75+ Small Town Business Ideas that Can Make You Rich

Last Updated on October 22, 2021 by Mubashir Rafique

The best thing about small town business ideas is that you need a very small capital to start them. And frankly speaking, if I get a chance to follow my entrepreneurial dreams this way, I will choose it.

No doubt that most of the successful business ideas stick only in large populated cities but that doesn’t mean you can’t earn a good living in small village.

“Gold can be sold anywhere”. If your business services have creative quality, you will for sure win the race.

Let’s jump into it.

Small town Business Ideas

It’s not easy to be an entrepreneur in a small town. You have to face different problems like lack of facilities and less population. But still, if you follow your goals and dreams, you can become rich easily with these small town business ideas.

Here are some small town business ideas that will stick:

1. Ice Cream Shop

We all love the sweet smell of ice cream. Don’t you? You probably visited an ice cream shop yesterday.

The fact is we all do. Here is your business idea. Take a look at the already existing ice cream shop in your neighborhood. Maybe there is no ice cream shop or a few. Do you really like the way they make ice cream? Or the way they serve ice cream?

Probably not.

If you want to know the secret to success in business, I am going to tell you. The quality matters!

So start an ice cream shop that will ensure that you will make quality ice cream and serve them the best possible way to boost your customer’s satisfaction.

But don’t just jump into the market with your tools. It’s not that easy. You made your mind today that you will create quality ice cream and focus on serving politely, and you will be rich.

A big NO!

Why?

Because most of the small town businesses that work perfectly aren’t that competitive. You have to analyze the competition in your business first.

Although the already running businesses aren’t providing professional services, it doesn’t mean that you will compete with them overnight. So make sure to check:

• The number of already existing businesses in the village.
• Quality of the ice cream being served by them.
• The population of your town.
• Small town businesses that were not successful.

If your town has a really small population then don’t bother. You will just waste your investment, in case, there is a strong competitor.

Another sad thing about an ice cream shop?

You have to deal with seasonality.

Here is the list of things to do to stick to this business once you start it.

• Quality matters A lot.
• Once you are out of quality, you are out of business.
• Street facing locations works best for ice-cream shops.
• Research on the flavors of ice cream.
• Bring new unique flavors into the market.
• The outlook of the Shop should be beautiful and Sweet.

Does this business suit you?

This business doesn’t need a big investment. You can start it on a small scale. If you don’t have the required capital, can’t own or rent a store, you can start a mobile ice cream shop in some sort of truck.

This business is best for people:

• Those who love Ice cream.
• Who don’t have enough capital.
• Those who can deal with seasonality.

To start an ice cream shop you need:

• Ice cream machines
• Ice cream dipping cabinets. (These cabinets help ice cream from melting, while you serve scoop after scoop to customers)
• You need blenders. Ice cream shops that serve milkshakes, malts, and concretes, etc. need blenders.

if you loved this idea, Here is a guide to start an ice cream shop

Find Name ideas for Ice cream shop here.

2. Grocery store

If you ask me “what business does every small town needs” my answer will be a grocery store. By the name, it doesn’t sound like a charming business, but you can learn and earn a lot from this business. If you enjoy point-of-sale work, food, management, or finance, it’s the most profitable business.

If your town already has a grocery store, then it can be pretty much competitive for you. Regardless of high competition, there’s always room for a superstar, just focus on your services. You will need to ensure the following things to win the customer’s heart:

• Tell your customers the story behind the products you sell.
• Ask customers for feedback and work on complaints.
• Offer some online options because customers love convenience.
• Educate your employees about the products.
• Provide a welcoming environment for the customer. Focusing on customer satisfaction will make your business thrive.
• Connect with Your community by placing ads and sponsoring clubs.

Running Grocery Store does not mean to buy and sell products only. There is a lot of work you have to do. Here are the steps for starting this business:

• Plan your business. Every successful entrepreneur does this before starting his business.
• Form a legal entity so that you can protect yourself from liability.
• Register for local and federal taxes.
• Open a business account for more professional business.
• Apply for permits required for Grocery Store.
• Define and advertise your brand and connect with people online too.
• Choose a name for grocery store.

Best of business ideas for a small village, here is the guide to starting a grocery store

3.     Clothing Boutique

Clothing Boutique is one of the small town business ideas that will stick. This type of business can be more fun for you if you are one the fashionable individual in the family and friends. As the goal is to sell clothes, it’s necessary that you look fashionable yourself.

