Editor’s note: This article was first published in November 2017. The trends it describes as current, such as Instagram’s growth, mobile visits overtaking desktop and the spread of subscription boxes, reflect that year, and its job-growth projection to 2022 comes from US Bureau of Labor Statistics forecasts for 2012–2022.
As 2017 draws to a close and we look ahead to 2018, here are some more business ideas to put into practice. A reminder: when we put together a list like this, we don’t simply run through every profession and type of shop out there to produce filler along the lines of “Become a taxi driver: people need to get around” or “Open a café: coffee sells really well.”
Of course, we have already given some tips for opening a café, along with some ideas that included hybrid shops, where we talked about a shop-café and a hybrid restaurant, and we also covered the cat café, a type of venue that is very popular in Japan where you can have a drink surrounded by beautiful felines. Whether your country would let you open that kind of business is another matter.
That said, remember too that every idea set out here depends on the entrepreneur’s creativity and execution. In other words, there is always someone who says: “Well, a pizzeria isn’t profitable, because five have closed in my neighbourhood.” Fine. Now look at that other great pizzeria in your city, whose owner has already opened three locations. Clearly one of them did something the other didn’t. That holds for every business idea we present here.
See also: 15 business ideas explained, and where the profit lies
1. Instagram consultant
I don’t like the name “consultant” for this business idea, so it’s up to each of you to find the right one (adviser, expert…), because “community manager” is a well-worn label by now, and honestly that’s not what I mean.
Even though Instagram keeps growing in popularity and there are many success stories of businesses whose sales have multiplied thanks to this social network, the truth is that very few companies know how to use it properly.
To take an example close to home, some people who have had an Instagram account for four years (yours truly, for instance) have barely gained any followers (not that I’ve been very active, mind you), while others devote themselves to building accounts that reach hundreds of thousands of followers in just a few months. Clearly there’s a trick to it, and that trick is what brands want to learn.
For example: This couple earns six figures a month thanks to Instagram
I don’t know exactly what it takes to be considered an Instagram expert and sell your services to individuals and companies, but I imagine it has something to do with advanced knowledge of social media and marketing and a passion for photography. Focusing on this app can be an excellent way to make money or to build a very profitable business around it.
See also: 41 businesses you can start without too much difficulty
2. Subscription services
There are many ways to approach this business. In fact, we have already looked at several companies that have won a large number of subscribers with this kind of subscription service, among them shirts for executives (customers receive shirts every month, plus a surprise), health-care products, cosmetics and so on.
Subscription services are now also appearing in the food sector and even in pet products: every month, customers receive at home a selection of products based on their interests, for a fee that can be paid monthly or yearly. And the most striking thing about this business is that the contents of the box are a surprise. The company chooses what kind of product to send, and it often includes some little extra.
A tip for entrepreneurs who want to get into this market: either aim at VIP customers or aim at the cheapest possible offer, but don’t get stuck in the middle on price.
3. Mobile consultant
This is very similar to what we described in point 1 with Instagram. Today, if we look at the statistics showing which devices visitors use to reach our sites, we will clearly see that visits from smartphones overtook visits from PCs some time ago.
Very soon, when we design a website, we will have to think almost exclusively about mobile. And this is where the business opportunity lies for an entrepreneur who wants to help companies face this challenge: someone has to look after the user experience when people visit a site on their phone, how easy it is to buy and, in short, the call to purchase.
The good thing about this business is that you won’t have to work hard to convince the client. They know the change is happening and that the trend is towards mobile.
4. Translation services
Global markets and international business are growing, and although many people wouldn’t believe it, there is strong demand for translators today. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, hiring of interpreters and translators is expected to grow by nearly 50% by 2022, one of the highest rates compared with the average for other jobs.
See also: 10 jobs and businesses that will be booming in 2020
5. Healthy vending machines
Today you can find vending machines of every kind, selling everything from hamburgers to sex toys and even used panties (yes, really), not to mention a giant car vending machine.
But if we focus on the simplest vending business, food, then realistically fast food is in fashion, yet more and more of us are aware that we need to look after ourselves. Everywhere you go you can find machines selling soft drinks, sweets and crisps.
But what if we aimed our business at vending healthier food? That is the idea Fresh Healthy Vending came up with. It is considered the number 1 company in healthy vending and has built a large network of distributors and franchisees. There’s the business idea.
6. Removal services
Most people clearly prefer to have someone else do the heavy lifting for them. Although some think this sector is already dominated by giant companies, the truth is that any small entrepreneur can carve out a niche in this business. And by the way, the risk can be minimal, since you could even start with a rented van or a six-month lease while you test whether the business is profitable.
What you will have to decide is whether you want to do only local moves or long-distance ones too, and which other services in this sector you could offer.
See also: Finding problems and creating solutions: this is how businesses are born
7. Selling Christmas trees
Although most buyers today prefer plastic trees, the truth is that some customers prefer real ones. But this is not an easy business: they say a fir tree takes several years to reach the ideal size, so growing your own trees and letting customers come and choose the one they want (as we see in the films) might not be all that profitable in Spain, for example.
On the other hand, buying trees from a wholesaler and selling them to end customers can be a great idea. Always thinking of something innovative that sets you apart from the competition, of course.
See also: This is how a 25-year-old young mother makes money using Facebook
More common ideas
We could go on listing other, more typical business ideas, such as:
- Photographer: for both individuals and companies.
- Carpet cleaning: I don’t know if you’ve seen on television how much dirt carpets build up even when their owners think they have cleaned them well. I imagine experts are needed for this.
- Massage therapist: I know you’ll think there are lots of massage therapists and that most of them complain there isn’t much work, but the truth is that plenty of people have studied a bit of massage, while few masseurs have the talent to make you say, “Wow, what a great massage!” Take it from a fan and lover of massages (good massages, of course).
- Video editing: we have already talked about this business idea. If you are good with editing software, you can offer your services for all sorts of things, from companies to filming a wedding and editing it as if it were a film.
And no, today we’re not going to walk dogs or look after the neighbour’s cats. We’re not even going to bake cakes at home to sell to the neighbours, or make home-made baby food, even though one woman went on to turn over millions with that idea. We’ll stop here for today.
See also: 31 business ideas to start this year
Featured image: renee_mcgurk, CC BY 2.0, via Flickr.
