If you have $100,000 to start a business, you have many great options. You can open a bakery, brewery, or restaurant, work in building, manufacturing, solar power, or healthcare, book trips, or flip a house.
Do what you feel like doing. Do some study to find out which markets are growing and which have the most growth potential.
Above all, look at our list of great business ideas under $100,000 to get started.
1. Coffee Shop
Since about 200 million Americans drink coffee every day, almost every street has a coffee shop or café. Like many other businesses, coffee places suffered during the outbreak, but they are now on the mend and expect steady growth in the years to come. Starting your own coffee shop could be a great way to take advantage of this trend and make a decent living while giving a lot of people a nice pick-me-up every day.
Starting a coffee shop will require work, of course. The best bistros have delicious baked goods and a wide range of food choices, as well as a nice place to wait and enjoy. Because of this, you’ll need to carefully choose your position, furniture, and product offerings. You should also be careful when choosing your coffee seller to make sure it is fair trade and good for the environment. If you love coffee and want your business to grow, it could be a very rewarding and successful experience.
2. Auto Repair Shop
At least 70 million cars in the US are over 15 years old and may need repairs soon. This means that car repair shops all over the country have chances to learn. Now is the time for you to start your own car repair business. By 2024, the US auto repair industry is expected to bring in about $60 billion.
One problem is that it costs a lot to start a car repair business. You will need to buy a hydraulic lift, a diagnostic machine, an air compressor, a jack, jack stands, and other tools and equipment. To get an ASE (National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence) certification, you must also finish training in how to service and fix cars. This certification will give you a leg up on the competition and show potential customers that you are qualified to fix cars. It will also help you get risk protection and get money. You should be able to start and run your own business if you get the right skills and put in a lot of hard work.
3. Cryptocurrency
If you are a business or want to be one, you must always be on the lookout for the next big thing. This thing has recently been cryptocurrencies, which are digital currencies that use blockchain technology and security to keep deals safe and create new units of value. As of the beginning of 2022, the global market for cryptocurrencies is worth about $1.8 billion. With a yearly growth rate of 58%, it is projected to be worth more than $32 billion by 2028.
Digital currency is forecast to be the industry with the most growth, and you can join in by starting your own cryptographic money business. If you don’t want to make your own cryptocurrency, you will need to decide if you want to start a wallet, which is an app that lets people store and spend cryptocurrencies, or an exchange, which lets people buy and sell cryptocurrencies. You could also become a bitcoin investor and trader, which would require you to know a lot about the fast-changing cryptocurrency market.
Before you spend a lot of your own or other people’s money, you should do a lot of research. If you can find an area, you could make a lot of money in this business.
4. Taxi
With all the ride-sharing apps out there, you might be shocked to find out that regular taxis are still doing well. In the United States, the cab and limousine industry is worth more than $66 billion and is projected to grow at a good rate in the coming years. If you don’t mind driving and like meeting new people, a cab service could be a great way to start your own business.
Starting will require some real work and risk. If you don’t already have one, you’ll need to get one, along with the right insurance and any permissions you need. In some cities, a car use permit can be very expensive. For example, a taxi badge in New York City costs $80,000. In places like Cleveland, it costs less than $300. After you have everything set up, you need to make a website so that people can find you. You might also want to offer an app, since most vehicle services now let people order cars whenever they want.
Before you spend a lot of money, yours or someone else’s, you should do a lot of study. If you can find a niche in this business, you could make a lot of money.
5. Pastry kitchen
Who doesn’t like food right out of the oven? If you’re always covered in flour, now is a good time to think about starting your own business. Even though there has been a push against carbs, the US baking industry has been growing steadily for years and is now worth more than $12 billion. You could start your own restaurant or home-based baking business and share your delicious recipes with the world while making a living.
But starting a baking business can be hard and requires getting through a number of obstacles. People will keep coming back if you choose a few really great baked goods. You will need to get the right tools and supplies for your new bakery or kitchen. You’ll also need to pass a health check and get a license from the government, which are both necessary for food businesses.
