55 small business ideas for 2025

Here are some passive income ideas:

1. Airbnb/ short term rental: Short-term rentals can generate higher profits than long-term rentals. However, do your due diligence regarding the legalities and complexities of a rental business.
2. Car sharing: Peer-to-peer car sharing is similar to renting out your house or beach house, but in this case, you’re renting out your car. If you are considering leasing your vehicle, it is important to review your insurance policy carefully. Consult your insurance agent or broker to determine if you are covered for car rentals through peer-to-peer platforms.
3. Online courses: Teaching online requires some upfront investment, such as outlining a course, recording lessons, and creating downloadable resources like templates for your students. Once your courses are registered, you can sell them repeatedly without keeping any inventory or stock. This allows you to start generating passive income,
4. Self-preservation: If you have extra space in your home or property and want to earn some extra income, consider renting out storage space to others through platforms like Neighbor or StoreAtMyHouse. This can be particularly profitable in cities where storage options are limited.

Maker economy ideas

The digital age has allowed individuals to build their brands and followings online using platforms like Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and more. Business ideas in the maker economy include:

5. Content creator: Ideas in this category include podcasts, videos and streams, social media influencers, music artists and other artists.
6. Affiliate Marketing: A form of marketing where you earn a commission for promoting a product or service on behalf of another business or seller. As an affiliate, you get paid every time you generate a lead or sale for your partner. Affiliate marketing can be started with little funds. It’s also a great fit for content creators looking for extra income.
7. Influencers: Influencer marketing is a powerful strategy to increase brand awareness and engage consumers. Influencers look for brands with whom they can build long-term relationships, positioning themselves as trusted advisors to their audience. As such, they prioritize quality products, brand reputation and authenticity over commission rates.

Businesses start with little or no money

Many businesses, such as payroll and real estate, have high start-up costs. However, there are many opportunities to start a business with little or no capital, especially if you work from home. Consider the following:

8. Accountant: Bookkeeping requires skill but little investment and can be a profitable business idea.
9. Business consultant: If you are an expert in a certain field, such as technology, law, finance, graphic design and more, you can build a profitable consulting business.
10. Send shipment: Drop shipping is a way to run a business where you don’t have to deal with shipping and handling yourself – it’s all done by someone else. This keeps your costs down, but you’ll still need to set up an online store and get the word out about your business.
11. Independent writing: While AI can be used to produce content and written words, freelance writing is still a compelling business. Freelance writers bring experience, expertise, valuable insight and compelling content that digs into the topic while capturing the author or brand voice, establishing thought leadership and improving search engine optimization.
12. Personal training: If fitness is your passion, becoming a personal trainer can transform your interest into a fulfilling career and successful business.
13. Tutoring services: Apprenticeships are a great way to start a side business and transition to full-time as your client base grows.
14. Virtual Assistant: A virtual assistant provides administrative services to other businesses, usually from home. Beyond administrative tasks, virtual assistants can also provide social media, marketing, content development, and other services.

Food and retail ideas

Whether a brick-and-mortar operation, an online e-commerce presence, or both, consider the following food and retail business ideas:

15. Bakery
16. bookstore
17. cafe
18. Consignment store
19. Eco-friendly clothing boutique
20. Liquor store
21. Sober bar (without alcohol).
22. Specialty food store

Technology related jobs

Technological skills are always in demand. Here are some tech jobs you can start from home or with little capital:

23. Application developer
24. Computer repair
25. Cyber ​​Security Consulting
26. IT support
27. SEO agency
28. Software developer
29. UX design
30. web developer

Creative work

From video production to event planning, there are plenty of business ideas to suit your creative side:

31. Audio video production
32. Event planner
33. Graphic designer
34. Hairdresser
35. Interior design
36. Makeup artist
37. Personal chef
38. photographer

Physically active work

If you don’t want to be tied to a desk all day, these businesses are some possible options:

39. Cleaning company
40. Delivery company
41. The landscape
42. Moving company
43. Pets sitting and walking

Tried and true businesses

While not completely recession-proof, these businesses are generally more resilient than others and represent a solid option for young entrepreneurs.

44. Vehicle repair
45. Car wash
46. Caring for children
47. Franchise business
48. Artist or contractor
49. Laundry / dry cleaning
50. Medical supply business
51. Public notary
52. plumber
53. Property management
54. Real estate
55. Transport by trucks