37 Best Business Ideas For Sales Professionals (2023)
Are you a sales professional looking for the best sales business ideas?
Sales professionals can create their own business from scratch and use their skills to market products or services to target customers.
If you are interested in finding the best sales business ideas, we put together 37 of the best sales businesses you can start today.
For each business idea, we’ll show you real-world examples of the sales business to help you see what it really takes.
Here's the full list:
1. Sell digital products
Digital products are top-rated. They’re easy to create and share and a great way to build a business.
Digital products can be software-based, like an app or game, or information-based, like an ebook or course. They can also be something else entirely—like a membership site or a community. The possibilities are endless!
So what makes digital products such a great way to build a business? Well, first of all, they’re effortless to create. You don’t have to hire anyone else to do it for you; you can do it yourself! And because there’s no risk of having inventory sitting around in your garage, digital products can be sold directly from your website without worrying about moving merchandise.
How much you can make: $10,000 — $1,766,666/month
How much does it cost to start: $500 (?)
How long does it take to build: 58 days (?)
Contrarian Thinking is a premium membership community that teaches its 1.5 million members how to implement cash flow strategies to achieve financial freedom, with a current run rate of $3 million and a goal of $50 million ARR in five years.
2. Start a remote work blog
How much you can make: $10,000 — $13,000/month
Sireesha Narumanchi shares how she turned her passion for flexible, remote work into a successful blog generating five figures a month by focusing on affiliate marketing, email marketing and SEO.
3. Start a sales coaching program
How much you can make: $9,000 — $300,000/month
How long does it take to build: 700 days (?)
Digital marketing agency founder Rahul Alim shares how he grew his business to consistently generate over 7-figures in revenue year-over-year and retain clients for many years through affordable digital marketing strategies that employ the CAP method (Customer Acquisition Program).
4. Start a resume writing service
A resume writing service offers professional assistance in crafting compelling resumes for job seekers.
With this service, your day-to-day activities revolve around collaborating with clients to gather their employment history, skills, and achievements, and transforming that information into well-crafted resumes that highlight their qualifications.
How much you can make: $2,000 — $42,857/month
How much does it cost to start: $35 (?)
How long does it take to build: 90 days (?)
Time commitment per week: Min. 8 hours/week
Recruiter Written, a resume and LinkedIn profile writing service founded by Alex Benjamin, successfully launched with a startup cost of $600 and has since generated an average gross profit of around $1940 per month primarily through referrals, and plans to expand to downloadable PDF Resume and LinkedIn Profile Writing guides.
5. Start a salesforce consulting company
How much you can make: $10,000 — $30,000/month
HIC Global Solutions provides out-of-the-box Salesforce services to clients across industries, with estimated yearly revenue of $8M, including partnerships that have helped them retain over 60% of their customers, and offering career opportunities.
6. Start a job board
Starting a job board can be a lucrative way to make money online with little to no start-up costs. The global online job board market size was $28.68B in 2019 and is projected to reach $43.39B by 2027.
It's no secret that finding a job can be tough. In today's job market, it can be tempting to give up on job hunting, but here's another option: start your own job board.
How much you can make: $1,500 — $1,500,000/month
How much does it cost to start: $250 (?)
How long does it take to build: 70 days (?)
TECLA is a bootstrapped business connecting startups with pre-screened tech talent in South America, boasting almost 9,000 remote candidates on their platform and over $1 million in revenue as of 2019.
7. Create a workplace productivity platform
A workplace productivity platform (WPP) is a platform that helps organizations to create and manage a holistic workplace experience for their employees. A WPP can be used to help organizations create and manage their employee benefits, recognize employees, provide training programs, and more.
The workplace productivity platform has a number of ways for users to create income. Of course, the first is by increasing their own productivity. The second way to earn money through this platform is through referrals. Another way for employees to make money is by offering coaching services for companies that use our product.
A workplace productivity platform can help you:
Keep track of all of your work-related tasks in one place.
A task manager with a calendar view of user activities.
Manage multiple projects at once.
