Small business is the backbone of the economy. Small business owners create jobs, drive innovation, and help communities grow. More than half of Americans own or work for a small business, generating 64% of new jobs in the U.S. each year.
A small business venture is a great way to earn extra income. If you’re not sure where to start, don’t worry. There are many unique small business ideas you can start in 2022, and with proper planning and execution, you can be successful.
If you’re looking for a business idea, there are two types of business opportunities: product and service. Each of these types can either be online, offline, or both. In some instances, it could also be a hybrid type: product + service, like a restaurant. Here is the list of profitable small business ideas to start in 2022.
Skip to a Specific Section:
- Product Business Ideas
- Service Business Ideas
- Most Successful Business Ideas
- Excellent Small Business Idea to Start
- How to Start a Profitable Small Business From Home
- Step-by-Step Process in Starting a Small Business
- 5 Businesses to Start With Little Money
- 3 Easy Businesses to Start
- Frequently Asked Questions
Product Business Ideas
There are two types of product business. The first option is to create a physical product and the second is to create a digital product.
A physical product is something that you can touch, like a book or a piece of clothing. It is anything that can be sold or traded.
A digital product, such as an ebook, video, image, app, or software, is a new business idea and is delivered to customers in digital formats. The business structure is relatively easy, and anyone with expert knowledge and skills can run their own business.
Digital products don’t need a high capital to start making them an excellent option for entrepreneurs with limited resources. You can even start for as little as $20 and get the business up and running in no time. Here are the top digital product ideas.
1. Sell fashion products on online platforms
- Difficulty: 3/5 Stars (Moderate)
- Capital: $500 – $2,000
You can create a professional-looking listing and take advantage of the millions of shoppers who visit the site daily. Another option is to sell through Etsy. This platform is especially popular with vintage and handmade items, but you can list just about anything there. Creating a shop on Etsy is easy and only takes a few minutes.
Recommended Courses
- Etsy Shop Setup, SEO and Ads by Ali Hobart
- Fashion Marketing Strategy by Nino Via
- How to Sell Products Online by Sam Dey
- Marc Jacobs Teaches Fashion Design
- Diane von Furstenberg Teaches Building a Fashion Brand
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2. Open a franchise of a popular brand
- Difficulty: 3/5 Stars (Moderate)
- Capital: $10,000 – $50,000
Opening a franchise of a famous brand is a profitable business idea. It’s a simple business model that gives you the parent company’s name recognition and customer base while becoming the boss. Of course, it’s not easy – you’ll need to ensure you follow the brand’s guidelines and meet their standards. But a franchise can be a great opportunity if you’re up for the challenge.
Recommended Courses
- The Masterclass for Buying a Franchise by Nikki Wright
- How to Buy a Franchise Business by Jason Anderson
3. Be a distributor of beauty products
- Difficulty: 3/5 Stars (Moderate)
- Capital: $3,000 – $10,000
Beauty products are a great business, and there is always a demand for them. Distributors and dealers of beauty products can make a lot of money if they can find the right products to sell. To be profitable, it is crucial to find the ones in high demand since many different types of beauty products are available.
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4. Put up a food cart business
- Difficulty: 3/5 Stars (Moderate)
- Capital: $3,000 – $30,000
If you’ve always wanted to be the boss, you may want to consider a food cart business. There are a lot of business ideas to make money as a food cart owner. As a business owner, you can choose your hours, be your boss, and make your own decisions. Plus, you get to interact with people and brighten their day with some delicious food or drink.
Recommended Courses
- The Ultimate Food and Restaurant Business Course by Nigel Simon
- Food Truck Business Plan by Jeff Mack
- Gordon Ramsay Teaches Cooking I
- Gordon Ramsay Teaches Cooking II: Restaurant Recipes at Home
5. Sell flowers or plants from your backyard
- Difficulty: 4/5 Stars (Easy)
- Capital: $300 – $3,000
If you have a “green thumb” and love being outside, selling flowers or plants from your backyard is the perfect home business idea! You can start a local business by setting up a booth at your local farmer’s market or creating a website to sell your plants online. Be sure to price your plants competitively and market them well, and you’ll soon be on your way to making a profit from your backyard nursery.
Recommended Courses
- Floral Design 101 by Judith Forlizzo
- Gardening, House Plants, Succulents for Beginners by Mark Shorter
- Maurice Harris Teaches Design Stunning Floral Arrangements
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6. Become a consignment shop owner
- Difficulty: 3/5 Stars (Moderate)
- Capital: $1,000 – $5,000
Do you love clothes and fashion? Do you have an eye for what is in style? If you answered yes to any of these questions, becoming a consignment shop owner may be the perfect career choice. Consignment shops are always in need of new inventory, so as the owner, you will be responsible for sourcing new and trendy items to sell.