This business needs a little knowledge of clothes and the clothes wholesale markets. You will need to guide customers to buy clothes according to their desire. By guiding customers honestly and selling quality clothes, you can grow this business rapidly. You will need to plan your business carefully and obtains the required permits. For a thriving business, you will do a lot of things like:

• Decide the type of boutique you want to open.
• Find the perfect location for your store. Choose a Boutique Name Here.
• Connect with Suppliers in wholesale markets. You can also buy clothes online from Alibaba.
• Decide the store layout and pricing of clothes.
• Hire a professional employee.
• Advertise your store.

4.     Coffee Shop and Juice Bar

210 million people drink coffee daily in the U.S only. Imagine the importance of coffee shop from that. A coffee shop needs a very small investment and is easy to handle business. You will need to learn skills to make coffee or hire any professional employee. You have to go for:

• Make a solid business plan
• Find the right building for your shop in your town.
• Have a positive attitude.
• Advertise your coffee shop with posters and flyers.

What if there is already a coffee shop present in your town? The competition can be hard then but you should try adding a juice bar to your Shop. Offering Fresh juice will not only increase your traffic but also your profits and revenue. Just do the following:

• Study some successful juice bar you already know of and also study their marketing strategies.
• Make a business plan. Prepare the required capital. Look for investors if you don’t have the required capital.
• Make contacts with wholesale fruit suppliers.
• Buy equipment and supplies like blenders, juicers, orange presses and ice machines.
• Focus on customer satisfaction.

To me, it’s the best business to open in a small town.

5.     Open a Bakery

Bakery business in a small town is one of the thriving business but it’s quite competitive. There is a very high chance that already there is any bakery present in your area. Ask yourself a question? Can you manage a bakery and compete with others? Will your bakery business stick? If yes, you can sell all baked products and earn a high profit on that. Here is the list of things you need to do for that:

• Decide the type of bakery according to the market needs. Choose your location as required.
• Study your competition for understanding what type of bakery is in demand and generating more profits.
• Hire a professional baker or take time to become one.
• Order all the required equipment like scales, bowls, pan racks, ovens, mixers, etc.
• Market your business and focus on customer service.

If you ask my frank opinion on starting a bakery, I would suggest, If you know baking stuff, go for it. It can be on your list of successful small town business ideas or it can be a lesson learned in your journey toward success.

6.     Restaurant

If you wanted to start a small restaurant for years, it’s time to sit and think about it. Make a plan for your own business now. Starting a restaurant is quite an interesting task but it’s also time-consuming and hard to launch. The fact is 60% of the Restaurant fails in the first few months because of a lack of planning. We are not telling you this to temper your passion but we want you to make your mind that restaurant needs serious time and hard work with investment. Here are some of the tips for starting a successful Restaurant:

• Have the right intentions and love what you do.
• Create a solid business plan.
• Choose the perfect location for your Restaurant. Look for a spot that would bring traffic.
• Make a menu.
• Hire your team.
• Keep Marketing your Restaurant.
• Choose Restaurant business name here

The business seems profitable, at the same time one of the top business ideas for small towns.

7.     Open a Vegetable and Fruits Mart

If you are looking for a small town business ideas that work best, here is the option for you. You can start a vegetable and fruit mart with small capital. The first and foremost thing you need is access to the wholesale market of fresh vegetables and fruits. This business doesn’t need that much of hard work. In fact, any serious mind Entrepreneur would choose this thriving business. This type of business doesn’t need any special skills but you need a positive attitude. If your mart is full of varieties of fruits and vegetable you can attract a lot of customers easily. You need to do the following:

• Get fresh fruits and vegetables daily.
• Buy equipment like Refrigerated display units, scales, electronic till, etc.
• Start home delivery to improve your sales.
• Connect with your community.
• Have a positive attitude toward customers.

8.     Lawn and Gardening Services

Small towns have larger houses, lawns, and gardens as compared to houses in cities. So this type of business can work best in small villages. Your mission should be a top-quality service. You would only attract more customers and grow your mini business if you concentrate on customer satisfaction.

Your services should exceed the expectations of your clients. You will need the following things to do so:

• A highly experienced landscaper.
• Commitment to high-quality landscaping services.
• Order all the equipment you need.
• Define your services e.g. lawn cutting, edging and trimming. Optional services can be provided on customer request.

9.     Food Truck- Small Town Business Ideas

You might be thinking that a food truck is not a profitable business idea for a small town. But Food truck is one of the highly successful business people are running in small villages. It totally depends on the population of your area, seasonality of the people and the weather condition.

