Small Business Ideas for Women in 2019

Thanks to technology, there are now plenty of small business ideas that women can start from home, requiring small startup capital. Leveraging this opportunity can help women gain more control of their time and finances. This article features expert suggestions of small business ideas for women, plus tips on how to get started.

Having a website gives your business the digital presence it needs to reach your target audience that uses the internet to search for products and services. We recommend using Bluehost for reliable web hosting to make sure your website is always online. It also offers domain registration and a business email address, all for $2.95 per month. Check out Bluehost hosting plans.

Visit Bluehost

Here are 15 inspiring small business ideas for women from the pros.

1. Local Facebook Marketing

Christina Albe, Founder, Haus von Albe

Facebook offers free training on its advertising platform that includes Facebook, Instagram, and Audience Network. Once you master how to use the platform, bring your skill set to local businesses to take over their advertising. This is a largely underserved market as Facebook itself only provides account management to companies who spend upwards of $2,000 a month on the platform. Plus, it’s a job that can be done anywhere and at any time.

2. Mini School Service

Leslie Fischer, Founder, Sustainable Slumber

The best advice I can give is to look for a problem that other moms are having and create a business around solving that problem. One mom I met heard her neighbors constantly complaining about the difficulties they have dropping their kids off at school. There is no bus service, and the car line can take up to 45 minutes in the morning. She decided to start an “Uber” business of sorts. Her minivan seats seven, and she fills the other seats every morning; she drives other people’s kids to school. They pay her a monthly fee, and it is a great little side hustle since she’s already driving her own son to school.

3. Freelancing Business

Kaitlin Madden, Interiors Writer, KaitlinMadden

I think it’s a great time to start a freelance service business for so many reasons. For one, it’s sort of like the low-hanging fruit of business ownership because you’re building a business around a skill you already have. I was a content writer and magazine editor earlier in my career, and I now run a freelance content writing business. Freelancing also allows you to go at your own pace―you can pick up clients while you’re still employed elsewhere, and also build on your entrepreneurial skills at the same time. You also don’t have to invest a ton of money up front―you need a website, maybe some photography and a small ad budget, and you’re good to go.

4. Digital Product Selling

Cami Langston, Host, Moola for Mom Podcast

Starting a digital product business is the best option for most women. A digital product such as an online course, membership site, or downloadable PDF can be created quickly and for practically free. However, they can be sold over and over again without much additional effort or time. The easiest way to start a digital product business is to identify a specific result that you have gotten for yourself and teach others how to do the same. A specific example of this is to create an online course teaching dog rescue owners how to potty train their adult dog.

5. Affiliate Blogging

Marc Prosser, Chairman & Co-founder, Fit Small Business

If you feel you can offer valuable insights on products and services, then affiliate blogging could be a great small business idea for you. Write reviews or recommend affiliate products to your readers while focusing on things you love. Affiliate blogging works best when you have an audience that grows consistently, so it’s important that your blog looks and feels professional to help you earn credibility and build a following. WordPress is the professional blogger’s platform of choice with easy-to-use features that lets even beginners create their own blog in minutes. It offers countless plugins and integrations to make sure you get an efficient and professional looking blog to impress both your audience and clients. Start your blog now.

6. Interior Decorating

Nadia Silver, Interior Decorator, Purple Moon Interiors

I think interior decorating is a great way to work from home, be around for your family, work for yourself and breathe new life into a long-standing industry. The creative capacity, project management, and self-motivation skills you gain are invaluable and can be rebranded to many different careers should you feel the need to get back to the daily grind. Starting isn’t that difficult. I’d first check into the licensing requirements for your area because they can differ from state to state, county to county, district to district and even city to city. You could get a certification or join some special affiliated membership club for interior decorators but, in my opinion, it’s not needed to be up and running. Some suppliers do ask for your membership number to join their trade program, but I have found that once you explain why you don’t have a membership, they’re pretty understanding.

7. Franchising

Deborah Sweeney, CEO, MyCorporation

One good business idea that has the potential to make money fast and has a formula to start up is starting a franchise. Many franchises have a set formula and relatively low startup costs. Entrepreneurial people who do their research and have funds to invest, as well as strong work ethic might see great success from a formula that starts with a franchise. Do your research, ask questions, and find a successful franchise model. Then, add your entrepreneurial spirit and strong work ethic, and you will find success.

8. Beauty and Wellness on Demand

Jacqueline Hugo, CTO, Hugomatica

Options for women to start a new small business have grown recently based on the new on-demand services model, that people first embraced with Lyft and Uber. That same on-demand capability is finally available for beautician and wellness services. So tech-savvy women can leap-frog into a revenue business quickly and with minimal cost. The hard work of finding clients has been encapsulated in apps that emulate an Uber/Lyft model based on location and timing (now specifically). Many providers in this market were slow to adopt the competitive technology, but with Snailz (East Coast) and GoSpa (West Coast), a small business provider is less dependent on the existing salon infrastructure and can now go it alone.

