Small business ideas for women: 50 smart ways to start strong and grow fast

Discover 50 profitable small business ideas for women—and learn how to launch, grow, and scale.

Did you know that women own nearly 4 in 10 businesses? Together, women generate an impressive $2.7 trillion in annual revenue and provide jobs for over 12.2 million people.

If you’re a woman searching for your next great business idea, there’s plenty to learn from these success stories.

Ready to explore what’s possible? Here are 50 inspiring small business ideas to help you break barriers and thrive as a female entrepreneur.

50 small business ideas for women

From babysitting to ecommerce, there’s no shortage of small business ideas to explore.

Of course, not every option will align with your skills, goals, or lifestyle. That’s why we’ve rounded up a range of proven small business ideas for women—so you can find the one that’s the perfect fit for you.

1. Online tutoring

Have a skill? Teach it to others! Maybe you used to work at a school or college and enjoyed it. Perhaps you aced your Math class. If you have any sort of academic knowledge, you can become an online tutor and teach remotely via video calls.

Be careful to pick a suitable online platform for the subject you wish to teach. For example, if you want to teach English as a second language (ESL) then VIPKid may be a great option.

You can teach a wide range of subjects on Whop. Here, you can easily open your own online space — a ‘whop’ — and add the Calendar Bookings app to provide one-on-one classes, alongside the courses app to sell an educational course.

You don’t need to know everything before you begin. As Sara Blakely, founder of Spanx, puts it:

“Don’t be intimidated by what you don’t know. That can be your greatest strength and ensure that you do things differently from everyone else.”

2. Online courses

If you want to share knowledge with others in a more hands-off way, then you can sell online courses.

By putting together an online course, you package your knowledge into a digital product that is sold over and over again. This is an excellent form of passive income, where something you create makes you money while you sleep.

It’s easy to create and deliver online courses by using the Courses app on Whop. Adding the Files app to your whop will let you provide downloadable worksheets as well. 

3. Personal trainer

Danni is a personal trainer and in the video above explains that you get to work your own hours and design your daily routine. You can work with clients one-on-one or offer group training. But, as a PT, you need to fit your services around the working hours of your clients, meaning early mornings and late nights.

Danni says:

“Automate as much as possible—payments, direct debits, onboarding—so you’re not chasing clients and can focus on growing your business.”

But you don't have to train your clients in-person. Instead, you can train clients online.

Make money online as a PT by selling workout plans, creating digital fitness programs, selling courses that each fitness basics, and running an online fitness community.

4. Yoga instructor

Do you practice yoga? If so, have you considered becoming a yoga instructor? Making the transition from student to teacher is easier than you might think.

You can start by obtaining an accredited National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA) certificate before deciding where and how you will work.

One option is to teach in person at a studio with strong transport links, e.g. roads and transit routes, to the wider local area. That way, it would be practical for many of your prospective students to physically reach the studio on a regular basis.

If you can't find a suitable location for a brick-and-mortar yoga business, holding virtual classes would be the ideal solution.

That way, your classes would be available to yoga enthusiasts right across the world. This could help you to increase your potential to earn — especially as you can keep up to 97% of the revenue you make on Whop.

5. Nutritionist

Fitness and nutrition go hand-in-hand — you can't make progress in one area without working on the other.

With an accredited diploma in nutrition and dietetics, you will be qualified to provide personalized advice on what foods and drinks your clients should consume.

You can work with clients by providing one-on-one coaching sessions. Plus, you could also sell ebooks on nutrition, too. Consider starting an online community where people looking to improve their eating habits can gather, give each other advice, and cheer each other on.

6. Coaching

A coach generally works by asking questions and creating actionable plans. Which type of coach you should consider becoming will depend on where your specific expertise lies.

Life coaching means helping clients to alleviate struggles in their personal lives. Meanwhile, financial coaches provide tips on subjects like budgeting and investment.

Coaching is a great way to make money online, as you can work with tens of clients in one week, and upsell with courses, community access, and ebooks.

7. Consulting

Consultants speak with businesses to set and work towards measurable goals.

While it sounds a lot like coaching, consulting is typically working with a business, while coaching is working with an individual.

What disciplines are you an expert in? Marketing? Public relations? Health? You can choose any of these niches for your consultancy business.

8. Social media management

Handle social media accounts on behalf of clients. For this work, you can use a wide range of social media management apps, including Buffer and Hootsuite.

You might have already established a strong social media presence of your own that you can advertise and use as proof of your skills. If this is the case, then businesses will be chomping at the bit to get you to run their social media.

