The 38 Best Home-Based Businesses To Start In Mississippi [2024]

Updated: January 20th, 2022

Interested in starting a business in Mississippi in 2024?

We put together 38 of the best businesses you can start in Mississippi today.

For each business idea, we’ll show you real-world examples of how you can start your profitable, home-based small business in Mississippi.

Here's the full list:

1. Start an ice cube business ($4.8M/year)

Hagan Walker from Starkville, Mississippi, USA started Glo® over 8 years ago, an ice cube business.

  • Location: Starkville, Mississippi, USA
  • Revenue: $400,000/ month
  • Starting Costs: $$15K
  • Founders: 2
  • Employees: 27

Case Study

Hey, y’all! I’m Hagan Walker - one of the co-founders of Glo! We make liquid-activated products under two different brands - Glo Cubes, which are light up drink cubes - and Glo Pals, light-up sensory toys for children. Both incorporate the same patented liquid activation circuitry.

Basically, you drop one of our products in liquid and it uses ions in the liquid to bridge an electrical circuit, causing the cube to light up. Not only is the circuit patented, but we also have a unique design that isn’t triggered by residual fluid or ice. This means Glo Cubes work very well in a restaurant setting. When someone finishes a drink, the light goes out, indicating to the server that a refill is needed. The same idea translates to the Glo Pals. These bath toys only work in liquid - just draw a bath and drop them in. They automatically light up, and when you drain the tub, they turn off on their own - no buttons or switches to forget about!

It’s a strange combination (internally, we joke about kids and cocktails - ha!), but I’ll get into how that all came about in just a bit. We’re a bit quirky and, in this fast-paced world of e-commerce and dropshipping, we’ve found a small niche where we design, prototype, and package every single product from our headquarters in Starkville, Mississippi. This year, we’ll sell over 3 million of our products to customers in 37 countries.

how-we-built-a-1-2mm-year-business-selling-light-up-ice-cubes

2. Start a benefit corporation ($60K/year)

Tippy Tippens from New Orleans, Louisiana, USA started Goods That Matter over 13 years ago, a benefit corporation.

  • Location: New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
  • Revenue: $5,000/ month
  • Founders: 1
  • Employees: 1

Case Study

Hi, I’m Tippy Tippens, Chief Eternal Optimist at Goods that Matter. I started with a soap that gives to oil spill cleanup in 2010, BirdProject Soap. This was my way as a designer to help after the BP Oil Spill Disaster in 2010. I got my start on Kickstarter with that product and then was inspired to start the company, Goods that Matter. We design and make a variety of eco-goods from candles to custom first aid kits to cards - each product raises funds for a unique cause.

Goods that Matter creates everyday design goods, with extraordinary impact. Each Matter product is handmade in the U.S., of eco-friendly materials, & gives back to unique social and environmental causes. 10% of all proceeds flow to causes that impact the health, happiness, and sustainability of our communities both locally and for our neighbors around the world.

We are proud to be the first Benefit Corporation in the state of Louisiana and to have donated $43,632 to date to our partner causes! Goods that Matter works to make the world a better place by creating products and collaborations that matter.

how-we-added-new-products-and-opened-a-new-location

3. Start a stuffed animals business ($120K/year)

Justin Baum from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA started ZZZ Bears almost 9 years ago, a stuffed animals business.

  • Location: Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA
  • Revenue: $9,999/ month
  • Starting Costs: $$5K
  • Founders: 1
  • Employees: 0

Case Study

My full-time job is in advertising. (Think Don Draper with less Brylcreem,) And from 2005 to 2012, I worked at JWT, the United States Marine Corps’ longtime ad agency. As the Creative Director, I was in charge of recruitment advertising - writing the television commercials, print ads, billboards, etc - for the Marines during two of the most unpopular wars in our nation’s history.

Every time I’d go to a Marine base to film a commercial, I’d bring my then 5-year-old daughter back a small gift from the Marine Exchange. At the time, she was having trouble sleeping - bad dreams, fear of the dark, monsters under the bed - the usual fears of a young kid.

So I bought her a teddy bear and told her a story.

how-i-built-a-teddy-bear-business-helping-military-kids-sleep-at-night

4. Start an exercise app ($12K/year)

Joel Runyon from Austin, Texas, USA started MoveWell over 7 years ago, an exercise app.

  • Location: Austin, Texas, USA
  • Revenue: $1,000/ month
  • Founders: 1
  • Employees: 1

Case Study

My name is Joel Runyon and I started an app called MoveWell. The app is designed to help you move better, get stronger and prevent injuries. It’s your ultimate movement and mobility companion.

Our customers are athletes and desk jockeys looking to perform better in fitness and generally move better and have less pain. The app has been out for a few years and currently brings in about $1,200-$1,800 per month, a nice amount of extra cash, but not really a huge business yet.

Even though MoveWell brings in the smallest amount of revenue of any of my ventures, the project has some of my most enthusiastic followers. I used to have a business partner, but recently bought him out and am looking to scale the business even more by adding coaches, consistently adding content, and doing branded partnerships over the next 6-12 months.

how-i-built-an-iphone-fitness-app-to-1-000-mrr

5. Start a craft photography business ($76.8K/year)

suzanne kaltbaum from Lake Mary, FL, USA started Suzann K Fine Art over 7 years ago, a craft photography business.