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7. Make and sell gift items
- Difficulty: 4/5 Stars (Easy)
- Capital: $200 – $2,000
Who doesn’t love gift items? If you’re creative and have a good eye for detail, selling gift items is the best for you. You can find some simple tutorials online or in books to get started. Once you have a few basic designs, you can start selling them online or at local craft fairs.
Recommended Courses
- Your Craft Business: A Step by Step Guide by Kevin Partner
- Jewelry Making: Basics in Design by Vicky Wittmann-Lamb
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8. Sell your crafts
- Difficulty: 4/5 Stars (Easy)
- Capital: $100 – $2,000
If you’re looking for a way to make extra cash, why not try selling your crafts? You can start a business by setting up a stall at your local market or an online store. You can do infinite things, from creating scented candles, customized mugs, 3D-printed items, baskets, jigs, planners, or calendars. If you like doing novelty items, this is for you.
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9. Start a recycling business
- Difficulty: 4/5 Stars (Easy)
- Capital: $500 – $2,000
If you’re keen on making a difference with a small investment, you could start a recycling business. Just think of everything you can recycle: paper, glass, plastic, metal. The list goes on! The idea is quite simple. Buy unused items at a low price, then add markup for a profit.
10. Sell art paintings or figures
- Difficulty: 3/5 Stars (Moderate)
- Capital: $100 – $2,000
One way to make money is to sell paintings or figures you create. People might buy your art because it makes them happy, they like how it looks, or because it makes them feel a certain way.
Sometimes people buy art as an investment, hoping it will be worth more. If you’re considering selling art, doing some research first is essential. You’ll want to discover what kind of art is popular and what prices people are willing to pay.
Recommended Courses
- Sell Your Art Masterclass by Melanie Greenwood
- Sell Art Online Masterclass by Douglas Butner
- Jeff Koons Teaches Art and Creativity
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11. Create and sell online courses
- Difficulty: 2/5 Stars (Difficult)
- Capital: $800 – $3,000
You can sell online courses to people who want to learn what you know. To do this, think about what topic you want to teach, create a course people will want to buy, and then put it up for sale on the internet. Then, break that topic down into smaller lessons or modules. You can record yourself giving a lecture on each lesson or create slideshows with accompanying audio commentary.
Recommended Courses
- Build a Six-Figure Online Business Selling Online Courses by Eli Natoli
- Online Business Masterclass: Sell Your Own Digital Products by Diego Davila
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12. Start a software company
- Difficulty: 1/5 Star (Very Difficult)
- Capital: $10,000 – $100,000
A software company is a business that creates and sells software. Think about Google, Adobe, or Microsoft.
Starting a software company is a lot of work, and startup costs can be high, but it can be very rewarding. To start a software company, you need to have an excellent idea for a piece of software, create the software, and then sell it. You can sell your software online or through retail stores.
Some of the most expensive software is in digital marketing. You can make a lot of money by creating tools that help marketers in Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Email Marketing, Graphics Design, Social Media, and Lead Generation.
Recommended Courses
- How to Create Your Own Software Company by Daniele Protti
- How to Startup Your Own Saas (Software as a Service) Company by John Shea
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13. Create a Mobile or Desktop App
- Difficulty: 1/5 Star (Very Difficult)
- Capital: $10,000 – $100,000
Tiktok, Lightroom, Uber, or Flappy Bird. Are you the next multimillion-dollar mobile or desktop app?
A mobile or desktop app is a program you can install on your phone or computer. Apps are usually designed to do one or more things, like playing a game, editing photos, checking the weather, or ordering a pizza.
Creating an app is a lot like baking a cake. You need to have all the right ingredients, mix them in the correct order, and bake them for the right amount of time. But once you’ve made your cake, anyone can come along and enjoy it!
Recommended Courses
- iOS and Swift: The Complete iOS App Development Bootcamp by Angela Yu
- Mobile App Marketing 2022 Advertising and Monetization by Alex Genadinik
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14. Write and sell ebooks
- Difficulty: 3/5 Stars (Moderate)
- Capital: $40 – $200
If you’re the literary type and you love sharing ideas with others, you can write a book and sell them so that you can make money from your writing. An ebook is better than a physical book because you can read it on your computer, phone, or other electronic devices. You can write about any topic and sell ebooks from $5 to a few hundred dollars.
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- Kindle Secrets: How I Wrote a Bestselling Ebook in 72 Hours by Benjamin Wilson
- How to Write a Book and Become a Real Bestselling Author by Scott Welle
- Dan Brown Teaches Writing Thrillers
- Malcolm Gladwell Teaches Writing
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15. Sell stock photos online
- Difficulty: 4/5 Stars (Easy)
- Capital: $800 – $5,000
You can start a photography business and sell photos online if you have a nice camera and can take good pictures. Some websites will buy your photos and then let other people download them and use them. That way, you can make money from your pictures!
