50 Small Business Ideas You Can Start At Home

Summary: The fashion industry is constantly changing and evolving, making it an exciting and dynamic place to start businesses from home. One can select from the different business paths within the fashion industry, from design and marketing to merchandising and retail. A guided approach based on research, efforts and creativity can be the differentiator in small businesses. Browse through the below-mentioned small business ideas to create the apparel industry's most lucrative fashion businesses.

A Big Business Starts Small

Starting a new business from scratch is not as big of an issue today as it once was. Many resources are available to help new business owners, from online business directories to e-commerce platforms. 

However, newbies need to investigate a possibility by their capacity to invest and build brands that are in market demand. To get started,  here are the top 50 small business ideas. 

1. Start a Shoe Line

Initiating a  shoe line is both rewarding and interesting.  This business idea can be turned into a profitable business venture by starting an e-commerce store. However, one specific niche and shoestring budget must be fixed before starting out. Once you've decided on your niche, research your competition and market to make your shoes stand out. before starting.

2. Write a Fashion-related Book

This is a great way to express your passion for fashion and share your knowledge. Plus, it's a great way to build up your portfolio. Make a book budget before starting and it’s highly recommended to get in touch with other similar niche authors to make it a success. 

3. Sell Fabrics on eBay 

Compared to a brick-and-mortar store, the business requires less capital commitment and is quite intriguing. With several apparel stores emerging, fabric is always in demand. Simply put, a fabric online shop offers fabrics online. Therefore, before starting this small business, you must establish an eCommerce website. You must also include the delivery and payment integration modules.

4. Make Watches

You can make a killing by restoring old, cheap watches and selling them online. All you need is a watch repair kit and an online market.

5. Design T-Shirts 

Design and sell t-shirts online as your business. The t-shirt market is a multi-billion dollar one globally. In general, there are many ways to launch a t-shirt business. You must, however, develop your business plan based on your unique skills and capabilities to get started.

6. Make Handbags 

Enter the handbag market by making and selling quirky or stylish bags. Before starting do thorough research on what your target audience will like. Expand the reach of the brand using an e-commerce store and sell the bags online.

7. Become a Personal Stylist 

Building a career by advising clients on fashion and style is in demand, especially in the age of trendy fashion. It is a rewarding business when paired with a strong online presence. So, starting by showcasing skills on social media can be a great way to start. 

8. Start Web Designer Business for Retailers 

As several e-commerce fashion brands are emerging, acquiring web designing skills can be highly lucrative. As a beginner, offer niche-specific web designing services to retailers and later expand to building a good client base. 

9. Start Your Clothing Line 

This can be a great start for fashion designers. Starting a clothing line is rewarding once you’ve built an excellent social media presence. Moreover, starting a small clothing line will require minimum investments in market research and making a space in the industry.  This is an interesting small business idea that can help fashion designers to create and share their unique ideations with the world.

10. Become a Milliner

Hat-making has emerged as a non-negotiable small business idea to thrive in-home businesses. Making designer hats is a fun and creative way to get started. The art of making these hats can be shown online on social media platforms to gauge customer preferences. 

11. Design Belts 

Nowadays, customized leather belts with buckles are in demand. The availability of tools like sewing machines, measuring tape and genuine leather makes it a doable business for beginners right from home. A flair for making unique belts is what makes the brands stand out from the crowd. 

12. Become a Fashion Columnist 

If you have a good grasp of fashion trends, rather than expressing thoughts on fashion trends to a friend or a relative, you can become a fashion columnist and earn money by putting it on a website. One only needs to have a strong fashion sense, and a digital medium to make it big as a fashion columnist.

13. Launch a Fashion Magazine 

Starting a fashion magazine needs immense creativity and attention to detail. Most brands seek ways to reach their target audiences to showcase their recent trends and couture, and fashion magazines are one such medium. This medium can be a small business idea for fashion writers and aspirants pursuing fashion studies. 

14. Scout for Next Supermodel 

Modeling requires a content portfolio and a free social media account to begin the journey right from home. With plus-size garments taking over the market, there’s a huge requirement for models irrespective of body shape and size.

15. Design Maternity Wear 

Grand View Research predicts that the market for maternity clothing will keep growing due to more pregnant women working and rising interest in maternity fashion. The case may be made that maternity clothing isn't stylish enough. By launching your very own brand of stylish maternity clothing, you can fill this gap in the market. Hence, designing loose clothing is a rewarding small business idea, both economically and personally for beginners. 