To some people, this business seems very easy. They say “Park, Sell, and Drive Away” but the reality is a little different. The food truck business is a pretty hard-working business. You have to work hours preparing food for that one hour of serving. Here is the list of things to do:

• Expect Reality. The food truck needs hard work and patience.
• Quick and clever decision making power.
• Practice makes perfect. Don’t worry about the initial criticism.
• Compete with others, spend some time examining the market.
• Sell only top quality Food. Sell one thing but do it well.
• Hire and train wisely.

10. Car Wash

A car wash can be pretty good work for some people. People who love washing cars and making them look shiny ca enter this business. Car wash companies apply a lot of techniques to get traffic. Many companies offer free car wash after a few car washes to get the customer to come back again and again.

Each car wash has a basic charge and there are some optional charges and works if requested by clients. The best part is you don’t need a lot of investment and hard work. Starting from hand car washing you can grow your business to expensive car washer machine in a few years. But this small town business will stick only if you are love what you do. Here is the list of work you need to do:

• Plan your business. Invest according to your plans.
• Hire slowly and wisely.
• Keep customers coming back by offering free car washes after a few car washes.
• Advertise your services.
• Connect with a lot of car owners by offering a FREE car wash day.

11. Open a Gym

Every year millions of people join Gym and exercise studios to get healthy and fit. So there is a very good opportunity for you to get rich in a small town. You need a good amount of capital to start Gym business. People who are passionate about health and fitness can start a gym. The gym owner opens gyms at 5 a.m. in the morning daily and leaves after the sun goes down. So it’s one of the time taking small town business ideas. The main source of income is obviously Gym membership.

• Find a unique Gym name.
• Buy the required equipment. You can go for used equipment if the investment is low.
• Plan your business.
• Invest in marketing. Advertise your brand.
• Buy Supplements to sell at the Gym.
• Start a juice bar near the Gym.

12. Flower Shop

You might be thinking of what business does every small town need? Here is one of them. Flower Shop is an inexpensive business idea for rural areas. If you love the smell of flowers and love arranging flowers, this business is for you. You don’t need any skills or education for such businesses.

Retail florist’s sales mostly come from weddings, funerals and special gifts. Here is the step by step guide to open a flower shop:

• Do your market research.
• Find the location for your shop.
• Buy flowers from local vendors or grow your own flowers.
• You should be Courteous to customers, looking presentable and punctual in your work.
• Make your shop look beautiful and attractive.

13. Cleaning Service

Though people love hiring big companies and startups for cleaning services still there are towns where big companies don’t operate. If you live in such a town you already know small town business ideas that will stick. You can earn high profits by offering cleaning services in small towns. Here is the thing you need to do:

• Create a company and make “customer satisfaction” your first goal.
• Name your company.
• Provide all cleaning services a trustworthy, and professional manner.
• Buy all the required equipment.
• Customize Your Client Experience
• Establish Your own Brand
• Advertise your brand.

14. Tutoring Services

Tutoring services is one of the small town business ideas that work. A lot of students are having problems understanding math and grammar. You can earn a good amount of money by starting your own tutoring service.

Most small town business ideas that thrive need a team. The same is the case with tutoring services too. You need to create a team. Hire a few teachers. But make sure to hire professional tutors. Don’t hire tutors that try to become a jack of all subjects. Look for tutors that are specialized in one subject and are less expensive.

Always keep in mind that not all students are eager to learn. Some students can try your patience. You should make your mind before to bear that. But the best part is that you can do it part-time with any other job. Here is the Step by step guide:

• Make an office for your Services.
• Determine the subjects you can teach. Hire tutors for other subjects.
• Make a list of students.
• Obtain all required permits.
• Make a business plan.
• Advertise your services.

15. Hair Salon

Hair Salon is one of the businesses that every small town needs. This business doesn’t need any specific age or gender. The only thing you need to have is to be passionate about making people look spectacular. Opening a salon is not only about giving haircuts, but you can also offer a lot of other services to earn more revenue.

On a small scale, you can run the salon alone but once your business starts growing you would need to hire your team. Prices in a salon are often set by salon owners or hairstylist. Steps to open a hair salon:

• Make a business plan
• Find the location for your salon.
• Obtain required permits.
• Hire a professional hairstylist.
• Grab the required equipment.
• Be willing to help customers.
• Advertise your salon.

16. Electronics Dealer

If you ask us how to get rich in a small town? We have an answer for you. Electronic dealing is one of the small town business ideas that thrive. But this type of business needs a lot of investment and some extra hours at your shop.

