The 24 Best Business Ideas To Start In Indonesia [2024]
Interested in starting a business in Indonesia in 2024?
We put together 24 of the best businesses you can start in Indonesia today.
In this list of ideas, you can find:
- Home-based businesses to start in Indonesia
- Profitable online business ideas
- Unique business opportunities for Indonesia
- Low investment business ideas (under $5k to start)
- Easy businesses you can start in Indonesia today
For each business idea, we’ll show you real-world examples, revenue expectations for each idea, + a step-by-step on how to start your small business in Indonesia.
Here's the full list:
1. Start an explainer video business
An explainer video is a short online marketing video used to explain a company's product or service. Marketers place the explainer videos on the website landing page or product pages to illustrate how the product or service works to their target audience.
Different types of explainer videos include:
- Live-action explainer videos
- Live streams on social media
- Animated explainer videos
- Whiteboard explainer videos
To create an explainer video, you need a video script and voiceover. You can use an explainer video editing software to add characters, music, and sound effects to the explainer video.
How much you can make: $10,000 — $180,000/month
How much does it cost to start: $6,000 (?)
How long does it take to build: 120 days (?)
2. Start a software business
How much you can make: $1,000 — $4,200,000/month
How long does it take to build: 120 days (?)
Learn how a designer and developer from Indonesia created Session, an app that helps people stay focused by blocking distractions, which currently makes $5.8K per month in revenue through its freemium business model.
3. Develop a mac app
Are you a passionate and skilled mobile app developer? You can start an Apple app development business as a part-time or a full-time job and earn from your passion.
According to a report published in CIO magazine, Mobile app developers are among the top 10 most in-demand technology jobs. In addition, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, app developer jobs will grow by 22% over the next decade.
Therefore, starting a mobile app coding business can be a rewarding business. iOS app developers mostly use Swift and Objective-C programming languages.
How much you can make: $21 — $200,000/month
How much does it cost to start: $200 (?)
How long does it take to build: 180 days (?)
Indonesian software engineer Wilbert created Mumu, an emoji picker for macOS, which hit 10x his target revenue when he launched it recently, generating around $1,600 in total revenue, by designing and prototyping in Xcode and Figma, making a simple landing page to gain an initial beta launch momentum, and building in public to retain customers.
4. Become a business coach
Are you thinking of starting a career as a business coach?
Becoming a business coach can be a great way to help aspiring entrepreneurs while earning a healthy income. You may want to consider becoming a coach if you have skills in specialized business fields such as marketing, e-commerce, stress management, or leadership.
Many small-business owners are finding it hard to get started, grow, and succeed. As a business coach, your job will be to help entrepreneurs identify new opportunities and take advantage of the ones they already have.
How much you can make: $3,500 — $9,259,259/month
How much does it cost to start: $2,500 (?)
How long does it take to build: 60 days (?)
Screw The Cubicle's Lydia Lee started a location-independent coaching business that generates an average monthly revenue of $10,000, helping corporate professionals transition to independent careers by offering self-guided courses and personalized coaching programs.
5. Start a furniture business
The furniture industry involves designing, manufacturing, and selling various types of furniture for household and commercial purposes. With the increase in flexible workspaces and the real estate industry’s growth, the furniture business’s demand is boosted.
The furniture business is easy to start and does not require high investments. However, it is first essential to know your niche, for example, office, domestic, home furniture, and luxury items.
The furniture business needs a lot of preparation and prior knowledge. Taking business classes, learning about your local market, and making a solid business plan is advisable. In general, if your products are unique and one of a kind, consumers will be willing to pay a higher, including the shipping cost.
How much you can make: $1,700 — $999,999/month
How long does it take to build: 120 days (?)
Sasha Weekes, owner of Timber Grove Studios, turned her fine arts and cabinetmaking education into a successful home-based woodworking business that grew from a side project to netting 20-50% profits month-to-month and up to $10,000 in sales during peak periods through Etsy, with her company's growth continuing to increase through other social media outlets.
6. Start a crowdfunding platform
Raising money for your project can be difficult. Crowdfunding is one way to get funding through a large number of smaller investments. If you have some expertise in a particular area that may be useful to other people, there's no better time to take action. The crowdfunding revolution is happening right at your fingertips.
