60 Businesses You Can Start With Under $70k [Updated for 2024]
If you're looking to start a business on a budget, you'll be pleased to know that there are plenty of options out there. You can start many businesses for under $70k.
So if you're ready to take the plunge, here are some great ideas to get you started.
1. Start an air cargo business
There is a high demand for air cargo services, but according to IATA, the capacity is constrained. The reason being there aren’t enough airplanes to meet the demand for air cargo transportation.
Therefore, starting your air cargo transportation business is a viable idea. You will need freight-forwarding skills and acquire the necessary licenses and certification, among other requirements to offer the service.
Air cargo is a more lucrative and profitable industry than people think. With the right idea, supplies, equipment, and resources air cargo businesses can be a profitable venture for any aspiring entrepreneur.
2. Start a bed and breakfast business
Bed and breakfasts have been around for a long time. Owners interact with customers while they benefit from affordable lodging.
Travelers nowadays have a high interest in experiencing local culture, ready to take on the adventure of meeting and interacting with others from different backgrounds and perspectives in order to get a unique taste of how a small town or even neighborhood might live.
The great thing about starting at home B&B is that you don’t need a degree in business. You only need enough capital to purchase essential items needed to open your very first one.
Listed are the steps to start a bed and breakfast business.
- Plan your business plan
- Secure needed permits, licenses, and certifications
- Hire Staff
- Open a bank account for business transactions
- Prepare your business for operation -Promote your business
3. Start a boat transportation business
Global recreational boating marketing is expected to grow at a CAGR of over 5%. Given the projected growth, and boat hauling service is another profitable opportunity for trucking companies.
Boat transportation service targets boat owners within the tourism and fishing industries. If you want a promising trucking business idea, hauling boats for money is a great opportunity.
4. Start a child development subscription box business
How much you can make: $3,000/month
How long does it take to build: 365 days (?)
5. Start an embroidery business ($8.25K/month)
Demand for embroidery supplies is growing globally, so starting an embroidery business in 2024 can be a great opportunity. The industry is experiencing a boom, and it has never been the best time to start your own embroidery business.
Before starting the business, weigh whether you have the right skills and knowledge of different fabrics and stitching. The size of embroidery equipment will depend on the size of the business you are looking to set up and how much you are expecting to grow.
Popular items within the embroidery business include:
- Caps
- T-shirts
- Polo shirts
- Shirts
- Jackets
- Sweatshirts
When choosing the items to stock up on, consider the types of customers always looking for embroidered goods and factor in the market size.
How much you can make: $6,500 — $10,000/month
How long does it take to build: 365 days (?)
6. Start a day spa business
A luxury day spa offers skin and body care, hair removal, makeup, and other body pampering treatments.
Luxury day spas have boomed over the past few years, and the trend will not stop anytime soon. Millions of people worldwide schedule to visit a day spa where they can relax, feel pampered and unwind. If you love helping people relax, starting a luxury day spa can be a rewarding business. It is fun and profitable if you have a good business plan and find an excellent location for your spa.
How much you can make: $250,000 — $275,000/month
How long does it take to build: 180 days (?)
7. Start a demolition service business
How much you can make: $15,000 — $41,000/month
8. Start a mobile drug testing business
A mobile drug testing business provides on-site drug testing services for individuals or organizations. This means you'll travel to clients' locations, like workplaces or events, to conduct drug tests.
To start this business on a budget, you'll need essential supplies like drug testing kits, paperwork, and a reliable mode of transportation. You should also research local regulations and obtain the necessary licenses or certifications.
Marketing your services to local businesses, schools, or event organizers will be crucial in building a client base.
How much you can make: $100,000/month
9. Start a dry cleaners business
Dry cleaning is a business that takes clothing, linens, and other fabrics and cleans them with no water. The dry cleaning process uses chemicals to clean the fabric and make it look new again. This process can remove stains, soil, and odors from your clothes.
People will always need their clothes washed so that this business model can succeed. Starting a dry cleaning business is a great way to enter the industry.
To maximize profitability, offer multiple services beyond the typical dry cleaning like wash and fold service.
How much you can make: $26,500/month
How long does it take to build: 120 days (?)
10. Start a fitness equipment manufacturer
Are you searching for a new business opportunity that will enable you to utilize your design and construction skills? Perhaps you should consider starting a business that manufactures fitness equipment. The main requirements for succeeding in this manufacturing business are a well-equipped workshop, design and construction experience, and good marketing skills.
The fitness equipment manufactured can include weight benches, weight stands, and squat stands, just to mention a few. Once the fitness equipment is constructed, selling can be wholesale to national and specialty retailers or directly to the public via a factory direct showroom or the Internet.
How much you can make: $240,000 — $771,000/month
How long does it take to build: 120 days (?)