You can start this business on a small scale and gradually increase it. Make sure to research the market prices of the stuff you are about to buy and visit some other dealers doing the same business in other towns and cities and see if they can guide you. Big startups like Tweeter and Circuit City failed in this business because of a lack of planning.

• Think of the memorable name of your business.
• Find out the requirements of your area.
• Buy Electronic from wholesale markets only. You can order online too.
• Advertise your business. Choose a crowded location for your store.
• Connect with brands to buy stuff directly from companies.
• Hire a professional employee.
• Connect with your community by sponsoring events.

17. Massage Therapist

Massage therapy business is ideal for people who feel they are blessed with the power to heal others by their touch. People who love meeting new people on a daily basis.

Just like people suffer from headaches, stress, aches in cities, people in a small town also suffer from aches. That’s what creates a business idea with no investment. You don’t need any special skills to do Massage business. You would learn to Massage in a week or two of training.  Most massage therapist keeps their business small and does it all alone but if you want to increase your business and open at a different location then Massage therapy can be one of the small town businesses that work.

18. Water refill station

If you are living in a town where people have difficulty in finding clean drinking water, then there is an opportunity to get rich in a small town. The cost to run a water refill station is also low and the task itself is quite easy. Buyers can buy pre-filled water gallons or bring their own to fill. This is a little cheaper than retailed bottles.

• Make a business plan for your water refill station.
• Find cheap stations.
• Find suppliers for your stations.
• Conduct analysis of water.

You don’t need any skills to open a water refill station. You need to obtain permits for that. Overall this business is one of the small town businesses that work.

19. Poultry farming business

If you are looking for small town business ideas that will stick, the Poultry Farming business is the best idea for you if you can compete in the market. Before entering poultry business you need to consider all of its aspects. This business is fit for a serious entrepreneur looking forward to working with a team. This business needs proper care of your farm and clean water supply. Here is the guide to start:

• Choose your poultry section. You can go for Broiler (meat) production or layers (eggs) production.
• Choose the type of birds. Mostly farms produce broiler and layers but you can also go for the duck, goose, quail, guinea fowl, turkey, pigeon, and peacock.
• Create a logo for your Poultry farm.
• Find an ideal location for your farm.
• Find your investors.
• Hire a professional employee for your poultry business.
• Connect with suppliers and customers online through the web.
• Market your Farm products.

20. Gas station

A gas station is the most common business every small town needs. Although there is quite high competition in the gas station business, still wise planning an ideal location for your station will make it one of the small town businesses that thrive. Many businessmen try to buy a pre-existing gas station which leads to more stable business and predictable revenue.

Anyone who loves interacting with people can be a good suit for this business. Mostly Gas owners choose locations that are on highways that link different cities, which makes it easy for travelers to find a gas station. Most of the revenue of gas station comes from families traveling to other cities. Some gas stations also serve pre-made food such as pizza and beverages etc. which bring in some extra revenue.

• Make a wise business plan. Keep your competition in your mind.
• Get all required permits and licenses.
• Find a unique name for your gas station.
• Market your station.

21. Handyman business

Skill is the first thing that comes in our mind when we think about handyman business. If you are skilled your business will rock, doesn’t matter where you start and what’s your capital.

• Choose your business niche and do wise planning.
• Look at the market competition.
• Choose an ideal location for your business.
• Marketing is important for this business.
• Get the required permits.

22. Clothing Alterations

Clothing alterations is the perfect business idea for you if you can sew and alter clothes. You can start your business with small capital. Try to be professional in this business. You can also hire an expert tailor for your business. Just focus on customer satisfaction and see your business idea thriving.

23. Carpenter

If you are good at woodworks, go for your own carpenter business. It may be hard to get some clients in the beginning but if you start to sell your own wood the business can sky rock in a few months.

24. Independent Blogger

Blogging is one of the best ways to promote any business online. Independent bloggers make thousands of dollars monthly from the services they are offering. For modern people, it is one of the best small town small business ideas.

A blogger can earn money either by creating his own website and then earning money from advertisements, affiliate marketing, and selling products online. But this is the starting part.

Once you are in into blogging there is a lot more to do. You can do any of the following:

• Advertise for others.
• Start email marketing.
• Write product reviews.
• Social media blogging.
• Write business blogs.
• DIY and recipe blogging.

If you are looking to blogging, here is a unique guide “How To Start a Blog”

25. Mobile Retailer

If your small town has a very low population then starting a complete retail shop is not that profitable small business idea. In such a case, you can go to a mobile retail shop in any small vehicle and generate your living.

