In recent years, there has been a significant increase in the number of successful female entrepreneurs around the world. Women are making an impact in practically every corporate field. However, for women trying to start their first business, selecting the correct business can be a difficult challenge.
Women entrepreneurs are increasingly joining previously male-dominated industries. What do Oprah, Sara Blakely, and Martha Stewart all have in common? They are all accomplished entrepreneurs who run prosperous enterprises, even though they all began out badly. According to WBENC research, there are 13 million women-owned businesses in the United States and counting. This accounts for 42% of all American enterprises.
So, even if you do not have a huge capital to invest, don’t fret, as all it takes is an ingenious idea to turn your life around. Here is a list of highly profitable low-cost small businesses that can be started by women with no or limited skills. Check them out below:
55 Small Business Ideas For Women
1. Start a Blog
Running a blog is at present one of the most legitimate business ideas for women to make money from home. There are thousands of women earning millions and have taken blogging as a full-time career. The biggest advantage of running a blog is that allows you to work from home at your own desired time.
Learn More: How to Start a Blog & Make Money
You can start a blog depending on your interest. It can be food, beauty, photography, book reviews, etc.
2. Affiliate marketing
Affiliate marketing involves having your site and sending your traffic to someone else’s site to purchase their products or services. For every sale initiated by a link from your site, you will earn a percentage of the sales commission. This is one of the most popular online business ideas for women worldwide.
To make a really good income from affiliate marketing, having a blog is critical. You can sell products from your blog by writing articles about your own experience and the benefits.
3. Freelance Writing
Freelance writing can be a profitable business idea from home for any woman looking for a side income working from home. The demand is huge and one of the best self-rewarding business ideas for women entrepreneurs.
It is worthwhile to mention, that you need to learn the tricks of the trade to be highly paid and run a successful freelance writing business,
4. Be a Transcriptionist
Transcription is a popular way of making money, especially for women as it provides much flexibility and can be worked from home. As a transcriber, you can earn in the range of $10-$30 an hour depending on your performance.
5. Book Keeping
Every small or big company needs business accounting services like bank reconciliation, e-filling, service tax, sales tax, payroll, etc. As a housewife, you can start a bookkeeping business by giving these services freelance to businesses that can’t afford to have a permanent accountant.
6. Virtual Assistant
The virtual assistant business provides services like checking and answering emails, organizing to-do lists, and updating calendars and schedules with minimal interaction with your clients. Women can start this business from home with just a computer an internet connection and a phone. This industry is growing at a fast pace globally.
Learn More: How to Become a Virtual Assistant.
7. E-book Writing
If you enjoy writing and you know the technique of making e-books then E-book writing is one of the best business ideas for women. You can start selling these E-books from your website, blog, or from Amazon also.
8. Form Filling or data entry
There are plenty of data entry jobs available if you search the internet. Here you can earn a certain amount of money from each filled-up form and get paid. However, the most difficult part is finding legitimate sites that genuinely pay. Beware of fake sites offering big money for doing data entry jobs.
9. Graphic Design Service
Having expertise in graphic design any woman can start a graphic design service business. Technical knowledge with a creative mind and as well as branding expertise is required in initiating this business.
10. Micro Jobs
Some companies look for people to complete their minor jobs like posting answers to forums, comments on their blogs, etc. These things are done to achieve online popularity. All the instructions are provided by the companies to complete a task. As a housewife, you can try micro-jobs in your spare time and earn some decent bucks.
11. Online Photo Selling
If you are passionate about photography and love taking photographs, you can convert this hobby into a money-making business proposition. The business of online photo selling is simply creating excellent photography and getting money by uploading them to photo-selling sites.
12. Online Survey
Online Survey is another home-based earning opportunity for women to earn a decent extra income without any investment wherein they can spend their free time in a relaxed manner. Here, you will have to give your opinion about several products and services.
