Many women dream of being their own boss and starting their own business, as opposed to the typical 9-to-5 grind. Being a business owner brings numerous benefits like increased freedom and flexibility, unlimited growth potential, and the ability to pursue one’s passion.
However, it can be difficult to come up with a great business idea and know where to start your entrepreneurial journey. In this guide, we will share nine of the best small business ideas for women, plus some crucial tips for getting started.
9 Small Business Ideas for Women
While being your own boss might sound like a dream come true, it can be hard to figure out the right business venture for you. Here are nine small business ideas that many female entrepreneurs find success in:
1. Dropshipping
Dropshipping is a business model in which business owners ship products directly from manufacturers to customers. With dropshipping, business owners do not need to store or manage their own physical inventory, as products are sent directly from the dropshipping supplier. This is a very lucrative business idea that allows you to run a successful online store.
Dropshipping has many benefits as a business model, including being:
- Easy to set up and manage
- Low-cost or free to start with high profit margins
- Customizable to any niche you’re passionate about
- Low risk with little initial investment
- Potentially fully passive-income generating
A popular dropshipping niche is women’s fashion. Dropshipping clothing businesses can establish a branded storefront online, and integrate their platform with wholesale products that customers can then purchase. Trendsi is a leading women’s fashion dropshipping supplier that can help you do just that — plus you can get started for absolutely free.
2. Start a Lifestyle Blog
Another great small business idea for women is starting a lifestyle blog. A lifestyle blog is a website with content related to the lifestyle niche, which can include numerous topics from healthy habits to motivational stories to parenting tips.
Find a niche you’re passionate about and share content through your unique perspective. You can set up a profitable blog with ease on a platform like WordPress or Wix. Remember, the sooner you start sharing your content and growing your audience, the better!
An example of a successful lifestyle blog is Cup of Jo. Cup of Jo is a daily women’s lifestyle blog that was started in 2007. According to their About page, the site has grown tremendously and now receives over 4 million monthly views. With this traffic, their estimated revenue is between $1 million to $1.6 million which they regularly donate “a percentage of profits to organizations we support, including RAICES, NAACP, NARAL, Greenpeace, Save the Children, Planned Parenthood, the Lilith Fund and The Florence Project.”
3. Start a YouTube Channel
A YouTube channel is another one of the best business ideas for women. It’s never too late to start posting content you’re passionate about on YouTube. Your videos can cover any hobby or interest of yours, whether that be daily video diaries (or ‘vlogs’), recipes, beauty tutorials, etc. YouTube channels can take some time to build up enough traction and views to qualify for monetization, but the effort can definitely be worth it.
One example of a successful, female Youtuber is Katie Steckly. Katie Steckly shares tips for social media growth and entrepreneurship content. She has over 200,000 subscribers and makes around $100,000 per year from her YouTube Channel through ads and brand sponsorships.
4. Sell Online Courses
Is there a topic that you know enough about to teach it to others? If so, creating an online course is an excellent business idea for you.
Online courses can cover any topic such as:
- Art/Design
- Photography
- Writing
- Business
- Music
- Cooking
- Fitness
Use Skillshare or your own website to create a course that you can sell to clients and customers. Your course could be in video, written, or audio format, with downloadable or one-on-one teaching options. This lucrative business venture is often overlooked but can be one of the most profitable small business ideas.
According to Skillshare, the average teacher earns around $200 per month while longer-term, more experienced teachers can earn upwards of $3,000 per month. This earning potential would range between $2,400 to $36,000 per year.
5. Freelance on Fiverr
Fiverr is an online freelancing platform where users can offer up their top skills for hire. If you are a talented copywriter, video editor, graphic designer, musician, etc, there is someone out there who could use your skills. Create a Fiverr profile and list your services to get started. Start your own photography business, produce music, offer copywriting services, or do anything else you have a talent for.
Most freelancers on Fiverr make anything from $100 per month to $500 per month, giving an earning potential of $1,200 to $6,000 per year.
6. Start a Podcast
Podcasts can be a fun hobby, but they can also be a profitable business. If you are someone who loves to talk, knows a lot about a subject, or just wants to try it out, starting a podcast can be a rewarding endeavor. This can be especially good for a life coach or personal trainer to take up as a business idea. Listening platforms like Spotify and Apple Music pay podcasters royalties on their content. Plus, once podcasters reach a large enough audience, they can promote paid sponsorships on their episodes.
An example of a successful podcast is Girlboss Radio hosted by Avery Francis. The podcast has had over 23 million downloads and is surely bringing in lots of revenue.
7. Offer Pet-Sitting Services
For any animal lovers out there, starting a pet-sitting service can be a super fun and profitable business endeavor. As your own boss, you get to set your rate for your services, all while spending time with adorable animals all day. You can offer pet-daycare services from your own home, or offer in-house pet-sitting services for customers.
Most pet sitters make anywhere from $10,000 to $62,000 per year according to Zippia.
8. Write Content
Writing skills are always in high demand, as almost every business needs great written content for their websites, social media pages, blogs, and more. If you have excellent writing skills, you’re in luck. A freelance writing business is perfect for women entrepreneurs and allows you to work from anywhere, anytime. You can find clients on Fiverr, or cold email brands to promote your services.
Freelance writers, on average, make around $51,000 per year according to Indeed.
9. Social Media Management
If you have a knack for social media, consider offering your services to small businesses to make extra money. Working as a freelance social media manager allows you to be creative and help businesses in your community grow. You can also reach out to brands around the world for remote opportunities — the possibilities are truly endless. This is a profitable business idea that can easily be turned into a full-time job.
According to Talent.com, the average salary for a freelance social media management role is $48,750.
Tips for Starting Your Own Business
No matter the type, starting a business is a rewarding journey. Whether you gain new experiences or become the next big thing, there’s no harm in putting yourself out there and trying. Let’s go over some tips to consider when getting started:
Evaluate your passions
If you create an online business around a passion, you’re more likely to have the necessary motivation and drive to succeed. Ask yourself what you’re truly passionate about, and let your heart lead the way.
For example, if you’re passionate about fashion, dropshipping might be the right endeavor for you. If you’re into fitness and health, then start a blog, YouTube channel, or podcast about your experience! Whatever your unique interest is, let that be the driving force in your entrepreneurial journey.
Develop a unique brand
Most niches have decently saturated markets, so you’re going to need to work extra hard to stand out. To do this, you can develop a unique brand image and voice that is recognizable by your audience. Think of what your brand’s “persona” is, and communicate this persona throughout your marketing efforts.
Keep a positive attitude
Building a business is hard work, and it rarely happens overnight. Make sure to keep a positive attitude, be patient, and trust the process. One of the biggest reasons for business failure is giving up too early, so keep on pushing.
Network with other small business owners in your niche to build connections, find your community, and learn best practices. Once you’ve found your people, you can also collaborate with similar businesses to promote each other.
Connect with others
Starting your own online business is no easy feat, but with perseverance and passion, you can do anything you set your mind to. We hope these great business ideas for women helped you brainstorm what business venture you want to pursue.
Interested in Dropshipping? Start Selling for Free with Trendsi
Dropshipping is one of the best small business ideas for women, as it poses little risk and requires little to no overhead costs. Trendsi is a leading wholesale provider for dropshipping women’s clothing, jewelry, and beauty products. Get started for free with Trendsi today and start your own online store in no time.