40 in-demand business ideas for you to be your own boss in 2022

When we ask people what their definition of professional success is, many answer right away: “I’d like to be my own boss”. And there are lots of different reasons why this is such a common desire. However, when it’s time to think about good business ideas to make your dream come true, it’s difficult knowing where to start, isn’t it?

Do you also want this? Do you believe you have chosen the wrong career? Do you dream of making your own business hours? Do you want to be free to decide the best strategies to reach your goals? Would you like to choose where to work? If you have already thought about starting your own business, this post is perfect for you.

We’ve chosen 40 business ideas that are all the rage right now (and that are, obviously, very profitable). Choose the one that has more to do with you and start planning your business.

In this post, you will see:

 

Business Ideas in the Food Industry

1. A restaurant that specializes in a specific niche

If you think of opening a restaurant, you probably know that there are thousands of options already available in the market. So, the competition is high (and standing out is no easy task, which is true for everything else in life).

However, if you think of a specific niche, the probability of you succeeding are much higher because you’ll have a specific audience to direct your strategies, besides having less competition in the market.

To help you, we’ve come up with some examples:

• Vegetarian food restaurant (not serving any meat);
• Vegan food restaurant (not serving anything animal-derived);
• Low-fat restaurant;
• Restaurant specialized in serving diet food for diabetics;
• Salad bar having only organic ingredients;

Notice that, in all these cases, there’s a specific target audience: people who don’t eat meat, people who live by a vegan lifestyle; people who want to lose weight, diabetics, and people who worry about their health and don’t want to eat genetically modified food, for example.

This is an important trend in the current market: focus on the needs of a group of people so you can meet their demands in the best possible way.

2. Selling frozen food

One of the best business ideas for people who want to be their own bosses is selling frozen food, especially when it comes to healthy, nutritious, and homemade meals.

Nowadays, people are paying more attention to the quality of the food we eat and, at the same time, they want fast and practical options (because few people have time to cook for hours).

That’s why selling frozen food is a great option for your own business. If you have cooking skills, this is a good possibility and you can start with little investment, including by bringing in customers who are in your social circle.

3. Food Truck

You’ve probably already seen a food truck before, right?

They’re vehicles that have been adapted to make and sell food in the streets, and they’ve become very popular in recent years. 

Opening a food truck is a great option for anyone who wants to start a culinary business. Especially in big cities, where people are always looking for a fast and convenient bite to eat. 

Whether you sell fried food, gourmet sweets, or pasta, there are infinite possibilities when it comes to food trucks!

4. Food for children

Cooking food for children is one of the best business ideas nowadays because it’s something new and interesting, which catches people’s eyes, especially parents with small children. 

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), in 2013, more than 42 million young children were overweight or obese, and these numbers are increasing in time. 

So, more and more parents have been searching for healthy options for their kids. The biggest problem, however, is how to compete with the well-known junk food, with their colors and taste that are so attractive to kids. 

Therefore, an excellent choice is to prepare healthy food that looks and tastes delicious for the kids: salads in the shape of fun cartoons, ice cream made out of the fruit, and pack the food in colorful packaging, for example.

5. Decorated cakes

Decorated cakes have always been popular and still are today, especially the themed ones with a popular motif such as movies, TV shows, cartoons, bands, and celebrities.

People always look for this product in the most different occasions: birthdays, baptism, weddings, baby showers, and any other kind of party.

It is specialized work and, because of this, you can charge the clients a considerable sum of money, especially when it has a special trait (such as being gluten free).

6. International Cuisine

International cuisine is usually a hit everywhere, especially in our current globalized world: people are more and more open and curious to trying exotic food from other countries.

You need to research and find out which cuisine would interest your audience the most, however, here are some examples:

• Arabic Food;
• Japanese Food;
• Chinese Food;
• Brazilian Food;
• Indian Food;
• Peruvian Food.

