What is a Small Scale Business?

A small scale business employs only a few people (or one!), it makes a small profit and is generally privately owned. It can be a sole proprietorship, corporation or partnership, but usually it is not focused on growing super fast or super huge.

This kind of business is perfect for the stay at home mom or wife who wants to bring in some money but needs a flexible schedule. The beautiful part is that you can grow at the speed that suites your lifestyle. If you want to work insane hours and grow fast, you can! Or you can work a few hours a week for now and invest more time in the future.

You might be wondering what kinds of business works on a small scale? I have made a huge list of small scale business ideas for women to help you get started.

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RELATED POST: How to Start a Business for Moms

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Small Scale Business Ideas for Women

Art or Craft Business

• Sewing or Tailoring – Read my interview with seamstress Kate Coleman.
• Skin Care Products
• Knit/Crochet Products
• Jewelry
• Painting

Perfect if you already have a crafty hobby, start selling and you have an instant business. You can sell on Etsy, craft shows, farmer’s markets, local stores, Facebook groups, anywhere!

Fashion Consultant/Personal Shopper

Love to shop? Start advertising your services as a personal shopper! Plus, if you have a good eye for fashion you can take people shopping for new clothes and get paid for it.

Small Scale Food Business

• Caterer
• Cake Decorator
• Bake/Cook for Farmer’s Market
• Personal Chef
• Nutritionist – Read my interview with holistic nutritionist Alina Muresan.

A small scale food business can be great if your area allows you to license your home kitchen. I went through the process when I first started my granola business and it was simple in NH. Google “Homestead License (insert your State)” and read up on the laws before you get started.

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Accounting or Bookkeeping

This is one of the first jobs that I outsource when a business starts to make money. I hate keeping track of the books! I know so many other small businesses that feel the same way, making for a great opportunity if you have the training!

Genealogy Researcher

Love to do research? Genealogy is an art but if you love to dig out tiny details and get a rush from finding some long lost person you might be a great Genealogist. Most of the research is done online nowadays but there are also people who need locals to research actual documents at libraries.

Writer

• Blogger – watch my interview with Amber Temerity.
• Freelance Writer – read my interview with Elna Cain.
• eBook Author
• Children’s Book Writer

If you love to write this is an easy business to start from home. You can easily write during nap time or after the kids go to bed.

Graphic Design Business

Got an eye for design? Now that there is online software like Canva it is easy to start offering design services for local small businesses or bloggers.

Virtual Assistant

Starting work as a VA was the best decision that I ever made! I love the flexible schedule and how the work fits with my family life. Not sure what a VA does? Read my post all about the different types of services Virtual Assistants can offer. I’ve interviewed a few different virtual assistants and they all offer different services.

How to become a Virtual Assistant with Gina Horkey

Running Two Businesses with Lucy Seligman

Direct Sales VA with Melissa Dery

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House Cleaning Business

An easy business for moms who have some kid free time during the day. Offer to bring your own non-toxic cleaners to appeal to families!

Music Teacher

Work out of your own home or a local studio to offer music lessons to kids and adults. Whether it is piano, violin or voice people are always looking for good music teachers.

Tutoring/College Prep

You can start your own service or sign up for online websites that match teachers and students such as Chegg Tutors, Tutor.com, and TutorMe.

Pet Sitting/Dog Walking

Live in a more urban area? Think about offering dog walking services. Places like Care.com and Petsitter list jobs all the time. There are also pet sitting opportunities if you have the space and time to care for pets long term.

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RELATED POST: Everything You Need to Know About Starting a Small Scale Business

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Doula

A doula is a women who supports mothers during and after giving birth. I spoke with Angela about her commitment to helping women have the types of births they want and the support they need to achieve it. Since a doula has to be on call, it can be harder to incorporate this type of business with family life.

Childcare/Elder Care

If you have the space to set up care in your home this type of business can fit in very well with family life. Some people prefer in-home care and that can be a bit more difficult to do with children. If you love to be around people everyday this can be a great job!

Event Planning

Are you great at putting together the perfect party? Try event planning! This is great for the super organized person who doesn’t mind solving problems and putting out fires. You can specialize in events like Weddings or plan conferences, fundraisers or parties.

eBay Flipper

Are you the person who is always finding a good deal? Love to shop the second hand stores? Start taking a look for things you can sell on eBay for a profit. I know silk ties are always a good seller but there are lots of weird things that people are looking for online.

Photographer

Love taking photos? There are tons of ways you can turn that into a profitable business. Offer your services to take family photos, or head-shots for businesses, or even boudoir photo shoots! Another option is to sell your photos of local places, make them into cards or prints and set up at local events.

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RELATED POST: How to Create a Vision Board for Your Small Business

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Proof-reading

If you are good with spelling and grammar (I’m not!) there are jobs for you. You can take online courses to get qualified as a proof-reader, do you research to make sure you choose the best program for you. Then you can work freelance or for a company.

Errand Services

Offer to run errands in your local community. There are plenty of people who work full time and can’t get to stores during business hours.

Gardening/Lawn Care

Seasonal work in most parts of the country but a great way to work outdoors if you love being in nature. Everything from mowing lawns to taking care of flower and vegetable gardens can be offered.

Grant Writing

If you have grant writing skills every non-profit in your area is looking for you! It is such a specialized skill that can be hard to obtain, making it an easily marketable skill.

Personal Trainer/Yoga Teacher

You will need to get certified but if you like helping other people reach their workout goals than this could be a great business for you. It is a very customizable business. You can offer group classes, online classes or private classes.

Professional Organizer

If you are one of those people who always have clean, organized bathroom cabinets this could be perfect for you! I mention my friend Kristen Wheeler in this post about unique businesses, she offers a variety of organizational services.

Amazon FBA

If you have an eye for sales and deals, Amazon FBA is a great way to make some extra money. It is finding products that you can buy for cheaper than they are selling on Amazon and sending them in to Amazon to be sold. It takes a lot of research to find good products that will actually sell but it can be really fun to seek out a deal. Check out my interview with Jessica Larew who teaches classes on Amazon FBA.

Tee-Shirt and Product Designer

With the rise of sites like Zazzle it is getting easier and easier to design products and sell them online. Zazzle let’s you add your designs to hundreds of products and put them up for sale. You can have your own store on their site or sell the products through your own website. Best part? No need to keep inventory!

This list is in no way exhaustive! There are so many amazing women running really different and unique small scale businesses out there. You don’t have to work for other people if you don’t want. Running your own business is not easy but it is worthwhile. If you are still trying to figure out what kind of business you want to start check out my post on Finding Your Passion.

If you want to print out this list of small scale business ideas for women just enter your name and email in the form below and it will be emailed to you.