11. Start a framing service
How much you can make: $50,000/month
How much does it cost to start: $2,000 (?)
How long does it take to build: 30 days (?)
12. Start a mcdonald's franchise business ($100K/month)
Starting a McDonald's franchise offers a compelling opportunity to run a well-established and globally recognized fast-food restaurant.
As a franchisee, you'll benefit from McDonald's robust support system, including training, marketing, and supply chain management. With a proven business model and a strong brand, you can tap into a vast customer base and potential for growth in the fast food industry.
How much you can make: $100,000/month
How long does it take to build: 48 days (?)
13. Start a leakage detection business
How much you can make: $40,000/month
How much does it cost to start: $7,000 (?)
How long does it take to build: 365 days (?)
14. Start a machinery components business
How much you can make: $500,000/month
15. Start an interactive map business
Interactive mapping involves using maps that allow zooming in and out, panning around, identifying specific features, and querying underlying data using visualizing select information in the map.
Businesses create interactive maps to import real-time business data from multiple files.
How much you can make: $30,000/month
16. Start a golf course business
If you are a golfer, it is easier to fall in love with owning a golf course. A golf course business can be a passive idea and a great retirement plan.
To start, you can purchase a ready golf course. Alternatively, if you own a piece of land, you can do your golf course. The golf course is a passive source of income and similar to real estate, and its value increases over time. Therefore, the golf course business idea can be a profitable and secure investment.
How much you can make: $1,000,000/month
How long does it take to build: 580 days (?)
17. Start a flying school business
Do you love aviation, and are you looking for a business opportunity within the aviation industry? You may consider owning an aviation school.
To start a flight school, you must own or lease at least one aircraft. As the business grows, you can increase the number of flights and hire more flight instructors to meet the growing demand. Some flight schools also invest in a flight simulators. A flight simulator is a rare investment that helps you to increase your revenue and to decrease the cost of regular flight school operations.
Owning a flight school can be a lucrative business opportunity. However, operating a flying school business is full of good and not-so-good surprises. You must know how to wear several hats and be ready to face the challenges of investing in a flight school.
18. Become a real estate investor
How much you can make: $5,000 — $1,500,000/month
How long does it take to build: 180 days (?)
19. Start a drain repair service
Over time, drain pipes at commercial and residences will become clogged and require regular servicing to keep the dirty water flowing. When it comes to the efficiency of drainpipes, residential and commercial property owners want to hire a reliable plumber.
To become a drain pipe specialist, you need at least a high school diploma or GED. To gain a higher skill level, you may take a degree course before joining a company for an internship to gain the necessary plumbing experience.
How much you can make: $40,000/month
20. Start an art reselling business
One of the most direct ways to make money is by reselling artwork. You can resell art you originally bought from a gallery through another gallery where the artist is represented.
Ideally, artists retain copyright to their art pieces, so it is illegal to sell, publicize and publish a copy of artwork unless the artist has given prior permission. Therefore, you cannot resell their piece to a gallery they are not represented.
21. Start a freight moving business ($65K/month)
Freight moving business is something that you can make real money with if you are in the right state and have plenty of resources to access the freight, then this is something you should think about.
As a freight mover, all you have to do is pick up cargo from one place, get to its destination, and repeat.
Freight moving business requires a lot of investment but at the same time, there is a lot of profit to be made out of it.
How much you can make: $65,000 — $2,500,000/month
How long does it take to build: 120 days (?)
22. Start a sports equipment manufacturing business
How much you can make: $475,000,000/month
23. Sell stock photos
Stock photography is the supply of licensed photographs for specific uses. If you have a camera and love traveling or taking photos, you can start your own stock photo business.
Create a stock photography website and upload the best shots to start your stock photography business. To ensure professional images, you can hire freelance photographers and photo editors. Alternatively, you can invest in a professional camera and learn the art of photography before launching your business.
Running a stock photo website allows you to create unlimited earning potential. Besides, stock photographers enjoy flexible working hours and have the potential for passive income.
How much you can make: $10,000/month
How long does it take to build: 3 days (?)
24. Start a home storage solutions business
How much you can make: $78,000/month
25. Start a taxi cab business
If you are an experienced driver and know your city well, starting a taxi cab business can be a very lucrative side hustle.
Here are the steps on how to start a taxi cab business.
- Secure your business licenses
- Secure financing and purchasing equipment
- Purchase a commercial insurance
How much you can make: $250,000/month
26. Become an used car dealer
How much you can make: $491,000/month
How much does it cost to start: $20 (?)
How long does it take to build: 1 days (?)
27. Start a video production company ($38.4K/month)
A video production company (VPC) also known as a video production agency or film production company, creates videos for clients to use in their marketing strategies. These videos can be commercials, online ads, product showcases, corporate videos, and employee training videos.
