Austin, the capital city of Texas can be a very good place to set up your business. It will be a wise decision if you plan to start a business in Austin.
The greatest advantage of starting a business in Austin is that the city and its administration are very cooperative in the case of small business ventures. This makes it the perfect city for you to start your business.
Austin is a tech city and that is why it will be easier for you to set up technology or IT-based business ideas here. Apart from that, the city is a great patron of art and culture.
Austin is a busy city and a tourist center too. This will help you in setting up related business ideas. Some important business ideas are here for you to consider.
27 Business Ideas in Austin
1. Real Estate
In a developed city like Austin, there is a great scope for the real estate business. Developing real estate needs very high capital. However, if you can invest in that, you can earn a high profit.
As a start-up business, you can do the business of a real estate agent, wherein you will coordinate between buyers and sellers and earn your commission. You need to have good personal contact and invest in offline and online advertisements to let people know about your real estate business.
2. Food Truck
Austin is an active and busy city, you can start your food truck business. If you have culinary skills and know some local and international dishes, your food truck business will be very well accepted. If you can add some signature dishes, it will be all the more accepted.
Take your food truck to different busy areas like offices, colleges, and universities at different times of the day for good business. Advertisement and word-of-mouth publicity are most important for the food truck business.
3. DayCare
Working parents need daycare centers to take care of their children in their absence. Opening a daycare center can be a good business idea for you. You need a comfortable space or apartment, some assistants, toys, and other things for kids in your daycare center.
However, the most important thing in this business is winning the trust of the parents by taking very good care of the children. You need good marketing and publicity for this business.
4. Fitness Center
People have become health-conscious and fitness freaks. That is why the business of a fitness studio can give you a good income. You have to invest in space, equipment, and accessories like mats, etc. But fitness studio has good income potential. Hire good trainers and experts to make your fitness studio more valuable for the clients.
5. Sports Camp for Children
Austin is a sports-loving city. That is why you can start a sports camp business here for good returns. Sports camp for children on weekends or during vacations has good demand. You can teach children different sports like football, baseball, basketball, badminton or tennis.
You have to hire coaches for training. Good marketing and publicity strategies are important for the sports camp business. Get in touch with different schools and parents through online and offline publicity along with face-to-face meetings.
6. Home Cleaning
The home cleaning business has good demand everywhere. The recent pandemic situation has made it all the more important. You can start your home cleaning company and provide disinfection and sanitization services along with the cleaning.
To start a home cleaning company, some basic equipment and tools that are needed are vacuum cleaners, liquid cleaners and disinfectants, and sanitizers and sprayers for the home cleaning business. You will need some assistants to do the work of cleaning. Good networking, as well as marketing, is important for this business.
7. Laundry Service
Busy cities like Austin need laundry services for their daily lives. Laundry service is a profitable business. You can start your laundry or take any big franchise. In the case of your laundry, you need to build your customer base through personal contact and online as well as offline marketing.
8. Mobile Car Servicing, Washing, and Repairing
People now prefer to service or repair their cars at their place due to time constraints in taking the car to service centers. You have a good opportunity to set up a mobile car servicing, washing, or repairing business in Austin if you are trained in automobile repair and detailing. You need a van and equipment and an assistant for this business. Good publicity and marketing are also essential.
Learn More: How to Start A Profitable Car Wash Business
9. Event Management and Wedding Planner
Austin is an eventful city where several cultural programs, as well as corporate events, take place throughout the year. People also seek the service of marriage planners to organize marriage parties and receptions. In such a city building up your event management and marriage planning business is quite profitable. You need to have good organizational skills and sharp eyes for details. Along with that, you need good people and a strategic marketing plan.
Learn More: How to Start Event Planning Business
10. Tourist Guide/Tour Operator
Thousands of tourists visit Austin every year. Along with that, there are cultural and musical programs that also have many visitors. Therefore you can start your business as a tourist guide or tour operator. As a guide, you can take the tourists to the places of tourist attraction. As a tour operator, you can organize their entire tour plan including tickets, lodging, food, and tours. This business has good returns. You have to set up good networking and efficient marketing strategies to get business.
11. App making
Our lives have become largely app-centered and we prefer to use apps for convenience. If you know how to code, you can start the business of app making. Keep in mind, that you have to be innovative and think out of the box to make new apps. You also need good marketing for the business of app making. You can make apps for different companies or common people.
12. Computer Repair
Austin is a technologically sound city often compared to Silicon Valley. That is why you can start a computer repair business here. If you are not trained in hardware repair, get training before starting the business. You can do this business from home. You need a website and online and offline marketing for this business.
13. Appliance Repair
Different appliances and gadgets have become part and parcel of our daily lives. That is why; the appliance repairing business has a good demand everywhere. You need training for that and good personal contact as well as advertising. You can start the appliance repair business from home. After attaining a certain volume of business, you can have your repair shop.
14. Website Designing
Austin is full of small and medium-scale businesses apart from the IT industry and other corporates. In such a city, website designing is a prospective business for you because all kinds of businesses need websites. If you are trained in coding and have a good sense of design and utility, you can do very well in this business. For a Website designing business, you will need your website along with online and offline advertising.
