Top 10 Best Small Business Ideas in 2013

It’s 2013, and the economic crisis isn’t over yet. The unemployment rates are at historical peaks allover the world. But there is still room for people who want to make money, provided they have the right determination and a minimum capital to start a small business. Who says you must have a boss to yank at you all day, when you can start your own business? Here are the top 10 ideas on how to start a small business in 2013.

 

10. Specialty reviewer

Do you love fine dining? Are you a wine connoisseur? Do you travel a lot and stay in luxury hotels? Then probably others would be interested – and pay you – for in-depth reviews. If, for instance, you know that a hotel offers lousy services, in spite of its 4-star badge, then others would probably be willing to pay $10 or so for the tip, because you would be saving them a few hundred dollars. Some merchants will also be interested in paying you for an impartial review if they know that their service is topnotch.

9. Discounts “hunter”

Stores love to offer discounts to customers who buy in bulk. Scout your area for major stores in any field, and negotiate some quantity discounts with each of them. For instance, if one red gadget with store X costs $40.00, then have them pay you $5.00 per sale if you bring them more than 100 customers per month. Once you close such a deal, start advertising it to your friends, relatives and blog readers. Hand them coupons – or have them print them themselves – and have the store pay you for every coupon they received.

8. Niche online store

Can you knit great sweaters? Can you design cushions? Can you make gourmet cupcakes? If so, then set up a website and sell them to the world. Offer free delivery – it always gets peoples’ attention!

7. Local service deliveries

People hate queuing up and waiting in lines at stores after work. You can have them call or email you with a shopping list in the morning, and you can deliver it to their doorstep at 6pm – or whenever they get home – for a modest commission. Once you make yourself known in your area, you can franchise the idea to other locations, and gradually go global.

6. Junk yard collection

People always want to get rid of old stuff, be it furniture they have replaced, or electronics they will no longer use. Others, on the other hand, would love to pay a few bucks for an old armchair. Why don’t you help supply and demand meet? You could collect old junk from people for free and sell it on a website, on eBay or in an old-fashioned garage sale. Use your imagination and come up with innovative ways to make some money off old stuff.

5. Remote virtual assistant

If you and your team have a proven track record of performing various online tasks for others, like minor SEO tasks or content writing, then chances are that there are people out there who will want to outsource such tasks to you. You will get paid by the hour, and get to do it from the comfort of your living room – hence the “Virtual Assistant” name.

4. IT-related services

A lot of small businesses cannot afford to hire a full-time system administrator, so they are outsourcing the administration of their computer networks to third parties. You can be one of them. If you are the kind of a person that your mother calls when her computer breaks down, then you might be fit for this job. If you have been debugging Windows installations for ages, then such a job is for you.

3. Niche blogging

Blogging is a great way to make a residual income. If you have a passion for writing, then start a blog on your favorite topic. Once you become popular, people will be paying you to display their ads on your website. Alternatively, you can subscribe to one of the gazillion of advertising networks out there, and make money whenever somebody visits your page and clicks on an ad.

2. Learning/E-learning service provider

If you have in-depth knowledge in certain fields, then you can start teaching others. Use your knowledge to make money – set up a subscription-based service, either online or in a brick and mortar venue, and work your way towards wealth. Depending on the jurisdiction you are in, you may need some credentials and specific courses if you want to teach your favorite subject to others.

1. Specialized consulting

If you have extensive experience or skills in any field, then chances are that people would be willing to pay to learn from you. Rather than slaving away for peanuts in a 9 to 5 job, why don’t you start charging the right price for your skills? Start off by answering questions on specialized websites and forums, then gradually build your list of people who can pay you for your knowledge. Specialized consulting is the top paying business for 2013.

This list is by far non-exhaustive. We only listed 10 of the best ideas that are guaranteed to work in 2013, but you can come up with many more. The key is to think out of the box, and not to be afraid to innovate and go down paths that no one has tried before. There is still a huge market for localized and global services that are underexploited or haven’t been tackled at all – why wouldn’t you be the first to start such a service?