Seven business ideas and trends for start-up entrepreneurs

For some it is scary. You need to have a good business idea, then you need to source the capital and some investors, and then you need to work hard hoping it will pan out into a success. To put things in an international perspective, we shall refer to cost elements in US dollar terms.

Firstly it is worth noting that only around 20% of new start-up businesses survive after their first year of operation. Therefore, it is fully understandable that potential entrepreneurs might be a bit jittery. However, by starting small you can lower your risk, and in most cases do even need investor funding or a personal loan to jump-start your dreams. And it can be done for $10 000 or even less.

7 Great business ideas you can pursue right now:

Let’s share some small business ideas that can put you in the driver seat. They all have a common thread, that they are dependent on your skill set and don’t need a huge financial investment.

Start an international social media agency

Did you know that you can tap into the US, Australian, UK and other economies from a beach in Thailand or a flat in Cape Town? Well, many small business owners around the world do not understand online reputation management, audience building, listings and reviews on Google & Facebook maps and other related opportunities. On average, when my agency takes on an existing restaurant in NYC or Sydney, we boost their revenue by $8000 per month. We do similar things for Dentists, Gyms, Colleges and even exhaust shops!

Here is the best part: When you get a Linkedin premium account as a tool to reach out to business owners, you get all the training you need at no extra charge from Linkedin Learning. To be precise: You’d be starting this business over 3 months and pay around $90 for your premium membership during this time – that is an absolute steal! Tap into local or worldwide markets from anywhere with your own socia media agency.

Start your own daycare business

You can become the owner of a daycare with just an investment of $1000.

As a daycare owner, you will need to meet the requirements. These requirements include a license, supplies and insurance. Also check with your council what added requirements they might have, as different areas’ requirements might differ.

You can operate this business from home. Nevertheless, it would be a good idea to understand what your market is looking for. There might be a demand for a date-night service where you need to watch the kids while the parents go out. Still, if you operate your daycare successfully, you can expect to earn around $1000 to about $5000 per month. Clearly, this is a local opportunity that will involve physical presence.

Lawn care, pool & gardening specialist

With an investment of $2000 to about 63000, you can start a lawn care business. You can lower your initial investment by using the homeowners’ equipment; alternatively, you can rent the equipment until you have saved up enough to buy your own. You could earn between $2000 to about $10000 per month. What is great about this business is the recurring revenue it produces – and the ability to roll out a franchise as you master your trade.

Photographer

If you have the photographic skills to produce high-end images, then with an initial investment of $5000 you could start your own studio. You will need to market yourself to wedding coordinators; wedding venues and you can also place free adverts on sites like Gumtree. You should make sure that your rates are competitive, but a good way to introduce yourself is to have a special offer. However, the rewards can be good, as you could earn from around $3000 up to $6000 per month. Those earnings can increase if you apply the images to different applications, from handbag, lampshades or creating bespoke photo albums. What’s more is you can turn it into a passive revenue gig by selling your best photos on sites like Shutterstock – again tapping into the worldwide economy, working from anywhere.

Personal trainer

If fitness is your passion, and you do enjoy teaching, then with an investment of $5000 you could think about becoming a personal trainer. You will need to be certified as a qualified trainer, but the effort you put into your clients will show, and soon through word of mouth marketing, you will be booked out.

You can also use social media platforms such as Instagram to promote yourself. But part of your service you could offer group training sessions which will bring in more money than one-on-one sessions.

Just remember that you might need a liability insurance. Do check with your financial broker about the finer details. Still, you could expect to earn around $25000 to $7500 per month. Unless you’re producing courses and videos, it is a business that requires 1:1 contact with your clients, so that limits your “scale”.

Dog walker

If you love animals, with almost no investment you can start walking dogs. Start small, and then scale yourself up gradually. As you build up your name, ask for references, as you can use these when possible new clients might ask for your credentials and these can help. Remember, most clients don’t see their dogs as just animals, they are part of their family. Therefore, they will want to be sure that they are taken care off.

You can promote yourself by using social media or placing a flyer at your local grocery shop or pet shop.  Alternatively, you can place an advert on a free listing site like Gumtree. But, with little to no investment, you can earn from about $15000 per month.

Become a forex trader

As with any business, we often hear of people who fail at forex trading but also those who are highly successful. George van der Riet, a multi-millionaire in Cape Town owns a string of nightclubs, restaurants and other businesses. He started just a few years ago from scratch and has built a powerful empire by being a full-time forex trader. He is now a mentor at Global Forex Institute where he shares his entire gameplan on a forex course and shows people step by step how to use the TD Markets platform to achieve their goals. For people who are willing to learn from experts, this is a serious opportunity. It comes with risk and requires the right mental attitude.

You need to make your dreams happen

All the ideas mentioned above can be done without a degree. At most, you might need a certificate, but even these that can be obtained online in a fast-track manner. More so, their initial investment is low, therefore, the risk is low.

What all these roles do demand are high levels of passion. You need to love what you are doing and as it starts to show you will earn more.

Move beyond the dream phase: you need to go out and make it happen. Ideas don’t move mountains – but bulldozers do!