Are you a budding entrepreneur but you lack ideas on what service business to start? If YES, here are 100+ best business ideas in the service industry.
B2C is the abbreviation for “Business-to-Consumer” and this acronym refers to the business relationships that can be found between companies and consumers. Companies that are found in this field package their services for the benefit of private consumers.
One of the selling points of B2C businesses are that they provide basic services that consumers need sometimes on a regular basis, and which they may not be too disposed to carry out by themselves. Yet another thing going for this sector is that most businesses here are easy to set up, they require minimum startup capital and are scalable. If you are looking for how to be a part of the B2C industry, then one of the businesses listed below should appeal to you.
100+ Best Small Business ideas in the Service Industry
The commercial cleaning arena is dominated by janitorial services, which typically provide a wider range of services than maid services, along with other cleaning companies, such as carpet and window cleaners. The necessary qualifications needed for this business depend, of course, on the type of cleaning service you decide to start.
But for any type of service business, you need a determination to make the business work, a willingness to please your customers and the dedication to provide a thorough cleaning job. Beyond actually being able to do the work, a cleaning service operator needs some basic business skills.
You need to understand the administrative requirements of running a company, you should be able to manage your time efficiently, and you must be able to build relationships with your employees and your customers.
The smell of fresh-cut grass is intoxicating, but it isn’t the only reason to start a lawn business. As a lawn care professional, you can save the day by feeding, weeding, aerating and mowing the yards of not only residences, but businesses and institutions as well. And you can add to your income by rounding out your services from strictly lawn care to routine landscape maintenance. If you like working outdoors, making the world a greener and more beautiful place, and helping things grow, then this could be the business for you.
Laundromats are also referred to as coin-op laundries or self-service laundries. Many entrepreneurs are attracted to laundromats because they seem to run on their own. Although the owner must purchase and maintain the facility and equipment, the customers typically complete the labor and the machines handle the financial transaction.
The amount of money you can make from a laundry varies tremendously. According to the Coin Laundry Association’s Brian Wallace, the annual gross income from one store can range from $30,000 to $1 million.
A law firm is a business entity formed by one or more lawyers to engage in the practice of law. The primary service rendered by a law firm is to advise clients (individuals or corporations) about their legal rights and responsibilities, and to represent clients in civil or criminal cases, business transactions, and other matters in which legal advice and other assistance are sought.
Law firms are required by law to be owned only by lawyers, leading them to adopt the partnership model. Partners typically hire recent law school graduates as associates, paying them salaries and billing clients for their time. If you are well versed in the practice, you will go places even though you started small.
An interior designer is someone who has the creativity, skills, and knowledge required to design a beautiful and functional space. An interior design business allows you to combine your creativity with business skills to design functional spaces for a wide variety of clients, and of course make a living doing what you love.
Working for yourself means you’ll be able to set your own hours and work on projects that are most meaningful to you. The top interior designer firms in the world are able to charge clients millions of dollars in fees.
There’s just something so satisfying about pressure washing. Seeing a surface go from incredibly dirty to crystal clear is just gratifying. Although a pressure washer business isn’t terribly capital intensive, you will need some funding to get started.
If you are starting from scratch you will want need to determine what type of business to create. You will also need to invest in equipment, insurance, marketing, supplies, etc. Having a solid estimate of how much you need is crucial before starting a business.
Death is one inevitable part of human existence, so the need to prepare for it cannot be overlooked. This goes to show that the funeral home business will always thrive as long as human beings exist. To operate a funeral home, at least one member of the staff must have a certificate or degree in mortuary science.
This requirement vary from state to state though. It is important to know that this kind of business is not for everyone, it is for those who naturally can comfort and care for bereaved people whether money is involved or not.
A handyman business is one that provides a wide range of services needed for the maintenance of buildings and properties. The services provided by a handyman include plumbing, electrical works, carpentry, painting, heating and cooling services and other building and property maintenance and repair works.
This business has also been made popular because people are becoming busier by the day and they have no time to do the odd-jobs in their homes. They therefore need help to get these little things done.
A life coach helps someone get clarity on their life’s goals and work toward achieving them. Whether you are going to work from home or hire a room for your coaching, you will need the same basic furniture and equipment. Many coaches do a combination of face-to-face and online coaching to maximize profit.
As an industry, coaching is thriving. As business owners, coaches set their own rates and those rates vary widely. Coaches earn anywhere from $25 per hour to $300+ per hour.
The plumbing sector covers areas such as sanitary, water, gas, heating and cooling, metal roofing, industrial wastes, drainage, building services, mechanical services, air-conditioning, and even fire services. Because these are essential services for commercial and residential buildings, the demand for plumbers never slows down.
