
15 Pandemic Friendly Business Ideas You Can Start In 2022
Looking to start a pandemic friendly business but not quite sure what to start?
If you're looking to start your own pandemic friendly business, there are several low-investment options you can choose from.
We put together a list of 15 business ideas you can start today:
1. Start a digital marketing business ($3.6M/year)
Rahul Alim from Los Angeles, California, USA started Custom Creatives over 17 years ago, a digital marketing business.
- Revenue: $300,000/ month
- Founders: 1
- Employees: 10
- Location: Los Angeles, California, USA
My intention during and after high school was to move to Europe and play soccer (football) as my career. However, I was persuaded to try my hand at college which eventually took me down the path where I am today.
I grew up in a family full of entrepreneurs, thinkers…people smarter than me so I was definitely lucky to be in the right room.
My first job was selling credit card machines and processing. I was raw in business but determined (or stubborn) to make it alone with the help of no one (NOTE, this was a dumb idea and everyone should get help at every stage of life). When I started, I thought I was in a finance position. It turned out I was in a sales position, responsible for calling businesses to sell them on our services. It was the best thing to ever happen to me at this stage in my young career.
I was forced to talk to people, negotiate, persuade, help strangers over the phone - I learned one of the greatest skills of all time, how to sell over the phone. I had never sold anything, I learned sales in 3 days, then practiced every single day. This position lasted 30 days, but the grass only got greener. I was somehow recruited to a company called Homestore, which owned Realtor.com where I eventually became a top sales account executive managing the East Coast as my territory.
I went from the worst at sales in the company to the top 10 in the company. I took my sales learnings from my first job selling credit card processing to selling to internet advertising to Real Estate Agents, Brokers, Lenders and those involved in the real estate transaction.
After just a few years, I left Realtor.com (for no reason whatsoever, I loved working there) to start my own company. Young, dumb, no plan, no office, no product, no smart idea, but I had one thing to offer… I decided to help realtors manage and promote their listings on the internet.
2. Start an ecommerce platform ($1.2M/year)
Nick and Angelica from Virginia Beach, Virginia, USA started Romans Tide about 7 years ago, a ecommerce platform.
- Revenue: $100,000/ month
- Founders: 2
- Employees: 5
- Location: Virginia Beach, Virginia, USA
Outsource everything. The classic entrepreneur’s mistake is to try and do everything yourself. When I look back on it I definitely had the funds to outsource more and bootstrap less.
If it wasn't for that struggle I would have never made it to where I am today. I was forced into entrepreneurship because I was not someone people could hire. I always got along with people at interviews and people liked me but I was not hireable due to the mistakes I made in the past surrounding my issues with drugs and alcohol as a teenager.
Embrace the struggle. Good times can make you soft. I appreciate my life now and keep an attitude of gratitude but I never forget where I came from. I never forget not knowing where my next meal would come from or not knowing where I was going to sleep at night. Believe it or not, I have had worse times and been worse places than being homeless but I won't go there here
I got my GED at 16 so I didn’t even finish high school, before starting my business I did take some college classes at a local community college. I wanted to become a Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine and attend Bastyr University.
I loved learning things but always struggled with the long road of school which held no guarantee of success, just a guarantee of debt.
My journey into entrepreneurship started as an early teenager hustling here and there just to put food in my mouth and fuel in the gas tank. My first real business was a landscaping business I started with a friend that didn't work out. We thought it would be a good idea because he had the work and I had the business mindset of growing and scaling. The opportunity was there but we did not collaborate well. Even with my guidance he did not want to change his habits. This led to us butting heads, ending our business, tainting our friendship, and me $20,000 in debt. After that had failed me I came across a program that taught people how to dropship on eBay for $20 a month. I really liked the idea of this as it gave me the opportunity to work from anywhere and be my own boss which are two things I really wanted. After a few months of hard work, things went well and I paid $500 for the selling on Amazon training. I literally had no idea what I was doing when my Amazon business took off. In a sense, Amazon was my crash course in business. It taught me how to hire and manage employees, how to set up payroll, how to outsource, how to do accounting, how to leverage credit and financing, how to market, how to do advertising. It taught me everything I know about business in the harshest way possible lol
3. Start a subscription box business ($4.8K/year)
Lindsay Scholz from Saint Louis, Missouri, USA started Vowed Box Co. over 4 years ago, a subscription box business.
- Revenue: $400/ month
- Founders: 1
- Employees: 0
- Location: Saint Louis, Missouri, USA
I got married in 2016, and if we’re being honest, the entire process was overwhelming – the wedding industry is saturated with ideas and opinions on “how” you should celebrate your big day, but I quickly realized that getting married is not a one-size-fits-all process.
