Beginning your own business can be intimidating, but it’s also very rewarding. If you’ve been wondering what kind of business you should start, this list of 5 business ideas that are perfect for beginners will help get you started on the right path to becoming your own boss!
5 Business Ideas for Beginners
So, today we’re going to talk about 5 small business ideas for beginners that are cheap to start and come with virtually no risk but your time. The first small business idea is what I call-
1.SaaSaaS.
You might have heard of SaaS, which stands for Software as a Service. And this is usually web-based software that companies create and license out to users.
For example, Mailchimp, Hubspot, and Ahrefs are all SaaS companies. Now, SaaSaaS stands for “Software as a Service … as a Service.” And this is when you become a master of a SaaS product and sell services based on that tool.
For example, if you know how to do bookkeeping, you might specialize in software like Xero. You could offer daily bookkeeping services, migrations from other tools like Quickbooks to Xero, or provide end-of-the-year tax prep with Xero.
Or let’s say you have experience using ConvertKit’s email marketing platform. You could offer email migration services from tools like Mailchimp to ConvertKit. You could also offer marketing automation and funnel services for users.
Now, the great thing about SaaSaaS is that marketing yourself is actually quite easy when you’re just starting out. First, check if the company has a directory of power users or certified users and apply to be included.
For example, Xero has this handy page to connect bookkeepers or accountants with their customers. Another place that’s worth signing up to find new business is Upwork.
Upwork is a freelance network and it’s the place where I found my Xero bookkeeper and many other software specialists.
These two networks alone are enough to help you start and grow your SaaSaaS small business. Do a great job for these people and over time, you’ll likely build a steady stream of referral business too.
2. niche drone videography business
Alright, the next small business idea is to start a niche drone videography business. I’ll use a niche golf course drone videographer for my example.
This is what a golf course flyover with a drone looks like. And while it may look beautifully cinematic, it doesn’t take a ton of skill to create footage like this.
Now, there are three huge advantages to starting a drone videography business:
- It doesn’t cost very much to start.
- It’s very easy to get halfway decent at basic drone videography like flying over a golf hole. And
- People typically charge quite a lot for this service.
In fact, some company charges $400 for a course flyover, someone charges $1,500, and someone, a whopping four grand. Now, there aren’t exactly a ton of people looking for golf course videographers because it’s a pretty niche service for a very niche audience – owners of golf courses.
So the way I’d go about starting this business is with a validation experiment. To get started, search for golf courses in your area and visit their websites. And what you’ll want to look for are course overviews which generally provide a description of each hole on their course.
So for this course, they have a background image of the hole and a short text description of the hole. But this isn’t really that helpful to golfers compared to hole-by-hole flyovers, since they’d actually be able to see exactly how the hole is meant to be played.
So using this pitch angle, you can contact the different golf courses and offer your services. Do this for as many golf courses as you can to gauge interest, buy your drone, get an hour or two of flying experience in and you’ll be able to do a halfway decent job at golf hole drone videography.
Now, after you’ve validated the idea, you can consider offering your services to more courses or exploring other areas of drone videography.
3. become a voiceover actor
Alright, the next small business idea is to become a voiceover actor. Now, I’m not talking about Hollywood or radio-level broadcasting. I’m talking about doing voice-overs for budget ads, commercials, screencasts, or whatever.
Now, the reason why I think this is such a great business idea is twofold:
- Pretty much anyone can do it; and
- It can pay really well in terms of your time-to-earnings ratio.
In fact, according to voices.com, a voice-over job of around 300 words, or around 0-2 recorded minutes would typically cost $100 – $499. To put that into perspective, it takes me around 5 – 10 minutes to record and edit a two-minute audio recording.
Now, there are two places you can look to when you’re just getting started. The first is Upwork. On Upwork, you can search for jobs and apply for ones where you might be a good fit.
And of course, you should have some samples ahead of time because no one’s going to hire a voice actor without hearing their voice. Now, that doesn’t mean you need to go and find work before you can start.
Just record some sample scripts to start your portfolio or even a short introduction about yourself. Now, the second place I’d look to is Fiverr. And I like the idea of using it alongside Upwork because instead of applying for jobs, you post ads about services and have full control over your pricing.
For example, this person is offering a voiceover in a British or American accent for $10. And while that might sound low, if you increase the word count of the script, you’ll see it goes up by another $5.
Continue with the checkout process and you’ll see even more options to upgrade your order. And to give you an idea of earnings potential, this person has done nearly 30,000 orders on Fiverr alone.
4. become a freelance content writer
Alright, the next small business idea is to become a freelance content writer. Now, there are already a ton of freelance content writers. Some of these people go on to make six or even seven figures per year, while others struggle just to make ends meet.
So that begs the question: how do you build a freelance content writing business that puts you in the first group? The oversimplified answer is to become a niche expert.
Let me illustrate using this Venn diagram. On one side, you have expertise and on the other you have interest.
So for me, I love golf, but I’m pretty terrible at it if we’re being honest. So that topic would fall around here on the Venn diagram.
Now, I have quite an extensive background in consumer products, specifically in consumer tech products, but I don’t really enjoy keeping up with the trends or the latest news.
So that would fall on the other extreme of this diagram. You ideally want to find a balance between too much and not enough.
So for me, that would be SEO and digital marketing which I’m both knowledgeable and interested in. Now, this only covers one component of becoming a “niche expert” in a content writing business.
The other area you should consider niching down is the type of content you’ll specialize in.
Types Of Content
- blog writing,
- conversion copywriting writing scripts for YouTube videos,
- Twitter threads,
- or something else?
Whichever you choose is entirely up to you but I recommend focusing on just one and only branching out if necessary. Now, just like any other service-based business, you’ll need to get clients.
And the easiest way to get started is to apply for jobs on freelance networks like Upwork and writing job boards like Problogger jobs.
And while business may not exactly be “booming” when you’re getting started, it’s a good way to get your foot in the door and start building a portfolio of your work. This will help you justify your rates so you can charge more and attract more clients.
5. create a niche affiliate website
Alright, the next small business idea is to create a niche affiliate website. If you’re new to affiliate marketing, it’s where you promote another company’s products or services in exchange for a commission when you refer a sale.
Now, the great thing about this business model is that it’s about the lowest risk, lowest cost online business idea you can start today. On top of that, the growth potential on niche affiliate sites is quite high.
In fact, some affiliate marketers make six or even seven figures per month! Now, the thing with affiliate marketing is that you don’t go from 0 to six figures per month with the snap of a finger. You’ll need to start by learning the basics of affiliate marketing, site building, and traffic generation.
Conclusion
Now, none of these business ideas will likely be the next trillion-dollar business. But they all have the potential to replace average and even above-average salaries.
And I know this because I’ve actually built businesses from four of these five small business ideas, and a friend of mine actually became a drone videographer. And everything I’ve shared with you today is more or less the way we got started.
So rather than trying to reinvent the wheel, find a super-unique business idea, or create the perfect business plan, just go out and actually try an idea for yourself. They’re all low-investment and low-risk opportunities ripe for the taking. I’ll see you in the next guide.
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