An integrated time tracker that allows users to submit timesheets.
Communicate with co-workers quickly and easily.
8. Start a lead generation business
Lead generation business aggregates consumer and business information that it can sell to businesses wishing to purchase new leads. A lead generation company earns money for every lead it generates for a client.
As the business landscape becomes more competitive, entrepreneurs prefer hiring a lead generation company to help increase sales. Therefore, if you understand how digital marketing works to attract customers, you can start your lead generation business.
How much you can make: $1,000 — $1,500,000/month
How much does it cost to start: $2,000 (?)
How long does it take to build: 120 days (?)
How David Tile turned a freelance writing gig into an $80k/month business, discussing lessons learned through managing growing demands and maintaining a remote team operation.
9. Start a CRM business
A Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software keeps track of prospects, clients and their contacts and also helps you monitor your sales pipeline as well as to create reports for business intelligence.
The CRM market is a $50B and growing industry.
How much you can make: $5,000 — $2,100,000/month
How long does it take to build: 180 days (?)
GreenRope, a self-funded CRM and marketing automation platform with over 1,000 customers in 20 countries, was built organically and focused on creating a positive, customer-centric culture without outside investment, with an all-in-one interface solving challenges in managing sales, marketing, customer service, and operations.
10. Start a cold email service business
How much you can make: $4,000 — $450,000/month
GMass, an email marketing platform that allows users to send cold emails and email marketing campaigns with Gmail, has attracted over 500,000 user signups, including major tech companies like Uber, LinkedIn, and Google, and now generates over $200K in monthly recurring revenue through a successful content marketing strategy and focused ad spend.
11. Start a proposal writing business
How much you can make: $42,857 — $180,000/month
Learn how a UK-based bid writing and management consultancy grew to sales over $130,000 per month by focusing on their niche market and providing exceptional customer service to clients ranging from startups to multinationals.
12. Start a real estate business
Are you a qualified architect with a broad range of knowledge in the real estate field? Starting a real estate business can be a profitable venture.
Real estate involves purchasing, selling, managing, or investing in land and buildings.
To become a successful real estate business owner, you must have finely honed visual awareness and a strong understanding of various building materials and structures.
How much you can make: $5,000 — $1,500,000/month
How long does it take to build: 180 days (?)
This case study is about T. C. Lewis & Co, a real estate investment and management firm that successfully diversified their approach to include sales, development, remodeling, and construction, with property management being the key to investor doors and organic growth.
13. Start a drinking tour business
How much you can make: $75,000/month
How Jessica Baumgart founded a successful food tour business in Denver, which broke even and started making a profit after just three months, generating $20,000/month in revenue from offering different food tour experiences.
14. Start a career coaching business
A career coach is an experienced professional who helps people adjust and improve their career paths through one-on-one guidance and advice. The career coach guides people on:
- Goal-setting
- Resume building
- Interview practices
- Overcoming career anxiety
- Starting a business.
To become a career coach, decide the industry you want to serve, and earn relevant qualifications. It would help if you gain professional experience in that career line and develop the skills you need to run the business. Earning a professional certification will help you in attracting clients.
How much you can make: $1,000 — $500,000/month
How much does it cost to start: $750 (?)
How long does it take to build: 90 days (?)
Wall Street Oasis, the largest online community focused on careers in finance, has over 100 million visitors during its 14-year history and is currently receiving over 2 million visits per month, offering interview courses and mentorship services, in addition to building and investing in a thriving online community.
15. Create a screensharing software
Screensharing software allows users to share their computer screens with others in real-time, enabling them to view what’s happening on the screen remotely.
To start a budget-friendly screen sharing software business, first define your target niches, such as businesses, educators, or gamers.
Next, choose a development platform like open-source options or cost-effective frameworks to build your screen sharing application.
You can either develop it yourself if you have coding skills, hire freelancers, or use no-code platforms.
Create a website and utilize social media and online forums for marketing. Offer a free version with limited features to attract users, and consider introducing paid plans with premium features.
Continuously refine your product based on user feedback and adapt your marketing strategies as needed to grow your business.
How much you can make: $31,150/month
CrankWheel is a screen-sharing solution for sales teams, founded by Icelandic entrepreneur Jói Sigurdsson and his co-founder Gilsi, with $370k ARR earned and a "best B2B SaaS startup" pitching win at SaaStock, utilizing "lean startup" methodology and implementing a "land and expand" strategy to attract and retain customers.
16. Start an etsy shop
Etsy has been around for over a decade, and the platform has become more popular for creators, entrepreneurs, and consumers.
The platform started as a place for crafters to sell their supplies and handmade goods. Now it has become a venue for artists and small businesses of all kinds to sell their products.
If you just started your shop or want to sell your products on Etsy, there are many different ways to kill on the platform. With the tips and advice of Etsy sellers who’ve been in your position, you’ll soon be successful!
How much you can make: $100 — $750,000/month
How much does it cost to start: $1,000 (?)
How long does it take to build: 30 days (?)
Chasing Planner Peace is a planner company that has expanded from selling planner inserts on Etsy, to offering a one-stop shop customizable planner experience with over 300 inserts, a planner line, and various other related products, gaining a monthly revenue of around $25,000 at its busiest time of year.
17. Start a sales automation platform
How much you can make: $1,000 — $1,666,667/month
GreenRope, a self-funded CRM and marketing automation platform with over 1,000 customers in 20 countries, was built organically and focused on creating a positive, customer-centric culture without outside investment, with an all-in-one interface solving challenges in managing sales, marketing, customer service, and operations.
18. Start a sales coaching program
How much you can make: $9,000 — $300,000/month
How long does it take to build: 700 days (?)
Digital marketing agency founder Rahul Alim shares how he grew his business to consistently generate over 7-figures in revenue year-over-year and retain clients for many years through affordable digital marketing strategies that employ the CAP method (Customer Acquisition Program).
19. Start a workplace training business
20. Start an affiliate marketing business
Are you looking for a side hustle to pay you a passive income? Affiliate marketing is one of those side hustles that will pay you well over the long term. It is a way to earn money online by promoting other companies' products and services. You will be paid a commission for each sale you make as an affiliate marketer.
To get started, learn how to find the right product and brand to partner with. For example, you may prefer becoming an affiliate marketer for an eCommerce store, partnering with a manufacturer, and marketing their products for a commission.
How much you can make: $500 — $773,000/month
How much does it cost to start: $500 (?)
How long does it take to build: 55 days (?)
This case study explores how Spencer Mecham founded Buildapreneur, an affiliate marketing business, and has made over half a million dollars in profit with no employees, relying solely on content marketing through platforms like Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok.
21. Start a sneaker reseller business
Sneaker reselling is a pretty great way to make money.
As a sneaker reselling business, you can purchase shoes directly from retailers or manufacturers and resell them to consumers at a profit.
The secret to a successful sneaker reselling business is to buy low and sell higher. You can start an online sneaker reselling business or sell the sneakers locally.
To maximize the profit margins, it might be worth holding out the best sneaker brands until the demand is high. Sometimes, the best deal on sneakers is when they have sold out.
How much you can make: $4,000 — $140,000/month
How long does it take to build: 90 days (?)
This case study follows founder Chris Casseday's journey in creating 513 Kicks, an online sneaker shop that went from sporadic income to an average profit of $2,000 per month within two years through strategic branding, SEO, social media, and email marketing.
22. Start a digital agency
A digital agency’s task is to make a business reach its advertising, marketing, or technology-related goals. Anyone with enough knowledge and passion for digital marketing can start and run a profitable digital marketing agency. With the proper skill set, the right tools, and the right mindset, you can start a successful digital agency.
The global digital agency market reached a value of nearly $305B in 2020. The future growth prospects of the digital agency market are projected to be high due to the rising population of people consuming and creating content through digital channels.
How much you can make: $4,000 — $43,700,000/month
How much does it cost to start: $1,000 (?)
