One of my most favourite movies is English Vinglish. A scene in the film that particularly stands out for me is in her English class in New York when Sridevi mentions she has her own ladoo-making business back home, the teacher calls her an entrepreneur. She walks home with a spring in her step, her head held high in pride. That one word gives her the validation to recognise the amazing woman she always has been.
Every time I watch the movie, that one scene really makes me think.
Owning a business can go a long way in boosting a woman’s self-esteem and sense of self-belief. Besides, it can also help her contribute to the family’s income. Needless to say, it makes her financially independent.
But starting your own business sounds very daunting to most people. Don’t you need a lot of money or proper education in entrepreneurship to start a business? Surely it can’t be for everyone!
Well actually, that’s not the case at all.
With a lot of favourable government policies and social media allowing free promotion, women can now easily start a business with something they are good at, right from the comfort of our home.
There even are several micro finance schemes available that provide loans to small businesses in case you need help with the initial capital to start the business.
Here are 21 simple small scale business ideas that allow women to start up now:
If your breads and cakes have always been admired at parties, maybe it’s time to start making it more than a hobby. For women who are gifted with amazing patisserie skills, starting a bakery from home can be a great manufacturing business idea. Cakes are demanded for around the year and the demand for fancy, themed cakes is soaring now. This can be a highly profitable business. The only initial investment required is some baking equipment such as an oven, a whisk, etc which you may already own.
To begin with you can bake goodies only when you receive an order and eventually once you have a few regular customers, you can keep a stock.
Capital required: Rs. 1000 - 7000 (depending on whether you need to buy equipment)
Manpower required: 1-2 people, you can always employ more help as the business takes off
Expected average monthly income: Rs. 15,000- 25,000
If you’re a goddess in the kitchen, this could be your calling. In today’s busy life, many people live away from home for their jobs and don’t have the time to cook for themselves. Plus, they really miss home-cooked food.
This is a great opportunity for you to start a business. You can cook as per demand and don’t need to buy anything you don’t have, except maybe a few tiffin boxes.
The pro here is that most people sign up for weekly or monthly tiffins so you will have a constant flow of work. The only drawback is that a lot of people are already doing this. But still in big cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Bangalore, and Kolkata, there is scope for more tiffin businesses to come up.
Capital required: Rs. 1000 - 2000
Manpower required: 1-2 people, more as the business grows
Expected average monthly income: Rs. 30,000
Starting a tailoring business has been very popular for many years now. You can start this business from home with a sewing machine if you already own one or you can get an inexpensive one now a days. You can start this by working for your family and friends, especially those who live in the neighbourhood.
(You might wish to check How To Operate Mini Sewing Machine Tips & Safety before starting)
In time, you can also start designing your own clothes. This is a scalable business idea. It is profitable as there is barely any investment and people will never stop needing clothes and so they always will need a tailor.
Capital required: If you already have a machine, Rs. 1000 to buy threads, needles, etc.
Manpower required: 1 person which can eventually grow into a workshop
Expected average monthly income: Rs. 15,000 - 30,000
This requires taking some kind of training in beauty and aesthetic services which you can easily get from an institute or existing parlour. Once you have that, this is a very profitable business as the need for beauty services in women doesn’t show any signs of dying any time soon. A Beauty Parlor is very popular and trendy business. You can either set it up in your own home or visit your clients.
Capital required: Rs. 2000 - 5000 for material
Manpower required: 1 person, you can employ more as you start a full time parlour
Expected average monthly income: Rs. 10,000 - 50,000
Starting a pickle making business is a great manufacturing business idea in India. It has a very low startup cost and earn great profit. If you have this special skill of making tasty pickles, you can make an awesome business from this skill.
Capital required: Rs. 2000
Manpower required: 1-2 people
Expected average monthly income: Rs. 5,000 - 20,000
In India, there is an insane demand for Agarbattis. The total market for the business in India is around Rs.3600 crore. Crazy right?
It may be time for you to become a part of this million dollar industry by starting one of the best small-scale manufacturing business ideas. Agarbattis that are made in India are also exported to foreign countries like the USA, Thailand, England. So you can choose to become the manufacturer for an agarbatti seller if you don’t want to market it yourself. Or you can do both!
