Have you always dreamed of being an entrepreneur and want to know the best business ideas for women? If you’ve answered “yes!” to this question, I have 46 suggestions for you!
One in five businesses with a revenue of $1 million+ is a women-owned business, and those businesses generate $1.7 trillion in sales as of 2017. More and more women are looking for new ways to find a fulfilling career, and for many of them, that means venturing out on their own and starting their own businesses.
Over 40% of businesses in the United States are owned by women, and they generate over $1.8 billion in revenue every year according to Forbes. More and more women are looking for new ways to find a fulfilling career, and for many of them, that means venturing out on their own and starting their own businesses.
So, if you are one of them and are looking to leave your full-time job for good or simply want to make extra money from a brick and mortar, or home-based business, I will cover business ideas in the following categories:
- Small business ideas for women
- Online business ideas for women
- Entrepreneur ideas for women
- Side hustles for women
- Fun business ideas for women
- Best businesses to start from home for women
Small business ideas for women
1. Online course
Creating and selling online courses is one of the best online business ideas for women. You can create an online course on a variety of topics, from wellness to business, and make money sharing your knowledge on a topic with other people.
Online course platforms like Teachable make hosting and running an online course effortless and possible for everyone. It’s easy and affordable to set up, and you have many different tools to help you create landing pages to sell and promote your course.
2. Interior designer
You can start your own interior design business if you have an eye for design. If you always get compliments when someone visits your home, it’s a sign that you have good taste and skills in decorating. So, utilize them and offer interior design consulting, either in-person or online.
3. Yoga instructor
The pandemic made it easier than ever to get certified to be a yoga or pilates instructor (you can find certification courses online!), and it also increased the demand for at-home workouts.
So, if you are into wellness and have a passion for teaching, becoming a yoga instructor can be a great business idea. You can teach at the studio, get your own private studio or offer classes online.
4. Jewelry brand
Have a passion for jewelry? Always get compliments on pieces you’re wearing and could spend hours shopping for just the right necklace? Then you might consider starting a jewelry brand. You can either take a course and learn to create jewelry yourself. Or you can stick with design alone and outsource the production to professionals.
5. A personal trainer
If you love fitness and the gym, you could get a certification and start working as a personal trainer. It’s fairly easy to get certified in most countries, and you can start by getting clients through friends and family until you build a regular roster of clients.
A personal trainer’s salary starts from $25 per hour and can go up to thousands, depending on the clientele and location.
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6. Nutritionist
Getting a certification for being a nutritionist might take longer, but it’s also a great option if you love food and a healthy lifestyle. You can find clients through friends and family and work with them face-to-face or offer online coaching.
7. Stylist
If you are passionate about fashion, why not start your own styling business? Many people are looking for styling advice, and you can start by offering free consultations until you build a reputation.
8. Personal chef
Personal chefs are becoming more popular in large cities where busy professionals don’t have time to cook but still want something nutritious and delicious. You can find clients through friends and family, working with people locally.
9. Esthetician
The beauty industry is worth over 500 billion US dollars. And the demand for various beauty treatments is growing every year. If you love taking care of your skin, you might want to consider getting a certification as an esthetician and opening your own beauty salon.
10. Make-up artists
Another beauty-related business idea is becoming a make-up artist. You can do make-up without a certificate, but you can get one in any beauty school if you want. Start with doing make-up on friends and family and get referrals that way.
Online business ideas for women
11. Freelance illustrator
If you have always loved to draw and create art as a hobby, you might want to consider becoming a freelance illustrator. You can work with ad agencies, create ads, work with authors to create book covers or simply take on commission work with brands.
12. Freelance graphic designer
As a graphic designer, you can create brand identities and website designs for corporate or private clients and work with ad and marketing agencies to help them design promotional materials.
13. Ghostwriter
If you have always wanted to be a published author and write a book but want to remain anonymous, you could start a ghostwriting business. You can ghostwrite blog posts, articles, books, and everything in between from the comfort of your own home.
14. Video editor
If you love filming and editing videos, then starting a video editing business is a good way to go. Video editing skills are in demand, so you’ll be able to find a ton of work, commercial and private (working with Youtube creators or other small entrepreneurs).
15. Podcast producer
Podcasting is also on the rise, and all podcast shows need audio editors and producers. If you have the skills or want to take an online course and learn the skill, then you might consider starting a podcast production company.
16. Freelance web developer
Building websites is a lucrative business idea for you if you have a passion for IT and coding. Every business needs an online presence, and with the technologies always changing, they will always need someone to help them build the perfect website.
