21 Best Business Ideas For Women
At about age 5, I started selling raspberries at the top of my driveway. From there, I moved on to babysitting and working at a ski shop.
Fast forward about 20 years, I attended college and completed a comprehensive jewelry training program. I got my first “real job” in the corporate world and quickly realized that it just wasn’t for me. I started my jewelry business in 2010 and my retail stores opened in 2017! I have been happily self-employed for 15 years.
Check out this list that I put together with some great business ideas for women. Find your perfect business idea and be one of the many women entrepreneurs finding success in their small businesses.
Whether you want to have an online store, in home childcare business, food business, or data entry, having your own business is one of the best business ideas for women. Starting a new business is not easy, but with hard work and determination, you can do it!
Research shows that 42% of businesses in the United States are owned by women. Many women owned businesses are incredibly successful.
Now is the time to take the leap and do something that you love. Turn a profitable business idea into real money. Small business is thriving right now so the timing is perfect to brainstorm your small business ideas.
21 Business Ideas for Women
Find the things you love in life and turn them into a profitable business.
Craft Maker or Jewelry Designer
Brick and Mortar Business
Plant Shop
Dog Walking Business
Affiliate Marketing
Photography Business
Home Organizing
Graphic Designer
Interior Designer
Online Reseller
Import Business
Dropshipping Business
Event Planning
Baby Equiptment Rental Business
Teach Online Courses
Baking and Catering
Hair and Makeup
Personal Trainer
Floral Designer
Beauty Salon
Social Media Management
Craft Maker or Jewelry Designer
A great way to start small businesses is through a craft, like jewelry. It is a scalable business and you can start small. Make some pieces and start selling them to friends and family. Then, sign up for a local craft show.
Listen to customers about what they are liking and buying. Slowly grow your line and sign up for more popular craft fairs around the country.
Set up an online shop on platforms such as Etsy. You can then start wholesaling your line on platforms such as Faire.
Brick and Mortar Business
A retail store is a great business idea for women. There are long hours at first, but after several years, you can typically staff the store. It is a creative and empowering career. You get to wear many hats and use lots of different skills. You are able to work with people and provide a place of happiness for customers. You can make your own schedule and this is a really fun business idea.
You may consider adding online business ideas as your brick and mortar business grows. A great place to buy small business product lines is through Faire.
Plant Shop
Trend plant shops are really popular right now and make a great business idea for women. Plants and gardening will never go out of style! If you have a green thumb, consider a wholesale plant business or retail plant business. You can even start small at local craft fairs or farmers’ markets.
Stores like Rewild in Washington D.C. are making plants cool!
Dog Walking Business
Dog walking or pet sitting is a great way to make extra money. Pet care is always in demand and you can be your own boss. You can do as much or as little as you want. Plus, seeing those sweet dogs is an extra bonus. This business model allows for a lot of flexibility and also a feel-good job. If you enjoy being active and outdoors, this is one of the best business ideas out there.
Sites like Rover make building your small business a breeze.
Affiliate Marketing
Many women business owners are finding affiliate marketing to be a lucrative business idea. The gist is that you promote other brands, sign up for their programs, and get paid when someone makes a purchase through you. You can be a social media influencer or also find success through blogging. There is a lot of money online!
Now is your opportunity to be part of this very lucrative business idea. If you are really successful you can earn passive income, while you pursue other business ideas or passions in life.
Photography Business
Photography is one of the best small business ideas. It makes a great side business idea but can also become a full-time job. Whether you want to work in the fashion business, beauty industry, or weddings, there are a lot of niches to choose from. Having your own photography business is rewarding and you can earn money doing something that you enjoy. Headshots are another great business idea that can be lucrative.
Set your own rates and find a business model that works for you. Photographing babies is a great bonus!
Home Organizing
Home organizing can be a lucrative business venture. If you are detailed oriented and love cleaning, this one might be for you! You may consider combining this with an interior design business and conceptualizing kids’ playrooms.
Fun business ideas don’t always come to mind with this one, but you can get creative and find a specialty that you enjoy. Check out what grOH Playrooms has done with kids playroom design.
Graphic Designer
To start a graphic design business, you must learn some skills. Graphic design is needed for small businesses, large corporations, and everything in between. Almost every business needs help in this area, which is why it makes a great small business idea. You can set your own hours and work when you want to, but have to hit deadlines when needed as well. File this one under fun business ideas because you get to be creative.
All you need is a laptop or desktop to get started and you can use youtube and online resources to learn a lot on your own.
Interior Designer
If you love design, homes, and shopping, this is a good business idea for you! You can also make this an online business if you prefer to work that way. Now, it’s possible to run your own design business remotely. Like any new business, it will take time to gain customers, but once you do they will come back often with more projects in the future.
What’s not to love about working in gorgeous homes and apartments?
Online Reseller
About 10 years ago many websites like Etsy, Ebay and Poshmark, popped up that focused on reselling products.
I personally have created an online store on Etsy and it became an integral part of my small business. This is one of my top business ideas. It gave me the opportunity to launch my small business. I sold vintage jewelry on Etsy that I sourced from around the country.
You need some great photography, which you can do yourself. The cost to enter this business idea is very low. They handle the financial transactions and you ship the products. You can earn money at your own pace and it can be a very lucrative business idea.
