If you’re reading this, it probably means that you’re tired. Tired of working 14-hour shifts, of coming to work every day, of not making enough money to support the lifestyle you want. That’s not surprising at all: studies show that the majority of Indian employees are experiencing burnout. Around 60 percent of professionals in India are reporting overwork that’s slowly killing them — that’s 3 times higher than the global average.
Or maybe you’re a student who’s looking for a side hustle, or a mother in need of extra income to support your family. In any case, you’re in the right place.
Starting a small business can be challenging, but there are many benefits too: a flexible schedule, complete control over your work, and no bosses to report to. And there are many options to choose from based on your skills, preferences, and habits.
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Dropshipping
Dropshipping is one of those rare online business ideas that you can literally start with zero money in your pocket.
Here’s how it works: You choose manufacturers, research their stock, and make a curated catalogue of items (it could be home decor, clothing, or anything else) that you like. Then, you create an online store where people can order these items, listing a higher price than whatever the manufacturers offer. But instead of buying items from manufacturers in advance and keeping them in your warehouse, you simply readdress customers’ orders to the manufacturers. The manufacturers then deliver the products directly to customers — and you collect the profit.
There are many benefits to this type of small business:
You don’t need storage space.
You don’t have to buy the items before selling them.
No need to build a website — a free Instagram account will do.
And here’s a step-by-step guide to how to start a business in this industry:
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- Pick a niche of products that you’d like to sell.
- Find manufacturers or wholesalers that you like.
- Make a list of items and decide a price — not too high, but higher than what manufacturers sell the items for (that way, you can make a profit).
- Create an account for your store (Instagram and Facebook pages are enough for starters).
- Showcase the products from your catalogue online.
- Customers start making orders.
- Manually readdress orders to the manufacturer.
- The manufacturer delivers the product directly to customers.
Success story:
As with any other business, you need to market your products. You can start small, catering to your friends and family and asking them to spread the word. Later, when you turn in your first profit, you can scale your business: build a website, create a Shopify seller account, and pay for advertisement.
Here’s a story by Diksha Patro B, who started a drop-shipping store called Agile Luxury as a broke student in 2020. Instead of building a website, she used WhatsApp groups and word-of-mouth marketing to find a community of customers.
“As my business grew, I knew I needed to scale even more. I took several steps to implement this including building Telegram groups and channels, creating an Instagram account, and expanding my network of drop shippers and resellers through WhatsApp groups. I also lowered my prices for these individuals. I used to maintain my record (customers who borrowed etc) using Khatabook because maintaining an Excel sheet on a mobile phone was difficult.”
Within a year, she was able to generate ₹ 1–1.5 lakh in profit.
Cloud kitchen
If you like cooking or baking, here’s one of the small business ideas for you. “Cloud kitchen” might sound dystopian or futuristic, but it just might become your reality. What is it?
In short, it’s a restaurant that only serves delivery orders — with no seats or tables. The cool thing is: you can run such a “ghost kitchen” from your home without renting out a commercial space.
Cooking is one of those fields where a combination of skills and creativity comes in handy. Making new recipes and always trying new things will keep burnout at bay.
Some of the challenges you might encounter include obtaining necessary licences, storing the ingredients to keep everything fresh, and getting proper cooking equipment. Consider getting a vacuum sealer and a large freezer for your products.
Here’s a step-by-step guide to starting a home-based cloud kitchen:
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- Master a couple of unique recipes that you really love.
- Obtain the FSSAI license from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India.
- Offer your goods to friends and neighbours for word-of-mouth marketing.
- Create Instagram and Facebook pages to market your food.
- Set up accounts on food delivery apps in your area.
- Cook and deliver orders to your customers.
Success story:
Seema Makwana from Mumbai started her home-based business during the Covid lockdown. Her love for cooking led her to creating a small curated menu of stuffed buns, which she distributed across her local Kandivali. The buns were received very well, and she was encouraged to scale her venture. Now, she runs “Buns & Deluchas” and offers a variety of healthy fast food snacks that she delivers all across Mumbai.
