To start a business is to jump off a cliff edge. No matter how much you think you know about entrepreneurialism, organisation or profit-making, a new startup is a mysterious affair, one beset with obstacles which appear from nowhere, like light-footed fox on a midnight street.
Hearing the life lessons of successful entrepreneurs is like reading the autobiography of a serial gambler who somehow beat the house and became a billionaire. They invested in everything, stuck their money grubbing fingers in a massive range of pies, and found at least a few of their business acquisitions came good.
But theirs is a charmed life, and the path of the entrepreneur isn’t advisable for the majority of people. For the less reckless amongst us, a stable startup with minimal obstacles is the path to comfortable success.
None of this means that a supposedly ‘stable’ business will be a sure-fire hit. But it does mean that it’ll be a less risky proposition. To continue the gambling metaphor, you need to be in with the old ladies at the one-penny bandits, not in the smoky back room with the high rollers destroying their bank accounts over a game of poker.
To give you a helping hand, we’ve come up with a few promising small startups to inspire you. They’re still a risky venture, but a low risk one – and they could become big business.
Blow dry bar
People don’t always want a haircut and styling session that last 72 hours and takes a team of 7,000 hair stylists, each working around the clock to coif your follicles to luscious perfection. They want to have hair that looks good on a night out, and they want it fast.
That’s where blow dry bars come in. These increasingly popular salon alternatives are designed specially to give you beautifully styled hair in a short time.
The cost of setting up a blow dry bar is considerably smaller than a full-scale salon, not least because this can be a mobile service which takes place in your client’s home.
This means you’ll be need top of the range hair curling, styling and holding equipment at a decent price, much like those supplied by Mark Hill, Boots and many other suppliers.
This is a small-scale operation that could progress into something much larger if and when you receive the right funds.
Interior Designer
If you’ve always felt like you had a flair for design, becoming an interior designer could be the perfect path for you. All you realistically need for a folio is images of your own beautifully designed house. You can then work from there, acting on the basis of commissions rather than pouring funds into something speculatively.
As with any freelance position, this startup opportunity can initially be tackled part time, at least until it finally gains traction.
Digital Marketer
Thanks to social media, businesses can now reach more potential customers and prospects. Unfortunately, with the increasing number of social sites – each needs a different marketing strategy to succeed – you need some help from those who have the “been there, done that.”
Enter digital marketers. These new breed of entrepreneurs, influencers and tech-savvy people connects brands who hire them to the social media world, doing various strategical and tactical works that include SEO, content marketing, social outreach, and so on.
Startup costs can be minimal, even less than $100, and they can start up from home, which means a massive cut in operating cost figures.
Takeaway
These are only three possibilities for a low-risk startup, only three of thousands. You can explore other low-cost business ideas here: