Top 10 Profitable Small Business Ideas for Small Towns

Even if there are limited opportunities for business in a small community, there are still various ways for an entrepreneur to survive in the community. There should be no doubt that there will be small business ideas for small towns that are likely to be profitable. The main incentive for venturing in business in such locations is the smaller capital needed and the lower overhead.

It is easier to organize a business in a small town where people know each other. Every person is good at something and harnessing each person’s skills and capabilities will lead to a circle of prosperity. Explore the top profitability ideas for small towns in the list below.

10. Local clothing

People who live in smaller communities have a distinct advantage. They are more used to a traditional way of life and children, especially the women are taught domestic chores at an early age. For sure, there will be one or two seamstresses in the community. Use this to advantage and search online for ideas on how to create visors, caps, bags, shirts and other articles of clothing to promote local pride. Make the items available in local stores. Visitors to your community would find souvenirs like these interesting.

9. Local jewelry

In the same manner, you could harness your artistic talent to turn local items into jewelry. Check local history books, talk with older citizens in your community to find out more about local customs and traditions and draw inspiration from them. Rocks, shells, pottery, driftwood and other items found in your neighborhood could be turned into beautifully creative key chains, bookmarks, pendants, earrings, necklaces and bracelets. The outline of your community or your state could be made into a unique design for the above items.

8. Make local postcards

If you are good with a camera and have the eye for beauty, scour your town for the perfect scenic spots and take pictures. Turn these into postcards, posters and photo frames that you could sell locally and online. In the same token, you might even be a guide for hire when visitors come to your town.

7. Local and organic foods

Give value to local produce by going organic. More and more people are aware of the harm done not only to the environment but also to consumers of food that are not pesticide-free. You could organize weekend organic markets to encourage other farmers to use organic farming methods. Your business could be a hit when you announce the event and invite consumers from neighboring towns to come. Extend the organic vegetable market by selling condiments, sauces and local delicacies made from organic produce harvested from your local farms. Get certified as an organic farmer so you could sell your produce to larger markets, not just locally.

6. Local outdoor sports

Your town might have a spot for bird watching. This is one of the top outdoor sports in the country and hundreds of bird watching enthusiasts usually flock to different parts of the country each season. Get expert help to come up with a local bird watching reference guide to sell to visitors. Are you near mountains, white water rapids, caves or parks? You could organize hiking adventures, cave exploration or outdoor camps for summer, all laced with local hospitality.

5. Sell local produce online

If you are a farmer, do not concentrate on just your local market. Expand your business by creating a website and selling your produce online. There are several tutorials on how to set up a simple website or hire the services of a web designer to help you come up with the perfect design that is simple to update. Include an e-commerce system and organize a delivery system. Aside from perennial produce, you could give focus to seasonal fruits and vegetables that are attractive to most consumers. Your local trade and business bureau will have plenty of information on how to go about this.

4. Buy global products to sell locally

There are still plenty of small business ideas for small towns that you can find here. Oftentimes you will only find products locally manufactured sold at stores around a small community. However, there is always a market for people who want to buy global products. Make it easy for them to find these types of products by buying them and selling them to local customers. You only have to make a survey of what people in your community are looking for and then you source them out. You have the choice to buy both perishable and non-perishable goods if you have a good storage system or concentrate on one to avoid food spoilage, high inventory and high overhead costs.

3. Sell things that you fix

Are you very good at fixing most things? More people are now throwing out a lot of broken stuff because they do not want to bother about having these things fixed. However, there are many more people who cannot afford to buy items because of lack of funds for stuff that could strain their meager budget. Set up a small shop where you could fix broken appliances for example. Some might want to sell them to you instead of getting them fixed. This gives you the opportunity to offer two types of services – fixing broken things and selling things that you have fixed.

2. Be a business window painter

If you have the talent for this type of business, what is there to stop you? You can easily set up your business and invest in paints and brushes. Study your community, find inspiration online and create a portfolio of window painting designs suitable for each type of storefront, environment and building façade. This will give you a unique selling proposition for your local clients. You do not have to cater only to your community. Build a website and let other companies know of your business and expertise.

1. Share your knowledge

If you are good at something or at most things, then why use this to your advantage and build your business around it. You could be a tutor, a part-time teacher or a part-time professional coach, not just in sports but in business as well.

Starting a business is not that complicated particularly if you take the hints given in this list of top small business ideas for small towns. The most important thing to do is to carefully identify where your interest lie and what you are capable of doing. The next step is to get expert help to get your business off the ground, from capitalization to business set up, marketing and management.