7. Gourmet cooking classes

If you’re a gastronomy expert or if you know someone who is, a good idea is to create gourmet cooking courses. Teaching sophisticated and exotic recipes at someone else’s house or a space destined for it (which can also be your own home) is an interesting option.

Another idea is to create an online course and become an online teacher but we’ll get to this later.

Business Ideas in Arts and Crafts

8. Recycled Products

More and more people are going green, therefore, they are looking for options of objects that are less harming to nature.

So, if you’re an arts and crafts person, recycled products can be a great option for you. Here are some examples:

• Candlesticks and jars out of cans;
• Notebooks made of recycled paper;
• Jars made of glass bottles;
• Shelves made of fruit boxes.

9. Personalized gifts

This is one of the most common business ideas, however, it never goes out of style. Personalized gifts are very attractive and can’t be found in major businesses nor malls. Therefore, if you have the skills, this is an attractive option.

Any kind of product can be personalized according to the tastes and demands of your client. Here are some options:

• Glasses with the name of the person;
• Throw-pillows with printed photos;
• Planners and journals with personalized drawings.

10. Creative packagings

Packagings are, sometimes, the things that call the most attention to the product, whatever it is! So, if you are handy, you can dedicate to creating creative boxes and packagings.  

You can also look for different suppliers to offer your product, and you can start a collaborative relationship or a partnership with them.

11. Necklaces and bracelets

Necklaces and bracelets are never out of style. Furthermore, there are endless designs and styles that can be marketed.

The biggest advantage is that you don’t need a huge investment right away and they’re also very easy to sell products (you can promote them on your social media, places you go to, or sell to your friends, just to get started).

Another idea is to start an online shop with your designs. If you don’t know how to get started, there are several courses and tutorials on the Internet that could help you.

Business Ideas in Fashion

12. Selling clothes for a specific niche

This is a similar case to restaurants specialized in a specific niche but in a different market segment: fashion.

Selling items to a smaller audience can be a good idea to get loyal customers who are extremely loyal to your products. Here are some examples:

• Pregnant women’s clothes;
• Plus size clothes;
• Teenager’s clothes;
• Kids clothes.

13. Second-hand clothing store

A second-hand clothing store is a simple and profitable business idea.

If you love to buy clothes but don’t want to overload your wardrobe with clothes you don’t wear anymore, a second-hand clothing store is a perfect idea!

As your business grows, you can also collaborate with others or sell clothes on consignment. 

Remember to give your customers a great experience, create a business profile on Instagram to advertise your clothing, create your own brand, and be creative when it comes to innovating used clothing.

14. Party Dress Rental

Party dresses are usually very expensive and women, in general, wear it once or twice and that’s it. So, a popular alternative nowadays is to rent a party dress.

If you love fashion and have good negotiation skills, this can be the perfect fit for you. You don’t need to have a shop because you can take the pieces to your customer’s house, for example.

15. Style coaching

If everyone compliments you on your ability to choose and match outfits and accessories, a smart idea can be becoming a style coach or personal shopper.

Assessing the clothes customers have on their wardrobe, giving advice on what to buy and where to buy it, or even purchasing some of the products yourself are some of the activities of this professional.

If you don’t want to do it in person, you can also choose to write a blog or an ebook about the subject! We’ll get to this in a moment.

Business Ideas in the Beauty Industry

16. Makeup services at home

Are you talented when it comes to makeup? Have you always been the person who puts on makeup on all your friends when you go out? Have you taken any course about the topic?

So, an excellent opportunity can be offering makeup services at home. To get started, you only need to have some practice and, of course, quality beauty products (and variety, to meet all your clients’ demands).

If everything goes well, you can start your own beauty salon!

17. Mani-Pedi

If you know how to do your nails, mani-pedi may be it for you. However, you need to take a course and have some practice before you start having customers.

The material you’ll need is simple to get, such as cotton balls, nail polish, remover, nail files, and cuticle pusher.

The biggest advantage is that this is a service people do with a certain frequency: usually once a week, or every other week. So, after you get your clients, you’ll never be out of work.