Starting a plumbing business is not easy as there are already many new and established companies operating in this field. Your small venture shall have to aggressively market its services to be able to make headway in the industry. The costs involved in starting a plumbing business are minimal, and the business has the potentials of making you good profits.
A power washing business can also be referred to as a pressure washing business. This business can be actualized with minimal investment in equipment and training, but the work needs physical fitness, stamina and business skills. Operating the pressure washer itself takes only a few minutes, but the skill required to safely and effectively clean different surfaces can only be gotten through experience or professional training.
One good thing about the tent rental business is that most often than not, your presence may not be needed as long as you have a competent team handling the business for you. Besides, a good percentage of events such as wedding ceremonies, parties and most social events are done during weekends and if you are lucky not to be working during weekends, you can successfully start a tent rental business.
The truth is that most of the basic skills needed to effectively run a tent rental business are some of the soft skills you are likely going to acquire in your work place.
13. Nanny Placement Agency Business
In our modern world, nannies are hired by parents because of the attention and care they provide to the house. When you decide to start a nanny agency, you’re expected to be in charge of finding out an applicants’ background, their work experience and references.
You should also understand that the way of making money in the nanny agency business is by collecting a fee each time a nanny is placed with a family using your service. The success of your agency will depend solely on the quality of nannies you provide and their job performance.
The services of qualified resume writers are in demand, especially when the economy rebounds from a slump, and more people begin looking for work. If you have experience in writing resumes, or an interest in becoming a certified resume writer, there are opportunities to launch a new career or supplement your existing income.
This is a job that can easily be done at home or anywhere. Start a resume writing service at home by becoming certified, attracting clients and effectively writing great resumes for the people who hire you.
15. Immigration Consulting Business
An immigration consultant is a person who helps people to emigrate from one country to another. If you are a lawyer or someone who has good background in immigration matters, and you are thinking about starting a business, then you should consider starting your own immigration consulting firm.
There are many migrants who are trapped because they don’t know who to talk to when they have challenges with immigration issues, that is why you will never want for clients when you set up your own immigration agency.
16. Professional Organizer Business
A professional organizer turns clutter and chaos into an efficient space for households and businesses. Jobs can range from organizing a small shoe closet to designing a storage space for a marketing firm. Are you a highly organized person who knows where everything goes and enjoys sticking to the system you’ve created?
If you are, and you’re also interested in helping others reach the same level of organization, starting a small business as a professional organizer may be an excellent idea for you.
17. Personal Grocery Shopper Business
A personal grocery shopper helps folks who are too busy or are unable to do their own grocery shopping. This includes busy working professionals, seniors and those who are home-bound with health problems. If you are looking for a way to earn some extra money, personal grocery shopping might be a great option for you.
Unlike other small business ventures, the start-up costs for this endeavor are minimal. The biggest investment required is your time. Personal grocery shopping can be a full time job or a supplement to a current income. The earning potential for a personal grocery shopper really depends on the number of clients you serve and how much time you are willing to devote to the success and growth of the business.
If you want to start making a little extra money on the side and you enjoy looking after children, babysitting is a good option. Unlike opening a professional childcare business, there are no strict rules about starting an informal babysitting business.
If you don’t have experience looking after kids, but want to start a babysitting company, you can take a course and volunteer to look after the children you know first to get some experience. After that, you can start advertising your babysitting services and taking on jobs to build up your business and make money.
19. Hardwood Flooring Business
Homeowners are finding that replacing carpet or tile with hardwood flooring works on many levels. Hardwood flooring, for example, is easy to clean and helps prevent allergies. To start this business, you need to acquire proper installation skills or you can start by working under a master carpenter. Purchase tools for installing the flooring or make sure equipment can be rented in a given area. Obtain a business license and engage experienced part-time workers to help install flooring.
The desire to hide the identity of a gift until just the right moment led people to wrap gifts long, long ago. Some people just don’t like to wrap gifts, so they’re happy to pay someone to do it for them. Others don’t have time or would rather use their time differently.
Either group represents an opportunity for a professional gift-wrapping business. Note that your customers expect upgraded quality if they are paying you to wrap their gifts; otherwise they might simply buy gift bags.
With the residential and commercial cleaning industry generating more more than $78 billion in revenue each year, you might consider starting a maid service of your own. You will have control over the number of hours that you work and will be able to decide which clients to take on. If you own your business, you will also get to decide who to hire as your employees and how to brand your business to the community. With some time, money, and preparation, you can have a successful career running a maid service.
Landscaping for residential applications includes mowing the lawn; weed trimming; planting flowers, shrubs and trees; and trimming hedges and trees. Landscaping businesses will often fertilize plants and grounds as well. This business also involves design of lighting, patios, decks and walkways.
A landscaping business may be any size or perform any of a number of tasks to create and preserve residential lawns as well as commercial grounds. Prices vary from business to business because of the size of the job, complexity and time involved. The need for landscaping businesses grows when wooded areas are developed for residential and commercial use.