16. Start a Fashion Blog 

Building a fashion blog requires minimum requirements like good content writing and publishing skills. Newbies can begin by sharing the latest fashion tips through a fashion blog. With this small business idea, one can start a blog and discuss the newest ideas, trends, and news in the always-changing world of fashion.

17. Organize Fashion Events 

Put your organizational skills into practice. If you’re a retired stylist or have quit your fashionista job to build a business, use networks and connections to organize fashion events as it’s one of the most rewarding businesses. 

18. Sell Perfume 

Since the demand for perfumes is increasing day by day in women's wardrobes, starting an online perfume business is a good idea. With their never-ending demands in boutiques, lower supply costs and high-profit margins, the fragrance business is highly on trend. 

19. Fashion Vlogger

Get creative and create videos with wardrobe ideas, brand evaluations, and styling advice. This requires zero investment and if done properly, people can start a whole designer clothing brand. Make a youtube account and build an audience that’s always looking for fashion advice, trends and styles in the fashion world. 

20. Wedding Gown Rental Business 

Entering the lucrative wedding gown rental business by renting gowns per hour is much needed in today's thrift-loving era. Rental businesses and thrifting have become ongoing trends to reduce fast fashion trends and attain sustainability by reducing the disposal of garments. This will turn out well if you play your cards well. Start by building an online rental e-commerce store. 

21. Upcycle Fashion Items 

Give life to old and damaged clothes and give them life by upcycling. Experiments show 50% of old garments can be recycled creatively and sold. This is a huge opportunity for fashion designers to upcycle clothes, accessories and other apparel. 

As customers are growing more environmentally conscious, upcycling has become an in-demand sustainable trend. Hence, hop into the upcycling trend by starting a business in this field. 

22. Shoe Repair Business

Similar to upcycling clothes, repairing shoes is also considered a sustainable business. Usually, a cobbler is known to repair shoes but starting a shoe fixing or repairing business is lucrative nowadays. One can begin by providing customized shoe-fixing services to stand out from the crowd through an online portal. 

23. Make and Sell Jewelry 

A handcrafted jewelry business is easily expandable to a full-time venture. A circular fashion economy while designing accessories can be implemented to keep sustainability in check. Keeping these practices in check can help the brand emerge as a success. 

24. Start Lingerie Business 

Making and selling lingerie is a good start for women at home. The optimal use of eco-friendly fabrics, and introducing size-inclusivity can help the brand stand out of the crowd. 

25. Rent Designer Clothes 

As is common among celebrities, starting clothes rental business can emerge as a success because most people cannot afford expensive clothes. As the excess manufacturing of clothes is becoming a bane, starting a rental business can foster circular fashion in the industry.

26. Make Button Badges 

Making a button badge business requires very less capital. With the increasing number of brands, button badges are a great way to showcase brand identity. Starting a badge-making business can foster lucrative earnings when paired with the right printings and feasible shipping costs. 

27. Design Sunglasses 

Designing and starting a sunglasses business can be very profitable. One can launch this business without having a physical storefront or office. Everything can be done in the convenience of your home. 

28. Become a Fashion Marketer 

Fashion marketers are highly demanded. As several brands keep a lookout for tech-savvy and dedicated marketers to increase their reach among consumers. If you’re good at creating strategies, increasing awareness, marketing goods, and piquing consumer interest, then this might be a good start. 

29. Run Fashion Expos 

To run fashion expos as beginners, one can begin by following consumer trends to better understand consumer demands and organize and run fashion expos. Young apparel entrepreneurs or beginners starting can begin showcasing their products to potential customers at expos or fair trade. This can be a good start for small businesses. 

30. Fashion Photographer

For photography enthusiasts, one can start a lucrative business in fashion photography. More companies sign up with fashion photographers on a contractual basis than hiring a candidate for their team. This side-hustle business can be later turned into a full-time business for any fashion photographer.  

31. Make Wristbands 

Designer quirky or customized wristbands can be made easily and in bulk. These businesses prosper when customization factors are involved in making them. Customizable wristbands don't take much effort and capital and can be regarded as a profitable business idea. 

32. Selling Bulk Products

Perhaps if there are unusual goods that aren't easily accessible in the market, but there’s an increase in demand for it then this business will turn successful in less time. Bulk product requirements can be met online if the specialized market is identified and served properly. 

33. Make Baby Clothes 

Making comfortable and affordable baby clothes is simple. It doesn’t require much capital.  They can be started on a small scale and don’t necessarily require a physical store. 