Recommended Courses
- Sell Photo Online: Beginner’s Guide Stock Photography by Creative Online School
- Photography Masterclass: A Complete Guide to Photography by Phil Ebiner
- Annie Leibovitz Teaches Photography
- Jimmy Chin Teaches Advance Photography
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16. Write your own music
- Difficulty: 2/5 Stars (Difficult)
- Capital: $300 – $3,000
You can make money by writing and selling your own music if you’re a musician. When you write a song, you create something that didn’t exist before, which is fantastic. And when people buy your music, it’s like they’re buying a little piece of you. It’s a way for people to connect with you and your art. People may also play your music at concerts or events, and you can earn royalty fees.
Recommended Courses
- Music Composition: Write Powerful Melodies by Jonathan Armandary
- John Legend Teaches Songwriting
- Alicia Keys Teaches Songwriting and Producing
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17. Sell exclusive content
- Difficulty: 3/5 Stars (Moderate)
- Capital: $200 – $1,000
If you have something that nobody else has, it’s called exclusive. Selling exclusive content is a great business idea because people will pay to have exclusive things. After all, it makes them feel special. For example, let’s say you’re a musician and sell an exclusive song to a fan. They’re the only one who has that song and paid money for it. That’s because it’s exclusive content.
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18. Sell templates
- Difficulty: 2/5 Stars (Difficult)
- Capital: $200 – $1,000
Some people create websites or digital products that they sell to other people. These products often include templates that make it easy for the buyer to create their website or product.
For example, a WordPress theme is a template people can use to create their website. A Canva template is a template that people can use to create digital products like posters and emails. Notion templates are templates that people can use to create digital notes and organize information. You can also sell Emails, Powerpoint, Google Sheets, or Excel templates.
Recommended Courses
- Become a WordPress Developer by Brad Schiff
- Canva Master Course by Ronny Hermosa
- Master Notion by Jerad Hill
- Excel from Beginner to Advanced by Kyle Pew
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19. Sell LUTs and presets
- Difficulty: 2/5 Stars (Difficult)
- Capital: $80 – $300
When you take a picture with a camera, it records what it sees and turns it into a digital image. You can edit these images on a computer to make them look better. LUTs and presets are filters that you can apply to videos or photos to change how they look. Some people like to sell their LUTs and presets (e.g., Adobe Lightroom Presets) because they help others edit their videos or images more easily and quickly.
Recommended Courses
- Adobe Lightroom Masterclass by Phil Ebiner
- Adobe Premiere Pro CC Masterclass by Phil Ebiner
- Adobe After Effects: From Novice to Expert by Louay Zambarakji
- Final Cut Pro X Masterclass by Andrew Tyler
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20. Sell graphic art elements
- Difficulty: 2/5 Stars (Difficult)
- Capital: $80 – $1,000
Icons, illustrations, backgrounds, and vector graphics are some of the designs that you can sell. To sell your graphic art elements, you can create a website or online shop where people can purchase your designs. You can also sell your creations on products like t-shirts, mugs, and bags; this is a great way to share your artwork with the world and make some money doing what you love!
Recommended Courses
- The Complete Drawing and Illustration Course by Jaysen Batchelor
- Adobe Illustrator Essential Training by Louay Zambarakji
- Vector Art in Inkscape by Patricia Caldeira
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21. Offer tutorials and guides
- Difficulty: 3/5 Stars (Moderate)
- Capital: $80 – $300
If you’re good at something, never do it for free. That’s why people offer tutorials and guides – to share their knowledge with others in exchange for payment. It’s a fair trade – you get paid for your expertise, and the person receiving the tutorial or guide gets to learn something new.
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22. Start a podcast
- Difficulty: 3/5 Stars (Moderate)
- Capital: $100 – $400
A podcast is a type of audio show that you can listen to on your phone or computer. You can find podcasts about all sorts of topics, from true crime to history to comedy.
To start a podcast, you must develop an idea for a show. Once you have an idea, you need to record the audio for the show and edit it, so it sounds good. Then, you need to upload the audio file online so people can listen to it. Podcasters earn from brand sponsorships.
Recommended Courses
- The Podcast Masterclass by Phil Ebiner
- Podcast Masterclass: Essentials for Podcasting Success by Peter Baker
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23. Sell printables
- Difficulty: 3/5 Stars (Moderate)
- Capital: $60 – $200
Printables include planners, agendas, templates, or artwork. If you have something you made and others like it, you can sell it! People will give you money in exchange for your thing. You can make your own printables with a printer and some paper! Printables are things like coloring pages, games, and decorations. You can sell them to people who want to buy them.