A housekeeping business is one of the easiest service businesses to set up and make a decent income from, as it requires minimal startup investment and no formal qualifications to get started. However, starting a housekeeping business requires time and effort.
Starting a housekeeping business can provide a good source of income for entrepreneurs with a talent for organization who are looking for a quick return on their investments. Housekeeping businesses require hard work, attention to detail, and good time management skills, as well as the ability to acquire and maintain clients.
Home staging is a way to prepare a house for sale. By using professional cleaning, repair, and decoration, home staging aims to make the house appear larger, brighter, cleaner, and more inviting to potential buyers. Professional stagers use high level design skills to appeal to a buyer’s senses.
If you have an eye for interior decoration and would like to use your skill to build a business, home staging is a viable option. You can start with a small investment of time and money, making it a great part-time gig or something to do on the side until the business grows enough to support you.
Look anywhere and you’re sure to find graffiti on walls, sidewalks, signs, and fences’ making a graffiti removal service a very in-demand start-up. Removing graffiti does not require a great deal of work experience. In fact, it can be learned on the job through trial and error.
The market is unlimited, largely untapped, and is constantly being renewed so there is lots of upside growth potential. The only equipment required is a portable pressure washer (water) and perhaps a portable sandblaster. No doubt, starting a graffiti removal business can be a profitable business- especially if you are working directly for the government of your country as their agent.
In the right areas of the U.S., someone with a plow hitched to the front of their pickup truck or tractor would be a busy person in the winter. A snow plowing business in the right location can give seasonal outdoor contractors a way of expanding their brand and keeping busy during the winter. Done properly, residential snow-plowing can be more profitable than some commercial work.
And it’s a scalable business, too. It can be just a means of adding a few extra bucks to the coffers or something much bigger than that. Entrepreneurs with a pickup and snow plow on the front can pick up residential clients and stay busy the day of or after a storm. Other contractors could chase bigger plow contracts, like at a shopping center.
According to the Coin Laundry Association, the cash flow of laundromats is typically in the range of $15,000 and $300,000 per year. With hard work and prudent planning, you’re sure to find success in this business. The coin-operated laundry industry has undergone a revolution. No longer dingy, unsafe, boring places that customers must endure on a weekly basis, laundromats are becoming fun and attractive multi-service centers that customers may even enjoy visiting.
Speed dating is a formalized matchmaking process which has the purpose of encouraging eligible singles to meet large numbers of new potential partners in a very short period of time. If you are good with people and enjoy fostering relationships, plus have a desire to go into business of your own, speed dating might be a wonderful combination for your skill set.
29. Personal Assistance Business
Independent personal assistant services are becoming extremely popular and widely utilized by business owners and corporate executives that occasionally have a need for a personal assistant, but not on a full-time basis. Duties performed by a personal assistant include everything from booking appointments to returning telephone calls and, in some cases, even picking up dry cleaning.
Additionally, most personal assistants are required to have computer skills and often travel is required to accompany the client to trade shows, business functions, and out-of-town business appointments. If you like taking care of details and are extremely organized, starting a personal assistant business might be a good career move for you.
A matchmaking service is a company that provides a reliable platform where eligible bachelors and spinsters network to find their life partners, mates or dates. Usually, they run a website where clients display their pictures, profiles and their intentions et al.
Even if you’re average at matching people up, you’re likely looking at about $38,000 a year. Once you break through the ceiling into success, however, things will change. High-class matchmakers charge very high retainerships, and you can get there with skill and perseverance.
31. HVAC Business
HVAC stands for Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning – sometimes HVACR where the R is for Refrigeration. The types of projects in this industry range from working on heating, cooling and ventilation systems. HVAC works on the equipment that control the temperature and quality of air in the building, generally working in homes, schools, office buildings, factories and other commercial properties.
If you are a contractor looking to branch out or an entrepreneur looking to fill a need, you may be thinking about starting your own HVAC business. There will always be a demand for contract work since most homeowners aren’t capable of doing heavy specialized repairs on their own.
Many people, especially pet owners, hire someone to stay in their houses while they go away on vacation. The house sitter’s duties can include anything from taking care of the pets to light house cleaning, tending the lawn, and other chores. While you’re unlikely to make a living house sitting, you can use this business to travel the world inexpensively, or just to make a little extra money.
Even if your house sitting business is only a side gig, it still should be organized just like any other small business. Even with home security systems, homeowners may want the additional peace of mind knowing that someone is on the premises to keep an eye on their home and possessions.
A laser-etching machine lets an artistic individual blend creativity and function into a new career. You can start a simple laser etching business for under $2,000 and earn $15 per hour or more. Before you open up shop, you will need to learn how to use a laser etcher.