34. Start Casual Wear Line 

With Gen Z fashion trends taking over the industry, what’s better than building a business and selling clothes with a youthful aesthetic? To make a Gen Z fashion brand a success, make sure to introduce “blast from the past” styles.  

35. Yarn Dyeing

Creating a production facility in the fashion industry is a good small business that one can begin at home. Cotton remains a significant textile fiber. And fiber dyeing is unquestionably the permanent application of various color tones. The business requires both strategic planning and a modest capital expenditure before making it big in the industry. 

36. Knitting Crochets

Knitting and crocheting are generally excellent home-based businesses for women, housewives, and mothers. Additionally, this is an excellent way for students to make money. With crochet, you can create lovely clothing and home decor. The equipment is available from regional distributors or online.

37. Customized Handbags

Customized handbags are more in demand than designer handbags. Several fashion influencers are taking up the digital space, and launching their line of handbags. This presents a lucrative business opportunity for several individuals including fashion designers and local tailors to manufacture customized handbags. 

38. Sell Suits 

Personalized suits are highly in demand. Hence, designing and selling corporate suits and shirts can be profitable provided that quality is unhampered.  One can showcase their suit-making skill online through social media to gauge potential customers. 

39. Clothing Franchise 

Several fashion brands offer the option of franchising to expand their business across the country. The apparel franchise business is a good business, to begin with, as a starter. 

40. Fashion Consultant 

The fashion consultancy business is one of the most thriving businesses out there. One can start right from home by building an online presence and advising people on fashion and style as a fashion consultant.

41. Sports Clothes Brand 

Creating and sharing ideas for an everyday active lifestyle with a dedication to product quality and design in sportswear is a good business to start with. Such apparel brands should begin by offering sports bras, t-shirts, and workout tanks with vibrant patterns and various styles to cater to wider audiences.

42. Design Innovative Fashion Tech 

For technology enthusiasts, starting by creating fashion tech for fashionistas and brands can be a good start to building a business. Several brands require technical innovation to stay on top of the game which ultimately increases the demand for insights to innovate. A tech-savvy individual can start providing services and later turn them into a business helping fashion brands.

43. Start Fashion PR Business

Fashion houses seek out online press release portals to showcase their trends and cultures. With all the competition brimming, building an online press release website can make a huge impact in the fashion industry.  Fashion brands can influence both their and your audiences, propelling the PR business site.

44. Make Soccer T-Shirts 

Customizing soccer t-shirts for events can be a huge business starter in both the sports and fashion industry.  This is the best business idea, for a sports enthusiast, to begin with. Starting from a small-scale soccer t-shirt production from home, a person can aim to build a successful sports fashion brand with the right business plan.  

45. Sell Costumes 

Costumes are a never-ending requirement in the fashion world and are often in demand. Though it is not a busy business, affordable and good-quality costumes can be made from the vicinity of homes with the right cosplay fabrics. Costume-making businesses are profitable and can be started as both rental and selling e-commerce stores.

46. Seamstress

As consumerism is becoming prevalent in the industry. Seamstresses are considered lifesavers.  Facilitate the buying and selling of customized clothes by building a sewing business right in the comfort of your home. 

47. Pattern Maker

Make patterns for seamstresses using the sketches of fashion designers or already-made clothing. As an alternative, amateur sewers can create patterns from the ground up and showcase their skills to fashion brands or other designers. 

48. Social Media Marketing

No brand exists without a social media presence. Social media marketing aims to build the brand’s online presence across different social media platforms. This can serve as a profitable business for any dedicated fashion marketer. 

49. Set Up Boutique 

Today, setting up a boutique is not equivalent to brick and mortar business. Unlike conventional boutique stores, fashion enthusiasts can create online boutique stores. With increased consumerism and ample availability of online platforms, the demand for online boutiques is evergreen in the fashion industry. Hence,  setting up a boutique is a well-thought business that can be started from home. 

50. Open Fashion Design School

Fashion design school is perfect for starting a business, especially for individuals who have sufficient knowledge of the fashion industry. Offering fashion courses online will help in the rapid scalability of the business. 

Discover the New You 

The fashion industry is huge and ever-growing. There are countless opportunities for those looking to get involved in the industry. And with the rise of social media, there are now more ways than ever to share your love of fashion with the world!

You can contact Fashinza to help build and grow your clothing business. We offer the best service at affordable prices. 

Book a demo with Fashinza today. 

Key Takeaways

• Know more about the fashion products you want to sell.
• Handbags and footwear are profitable. 
• Reach more people with online businesses.