I have sold nearly 50,000 items on Etsy through my online store! This a women owned business idea that works for moms, students, and more. It is one of the best online business ideas out there. They handle the financial transactions and you ship the products.
This makes a great side business idea for women looking to earn additional income. It can be a small business or a tiny side gig. Small business owners use online marketplaces every day to sell their handmade or small-batch products. You can even sell digital designs.
Importing Business
If you love to travel this business idea might be for you. Whether you prefer to start at local craft shows, open a brick and mortar shop, or sell online this can be a really fun and profitable business idea.
You can import great items from various places around the world and sell them with a markup.
Using social media management and marketing, you can have a successful business. You are helping people source unique items that they might not otherwise find.
Dropshipping Business
Did you know that you can work with small brands to create a drop shipping online business?
You can essentially create an online store, where when an order gets placed, you have the company fulfill the order. During the pandemic, online businesses were booming and this was a great option. You don’t have to keep the physical inventory for your online store. Typically brands will keep more of the profit, but you are helping to find their customers. Business opportunities like this one make sense for people without much space.
Small businesses are popular right now and it’s a great time to hop on buying goods from small brands.
Event Planning
Event planning is hard work, but can really pay off. A wedding planning business is always one of the best business ideas because there are large budgets involved in weddings. If you love brainstorming ideas for women, this one might be for you. The upside is that there is a lot of creativity and energy involved. The downside of a wedding planning business is that customers can be demanding.
If you are looking for other event-planning business ideas, you may consider corporate events or even kids’ birthday parties.
Baby Equipment Rental Business
If you are a mom, you probably know how much stuff you need for an infant. You only use it for a short amount of time. Rentals make sense for these items! A great online business that you can start small scale is a baby equipment rental business.
You can slowly grow what you offer and post your items for rent on various sites. This is also a great small business idea for mother’s that want to make extra money.
Babyquip is a popular place to start renting baby equiptment.
Teach Online Courses
If you have knowledge on something you might want to share it by creating an online course! Websites like teachable make it easy to share your information and build an online course step by step.
Whether you are a life coach or a blogger, there is a lot to teach other and it’s a great way to earn money online. This is one of the best online business ideas for women with a strong skill set. Creating an online course will make you feel good since you are helping others to learn!
Baking and Catering
A lucrative business venture that you may want to consider if you love food is a baking or catering small business. Many women entrepreneurs are making a lot of money making custom cookies or catering events and weddings. You have the freedom to take on the projects that you want and set your own hours. A food business can be demanding, but very rewarding.
Word of mouth and Yelp will be your friends.
Hair and Makeup
There are so many women that need professional hair and makeup. From weddings to TV appearances, or fancy parties, women will always want great hair and makeup.
If you are looking to earn extra money you may want to consider getting the skills to open a hair and makeup business.
This is one of the oldest business ideas for women and there is a reason. Women and women entrepreneurs always want to look and feel their best.
Personal Trainer
Market research shows that the value of the fitness industry is 87 million dollars. Fitness is so important to health and there is a lot of money to be made as a personal trainer. Flexible schedules and living a healthy lifestyle are just several of the reasons why this might be one of the best business ideas.
You may make more money on your own, but you may enjoy the benefits that a gym can offer.
Floral Designer
The thought of working among flowers all day is quite dreamy. If you love nature and working with people, this is one of the best small business ideas. There are so many reasons to give flowers. Holidays will always provide a steady stream of income. You can own your own business while working among a beautiful object.
Beauty Salon OR SERVICE
The beauty industry is huge and only growing! There are so many business ideas for women within the industry. You can easily pivot within the industry as you grow and find a specialty.
Salons have been one of the best small business ideas in modern history and many have seen success. The business model is quite solid.
Perhaps you enjoy a specialty like lashes, permanent makeup or trendy tooth gems. You can get certified in those specific areas and it can be quite lucrative.
Social Media Management
Social media management is a modern career that has taken off in recent years. Every company needs social media help.
If you are social media savvy and love to work on networking, this small business idea makes sense. As a social media manager, you can help a company grow quickly and feel like what you do matters.
You may decide that being a social media influencer is also for you if you enjoy spending time on the social media apps.
YOU’VE GOT WHAT IT TAKES TO START A GREAT BUSINESS IDEA! YOUR OWN BUSINESS IS WAITING
Start with baby steps
Do the market research to find a business idea that makes sense
Brainstorm the best business ideas that would make you feel happy
Learn a skill or hone in on what you enjoy doing
Put in the hard work to build the business of your dreams
Find mentors that can help you along the way
You’ve thought about starting a small business and now is the time to take the first steps. This list has a lot of profitable business ideas. There are so many opportunities out there.
Find something that you love doing while making money doing it. There are so many rewards to having your own business. It’s a lot of hard work, but you can do it. Start today and you won’t regret it years down the road when you are financially secure and happy! Women that have their own businesses are often very fulfilled. 77% of small business owners are typically happier than the average employee.
Whether you are looking for a passive income or full-time job, starting your own business is a great path. Join other female entrepreneurs in finding success.
The future is female!
Thank you for reading this blog post about small business ideas.