9. Flower and Gift Shop Business

Karla Singson, Owner, Giftastic Delivery

A great small business idea would be a flower and gift shop. Flowers are so easy to source, and you get high margins per order. Then, you upsell with common gift items like chocolates, cakes, and jewelry, all while making higher margins as you sell “packages” instead of one-off single bouquet orders. What’s more, a simple well-done, visually enticing Instagram or Facebook page can go a long way. Network with the right suppliers, develop a flawless delivery system, set your online payment platforms in order, and you’re good to go.

10. Online Retail Selling

Maggie Aland, Marketing and Review Editor, Fit Small Business

If you’re into fashion, jewelry, or you have the knack for finding amazing products you can get wholesale, then you should try your hand at online selling. The convenience of not having to maintain a physical store lets you save on huge startup and monthly overhead cost. Use Shopify for a quick and easy way to create your very own online store with beautiful, responsive themes. It requires no back-end upkeep and delivers a full set of multichannel sales tools, making it one of the most popular, user-friendly ecommerce platforms around. Try Shopify for free.

11. Event Management

Ollie Smith, CEO, ExpertSure

The event management industry is a growing, lucrative sector with relatively low startup costs and comes with the option to run the business directly from home. Having the ability to multitask must come naturally to anyone considering this line of work. In my opinion, women are far better multitaskers than their male counterparts—be it juggling management or troubleshooting and dealing with vendors. When it comes to the industry—certifications are everything. By obtaining a formal qualification, you solidify your outward credibility, increasing your chances of landing your first client and being a successful event manager.

12. Real Estate Investing

Daniela Andreevska, Marketing Director, Mashvisor

Starting a real estate investing business is one of the top ideas for women looking for options to make their own money and gain financial independence. Real estate is a relatively low-risk investment strategy, which allows you to make money in both the short term through rental income and the long run through appreciation. It is accessible to people with no prior knowledge and experience as long as they are willing to do some learning, conduct thorough research of markets and properties, and perform careful analysis. Contrary to popular misconception, you can buy an investment property with little cash due to the variety of financing options available to investors, such as a conventional mortgage, private money lenders, hard money loans, partnerships, and syndication.

13. Creative Writing

Beverly Friedmann, Content Manager, MyFoodSubscriptions

For women who have skills and a background in creative fields, specifically if you have experience in literature or a degree in English, starting your own small business in writing can be incredibly rewarding. You can begin by drawing up an executive summary, where you specify the type of writing you wish to contribute to like websites and periodicals, and any amount of funding you may need to hit the ground running. Accounting for scale, prospective earnings, and any repayment plans are critical. While this is a challenging endeavor and may not begin as a full-time job, you’ll want to have a savings in place first—as well as part-time income or additional revenue streams—starting your own business in writing can be incredibly fulfilling and lucrative over time.

14. Sales & Lead Generation for Creative Entrepreneurs

Meredith Davis, Founder, Merrily Creative Company

As someone who has been in the creative entrepreneur field for quite a while and works regularly with other creative entrepreneurs, I can attest that one of our biggest weaknesses, but necessities are lead generation and sales. This is especially true for business-to-business entrepreneurs. For women who are looking to leave the corporate world and start a business, this could be a very lucrative opportunity. If their background includes sales and they have strong organizational skills, they could reach out to an entrepreneur, offer to procure leads and conduct sales calls, and receive a commission on booked clients in return.

15. Fair Trade Clothing Exchange

Saloni Doshi, Owner & CEO, EcoEnclose

Women are often underrepresented and marginalized in fashion industry leadership and design, but more than 70% of garment workers in China are women, 85% in Bangladesh, and as high as 90% in Cambodia. That’s something that has to change, and women should be in key leadership positions in industries that have such massive implications to the lives of women across the world. I think women could and should start businesses within this space. A fair trade clothing exchange is one example of how women can gain a foothold in downstream operations for the fashion garment industry. The more involved women are in this industry, the more they’ll be able to affect changes at every level.

Tips for Starting Small Business Ideas for Women

More than 11 million U.S. firms are women-owned, and that number will continue to grow as business ideas for women now include industries such as tech, financial, medical, and more. This shows how motivated women are to pursue financial freedom through entrepreneurship. We gathered expert tips around the web to help aspiring female business owners.

Here are seven tips for launching small business ideas for women.

1. Find Your Niche

It’s always a good idea to find white space in an industry where you can thrive as an entrepreneur. Ask yourself what you like to do in your downtime, or during the holidays. Your interests, hobbies, and passion will influence the kind of business you want to start, so don’t hesitate to take a good look at things that motivate you during your days off work.

2. Create a Business Plan

Every business needs to start with a solid business plan to make the venture worth the time and money you invest. Once you find your niche, it’s time to identify the steps to realizing your vision for it, from the moment you start building your product, and way after you’ve successfully launched the business.

