Great Small Business Ideas for 2016

Start a new business

Dreaming of becoming an entrepreneur? If owning your own business is your goal, the good news is, you can achieve it with a great idea and some hard work. But coming up with a stellar business idea that's also practical isn't always easy. If you're not sure where to start, here are 20 small business ideas to inspire you on your path to entrepreneurial success. -

Career coaching

Want to help and inspire people for a living? Starting a career coaching practice could be the key to doing what you love and making a difference. Through career coaching you can work with clients of all ages, from young people who don't know what career path to pursue or how to land their dream job, to older people looking for a career change. Help prep clients for interviews, improve their résumés and find their passions.

Online retail consultant

If you're knowledgeable about popular selling platforms like Etsy and eBay, you can help other people turn their online businesses into successes. Help sellers set up and improve their stores, advise them on product photo best practices and how to write better product descriptions. You can also show clients how to use social media to promote their shops and how to get their products featured in publications to help them boost sales.

Personal shopper

Dreaming of becoming an entrepreneur? If owning your own business is your goal, the good news is, you can achieve it with a great idea and some hard work. But coming up with a stellar business idea that's also practical isn't always easy. If you're not sure where to start, here are 24 small business ideas to inspire you on your path to entrepreneurial success. -

Upcycling service

You've heard the saying, "one man's trash is another man's treasure," but have you ever thought of turning it into an actual business? If you're an artist or just have a knack for crafts, try turning items that would otherwise be thrown out into useful products and selling them at craft fairs or on a website like Etsy. You can also offer to turn other people's unwanted items into upcycled projects, like refreshing outdated clothes to make them more stylish or turning old T-shirts into quilts, for example.

Online store

You don't have to be a big-box retailer to start an online store. Whether you sell directly to consumers or use a drop-shipping service, all you need is a website and the right e-commerce software to get started. You can sell your own products or items from niche suppliers. Alternatively, if you're crafty,

Event planner

Do you love throwing parties and organizing meetings? Start an event-planning business and turn your passion into a profitable small business. Everyone needs event planners, from individuals to organizations and corporations — and with the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicting 44 percent growth in the meeting, convention and event-planning industry between 2010 and 2020, there will certainly be no shortage in demand for your services. As an event planner, you will need to be resourceful and have a keen eye for detail. You will also need the patience to deal with clients' demands and the Zen to stay calm during stressful situations and unforeseen disasters.

Home-based food services

If baking or cooking is in your DNA, consider launching a home-based bakery, personal chef or catering business. You can whip up your concoctions for individuals, events, and local businesses and organizations. Not only is it a rewarding opportunity to make money doing what you love, but it's also a great way to test your culinary chops before investing in a full-fledged brick-and-mortar establishment. Keep in mind that home-based food businesses are heavily regulated, so start by figuring out the rules and regulations in your area.

Home day care

In most places, you don't need a license to run a babysitting service from home if you keep your child headcount below a certain number. With more parents needing to work, offering a home-based child care situation can be a great way to start a business and stay home with your own kids, too.

Yard work

Got rake, will travel? Most landscapers will cut grass, but they don't necessarily do the stuff that most homeowners don't have time to do themselves, such as weeding, planting, leaf raking, snow shoveling, hanging or removing holiday decorations. With little more than some work gloves and a ladder, you could be in business in no time.

Errand service

In some ways, the recession has made people busier than ever. Between working long hours, cooking more at home and juggling responsibilities, there's a lot that gets left undone. A service that runs errands (including dropping off dry cleaning, paying bills, etc.) requires just a car and cell phone. Start small, do a good job and word of mouth will spread quickly. -

Computer maintenance

ot a tech background? With the proliferation of tablets, smartphones and laptops for every member of the family, there are lots of opportunities to provide private computer services such as anti-virus software installation, desktop cleanups, software downloads and printer hookups. -

Cleaning service

Are you one of those people that love to clean? If so, you may be sitting on a gold mine. Cleaning people who work for themselves can make $30 to $40 per hour. Recession or not, there are plenty of people still looking for a little domestic assistance.

Energy efficiency consultant

Homeowners and businesses are looking for any way they can to cut costs, but figuring out how to lower energy expenses isn't as easy as you might think. Anyone who has a background in utilities or construction and can advise homeowners or businesses on how to better insulate, install smart meters, reduce water usage, etc., has a valuable service to offer. -

Recycler

Your laptop could be a gold mine. Steel, copper and computer components are all worth more than ever. But, your average homeowner doesn't always know where or how to recycle the stuff they've got. A good local advertising campaign and a pickup truck are all you'd need to start buying or simply offering to remove scrap metal, old computers, electronics, ink cartridges and other recyclable materials. You'll be making a profit and doing the Earth a favor, too.

Pet sitter

Recession or not, pets are people, too (or so many a pet owner believes). If you love animals, are reliable, organized and trustworthy, there's no shortage of work for you. The more satisfied customers you have, the more quickly your business will grow. Nothing soothes an antsy pet owner more than a good recommendation from another animal lover. -

Organizer

If there's one thing to be learned from the glut of reality shows dealing with hoarding, it's that Americans have too much stuff. And, many junk collectors don't have the time or skills required to organize it all. If you like to organize and create order out of chaos, then starting an organizing business could be for you.

Virtual assistant

Virtual assistants are all the rage. All you need to get started is a laptop and a good website. A social media presence doesn't hurt, either. If you've got a background in administrative work but want to work for yourself, this might be a perfect opportunity for you. Virtual assistants work remotely and do all the things a business owner or manager doesn't have time to do, such as open and answer emails, follow up with customers, invoice customers or pay bills. All of these tasks and more can all be done from your own home via the cloud -

Remote bookkeeper

During the recession, many companies cut their employee headcount to the bare minimum. Very few businesses, however, can live without a bookkeeper. But, that doesn't mean they have to have one on staff. If you've got a background in accounting or bookkeeping, you can offer remote bookkeeping services and, in many cases, do most of the work from home.

Translator

Most businesses can't afford to keep a translator on staff, even though they may need one from time to time. As America becomes increasingly multilingual, everyone from doctors to insurance companies find themselves in need of foreign language speakers to help interact with their customers. If you can speak a foreign language, are organized and can come up with a good marketing plan, you may find you have more work than you can handle.

Cost cutter

Ever notice how your phone bill seems to creep up ever so slowly and before you know it, you're paying $50 more a month than you agreed to? So does everyone else. The problem is, few people have time to go over their bills with a fine-tooth comb and call and argue with the provider. A cost cutter does this for businesses and can help them save thousands. Cost cutters need an eye for detail and a good sales pitch. Once you've proven your worth to a client, word of mouth will spread quickly.

Social media consultant

If you're one of those Gen Y types to whom using social media comes as naturally as breathing, you may have a career as a social media consultant. There's no doubt that social media presents an unprecedented marketing opportunity for businesses, but only if they know how to use it. If you can help existing businesses integrate social media into their other marketing campaigns, you should have no trouble making a go of it.

Copywriter

Anyone with a website will tell you they have one constant need: new content. Search engines favor websites with new, relevant and constantly updated content and most businesses don't have time to devote to generating copy all day. If you've got a background in writing, English or journalism, you might find there's a lot of demand for your services. Between Web content, blog entries and press releases, there's lots of writing to be done. -