Recommended Courses
- Watercolor Painting for Beginners by Broderick Wong
- The Ultimate Digital Painting Course by Jaysen Batchelor
- Digital Illustration for Beginners by Alexandra Finta
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24. Sell swipe files
- Difficulty: 3/5 Stars (Moderate)
- Capital: $40 – $300
A swipe file is a collection of creative ideas you can use to inspire your projects. Swipe files include copywriting (Facebook ads, sales letters), social media, or email swipe files. For example, if you are a graphic designer, you might keep a swipe file of exciting design elements that you come across, such as unique fonts or attractive layouts.
When you need some inspiration for a new project, you can refer to your swipe file for ideas. To sell swipe files, you can create a website or blog where you showcase your collection of creative ideas.
Recommended Courses
- The Complete Digital Marketing Course by Rob Percival
- The Complete Copywriting Course by Tamsin Henderson
- Persuasive Copywriting 2022 by Dekker Fraser
- Facebook Ads Mastery Course by Ryan Whiteside
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25. Start a paid email newsletter
- Difficulty: 3/5 Stars (Moderate)
- Capital: $60 – $200
You can start a paid newsletter if you have something important or exciting to say. A paid newsletter is a way to share your ideas with others and get paid in return.
To start, you need to choose a topic, write some articles, and then find people interested in reading what you have to say. You can do this by advertising your newsletter or telling people about it. Once you have some subscribers, you can start charging them a small fee to read your newsletter.
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26. Sell branding templates
- Difficulty: 3/5 Stars (Moderate)
- Capital: $40 – $200
A branding template is a tool businesses use to create consistent branding across all their marketing materials. Branding templates include Youtube templates, business cards, etc. Companies can save time and money by having a branding template when creating new marketing materials because they don’t have to start from scratch each time.
Recommended Courses
- Canva Master Course by Ronny Hermosa
- The Social Media Marketing and Management Masterclass 2023 by Robin & Jesper
- Business Branding: The Complete Course by Steve Houraghan
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27. Sell a digital ad space
- Difficulty: 3/5 Stars (Moderate)
- Capital: $100 – $300
If you have a website or blog that people visit, you can sell advertising space on it to companies who want to reach your audience. They will pay you for each person who clicks on the ad they show on your site.
To do this, you first need to sign up with an advertising network like Google Adsense. Once you’re approved, they’ll give you some code to add to your website. Some influencers also use LinkedIn bio or social media.
Recommended Courses
- Blogging Masterclass: How to Build a Successful Blog in 2023 by Brad Merrill
- Blogging for a Living – Perfect Small Budget Project by Theo McArthur
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28. Sell plans
- Difficulty: 3/5 Stars (Moderate)
- Capital: $60 – $200
A plan is like a map for your business, social media, media, or workout. It shows where it is going and how you plan to get there. You can sell business plans, social media plans, meal plans, or even workout plans.
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- The Canva Master Course for 2023 by Greg Radcliffe
- Powerful Social Media Marketing for Beginners by Maggie Stara
- Complete Fitness Trainer Certification by Felix Harder
- Science-Based Bodyweight Workout by Felix Harder
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Service Business Ideas
Service businesses are businesses that provide services to their customers. Many service businesses also offer subscription-based models, where customers pay a monthly or annual fee to access the services. Here are the top service-based business ideas.
1. Start a concierge business
- Difficulty: 4/5 Stars (Easy)
- Capital: $60 – $200
A concierge business is a service that helps people with specific tasks or errands. For example, a concierge business could help someone plan their vacation, do grocery shopping, or even a dog walking business.
Starting a concierge business is not as difficult as one might think. The first step is to develop an idea for a concierge service you can provide that customers need.
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- Book Like a Boss
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- Wise (<– Free transfer up to $630)
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2. Become a personal shopper
- Difficulty: 4/5 Stars (Easy)
- Capital: $40 – $200
Personal shopping is a great way to help people save time and money. As a personal shopper, you will work with clients to choose the best clothing and accessories for their needs. You must understand your client’s style and budget to find the perfect items for them. Personal shopping is a great career for people who love fashion and helping others look their best.
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- Book Like a Boss
- Calendbook
- Wise (<– Free transfer up to $630)
- Payoneer (<– Signup and earn $25)
3. Start a coaching business
- Difficulty: 3/5 Stars (Moderate)
- Capital: $40 – $200
As a coach, you can help your clients set and achieve goals, overcome challenges, and make positive life changes. A coach helps people learn how to do something or improve at something. For example, let’s say you’re good at basketball. You could be a basketball coach and help others learn how to play basketball or improve their skills.
Recommended Software
- Book Like a Boss
- Calendbook
- Wise (<– Free transfer up to $630)
- Payoneer (<– Signup and earn $25)
4. Start a consulting business
- Difficulty: 3/5 Stars (Moderate)
- Capital: $40 – $200