20+ Best Business Ideas For Hipsters
Looking to start a business but not quite sure what to start?
The good news is, there are so many opportunities to innovate and build something creative in 2020.
We put a list together below of the most profitable hipster business ideas you can start today!
1. Start a book club ($156K/year)
Ben Keene from London, England, United Kingdom started Rebel Book Club almost 8 years ago, a book club.
- Revenue: $13,000/ month
- Founders: 2
- Employees: 0
- Location: London, England, United Kingdom
It was a bad habit. Buying books and not finishing them...
One tap on Amazon, and bang, there it was on my kindle or my doormat the next day. I’d fleetingly read a review or even just a crunching blurb and my key words, curiosities or aspirations had slapped me round the face and before I’d considered a sensible swipe-by it was too late.
I’d become a heavy user. Buying non-fiction books at quite a click. But the problem was not so much the cost — at the most I was spending £20 a month — which I saw as a solid investment in potentially 2–3 life-changing reads. The problem was I couldn’t get past page 100 (or 25%) of almost all of the books I’d bought.
2. Start a mobile karaoke experience ($144K/year)
Kelli L Bielema from Seattle, Washington, USA started The AirScream over 3 years ago, a mobile karaoke experience.
- Revenue: $12,000/ month
- Founders: 2
- Employees: 2
- Location: Seattle, Washington, USA
The two of us met while working at Deloitte. I (Kelli) was an operations manager with an extensive background in event and entertainment production including creating live experiences at Universal Studios Hollywood. Vanessa was a year one CPA fresh out of the University of Washington who realized within just a few months in at the fall tax deadline that this was not her jam. She decided to jump ship and start a DJ & Karaoke Service. Barely a year later, I left the firm, as well as my then part-time event production company, began to take off & I was finally able to commit to it 100% when I got a contract with Boeing.
In just months after both launching our businesses respectively, our client rosters began to grow. Vanessa’s company and namesake moniker, Baby Van Beezly, dove into the private and corporate event vendor realm, spinning party tunes and wedding marches. My clients with my company, Shindig Events, began to move away from private individuals to corporate entities such as PopCap Games, Adobe, Boston Consulting Group, Oculus, and Facebook. I was able to hire Vanessa for all sorts of gigs over the course of the next 6 years.
While Vanessa’s Baby Van Beezly biz began to really take off, my Shindig Events were coming to a close. After 7 years I was ready for a change, a stress break and launched back into day-job land, where I currently reside. But there’s always that itch to do something creative and event-related so a side hustle was inevitable.
3. Start a drinkware brand ($144M/year)
Dylan Jacob from Denver, Colorado, USA started BrüMate about 7 years ago, a drinkware brand.
- Revenue: $12,000,000/ month
- Founders: 1
- Employees: 57
- Location: Denver, Colorado, USA
BruMate is my 3rd company but the first where I was actually doing any real product development or design. My first company I started in high-school was a part supply company for repair shops / tech centers (batteries, LCD screens, flex cables, etc).
I went on to sell that company to a franchise customer of ours in 2014 after I dropped out of engineering school and decided to pursue entrepreneurship full time.
I thought the idea of creating a product people actually needed and being able to walk around and see people using my creation was the absolute coolest concept.
4. Start a handmade goods business ($1.8M/year)
Samuel Davidson from Nashville, Tennessee, USA started Batch over 9 years ago, a handmade goods business.
- Revenue: $150,000/ month
- Founders: 3
- Employees: 6
- Location: Nashville, Tennessee, USA
During the summer of 2013, my co-founders (Rob Williams & Stephen Moseley) and I were discussing all the great things our hometown of Nashville had to offer, especially in the way of small-batch, handmade gifts and treats. But, there was no one-stop shop to get all of these items (you had to run around town or attend certain farmers markets or festivals).
Lo and behold, we actually hit the 200 mark our first month. The local media covered what we were doing and sales jumped to 600 for the second month and then 1,000 or month three (well beyond our original goal!).
Could we come up with a way to consolidate all of these local, small businesses making awesome products under one roof?
5. ($18M/year)
Jeffrey Mora from Los Angeles, California, USA started Food Fleet about 11 years ago, a business.
- Revenue: $1,500,000/ month
- Founders: 2
- Employees: 6
- Location: Los Angeles, California, USA
We started the food truck business in 2012.
We kept finding it very difficult to find locations to operate. We had a booker that we used to find our locations but fell short and we let her go. I took over our booking and found that most people did not want to book just one truck, not only that they were upset that most of the time the trucks didn’t show up or were late.
