Best Small Business Ideas

Best Small Business Ideas: It is important to pick the right business idea if you are ready to be an entrepreneur. So that you don’t have to, we have compiled a list of hundreds of the most popular business ideas for 2022. It’s easy to start a business once you have found the perfect business idea.

If you are ready to get started, check out our guide How to Start A Business in Any State.

Table of Contents

Popular Small Business Ideas

Start a Small Business Today

Select a Business Name

Register a Domain

Locate a Business

Conduct Market Research

Create a Business Plan

Name Your Business

Press Releases

Facebook

YouTube

Google My Business

Business Ideas by Category

Recessionproof Business Ideas

Home Business Ideas

Ideas for low-cost businesses

Ideas for Teen Business

Side Hustle Business Ideas

Online Business Ideas

Get free resources for your small business

Coffee Shop

Daycare

Laundromat

Moving Company

Get Complete Guides for Small Business Ideas

How to Start a Nail Salon Complete guide

Start a Business in Your State

Popular Small Business Ideas

It can be difficult to find the right business idea for your business. It is an important decision. Take your time to look at the options. Our site features more than 1001 business concepts to help you find the right idea. The most popular small business ideas currently on our site include:

Grocery Store

Drive-In Movie Theater

Bank

Clothing Boutique

Car Repair Shop

Tow Truck Business

Candle Making

Nightclub

Car dealer

Bottled water

Security Guard

Convenience Store

Car Rental

Shoe Store

Micro-Lending Company

Check out our comprehensive list of small business ideas for a complete listing of all our business ideas

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Phone Answering Services for Small Business

Start a Small Business Today

Step 1.

Finding the right type of business to start is the first step in starting a business. It is important to find a business idea that matches your interests, goals, and capabilities. This will help you stay motivated, increase your chances of success, and keep you motivated.

The free Business Idea Generator can help you find businesses that fit your interests and lifestyle.

Step 2. Plan Your Business

Successful businesses are built on planning. Analyze your idea and develop a game plan before you spend a lot of time and money on your business. Here are some steps to remember:

Select a Business Name

Name your business is an important step in starting your business. Names are not only important for branding but also must be available for wide use.

To help you get started, our Business Name Generator will help you find the right brand name for your company. GoDaddy can be used to search for your business name and web domain.

Register a Domain

Find your perfect domain

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We recommend that you choose a business phone system after you have registered a domain. This will allow you to improve your customer service. Nextiva offers a top-quality phone service that can be integrated with all devices. Nextiva is a great option.

Locate a Business

A location is essential for any business, even if it is your own home. The type of licenses, permits, growth potential and other requirements your business will require depends on where it is located.

Conduct Market Research

Before you can write a business plan, it is important to consider the market. You can do surveys, learn about search engine optimization (SEO), or gather focus groups.

Understanding your target market and your competition is key to making your business plan work.

Create a Business Plan

A business plan will help you organize your business and make it easier to start one. A business plan can help you get funding and plan for important milestones.

The business plan must include many topics such as product development and sales, marketing, partnerships, and financial planning. We’re here to help if this all seems overwhelming. Check out our Business Plan Generator and start creating your plan.

Step 3.

Companies always require money to cover startup expenses. But there are many things to be aware of before you start your search.

Before you apply for funding, make sure to calculate the cost of your business. This will inform you of the type of funding that you should be seeking. There are many options to get funding for your small business, including friends and family, bootstrapping, small business grants, and small-business loans.

Our guide to Small Business Finance teaches you how to plan, raise and manage funds.

Step 4.

There are many legal structures that you can use to help your business, both formal and informal.

As it is easy to start and manage, we recommend that small businesses create a limited liability corporation (LLC). An LLC will help you protect your assets and increase your business’s credibility.

Either you can create your LLC by following our guide or ZenBusiness can do it for you.

Step 5.

The next step after you have created a business structure is to form your company. This will depend on the structure of your business.

Name Your Business

Choose a registered agent — An individual or entity that accepts tax documents and legal documents for your business.

Obtaining an Employer Identification Number, (EIN), a number that is assigned by the Internal Revenue Service to identify businesses for tax purposes.

Filling out formation documents with your state

You may need additional or fewer formation requirements depending on the type of business structure you choose and your state.

Use our nonprofit, corporation, and LLC guides to get started in forming your business. You can also use professional formation services to assist you.

Step 6.

Separating personal and business assets is the first step in business banking. This will help you protect your business against being sued. This is known as “piercing your corporate veil” in business law.

These are some ways to protect your business:

To make tax filing and accounting easier, open a bank account for your business. You can also separate your personal and business assets.

A small business credit card can be used to build credit for your company, which will help you later raise capital.

To track your business’ performance and make tax filing easy, set up business accounting. A business accountant can be hired to assist with understanding all of your business accounts, from payroll to sales taxes.

Step 7.

Small business insurance can help you manage risk while allowing you to concentrate on your business. These are the best types of insurance to protect small businesses.

General Liability Insurance

Workers’ Compensation Insurance

Professional Liability Insurance

We recommend that small businesses, even those that are home-based, have a general liability insurance policy. It covers many key areas such as property damage, injury, and death.

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Get a free quote to find out what it will cost for your business to be protected.

Step 8.

You will need to adhere to all applicable federal, state, and local regulations for your business to be legally operated. This may involve obtaining one or more licenses and/or permits. A restaurant may need to obtain permits for health, building, signage, and other permits.

Find out how to get the licenses and permits you need for your business

To obtain the required licenses, use a professional service

Step 9. Hire Employees

Building a team is crucial for any business, except if you are the sole employee. It’s not about hiring the right people. You also need to comply with legal requirements when hiring employees. You must also register with the IRS to pay employee taxes.

