Small Business News, Tips, Advice

Some of the reasons for decline include decreased foot traffic—fewer people shopping, traveling, and going to work—and hygiene-related hesitations around touching surfaces. So if you’re opting to go this route, you may want to take a forward-thinking approach and look for vending machines that offer touchless options. When listing your phone accessories for sale, remember to include which devices they’re compatible with.

Put those talents to work in any number of startup opportunities with these 50 small business ideas for musicians. You’ll start receiving free tips and resources soon. In the meantime, start building your store with a free 14-day trial of Shopify. Braveen is a content creator and marketer at Shopify where he develops resources to help entrepreneurs start and grow their businesses. Outside of work, he enjoys writing and tinkering on side projects. With this approach, you can test ideas before you invest in them, or start making good money part-time without all the inventory-related commitments that might stand in your way.

The right one depends largely on the types of businesses you’re talking about. Products can be swapped in and out fairly easily (especially when you’re not stuck with stock). And you can validate all of these decisions based on the dozens of signals you have at your disposal (traffic, how much time people are spending on your site, reviews, abandoned carts, etc.). Housesitting and petsitting are good business ideas to start if you feel comfortable caring for and staying in a stranger’s home, potentially with their pets. Shopify has a free Digital Downloads app that lets you offer digital products in your store as easily as physical products.

Business planning is often used to secure funding, but plenty of business owners find writing a plan valuable, even if they never work with an investor. That’s why we put together a free business plan template to help you get started. Perkie Prints makes personalized printed pet products—everything from apparel to framed prints, plus fun projects in between. You can also offer your services through a freelance marketplace like Upwork to increase your chances of getting discovered by the people who need your skills. You can even use t-shirt mockup templates so you don’t need to spend extra money on a full photoshoot for every new design. Small Business Trends is an award-winning online publication for small business owners, entrepreneurs and the people who interact with them.

Grow Your Business

Fill out every section of your profile so it’s complete. Be specific about your history caring for homes and pets, and remember to include any specific qualifications or certifications that may give you a leg up against another potential sitter. So, why bother putting this on our small business ideas list?

Coming Up With Great Business Ideas

Excited about starting a business, but not sure where to start? This free, comprehensive guide will teach you how to find great, newly trending products with high sales potential. Contrary to popular belief, there are actually many ways to start a business that let you focus less on the logistics and upfront costs and more on getting your ideas started. If you’ve already launched your business or you’re close to launching, you’ll want to check out managing your finances, selling and managing your online reputation. Are you ready for something new and challenging in the next phase of your life, check these 17 great business ideas as a second career.

You can produce social media content that resonates with these people or run ads that target their interests. Taking this approach also helps you project a consistent brand because you’ll have a more specific idea of who exactly you’re talking to. Another dropshipping model, print on demand puts inventory, shipping, and fulfillment in the hands of a third-party supplier.

Sell Your Photography

Online memberships are ideal for entrepreneurs with an established active and engaged community. They work much like a subscription-based business—customers make recurring payments in exchange for a virtual product or service. With many of the small business ideas explored in this post, you may not be shipping your products, but you still need to cover the cost of shipping. Consider your shipping costs and how they will vary in the different countries you want to serve.