Honestly, my goal was to sell just one box the first week that the website went live, but I ended up selling five!
Leading up to my wedding, my friends had a difficult time finding bridal gifts that aligned with my interests and taste. I had never really dreamed of a big fancy wedding, and I definitely viewed myself as a non-traditional bride. On the flipside, I also had a hard time finding gifts and keepsakes for my bridesmaids – we were all a little bit quirky, and a lot of the overly feminine and girly gifts in the market just weren’t for us!
4. Become a freelance app developer ($120K/year)
Jesus Vargas from Cancun started LowCode Agency over 2 years ago, a freelance app developer.
- Revenue: $10,000/ month
- Founders: 1
- Employees: 3
- Location: Cancun
I have always considered myself an entrepreneur, and have started quite a few businesses. For many years, I had a business called Legal Cloud Solutions. We were 100% focused on the legal industry, helping lawyers systemize their operations through custom made software. We felt that there was a huge opportunity in the market, looking at how manual all of their processes are. We found out that lawyers are old school and they do not like changes!
On top of that, I had a technical partner that did the actual coding. Even though I had a full understanding of the processes, built the flows, and can read code; I’m still not a developer, so could not build the actual product. That was always a challenge with my partner and we drifted off.
One lazy day, browsing Product Hunt, I came across a tool called Glide apps. The tagline was “create an app from a Google Sheet”, and that piqued my interest. I definitely could do that! I opened up my account and started playing around. In 3 hours, I had built an app for a solar panel business I have where I could track my proposals and clients (something like a mini CRM).
5. Start a dropshipping business ($144K/year)
Amanda Austin from Erie, Pennsylvania, USA started Little Shop of Miniatures about 5 years ago, a dropshipping business.
- Revenue: $12,000/ month
- Founders: 1
- Employees: 0
- Location: Erie, Pennsylvania, USA
I was unhappily working in marketing for a Fortune 500 insurance company when I started looking at ways to create a new income stream. I became interested in ecommerce and invested in a course to learn more. I compiled a list of keywords for products that had decent search volume and not terribly competitive to rank for in organic search. I used Long Tail Pro to get ideas--I had so many when I first started!
My business is a small, mostly passive income stream and I’m okay with that. There is so much more I could be doing with my store, but right now I am loving the extra income stream that allows me to work part-time at my day job and spend more time with my infant daughter.
A bunch of keywords in the dollhouse miniatures space fit the bill. I used Long Tail Pro and looked for keywords that were competitive--which on there is a score in the twenties or low thirties. I also wanted them to have at least 2,000 searches per month. This is not a ton, but five keywords with that search volume that are not that competitive can lead to a decent number of organic traffic if you build your site the right way. My advice to aspiring entrepreneurs is to find a niche with a nice handful of keywords you can rank for with quality content and a nice backlinking strategy. Don’t try to be number one for some saturated keyword that has a million searches a month. Go for keywords where you stand a chance of ranking--this is usually so-called long tail keywords that are really phrases--for example, “wooden dollhouse furniture” instead of just “dollhouse.”
6. Start a grocery store
Examples of a successful grocery store:
Here are some great videos on how to get started with a grocery store:
For further info, check out these books and products:
- How To Start A Grocery Delivery And Errand Service From Home: Ray Hockersmith
- How To Start & Manage A Retail Grocery Store Business
Learn more about starting a grocery store ➜
7. Start a packers & movers business ($69.6K/year)
Examples of a successful packers & movers business:
Here are some great videos on how to get started with a packers & movers business:
- Detailing Rookie Jordan Love's Slow Start At Packers Training Camp
- Brett Favre's First Start! (Steelers Vs. Packers, 1992)
For further info, check out these books and products:
- The Moving Company Smart Plan: A Comprehensive Business Plan For Your Moving Company
- The Packer's Field Manual: Bob Hoverson
Learn more about starting a packers & movers business ➜
Max Maher started Skinny Wimp Moving, a moving company, over 6 years ago:
My name is Max Maher I am a serial entrepreneur, lifelong learner, and a founder of Skinny Wimp Moving!
I am now 23 years old and my locations average $115,000 a month in revenue with record monthly sales of $158,000.
Photo of me at 19 in my first moving truck.
