Finding the perfect small profitable business idea can seem very hard to do.
Considering how many options there are out there, before making a decision, you need to analyze your options carefully.
So, the main question that you’re probably asking yourself is:
Out of the hundreds of business ideas I’ve come accross, “which is the most profitable business?“
In plain, you’re probably wondering which business makes the most money…and is within your budget.
I’ve compiled a list of small but profitable business ideas that you can get started in 2022.
Here we go.
Small Profitable Business Ideas for 2022
Over the past few years, especially since 2020, with everyone suddenly finding themselves at home, many have taken the initiative to start a business.
And several people have seen crazy levels of success with their businesses.
But realistically, not everyone did well with their business ideas.
If you do things right, by the end of 2022, you could be one of the successful business owners.
That’s why I’ve put together this post, to give you some profitable business ideas that you can start in 2022.
Let’s start with the first idea.
1. Blogging
Blogging is probably one of the most profitable businesses you can get your hands on, even in 2022.
Many people think that blogging is dead.
That’s simply a lie.
Blogging is still going strong, and it isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
If you’ve heard about blogging but don’t really know what it is, let me give a quick explanation.
I’ll start by saying that right now, you’re on a blog.
Now, let me break it down.
Let’s say, you have a question about something that you’re either not familiar with at all, or maybe you just need recommendations.
You head over to google and type in your question.
You see several websites pop up with answers to your questions.
You click on one of them and that website answers your question really well.
You’ve just landed on a blog.
But your question right now is probably “how do people make money blogging?“
There are several ways to make money with a blog:
- Ads – I’m sure you’ve seen ads popup on your screen while reading through a website. Yes, that’s one way to make money blogging. People get paid if enough people stop on their blog and have those ads shown to them.
- Affiliate Marketing – Here’s how affiliate marketing works. A blogger promotes a particular product on their blog through a unique affiliate link. If someone click on the link and buys the product, the blogger gets a commission from the sale. This one is a huge way to make money blogging.
- Paid products – As a blog’s audience grows, you can create a course or an ebook (really, it could be anything of value that people are willing to buy).
- Sponsored posts – This is when a brand pays a blog to promote them on one of their posts.
As you can see, there are several ways to make money blogging. You just need to decide on what you want to blog about and take the first steps on your blogging journey to get started.
2. Social Media Consulting
People spend crazy amounts of time on social media every day.
Originally, social media used to be mainly for entertainment and fun.
But recently, things are completely changing.
Now, social media is a place where people run their businesses, hire employees, offer their services, advertise their brands – you name it.
Everything happens on social media.
With the amount of activity on social media, a lot of people now want to grow their social media presence, build a community, or simply make some money online.
Now you could also do any of these.
But my focus here is on you being the consultant – the expert who helps people grow their online presence.
People and businesses are often willing to pay a premium to get genuine help to grow their brands.
The market is large, no doubt.
But in all honesty, so is the competition.
There are several other people who offer social media consulting services.
But that should not stop you because, on social media, your brand is YOU.
People choose you because they like your personal brand.
But, to make this INSANELY profitable business work, you have to do it right.
To become the social media expert, you need to spend time learning first.
Invest in a great social media course and spend one or two months learning.
Then start growing your social media consulting platform.
3. Ecommerce
eCommerce is another profitable business idea you could get into.
This one may require an upfront investment.
But the truth is, eCommerce is also one of the most profitable businesses you can start right now.
It’s all about doing your homework right.
Find out what product people are buying consistently.
As a rule of thumb, don’t center your branding around a single trending product.
Some products have spikes in sales that die just as quickly.
Ideally, look for a product that is predicted to have consistent sales for a long period of time.
Why many people fail with eCommerce is the lack of proper planning.
They end up either going for a product that people don’t care about, or a product that is too competitive.
There are many moving parts to starting an eCommerce business, but eCommerce is VERY profitable.
If you’re interested in learning how to start an eCommerce business, check out this post.
4. Dropshipping
Dropshipping is almost like eCommerce.
Except, it gets better…
Unlike regular eCommerce, with dropshipping, you don’t need to have stock at hand.
You basically act as a middle man.
Someone comes to your site, and places an order.
You fulfil that order with a third-party store like Alibaba for example.
Typically, the third-party store offers at a cheaper price to you, and you offer at a higher price on your site.
And in a nutshell, that’s how dropshipping works.
Here’s the mistake many people make:
They think it’s so easy that they don’t do proper research before getting started.
With any business idea, you need to do your homework, and make a business plan.
Anything less than that is the recipe for failure.
With that said, If you wan’t to learn more about dropshipping, check out this post.
5. Course Creation
If there’s a particular skill that you’re really good at, you have a chance of making a lot of money by creating a course.
Now, there are a lot of places to sell your courses online – places that already have a lot of traffic.
Some popular platforms are: Skillshare, Udemy and Coursera.
Creating a course is a lot of work.
But again, you don’t need too much money to get it done (you may not even need any money at all).
However, there’s another dimension to it.