9. Digital marketing 

Social media is one of many services you could provide as an all-round digital marketer. It’s common for digital marketing companies to offer…

• Search engine optimization (SEO)
• Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising 
• Content marketing
• Email marketing

However, as you would be covering many different bases here, you might prefer sticking to just one — especially if you are new to digital marketing.

10. Web design

Web design is another one of those services often offered under a digital marketing agency’s extensive umbrella.

Still, some businesses in need of a website might prefer to source its design from a company specializing in this kind of work. After all, as a web designer, it’s important that you know your stuff — including how to implement:

• HTML and CSS
• JavaScript elements 
• ‘Responsive’ web designs that translate well to smartphone screens 

You should also be familiar with web design tools like Photoshop and Figma.

11. Blogging

This might be one of the least expensive small business ideas for women. At home, you likely already have (or have access to) many of the tech solutions you would need as a blogger.

Writing doesn’t exactly require a pricey, high-end PC — you could even do it from your smartphone! You would need a blogging platform and web hosting — but it’s possible to use both free of charge, via something like Google’s Blogger website.

Choose a profitable blog niche (but make sure it also genuinely interests you), start writing, and eventually you can make money with your blog through affiliate marketing, courses, newsletters, and sponsorships.

12. Copywriting

Copywriting differs from personal blogging in that, with copywriting, you will be writing each piece to a specific brief provided by a client. 

Whop is an exciting place to start a copywriting business. You can launch it as a whop and pick and choose which copywriting solutions — e.g. website copy, ad text, slogans, and taglines — to offer.

Keisha, a veteran freelance writer, advises newcomers to start by choosing a niche, building a small portfolio through platforms like Upwork or Fiverr, and creating an online presence with a website and active social profiles.

“The best way to set yourself up as a professional writer is to start with a niche and build your portfolio from there.”

13. Technical writing

Many ordinary people couldn’t tell you that Python is a high-level programming language, let alone how to use it. Meanwhile, other people might mistakenly think ‘RAM (random-access memory)’ just refers to a Daft Punk album.

If you know the ins and outs of technical matters and how to explain them in ways that anyone can follow, then you could make a living as a technical writer.

14. Tech support

With tech support, you would be assisting people with troubleshooting awkward problems they have encountered with hardware or software.

To start your own tech support business, you could open a whop and then add apps to it.

15. Writing and publishing ebooks

You’ve now got the perfect excuse to finally finish writing that novel you’ve been working on for years — you can publish it yourself!

You can sell that novel online as an ebook. Your first thought might be to release it on Amazon. However, on that platform, there’s a ‘race to the bottom’ where readers can struggle to sort the good from the… not so good.

On Whop, it’s easier for high-quality publications to get the attention they deserve. Here, you could also offer non-fiction ebooks alongside supplementary materials, like downloadable worksheets to go with educational books.

16. Ghostwriting

What if you enjoy writing but want to avoid getting any kind of celebrity status? You could go down the route of writing material that gets published under other people’s names. This is known as ‘ghostwriting’.

There’s a large market for ghostwriters, as they have reportedly written 70% of traditional publishing houses’ published books.

17. Proofreading

If you are an experienced writer, you likely proofread your work. It’s surprisingly easy even for good writers to overlook errors — like typos, bad grammar, and misplaced punctuation in their own content. 

Fortunately, it can be a very different matter when you are looking over other people’s written work. That’s why proofreading can make one of the best small business ideas for women skilled at putting words in the right order. It always pays to have another set of eyes on the work.

18. Translation

Do you speak more than one language like Karina? Perhaps you were raised in a bilingual home. If so, many businesses are looking for people capable of translating text into other languages for them and they pay big bucks for it.

Karina says:

“Being fluent in three languages has given me countless side hustle opportunities—from translating contracts as a teenager to earning extra income at my first job.”

AI apps and programs are still a long way off from being able to capture that authentic, natural way of speaking that only humans fluent in a language can replicate and understand.

19. Transcription

Many businesses have audio or video recordings they need to convert into written text. In theory, AI can do this job — but in practice, it can misinterpret particular words and terms, especially obscure jargon.

When transcribing, you need to be able to listen very closely to every word of the recording you hear. Not everyone has the patience or attention to detail to do this, which sheds light on why you can make good money as a freelance transcriber.

20. Social media influencer

When you see the term ‘influencer’, you might initially picture celebrities using their social media clout to promote beauty products.

However, being an influencer doesn’t have to be quite this starry or glamorous. ‘Nano influencers’ can have as few as 1,000 social media followers.