How long does it take to build: 60 days (?)
Power Move Marketing is an innovative digital marketing company founded by Hailey Brooke McFadden, which has achieved an impressive monthly income of $22,075 and is projected to make almost $300,000 in its first year, by offering a one-stop-shop for e-commerce businesses looking for a marketing powerhouse with a female positive culture.
23. Start an airbnb management company
An Airbnb management company manages every aspect on behalf of an owner and manages a complete day-to-day running of a rental property.
The services offered by the Airbnb management company include: marketing a property, optimizing financing, meeting and greeting guests, repairs, maintenance, and cleaning.
An Airbnb management company fee structure is generally based on commission, flat rate, and guaranteed income.
Airbnb management companies can easily increase the Rental Income by a minimum of 30% to 50% without compromising guest experiences.
To become an Airbnb property manager, one should be able to find homeowners who will be interested in the services offered by you. Airbnb property managers can make an average annual salary of $55,000 or $27 per hour.
How much you can make: $1,333 — $270,000/month
How much does it cost to start: $2,500 (?)
How long does it take to build: 30 days (?)
HostButlers is Ireland's first professional property concierge service for short-term rentals on Airbnb, boasting over 200,000 hosted guests and profitability from month 5.
24. Become an eBay seller
eBay sellers sell new and used clothing, electronics, books, collectibles, and other items on eBay. If you are new to the eBay marketplace, it is best to start slowly, learn the landscape and its rules, and focus on growing your sales.
Whether you want to make some extra cash or clear out unwanted items from around the house, it is easy to get started selling on eBay.
Some things you'll need to do to get started:
- You must choose, and source products to sell, create, and verify your eBay business account.
- Personalize the eBay account and policies, set up payment details, and ensure you adhere to eBay rules and regulations.
Once you're up and running, you can boost your eBay sales using these marketing and promotion tools available provided by eBay.
How much you can make: $5,000/month
This case study follows founder Chris Casseday's journey in creating 513 Kicks, an online sneaker shop that went from sporadic income to an average profit of $2,000 per month within two years through strategic branding, SEO, social media, and email marketing.
25. Start a personal finance newsletter
How much you can make: $100 — $2,133,000/month
Financial media company MarketBeat, founded by Matt Paulson, provides objective financial information and real-time market data to empower individual stock investors to make better trading decisions, generating approximately $8 million in revenue in 2019 and ending the year with over 1.3 million unique email subscribers due to a freemium model with 75% of revenue from advertising and 25% from subscriptions.
26. Start a selfcare subscription box
How much you can make: $1,000 — $50,000/month
How long does it take to build: 90 days (?)
Hemp Crate Co is a CBD subscription box delivering over $125 in value to their 1,000+ subscribers, generating $50k+/month in revenue, operating as a side hustle while offering a low-capital, prepay-based startup model.
27. Start a property sales business
How much you can make: $80,000/month
28. Start a team-building consulting business
All organizations aim to achieve the best results possible. Two crucial factors affecting employee productivity in any organization are employee input and coordination. Team building activities help employees develop better coordination.
Therefore, companies hire team-building specialists to help their employees foster better coordination. Team-building companies organize retreats and corporate training services to provide employees with memorable and impactful team-building experiences.
If you are interested in starting a business within the human resource industry, a team-building company can be a profitable business idea. Identify potential companies within your area and advertise your business.
How much you can make: $15,000 — $2,110,000/month
How much does it cost to start: $2,500 (?)
How long does it take to build: 30 days (?)
This case study details how a veteran-owned leadership consulting company was started with one main coaching offer, which has now expanded to include video series, corporate training modules, and custom requests from clients, generating a profit and aiming to make leadership a more diverse and inclusive practice worldwide.
29. Start a dating coaching business
A dating coach offers training and guidance to improve the client's success in dating and relationships.
The dating coach evaluates the results of the client's actions and decides what changes to make to the client's dating approach to improve the outcome. Besides, dating coaches offer guidance and support, helping clients negotiate the often confusing first stages of their early romantic experiences.