  • Location: Lake Mary, FL, USA
  • Revenue: $6,400/ month
  • Starting Costs: $$6.5K
  • Founders: 1
  • Employees: 0

Case Study

My name is Suzann Kaltbaum, I am a fine art photographer.

“I just snap and go”. Intuition is an entrepreneur’s secret weapon. What started as a passion project, travel photography has turned into a lucrative business.

how-i-started-a-late-career-making-thought-provoking-art-that-generates-6k-month

6. Start a specialty food business ($1.2M/year)

Stacey Schlaman from Alabama, USA started Liberated Specialty Foods about 9 years ago, a specialty food business.

  • Location: Alabama, USA
  • Revenue: $100,000/ month
  • Founders: 1
  • Employees: 20

Case Study

I’m Stacey, founder and President of Liberated Specialty Foods, based in the quiet town of Madison, Alabama. We run a food manufacturing business making a full line of baked food (made mainly from nut flours) like almond flour pizza crust, cashew bread, and coconut flour donuts, along with additive-free sauces like ketchup and pizza sauce; with the specific mission to help those suffering from autoimmune diseases like Crohn’s and Colitis, that ALSO fill the niche of Keto, Paleo, Atkins, and other trending diets.

We sell online and to retailers. We went from about 100 retailers with our products in 2016 to over 1,000 today, including major chains from Whole Foods and Sprouts to Wal-Mart -- and we hope to keep adding more!

how-i-started-a-100k-month-food-for-auto-immune-sufferers-business

7. Become a shopify app developer ($780K/year)

Todd Trimakas from Charlotte, North Carolina, USA started ByteStand about 8 years ago, a shopify app developer.

  • Location: Charlotte, North Carolina, USA
  • Revenue: $65,000/ month
  • Starting Costs: $$50K
  • Founders: 1
  • Employees: 1

Case Study

Hi, my name is Todd and I’m a serial entrepreneur. After a long history of building various businesses, I created ByteStand, a friendly software development company run by ecommerce nerds who get excited about weird things like “cross-platform integrations” and “fulfillment networks” and “coffee”.

We design Shopify apps, with three apps currently in the app store and over 2,000 shops using our software. Our two main apps are ByteStand and FBA Shipping, which were designed to help Amazon sellers diversify and generate more revenue by importing their Amazon inventory to Shopify and exporting their Shopify orders to Amazon for fulfillment.

We also created FreshCredit, Shopify's first true store credit app. Between all three apps, we generate about $17,000/month in revenue.

how-i-taught-myself-how-to-code-and-built-my-own-business

8. Start a chimney repair business ($252K/year)

Mitchell Blackmon from Blue Ridge, Georgia, USA started Patriot Chimney over 5 years ago, a chimney repair business.

  • Location: Blue Ridge, Georgia, USA
  • Revenue: $21,000/ month
  • Founders: 3
  • Employees: 5

Case Study

Hi everyone, my name is Mitchell and I’m one of the three founders of Patriot Chimney. We sweep, repair, and build chimneys and also service and repair dryer vents around the Roanoke Valley in Virginia.

We created the company in order to provide really, really awesome, transparent, and trustworthy chimney and dryer vent services in our region. You see, chimney companies don’t typically receive a positive reputation and we’re out to change that. In fact, we’ve been fortunate enough to provide our services to more than 350 homes in an area that spans from Lynchburg, VA all the way down to Blacksburg, VA. What’s more is that we’ve also been able to generate more than $212,000 in revenue during our first year, with 8% of that being net profit.

I studied marketing in college, but my experience in the past few years has been a mix between marketing and sales, so my focus is primarily around building the sales and marketing strategy for us. My brother (Matt) and a friend of his (Billy) focus on the operations, actually getting on the roof and doing some real dirty work.

how-i-started-a-21k-month-chimney-service-company-while-working-full-time

9. Become an online dating consultant ($62.4K/year)

Shane White from Austin, Texas, USA started The Match Artist over 6 years ago, an online dating consultant.

  • Location: Austin, Texas, USA
  • Revenue: $5,200/ month
  • Founders: 2
  • Employees: 0

Case Study

Hi everyone, my name is Shane and I’m the founder of The Match Artist. We help singles take amazing pictures for their online dating profiles. Our flagship product is the 3 hour Executive shoot, which gets you about 100 different photos in 7 different settings.

Most importantly, this package comes with an e-mail course and one-on-one coaching so you can take better photos in the future. Many people (especially guys) are horrible at taking pictures. The Match Artist teaches you how to look at the camera, and how to show your most attractive and authentic self. This empowers you to take better photos, even after the shoot is over.

The Match Artist is More Than a Typical Photography Company

how-i-built-my-own-business-improving-online-dating-profiles

10. Start a cocktail ingredient business ($540K/year)

Christopher Thomas from Nashville, Tennessee, USA started Eli Mason over 9 years ago, a cocktail ingredient business.

  • Location: Nashville, Tennessee, USA
  • Revenue: $45,000/ month
  • Starting Costs: $$10K
  • Founders: 1
  • Employees: 0

Case Study

My name is Christopher Thomas. I am the managing partner and co-owner of a cocktail mixer brand called Eli Mason. We make premium cocktail mixers and syrups using real ingredients like cane sugar and premium bitters in Nashville, Tennessee.

