8 Profitable Small Business Ideas For Women

female entrepreneur success profitable small business ideas for women

As the song says: you can go your own way. 

Self-employed and non-traditional workers now make up nearly 35% of the US workforce. The growing appeal of self-employment is obvious, with reasons varying from the greater availability of opportunities (mostly thanks to the internet) to the freedom it offers professional women from the usual rat race. 

If you are a career-minded woman looking to start your own business, it could be time to go independent. 

Here are 8 profitable small business ideas for women

1. Online Trader 

Online retailing represents one of the earliest small business ideas made available by the internet — and it's still one of the most fundamental. 

Almost anyone can break into online retailing. Even from the humble beginnings of an eBay seller, you could build the cash you need to launch a larger enterprise. Or you can choose to stick with eBay as your platform and keep things simple. With enough success, you could even find yourself with a brick and mortar store as a natural outgrowth of your business. 

2. Local Trader 

Don't let the dominance of the internet distract you from the value of a traditional business, particularly business ideas for small towns. Giants like Amazon may have transformed local business, but there are still plenty of opportunities out there for a small business to slot into the community. 

Finding the right partner can help you get a local business off the ground — you can read more here about one such story. But the key is to find something your community needs and build on that as a base for your business. 

3. Selling Art 

If typical retailing is too impersonal for you, there's also the opportunity to make and sell something closer to your heart. Selling art and craft products can net a tidy profit online. Plenty of women have found success in selling their art on platforms like Etsy, where unique, hand-made products can reach a wide audience. Even better, you'll have a USP that no online retailer can match, thanks to the uniqueness of your product. 

Scalability can become a problem when making and selling your own goods, but it's not insurmountable. You'll work out the most efficient ways of handling production as you go, and accepting donations can allow your die-hard fans to support your future work. 

4. Gardening 

Got a green thumb? A talent (or the will) for gardening work is something many people lack, but many of those people have yards and gardens to contend with. If you find joy in it, or at least could go with it as a career, then garden work could be a way to build an independent small business. 

This is also a venture you can bring other people in on if the opportunities are there. That can allow you to grow your small business into something that provides work for other people in your community, too. 

5. Run A Blog 

Are you passionate about something? Want to share it with others? A blog can be a fantastic outlet for that passion — and the foundation of a business. Making a business out of a blog works best if you have a lot of expertise in a subject, particularly if it's not something you can make money from in more traditional ways. 

Running a blog is a gateway to plenty of revenue streams, on top of being one in itself. You can market affiliate content, collect donations via platforms like Patreon, and collect your blog content in a publishable ebook. Blogging is a perfect option for professional women in business.

6. Freelance Writing 

Independence can come from the simplest of skills. If you can string a sentence together, then you're already at the starting square of a freelance writing career. 

You don't need a deep well of qualifications for freelance writing (although they can help), and there are jobs available to the dabbler and career writer alike. Put together a basic portfolio to show what you can do and find some job postings or join a site like Upwork while you cut your teeth in the industry. 

Your freelance writing career will grow along with your skills. As you perfect your talents and gain an understanding of what clients are looking for, your money-making potential will also increase. 

7. Accounting 

Going into business for yourself as a woman doesn't mean abandoning skills you already have. Accounting qualifications are a great example of a business skill that can translate to the perfect small business ideas. 

Put together a simple website with a clear outline on who you are, what you do, and your relevant experience. Then start reaching out to your social circle and beyond to bring in the clients. 

Accounting for personal clients can be a low-stress way to deploy your skills. You might even find a new love for them, once they're removed from the pressures of corporate life. A skilled accountant can command a handsome price, so as your reputation and list of clients grows, you will be able to increase your prices, scaling up the profitability of your business. 

8. Personal Trainer 

With so many people out there trying to eat right and make some "giant gains", the personal training industry is in a good place right now. It is a great way to earn some real money and even use it as a stepping stone to a bigger career in the fitness industry. 

If you have some expertise in the personal training area, consider whether you can expand them into a business. You don't need any formal qualifications, although they will help. If you can get over the initial credibility barrier, you can build your client base and establish a brand. You may have noticed the pattern by now, but this is another industry in which you can replace traditional scalability (in the form of an expanding business) with a move to higher- paying and more prestigious clients. 

Small Business Ideas For Women 

These small business ideas for women are only a small selection of the possibilities out there. If you're determined enough, you can carve out a business niche doing something you love. 

Who knows? You might even come up with something no one else is doing yet. Want even more tips on small business ideas for women? Read this article now.

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