50 Small Business Ideas For You To Think About

Are you stuck for small business ideas that you could do? You're not alone. For some people this is a real problem.

That's because we've been taught to think of ourselves as employees. Most of us have always worked for somebody else. We've never really had to be “idea people” before, have we?

If you're going to turn in your timecard & fire your boss, you'll need to start to think like an entrepreneur. A successful entrepreneur needs a focused niche for a business, not just a "vague idea" of something that sounds good. Learn about what a niche business or niche market means. Until you come up with a few small business ideas. you're searching for a needle (your perfect niche) in a haystack!

Take some time to think about what people really do for a living. When my kids were little, I read them a book called What People Do by Richard Scarry.

The book was full of images of people, well... animals, doing various jobs. Those animals did some crazy stuff! If you can find that book, it would be a fun and silly way to brainstorm business ideas. Don't be afraid to be silly... have some fun! Make a party out of brainstorming... let your friends play too!

Be creative while you're hunting for your perfect small business idea. There's no right or wrong way to do it. Maybe instead of a childrens book, you'd feel more comfortable with your phone book's Yellow Pages. Yep, start thumbing thru the book.

There'll be entire sections that are “off-limits” to you because of special skills you don't have. No problem. There's plenty of other entrepreneur ideas buried in the book. Think of yourself as a prospector, panning for gold. You can be sure they discard a lot of gravel before they get to the “pay-dirt.”

Some of the suggestions on this list of small business ideas can be done from your home. Some will be done at your home. What's the difference? Here's an example... I work AT home, selling online. My husband works from home (his office is here), but does his plumbing-work at the customer's home.

Here's a list of 50 small business ideas to jumpstart your brainstorming.

  1. Tutoring or teaching
  2. Photography
  3. Cake decorating
  4. Personal chef
  5. Personal shopper
  6. Cleaning
  7. Catering
  8. Home or office organizing
  9. Craft business
  10. Private investigation
  11. Car detailing
  12. Background investigation
  13. Baking
  14. Internet marketer
  15. Pet care
  16. Wellness or fitness
  17. Gift baskets
  18. Network marketing
  19. Child care
  20. Home party sales (tupperware, etc.)
  21. Machine embroidery
  22. Screen printing
  23. Gardener/landscaper
  24. Artist
  25. Writer
  26. Create resumes
  27. Recycling
  28. Medical transcription
  29. Event planning
  30. Web hosting
  31. Web design
  32. Lawn care
  33. Book keeping
  34. Handyman
  35. Wholesale rep
  36. Recruiting
  37. Landscaping
  38. Travel agent
  39. Consulting
  40. Sewing/tailoring/mending
  41. Computer repair
  42. Food prep.
  43. Graphic design
  44. Day trading
  45. Business credit repair
  46. eBay trading assistant
  47. Internet auction/sales
  48. Virtual assistant
  49. Personal assistant
  50. Inventor

That list probably isn't complete, but it's what I have for you now. A lot of the catagories are broad. Where it says "writer", you could either write books, be a proofreader for clients, be a blogger, an internet content provider, or have some other writing-based business. If you're crafty, there's a world of opportunity online that didn't even exist 5 years ago... lucky us!

Think about what kind of business you'd like. I love working at home, but it's solitary. If you're a “people-person”, you may not be happy working at home by yourself. But it would work if you take extra time to network & otherwise get out and about several times a week.

These are just a few of the things a person has to think about when they're planning their business. Remember, it's your business, so set it up to suit yourself!

Cut and paste the list of small business ideas, and print it out. Then do some keyword searches on your fave search engine. See where that takes you. Enjoy this part of the trip. If you take enough time and work at it, I know you'll come up with your perfect small business idea.

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