Our flagship product is The Old Fashioned Cocktail Mixer. Just mix it with your favorite whiskey and you have a delicious Old Fashioned in less than 30 seconds. We have two main customers. Our first customer is someone who enjoys a delicious cocktail, but they don’t want the hassle of figuring out the right ratios of sugar to bitters, should they muddle fruit or not, we make it super easy for them to make a consistent and delicious Old Fashioned in less than 30 seconds. Our second customer is the cocktail enthusiast who loves making cocktails from scratch in their home, but sometimes they just want EASY. We give them that EASY option for a solid drink made with real ingredients.

how-we-grew-revenue-to-600k-and-launched-a-new-product-this-year

11. ($204K/year)

Natalie Kay Costello from Jacksonville, FL, USA started Sustainably Chic almost 10 years ago, .

  • Location: Jacksonville, FL, USA
  • Revenue: $17,000/ month
  • Starting Costs: $$3K
  • Founders: 1
  • Employees: 1

Case Study

Hi! My name is Natalie, and I help people build conscious wardrobes through my blog Sustainably Chic. It’s the ultimate destination for everything in a sustainable fashion. From learning what it is to brands who produce it, you can find all of that information on my blog. Sustainably Chic is here to show you fashion can exist responsibly.

While I mainly write about women’s fashion, I also speak about men’s fashion, children’s fashion, fashion in the home, and green beauty. I find fashion to be everywhere in life, so it’s important to touch on every little aspect I can. Most importantly, almost anything you use has a sustainable option, and Sustainably Chic is here to showcase it.

on-growing-a-blog-about-sustainable-fashion-to-60k-monthly-visitors-and-6k-month-in-revenue

12. Start a socks business ($12M/year)

Dane Jensen from Austin, Texas, USA started Sock Club almost 13 years ago, a socks business.

  • Location: Austin, Texas, USA
  • Revenue: $1,000,000/ month
  • Founders: 2
  • Employees: 38

Case Study

Hi, Dane Jensen here, my business partner Noah and I run Sock Club. Our flagship product is socks of course. We started Sock Club as a monthly subscription where we would deliver a pair of unique socks to our customers every month. As we’ve grown we’ve developed a manufacturing supply chain here in the United States. Having the ability to make our own socks made it possible to enter the new market of custom socks. Now making custom socks is 90% of our business and the subscription 10%. Last year we did $12M+ in revenue and we plan to do more than that this year.

how-i-started-a-1m-month-business-selling-custom-socks

13. Start a law firm ($60M/year)

Brian White from Houston, TX, USA started Attorney Brian White Personal Injury Lawyers ago, a law firm.

  • Location: Houston, TX, USA
  • Revenue: $5,000,000/ month
  • Starting Costs: $$800K
  • Founders: 2
  • Employees: 20

Case Study

I’m Brian White. I started the Houston based law firm, Attorney Brian White Personal Injury.

We are a law firm that primarily handles plaintiff personal injury cases, although we do handle other commercial litigation, insurance bad faith, wage & hour, and financial fraud cases as well.

Through hard work, relentless advocacy for our clients, and extreme preparation, we have grown our business from a boutique law firm with a scrappy reputation to capturing a large share of the competitive Texas legal market capturing tens of millions of dollars of market share per year.

how-i-started-a-5m-month-law-firm-focused-on-personal-injury-cases

14. Start a non-profit fundraiser

Heather McGehearty from Addison, TX, USA started StandUpLD over 7 years ago, a non-profit fundraiser.

  • Location: Addison, TX, USA
  • Starting Costs: $$20K
  • Founders: 2
  • Employees: 0

Case Study

We named our organization StandUpLD because we wanted to empower children and their parents by giving them a voice and helping them have the confidence to stand up for themselves and acknowledge their learning differences; to own it. There can be such a tremendous sense of isolation for children with learning differences. And with that, of course, often comes depression, which children with learning differences experience at greater rates than the national average. Imagine the sense of inadequacy a child feels when they’re working as hard—usually much harder—than others in the classroom but those efforts aren’t bringing results. What’s more, it’s not uncommon for a learning issue to be mistaken for a mental health issue. You can imagine how that mislabeling can affect self-esteem, depression, and escort in a host of other issues they face once they reach their teen years. According to Columbia University’s National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, there is a significant overlap in learning differences and substance abuse.

Something is only a failure if you don’t learn from it. If you do and can use that knowledge to your advantage, it can hardly be called a failure.

Without access to proper remediation and organizations like StandUpLD—and others with similar missions—children in at-risk communities who have a learning difference are even more likely to fall into negative and self-destructive behaviors. As an example, 48% of today’s prison population has dyslexia. Those children, along with any child challenged with a learning issue, is why StandUpLD is truly a heart mission.

on-starting-a-non-profit-to-support-children-with-learning-differences

15. Create an online course ($1.2M/year)

Alex Nerney from Texas, USA started Create and Go over 7 years ago, an online course.