15. Graphic Designing
Graphic designing has a good demand in different sectors like website designing, advertising, films, and videos. Good training in graphic design can give you a good profit in this business. You can do business at your convenience and from home. You need high-speed internet and good marketing strategies for a graphic designing business.
16. Solar Panel Installation and Servicing
Unconventional energy is becoming more and more important now. That is why a solar energy-related business has a good prospect. You can start a solar panel installation and servicing business in Austin. You have to be trained to do the job. Solar panel installation and servicing are done at offices and commercial complexes along with residential apartments and homes.
17. Transport Service
If you have a car you can provide a transport service to office goers, students, tourists, and others and get a good income. You can also invest in a car and start your transport service. You can also give your car to app cabs and earn a good income. For doing business independently, you have to plan good marketing as well as a publicity plan.
Read: How to Start a Transportation Business with One Van
18. Digital Marketing
In today’s business world, digital marketing is an essential part. You can start your business as a digital marketing consultant in Austin. In this business, you have made the planning of digital and social media marketing strategies, SEO optimization plans, and content editing. You need a good idea of digital as well as social media advertising for this business. You also need a website and good contacts for getting clients for your business.
19. Virtual Assistant
Virtual assistants are much sought after in today’s business. If you have organizational skills and are ready to work for long hours you can earn good money as a virtual assistant. You can get work through online portals like Fiverr or Upwork. Otherwise, you can do business independently. For that, you need good marketing and your website. The work of a virtual assistant can be done from home.
Learn More: How to Start a Successful Virtual Assistant (VA) Business
20. Engineering Consultancy
Austin being a center of IT and other technological activities is a good place to start an engineering consultancy business. Different companies need engineering consultants for their projects and you can provide this service at a good price. You need good knowledge as well as good marketing to get more clients.
21. Accounting Services
Accounting services have a good demand in a business-friendly city like Austin. If you are a qualified accountant and digitally sound, you can start your accounting and bookkeeping services for different kinds of businesses.
You can start the business from home and as your business expands you can have your office. Good contact and networking are essential for business. You can also provide financial management and tax consultancy services and earn more.
22. Tech Support
In the technical city of Austin, the business of tech support is much in demand. You can provide hardware, software, regular maintenance, and all kinds of emergency technical support in your tech support business. This business involves the use of different software related to the business and training the manpower regarding the use of the software.
Tech support also gives protection against viruses, ransomware, etc. All you need is a sound knowledge of hardware and software applications along with good contact and marketing.
23. Security Services
In a big city like Austin, the security of office premises, as well as residential complexes and houses, are of prime importance. One can start a security agency here in this city and make a good profit. However, you will need some permits and licenses for this business. Furthermore, you also need trustworthy and strong security personnel for any security service-related business.
24. Salon and Spa
Salon and Spa have a good demand among the fashion-conscious people of Austin. Therefore you can start your Salon and Spa business here. You will need good beauticians and a good setup with the necessary facilities and equipment. As the owner of the business, you must be a trained beautician. For the Salon and Spa business, you need good publicity and advertisement both online and offline.
25. Pet Sitting
Despite being a busy city, Austin households have pets and need pet sitters to look after their loved ones during their working hours. You can start the business of pet sitting with a very nominal investment. You need to be a pet lover and able to manage them well in the absence of their masters. Good personal contact and publicity are needed to get clients for the pet-sitting business.
26. Coworking Space
Austin boasts a growing startup community. There is a good demand for coworking spaces and it can be a lucrative venture. If you have the required resources, consider providing a collaborative environment for entrepreneurs and freelancers.
27. Live Music Event Planning
You can consider capitalizing on Austin’s reputation as the “Live Music Capital of the World” by starting an event planning business specializing in live music experiences, festivals, or concert series.
These are some of the most profitable business ideas you can start at Austin. If you are planning to start a legally compliant business in Austin, certain steps need to be followed:
How to Start a Business in Austin
Below are some of the steps to follow to start a legally compliant business in the city of Austin:
1: Decide on a Business Structure – Some popular options are proprietorship, partnership, and LLC
2: Pick a Business Name
3: Register Your Business
4: Obtain Your Federal Employer Identification Number – To get an EIN you can apply online with the IRS
5: Open a Business Bank Account
6: Obtain Licenses and Permits
7: Obtain Business Insurance
Some important questions regarding the business opportunities in Austin are answered below.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why should I start my business in Austin?
Austin has many advantages. Firstly, there are more than 35000 small business enterprises here. Secondly, the tax structure is favorable. There is no personal or corporate income tax. Along with that, the local tax structure is also among the lowest in the USA.
Thirdly, there is a well-educated youth in the city as the workforce. Lastly, it is centrally located and falls in the central time zone which makes it more accessible.
What funding opportunities are there in Austin?
There are opportunities for a business loan, crowdfunding, venture capital, and grants. Some organizations provide technical and other kinds of guidance to new businesses.
These include the Small Business Development Center, Texas State University Small Business Development Center (SBDC), the City of Austin Small Business Development Program, and SCORE Austin a non-profit association that provides guidance and training to small businesses.
Editorial Team at 99BusinessIdeas is a team of experts led by Rupak Chakrabarty with over 25 years of experience in starting and running small businesses. Started in 2010, 99BusinessIdeas is now one of the largest free small business resources in the industry.