Here is a quick guide to creating a plan for your small business:

Get funding: Most small businesses don’t require a huge startup cost. But if you feel you need to look for additional funding, it’s a good idea to begin by reaching out to female investor groups like Hera Fund for support.
Develop a unique selling proposition: Nowadays, customers would pay for the experience as much as they would for the quality of a product. Make sure your plan includes how you will stand out by offering a unique value that would make customers choose you over your competitors.
Know your strengths: Leveraging your strengths can open more business opportunities that you would have never imagined. If you’re great with negotiation, you can work deals with suppliers and hire experts that can provide you with their skills at a fraction of the cost of hiring permanent employees.
Set realistic goals: Begin with a daily and weekly list as the short deadlines will help keep you motivated. Also keep in mind that you’re working toward a larger, long-term goal. Identify ways to measure these goals regularly so that you’re always aware of how much your business is improving.
Research your competition: It’s important that you get to know other businesses that offer the same product or service. If you plan to sell or market online, you’ll also need to consider keywords that your competitors use. This will help you design ideas and strategies that will immediately stand out to your target market.

3. Manage Your Time

As a woman, you may need to juggle your time to fulfill your roles as wife, mother, and businessperson. This will require you to strategize so that you don’t become overwhelmed by the demands of your day. One way to do this is to outsource business tasks to freelancers whose skills will help you manage your startup efficiently.

Some business operation tasks you can outsource are the following:

Web design: Join websites that will connect you with a pool of freelance web designers who would gladly work with you to create a website at a fraction of the cost.
Branding: Freelance websites can help you find the perfect design for your business logo, letterheads, and business cards.
Content marketing: If you decide on having your own blog or writing an ebook to help establish your expertise, you can outsource this task with freelance writers.
Lead generation: Lead generation is a crucial area of a business which side businesses can easily struggle with. Outsourcing will not only get you the technical skills, but it will also help you avoid the huge costs involved in hiring a team to do cold calls and run ads for your business.
Customer service: You can choose from having an AI chatbot developed for your website or hiring a virtual assistant to handle customer emails and calls. Either way, this will make you available to your customers even while working your full-time job at a fraction of the cost of hiring a full- time assistant.

4. Prepare Yourself Mentally

There are so many things that can go wrong when starting your own small business, and you’ll need to be ready for the physical and mental stress of the tasks. It’s important to be aware of your strengths and being prepared to tap into these strengths to overcome issues that may arise by setting up your own business.

Here are some ways to help you become mentally prepared as a small business owner:

Find your inspiration: While it’s impossible to measure the tangible benefits of inspiration, having resources and support of other female entrepreneurs can help boost your morale. Websites like The Story Exchange provides advice and tips for women looking to venture into business.
Own your role as a female boss: Sometimes, women feel that they have to adopt a “male” attitude if they want to be taken seriously by their employees and peers. It’s important to remember that you took the big challenge of entrepreneurship because you have a vision that’s unique from a male perspective.
Acknowledge your accomplishments: To keep motivating yourself forward as a businesswoman, you need to acknowledge and own your accomplishments. Start by practicing using the word “I” instead of “we” when talking about your business. Be confident about your product or service, especially when negotiating with clients and suppliers.

5. Participate in Entrepreneurial Networks

Don’t hesitate to acknowledge that you need help to start your business. There are a number of organizations that promote women entrepreneurs, from training for beginners to networking with fellow businesswomen.

Below are a few examples of entrepreneurial networks for women:

Office of Women’s Business Ownership: This is an internal office of the Small Business Association dedicated to guiding aspiring female business owners.
Lean In Network: This group is one of the largest organizations to advocate the increase of women in entrepreneurship roles. They have national and local satellite groups for women everywhere.
The National Association of Women Business Owners: This association provides support to aspiring and current businesswomen, with training and courses that are also available online for easy access.

6. Build Your Own Website

Having a website for your small business makes your product or service available to potential customers while you juggle your many roles in life. Make the design simple so that it’s easy to navigate. You will also need to consider that people are now more connected to their mobile device, so a mobile-first or mobile-friendly website will help you reach more customers. There are website builders that offer templates to help you get your website up and running in hours.

7. Personalize Your Marketing Strategy

People are now inclined to pay more and put more value on the buying experience. This makes being a female entrepreneur an advantage in marketing because you get to add an interesting touch unique to your personality. Marketing involves having the right technology in place and getting all the relevant data you need to develop the right customer persona.

However, you can capitalize on your feminine instincts to build a standout strategy in a number of areas:

Tell your story: People want to know the person behind the brand and being able to have a platform to tell your story can help potential customers relate to you as an individual and see your brand in a much more personal light.
Show your personality: Once you share your background story with your customers, you should also share with them who you are now. Show your personality in your content, your branding designs, and in the way that you provide customer care to promote loyalty.
Leverage social media: If you choose to run your business from your social media account, you get the opportunity to interact with them beyond transactions. Making yourself easily accessible can inspire customers to endorse your brand on their own social media account.

Bottom Line

The latest Guidant Financial Report on Women in Business shows that four out of 10 U.S. businesses are female-led. Expect women to continue breaking boundaries for other aspiring female entrepreneurs, and our list of business ideas for women will help inspire anyone who wants to take this leap to financial freedom.

Ready to start your own business? Don’t forget to include a business website that’s supported by a professional web host in your plans. We recommend using Bluehost for a reliable web hosting service that makes sure your website is always online. It also offers domain registration and a business email address, all for $2.95 per month. Check out Bluehost hosting plans.