In our current world, people have access to all types of resources worldwide. This ease of purchase is why now is an excellent time to think of ideas on starting a small business at home. By having your own business, you become your boss and set your own rules. All decisions regarding the business are yours to make, from item selection, pricing, market strategy, and more. 

Anyone who has the initiative can start their own business pretty quickly, even with small capital. Here are some business ideas that you can try by yourself, right in the comfort of your home.

Buy, repackage and sell products online

This type of business is suitable even when you’re alone. You start by choosing a product you want to sell, then prepare the logo and packaging. Ideally, you begin with a small number of items and slowly produce more as the demand grows. By selling repackaged items, you skip the hassle of making or creating products yourself and get straight to presentation and selling. Also, there are many online selling sites that you can quickly join, like Amazon, Etsy, and Shopify to sell your products.

Some examples are hair extensions, clothes, and generic gaming accessories.

Important factors to consider:

Choosing a good product

You can order in bulk, but just the minimum amount when you’re just starting. Check out the different items in the market to determine which one to buy. It doesn’t have to be the best quality if you can’t afford it. But the quality should be good enough to sell. If you simply get cheap ones to make a huge profit, but they have terrible quality, that will reflect poorly on your business. Also, try to avoid purchasing branded products; ideally, the item should be brandless or nameless. 

Deciding on the packaging

The packaging of your item can be simple or elaborate. You’ll need to choose everything from the logo to the container, and whether you’ll be customizing anything. It all depends on how you want to present it to buyers. However, it’s crucial that the packaging fits the image you want to show as it can either attract or discourage customers.

Sell homemade food

It’s both easy and challenging to sell food. But it’s a viable business to start at home. You can begin this business by yourself as long as you have average to above-average cooking skills. The standard cooking equipment you have at home is good enough for starters. But you’ll need to upgrade when the orders increases. What makes this business hard is that food items expire. So it’s not advisable to stock large quantities of ingredients or products unless you have consistent orders. On the bright side, since food products are consumable goods, those who like your products will repeatedly buy from you.

Some examples are baked goods (cake, brownies, cookies), pasta sauces, and candies.

Important factors to consider:

Find a constant source of ingredients

You need to find a reliable source of fresh and safe ingredients. Having a trustworthy supplier ensures that every item is safe for consumption. Food security is an absolute must in this field. Because if you end up with spoiled or bad ingredients, it will end up harming your buyer. When this happens, it will greatly damage your business.

Prolong shelf life

Since you’ll be selling food, it’s vital to make sure that your products’ expiration date upon purchase is long. The duration should be at least close to a week when your customer receives it. You need to either deliver or ship your products quickly, so they are not in danger of expiring when your customer receives your product. 

Consign items to sell

If you don’t want to produce anything, then this is a good option for you. You’ll need to look for items from other sellers that you can sell. Consigning items is also a good business for those who don’t have enough funds to buy or create products. What happens here is, you’ll sell other people’s items, and pay them when it has been sold. For this type of business, you’ll need to discuss the price the consignee will be receiving. What’s good about this is that you decide the total buy price of the item you will offer to buyers. Additionally, you can also charge the consignee a monthly fee for holding and selling their items.

Some examples are shoe stores, toy stores, and bags.

Important factors to consider:

Choosing what product to sell

You first need to determine what type of products you’ll be selling. Typical consignment stores are often specialty stores that focus on one kind of product or sell related items. By focusing on one market, you can better provide what customers demand. 

Ensuring condition and quality

Since you’ll be gathering the items from different sellers or stores, an assessment is needed for each item. It’s necessary because you need to make sure that everything you sell is undamaged and fit for purchase.

Meal planning service

If you’re interested in cooking and know about fitness or nutrition, you can try being a meal planner. You can start this by yourself or with an employee. Usually, you’ll need to prepare three meal plans for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It’s up to you how many customers you can accommodate in a day, as long as you can maintain the quality. For you to make the most profit here, you’ll need to buy your ingredients directly from suppliers.

Some examples are prepdish, emeals, and platejoy.

Important factors to consider:

Meal options

People are generally sensitive to food, so you have to provide different meal options to your clients. Be ready to handle people with allergies and special dietary needs, like pescetarian or glucose-free diets. Aside from nutrition, your customers must enjoy the food on your plan. If they like what you make, they’ll recommend you to others, and this will increase your clientele. 

Reliable delivery service

To ensure your customers get their meals in perfect condition, you’ll need to find a good delivery service. Check the delivery providers in your area for those with good reviews and feedback. It’s also possible to partner up with them for better fees for you and your clients.