8. Start a virtual tutoring business
Examples of a successful virtual tutoring business:
Here are some great videos on how to get started with a virtual tutoring business:
For further info, check out these books and products:
- Become A Private Tutor: How To Start And Build A Profitable And Successful Tutoring Business
- How To Start A Home-Based Tutoring Business (Home-Based Business Series): Beth Lewis
Learn more about starting a virtual tutoring business ➜
9. Start a delivery business
Examples of a successful delivery business:
Here are some great videos on how to get started with a delivery business:
- How To Start A Local Delivery Business 2020
- 3 Things You Need To Know Before Starting A Delivery Service Business
For further info, check out these books and products:
- Starting And Managing A Courier Service: A Step By Step Approach To Starting And Managing A Successful Courier Service: Mr. Johnny Carrasquillo
- Start Your Own Courier Business: Step-By-Step In Just 30 Days: Craig Wallin
Learn more about starting a delivery business ➜
Mohamad Saad started HalalWorldDepot, a online food business, over 3 years ago:
Hello, my name is Mohamad Saad, and I am one of the founders of HalalWorldDepot, America’s premier Halal online marketplace. The company started three years ago as meat and grocery delivery service and slowly grew into a full-blown online marketplace offering a wide range of Halal products.
With a simple goal of getting as many Halal items listed, we also focus on building a community of Muslims around the United States to connect and come together. A home formed on a website where all can feel welcomed and comfortable shopping and finding the products they need.
10. Start a virtual accounting business
Examples of a successful virtual accounting business:
Here are some great videos on how to get started with a virtual accounting business:
- How To Start A Bookkeeping, Payroll, Tax And Accounting Company That Makes Big Money
- Start A Virtual Bookkeeping Business - Home Based Accounting Business
For further info, check out these books and products:
- How To Start A Lucrative Virtual Bookkeeping Business: A Step-By-Step Guide To Working Less And Making More In The Bookkeeping Industry
- How To Start A Lucrative Virtual Bookkeeping
Learn more about starting a virtual accounting business ➜
11. Start a face mask and hand sanitizer making business
Examples of a successful face mask and hand sanitizer making business:
Here are some great videos on how to get started with a face mask and hand sanitizer making business:
For further info, check out these books and products:
- Homemade Face Masks and Hand Sanitizer: 25 DIY Face Masks. Making Different Types of Protective Masks. 25 DIY Hand Sanitizer and Home Disinfectant. Travel Size and Home (Do It Yourself Book 2)
- Homemade Face Masks: The Complete Guide To Learn How To Make Your Protective Masks at Home With Step-by-Step Descriptions and Graphic Representations
Learn more about starting a face mask and hand sanitizer making business ➜
12. Start a cleaning & maintenance business
Examples of a successful cleaning & maintenance business:
Here are some great videos on how to get started with a cleaning & maintenance business:
- How To Start A Cleaning Business And How I Made $1,000+ A Week
- How To Start a Cleaning Business | Step By Step Guide 2021
For further info, check out these books and products:
- How To Start A Cleaning Business: Your Guide To Generating $2,000+ Income In 30 Days Or Less: Brian James
- Start Your Own Cleaning Business (StartUp Series): Jacquelyn Lynn
Learn more about starting a cleaning & maintenance business ➜
Neel Parekh started MaidThis Franchise, a cleaning service, almost 9 years ago:
Hey! My name is Neel Parekh and I am the Founder and CEO of MaidThis® & MaidThis® Franchise, a cleaning franchise that helps residential homeowners and short-term rental hosts (Airbnb, VRBO, etc) with their cleanings.
We’ve been able to grow rapidly compared to many other local cleaning companies because of a few main factors:
- We made our niche focus on cleaning Airbnbs and vacation rentals, in addition to regular home cleaning, which is a rapidly growing industry. We became the first cleaning franchise specializing in vacation rental cleaning.
- Local businesses are often pretty old school and typically aren’t the best with marketing, especially digital marketing. We’re bringing new-age marketing tactics to this old-school industry.
- Remote work: we’ve been able to stay extra nimble and lean with having a global workforce. This was initially done out of necessity so I could travel, but quickly became a huge competitive advantage. Our office team works across 8 different countries.
14. Become a drug manufacturer
Examples of a successful drug manufacturer:
Here are some great videos on how to get started with a drug manufacturer:
- How To Start Pharma Raw Material (Api/Bulk Drugs ) Manufacturing Company?
- How To Start Your Own Pharmaceutical Company In India. !Own Pharma Company ! Complete Details
For further info, check out these books and products:
- Business Development for the Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Industry
- Biotechnology Entrepreneurship: Starting, Managing, And Leading Biotech Companies: Craig Shimasaki
Learn more about starting a drug manufacturer ➜
15. Start a fitness and wellness programs business
Examples of a successful fitness and wellness programs business:
Here are some great videos on how to get started with a fitness and wellness programs business:
For further info, check out these books and products:
- Becoming A Health Coach: A Comprehensive Guide For Turning Your Passion For Health Into A Profitable Business: Heather L. Makar
- Change Maker: Turn Your Passion For Health And Fitness
Learn more about starting a fitness and wellness programs business ➜
Want to start your own business?
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