“We started the business with an initial investment of ₹ 5 lakh, and now we have been able to get orders worth ₹ 1.5 lakh per month on an average.
“We get around 20-25 orders per day through Swiggy and Zomato as well as our website. The number of orders usually increases during weekends. We also deliver outside Mumbai and even to other countries.
“We do vacuum sealing and freeze the products — upholding all safety and hygienic regulations — at proper temperatures in special food containers. This increases the shelf life up to a month.”
Food truck
And if you have some savings, consider a food truck — it's still not as expensive as a restaurant, but it requires a bit of investment.
A food truck is ideal for those who love fast food. It is also a great way to get to know your city. Got bored? Simply switch the location. You have wheels, after all.
The downside of the industry, as with all food-related businesses, is the need to obtain permits and licences.
One of the challenges for a food truck owner is to find the right spot, one with not many other food options to avoid competition but with a steady flow of potential customers. It could be a place near a big office building, or an industrial area with lots of workers but not many cafés.
Food trucks are relatively new business ideas in India, but they’re quickly gaining popularity.
Success story:
A couple from Delhi, Jyoti Ganapathi and Satya Koniki, sell authentic south Indian cuisine from a food truck. They drive to gated communities, residential buildings, and office complexes across Delhi, Gurugram, and Noida. They started their business with an initial investment of ₹ 10 lakh. The menu includes rava dosa, tomato onion uttapam, medhu vada, filter kaapi, bendakaya vepudu, and malabar parotha. The couple has been able to make ₹ 1.5 crore in revenue.
“Instead of waiting for the customers to come to you, take your food to them. This unwritten rule is the USP of our food truck Dosa Inc, which serves authentic South Indian cuisine to nearly 50,000 customers across Delhi, Gurugram, and Noida.
“Food trucks are a common phenomenon abroad, but in India, it was new. Here, food trucks are the ones that are parked at one location and cater to a specific crowd like office-goers. We wanted more than that.”
Tea stall
Similar to a food truck, a tea stall is a great way to combine your passion for food and beverages, but with much less investment. You won’t need expensive kitchen appliances. A stall is also much cheaper than a motor vehicle.
With a tea stall, you can get creative too! Many people have been mixing their own blends, experimenting with different kinds of brews, and adding a variety of spices.
A wheeled chai cart can cost as little as ₹ 10,000. You can purchase a wooden one or an iron one as to your preference.
The key to success is, of course, choosing a good location. Set up your shop near colleges or office buildings. Everyone loves a good cup of chai after a long day of work or studies.
Success story:
Faisal Yousaf started his Chai Wallah business after a trip to England, where he realised how much he missed masala chai. Today, he runs a franchise of over 50 outlets across Kerala and Karnataka.
His tea carts offer more than 50 varieties of chai, along with coffee and snacks. The price for items varies between ₹ 15 and ₹ 80. His specialty is the artisanal Indian masala chai made with 12 spices.
“I worked in the food and beverages industry for about 10 years. The Chai Wallah is a product of my four years of research and experimenting.”
Handmade goods
Who knew that your love for arts and crafts could be profitable? Anything can sell if you market it right. From homemade jewellery to 3D-printed figurines, the market for handmade items is booming.
If you already have a hobby, contemplate turning it into a small business. Think back to all the times your friends and family complimented you on your crafts. Draw inspiration from it and get down to business.
Depending on the niche you choose, the initial investment may vary. Don’t spend too much money on supplies at the beginning of your venture. Create 5-10 items first and see how it goes.
The good news is, the market is already laid out pretty good, so there are plenty of ready solutions to help you start. Check out platforms like Etsy, Amazon Karigar, AuthIndia, and Craftsvilla, where you can showcase your products and set up shop without learning too much about business strategies.
As always, rely on word-of-mouth marketing first, trusting your friends to spread the word about your business. Then, turn to Instagram and Facebook for additional marketing tools.
Success story:
Hyderabad-based Sheetal Kabra started her handmade soap business Earthy Sapo in 2013. She began making skincare products after her daughter was born — she needed something mild to soothe the sensitive skin of her child. Battling with eczema herself, Sheetal knew a lot about skin conditions and how to avoid bad reactions.