  • Location: Texas, USA
  • Revenue: $100,000/ month
  • Founders: 2
  • Employees: 0

Case Study

My name is Alex Nerney. My business partner Lauren McManus and I started an online blog, two of them actually, that we were able to make a full time income from. We started out with building a health and fitness blog Avocadu. It seemed like a reasonable first niche to start in as I was a personal trainer at the time. After growing that blog to six figures a year Lauren and I decided to start Create and Go to teach others exactly how we did it and share our journey as professional bloggers with them.

We have a lot of customers from all over the world, but they all have at least one thing in common: They dream of making some income through an online blog. Whether that’s to quit their soul sucking day jobs like we did, or to be a stay at home parent, or just to have more financial freedom. Our flagship product on Create and Go is our Pro Blogger bundle, and it aims to give every student exactly what they need to accomplish that dream. It contains all of our individual courses and is our start to finish blogging guide that teaches each student how to start a blog.

After growing Create and Go to have over 10,000+ students now and having an average income of around $130,000 a month combined from our blogs, we have been able to really reflect on how much we have accomplished. Lauren and I quit our jobs only a few years ago, but honestly, the life we have lived since doing so makes it seem like it was another lifetime ago.

they-quit-their-jobs-make-1-2m-year-with-online-courses

16. Start a subscription box business ($240K/year)

Michael Arciola III from Austin, Texas, USA started Southern Cigar Co almost 9 years ago, a subscription box business.

  • Location: Austin, Texas, USA
  • Revenue: $20,000/ month
  • Founders: 2
  • Employees: 0

Case Study

I’m Michael Arciola III and the founder of Southern Cigar Co. At the time of founding, I was a student at Florida State University studying computer science and business. I started the company 4 years ago out of my apartment and couldn’t be happier with the progress we’ve made thus far.

Southern Cigar Co.’s primary product is a subscription box, which was all the hype then and still is now. Our primary customers are fathers, golfers, businessmen, and new hobbyists. We ship worldwide and have shipped to over 30 different countries so far. Currently we are doing ~250k a year in revenue, but this has been growing at about 20% year over year.

Me packing boxes outside out apartment on the deck. I would do them in batches, this being one of them.

how-i-started-a-20k-mo-cigar-subscription-business-as-a-college-student

17. Start a wordpress template business ($132K/year)

Sam from Kalamazoo, MI, USA started Sam Munoz Consulting, LLC over 6 years ago, a wordpress template business.

  • Location: Kalamazoo, MI, USA
  • Revenue: $11,000/ month
  • Founders: 1
  • Employees: 2

Case Study

Why hello there, my name is Sam and I am the owner and head developer over at Sam Munoz Consulting, LLC! We are a WordPress development company, specializing in upscale websites for high-performing businesses as well as affordable website templates called the Effortless Website Kits for new business owners & entrepreneurs.

Our purpose is to EMPOWER business owners & entrepreneurs to harness their website to work for their biz as the #1 MVP. We strive to make the tech side of the business overall less scary and overwhelming through bite-sized education, our digital products, and speaking in human terms.

We are a dynamite team of 3 tech-savvy ladies. The team includes Sam (me!) owner & lead developer, Laura Kåmark - business and project manager & Karyn Paige - head tech wizard.

how-i-started-a-9k-month-wordpress-templates-business

18. Start a clothing boutique

Savitra from Smyrna, GA, USA started New Era of Style about 5 years ago, a clothing boutique.

  • Location: Smyrna, GA, USA
  • Starting Costs: $$4.5K
  • Founders: 1
  • Employees: 0

Case Study

Hello! My name is Savitra and I am the owner of the influential online boutique New Era of Style, LLC. New Era of Style is a mid-priced online boutique that is dedicated to catering to the fashion needs of working professional men and women.

New Era of Style is a Career and Lifestyle brand. Our selections are versatile and transition with the busy schedules of our customers. Our best-selling items include our selection of tops, vegan-leather bags, and wardrobe accessories. We work with several unique wholesalers and designers to bring the best in fashion. To create exclusivity with our merchandise, we offer a limited inventory of selected items.

on-starting-a-men-s-and-women-s-online-boutique-while-working-a-full-time-job

19. Start a niche accessories brand ($1.2M/year)

Braxton Manley from Austin, Texas, USA started Braxley Bands almost 7 years ago, a niche accessories brand.

  • Location: Austin, Texas, USA
  • Revenue: $100,000/ month
  • Starting Costs: $$20
  • Founders: 2
  • Employees: 3

Case Study

My name is Braxton Manley and I am a 23-year-old living in Austin. I started Braxley Bands with my dorm-mate Grant Andrews as a class project at Texas Tech about 3 years ago.

We created an elastic Apple Watch band and started making them by hand on my Nana’s sewing machine. We have since scaled the business from an original $20 upfront for materials to $100K a month on Shopify. No other capital or investment was ever put into the business.

how-we-turned-20-into-a-100k-month-accessory-brand

20. Become a temporary tattoo artist ($12K/year)

Anslea from Atlanta, GA, USA started Forgotten Mermaids almost 6 years ago, a temporary tattoo artist.

  • Location: Atlanta, GA, USA
  • Revenue: $1,000/ month
  • Starting Costs: $$100
  • Founders: 1
  • Employees: 0

Case Study

Hey there! So excited to be going over everything that’s happened this last year. My name is Anslea and I run Forgotten Mermaids, a brand of temporary tattoos inspired by mermaids, designed by humans. Our tattoos give the illusion of mermaid scales so even if you’re not ready to commit to the mermaid lifestyle, you can still add a little mermaid magic to your every-day outfit. Currently, we have two tattoo styles available in six colors, alongside a variety of clothing items such as leggings and swimsuits that share this same scale pattern.