Also, influencers can differ significantly in what types of products they specialize in publicizing. For example, travel influencers can advertise vacation packages, while fitness influencers might highlight new dumbbells, swimming shorts, and the latest protein powders.

21. Affiliate marketing

This ties in well with working as an influencer. Once you have built up an established following on your social media channels, you can add ‘affiliate links’ to future posts. 

When clicking one of these affiliate links, the user will be sent to a product listing on another brand’s website. If the visitor then uses this page to buy the product, you will be paid a commission.

22. Esthetician

As an esthetician, you can run your own salon administering a wide range of skincare and beauty treatments — such as waxing, facials, and hair removal.

To learn how to obtain an esthetician license, reach out to your state’s board of cosmetology. The board’s name will depend on the state.

23. Make-up artist

If you have long been passionate about beauty, you might already have a deep knowledge of different make-up products. This could extend to knowing which products should be used with which skin tones.

In a career context, being skilled at applying makeup can hold you in better stead than holding a makeup certificate. Nonetheless, you could set aside time to earn one at a beauty school, since such a certificate would look good on your company’s website.

24. Cleaning

Cleaning your home is one of those tasks you simply can’t afford to skip — certainly if you want to prevent germs and bacteria from spreading. Leaving them to fester instead would bode badly for your health and that of anyone else who lives there.

Since loads of people will be in this same situation, starting a cleaning business can be a no-brainer. Whether you opt to clean homes, workplaces, or both, remember to get hold of the right gear — like mops and brooms — along with business insurance.

25. Handywoman

From time to time, you have probably asked a handyman to take on small jobs that would cost to much to get in a tradesman to do. Handyman services can include…

• Assembling furniture 🛋️ 
• Cleaning windows 🪟 
• Installing electrical light fixtures 💡 
• Hanging pictures, e.g. paintings 🖼️ 

You can offer all these services and more — like tiling, carpentry, and minor plumbing and electrical work — as a handywoman!

As for how you could offer them, consider doing so through the online marketplace TaskRabbit.

Spending a lot of time in other people’s houses could give you larger ideas for how to improve their interiors. This could all inspire you to go into…

26. Interior design

Enjoy dressing up your home? Often hear visitors complimenting its colors, lights, materials, or other internal features?

Going into interior design can be one of the most delightfully surprising small business ideas for women.

Why exactly? Because these days, you can provide interior design consulting services online — without needing to turn up at any properties in person. So, you could even do it from a laptop while relaxing poolside at a resort!

27. Travel agency

While on the subject of sunning yourself in an exotic overseas locale, is that something you like to do a lot? If so, becoming a travel agent could give you the invigorating feeling of going on vacation even when you actually aren’t.

Your day-to-day work as a travel agent will involve researching destinations, planning itineraries, booking tickets, and reserving hotels on your client’s behalf.

28. Photography

Photography works well as a remote side hustle, as you can make money from contributing photos to image repository websites like Shutterstock.

Social? Why not combine both skills and take photographs at weddings and events to capture special moments for your clients.

29. Jewelry brand 

“Diamonds are a girl’s best friend,” Marilyn Monroe famously sang. Certainly, the idea of selling jewelry pieces (diamond or otherwise) is a great idea if you have an eye for jewelry.

It’s up to you whether your business creates entire jewelry pieces or instead just designs them, outsourcing the production part to other companies.

Either way, you can have fun thinking up quirky new ideas for jewelry. For example, why not offer spooky jewelry especially for Halloween?

30. Candlemaking

There are many physical items you could make and sell, but few of them would be able to hold a candle (ahem) to… scented candles.

Many mainstream brands offer candles in traditional scents like jasmine, citrus, and lavender. Imagine, though, holding a candle to your nose and getting the distinctive whiff of, say, white chocolate, a buttery croissant, or a dusty old book…

Candles with scents like these can stand out when listed on online marketplaces like Etsy.

31. Selling on Etsy

Candles are far from the only things you can offload on this popular ecommerce platform. You can sell plenty of other handcrafted items, too — such as bowls, handbags, cushions, and rings.

It’s also possible to sell downloadable products — like templates, guides, checklists, and worksheets — on Etsy. However, it’s not exactly the best place for them.

When you sell a digital product on Etsy, the platform’s transaction and payment-processing fees can eat nearly 10% of your revenue.

In contrast, when a shopper follows a direct link to your whop and then buys something from it, Whop will only take a 2.7% + $0.30 cut.

32. Vintage reseller

Labubus. Trader Joes tote bags. Stanley cups.

Every month there is a new viral obsession, and a new opportunity to make money as a reseller.