You can personalize several products and materials with a laser etcher, including glass, masonite, marble, leather, paper, wood, tile, coated metal, ceramic substrates, plastic, nylon and bamboo. With an engraving business, you will need to determine if you want to target those who are more likely to place small orders, businesses that will place bulk orders or both.
34. Customized Glass Etching Business
Glass etching is the process of etching or embedding a design into a piece of glass. To achieve the etched design, a stencil is securely placed on the glass before using an etching process. The stencil can be custom cut using a cutting machine or hand cut by following a black and white pattern.
Customized glass etching business includes products like gifts, awards, and décor item for both domestic and corporate business clients. The process of glass etching is simple and the business is not only exciting but also very profitable for any entrepreneur looking to start this kind of business.
35. Marriage Counseling Business
Marriage can be such a beautiful experience when you are in it with the right person. Whilst some over the years have had a good taste of marriage, yet others have only had sad tales to tell. Could it be that the person whom they have found themselves entangled with was the wrong person?
Well, not necessarily. The truth is that whether you are in marriage with the wrong or right persons, disagreements would always arise. It is for this reason that some folks go for advice at a marriage counselors’. You must ensure that you have a penchant for this service before you start it.
36. Christmas Light Installation Business
Spread cheer and earn some extra shopping money by starting a business installing Christmas lights. Learn how to set up your Christmas light business, how to get and keep clients and how to follow safety regulations in your area. Operating a Christmas light business can keep you busy from October through March.
Begin by contacting the agency in your state or county that regulates electrical contracting. Even though it may seem like putting up a few Christmas lights is no big deal, electrical safety is important. You may be required to obtain a contractor’s license in order to make a business of adding even temporary exterior lighting.
37. Errand Business for Seniors
With 40 million Americans over age 65 and 6 million over 85, the senior service business has become a cottage industry, requiring everyone from home health care workers to gardeners to fall prevention specialists. One of the fastest growing senior service businesses is running errands for those in their golden years. As seniors age, they often have difficulty getting around to run routine errands.
By providing a service that takes care of everyday errands, seniors can continue to enjoy an independent life at home rather than in a care facility. It is also a wonderful way to make a living while making a difference in the lives of our elders.
38. Personal Shopper for Celebrities
A personal shopper is a person who helps others shop by giving advice and making suggestions. They are often employed by department stores and boutiques, although some are freelance or work exclusively online. Being a personal shopper is a very interesting career.
You can help your clients shop for unique fashion pieces, you can also help to shop for outfits for movies and music videos or put together a fabulous collection for fashion editorials. You are like an image maker and would be largely responsible for the way the public would perceive your client.
39. Septic Tank Cleaning Business
Approximately one-third of U.S. households rely on a septic tank for the removal of residential wastewater and sewage. Although it may not be the tidiest business startup concept, a septic tank cleaning business can be a highly profitable venture for entrepreneurs who understand the industry.
Given the environmental and health risks associated with raw sewage, it’s in your customers’ (and your startup’s) best interest to advocate for routine maintenance. A septic tank cleaning and pumping business can easily be launched as a one-man operation, as long as you have the essential elements needed to get the business off the ground.
40. Crime Scene Cleanup Business
Crime scene cleanup companies are often called in to remove the mess created by crimes and other injuries and deaths. If you’re thinking of starting a crime scene cleaning business, it’s important to make sure you have the stomach for the work, have attention to detail and an ability to deal with loved ones of people who’ve been seriously injured or killed.
It’s also important to make sure you’re in compliance with laws and regulations and that you take steps to keep yourself, your employees and your clients safe. One of the first things to be done in starting your own business is to contact the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) so as to get certified in handling and disposing hazardous waste.
41. Dryer Vent Cleaning Business
There are an estimated 93.3 million dryers in use in America and an increasing number of home fires result from the failure to clean the dryer and dryer exhaust. Dryer vent cleaning service has the potential to earn six figure income. There is a huge demand and need for this service and very few companies provide it at this time. Be the first to establish the company in your area.
After obtaining proper training in dryer vent cleaning, you may want to start your own dryer vent cleaning business. Provide this service to residential and commercial clients to increase sales and build a solid reputation in your community. Hire employees to increase the number of clients your business can service each day and start up your business.
Armed with nothing more than a ladder, garden hose, and basic transportation that will take you from one job to the next, it is possible to earn $200 to $300 per day cleaning leaves and other debris from rain gutters. Gutter cleaning business is one of the businesses that an entrepreneur can positively start small and perhaps with a functional home office without breaking the bank for cash.
You will also need to obtain liability insurance coverage as well as workers’ compensation coverage, especially if you employ people. Market your gutter-cleaning services by designing a flier outlining the details of your service, along with your contact information.