Capital required: Rs. 2000 - 3000
Manpower required: 1-2 people, more as workload increases
Expected average monthly income: Rs. 5,000 - 40,000
(Check out these Proven Business Ideas for Women)
If you have always been fond of teaching, starting to tutor can be a great business idea for you. You can choose to start off with any teaching institute in your area or even start your own classes from home directly. Again, education is something that never goes out of style so it is a constant source of income.
Capital required: Rs. 0
Manpower required: 1 person
Expected average monthly income: Rs. 2,000 - 25,000
Tutoring doesn't just have to be for education. You can start classes for whatever you are good at such as painting, dance or singing. There are many online platforms that you can use to get more people to sign up for your classes as well.
Capital required: Rs. 0
Manpower required: 1 person
Expected average monthly income: Rs. 2,000 - 25,000
If you are a good writer, then you can start offering your own Content Writing services from your home. New websites are popping up every day and there is an unmatched need for content. As most startups don’t have the need or resources to employ an in-house content writer, so they hire freelance content writers. Top freelance writers even earn 6 digit incomes just from content writing from home. You can get your first project from Freelancing websites and slowly build your own network.
Capital required: Rs. 0 assuming you already have a computer and basic internet connection
Manpower required: 1 person
Expected average monthly income: Rs. 2,000 - 30,000
You can start to earn money from your blogging skill. Click here to read in Hindi.
If you have an eye for design and knowledge in Graphic designing softwares, you can start your own graphic designing business. You can connect with potential clients both in the online and offline market. Most freelancing websites list opportunities for work-from-home graphic designing services as well.
Capital required: Rs. 0 if you use a computer you already have
Manpower required: 1 person
Expected average monthly income: Rs. 2,000 - 30,000
Imitation or costume jewellery has been part of our culture for almost 300 years. Currently, jewellery with semi-precious material is very popular in the market as it looks pretty and is affordable too. This makes it one of the most profitable small scale ventures for women entrepreneurs. You can source your jewellery and sell it at a profit.
Capital required: Rs. 5000-10,000 to buy initial stock
Manpower required: 1 person
Expected average monthly income: Rs. 7,000 - 25,000
Read artificial jewellery business plan in Hindi, Click here.
If you cannot begin your day without 10 Surya Namaskars, why not make a business out of it? If you have learnt yoga and are fond of it, you can start your own business to train other people in yoga. You need to be certified as a yoga teacher to be able to do this. You can probably get certified to teach from the institute where you learnt it itself.
Capital required: Rs. 0
Manpower required: 1 person
Expected average monthly income: Rs. 10,000 - 25,000
Candles have always had a lot of religious significance. With the emergence of decorative and scented candles, they becoming an integral part of the home decor and interior designing landscape as well. A candle making venture is a great idea for small scale women entrepreneurs who are artistically inclined.
Capital required: Rs. 2000 for materials
Manpower required: 1 person, can expand as the business grows
Expected average monthly income: Rs. 5,000 - 15,000
Here you can know about the dropshipping business. Click here to know in Hindi.
With plastic bags being used increasingly less and even banned in some parts of the country, the demand for cloth or jute bags is the highest it’s ever been. These are biodegradable, reusable and eco-friendly item. You can initiate this business from home itself. You can supply to NGOs or brands or even start your own brand if you have a knack for design and can make them look extraordinary.
Capital required: Rs. 5000 - 7000 for materials and equipment
Manpower required: 1-2 people, you can hire more later based on workload as the business grows
Expected average monthly income: Rs. 5,000 - 45,000
You can start your readymade cloth business. Click here to read in Hindi.
Babysitting and childcare facilities are in very high demand due to the rise in number of couples where both partners are working. If you are fond of babies and can look after them responsibly, you can start a babysitting, and childcare service is very minimal.
It can be started at home and you can think about renting a place as the number of children increase. You need to invest in a few toys, cribs and mattresses. Besides, first aid boxes and diaper packets are a must.