How much you can make: $10,000 — $1,500,000/month
How much does it cost to start: $6,000 (?)
How long does it take to build: 100 days (?)
28. Start a weight loss clinic
The modern lifestyle puts us at the risk of becoming obese. Health-conscious people are looking for weight loss clinics to help them stay healthy.
A weight loss clinic provides exercise planning and weight and body measurement services. Providing weight loss advice and coaching people on dietary behavior can be fun and profitable. If you are passionate about helping people through the weight-loss journey, start your own weight loss business. It can be a medical weight loss program or a non-medical one.
To start, you must decide whether an independent weight loss clinic or a franchise option is right for you.
How much you can make: $45,000 — $100,000/month
How long does it take to build: 197 days (?)
29. Become a chocolate wholesaler
How much you can make: $12,000/month
More business ideas
- 30. Start a gaming arcade business
31. Start a product assembly service
Fulfilling orders in an e-commerce business often presents a challenge due to the assembly process. An efficient solution? Starting a product assembly service. This venture involves precisely that - assembling orders for businesses that don't have the time or resources.
The concept is simple: businesses ship you their products, assemble them as required, and then either store finished goods in a warehouse or dispatch them for shipment. It’s a hassle-free process for businesses, making this service incredibly valuable. Your expertise could save them hours of manual work, allowing them to focus on their core operations.
A product assembly service also presents an extra appeal in the era of online shopping. Especially for ecommerce businesses, your service could be the difference between customer satisfaction and total chaos. Starting this venture would not only offer solutions to businesses but also steer the retail landscape towards higher efficiency.
More business ideas
- 32. Start an audiobooks business
- 33. Start an automotive parts manufacturing
- 34. Start a bamboo beer and wine production business
- 35. Start a canoe business
- 36. Start a car wash business
37. Start a self-service laundry business
A self-service laundry business is a coin-operated laundry facility where customers can wash and dry their own clothes using the machines provided.
To start this business on a budget, you'll need to find a suitable location with enough space for washing machines, dryers, and a seating area.
Next, acquire the necessary equipment, such as washing machines, dryers, change machines, and seating.
Additionally, make sure to set up a simple payment system, maintain the machines regularly, and create a clean and inviting atmosphere for customers. Finally, promote your business through local advertising and word-of-mouth to attract customers to your self-service laundry.
How much you can make: $9,300/month
How long does it take to build: 125 days (?)
More business ideas
- 38. Start a farm equipment broker business
39. Become a packing supply distributor
Consider a business where your service is foundational to the success of others. Starting a packing supply distributorship does just that. Essentially, you would procure and distribute a range of products such as boxes, bubble wraps, tapes, tags, and other packing materials to businesses.
Whether it's a blooming ecommerce brand or a bustling warehouse, businesses are always in need of quality packing supplies, making this market both vital and practical. Not only do you cater to existing businesses, but also ride on the success wave of emerging ones.
Sourcing materials from reliable manufacturers and providing them promptly to businesses, you would become a critical cog in the enterprise chain. And as green initiatives continue to grow, venturing into eco-friendly packing materials can further elevate your business impact. There's an undeniable, silent charm to being indispensable, and this business idea offers just that. Indispensability.
How long does it take to build: 240 days (?)
More business ideas
- 40. Start a fiber optics business
- 41. Become a trade show producer
42. Start a borehole drilling business
In most areas of the world, construction companies always look for their own source of water during a project. At times they may hire the services of a tanker driver to aid them in the delivery of water. If the local government gives you the authority to do so, you can drill your own borehole yourself.
So if you have an interest in starting this business as a civil engineer in countries like Nigeria where you can drill boreholes as you desire, you can go into the business and enjoy lots of profit.
More business ideas
- 43. Start a health club business
44. Start a health care services
How much you can make: $45,200,000/month
More business ideas
- 45. Start a long distance errand services business
- 46. Start a mailboxes business
- 47. Start a licensed arms dealer business
- 48. Start a western apparel retail kiosk business
- 49. Start a washi tape business
- 50. Start a messenger service
- 51. Start a musical instrument sales business
52. Start a virtual reality arcade business
A virtual reality arcade provides an immersive experience, taking the entire gaming concept to another level. As VR display technology gets integrated into more types of amusement games, starting a VR arcade can be a profitable business.
If you own an entertainment park, converting it into a VR arcade can attract new customers, increase spending from existing customers, and increase the overall quality of experience for all customers.
How long does it take to build: 60 days (?)
More business ideas
- 53. Become a scuba diving instructor
- 54. Start a mexican restaurant
- 55. Start a restaurant supply business
- 56. Start a workwear retailer business
- 57. Start a satellite dishes production business
- 58. Start a banana paper making business
- 59. Start a sports team uniform service business
- 60. Start a vehicle inspection service
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- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