Take account of what’s currently ‘hot’ (or likely about to heat up) in the market. Buy early, and sell when they become hard to get. Remember to shift your products early as trends can end as quickly as they begin, and you don't want to be left holding stock that doesn't shift.

33. Amazon store

One problem with trying to sell products online is that it can be tricky to tell exactly where you should try to sell them. Some ecommerce platforms are more suited to particular product categories than others.

Amazon is a promising place for a beginner to start an ecommerce business, and you can start a hands-off business with Amazon FBA.

34. Run an online store

One drawback of selling items exclusively through Amazon is the lack of control you would have over your storefront‘s appearance and functionality.

It’s like the online equivalent of renting a retail unit in a shopping mall where stifling rules limit the in-person customer experience you can deliver.

You can give yourself more freedom by using a free ecommerce platform — like Shopify or WooCommerce — to build an online store from the ground up.

With Whop you have full control over what your whop looks like, as you decide what you want to sell, the experiences you want to offer, as well as naming and designing your storefront.

35. Dropshipping

When planning to sell goods online, there’s always the question of ecommerce fulfillment. How are you going to make sure physical items people buy from you reach them as soon as possible without incurring damage?

What if you aren’t experienced with storing, picking, packing, and shipping products? Relax, as there are suppliers ready to do all this for you. That’s the core principle behind dropshipping.

36. Selling digital art

If you love creating art, you might do it the traditional way — by putting a paint-coated brush to paper. Sadly, making a decent living in this way can be a non-starter, as it can take days to produce each artwork piece.

Hence the rationale for switching to a digital canvas. These days, devices like the iPad Pro and the Apple Pencil enable artists to unleash their imaginations straight onto the screen.

As it’s easy to speedily produce multiple copies of the same digital artwork, selling digital art can be much more profitable.

37. Graphic design

Promotional materials with bold, eye-catching graphics are far more likely to grab attention. That’s why many businesses turn to graphic designers for logos, web visuals, packaging designs, and other brand assets.

And in creative communities, every connection you make could be the one that leads your graphic design studio to its next big client.

38. Print-on-demand

Did you know that the print-on-demand (POD) industry’s value is expected to surpass $39 billion by 2031? It’s time for you to see what all the fuss is about.

Compared to many other small business ideas for women, POD carries some of the lowest entry costs. Signing up with a POD service like Printify or Printful will let you sell physical products sporting a design of your choice (or creation).

A massive advantage of POD is that you don't have to hold any inventory. Instead, when a customer places an order with you for a particular item, you will simply arrange for a supplier to ship it.

The genius of POD is that you only need to buy stock when a customer is waiting for it. So, you can strip financial inefficiencies out of your business, as you won’t risk leaving yourself with stacks of goods left unsold.

39. Podcasting

As a woman, you are bound to be familiar with situations many other women have run into in the past. So, why not talk about those subjects on a podcast?

As found by research, 45% of women listened to podcasts monthly during 2024’s first quarter. That’s a meaningful rise from 39% the year prior.

As for what to discuss on your own podcast, think about what interests you personally.

40. Voice acting

Even just appearing on podcasts as a guest can be worth your while. If people keep saying you are “so nice to listen to”, a career in voice acting could be an option.

You could provide the vocal accompaniment to many different things. Imagine narrating a commercial for cough drops or reading out a Regency romance novel for the recording of its audiobook version…

Once you have developed your voice to ensure it can switch fluidly between many different styles, get a demo reel professionally recorded. Next, take this reel with you as you build connections within the industry or start freelancing on platforms like Upwork and Fiverr.

41. YouTube channel

One proven way to earn money is by teaching people skills or concepts they can’t easily learn elsewhere. While blogging works for some topics, others are far easier to explain with a visual demonstration.

That’s where YouTube comes in. Creating tutorial videos — especially short, punchy clips on YouTube Shorts — can be a lucrative business. The short format (up to three minutes) pushes you to get straight to the point, making your content more engaging and shareable while building an audience that’s ready to learn from you.

42. Video editing

Some people are adept at filming raw footage but not at synthesizing it into a coherent, self-contained video that tells a story.

For those people, there are video editing professionals. If this falls into your skillset, why not market yourself as a video editor.

After completing a few video editing projects, see if you can include examples of this handiwork in an online portfolio. You could assemble it on a popular video-sharing site like YouTube, Instagram, or TikTok.

Later, you can show this portfolio to people when seeking further video editing work.

43. Virtual assistant 

As a company grows and sees its workload grow with it, there’s the danger of some ‘small’ but important tasks falling through the cracks.