Then, all you have to do is start selling your tasty treats, and with a little luck, you should soon have a lot of orders to fill!
6. Food Trailer
In the United States, there are now more than 35,000 food trucks and carts, and that number is projected to grow as more people go out and spend more money. Permanent food trucks that make and serve food like hot dogs, tacos, foreign dishes, and fancy cooking. You can find them in parks, parking places, streets, at big events, fairs, and festivals.
If you’re an entrepreneur, a food trailer business could be the perfect way to turn your love of food into a job. But before you start making great food, you need to do market study and find out what your rivals are offering. Figure out your own niche market and what kind of food you want to sell.
When you have unique things, it’s much easier to get customers. You will also have to follow the rules for grants and permission. When you’re ready to start cooking, take your trailer to the park.
7. Digital Marketing Agency
Because of the crisis, many people are staying at home and working from home. Because of this, companies have gone online and started digital marketing campaigns to keep their target customers interested. By 2026, global digital marketing is expected to be worth $786 billion, which is more than three times as much as it was in 2016.
You’re in luck if you want to start your own advanced marketing company. There’s never been a better time to make it happen. Just keep up with market changes and know the steps you need to take to start a business. Remember that this is a new business, so there are no hard and fast rules for success. But it could be helpful to learn from what other groups have done. Before making your first digital ad or social media post, read as much as you can about the company. After that, you should be able to master online marketing!
8. The hair salon
The industry is very big. In the United States alone, it is worth more than $46 billion. More importantly, it is expected to grow by about 40% by 2027, giving businesses the opportunities they need. If you’re good with hair and have a good sense of style, you could open your own studio and help people look better and feel more confident while making a good living.
It may be a very satisfying experience, but it also has some difficulties. If you don’t want to have a mobile service that comes to people’s homes, your first goal will be to find a great location, preferably in an area with a lot of foot and car traffic. The next step is to create it in a way that fits with your style and makes your customers feel comfortable. Last but not least, you’ll need to pick your things and services. Will you only do hairstyles, or will you also color and wash hair? You could offer extra services like massages for the head and nails.
After you’ve made all of these choices and gotten all of the necessary permits and licenses, all that’s left to do is market your business well to get your first customers.
9. Car Wash
Some people love their cars so much that they have to keep the outside and inside in perfect shape. Because of this, there are now about 17,000 car washes in the United States and a $28 billion business that is growing. With a good guess, you could start your own car wash business, make a lot of car owners happy, and make enough money to cover your rent.
Location is important because most people don’t go out of their way to find a good car wash. It is important to find a place with enough room, steady traffic, and easy entry. Some of the best places to live are near shopping centers, stores, and highway rest stops. Once you know, you’ll need to find the best car washing tools and learn more about car cleaning. You’ll be washing your way to the bank in no time!
10. Business of App Development
Do you ever think about how often you use apps on your phone? Most people use apps often throughout the day, which is why they are one of the industries growing at the fastest rate in the world. By 2026, the global app industry is expected to have grown by about 40% and be worth more than $465 billion. If you are good with technology, you could start your own app company and make a lot of money with it.
But getting there wouldn’t be as easy as getting into your phone. For your first app, you will need a great idea. Assuming you’ve already gotten it, you’ll need to fill out the form and code before major app stores like Apple and Google will check and approve your app. The real work starts when you have to convince smartphone owners that your app is more important and interesting than the millions of other apps that are also trying to get their attention.
That may seem like the easy part, but a lot of business owners make the same mistake. Even the best apps need a good marketing plan to get people to use them. An app can be made by any idiot. Getting people to use it is hard.
11. SEO Agency
Google is the best search engine and the main way most people get on the internet. Because of this, one of the fastest-growing businesses in the world is website cleaning (also called Web optimization), which is based on the ideas and methods that lead to Google’s preferred search results. The market is growing at a rate of 17% per year and is expected to grow by a factor of five by 2030. Start an SEO company right away to ride this wave of success and help businesses make more money.
If you are not already an SEO pro, you can take both free and paid online classes to help you get there. Once you know the basics of SEO, you should make your own website with information that is good for SEO. Once that’s done, you’ll have proof of your SEO skills that you can use in your marketing tools to get more customers.