Entrepreneur ideas for women
17. PR agency
If you work in public relations or are passionate about working with people, then starting your PR agency might be a good business idea. You can work with individual influencers or brands, helping them craft their identities and grow their businesses.
18. Online community
Online communities are thriving in the age of social media. There are plenty of free online communities where people with common interests or goals can connect. And there are also paid communities that offer different benefits for their members.
Good examples are BossBabe, a community for women in business, and Freelancing Females, a community for women who work as freelancers.
19. Travel agency
If you love to travel, you might want to consider starting a travel agency. Travel agents scour the world for the best holiday destinations and deals, put together holiday packages for different occasions and work with people to ensure they have the best vacation experience.
You will have to connect hotels and local tour guides with tourists, so it might be beneficial to be familiar with the country or even speak the language to ensure you can get the most authentic offers and experiences for your clients.
20. Coach
If you enjoy communicating with people and helping them find purpose and a path in life, you might consider becoming a life coach. Life coaches work with people, helping them navigate certain areas of their life. You can be focused on productivity, time management, confidence, dating, relationships, body confidence, end more.
21. Freelance photographer
Freelance photography is a highly sought-after business skill. If you have photography skills or have always wanted to learn photography, you can easily find work taking photos for brands worldwide.
Freelance photographers can make anywhere between $25 and $100 per hour on average.
22. Content creator
If you have always dreamed of creating and sharing content on social media, then content creation might be the right business idea for you. Content creators can work with brands directly, creating content for their platforms, like BuzzFeed.
Or, you can go solo and grow your social media following by posting online and building your audience. Content creators have many different ways to monetize their business, from affiliate marketing to brand sponsorships, and the sky is the limit when it comes to how much you can make as a content creator.
One downside to this business is how often the social media landscape changes. As a content creator, you’ll always have to be ready to adapt and learn new platforms and how to utilize them for your business.
23. Online store
Ecommerce is a popular women-owned business idea. You can start an online store in a few steps with Shopify and sell anything, from clothing, and jewelry, to kitchen appliances. And social media is one of the easiest places to promote your online store and get more eyes on your products.
24. Wedding planning
Wedding planning is a lucrative business idea. As a wedding planner, you’ll work with clients to help them prepare for their weddings, helping them find the best venue and catering, send out invitations and make sure that the program for the event goes smoothly.
You can organize weddings locally where you live. Or, you might opt for starting a destination wedding planning business, planning celebrations abroad.
Side hustles for women
25. Open an Amazon store
Selling products on Amazon is a very lucrative business idea. You can pick out products from wholesalers, create a store on Amazon, and sell them for a profit.
26. Transcription
You can find transcription work from home. If you’re a fast typer and don’t mind repetitive admin work, then this side hustle is perfect for you. You can find companies hiring and applying without any prior experience or certification needed.
27. Teach English
If you love language and teaching people, then you might want to consider teaching people English online. There are companies that allow you to register with them and find people, or you might put up an ad on Facebook or Craigslist and find clients yourself.
28. Tutor
If you have a love for math, science, or another subject, you might start a tutoring side hustle, either in person or online. You can tutor small kids or teenagers, depending on your knowledge levels.
29. Dog walking
Dog walking can be a great side hustle for animal lovers. You can start by asking your neighbors or putting up local ads to let people know about your services.
30. Consulting
If you work in business, finance, IT, or any other sector but want an extra way to make money, you might consider doing consulting on the side. A lot of firms hire outside consultants and pay top dollar for their services.
31. Sell art
All the artists have the opportunity to sell their art online, either through social media or places like Etsy. If you’re passionate about painting, put up your art for sale to make extra money.
32. Customer service
Fun business ideas for women
33. Candlemaking
Candles are extremely popular everywhere. You can create themed candles for every season, book-related candles for book lovers, or massage oil candles for couples and sell them on Etsy.
34. Organization expert
If your home is always organized and your favorite time to pass the time by organizing your home, you might want to consider starting a professional home organization business. You can have fun helping other people organize their lives and homes.
35. Podcast
Podcasting can be a great business idea if you have a passion for media. The demand for audio content is growing, brands are always looking for new podcasts to advertise on. And some podcasts are even able to build large enough audiences that they’re legitimate multi-million dollar businesses.
36. Start a Youtube channel
YouTuber is one of the most popular career choices for the younger generation. And not without reason. Top YouTube creators report earning millions from turning their channels into businesses.