We started the year with big plans for expanding our sales channels and product line, but due to COVID-19 our timeline was pushed way back and ultimately we had to change our vision quite drastically. Thankfully, since the business was built on the premise of being adaptable, adjusting to our new reality was relatively painless and has since opened up opportunities we otherwise wouldn't have explored.

Currently, we’ve seen a 40% increase in sales compared to this time last year and hope to keep that trending upwards with new products and expanded marketing tactics.

forgotten-mermaids-update-how-we-ve-grown-sales-by-40

21. Start a credit card comparison website

Adam Van Wie from Jacksonville Beach, Florida, USA started Van Wie Financial about 9 years ago, a credit card comparison website.

  • Location: Jacksonville Beach, Florida, USA
  • Starting Costs: $$25K
  • Founders: 2
  • Employees: 3

Case Study

Ever since I can remember, I wanted to be an entrepreneur. My Dad owned several companies when I was young, and when I graduated from college, I planned on getting started in corporate America and then eventually starting my own business.

One of the keys to survival is to not get too discouraged by the bad days, no matter how bad it might seem at the time.

In 2001, my Dad went to work with a financial planning firm, and then in 2014, I joined him. We quickly realized that we wanted to run things a different way, so in November of 2014 we set out on our own and Van Wie Financial was born.

on-starting-a-free-only-independent-financial-advisory-firm

22. Start a woodworking business ($240K/year)

Jared Waters from Portland, OR started Mini Materials about 9 years ago, a woodworking business.

  • Location: Portland, OR
  • Revenue: $20,000/ month
  • Founders: 2
  • Employees: 2

Case Study

My name is Mat Hofma, and I created Mini Materials. We sell miniature masonry and woodworking supplies like cinder blocks, red bricks, pallets, lumber, and even molds to pour your own cinder blocks.

Our best seller is by far the pallet of miniature cinder blocks. From Day 1 - when I posted my development story to Reddit - the general consensus has always seemed to be "I didn't think I'd ever want to buy a pallet of mini cinder blocks, but now that I see it, I really need it."

Since then we've expanded to different styles of mini masonry and even kits to build models.

i-make-20k-month-selling-tiny-cinder-blocks-online

23. Start a soap business ($48K/year)

Sandy Engels from Ethel, LA, USA started The Purple Sage ago, a soap business.

  • Location: Ethel, LA, USA
  • Revenue: $4,000/ month
  • Starting Costs: $$2.5K
  • Founders: 1
  • Employees: 0

Case Study

Hey, y’all, I am Sandy Engels and I am the owner and artisan of The Purple Sage, a company created to encourage modern midlife women to live and love boldly.

When my youngest child started kindergarten, I started my first business doing medical billing from home. Which I sold a few years later...and went back to being a stay at home Mom.

I’ve been making soap and bath products since 2002. I got serious about business in 2011. In addition to selling online, I do festivals and events in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Georgia. My average revenue is $2800 a month.

how-i-started-my-2-8k-month-soap-lotion-and-bubble-bath-brand

24. Start a portable phone chargers business ($48K/year)

Chris Reimer from Saint Louis, Missouri, USA started Boosa Tech over 6 years ago, a portable phone chargers business.

  • Location: Saint Louis, Missouri, USA
  • Revenue: $4,000/ month
  • Founders: 1
  • Employees: 1

Case Study

My name is Chris Reimer, and I’m Founder and Chief Power Officer of Boosa Tech.

We sell power banks - portable phone chargers designed to keep your smartphone up and running no matter how long you’re away from a wall outlet. On a plane flying across the world? Trying to hail an Uber? At the never-ending 3-hour soccer practice playing mindless games on your phone? On the couch and your slovenly body just won’t move? Boosa's designed to eliminate the Low Battery Anxiety that just about everyone feels when their phone dips below 30%, 20%, 5% … as little as $25-35 will take this stress out of your life.

Boosa is currently a one-person operation - me! I run the website, social media, PR, inventory procurement from China (both negotiations and logistics), pick/pack/and ship orders, customer service, marketing … I do it all and love every minute of it. And all of this is happening while I continue to work my full-time job as a Director of Creative Services at a local university. Boosa’s website went live in late June 2018, and we’re averaging about $2,000/month in sales.

how-i-m-building-a-side-hustle-with-an-unorthodox-business-mindset

25. Start an online language coaching business ($2.88K/year)

Marlena Jorn from Windermere, FL, USA started Marlena Jorn Tutors over 3 years ago, an online language coaching business.

  • Location: Windermere, FL, USA
  • Revenue: $240/ month
  • Starting Costs: $$300
  • Founders: 1
  • Employees: 1

Case Study

My name is Marlena Jorn and I am the founder of Marlena Jorn Tutors. I offer private, one-on-one German lessons to both children and adults. I currently have a website and a Facebook page. I teach my lessons through Zoom and PowerPoint, and after every lesson, I provide the student with the PowerPoint with my voice attached to it so they can practice the vocabulary/grammar between lessons.