18. Massages

Massages are a very popular service which pleases all kind of people: men and women of all ages.

You need to take a course before you start but you don’t need to put in a lot of investment. Besides, there’s one major advantage: you can work anywhere (even at your home or your client’s) because you don’t need many tools.

A massage bed, some cream, and towels are already enough to get you started.

19. Eyebrows define and design

Eyebrows define and design are services many people look for and they have tons of positive aspects: You need little products to get started, you can do it everywhere, no major investment is necessary.

Besides, you can combine it to other services, such as makeup.

20. Hair and beauty salon

This is one of the oldest business ideas in the book and one that will probably exist until the end of days. Everybody needs this service once no one wants to have a haircut with a professional that is nothing short of excellent.

If you’re talented for this line of work and have little money to invest, you can take courses and tart to work at your customer’s house or even yours.

If your idea is to have something bigger, you can start a beauty salon and hire experts, offering other services such as hair coloring, hairdos, and other hair treatment.

Business Ideas in Education

21. Language school

This is one of the most profitable businesses nowadays. Language schools are everywhere because people need to speak a second language more and more often.

However, you’ll need to have something that sets you apart from your competition: a distinctive teaching method, a specific target audience (such as foreigners), an exquisite physical structure, or classes of an exotic language, for example.

If you don’t have money to invest but you’re excellent in a foreign language, you can start by teaching private lessons.

22. Tutoring for kids

Tutoring for kids is great for people who have knowledge on school subjects: Math, Science, History, Geography, Music or any other.

Of course that, besides knowing the subject, you need to have talent for teaching and a liking for kids and teenagers.  

If you want to try it out first, start tutoring people you know (maybe a sibling, nephew or niece, cousin, your friend’s kids, etc).

23. Create and correct tests

At bigger schools, you can find freelance jobs for specialists in school subjects, who will then create and/or correct tests. It’s not a very well-known job nor one easy to get, however, it’s a good alternative for people who want to work in education without teaching.

Business Ideas in Sports

24. Specialized sports goods shop

If your idea is to have a shop and you love sports, a good option is to combine these passions. You can offer products from different departments, such as tennis, boxing, yoga, cycling, water sports, etc.

A specialized goods shop is extremely profitable but you need to take into account that you’ll need a lot of money to invest at first.

25. Dance lessons

Are you an expert in some kind of dance and you like teaching? Then you can start teaching lessons. In general, you don’t need any tools and it’s possible to teach at parks or any other place you want.

If your idea is to invest in something bigger, you can start your own dance studio and hire professionals for different rhythms such as ballet, hip hop, twerk, and many others.

26. Personal training

This is a nice option for people who have a college degree in a exercise science-related field, once it is a profitable business which requires no major investment.

If you want to do something bigger, you can think of an online program and have video lessons that will reach students all over the world.

27. Gym

If you want a job in the sports department and you have money to invest, one of the best business ideas for you is to start your own gym, with different sports options.

More and more people are looking for this kind of service, since the benefits of exercising are getting more visible and promotion is huge.

However, remember you’ll have to manage different areas, such as purchase of equipment and machine, personnel you need to hire, the rent or purchase of the space, among others.

Business ideas in the events industry

28. Event planning

Events take place throughout our lives but a lot of people don’t have time or don’t like to plan events. That’s where an event planner comes in.

If you like planning and you like parties, this is a great business idea for you.

It’s a very broad area, so it’s a good idea to focus on a specific niche, for example, wedding parties or business seminars. 

Another tip when opening an event-planning business is to have good partners and suppliers, which is very important to help you deliver quality service. 

29. Event decorating

If you’re good at decorating and planning isn’t for you, this could be a good business idea if you still want to start a business related to events.

A lot of people want to have a perfect event, but they need someone to do help them make that happen.

Event decorating is highly sought after and some niches stand out, like decorating for kids parties.