26. Retail Pharmacy

Every small town needs a pharmacy store. You can start your own pharmacy store too. You would need permits and licenses for this business.

Here is how to start a pharmacy store:

• Make a plan.
• Identify pharmacy opportunities.
• Get pharmacy licensing.
• Line up financing.
• Hire a team.
• Build, stock and advertise your store.

Small Town Business Ideas that thrive

27. Tour Guide

Starting a tour guide can be hard in the beginning, but once you find your path, it can be a successful idea. The idea can work best if your small town is some sort of tourist attraction sight.

Here is what you need to do:

• Find your passion
• Evaluate your town.
• Identify your target market.
• Research your competitors.
• Register your business.

28. Gardener

If you are one of those people who love passing their time in gardens, you can turn your this hobby into a successful small town business. Offer gardening services to customers in your town and earn money.

29. Computer Repair

If you are living in a small town and you know how to fix computers and software, you can start your own thriving computer business today. Just open shop in any market and customers will come from your town because everyone needs help in solving their computer problems somewhere in life.

30. Landscape Photographer

Although this business will not make you rich soon. You can earn a good amount of money by offering photography services in your town.

31. Dog Groomer

Regardless of where you live, Dogs need grooming services. You can start your dog grooming business with a very small capital today.

32. Secondhand Store

Imagine a store in your town where you can buy almost anything Secondhand. It is one of the popular retail business ideas for small towns. You can start your own second-hand store where you would sell everything second hand. You can buy stuff online or you can purchase from customers and sale to customers.

33. Petting Farm

If you have animals on your farm, you can also allow consumers to pet their animals at your farm. You can charge them for that.

34. Author: Small Town Business Ideas

You can write books or eBooks from any type of location. Small towns are great places for writers to get inspired.

35. Online Course Creator

If you have any specific skill and you want to earn money from it. Here is how. Just make your courses and sell them online.

36. Local Museum

If your town has any history and attracts tourists, you can make your own small museum.

37. Jewelry Designer

Start your business with some specific designs and turn it into a successful business by selling your designs to local jewelers.

38. Logo Design

Millions of people are starting their companies and brands on a daily basis and everyone needs a logo designer to design a logo for his brand. You can start this business from your home online regardless of where you live.

39. Personal Trainer

Start training people at your local gym. This business would work best if you have any expertise. You can also start your own gym someday.

40. Freelance Writer

Start your own business as a freelance writer online. You can earn a handful amount of money once you become good at writing.

41. Day Care Service

Starting a daycare service for kids or pets can give you some extra bucks in your small town. If you start this business on a big scale and hire a professional team, it can be the best ever business you have ever heard of.

You need a passion to serve kids and play with them so that you can keep them happy throughout the day in the absence of their parents. As the population of small villages is increasing day by day, the demand for daycare services is also increasing. For those who don’t want to do hard labor and looking for some serious money, this can be on your list of small town business ideas.

42. Event Organizing

Event planning and setting up takes good time and proper training and time management. Because, birthdays, weddings and special holidays come once in life, sometimes twice, lol, but you have to make your clients happy with your services. And frankly speaking, it would take some time to learn this management before starting it as a business.

The better option, in this case, is to first find a mentor and learn from him first. After learning the work, you can come back to your small town and start this thriving business.

But keep in mind that you don’t have to ruin the special events and occasions of the clients. Otherwise, their bad reviews will ruin your business in a short time and your dream to become rich in a small town will not be fulfilled.

43. Financial Planner

You need a proper degree and licensing to start this business. And if you already have that, what are you even waiting for. The people of small villages need your services the most.

Just because they know how to earn money through hard work but they don’t know how to manage money and how to multiply it. You will help them take their big decisions and ultimately you will get paid for that. You will need an office setup and a small amount of investment to advertise your one Man Company and boom!

To me, it’s one of the small town business ideas that will stick to the end.

44. Start a YouTube channel

If you look at the most successful YouTubers, who are earning millions of dollars from YouTube every year, they all started small. More than fifty percent of them started making videos with their cell phones and iPhones.

The point is, if you have a skill that you can teach online, you need to jump into the game. If you have the skill to entertain people, you can become a good comedian and rock the stages with your comedy.

If you have some sort of skill that people are looking for, you have won the race. Just start a YouTube channel, make quality videos and start earning money. For every one million views you get on your video, depending on the length and type of video, you will approximately get somewhere between 2000$ to 3000$ which is a good amount.

After a little popularity, you can sell your premium courses online, which will introduce you to the whole new world of rich people. You can be the next king of your village running different small town business ideas.

FAQ

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