Crowdfunding has exploded over the past year, and you need to be a part of it. The Worldwide crowdfunding market share is expected to increase by $240B from 2021 to 2026. Crowdfunding is one of the quickest ways to get funding and build your brand.
How much you can make: $5,000 — $400,000/month
How long does it take to build: 272 days (?)
StartEngine has helped over 265 companies raise capital from a community of 190,000 users on their equity crowdfunding platform, and has raised almost $100M to date, offering equity, debt, convertible note, and other types of securities to investors.
7. Start a mobile app development business
Mobile app development is the process of creating software applications that run on mobile devices. These apps can be used for a variety of purposes, including games, productivity, and social networking.
Starting a mobile app development business is a great way to enter the world of software development. This type of company is growing in popularity as businesses are looking for ways to reach their customers through mobile apps.
To start a mobile app development company, you need to have strong technical skills and be able to develop high-quality software. You should also have a good understanding of how to market and sell mobile apps
How much you can make: $7,500 — $2,333,333/month
How much does it cost to start: $7,500 (?)
How long does it take to build: 120 days (?)
"We started a custom iOS and Android app development consultancy that now makes nearly seven-figures a year by landing clients like Great Clips and the USA CUP after building successful concept apps."
8. Start a food truck
Food trucks are a highly profitable business that offers customers a variety of meal options out of a mobile truck. This basically operates inside a large vehicle equipped with kitchen and food products. Starting a food truck is a dream for many people, but it's more challenging than it looks. To make it work, you need the ideal location and menu.
To start a food truck business in a particular city, it is mandatory to check what kind of food trucks are already operating, identify a gap, and bring in some new experiences. Then, with the right plan and the right approach, you can be on your way to starting your own food truck empire.
How much you can make: $29,166 — $61,650,000/month
How long does it take to build: 75 days (?)
Time commitment per week: Min. 5 hours/week
Food Fleet grew over 160% in just one year and managed over 20 million in sales for its clients, securing multiple contracts with the likes of Sodexo, Levy Restaurants and more, due to its understanding of catering client needs and its advanced turnkey and design services.
9. Start an ecommerce platform
Over the past decade, eCommerce has become an indispensable part of the global retail framework. According to statistics, over 2 billion people prefer shopping online.
While brick-and-mortar stores are still making more sales compared to online sales, the adoption of eCommerce is still rising, mainly because of the increased speed and convenience of online shopping.
Therefore, starting an eCommerce platform could set you on the right path to building a futuristic business.
How much you can make: $100 — $83,333,333/month
How long does it take to build: 110 days (?)
StoreYa co-founders Eyal Reich and Yariv Dror, along with CTO Pasha Zaft, created a suite of marketing and advertising apps that include Traffic Booster, which has generated an average of $700,000 MRR and helped the business win a 2018 Google Acquisition Performance award, as well as becoming a PayPal exclusive advertising partner.
10. Start a travel consulting business
Many people dream of traveling the world. Starting a travel consulting business is an excellent way to make a passive income, explore different parts of the world, and help others do the same.
As a travel consultant, you will provide advice to clients on various aspects of travel, including destinations, airfare, accommodations, and activities.
The objective is to assist tourists and travelers in planning personalized vacations, offer travel advice, and provide end-to-end travel arrangements for a fee.
By making use of industry knowledge and relationships with hotels, airlines, and destination experts, travel consultants can save their clients time and effort in designing their dream trips.
How much you can make: $14,167 — $1,500,000/month
How much does it cost to start: $3,000 (?)
How long does it take to build: 90 days (?)
Rayna Tours and Travels, founded by Kamlesh Ramchandani and Manoj Tulsani, began its journey as a small travel counter inside a Dubai hotel, and has now grown into one of the UAE’s leading destination management companies with earnings exceeding $40 million per year.
11. Become a business consultant
Business consultants serve as professional advisors who help companies achieve their goals or to streamline operations in a particular business area.
Business consulting is big business. Experts project the demand for consultants to keep increasing in the coming years. Therefore, becoming a certified business consultant can be rewarding.
To become a business consultant, you need a bachelor’s degree and expertise in a specific area. Are you ready to start your business consulting career and develop a professional network and web presence to help you connect with clients?
How much you can make: $4,500 — $1,500,000/month
How much does it cost to start: $1,425 (?)
How long does it take to build: 66 days (?)
Pedowitz Group, a $20M+ consulting agency, shares the story of how they grew their business by prioritizing customer retention/loyalty, being platform-agnostic, and focusing on strong results aligned with clients' key business objectives.
12. Start a hotels business
If you are considering starting a hotel, then it is time to implement your plan. There are five key elements to understand if you want to succeed in this industry: location, size, budget, experience, and market demand.
Here are some tips to consider before forming a hotel:
- Name your business
- Decide on a marketing strategy
- Start by renting out a room in your home.
- Hire a business capital broker
- Try Airbnb
- Make a marketing plan
- Offer complementary services
How much you can make: $15,000/month
How long does it take to build: 325 days (?)
SKNMUSE, a premium beauty brand dedicated to elevating the beauty experience for Black Women, has a 40% customer retention rate, achieved a 169% increase in revenue, and made $30,000 in Q1 alone.
13. Start a stock investing business
How much you can make: $4,000 — $30,000/month
How much does it cost to start: $2,250 (?)
How long does it take to build: 90 days (?)
Ticker Nerd is a monthly subscription service for investors that surfaces and analyzes trending stocks before the hype train arrives, and now has $4.5k in monthly recurring revenue from its newsletter without spending a single dollar on advertising, having validated the business via subreddits and organic Product Hunt launch strategy.
14. Start an insurance information business
How much you can make: $13,000/month
This case study follows the journey of a young entrepreneur from Nigeria who started a profitable blog generating a monthly revenue of $1,500+ through sales of advertising space, sponsored posts, and information products, and shares his strategies for success including a Twitter growth challenge and guest post pitches.
15. Start a family business
How much you can make: $40,000 — $3,000,000/month
Blindster, a leading custom window treatment eCommerce retailer, achieved record sales of $39MM in 2020, experiencing a 60% increase over 2019, by focusing on over-the-top customer service with a six-week training program for customer service reps and a Fit-or-Free guarantee, among other marketing tactics.
16. Start a content writing company
Content writing involves writing, editing, and publishing content in a digital format. Examples of content include a blog post, product description, and podcast script—eBooks, press releases, or landing page content.
Becoming a content writer allows you to work as your boss. Therefore, you choose whatever working schedule suits you and take a manageable workload. Moreover, content writing helps you develop essential skills you may not obtain from regular writing.
Content writing is a highly-on-demand service, as companies compete for the online audience who often begin their shopping journey by searching for relevant and educative content online. Therefore, a content writing company is an excellent source of passive income.
To start a content writing company in Indonesia, research the market and choose a suitable niche. Sketch a proper business plan and create a website. Hire a pool of talented writers and leverage modern technology to streamline operations.
How much you can make: $1,000 — $250,000/month
How much does it cost to start: $550 (?)
How long does it take to build: 30 days (?)
Scribly.io, a subscription-based copywriting service providing high quality content that helps businesses scale at roughly 50% of the cost of hiring in-house, created by Dani, a first-time entrepreneur who started with just a few hundred dollars worth of projects and with the help of three other writers; as of last month, Scribly.io topped $14K monthly revenue.
17. 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 in Indonesia 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
18. Start a fashion accessories brand
Fashion accessories are an integral part of our wardrobes and are chosen specifically to compliment a person's outfit.
Typical fashion accessories include footwear, apparel, jewelry, wallets, handbags, hair accessories, and watches.
The global fashion accessories market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 12.3% during the forecast period (2021 - 2026).
How much you can make: $1,500 — $40,480,000/month
How long does it take to build: 365 days (?)
CuffStyle created Cuff Adapters, silicone tabs that fit over shirt cuff buttons allowing cufflinks to be worn with standard button-down shirts, and has sold over 2,000 packs and received 100+ reviews with a 4.6/5 star rating on Amazon, with plans to move into big-box retail and B2B sales.