As in event planning, an event decorator needs to partner with the right people and suppliers to delight their customers and guarantee the success of their business.

30. Party equipment rental

Renting party equipment is a business idea in the events industry that doesn’t require you to know anything about events to get started.

What you do need is the initial investment to buy the equipment, things like: bouncy castles, ball pits, tables and chairs, as well as somewhere to store it all.

This is a very scalable business, but special care and attention must always be given to the maintenance of the equipment. 

Business ideas in business consulting

31. Financial consulting

The financial consulting industry is growing.

A lot of businesses experience some kind of financial crisis and need help getting back on their feet.

So if you have experience in this area, financial consulting is worth betting on.

To start, it’s important to have contacts in the area. You need to build your authority to have a successful business.

You’ll also have greater chances of growing if you focus on a specific niche and have your own method.

32. Marketing consulting

Marketing consulting is a wide-reaching area, which includes both traditional and digital marketing. 

For anyone who wants to open a marketing consulting firm, we recommend digital marketing.

There are endless possibilities and the market is growing. There are many businesses and even entrepreneurs that rely on specialties to help them in areas like:

• Social media
• SEO
• Online media

It’s worth mentioning that to open a consultancy business, it’s important to have experience and know how to analyze data and develop creative solutions. This is what will elevate the quality of your service and delight your customers.

33. Business plan consulting

This idea is for people who understand how to teach other people to open and develop new businesses.

It’s generally a good idea to understand administration, but anyone with talent and experience can open a business in this field.

Business Ideas on the Internet

Businesses on the Internet are, definitely, the best option for people who want to be their own bosses. We’ll show you why:

• You can work anywhere, since you don’t need to be at one specific place to do your job;
• You can work whenever is best for you: You don’t need to worry about office hours;
• You can get clients from anywhere in the world and not only the place you live;
• You can have Affiliates to promote your products and make sales for you.

34. Content creation

Digital content creators, or just creators, include bloggers, youtubers, digital influencers, and streamers.

Everyone knows of a creator. They earn money by creating content and receiving commissions from businesses that use their blog or digital media for promotional purposes. They can also receive sponsorship deals from big brands.

This is an area that is expanding and moves a lot of the money in the online market. 

If you can communicate yourself easily and have a lot of knowledge about a particular topic, you already have what it takes to start your business. Create content, get followers, and use it all to build a business.

35. Ebooks

Writing ebooks is a great option if you want to start a profitable digital business in an easy and fast way.

The ebook, or digital book, is a popular material that Internet users are looking for more and more. In it, you should pass on knowledge you have that can help other people.

Do you love cooking healthy food? How about creating an ebook with your best recipes?

Do you speak French very well? How about creating an ebook with essential vocabulary to travel to Paris?

Do you know your city like the back of your hand? You can write an ebook with tips for tourists!

There are thousands of possibilities!

If this topic interests you, we recommend you our complete guide with everything you need to know to create an ebook and start selling online.

36. Online courses

People all around the world have been turning to online courses more often. The reason for that is that it’s a win-win situation both for students and teachers.

The main benefits for the student are:

• There’s no need to get out of the house and face traffic to take the course;
• You can watch the lessons whenever is more convenient, including late at night if you want to;
• You can follow the lessons any way you want, this way the course is more personalized and fits your needs.

Some benefits for teachers are:

• You can record video lessons only once and sell the course for thousands of students;
• The course can be sold around the world instead of only where you live;
• You can set your work hours;
• You can work anywhere, even when you’re traveling.

Research shows that e-learning is fastly increasing. Since the year 2000, for example, this market has grown 900%. Plus, almost 90% of American companies offer online courses. And another interesting piece of data is that students in this kind of course learn approximately 5 times more than in other course formats.  

So, this is the best business idea in our list! Any person can turn knowledge or talent into an online course. We’re sure you excel in something and you can help people with what you know. Here, in the blog, we’ve shown which the best selling online courses are: You can read and get inspired!