13. Copywriting
With the booming of the internet industry content marketing becoming the center of it all and the need for copywriting has never been greater. It is one of the most profitable business ideas for women entrepreneurs.
14. PTC (Pay To Click) Ads
It is the only internet that can offer you money just by clicking and viewing the ads for a few seconds. But be careful. Some websites claim that they will pay on a pay-per-click basis. But, in most cases, they are just scams and all the time you spend on clicking will be added to their favor, as they show that they have a lot of visitors to their website.
15. Creche/ Babysitting/Daycare
The women’s jobber, working ladies are increasing rapidly. And this creates an opportunity for a convenience service business like a creche. Babysitting is one of the highly profitable home-based business ideas for women.
16. Crochet Knitting Business for Women Entrepreneurs
The Crochet knitting business opportunity is ideal for passionate women crochet knitters who want to turn their hobby into a profitable venture. Also, one can consider starting this business when he or she has any other knitting business.
17. Customized Glass Etching
The Glass etching business is an artistic and profit-making business idea that can be initiated from a home location. Any woman having a creative mind, passionate about glass etching, can start this business with low capital investment.
18. Candle Making
Candle-making business can be initiated from home with a small budget. The popularity and consumer demand for scented and decorative candles have created a tremendous business opportunity for would-be women entrepreneurs.
19. Party Planning
Party planning is a much sought-after business worldwide, especially for women. If you enjoy managing events, think seriously about starting this business Additionally, this business opportunity is comparatively easy to start, profitable, and also enjoyable.
20. Alteration Service
This business demands sewing skills and knowledge. Any woman can start an alteration service business from home with a domestic sewing machine. Additionally, this business allows you a part-time operation. Here, you can make handsome money by helping others to get perfect outfits.
21. Basket Weaving
To start a profitable basket weaving business, one requires thoughtful planning and a high level of creative mind having a flair for design. This is one of the highly profitable craft business ideas for women.
22. Children’s Party Planning
If you enjoy managing party planning, starting a children’s party planning business is a good small business idea for women. There is a good demand for children’s party planning services, especially in urban areas.
23. Image Consulting
If you love pulling together the perfect outfit, you may want to consider becoming a fashion or image consultant. While it may not be obvious at first, the reasons that people may need an image consultant are quite varied.
24. Interior Design
Having knowledge and experience in interior design a woman entrepreneur can initiate this venture from a home location with low capital investment.
25. Jewelry Making
A woman who is crazy about jewelry and passionate about handling crafts materials like beads, charms, etc. can start a jewelry-making business. Having some training in jewelry making is essential in starting this business with a small investment.
There are plenty of jewellery-making businesses that have good money-making potential. For instance, one can start selling jewelry items in your local community, in gift stores, or through an online site like Etsy.
26. Landscape Designing
A landscape expert is enough knowledgeable in the field of landscape architecture. If you are from an architectural background, you can try this career.
27. Market Research Services
Initiating every small or big business, market research is mandatory for achieving success. Providing market research services is a very profitable way of making money while you have the specific expertise for that.
28. Consulting
If you are an expert in a specific field and you like to assist others, then a consulting business is perfect for you. The consulting business is one of the best home-based business ideas for women entrepreneurs and it can be initiated at a low cost. or no cost.
29. Mobile Body Piercing
The Mobile body piercing business is perfect for those people who are skilled enough in piercing and want to operate the business from a metro city location. Body piercing is exactly making a piercing in the body with a needle to get an opening for the installation of a piece of jewelry.
30. Mobile Facial Spa
Mobile facial and spa businesses provide service to people who just can not make time in their busy schedules to allow themselves the luxury of a facial and spa, especially when they work full time. This is one of the most profitable business ideas for women entrepreneurs that are going to expand more in the future.
31. Mobile Foot Massage
A mobile foot massage service business can be initiated as an independent professional or as a company. As lifestyle turns out to be more stressful, the demand for massage services is on the rise and it creates terrific opportunities. One can start this venture with a very minimum start-up cost. People who spend a lot of time on their feet are the obvious customers for this business.