As a business owner, you might one day have to work hard to prevent yourself from running into that same trap. In the meantime, why not reach out to other (and longer-established) businesses by offering them your services as a virtual assistant (VA)?

Your duties as a VA can include:

• Scheduling appointments 🗓️ 
• Making phone calls ☎️ 
• Sending emails 📧 
• Arranging flights, hotel rooms, and other travel essentials 🏝️ 
• Bookkeeping 🧾 

44. Run an online community

Have a keen interest or skill to share? If yes, why not run an online community? Your community can be anything — a virtual book club, a parenting community, a space for other entrepreneurs, online knitting group — whatever space you want, you can create it.

With Whop you can build any kind of community you like. Keep it basic but just adding the chat app for text conversation, or make a dynamic community with courses, file sharing, chat, giveaways, and more.

45. Personal chef

Enjoy making many different meals? Do friends and relatives often comment on how delicious this food is? Start selling your delicious recipes and food!

This is one of the most practical ideas for a small business for women who love cooking and live in major cities. In such a place, you can quickly travel to deliver food to professionals who lack the time to prepare their own tasty, nutritious meals.

46. Daycare

If you have kids of your own (or simply a motherly personality), you could make a lot of money providing daycare services. 

Parents who need to commute to work could choose to leave their dependent children with you beforehand. They could then remain safe and content with you during the workday before their parents eventually return to pick them up.

47. Laundry cleaning

Some people lead such busy lives that they are always fighting to free up more time in their packed schedules.

This opens up opportunities for you, as high-flying professionals could be inclined to get their clothes and linen washed by laundry businesses while they are busy with other things.

By starting such a business yourself, you could also catch the eye of hotels and B&Bs eager to outsource laundry cleaning duties.

48. Sewing and alterations 

Of course, being fascinated by clothes doesn’t necessarily mean you would be salivating at the prospect of washing them.

You might actually prefer the style aspect of clothes — in which case, getting to sew and alter them could be perfect for you! You would be taking readymade clothes and tweaking them to suit the intended wearer’s preferences.

49. Wedding planning 

It’s bewildering how much is involved in planning a wedding. Once you’ve got a budget for it, you need to decide on a venue and find (and hire) the right suppliers.

There’s the big matter of timekeeping as well. Naturally, you must establish what date the big day will fall on. Then there’s the question of what exact times, on that day, the ceremony and reception will happen.

This is a lot of work, which is why many soon-to-be-wed couples ask wedding planners to help them prepare for their nuptials.

50. Sell digital products 

Still indecisive about which type of business to start? Keep in mind that your business can cover many more bases than you might have accounted for.

Hence, it could help if you just think of a general theme for the business first and go into specifics later. You can then see which of those ideas work and which don’t.

It’s quicker and easier to experiment when you sell digital rather than physical products. This article highlights many examples of the former — including ebooks, online courses, online communities, and podcasts.

Your small business starts right here on Whop

Ready to launch? Whop makes it effortless.

In less than ten minutes, you can open your whop and start selling. No monthly fees, no friction—just a launchpad built for small businesses.

Whether you’re selling courses, tutorials, communities, or coaching, Whop is built to handle it. Running an in-person service? You can still book clients, take payments, and manage everything in one place.

If you’re hesitating, remember Sheryl Sandberg’s advice:

“Women need to shift from thinking ‘I’m not ready to do that’ to thinking ‘I want to do that and I’ll learn by doing it.’”

With Whop, you don’t need to wait for the perfect moment—you can launch today.

FAQs about starting a small business

What is the easiest small business for women to start?

The easiest business is one that matches your skills and lifestyle. Popular low-barrier options include online tutoring, selling digital products, and offering services like social media management.

How much money do I need to start a small business?

It depends on the type of business. Many service-based or digital businesses (like coaching, online courses, or communities) can be started with almost no upfront investment. With Whop, you can open a storefront for free and only pay a small fee when you make sales.

What business ideas are most profitable for women?

Some of the most profitable options include consulting, online courses, coaching, and digital marketing. These scale well because you’re selling expertise or digital products, which don’t require inventory. Physical businesses like ecommerce or dropshipping can also be profitable but usually require more setup.

How do I choose the right business idea for me?

Start by asking:

• What skills or knowledge do I already have?
• How much time do I want to commit?
• Do I want to work online, in person, or both?

From there, narrow down ideas that fit your lifestyle and income goals.

Can I run a small business while working full time?

Yes! Many women start their businesses as side hustles, then transition to full-time once income grows. Digital products, tutoring, coaching, or running an online community are great part-time options because you can set your own schedule and scale at your own pace.