We learned the real need was not only helping the trucks but providing a turnkey service for the corporations. This was a game-changer for us, we were really struggling financially.
6. Start an art gallery ($4.2M/year)
Adam Vieira from Montreal, Quebec, Canada started Station 16 Editions / S16 over 9 years ago, a art gallery.
- Revenue: $350,000/ month
- Founders: 2
- Employees: 10
- Location: Montreal, Quebec, Canada
I met Carlo De Luca (my partner and current president of Station 16) in 2010. I was very active in the Montreal street art scene and had many artist connections because of it. Coincidentally, he was also looking to diversify his textile silkscreen shop into paper printing, which I had been doing a lot of.
In 2011, we started working with local Montreal artists to create quality silkscreen prints - a type of printing made famous with Andy Warhol's work. We began showcasing these prints online and in art fairs. That’s when Emily Robertson (3rd founder, and Art Historian) came on board. She had taken an interest in our project and suggested we open an art gallery showcasing the prints and street art talent we were really interested in.
Shortly after that, a few other friends that we were in contact with were building on the idea of a Mural festival for Montreal. They asked if we would be interested in supporting it. So in June of 2013, we debuted at both the Gallery and the Montreal MURAL festival on St. Laurent. It initially opened as a pop-up, and we haven’t closed our doors since.
7. Become a temporary tattoo artist ($12K/year)
Anslea from Atlanta, GA, USA started Forgotten Mermaids almost 5 years ago, a temporary tattoo artist.
- Revenue: $1,000/ month
- Founders: 1
- Employees: 0
- Location: Atlanta, GA, USA
Before mermaid tattoos, I was working as a freelance graphic artist on everything from illustrations to website designs. I knew the fundamentals of how to design a brand and decided I wanted to apply those skills to create my own.
At the time I had been traveling and living out of my van while working full time as a freelance graphic designer. I spent a lot of creative energy working on other people’s ideas when I realized I wanted something of my own. Better yet, I realized I should be working towards something for myself.
The next step was figuring out what that was. At the time I was living in a van in a touristy Florida town, so naturally there was an abundance of mermaid themed stuff in all of the shops.
8. Start a coffee shop
Examples of a successful coffee shop:
Here are some great videos on how to get started with a coffee shop:
- Starting A Coffee Shop Business: Part One (Planning)
- $100k Invested To Start A Coffee Shop (Did It Work?)
For further info, check out these books and products:
- Coffee Shop Business Smart Startup: How To Start, Run & Grow A Trendy Coffee House On A Budget: Rick Robinson
- The Daily Grind: How To Open & Run A Coffee Shop That Makes Money: Andrew J Bowen
Learn more about starting a coffee shop ➜
My name is Beth Baxter and I co-founded Camper Cafe, a mobile coffee van business. The idea for our business started with my partner’s love for vintage VW campervans. He had a rusty old shell of a T25 Campervan given to him, that he wanted to convert into a trailer for his motorbikes.
Although we never really thought about this ever becoming more than just a lifestyle business, we found we were turning so much work away from that in 2019 when the company was turning over around £150k from working only 70 days of the year, we decided that I should go full-time to see the potential.
9. Start an used book store
Examples of a successful used book store :
Here are some great videos on how to get started with a used book store :
- The Daily Day Of A Used Book Store Owner/The Inner Workings
- 12 Lessons From 12 Months Owning A Bookstore
For further info, check out these books and products:
- The Home-Based Bookstore: Start Your Own Business Selling Used Books on Amazon, eBay or Your Own Web Site: Steve Weber
- HOW TO START AND RUN A USED BOOKSTORE: A Bookstore Owner's Essential Toolkit with Real-World Insights, Strategies, Forms, and Procedures
Learn more about starting an used book store ➜
10. Start a vintage reselling business
Examples of a successful vintage reselling business:
Here are some great videos on how to get started with a vintage reselling business:
- How To Start A Thrifting/Reselling Business (And Make Bank!!)
- Tips To Start Reselling Vintage Online For A Profit Vs Clothing Resale Selling Vintage On Etsy
For further info, check out these books and products:
- The Reseller's Guide To Tonka Profit Revised & Expanded: Make Money Finding And Reselling Vintage Tonka Trucks
- The Reseller's Guide To Tonka Profit: Make Money Finding And Reselling Vintage Tonka Trucks
Learn more about starting a vintage reselling business ➜
11. Start a record store
Examples of a successful record store:
Here are some great videos on how to get started with a record store:
- How To Open A Record Store - Our Steps & Processes
- We Opened A Record Store: The Story Of How It Happened & What We Have Learned + Q&A With My Wife!
