13 Profitable Sharing Economy Business Ideas

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Updated: June 18th, 2021

13 Profitable Sharing Economy Business Ideas

Would you like to start your own sharing economy business or earn money on the side, but still need to find the right business idea?

There will be countless exciting business ideas again in 2021. While it sounds exciting to start your own business, it's important that you run with the right idea.

Your goal should be to build a business in a niche that is not only profitable but can also ensure your long-term success.

Hopefully, all of the sharing economy business ideas listed here will give you inspiration and a head start for the 2021 year.

Here they are:  

1. Start an office equipment rental

How Much Can You Make?

$15,000/month

View all 1 case studies

Average Initial Investment

$200,000

Skills

Business Savvy Skills

Customer Service Skills

Self Motivation Skills

Negotiation Skills

Examples of a successful office equipment rental:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a office equipment rental:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting an office equipment rental ➜

Case Study

Hi, I’m Alan Crowe, a native of Atlanta, and I launched a coworking space in 2020 called Room2work. If you have heard the term coworking, it's likely due to the woes of coworking behemoth WeWork, or you belong to a local shared office space.

Our revenue streams are also getting tested and refined. As of today, we’re generating $14K a month, but as coworking recovers from the pandemic, that number will level out at $20K to $22K/ month with one employee.

i-launched-a-180k-year-niche-coworking-space-atlanta

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I Launched A $180K/Year Niche Coworking Space [Atlanta] ➜

2. Start a jewelry rental business

Examples of a successful jewelry rental business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a jewelry rental business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a jewelry rental business ➜

3. Start a car rental business

How Much Can You Make?

$2,000 — $583,333/month

View all 3 case studies

Average Initial Investment

$25,000

Skills

Writing & Research Skills

Design Skills

Business Savvy Skills

Customer Service Skills

Self Motivation Skills

Examples of a successful car rental business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a car rental business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a car rental business ➜

Case Study

We are Taylor Hood and Gretchen Bayless, founders of ROAMERICA. A company that specializes in adventure vehicles, including 4wd campervans.

how-we-started-a-camper-van-rental-business-and-quit-our-full-time-jobs

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How We Started A Camper Van Rental Business and Quit Our Full Time Jobs ➜

4. Start an apartment rental business

Average Initial Investment

$109,000

Skills

Business Savvy Skills

Customer Service Skills

Self Motivation Skills

Examples of a successful apartment rental business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a apartment rental business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting an apartment rental business ➜

5. Start a vacation rentals business ($150K/year)

How Much Can You Make?

$12,500 — $156,000/month

View all 3 case studies

Average Initial Investment

$160,000

Skills

Business Savvy Skills

Self Motivation Skills

Customer Service Skills

Examples of a successful vacation rentals business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a vacation rentals business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a vacation rentals business ➜

Case Study

My name is Julio Sanchez, and together with my wife Alison we are the proud owners at Cardiff Vacations. We own three beautiful vacation rentals in Cardiff by-the-Sea, California. The Penthouse, the Parkhouse, and the Seacottage have been in the family for quite some time. Alison’s parents have built the duplex, what is now the Parkhouse and Penthouse when they moved here as a young family back in 1978 and this is the home where Alison grew up.

Each year we welcome around 3k people. Only 2020 has been a bit slower on business due to the pandemic restrictions. Hopefully, next year will bring us some good news and business will be closer to normal.

how-we-started-a-12k-month-beachside-vacation-rental-business

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How We Started A $12K/Month Beachside Vacation Rental Business ➜

Examples of a successful camp space sharing business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a camp space sharing business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a camp space sharing business ➜

Examples of a successful event venue sharing business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a event venue sharing business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting an event venue sharing business ➜

8. Start a co-working space rental business ($3.6M/year)

How Much Can You Make?

$4,000 — $300,000/month

View all 3 case studies

Average Initial Investment

$133,416

Skills

Business Savvy Skills

Self Motivation Skills

Customer Service Skills

Examples of a successful co-working space rental business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a co-working space rental business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a co-working space rental business ➜

Case Study

I’m Lucas Seyhun. I’m the founder of one of the earliest New York City coworking spaces, The Farm Soho, established in 2014. Unlike most of our competitors (don’t want to give any names), we adopted the affordable workspace model which became our fuel both before and during the pandemic.

Now we cater to all these as well as established businesses discovering the agility and cost-effectiveness of flexible office space rental as opposed to conventional long leases; and also to event organizers in need of unique spaces backed up by expert support.

i-created-an-airbnb-for-startups-in-nyc-make-3-6m-year

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I Created An Airbnb For Startups In NYC & Make $3.6M/Year ➜

How Much Can You Make?

$2,000/month

View all 1 case studies

Skills

Business Savvy Skills

Customer Service Skills

Self Motivation Skills

Negotiation Skills

Examples of a successful car sharing service:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a car sharing service:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a car sharing service ➜

Case Study

Subscription vehicle as a service

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They want to rent out your luxurious car using software, hit first $2... ➜

10. Start a crowdfunding platform ($2.43M/year)

How Much Can You Make?

$5,000 — $400,000/month

View all 4 case studies

Average Initial Investment

$1,000,000

Skills

Writing & Research Skills

Coding Skills

Design Skills

Business Savvy Skills

Negotiation Skills

Customer Service Skills

Examples of a successful crowdfunding platform:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a crowdfunding platform:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a crowdfunding platform ➜

Case Study

My name is Howard Marks. I am the co-founder and CEO at StartEngine, a leading equity crowdfunding platform that allows everyday people to invest in startups and entrepreneurs to raise capital from the crowd.

StartEngine has helped more than 265 companies raise capital from a community of over 190,000 users on our platform. Those companies have raised close to $100M and include every type of business from electric bikes and solar panels to movies and open source voice assistants.

how-we-built-and-launched-a-100m-equity-crowdfunding-platform

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How We Built And Launched A $100M Equity Crowdfunding Platform ➜

11. Start a storage rental business

Examples of a successful storage rental business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a storage rental business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a storage rental business ➜

12. Start a sporting goods rental

How Much Can You Make?

$300,000/month

View all 1 case studies

Average Initial Investment

$50,000

Skills

Business Savvy Skills

Customer Service Skills

Self Motivation Skills

Examples of a successful sporting goods rental:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a sporting goods rental:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a sporting goods rental ➜

Case Study

I’m Zack Johnson, and I run ggCircuit,which provides premium software, services, and support for esports arenas around the world.

UC Irvine Esports Arena - One of our first university customers in 2016

we-offer-premium-services-for-e-sports-arenas-worldwide-3-6m-year

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We Offer Premium Services For E-Sports Arenas Worldwide [$3.6M/Year] ➜

13. Start a ridesharing company

Examples of a successful ridesharing company:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a ridesharing company:

For further info, check out these books and products:

The Rideshare Guide: Everything You Need To Know About Driving For Uber, Lyft, And Other Ridesharing Companies

Learn more about starting a ridesharing company ➜

Pat Walls, Founder of Starter Story

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