If you are considering setting up in business and you are not sure what to do then how about a list of businesses you could begin – so here is a list of small business ideas:

- An online business selling products using a drop-shipping company – like umbrellas or women’s shoes or perhaps perfumes.
- Become a plumber – even during a slow-down plumbers seem to be in demand and can earn significant sums.
- Set up take away business selling pizzas or burgers – in a slow down these types of business always prosper, as people tend not to go to restaurants as much, but will still get a take away with a bottle of wine. You do have the option of setting up a franchise with this line of business, but you have to consider the fact that a per cent of your turnover will be taken by the franchisor.
- Set up a gym, which is where Duncan Bannatyne made a large percentage of his fortunes – remember a good tip of his, which is to make sure your location has a 360 degree population around the site. In other words if you were to choose a location on the coast you have just limited your customers numbers in direct driving distance from your gym, as there will only be houses in a 180 degree arc on one side of your site.
- A cake making business is something you could start up from your kitchen and begin by supplying to weddings and local shops.
- A cleaning business cleaning homes and/or businesses – if done correctly and once you begin employing people you can make a lot of money doing this.
- A gardening and landscape gardening business is a business which is always in demand.
- A handyman come maintenance type of business.
- Building and maintenance business.
- Computer maintenance and hire company and in particular computer network support, as this is always in demand.
- Wedding services business, including photographer and a wedding planner – most women are very good a planning weddings and most will have done so in their life, so why not do this for others.
- An ironing service.

Think about what you are good at or what you have trained to do as there will be business opportunities in whatever field you are in. When you are thinking about your business idea it is always worth considering the “expandability” of your idea.

So if you choose a cleaning business, then there is nothing wrong in starting out doing the initial work yourself, but ads things expand you can then begin to employ others to do the cleaning work so that you can begin to sit back and manage the business – this way your business will become an asset to sell in the future – the less you are involved in the day-to-day running of the business and so long as it is profitable, then the more it will be worth to others to buy.