The modern-day entrepreneur enjoys a variety of benefits, from greater pride and satisfaction in what they do to flexible work schedules and constant professional growth. Plus, some self-employed individuals can work from home, allowing them to qualify for the home office deduction at tax time.
While there are several disadvantages of entrepreneurship — like the financial commitment, longer workweeks, and financial and legal risks — certain small businesses are easier to start (and manage) than others. This article presented by Web Design by Brandon McCloskey highlights some of the easiest and most affordable businesses to start — and shares some tips for putting a business plan into action.
Pet Sitting
If you enjoy animals and you’re knowledgeable of their behaviors and needs, pet sitting could be the perfect type of small business for you. While pet owners are working or traveling, sitters care for their animal companions — making sure they’re fed, groomed, walked, and socialized.
To start a pet sitting business of your own, the Canine Journal recommends getting bonded, licensed, and insured. It’s also important to keep clear records of all business income and expenses and ensure your home is properly pet-proofed.
Tutoring
Tutoring is another small business idea that can be started with minimal startup costs. According to Modaris, some of the most in-demand tutoring subjects include English, math, college test prep, and the physical sciences. But tutoring isn’t just for students. Many working professionals hire tutors to help them learn coding, business analytics, and digital marketing.
Writing and Marketing
Since most self-employed writers and marketers can work with nothing more than a computer and a stable internet connection, it’s easy to start a small business as a writer or marketer if you’re skilled and experienced in these areas. Freelance writers create written content for blogs, websites, ads, and ebooks, while marketers often specialize in areas such as search engine optimization (SEO), social media marketing, email marketing, copywriting, or advertising.
Dropshipping
In addition to pet sitting, tutoring, writing, and marketing, dropshipping is one of the easiest online businesses to start as a new entrepreneur. According to FinSMEs, dropshipping businesses require little-to-no upfront costs, storage space, or business knowledge — and they can be started in just a day or two.
How to Become a Small Business Owner
With these small business ideas in mind, it’s time to put your dreams of becoming an entrepreneur into action! Here are some of the steps you’ll need to take in order to launch your small business:
- Conduct market research
- Write a business plan
- Obtain business funding, if necessary
- Choose a business name
- Structure and register your small business (unless you’re starting the business as a sole proprietor)
- Create your business website with Web Design by Brandon McCloskey
- Use free logo design tools to create a great logo for your business
- Set up a home office
MasterClass shares some tips for starting a business in just 10 steps, but some additional resources for entrepreneurs include the Small Business Administration (SBA), SCORE, and America’s SBDC. Moreover, a membership to the NFICA includes everything from supplemental health products and accident insurance to discounts and rewards on everyday purchases.
Manage Your Business Finances
While the businesses highlighted above are easy to start and run, you’ll still need to manage your finances as a self-employed individual — and the right bookkeeping and business management tools can help to make this task a whole lot easier.
QuickBooks offers flexible ERP software that meets the needs of your business, helping you to stay organized and financially healthy as your small business grows. With Enterprise, for instance, you’ll enjoy features such as time tracking, advanced reporting, payroll services, and inventory management — but without all the challenges of using a larger enterprise resource planning (ERP) software.
In Conclusion
If you’re interested in becoming self-employed, these easy-to-launch business ideas are great places to start. You’ll reap the benefits of becoming an entrepreneur, but without all the extra time, stress, and money that goes into running many other types of businesses. You already have what it takes, and now it’s time to take the leap into small business ownership!