32. Mobile DJ
A person who loves music and has an outstanding personality full of energy can ideally and successfully own a mobile DJ business. If you enjoy spinning tunes, making people happy, and earning a steady stream of supplemental income – then the mobile DJ business is perfect for you.
33. Bee Keeping
Beekeeping business opportunity demands day-to-day monitoring with close supervision of the bees. With increasing awareness about health, the demand for honey is growing globally. Beekeeping for selling honey and other products like wax is a profitable venture to start with less startup investment.
Learn More: How to Start a Profitable Beekeeping Business
34. Online Selling
If you are an expert and have adequate knowledge about a specific product, then you can start online selling. In this home-based business concept, you will need to register yourself with online marketplaces like Amazon, and eBay. Procure the product from the manufacturer at wholesale price and sell it at retail price.
35. Cookie Gift Baskets
A cookie gift basket with homemade cookies is one of the most profitable cooking business ideas any individual can start with a low-cost investment. People always search for innovative gifts with homemade specialty items. You can offer special cookie gift baskets for specific occasions.
36. Bed and Breakfast
If you are living in a metro city and have extra rooms to spare, a bed and breakfast can be an ideal business to start. There is a growing demand for homestays these days around the world. By supplying a meal, you will also be enjoying an additional income.
37. Personal Chef
Any woman having a passion for cooking can make a career as a personal chef from his/her home location. Many celebrities and health-conscious people generally like to keep a personal chef to have a daily basis of healthy and hygienic food. If you enjoy becoming a personal chef and working for a celebrity you may initiate this business.
38. Craft Making
Women having a hobby of crafts making can translate it into a profitable business. Not only can this venture be started and run from home, but this business is also very inexpensive to initiate.
39. Resume Writing
Any woman having the required writing skills can start a resume writing business from home with almost no investment. Also, you need to be good enough at editing, structuring, and proofreading.
To start a resume-writing business, you will just need to have a computer with some basic software.
40. Scrapbook Making
Everyone wants to have a creative scrapbook of his/ her own. However, in reality, not everyone doesn’t have enough time or creativity to craft a scrapbook. Women can start this business by helping others to have an attractively memorable scrapbook.
41. SEO Consulting
SEO consultant serves the industry as an internet marketing expert. As more and more people search for specifics in search engines, websites that appear and come on the first few pages, are the sites that usually attract the maximum traffic. Search engine optimization is a process to get the website ranking higher in search engines like Google, Yahoo, and Bing.
Every day there are thousands of websites, that are created and the maximum fail to survive because of the lack of knowledge about internet marketing. SEO consulting is one of the profitable business ideas for tech-savvy women entrepreneurs.
42. Soap Making
A craft-passionate person can start a home-based soap-making business with comparatively low capital investment. Additionally, you can create decorative speciality soap making and start selling to your local community or in gift stores.
43. Social Media Consulting
Almost every person uses Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram these days. Many companies are ready to pay people to get the service of their social media account management. Social Media Consulting is one of the highly profitable internet-based business ideas for women entrepreneurs.
44. Cake Shop
Cake Shop is one of the most all-weather retail businesses for women worldwide. There are a lot of women entrepreneurs running this business successfully.
45. Tax Consulting
After having some accounting course or having relevant certification a woman can initiate a tax consulting business from a home location with a minimal investment.
46. Tutoring
Women who have an interest in the education segment and have good knowledge of specific subjects can start tutoring. Start this business on the subject in which you have specialization. Every parent these days always is looking for a good tutor for their child.
47. Translator
The translation is fast becoming a highly potential web-based business offering opportunities for making money online. The market is more and more opening up across the globe. Therefore, as a result, knowing and understanding other languages has become extremely vital in keeping pace with the speed of society.