I currently have three students, and I am currently working on building rapport and a solid clientele. Throughout my own education, I have seen a decline in the availability of the German language. I aim to reverse that and make German available to anyone interested.

on-starting-a-private-german-lessons-online-service

26. Start a niche accessories brand ($120K/year)

Chris DAlessandro from winter park started Bighead Custom over 11 years ago, a niche accessories brand.

  • Location: winter park
  • Revenue: $10,000/ month
  • Starting Costs: $$100
  • Founders: 2
  • Employees: 3

Case Study

Hello, My name is Chris D. and along with my partner and technical advisor Oliver C, we run Bighead Custom. Bighead Custom creates wooden “BLING” pendants that are created from customer or corporate logos. The finished product is unlike anything else available today. We have the technology to reproduce any photo or logo using colored metal flake and finish the piece off with a smooth sheet of glass. We give customers the “BLING” without the heavy price tag sting!

Our customers range from the up-and-coming rap artist, corporate America, celebs and everyone in between. Our “TURNOVER CHAINS” have become EXTREMELY popular and were born right after the Miami Hurricanes first debuted this style chain back in 2017. In fact, the turnover craze has forced us to create a 2nd website dedicated strictly to this style chain, Turnoverchains!

BIGHEAD IS EVERYWHERE! Since starting Bighead in 2011 and without any real advertising, Bighead does really well for a side hustle. Without giving up too much personal info regarding our finances, Bighead brings in enough revenue to help take care of 4 full-time employees. For a company that has never paid for advertising and only uses Youtube, SEO and other social media platforms (minus Facebook believe it or not) to expose the brand, it's really pretty impressive how large of an audience we were able to capture without paying for them! I think the key for us has been that we have something that doesn't really exist anywhere else. You can only get it from us. You can't shop us around. We have no real competition!

how-i-started-a-3k-month-business-making-wooden-bling-pendants

27. Start an online food business ($360K/year)

Jen Hansard from Brooksville, Florida, USA started Simple Green Smoothies over 11 years ago, an online food business.

  • Location: Brooksville, Florida, USA
  • Revenue: $30,000/ month
  • Founders: 2
  • Employees: 1

Case Study

Hi there. I’m Jen Hansard, the co-founder of Simple Green Smoothies where we create plant-powered recipes that gives you the energy and health to fuel your passion. It all started on Instagram in 2012, yet over the years (and with a LOT of hustle and luck) it has exploded into a brand of best-selling plant-based recipe books, live community cleanses, adventure retreats and the #1 green smoothie app in iTunes, Daily Blends. Since 2012, Simple Green Smoothies has helped over 2 million people take control of their health in a tasty and simple way.

Our flagship product is the FREE Simple 7-Day Smoothie Challenge. We spent months creating this self-driven program and deliver the most amazing experience for anyone who signs up. We’ve made healthy habits fun, simple and tasty so that you keep coming back for more. Yet most importantly, we’ve empowered you to take control of your health, in your own kitchen so that it’s sustainable and affordable. I don't know many people who can afford to spend $8 a day buy a smoothie, which is why I can teach you how to make one that tastes WAY better (and for under $3).

how-one-woman-went-from-wic-to-ceo-of-her-own-smoothie-empire

28. Start a meal prep business ($2.16M/year)

Mary Drennen from Birmingham, Alabama, USA started Nourish Foods Co. over 9 years ago, a meal prep business.

  • Location: Birmingham, Alabama, USA
  • Revenue: $180,000/ month
  • Founders: 2
  • Employees: 20

Case Study

As we say in the South: “Hey Ya’ll!” I’m Mary Drennen, a co-founder of Nourish Foods.

My partner, Tiffany Davis, and I are classically trained chefs with a strong background in healthy recipe development and high-volume food production. Tiffany excels at operations and diving deep into the details of all of our recipes, meal components, and production flow. My strengths are more on the business development, sales, and marketing sides of the business. I think we are a complete Yin and Yang. We share almost no strengths, except for our culinary skills.

In late 2014 we launched Nourish Foods. Nourish creates and delivers high-quality, healthy and fully-prepared meals to your door each week. Our goal is to give individuals and families their time back. There is no shopping, cooking or cleaning involved with Nourish.

how-two-friends-bootstrapped-a-meal-delivery-startup-to-2m-year

29. Start a health care training business ($180K/year)

Kyle Golding from Oklahoma, USA started Vorttx Training and Testing over 7 years ago, a health care training business.

  • Location: Oklahoma, USA
  • Revenue: $15,000/ month
  • Founders: 2
  • Employees: 0

Case Study

My name is Kyle Golding, I am a co-founder and CMO of VORTTX Training and Testing SaaS virtual emergency response training system for long-term healthcare facilities. I co-founded VORTTX Training and Testing in 2016.

VORTTX is a yearly subscription service currently generating 1% of the market potential of one hundred million dollars a year in our second year of full-time operation.

After nearly a year in development, the adoption rate of VORTTX from the public launch to the end of the first 12 months was over 500% and still growing.

how-we-built-and-launched-a-health-care-training-platform

30. Start a stuffed animals business ($9.6M/year)

Tyler Macke from Jackson, MO, USA started SendAFriend over 5 years ago, a stuffed animals business.