37. Online seminars

Another format of digital product that people are looking for nowadays are online seminars. The same way there are in person seminars in different areas of knowledge (such as health, education, engineering, architecture, biology, technology, and many others), you can also find them online. Its biggest advantage is that lots of people can attend. And, after it is done, buyers can have access to all the content.

38. Affiliation

Affiliation is one of the most interesting business ideas for people who want to work on the Internet without having their own product.

Affiliates promote products and get commissions every time the Producer makes a sale thanks to their work. Here on the blog, we’ve shown what an Affiliate program is and how it works. We recommend you read it to know more!

39. Virtual store

Also known as e-commerce, virtual stores are websites that sell digital or physical products.

If you want to open a virtual store, you’ll need software that manages the store and payments. You’ll also need to take care of logistics and stock, in the case of physical products.

40. Mobile apps

If you want to design software and mobile apps, you have an excellent opportunity to work on the Internet and have professional success. There are many success stories in this market, just look at Instagram and WhatsApp to have an idea.  

If you have no coding abilities but you have an excellent idea that might just work out, you can look for someone with the necessary knowledge to partner up.

Business trends for 2022

Have you ever noticed that people are always trying to reinvent themselves? Even in the face of the health and financial crisis of 2020 and 2021, people are still hopeful and looking for business ideas. So, anyone who wants to be their own boss needs to pay attention to the coming year’s market trends. 

Even with so many uncertainties on the market, some sectors are promising and have big potential. The key is finding the opportunities to have a profitable business. 

Check out some of the areas that are in demand in 2022. The idea here is to give you a broader vision of the most promising and profitable options.

E-commerce

Fact: the pandemic changed the way we buy things, and with that, e-commerce continues to grow. Even with physical stores reopening, e-commerce is expected to continue developing and being profitable. 

Perhaps the biggest advantage of opting for the digital market is the money you’ll save by not needing a physical store; no rent to pay, no property tax, no need to spend on renovations.

Another advantage is the greater exposure, since anyone in the world can find an e-commerce store. But that also comes with one of the biggest challenges: strong competition. To stand out, you need to invest in communication and marketing.

In other words, plan your e-commerce communication well and always be consistent: create visual content, boost your posts on social media, educate consumers about your niche and much more — the important thing is to be creative to attract customers.

Remote work

Another big shift caused by the pandemic was the transition to remote work, which is definitely here to stay. You can invest in an e-commerce business in the comfort of your home; have you ever considered that?

Technology allows a lot of businesses to be managed remotely. We’re talking about tracking stock, finances, and sales through software and platforms.

But you need to have the discipline for positive results. Professionalism, even while working from home, is important to take full advantage of the potential of the business and to generate good productivity.

Dropshipping

Have you ever heard about this type of business? It’s been gaining more space recently and you don’t need the product nor to perform the service itself. 

In reality, it’s a logistics chain management model in which you make sales of products without needing to keep stock. In other words, you become a reseller, you make the sales and outsource the storage and distribution processes to suppliers.

Big marketplaces like eBay, AliExpress, and Amazon,  use dropshipping. Additionally, this modality is ideal for anyone who doesn’t have logistics resources and physical stock, but wants to invest in a digital business in some way.

Content creation

Another business idea is the production of textual content for ventures that bet on content marketing. In the digital world, the need for texts for blogs, websites, and social networks has grown and with it, the search for good professionals to meet this demand.

Well-written material can inform, educate, and influence a user’s purchase decision. That’s why many businesses hire freelancers to produce this content.

Creating and selling digital products

Another option is the creation and sale of digital products. With this modality you can commercialize items like:

• online courses;
• e-books;
• audiobooks;
• infographics;
• video classes;
• applications;
• and even songs.

Notice that most of them are related to education. That means if you have a skill, you can teach it to others. If you have more resources, it’s possible to hire a skilled professional to create a product or service for you to sell.