You are free to choose whatever topic you’d want your channel to revolve around, and as it grows, you can monetize it in various ways like affiliate marketing, AdSense, brand deals, and more.
37. Vintage reseller
Reselling clothing and vintage furniture on eBay or Facebook Marketplace can turn into a profitable business. One of the best examples is the clothing store Nasty Gal, which started out as an eBay store selling second-hand vintage clothing.
You can find stock to sell in your local second-hand and charity shops and find the best deal on furniture. You might want to look for local yard sales.
38. Voice actress
Narrating audiobooks is a great business idea for those with a pleasant voice. The damn for audiobooks is growing amongst book lovers each year. You can start with companies like ACX or start your own company offering voice-acting services for authors.
Best business to start from home for women
39. Affiliate marketing
Affiliate marketing is one of the most lucrative online business models. It’s a form of marketing when you make money by earning a commission for recommending products and people using your affiliate link to purchase the products. It’s a form of passive income that can make you up to $50,000+ per month.
Most companies have an affiliate marketing program available that you can sign up for direct and start earning a commission. Alternatively, you can join an affiliate network.
40. Blogging
Blogging is a perfect home-based business idea for stay-at-home moms or anyone looking for freedom at work. You can blog about anything you want, there is a niche for most topics, and you can always monetize your blog, even with a smaller audience.
41. Proofreader
Proofreaders work with publishing houses, independent authors, and corporate clients to help them make sure their written content is free from grammatical, spelling, punctuation, and formatting errors. If you have attention to detail, then proofreading might be a good business idea.
42. A virtual assistant
If you’re looking for a business idea where you would have an opportunity of working from home, then starting out a virtual assistant business might be for you. Virtual assistants do a variety of tasks like invoices, emails, agenda management, social media management, and more.
Average earnings for virtual assistants are $24 per hour. But it can go up to $60+ per hour.
43. Freelance editor
If you have a good grasp of the English language and have attention to detail, you can start a freelance editing business. Freelance editors work with bloggers, corporate clients, and authors to make sure that written content is grammatically correct or help develop structure and plot and ensure its quality.
44. Freelance writer
As a freelance writer, you’ll work with a range of different clients in writing blog content, product descriptions, website copy, ebooks, white papers, magazine articles, SEO writing, and much more. Freelance writers can earn anything between $10 to $1,000+ per piece of content, depending on their skill set, the industry they’re in, and experience.
45. Sell on Etsy
Etsy is the best place for small businesses. You can open an online store and sell various things without the fuss of managing an online store. Anything from vintage clothing to handcrafted bowls and digital downloads can be sold on Etsy, so you have many options to choose from.
46. Social media management
Social media management is the type of business that gives you flexibility and allows you to choose how you want to run it from a few different options – you can work with individual brands or creators to help them manage their social media accounts. Or you can create an agency where you employ social media managers who manage various social media accounts for different clients.
FAQ
Let’s answer some of the most frequently asked questions about business ideas for women.
What is the best business for a woman to start?
The best business for a woman to start is the one that she is passionate about and has expertise in. One of these two things is key to building a successful, profitable business and ensuring its longevity.
Building a business from the ground up can be lonely and stressful. It might take a while to see any profit, and depending on the idea, it might require a lot of investment, money, or time-wise. So, if you want to start a business, make sure that you are ready to commit to the idea long-term and be patient with it before you see any results.
Which business is good for beginners?
Any business that doesn’t require a large monetary investment or the investment is small enough that you won’t have to take on debt just to get started. Most businesses that fit this criterion are online businesses like selling digital templates, online courses, and affiliate marketing.
Alternatively, you might start a business by utilizing your skills like writing, or editing, because they don’t require any upfront cost. Also, starting a YouTube channel or becoming a social media influencer as you can do most filming and editing with your phone without needing to invest in professional equipment.
How can a woman start a small business?
The process of starting a business is fairly straightforward. First, you’ll want to decide on what kind of business you want to have:
- Online or brick-and-mortar business?
- Product or service-based business?
- B2B (business-to-business) or B2C (business-to-consumer)?
Once you decide, the next step will be to register your business. Depending on what type of business you decide to build, you might want to register as self-employed (a popular option for service-based businesses) or register as an LLC.
You’ll also probably want to create a website for your business and start posting on social media so your target audience can find you. After you have everything ready and set up, you’ll want to work on building a connection with your audience, creating a community of superfans who will want to buy and support your business.
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