Her business started as a home-based venture, but she was able to scale it pretty quickly. Today, she runs a 2,000 sq.m. workshop in Hyderabad with eight employees. She fulfils 3,500 orders monthly, delivering her unique skin care products across India, the US, Canada, Malaysia, and Singapore.
“The first soap I created had great results. Neither my daughter nor I saw any bad reactions on our skin. For an eczema patient, this is a huge deal. Our products cannot cure skin conditions like eczema, but can help manage them safely.
“We follow a cold press method of soap making. I used natural ingredients — the first is vegetable oils like coconut, sunflower, sesame or even rice bran. The other ingredient is butters like, shea butter or cocoa butter or kokum butter.”
Reselling thrifted goods
Even if you don’t have a knack for crafting, it’s okay. Train your eye for rare vintage finds and resell secondhand items.
The passion for thrifting has finally reached India. Five years ago, we couldn’t imagine buying secondhand: why would anyone wear clothes that someone has used before? But luckily for us, a rising trend of sustainability and responsible consumption has changed the relationship between people and used goods.
Setting up a thrift store is cheaper than selling freshly made goods. It is also an environmentally-friendly venture, giving new life to items that otherwise would end up in landfills.
Success story:
Delhi-based entrepreneurs Yashna Malik and Ishita Bajaj launched Revival Pile on Instagram during the Covid-19 lockdown. They source items from local factories and export rejects, offering curated vintage pieces to their growing follower base. Their approach not only promotes sustainable slow fashion, but also caters to a niche market seeking unique clothing items. Their Instagram page now has over 22,000 followers. They see social media not only as a source of potential customers, but also as a way to influence their young audiences and share style tips.
They have already fulfilled more than 18,700 orders and offer shipping all across India.
“The demographic beyond 30-35 years don’t always know what thrifting is, how it functions, what its benefits are. And then there’s the wrinkling of the nose about the clothes being second-hand, or the idea of spending money on clothes that are used.
“Thrift boomed during the pandemic. It was the double whammy of not having access to brick-and-mortar stores and the ban imposed on Shein.
“But thrifting stuck with its consumers — a demographic of about 18-30 years.
“I can’t speak for other thrift stores, but when we analysed our data, we found the most customers in the southern part of the country (Bengaluru, Chennai), Punjab and the North East. Somewhat younger consumer bases than other states.”
Pet (and plant!) services
Pet services are in high demand, especially in urban areas. From dog-walking to cat-sitting, pet parents often need help with their furry friends — be it because of a busy work schedule or during travels.
Becoming a pet sitter requires only one thing: love for animals. Apart from that, you will need practically no investment at all; the pet owners usually provide all the necessary stuff.
The rate for pet services may vary depending on the location: from ₹ 8,000 in rural areas to up to ₹ 80,000 a month in Mumbai.
There are multiple ways to start your business. You can become an independent pet sitter, offering your services to friends and neighbours and relying on word-of-mouth marketing to attract new customers. Or you can join platforms like The Pet Nest or Sploot, which operate on a commission basis and let you connect with potential clients hassle-free.
What makes this one of the best business ideas is relative flexibility (but sometimes you need to take a dog-walking schedule into consideration), the opportunity to cater to multiple clients at once (hence better pay), and, of course, working with animals is always fun!
For those with allergies, consider plant-sitting, which is basically taking care of someone else’s houseplants while they travel.
Success story:
Arun Kumar Das from West Bengal moved to Delhi around 2019, and among other part-time jobs found an opportunity to walk the dogs in Noida.
“I walk three or four dogs in the society twice daily. It's like a side hustle for me. I work as a gardener rest of the time. Since I've always loved dogs, it doesn't feel too much like work, and I get paid well.”
Home cleaning services
If you love cleaning, you’re a rare find. Consider earning money with your skills while helping others maintain a spotless household. You don’t need special training or experience, and the initial investment is pretty low: you might need to buy mops and some cleaning supplies to start, but you can reuse them for several clients.
