Want to Start a Business But Have No Ideas? Here’s What You Need

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Last updated: September 28, 2023

want to start a business but have no ideas.

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Are you interested in making more money and scaling a business so that you can leave your full-time job? Many people are searching for the latest business idea that could make for a lucrative income. The problem is that finding new business ideas can easily feel overwhelming. If you want to start a business but have no ideas, here is a great place to start.

We'll cover how to mine your interests for a new business idea, set aside time to learn more, create a budget, and even give you some suggestions to inspire you.

Let's get started!

Contents

Want to Start a Business But Have No Ideas? Start Here!
10 Flexible Online Business Ideas that Scale
Final Thoughts: So You Want to Start a Business But Have No Ideas?

Want to Start a Business But Have No Ideas? Start Here!

Before you can stumble upon a successful business idea, you need to lay the groundwork to find an idea that excites you. You also need to make sure that your business model is viable before you get too far into the process.

Here are a few exercises to help you make the transition into being a new business owner.

Name Your Passions

No matter what kind of business model you finally decide on, it needs to be something you're relatively passionate about. If you select something that seems like it might produce a lot of money but doesn't sustain your interest, you might find yourself bored and craving a change.

This is a great time to write down everything you feel passionate about: pets, cooking, writing -- if you love it, then it goes on the list.

Businesses tend to be more successful when the owner has a connection to the goal. Select something that you won't mind working on for hours a day, several days a week, for the next few years.

While you're working on your list of passions, you should also consider the skills you have that might coincide with those passions.

Make a Time Investment

How much time can you invest in your new business idea? As a business owner, you will have to spend the necessary hours building a brand of any kind. When you want to start a business but have no ideas, you should invest some time in learning more about a specific business model or a marketing strategy.

During your time investment, you can read books related to your new business idea, research your new competition, and start to refine what sets you apart from others in the marketplace.

Time doesn't cost you anything, but you can learn some very valuable lessons by investing a few hours into researching before opening your own business.

Set a Budget to Start a Business

You've heard it before: you have to spend money to make money. For some business ideas, this is certainly true. Investing in inventory, supplies, or a marketing strategy to get your brand name out into the world can all be expensive.

Know what you can afford to spend on your business ideas to make sure that it's feasible.

This doesn't have to be overly complicated. You can create a spreadsheet for all the items you need to purchase or invest in. Add them up, and you'll see what your business idea will cost. Plus, you'll have something to refer back to as you monitor your spending.

You might find that your business ideas are too expensive. Fortunately, there are lots of ways to start a new business for minimal cash. We'll talk about a few of them below.

Research and Validate Your Business Ideas

Last but not least, research can help you validate your business ideas before you get too far into the process. This means you can reach out to industry experts who already run their own business in the same niche as you (or a similar one if you're filling a gap in the market).

Get feedback on your idea from friends, family members, and even strangers online. Reach out to potential customers to see what they think of your small business ideas and whether they would be interested in buying your product.

10 Flexible Online Business Ideas that Scale

The good news is that good business ideas are plentiful. Many businesses can start from the comfort of your own home and run strictly online. If you're thinking about starting an online business, here are ten proven concepts to put in your idea bank.

1. Affiliate Income

Can you write a compelling blog post that convinces other people to make a purchase of some kind? If so, affiliate income might be the way to go. Affiliate income allows you to write about products and services that you love. You market the item and convince other people to buy it.

Sounds simple, right?

When other people make a purchase, you receive a small kickback from the seller. This could be a percentage of the sale (like from Amazon affiliates) or a set amount in exchange for giving the brand a new lead.

Affiliate Lab can help you learn how to build websites, master search engine optimization (SEO), and even flip websites (which can be another well-paying small business idea).

See our full Affiliate Lab review here to learn more.

2. Amazon FBA

Especially if this is your first business, you might be worried about how to get customers to come to you. Fortunately, you might not have to if you start an Amazon FBA business. You can tap into the millions of customers already shopping on the mega-retailer.

How does it work?

You come up with new business ideas for what you can sell. Amazon maintains your shipping inventory in its warehouse, packs it, and ships it to your customers on your behalf. In other words, the only thing you really have to do is:

Conduct market research with a tool like Jungle Scout.
Find a product for sale at a decent price that you can mark up.
Write a compelling product description for Amazon.
Ship the item to the Amazon warehouse.
Watch the money roll in.

Here's a guide to start making money on Amazon FBA in less than 30 days and how to start an Amazon FBA business with little money!

3. Dropshipping Business

In a similar vein, dropshipping is another small business idea that you might want to consider (with lots of dropshipping business ideas of its own). This functions in much the same way as an Amazon FBA storefront, but you can cut out some of the hassle by selling on platforms like eBay.

With eBay dropshipping, you (the business owner) find a product that you can sell. You list it on eBay and wait for a sale to come through. This means that you need good business ideas and solid product descriptions to convince people to buy.

Once a sale comes through, you send the money to the supplier, and they ship the product to your customer.

It's a little more hands-on than Amazon FBA because you have to monitor sales and send the money to the supplier. However, this might be a better business plan for you if you have less money to invest in purchasing inventory upfront.

4. Print-on-Demand Apparel

Maybe you have some solid design skills. Small business ideas can also allow you to get those creative juices flowing by designing apparel and other goods. Running your own storefront used to be expensive. Think about how many t-shirts you would have had to buy, as well as all of the sizes and colors you would have had to stock.

Now, you can use print-on-demand companies to print only what actually sells.

Many of these platforms integrate with systems like Shopify so that you can quickly get the site up and running. Once you have the design uploaded and prepared for sale, all you have to do is maintain the website and keep up with customer service.

The print-on-demand company manages everything else on your behalf.

5. Publishing Company or Self-Published Books

If you have a knack for writing, one of the best small business ideas is to write a book. This gives you a source of passive income as you never have to do anything else with it once the book is finished. All you have to do is write the book, format it, and upload it to Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP).

Amazon will help you manage ebooks, paperbacks, and hardcover copies of your latest work.

Alternatively, you could start a publishing company as part of your business plan. This allows you to publish multiple volumes of your own work as well as the work of other authors.

6. Teach an Online Course with Your Skills

Some new business ideas will require you to have a skill already. What if you could put that skill to good use and market it to potential customers? A great business startup is teaching an online course. These online businesses can be quite lucrative and require minimal investment apart from your time.

Many business owners struggle to know how to use their skills to make money. Instead, you could let the skills themselves be the money-maker in your small business.

You can host your courses on other sites like Teachable or Podia. They charge a flat monthly fee for hosting your course or a percentage of your actual sales.

If this sounds like a good idea for your first business, be sure to check out our guide on how to build an online course and make money!

7. Sell Photos to a Stock Photography Site

Photography used to require you to have high-tech cameras and lenses to capture beautiful moments. With the advancements in technology, most people can take high-quality images directly from their phones. If you have an eye for photography, you can take photos and sell them online.

Your new small business can sell pictures online on stock websites like Shutterstock.

The best part is that you can seriously slash start-up costs because all you need is a phone -- which most people already have at their disposal!

Do you have a knack for social media of any kind? Potential customers are more than willing to pay a professional to take social media marketing off their plates. You might manage their day-to-day posts, marketing campaigns, and more.

Much like selling photography, there aren't many investment costs associated with social media management. All you need is a solid internet connection and a computer, as well as a phone if you'll be managing pictures for Instagram.

Better yet, you can even use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to help you master social media. Here are a few ways you can use ChatGPT for social media marketing instead of doing the heavy lifting on your own.

9. Open an Etsy Store for Handcrafted Items

Whether you make beautiful jewelry or a planner printable, handcrafted items have their place in the market. Do a little market research to see what people are willing to pay for the different business ideas you have and what you could make. Etsy is the leading marketplace for one-of-a-kind goods.

The best things to sell on Etsy range from physical goods like accessories or clothes to digital goods like art prints or templates.

Be sure to see our full guide on how to make money on Etsy here.

10. Become an Influencer

Maybe you want to break into the beauty industry or have an idea for starting a successful business with your face at the heart of it. Becoming an influencer allows you to market yourself on social media like YouTube, Facebook, or even Instagram and TikTok. You can run your own business by sharing content that really matters to you.

For those who want to start a business but have no ideas, being an influencer is a great place to start. It requires nothing but time on your part.

Get some ideas on how to become an influencer in our guide here.

Final Thoughts: So You Want to Start a Business But Have No Ideas?

If you want to start a business but have no ideas, these new business ideas might inspire you to take the first steps toward launching your own business. With a few good business ideas under your belt, you can take your time deciding which ones are the right fit for your passions, skills, and budget. Some require nothing but time while others may have a small initial investment.

Start a business today with some of these small business ideas that can inspire you to reach for the stars!

Start a Business

By Ashley Simpson

Ashley is an experienced freelance writer with an enthusiasm for finding creative ways to earn money online. She uses her passion for words to share what she has learned with the world.

She spends most of her time blogging for a multitude of websites and consuming everything she can get her hands on in relation to personal finance and side hustles.

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Want to Start a Business But Have No Ideas? Here’s What You Need