Dating coaches have been around for years. A more recent trend is dating coaches who help people with conditions like autism overcome their situations and begin dating people they love. Do you love helping people achieve their dating goals? You can start a dating coach service today!
To start, identify a niche and create a website, to help you reach more people. You can target teenagers, divorced people, or older adults and help them through their dating life.
How much you can make: $1,500 — $683,333/month
How much does it cost to start: $20 (?)
How long does it take to build: 45 days (?)
Time commitment per week: Min. 3 hours/week
Meet Ta'Veca Collins, founder of Romance On The Go, a concierge service that promotes romance and intimacy; since becoming a preferred vendor for The W Hotel Fort Lauderdale, their gross income has increased to around $3,200.00 monthly, and they are currently expanding their team to meet the demands of new partnered hotels.
30. Start a sales community business
31. Sell construction equipment
The global construction market is set to grow to $222.14 Billion in the next few years. Therefore, the construction equipment business is one of the ideas that can be rewarding to sales professionals.
Reselling heavy construction equipment can be a great way to earn some cool cash. The construction equipment can include heavy-duty vehicles, engineering equipment, and heavy hydraulics.
Before launching, conduct feasibility studies and collect the address and details of all the construction sites and construction companies within your reach. Then, write a business plan focusing on the construction sites and companies listed above. Finally, to profit from selling construction equipment, source it carefully from manufacturers with a good reputation.
How much you can make: $20,000/month
Startup Mini Materials sells miniature masonry and woodworking supplies with a cult following gained through viral videos, social media and email newsletters.
32. Start a slack bot business
A Slack bot business involves creating and selling custom automated programs, or "bots," that enhance communication and productivity within the Slack messaging platform.
These bots can perform tasks like scheduling meetings, sending reminders, and providing quick access to information, all without leaving the Slack interface.
Starting a Slack bot business is a low-cost venture because it primarily requires knowledge of programming languages and access to the Slack platform, which often offers free developer accounts.
With a bit of coding expertise, you can create valuable bots that address specific needs in the workplace, making it an accessible and potentially profitable business idea.
How much you can make: $245 — $41,000/month
How much does it cost to start: $97 (?)
How long does it take to build: 26 days (?)
Time commitment per week: Min. 3 hours/week
How one engineer successfully runs multiple profitable Slack bots as a small auto-pilot business, relying on constant feature upgrades and customer retention instead of focusing on conversion rates, resulting in $3,299.07 in 2019, all while working full-time as a Principal Engineer at AWS Data Exchange.
33. Start a market research agency
How much you can make: $15,000/month
This case study is about Abhishek Kumar, the founder of Deep Research, a boutique market research agency that helps startups gather customer insights and guide their product and growth strategies. With revenues consistently growing over the past 10 months, they have achieved their highest revenue of $15,000 last month through continuous service evolution and increased value.
34. Start a micro saas
How much you can make: $117 — $1,766,666/month
SuperLemon, a WhatsApp plugin for Shopify eCommerce stores, crossed $29,000 in MRR as of July 2020, with 20,000 users from 50+ countries and 1700+ paying customers, all acquired through organic marketing strategies and a relentless focus on customer service and satisfaction.
35. Start a take online surveys
36. Start a yacht sales company
37. Start a digital cards business
In the digital cards industry, entrepreneurs create and sell virtual greeting cards to celebrate various occasions, such as birthdays, holidays, and special events.
As a software engineer, you can use your programming skills to design unique and customizable digital card templates that stand out from the competition.
Through the development of a user-friendly website or app, you can provide customers with a seamless browsing, personalizing, and purchasing experience.
How much you can make: $25,000/month
How much does it cost to start: $5,000 (?)
How long does it take to build: 60 days (?)
Discover how George El-Hage built Wave Connect, a sales and marketing tool that helps professionals exchange contact information and manage leads efficiently, resulting in monthly revenues of $25K per month and a customer base of 12,000, primarily acquired through organic LinkedIn outreach.
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