As usual, start small: offer your services to friends and neighbours to collect positive reviews and gain a great reputation in your community. Don’t hesitate to blog about your work; a popular Instagram page can help you connect with potential clients and scale your business further.
You can start as an independent cleaner, but if things go well, consider hiring a team for better and faster services — because there’s only so much you can do alone.
Success story:
Bharathi Kamath has worked in the cleaning industry for over 12 years, and she was able to gain enough experience to start her own business. She initially founded Carewel Facility Services in Bangalore with a team of four, but the business grew fast. Today, she runs a company with 3,000 employees and has diversified the services her firm provides: from providing indoor plants for establishments to doing carpet and upholstery shampooing.
“The industry has experienced phenomenal growth and the potential is huge. Outsourcing has spread across. But there are new companies that come into the business. The decision making factors have also changed from pricing to service delivery.
“Out of the 3000 workforce working with me, 55-60 per cent of them are women. The good thing is more than 40 per cent of them have remained with the organization for the last 8-10 years. They are constantly trained and taken care of. The staff members are also trained on personality development, body language, etiquette and so on.
“With the industry’s growth, array of products, mechanized equipment, knowledge sharing and interface platforms, doing business at this time feels great. We have the best of vendors and are abreast of the happenings too.”
Tutoring
Working with your hands is great, but there’s also something for those who prefer intellectual labour. With good education still being a priority in a lot of Indian households, there’s a steady demand for tutors in various subjects.
There’s a classic pipeline to becoming a tutor: you become top of your class in a particular subject, and your classmates ask for your help to prepare for exams. Then, you realise you can get some extra money with it and start putting up flyers around your college.
Today, there are many other ways to market your services, even if you’re long out of school. Try platforms like Chegg, Preply, and Skooli to find students online. The rates vary from ₹ 300-800 an hour for an individual class to ₹ 500-1,500 per capita for group tuition. Beginners can earn over ₹ 40,000-50,000 a month.
Success story:
Prakash Tiwari quit his engineering career in 2001 to become a private tutor. He helps his students pass exams to get into top colleges. For him, tutoring is a challenging, but rewarding industry that lets you earn over ₹ 1 lakh after only a couple years of experience.
“I constantly update my knowledge with new study material and pedagogies. This profession is still in its adolescent stage but will continue to flourish. Above all it offers great satisfaction when your coaching produces good outcomes.”
Guided tours
India’s historic landmarks and sights attract millions of tourists every year, and you can easily profit from it.
Choose an area of expertise, learn its history, and make sure you’re confident about your knowledge. Don’t be afraid to get creative and throw in some fun facts into your program, it will help you stand out among other tour guides.
Prepare an interesting route and add stops that will showcase the local culture and history. Tourists will appreciate the hidden gems that they wouldn’t find otherwise!
The main goal is to leave a lasting impression on your group so that they leave positive reviews. The better rating you have, the more money you will make, simple as that!
Sign up with platforms like GoWithGuide to market your services and connect with people who might be interested in a guided tour. Don’t be scared to start a blog and share travelling tips with people from around the world — they will surely remember you and reach out in case they ever visit India.
The rates vary depending on the city can go as high as ₹ 20,000 per group tour for experienced guides.
Success story:
Shakhid K is a guide with a tour guide licence approved by Ministry of Tourism, Government of India. He now earns around ₹ 14,000 per a 12-hour tour.
“With 17 years of guiding experience, I bring a wealth of knowledge and enthusiasm to every tour I lead. Specializing in Delhi, Agra, and Jaipur, I offer insightful journeys through these historic cities, weaving together the rich narratives of India’s past with personalized storytelling. Whether you’re exploring the grandeur of the Taj Mahal, the bustling streets of Delhi, or the majestic forts of Jaipur, my goal is to provide an engaging and memorable experience. From one-day adventures to extended explorations, I tailor each tour to your interests and preferences. Let me be your gateway to discovering the essence of India with expertise and passion.”
Additional tips
- Use word-of-mouth marketing
- Blog about your business
- Don’t ignore legal regulations
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