  • Location: Jackson, MO, USA
  • Revenue: $800,000/ month
  • Starting Costs: $$1K
  • Founders: 1
  • Employees: 20

Case Study

Hello, everyone! My name is Tyler Macke and I’m the 21-year-old founder of SendAFriend, an e-commerce brand that sells stuffed animal care packages.

Our core product is the stuffed animals themselves, which we offer alongside a customizable greeting card and a few small accessory add-ons. The fluffy friend gets swaddled up in blue tissue paper and packaged in our bright blue shipping box with the ‘Someone Loves You’ motif before being sent out the door.

how-i-started-a-500k-month-stuffed-animal-care-packages-ecommerce-brand

31. Start a bathrobe business ($120K/year)

Evan and Jackie Streusand from Austin, Texas, USA started Highway Robery over 7 years ago, a bathrobe business.

  • Location: Austin, Texas, USA
  • Revenue: $10,000/ month
  • Starting Costs: $$7K
  • Founders: 2
  • Employees: 0

Case Study

We started Highway Robery (roe-bur-ree)..get it? - a sustainable robe company based in Austin, TX, making colorful kimono-style robes, and we’re doing a new twist on an old standard.

With our robes, we strive to exude a sense of adventure and whimsy so that our wearers can stay in touch with their inner-goofball. We make all of our robes in the USA, using sustainable production methods. We focus on having as little waste as possible and ensuring that our sewers are treated (and paid) well above industry standards.

All of our robes are one-size-fits-most, and are gender neutral. It was important to us to be as inclusive as possible with our robes.

how-this-couple-launched-a-premium-robe-business

32. Start a technology consulting business ($480K/year)

David Bishop from Atlanta, Georgia, USA started Agile Worx ago, a technology consulting business.

  • Location: Atlanta, Georgia, USA
  • Revenue: $40,000/ month
  • Founders: 1
  • Employees: 3

Case Study

My name is David Bishop, and I started Agile Worx, an organization that provides tools, training, and consulting services to technology companies. Our main product is “Metagility” a new, patented framework that leverages agile principles to help technology companies become #1 in their market.

“Metagility” is based on the concept of Agile Vorticity, which was derived from over 10 years of peer-reviewed scientific research. At Agile Worx, we’ve productized this research into an entire ecosystem of products and services that maximizes productivity, efficiency, quality, and customer satisfaction for our clients.

Although there are other “agile frameworks” on the market, “Metagility” is the only framework that has received a US patent and proven by scientific peer-reviewed research to accomplish what we say it does.

how-i-designed-and-patented-a-40k-month-agile-framework

33. Become a business coach ($120K/year)

Stacey Haynes from Dallas, Texas, USA started Thrivette over 5 years ago, a business coach.

  • Location: Dallas, Texas, USA
  • Revenue: $10,000/ month
  • Starting Costs: $$10K
  • Founders: 2
  • Employees: 2

Case Study

Hi y’all, I’m Stacey Haynes, founder of Thrivette, a community of people where we “Make Things Happen.” Our company offers consulting, as well as free resources in our Thrivette Lab, to help businesses grow. I have over 15 years of experience in the customer service/call center industry. My husband, Jason, is an architect turned web designer. We have had countless side hustles over the years to help fund our bigger dreams...real estate. People continued to ask us how we did it, so we started Thrivette as a way to compile information for people to reference anything from getting started with crowdfunding, to selling on large e-commerce platforms (Like Amazon, Etsy, and Shopify), to dealing with customers in real life as a landlord.

Our highest paying clients, are Fortune 100 companies that range from retail, candy, dog food, and insurance. However, we are passionately transitioning into serving those ready for the start-up hustle! We have a large growing market of customers who want to start that side hustle or make enough profits to quit their 9-5. So teachers, stay-at-home parents, recent grads, are all a huge part of what we do.

We love encouraging these people to get to the next level and will give as many free resources and advice as we can. Jason and I believe in giving away all our “secrets” because as entrepreneurs we know there are struggles lots of hoops to jump through, just to get something simple started. People can get overwhelmed, but we love jumping in and helping them find their way. Our goal is to help people get going, accomplishing small wins, and ultimately finding success.

how-i-started-a-10k-month-business-helping-entrepreneurs

34. Start a children's clothing business ($9M/year)

Erin E Hooley from Rhome, Texas, USA started Bailey's Blossoms about 15 years ago, a children's clothing business.

  • Location: Rhome, Texas, USA
  • Revenue: $750,000/ month
  • Founders: 1
  • Employees: 35

Case Study

Hello! I'm Erin E. Hooley, proud Texas mom of 6 as well as founder and CEO of the e-commerce children's clothing line Bailey's Blossoms and it's sister brand, Peyton Bre.

Bailey's Blossoms started as a hair accessories company at my kitchen table in Arizona back in 2008 and has since grown into a multi-million dollar adventure. Both brands provide fashion-forward styles at a price that won't break the bank!

how-i-started-a-750k-month-infant-and-toddler-clothing-brand

35. Start a medical device company ($2.5M/year)

Amy Baxter MD from Atlanta, Georgia, USA started Pain Care Labs a dba of MMJ Labs over 17 years ago, a medical device company.