If you can provide great service and bring in more customers, you’ll be on your way. You’ll get recommendations.
12. Ecommerce Business
Have a great business idea but don’t know how to start? The internet is often the best place to start these days, and many online businesses have done well there in recent years. You’ve probably heard of Amazon, but in the $4 trillion global market, there are also millions of smaller companies.
E-commerce sales went up by more than a quarter in 2020 and are still going up, which shows that this business still has a lot of potential because so many people are stuck at home. Your new online business will need a good product that people want, an easy-to-use website, and a well-thought-out marketing plan. But if you are willing to spend a lot of time and money, your chances of success are very good. Doesn’t everyone win in the end? Jeff Bezos?
13. Accounting
You might think that clerks and bookkeepers do similar work in general and in a few smaller ways. But while accountants use bookkeepers’ information to put together financial statements and study a company’s finances, bookkeepers mostly just keep track of small financial deals. Because of how important their job is to financial security, there are 1.5 million bookkeepers and a $55 billion business in the United States.
You could start your own accounting company and help a lot of businesses keep better track of their money while still working hard and being good with numbers. You could also start out by offering your services to people all over the world while working from home.
Remember that you need to become a qualified clerk, which takes a good amount of training and practice. But once you’ve gotten past that obstacle and started building your image with the help of others, you’ll be well on your way to success.
14. Planning an Event
Some of the most memorable events are weddings, reunions, and graduation parties. With your own event planning business, you can help a lot of people make experiences that will last a lifetime. The industry is growing quickly and is worth $3 billion in the US alone, showing that there is a chance. If you like making plans and keeping things in order, this could be the right job for you, and now is a great time to start.
Weddings, reunions, and funerals that have been put off for a long time are becoming more usual. With a little information, self-confidence, and planning skills, you can get into this growing business. A small amount of money is all you need to start an event planning business, and event planners usually get 15–25% of the total cost. So, think about how great it will be to plan a $100,000 wedding dinner while working from home.
15. Pet Store
Since people are stuck at home because of the disease, there are more pet owners. In the last 10 years, Americans spent $110 billion on their pets, which is more than four times what they spent in the previous 10 years. If you love animals, you could own a pet business and help people take better care of their pets while also finding new homes for lots of cute animals.
You’ll have to decide which dogs to sell and how many things, like food, toys, and extras, to offer. Another important step is to get all the necessary licenses and rights for selling pets and to follow all the rules. Although starting a pet store is difficult, it can be done. With a little luck and confidence, you can start your own business and make money off of Americans’ love of animals.
16. Delivery Service
During the outbreak, the courier and area delivery services business in the United States was one of the few that did well. Demand went up because people stayed at home and needed food, clothes, packs, and other customer things. Since about 2017, the company has grown by more than 5% every year, and it is projected to hit almost $135 billion by 2022. If you want to start a business, start with delivery.
You can run a service business from home, but you’ll need to get one if you don’t already have one. Because you will be fighting with Walmart, Amazon, Instacart, and other companies, you should make a business plan that includes an aggressive marketing strategy. Once you’ve created your own unique brand of service, your delivery business could make a lot of money.
17. IT consulting
As our world becomes more digital, it’s no surprise that more and more groups want help figuring out how to adapt to and benefit from this new technology environment. This helps to explain why IT consulting has grown so quickly in the United States, where it is now worth more than $500 billion. Since the industry is likely to grow even more in the coming years, now is a great time to start your own IT consulting business and get in on the action.
The most important thing is knowledge. If you have a degree in computer science, information technology, or engineering and have worked in similar jobs for a well-known consulting or technology business for a few years, you have the experience you need to become an IT adviser. You’ll need to register your business and build a good website, but you may soon be helping top companies with their IT needs. If you do good consulting work for your first few clients, you will be well on your way to building a good image, getting leads, and running a successful business.