An advantage of creating digital products is how much cheaper they are to produce in comparison with physical products. For example, to commercialize a song, you can add it to platforms like Spotify, YouTube, and Deezer. You also don’t need to pay for shipping or keep stock.

For good results, think of a digital product that has unlimited sales potential and meets the needs of a specific audience. Be sure to conduct research to understand the pain points of users.

9 tips to start a business with little money

Now that you have some ideas to start a business, you need to take the next step. And remember that opening your own business involves many advantages and disadvantages.

Often, you have the idea and the will, but having money to invest to make your dream come true isn’t as easy to come by. First of all, it is important to have some affinity with your chosen niche. Good market research is also important to understand your persona.

You need to plan well — we’re talking about managing the business, which involves financial management and a business plan, with a roadmap for all the steps and resources needed to get your idea off the ground.

With that in mind, we have prepared a list of tips for those who want to open their own business with little or no initial investment. Check it out!

 

1. Discover what you like

Anyone who opens their own business ends up working a lot more than 8 hours per day, trust us. So it’s important to pick something you really like. The chances of you giving up are much higher if you’re not totally interested in what you’re doing.

Bet on something you’re good at and passionate about. That way, any hiccups you encounter on your journey will be easier to face.

2. Choose a niche

The niche needs to be aligned with the entrepreneur’s tastes and skills, but also be in demand among consumers for there to be financial return.

In addition, trendy niches are not always a good choice, as they can go out of fashion overnight, not to mention the risk of the entrepreneur not being good in that segment. The key is balance.

A well-targeted business increases your chances of growth and recognition in your niche. This is because the entrepreneur will be betting on more strategic actions for a truly interested and qualified audience.

3. Have a good business plan

Knowing the right steps to take to start a business is essential since any misstep can result in lost customers and money. 

That’s why having a business plan is important. It serves as a map that outlines all the necessary steps to launch your business. It should include information about the business model, target audience, marketing, and finance, among others.

4. Build a financial plan 

Financial planning is essential as it can affect the survival of a business. It serves to understand cash flow, working capital, and the business’ level of growth.

When this information is well defined it’s easier to make better decisions. Financial planning includes an assessment of the current situation, tracking metrics, projection of possible scenarios, and more.

5 . Prioritize digital businesses

Without a doubt, digital businesses are the easiest to start without an initial investment.

Depending on the area you want to work in, you’ll only need a computer, your talent, and organic promotion. 

These types of businesses are also very profitable and scalable, not bad, wouldn’t you agree?

6. Start working from home

Before thinking of having an office or a physical store with an amazing space, start simple. Offer your service directly from your home, prioritize service and quality of deliverables.

As you gain the confidence of your customers and your business grows, your profits will increase and you’ll be able to start thinking of more structure for your business

7. Do market research

Market research is a very important step when starting a new business.

Market research will help you identify what works and what doesn’t, define who your target audience is and discover what they like, and identify new spaces for innovation.

This is the best way for an entrepreneur to make their business successful, and best of all, it’s free!

8. Invest in digital marketing

Investing in an online business and having good results is possible thanks to your talent, effort, and digital marketing. It’s crucial to create online strategies based on the needs of your target audience.

Count on the main digital marketing strategies, like:

• Inbound marketing;
• Content marketing;
• SEO;
• Guest posting;
• Boosting posts on social media;
• Paid traffic;
• Email marketing.

9. Don’t give up

One of the most important factors when starting a business is staying motivated and not giving up if the business isn’t profitable right away.

You need to closely monitor the sales performance of your business and its customer relationships to quickly correct any problems and stay on top of current market trends.

Why don’t you start today?

If you got this far, you already know there are many excellent business ideas if you want to be your own boss. We’re sure that at least one of the options we provided have caught your attention!

However, we don’t want you to keep on dreaming: What do you think of taking the first step to make your dream come true?  

Download our checklist on how to become a Digital Producer!

Ah, and if you liked this text, you should also read 20 lucrative businesses to start without investment. See you next time!