Capital required: Rs. 5000 - 7000 for materials and equipment
Manpower required: 1-2 people
Expected average monthly income: Rs. 10,000 - 45,000
This is an excellent small business idea which needs very low investment. Due to increased ecological awareness, many people now like to have small plants and shrubs at their homes and work spaces. If you have a green thumb, you can start a gardening service or nursery to sell saplings, seeds, fertilisers, etc.
Capital required: Rs. 2000 - 4000 for stock
Manpower required: 1 person
Expected average monthly income: Rs. 2000-10,000
Well, people obviously love their pets. But when they are travelling for a holiday or on a business trips, it can often be hard to take their pets along. Hence, people look for pet sitters to take care of their furry friends when they can’t.
If you like animals and probably have a pet of your own, you can consider this business. Again, it needs little to no investment.
Capital required: Rs. 0 - 1000
Manpower required: 1 person
Expected average monthly income: Rs. 5000 - 25,000
Wanderlust is the current buzzword. Everyone loves to travel but planning a trip is not everyone’s cup of tea. If you understand travel and basic logistics, you can offer a travel planning service from anywhere you can work on a computer. You can either collaborate with an existing major travel agent or enter agreements with service providers and get commissions for every reservation you make.
Capital required: Rs. 0
Manpower required: 1 person
Expected average monthly income: Rs. 5000 - 25,000
Just like travel, if you have a knack for planning, you can also start a party planning business. You help people organise person as well as business parties so they can celebrate birthdays, anniversaries and other special occasions hassle-free. You will have to coordinate with all the vendors to ensure everything in the party goes seamlessly.
Capital required: Rs. 0
Manpower required: 1 person or you can choose to have a team
Expected average monthly income: Rs. 10000 - 45,000
During times such as Diwali and the new year, a lot of big corporates like to send out massive gifts to all their stakeholders. If gifting is your thing and you can package well, this is a great business idea with little investment on your part. All you need to do is create samples of gifts such as pens, wallets, mugs etc for the corporates to choose from.
Capital required: Rs. 2000 - 4000
Manpower required: 1-2 people to begin with
Expected average monthly income: Rs. 10000 - 45,000, this may rise during special occasions and fall during slack periods of the year
If you have a sweet tooth and like making chocolates, you can turn it into a business venture. Homemade chocolates are great for consumption as well as for gifting. You need barely any investment for this and the turnover is great. With time, you can also get gift shops and pastry stores to source their chocolates from you. This is a particularly profitable venture during Diwali, Christmas and wedding season.
Capital required: Rs. 2000 - 4000
Manpower required: 1-2 people
Expected average monthly income: Rs. 5000 - 20,000
While most of these businesses don’t require major investment to start up, in case you feel you need more funds, you shouldn’t worry. The government encourages small scale entrepreneurship and has special loans available to help you get started.
You can sell your products online. Click here to read in Hindi.
Here are some Small Scale Loan Options From Government:
1. The Credit Guarantee Fund Scheme for Micro and Small Enterprises
This scheme provides collateral-free credit to Indian MSMEs. Both the existing as well as the new enterprises are eligible to apply. They provides credit facilities in the form of term loans and working capital facility.
2. MUDRA Loans
The Micro-units Development and Refinance Agency or MUDRA is a government organisation to provide business finance to micro-business units and help in ‘funding the unfunded’. These are low-interest loans provided to micro or small businesses operating in the manufacturing, trading and services sector.
3. National Small Industries Corporation Subsidy
The NSIC subsidy offers two types of financial aid – Raw Material Assistance and Marketing Assistance. Under the raw material assistance, both indigenous and imported raw materials are covered. Under the marketing support, funds are given to SMEs for enhancing their competitiveness and the market value of their products and services.
(Also Check this Detailed Guide For Business Loans For Women in India)
If you are looking for a sign to start your own business, let this be it! All the best!
You can join the She Starts Up Community on SHEROES to connect with Like-minded women and get started.
Hindi Version Of This Article -
पढ़ें इस लेख को हिंदी में और जानिये - हाउसवाइफ के लिए घर बैठे कम लागत के बिज़नेस आइडियाज |