looking to hunt an elephant that, for now, is still a little one.
The work is no different from that of a real estate agent who puts a client who wants to buy in touch with an owner who wants to sell. The only difference is that here businesses are being bought and sold, and you’re the intermediary who gets paid for the deal.
See also: 18 business ideas with no investment that you can start right now
Featured image: Oystercard, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