You could decide to create the course and host it on your own site.
You could also create courses for free on YouTube and then monetize your business in other ways, or publicize your main course through generating traffic from YouTube.
However, overall, creating an online course is an awesome and profitable business idea.
To learn how to make a course, check out this post.
Speaking of YouTube, let’s talk about it next.
6. YouTube
YouTube is another profitable business idea that is definitiely worth the shot in 2022
Over the past few years, YouTube has besically exploded.
People now make full-time incomes with just YouTube.
Yes, it does require a lot of work and dedication, but it is totally worth it.
Another amazing thing about YouTube is, you can basically do anything on it and grow a following – as long as you remain consistent with it.
You can start creating videos with just your phone – you don’t have to own a camera to start.
To learn how to start a YouTube channel check out this video.
7. Website Development
Another great business idea is offering website development services.
Believe it or not, many businesses still don’t have websites.
You can save them…
But really, website development is still going strong.
You may think the market is saturated, but there are billions of businesses worldwide – and many of them don’t have websites.
Also, many local business don’t have websites because they haven’t seen the value in it.
You can start by reaching out to small businesses in your area to build your portfolio.
As you build your portfolio, you can start building a following on any social media platform of your choice, to get more leads and offer your services internationally.
If you’re thinking “I don’t want to be a web designer in the long run”, then you can always transition your web development business into an agency.
Actually, this is what most people do – they start their web development businesses alone, and as it grows (which it most definitely will), they hire people to continue the work.
If this sounds like a great business for you, there are many platforms (free and paid) where you can learn web development.
The first step is learning how to build websites.
TIP: You can actually learn on the job, just make sure that for a start, your prices match your skill level. Don’t underprice or overprice.
8. Mobile App Development
Mobile app development is another great business idea that you should definitely consider.
Just like website development, many business need mobile apps.
Part of your job as a mobile app developer is to show your potential clients the importance of a mobile app for their businesses – at least to get your first few clients.
Ideally, more of your work should come from referrals and leads you’ve strategically generated.
People spend a lot of time on their phones – which is one of the reasons why mobile apps are becoming such a major part the branding of many businesses.
You can make a lot of money through mobile app development – it’s simply a valuable service for many businesses.
If this sounds like a business idea that you’re interested in, you can start by doing simple online searches to learn all you can about mobile app development.
9. Search Engine Optimization
Search Engine Optimization is another great business idea.
For a website to effectively attract people, it has to appear on search results.
SEO is all about studying the analytics and finding out the best strategy to attract the most eyeballs to a website or blog.
Many business owners will pay a premium to have their websites appear on search results.
To learn how to do search engine optimization, you can start by taking a good SEO course.
Check out this post to learn more about SEO.
10. Graphic Design and Brand Strategy
Graphic design is another profitable business idea in 2022.
While there are many free tools like Canva, graphic design is not just about making logos and flyers
It’s about positioning a brand in the way that they want to be seen by their target market.
As a graphics designer, it is part of your job to communicate the value of your work to your potential clients.
You can offer brand positioning consulting sessions as well as graphic design projects.
To learn about graphic design, check out this post.
11. Digital Marketing
Digital marketing is an awesome opportunity to help business owners take their businesses online.
It involves all forms of online marketing, like social media, website content creation etc.
Acoording to the American Marketing Association (AMA), some ways to conduct digital marketing include:
- Seach Engine Optimization
- Search Engine Marketing
- Pay-Per-Click
- Social Media Marketing
- Email Marketing
- Affiliate Marketing
- Content Marketing
- Native Advertising
I’m sure you can see why having all these skills can produce a profitable business.
Businesses can get a lot of value from digital marketing services for sure.
12. Content Creation
To market their services, many businesses need to create content.
However, many businesses do not have a content creator.
To fill this gap, you can start a content creation business and expand it into a content creation agency as you go.
First, you need to decide what type of content you would like to create and it starts by deciding what platform you’ll be creating content for.
You could create blog posts, instagram content or platform tailored content.
But it’s a good idea to start with a specific platform especially at the beginning.
13. Business Coaching
Finally, if you have a business background you can coach people on how to start a business.
The business failure stats are horrifying – with some help, more people can start successful businesses.
You can offer a one-on-one online coaching session, a group session, or an online course.
With a lot of free tools you don’t have to meet face to face with people to offer value to them.
To learn how to start a business coaching business, you can take a paid online course to help you with all the basics.
Conclusion
There are so many profitable business ideas that you can start in 2022.
This list can give you some inspiration or present you with the best business idea for you.
Here are some extra resources to help you get started with your business:
- 15 Creative Business Ideas for Students – Make Money as a Student
- How to Write a Business Plan in 11 Steps – Complete Guide
- Start a Business in 2022 – The Ultimate Business Startup Guide
Are you ready to start a business? Start today!
See you in the next post!
Hi, I’m Esther – a creative and business startup enthusiast. My aim is to help several people to independently start businesses faster and more effectively, reach financial freedom, and achieve fulfillment.