After you have built your team, we recommend that you use a payroll service to issue paychecks, track time, and simplify tax season.

Step 10.

A solid brand is essential to a memorable and successful business. Think about what your business stands up for and your core values when creating your brand. This will also help you earn the trust of customers.

Once you have an understanding of your brand, use our Free Logo Generator to create your logo.

Step 11.

After you’ve created a brand and a logo for your company, it’s now time to build a website.

It is important to create a separate website from your social media accounts. Although it might seem complicated, it doesn’t need to be. Small businesses can reap the benefits of web design’s accessibility improvements.

To make it easy and painless, we recommend that you use a website builder tool. A website builder such as the GoDaddy Website Builder is very easy to use and eliminates the need for a web designer.

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Recommendation: Use our recommended website builder to get started right away or read our review of the top website builders.

Step 12.

Once you have established your small business, it’s time to spread the word to the public.

There are many ways to promote your business, but the following methods are our favorites:

Press Releases

Press releases are a great way to promote your business. They can also be the most economical. These press releases provide publicity, help you establish your brand online, and improve your website’s SEO. It is a relatively inexpensive way to make a lasting impression.

Facebook

Facebook allows you to easily and quickly interact with your community. Facebook has its limitations, however, it allows you to display your products and receive feedback from customers.

YouTube

YouTube is second in search engine popularity after Google and can be a boon for your business.

A YouTube channel can help your business advertise and improve its SEO. It allows you to build deeper relationships with your customers and community through sharing inside information about your business.

Google My Business

Google My Business allows businesses to control how their business appears in Google’s search engine results pages (SERP) or Google Maps. Businesses find this important because it allows them to manage critical information such as your address, phone number, reviews, and hours of operation. This increases your credibility, as the first impression people get of your business is often a quick Google search.

Business Ideas by Category

Are you still unsure what type of business you should start? Below are the top business ideas broken down by category to help you find the right one. These categories include business ideas for teens, low-cost business ideas, side hustles, and other interests.

The business owner smiles and holds an open sign

Recessionproof Business Ideas

A few industries have recession-proof businesses which can survive and even thrive in economic downturns. Here are some of our favorite industries.

Walk-In Clinics

Convenience Store

Grocery Store

Daycare

Tutoring

White house with a white toy car parked on the driveway. Captioned by ‘Shortest. Commute. Ever.’ In orange text

Home Business Ideas

You can start many businesses from your home.

Graphic Design

Photo editing

Web Design

Candlemaking

Woodworking

With the following text: Piggy bank without breaking the bank

Ideas for low-cost businesses

This article will outline 40 of our best small business ideas that are low on startup costs. It is designed to help you identify a business idea that suits your needs and interests.

Art Lessons

Personal trainer

Project Management

Take the Test Prep

Affiliate Marketing

With the text “Work Anywhere” in the text, open the laptop on the entrepreneur’s lap. With anyone.

Ideas for Teen Business

The entrepreneurial spirit isn’t limited by age. Success doesn’t depend on it. No matter your age, anyone can start a business. We have compiled our top teen business ideas.

Sewing Business

Live Streaming Business

Photography business

Makeup Artists Business

Babysitting Business

As a side hustle, a person walks happy dogs. The text below says: “Monetize all your spare time.”

Side Hustle Business Ideas

Side hustles can make you more money and open up new opportunities. This article will share 40 of our favorite side hustle ideas to help you get started.

Etsy Store

Ecommerce Store

Music Lessons

Life Coaching

Freelance writing

The skyline of a city with virtual green-colored lines linking the buildings.

Online Business Ideas

You can build an online empire, or make a small income on the side. There’s a business idea here that will help you achieve your goals.

Ebook Store

Illustration Business

Virtual Tour Business

Proofreading Services

Review this Website

You can find a complete list on all our pages for business ideas.

Get free resources for your small business

These are some resources that will help you start your small business.

Entrepreneurship Quiz

Generator of Business Names

Logo Maker

How to start a business

Franchise Opportunities

A franchise is a great choice if you are looking for a career in entrepreneurship but feel intimidated by the idea of starting your own business. You can read our Franchise Guide for more information, or look at some of the most popular franchises.

A barista steaming coffee milk

Coffee Shop

Coffee shops are great for people who like to build long-lasting relationships–customers tend to be regulars, with some even coming in daily. A coffee shop franchise can cost between $200,000 and $700,000. It takes a lot of work to get it up and running.

A group of children singing together

Daycare

A franchise daycare is a great option for those who are passionate about children and want to influence them. Entrepreneurs who are looking to open a stable business with regular customers and a steady demand for their services can also consider this option.

Line of washing machines in a laundromat

Laundromat

Entrepreneurs who are looking to open a laundromat can use them as a franchise. Laundromats can be set up and run in a short time.

Moving Company

Many people hire a professional moving company to take the hassle out of moving. A strong franchise will give you access to a wide range of customers if you live in densely populated areas.

Get Complete Guides for Small Business Ideas

You’re ready to make coffee a business. But where do you start? Our guides are written by professionals in coffee and will guide you through the steps necessary to create your dream cafe.

Creamer is poured into a cup of coffee

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Our guides are inspired by professionals in coffee and will guide you through all the steps necessary to realize your coffee dreams.

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Start a Nail Salon

How to Start a Nail Salon Complete guide

This series of 6 parts will provide you with all the information you need to start your dream nail salon. Create an action plan and set goals that you can achieve. Then, learn how to turn your Nail Salon into a profitable business.

Plan a Nail Salon

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How to make a nail salon

Nail Salon Launch

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