19. Start a crypto loan service
Crypto loans are a great alternative to traditional loans. They are quick, transparent and have low-interest rates. However, they can be difficult to apply for, because they require the borrower to provide more information than traditional loans.
A crypto loan service creates a personalized experience for clients who borrow crypto loans. You can make their process smooth, transparent and efficient by providing them with a complete loan application, matching them with the right lender, and executing their loan quickly.
You can launch your own crypto loan service on this platform
20. Start an axe throwing business
Throwing axes is a great way to relieve stress, bond with friends and coworkers, and even make some money.
Axe throwing is a new and exciting activity that is growing in popularity, especially for corporate or business events.
How much you can make: $60,000 — $80,000/month
Forged Axe Throwing is a successful axe throwing venue that teaches people the art of axe throwing while hosting tournaments, generating $960k of revenue per year and hosting over 30k people in their venue in a year.
21. Start a security dogs training business
Guard dog businesses are becoming very popular, particularly in areas that have high levels of crime.
First, you must identify the local dog owners in your area, which is easy to do with the help of social media sites, such as Facebook and Nextdoor. You can even offer to hold training classes at the local community center or park.
The first steps in setting up your guard dog business are to:
- Establish your LLC or business
- Get the Necessary Permits & Licenses for your Guard Dog Business
- Get Guard Dog Business Insurance
22. Start a real estate marketing agency
If you're a marketing whiz, starting your own real estate marketing agency could be the perfect business idea for you. As a real estate marketing agency, you'll be responsible for creating and executing marketing campaigns for clients in the real estate industry. This could include tasks like developing marketing materials, managing social media accounts, and conducting market research.
To be successful in this business, you'll need to have strong marketing and people skills. You'll also need to be comfortable working with a variety of clients. If you have these skills, starting your own real estate marketing agency can be a great way to make money in the real estate industry.
The salaries for those in the Real Estate Marketing industry are varied. The average earnings hover around ₹21lakhs, but can reach up to 50 lakh rupees depending on your qualifications and experience level.
The current trend of people searching for properties online is making the real estate marketing agency more popular than ever. In order to market a property effectively online, real estate agents need to work with a marketing agency that knows how to do just that. This trend is only expected to continue, so now is a great time to get involved in the real estate marketing business!
This is a great business idea for those with strong marketing skills. You can work with a variety of clients, which can be great for networking and building your business.
How much you can make: $10,000 — $250,000/month
How long does it take to build: 60 days (?)
Coffee and Contracts is a digital marketing subscription service for real estate professionals that has helped over 7,000 members in just two years, with an average monthly revenue of around $165,000, and has grown at a rate of about 5% each month through organic traffic from Instagram and word of mouth.
23. Start a pet sitting business
A pet sitter is a professional who provides daily care for pets while the pet owners are at work or on vacation. The pet sitter's duties include:
- Cooking special meals for pets as instructed by pet owners.
- Reporting any behavioral issues to pet owners.
- Playing with the pets to encourage their mental and physical stimulation.
One of the advantages of working as a pet sitter is that it's not a stressful career. You also get to work with different animals while enjoying a work-life balance.
How much you can make: $15,000/month
A technician-turned-CEO built an in-home pet care enterprise that generates $8k per month by documenting business operations and empowering employees, inspired by the successes of McDonald's founder Ray Kroc and researcher Brené Brown's work on vulnerability and empathy in the workplace.
24. Open source library
Open-source libraries become a widely used method of software development, stories from some of the top names in the field can help you with your development or help build your confidence in adopting this methodology for your own projects.
Open-source libraries have a lot to offer the world of programming. The potential for improvement and simplification of a wide range of computer applications is huge. However, with so many options available, how are developers and architects to see which ones are right for them? Following open-source library success stories that could help you determine your best options.
How much you can make: $3,000 — $13,083,333/month
Time commitment per week: Min. 3 hours/week
Vuetify is a popular open-source user interface library, built with the Vue.js framework, that generates revenue through digital content and services such as paid digital content in the Vuetify store, direct support through consulting, ad revenue from Carbon ads on the documentation pages, and donations/sponsorships via GitHub and Patreon, generating an average income of $6,500 per month.
- 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
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
