The MySmallBiz.com Biz Finder utility allows you to tailor your search for a custom list of small business ideas. Get started now or click here to read how it works. You can also read more about our business idea category definitions.
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Small Business Idea Categories and Definitions
How to start a small business – This article walks you through the high level steps for starting any small business. This is an overview only and doesn’t include any small business ideas. If you’re just starting to think about starting a small business, you might want to start with this article first.
Low cost business ideas – This category lists small business ideas that can be started with a relatively small up-front investment. Read the first article for more information about these types of inexpensive business startups. Keep in mind, these are “low-cost” and not “no-cost” business ideas! Sorry, the latter simply don’t exist.
Home business ideas – This category lists businesses that can be run primarily out of your home. You’re not necessarily tied to your home office, however, the majority of time you spend running and managing your business will be in your home.
Online business ideas – With internet businesses, you don’t necessarily need a physical storefront to run your business. Our online business category lists internet business ideas that can be started and managed with your computer.
Mom business ideas – Work At Home Moms (WAHM) make up a significant presence in the small business landscape. Mom business ideas focus primarily on opportunities that can be run from home, require little (or no) travel, and have flexible hours.
Unique business ideas – At MySmallBiz.com, we’re always on the lookout for new and unique business ideas. Check out this category for emerging small business ideas or opportunities that are, shall we say, a little bit different?
Part-time business ideas – Many of our visitors are looking for business ideas that they can start in their spare time. If you’re strapped for time or looking to gradually dip your toe into the entrepreneurial ocean, these part-time business ideas might just be for you.
Service business ideas – With a service oriented business, you make money by selling your skills to your customers. Perhaps you’re a great landscape architect or amazing personal chef. Service businesses are great because they are typically easy to start and don’t usually require a lot of up-front investment.
Green business ideas – We’re all concerned about respecting and protecting the environment. Our green business ideas provide environmentally-conscious business opportunities for you to consider when starting a business.
Retail business ideas – Our retail business ideas showcase opportunities that you can start selling phyiscal goods. These ideas are perfect if you’ve always dreamed about opening your own store. Many of these retail businesses do best when operated with a combination of a physical store and internet presence.
Pet business ideas – Do you love working with animals? If so, our pet business ideas may be just the ticket to get you started. The businesses in this category deal with providing goods and services to pet owners or working directly with animals as part of your business.
Food business ideas – The business ideas in our food category are perfect for those of you who love to cook, bake, or just love coming up with new food creations. Most of our gourmet business ideas deal directly with food; however, some of the ideas are also food-service related.
Women business ideas – Personally we feel that women (and men) can succeed in any of our business ideas. Due to strong demand for this category, we decided to hand-pick a set of business ideas that we think may stand out more for women than some other of our ideas. This list is pretty big so it may take some time for you to peruse.
Christian business ideas – This category would probably be better named as “Spiritual Business Ideas” since the associated businesses deal with spirituality, helping others and giving back to customers and community. This category isn’t intended to discriminate – if you’re looking for spiritual ideas, this category is probably for you.
Teen business ideas – If you’re a teenager and looking for a summer or part-time job, check out our business ideas for teens. This category is also great for parents who want some ideas to encourage their kids to start their own summer or seasonal business.
Business ideas for kids – Do you have a young, budding entrepreneur on your hands? Perhaps you’re a teacher looking for small business ideas to teach in your classroom. While our kids business list is fairly small, you may find some ideas that are perfect for pre-teen kids.
Handicraft business ideas – Are you looking to turn your handicraft hobby into a small business? If so, check out our listing of craft business ideas.
Consulting business ideas – Do you have a special skill or area of knowledge in demand by others? Perhaps you’re a business guru or computer programming wizard. The business ideas in this category are perfect if you want to try consulting as your business.
Health business ideas – The health and fitness industry continues to grow as more of us pay attention to our health and wellbeing. A continuing aging demographic also contributes to the growth of this sector. If you’d like to start a small business in the health and fitness area, check out these ideas.
Creative business ideas – Get your creative juices flowing and start a small business today. If you’re an artist, check out these creative business ideas – many of which deal with music, painting, acting or other art-related products and services.
Handyman business ideas – Are you good with your hands? Do you like working with tools? Can you fix just about anything? If so, check out our handyman (or the more politically correct term “handyperson“) category for hands-on business ideas.
Outdoor business ideas – If the thought of working every day in an office or behind a desk drives you nuts, check out our outdoor business ideas. The ideas in this category give you an opportunity to work outside – we just can’t guarantee the weather will be warm and sunny!
Small town business ideas – If you live in a small town or a rural area and are interested in starting a small business, check out our small town business ideas. Keep in mind, with the internet, you can start pretty much any kind of business regardless of where you live. However, our small town ideas are geared more for those folks who want to operate a business that is close to their community.
Senior business ideas – Our senior business ideas are geared towards retirees and seniors who still have an interest in starting and running a small business. These business ideas typically offer flexible schedules, low capital investment, and don’t require a great deal of physical exertion or extensive travel.
Seasonal business ideas – Perhaps you’re a college student looking to start a small business on break. Or maybe you have a knack for seasonal decorations. Whatever your reason, check out our seasonal small business ideas that don’t require a full-year committment.
Instructional business ideas – Do you like to teach? Our instructional business ideas allow you to teach others a skill, craft or trade. Many of the ideas in this category can be run part-time and out of your home.
Profitable business ideas – On the surface, this sounds like a silly category. After all, if you’re going into business, don’t you want to be profitable? What this category showcases are those business ideas that are relatively more profitable based on an average expense-to-revenue ratio and also taking into consideration the up-front capital investment involved.
Easy business ideas – This category name is a bit misleading. In our experience there aren’t any businesses that are easy to start – at least not those with any chance of succeeding. However, there are some businesses that are relatively easier to start than others. These are the businesses listed in this category.
Recession-Proof business ideas – Recession-proof businesses are those opportunities that are somewhat insulated from economic ups-and-downs. These business ideas aren’t typically flashy or trendy but do tend to weather unfriendly economic conditions.
High growth business ideas – The business ideas in this category offer a greater potential for higher growth than other ideas. Keep in mind, however, that with high growth will often come the need to hire employees, invest more in the business, and delegate more of your control over the business to others.
Franchise business ideas – If you want to grow and franchise your business, or if you’re looking to buy an existing franchise, the businesses in our franchise category may be just what you’re looking for.
Biz Finder Instructions
You can use the form in a couple of different ways.
- By simply clicking on a business idea’s hyperlink, you will be taken to a listing of all of our business ideas for the small business idea category that you clicked on. This process is exactly the same as clicking on a small business idea category name in the left hand side of the page.
- A more advanced search method is to generate your own custom list of small business ideas. To do so, simply check off the box corresponding to each business idea category that you are interested in. Click the Submit button to generate your custom list. Please note that depending on the number of categories you selected, the output can contain several hundred business ideas.