48. Candy Making
Candy making is an awesome business idea for women to turn their hobbies and skills into a profitable home-based business model. Homemade candies are very easy to make and also quite popular. From chocolates to lollipops, children and mature adults enjoy indulging in candy.
49. Web Design
A web designing business is perfect for those who are professional expert in website designing and has a basic knowledge of HTML coding, graphics designing and copywriting. The different areas of web designing business include web graphic design, interface design, user experience design, web development, and search engine optimization.
50. Wedding Planning
A wedding consulting business may come naturally to someone who is organized and focuses on details. In the last decade, the need for professional wedding consultants has grown exponentially.
Furthermore, people are often too busy juggling the demands of their professional and personal lives to oversee the details necessary to create the wedding of their dreams. That has created an enormous opportunity for a woman start-up entrepreneur to enter into the wedding consulting business.
51. Greeting Card Making
Greeting card-making business idea is perfect for those women who enjoy creativity and want to turn their creative minds into a successful venture.
However to be successful like any other business, this list of business ideas for women when executed demands dedication, meticulous planning, and a zeal to succeed. Take a decision and go ahead.
52. Life Coaching
The job of a certified life coach is to guide individuals through personal and professional challenges. Life coaching is ideal for women with strong interpersonal skills and a passion for helping others succeed.
53. Catering Business
If you excel in the kitchen consider launching a catering business. You can provide services for events or daily meal plans.
54. Yoga Instructor
You can become a certified yoga instructor and also offer classes focused on physical and mental well-being.
55. Elderly Care Services
If you are the one who has the desire to make a positive impact on seniors’ lives, providing elder care services can be a good business idea. You will offer companionship and assistance to the elderly, and provide services from daily check-ins to help with daily activities.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is entrepreneurship particularly important for women?
Entrepreneurship provides women with the opportunity to break barriers, exercise creativity, and achieve financial independence. It allows them to pursue their passions, contributes to the economy, and challenge traditional gender roles.
What skills are essential for women entrepreneurs?
Essential skills include adaptability, communication, resilience, financial literacy, and a willingness to learn. Networking and the ability to leverage technology are also valuable in today’s business landscape.
How can women balance family responsibilities with running a business?
Effective time management, delegation, and setting clear boundaries are crucial. Utilizing technology for remote work and involving family members in the business process can also help achieve a balance.
What are the key considerations when starting an online business?
Key considerations include market research, a solid business plan, a user-friendly website, effective digital marketing, and understanding the legal and financial aspects of online entrepreneurship.
How can women entrepreneurs overcome gender-related challenges in business?
Building a supportive network, seeking mentorship, and showcasing achievements can help overcome gender-related challenges. Advocacy for gender equality and continuous self-education are also valuable.
Are there specific industries where women-led businesses thrive?
Women-led businesses thrive across various industries. Some sectors where women entrepreneurs excel include healthcare, education, fashion, wellness, technology, and social impact enterprises.
What resources are available for women entrepreneurs?
Numerous resources are available. It includes women-focused business organizations, government grants, mentorship programs, and online platforms providing educational content and networking opportunities.
How can a woman entrepreneur identify her niche or passion for business?
Identifying a niche involves exploring personal interests, skills, and experiences. Considering problems or gaps in the market that align with personal passions can lead to a business idea with genuine enthusiasm.
Is it necessary to have formal education for women to start a business?
While formal education can be beneficial, it’s not a strict requirement for entrepreneurship. Practical experience, continuous learning, and a willingness to adapt are equally valuable in the entrepreneurial journey.
What role can mentorship play in the success of women entrepreneurs?
Mentorship provides guidance, support, and valuable insights from experienced individuals. It helps women entrepreneurs navigate challenges, build networks, and gain confidence in their business endeavors.
About the Author: 99businessideas.com led by Rupak Chakrabarty is committed to helping beginners, entrepreneurs, and small business owners in starting, managing, and growing their businesses.