  • Location: Atlanta, Georgia, USA
  • Revenue: $208,333/ month
  • Starting Costs: $$150K
  • Founders: 1
  • Employees: 7

Case Study

As a pediatric emergency doctor, I invented a device to block needle pain, with the goal being to improve the home self-injecting experience and make vaccinations easier. In 2006 I filed for the patents and started trying to get grant money to do the R&D. (As an academic, I figured if the NIH thought it was worth funding, that was a good indicator that the idea was solid.) We started selling Buzzy in 2009 to patients and healthcare centers and went on Shark Tank in 2014. I turned down their offers of investment because I felt the valuation was worth more than the 2.5M for 20% they were offering.

By 2015 Buzzy had been used for over 30 million needle procedures worldwide. More importantly, one of my colleagues had successfully used the device to completely avoid opioids after a total knee replacement. The opioid crisis was hitting home personally, so I decided to stop practicing medicine and focus on opioid reduction and musculoskeletal pain relief full time. Our VibraCool ice/compression/mechanical stimulation devices and Buzzy are HSA/FSA eligible, so we primarily sell directly to patients, but with COVID19 the business is heating up.

how-we-expanded-our-product-line-grew-revenue-by-64-yoy

36. Start a drinkware brand ($5.4M/year)

Chris Gronkowski from Southlake, Texas, USA started Ice Shaker over 7 years ago, a drinkware brand.

  • Location: Southlake, Texas, USA
  • Revenue: $450,000/ month
  • Starting Costs: $$5.2K
  • Founders: 2
  • Employees: 9

Case Study

My name is Chris Gronkowski, the founder of Ice Shaker.

Many people know my last name very well, but this is mostly from the success of my family and especially my brother Rob has had on the football field.

Growing up in Buffalo, NY as the middle of 5 aggressive and oversized boys, I learned fast that it was going to take a lot of stand out. Like all my brothers, I went on to play a professional sport but my story did end there.

how-chris-gronkowski-left-the-nfl-and-became-an-entrepreneur

37. Start a graphic design business ($50.4K/year)

SumanJung from Louisville, Kentucky, USA started DesignPac about 5 years ago, a graphic design business.

  • Location: Louisville, Kentucky, USA
  • Revenue: $4,200/ month
  • Founders: 3
  • Employees: 5

Case Study

My name is SumanJung. I am 25 years old. I am from the third world country Nepal, one of the poorest countries in the world. Unseen by many, Nepal has tremendous business opportunities to those who want to utilize them. I co-founded the company called DesignPac which provides dedicated web experts (graphic designers, web developers & digital marketers) for rent. A productized service the world has never experienced before.

DesignPac rents out well-experienced & skilled web professionals on a monthly/hourly basis. It is a simple concept of hiring tech people when you want to create something online or need ongoing web support but have tight budget and limited resources. We provide a full-service web service agency, much like think creating your perfect meal from a restaurant menu. Custom design your service from a selection menu of designers, developer, and marketers, all ready to serve. By providing a full-service menu, we remove the hassle, expense, and headache of purchases these services individually through multiple providers, while our clients also enjoy the savings they incur by utilizing the global workforce. Sign up for DesignPac and an entire team is at your fingertips. We have an easy and convenient on-boarding process offering various options in billing terms (monthly/hourly/semiannually). Not only we rent the web experts, we also have our own project management tool to handle our client’s task and projects. An expert will be assigned to the client promptly after signing up. Our dashboard enables our clients to add additional web experts to their team easily with a few simple clicks.

All of our experts have been strenuously vetted. Only the most qualified are selected to join our team. Because of the currency exchange rate we are able to pay out team well above industry standard, giving us not only a competitive edge in the market but also in our ability to hire only the best. The majority of our clients are startups, small businesses, and agencies. Our company profiting by using a global workforce, enabling us to keep our service prices below industry average. A blessing for those who are frustrated with their unreliable freelance teams or for those with startups and low budgets. Anyone with a dream should be able to see it fulfilled. With DesignPac anyone can start a business.

how-i-launched-a-startup-from-a-third-world-country

38. Start a cleaning service ($7.2M/year)

Ron Holt from Birmingham, Alabama, USA started Two Maids & A Mop about 21 years ago, a cleaning service.

  • Location: Birmingham, Alabama, USA
  • Revenue: $600,000/ month
  • Founders: 1
  • Employees: 500

Case Study

Hello dreamweavers, empire builders and world changers. My name is Ron Holt, CEO & Founder of Two Maids & A Mop.

I started my company more than sixteen years ago inside a 250 square foot office space. When I’m dead and gone, there’s a good chance my tombstone will read “Crazy Entrepreneur That Out Hustled Everyone”. That’s been my mantra ever since leaving the uninspiring halls of corporate America and it’s a virtue that is based on tiny, small habits eventually evolving into big, massive victories.

So if you’re like me, and can’t stay focused because you’re always wanting to fix another problem….just stop right now because the true secret to my success has been to simply outwork and outpassion everyone in my path, every single day for nearly twenty-five years now.

how-warren-buffett-inspired-my-lifelong-journey-creating-a-25m-cleaning-empire

meet the author
Pat Walls

I'm Pat Walls and I created Starter Story - a website dedicated to helping people start businesses. We interview entrepreneurs from around the world about how they started and grew their businesses.