For further info, check out these books and products:
- All You Need To Know About The Music Business: Donald S. Passman
- Life Organizer: The Essential Record Keeper & Estate Planner: Nancy Randolph Greenway
Learn more about starting a record store ➜
12. Start a hipster clothing brand
Examples of a successful hipster clothing brand:
Here are some great videos on how to get started with a hipster clothing brand:
For further info, check out these books and products:
- The End Of Fashion: The Mass Marketing Of The Clothing Forever: Teri Agins
- 250+ Profitable Clothing Brands For Resale: A Guide To Selecting Men's & Women's Apparel To Sell On Ebay: Brianna Moller Greene
Learn more about starting a hipster clothing brand ➜
13. Start a second-hand shoes and bags business
Examples of a successful second-hand shoes and bags business:
Here are some great videos on how to get started with a second-hand shoes and bags business:
- How To Start A Thrifting/Reselling Business (And Make Bank!!)
- There's No Business Like The Shoe Business
For further info, check out these books and products:
- How To Start A Shoe Design Business: Becci Rolli
- The Fashion Business Manual: An Illustrated Guide to Building A Fashion Brand
Learn more about starting a second-hand shoes and bags business ➜
14. Start a paper crafts designing business
Examples of a successful paper crafts designing business:
Here are some great videos on how to get started with a paper crafts designing business:
For further info, check out these books and products:
- How to Start a Home-Based Craft Business, 4th (Home-Based Business Series)
- Sewing To Sell - The Beginner's Guide To Starting A Craft Business: Bonus - 16 Starter Projects - How To Sell Locally & Online: Virginia Lindsay
Learn more about starting a paper crafts designing business ➜
15. Start a gift baskets business ($24K/year)
Examples of a successful gift baskets business:
Here are some great videos on how to get started with a gift baskets business:
- How to Start a Gift Basket Business | Including Free Gift Basket Business Plan Template
- How to start a gift basket Company Start Local
For further info, check out these books and products:
- How to Start a Home-Based Gift Basket Business, 2nd (Home-Based Business Series)
- Start Your Own Gift Basket Business (StartUp Series)
Learn more about starting a gift baskets business ➜
My name is Adam Elliot, and I started Dick At Your Door, an e-commerce shop for people who like to gift pranks, gags, and funny novelties to their friends and family.
Yes, you read that correctly... Dick At Your Door sells chocolate penises you can send as a fun prank to friends and family.
16. Start a throw pillow designing business
Examples of a successful throw pillow designing business:
For further info, check out these books and products:
- How To Make Pillows (A Sunset Book): Christine Barnes - Amazon.Com
- The Pillow Book: Over 25 Simple-To-Sew Patterns For Every
Learn more about starting a throw pillow designing business ➜
17. Start a craft beer business
Examples of a successful craft beer business:
Here are some great videos on how to get started with a craft beer business:
For further info, check out these books and products:
- The Brewers Association's Guide to Starting Your Own Brewery: Ray Daniels
- So You Want To Start A Brewery?: The Lagunitas Story
Learn more about starting a craft beer business ➜
HI! We are Davor and Matija from Varionica, a craft brewery from Croatia.
We started by renting a small brewery outside of Zagreb and by the end of 2019. After that, we opened our new brewery with a much larger capacity and modern brewing equipment in Pisarovina near Zagreb. We started our business with only 22 30-liter steel KEGs, which we drove around in an old Opel Astra, and now we are producing roughly 40.000 liters of beer per month.
18. Start a cocktail class business
Examples of a successful cocktail class business:
Here are some great videos on how to get started with a cocktail class business:
For further info, check out these books and products:
- How to Start & Manage a Bar & Cocktail Lounge Business: A Pracitical Way To Start Your Own Business: Jerre G. Lewis
- Bartending Basics: A Complete Beginner's Guide: Morrell
Learn more about starting a cocktail class business ➜
19. Start an antique instrument business
Examples of a successful antique instrument business:
Here are some great videos on how to get started with a antique instrument business:
- Antique Collectors Excited About Ancient Medical Instruments
- Antique Instrument Case Hinge And Strap Replacement
For further info, check out these books and products:
- How To Start A Home-Based Antiques Business
- How To Start A Home-Based Antiques Business (Home-Based)
Learn more about starting an antique instrument business ➜
Hey! 👋 I'm Pat Walls, the founder of Starter Story.
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