18. Personal Chef
If you like cooking and are good at it, becoming a personal chef could be a great way to start your own business. As a result of the crisis, more people are choosing to eat at home, and the personal cook business is doing well. A personal cook makes meals daily or weekly for private clients. There are about 6,000 personal cooks working in the United States.
To start a personal chef business, you must be able to handle your time well, have a well-equipped kitchen, be good at cooking, and be creative enough to come up with meals that your clients will enjoy. Before you start out, you should do market study to see what other cooks offer and how much they charge. You will need a good marketing plan to bring in clients who are likely to be quite well-off. If you want to make money doing something you like, start selling how great your cooking is.
19. Accounting Firm
If you are a bookkeeper, you may want to start your own accounting business. Accounting services are always in high demand, and it is one of the most successful small businesses. As the US economy gets better, business profits are likely to go up. This is a huge opportunity for accounting firms. Accounting services in the United States are worth more than $140 billion and are still growing.
Before you start, you should know all of the risks that come with starting a business and have a clear idea of your goal. In some places, you might not need to be a CPA to start an accounting company. You only need to register it as a business and agree to all the rules and laws that apply. But getting certified will let you do some things that only CPA companies can do. With the right skills, a strong marketing plan, and a lot of hard work, you could make your accounting company very successful.
20. Cooking Class
Could it be said that you are a skilled and well-prepared cook? You can start a cooking class business and make money while helping others in the kitchen. The outbreak is expected to have a big effect on the $2 billion cooking class market in the United States. Internationally, the company is projected to grow by 450% by 2029, driven by demand from Generation Z and recent college grads.
Before starting a business, it’s important to get the appropriate certifications to improve the value of your brand. If you give online lessons, you can set up a Do-It-Yourself studio in your kitchen, but you will need tools and hardware. If you’re going to do it often, you’ll also need a high-resolution camera, microphone, lighting equipment, a fast internet connection, and live streaming apps. You have to get clever with your marketing because you will be fighting with culinary schools. With good planning and market study, your cooking class business can do well.
21. Donut Shop
Many well-known doughnut shops don’t seem to ever run out of fresh kinds. In addition to the basic baked donuts, these tasty treats are covered with KitKat, dipped in frosting, filled with strawberry jam, and more. If you can think of unique flavors that can compete with Dunkin’ Donuts and Krispy Kreme, it’s time to start your own doughnut business. As the US doughnut market, which is believed to be worth $7.5 billion, grows, you will have a lot of chances.
You will need to find ways to get money and follow the law in order to buy donut-making tools and choose a good location for your business. Your biggest challenge will be to beat the rising healthy food trend that makes people less likely to eat doughnuts. It’s scary, but it’s also not possible. Your company’s success may depend on whether you have a creative marketing plan in addition to a good business plan. Once you’ve solved these problems, it’s time to put on your apron and start rolling out the dough.
22. Printing T-Shirts
T-shirt printing is a profitable business that is growing in popularity, especially among young people. If you’re looking for a new business to start, look no further than Shirts. By 2028, the world market for custom T-shirts is expected to be worth $8 billion.
Rising spending income and a growing desire for personalized shirts are likely to drive growth.
T-shirts are available to everyone, but knowing how to use silk screen printing and the newest technologies, such as direct-to-garment and sublimation, is helpful for growth and success. You could make packages that include the clothes, design, and printing services for the ease of your customers. You could do it in a new way by making your own unique t-shirts. If you have the right skills and tools, you can be great in tees.
23. Dollar Store
Think all dollar places are very similar? You might be surprised at how many different kinds there are. There is a dollar store for everyone, whether you’re looking for party items or a variety of things. What are you waiting for, then, if you want to open your own dollar store? Before the pandemic, dollar and variety shops were growing at a rate of over 3% per year. Now that most restrictions have been lifted, dollar shops stand to gain as customers become more price-conscious.
It can be fun to start up your own dollar shop. But how should we move? To set yourself apart from other dollar shops on the market, you might want to focus on a particular market segment. A bookstore, a do-it-yourself shop, or a small grocery store are all good choices. You can start by buying things from other dollar shops and exchanging them. You could start out as an online shop and make your website and social media sites your storefront.