Without a doubt, 2017 is already a great year for entrepreneurs! Even though you might think the global market is run by large business, in 2016, small local business and innovative startups had the upper hand. They maintained a steady rise, and the trend will only continue. To compel your entrepreneurial spirit to introduce your startup on the global level, here are the best small business ideas that are making an impact soon.
Hiring Network
As established businesses and startup superstars look to expand and take advantage of their success, they are in need of manpower to fill their ranks. This provides a viable business opportunity for entrepreneurs with a bit of background in HR to become startup middle-men and meet those requirements at a local level. Facilitating potential talent and employers alike, this business model can be a networking platform that can reinvent hiring. Businesses make their staff demands while your startup does the leg-work and seeks out suitable candidates, and rakes in the profits by satisfying both sides. A big plus for this business idea: you can run this business from your home.
Seamless Collaboration Business
The concept behind this idea is to provide existing businesses with a chance to improve communication and thus boost productivity in their daily operations by establishing something of an interactive business guide. Seamless collaboration is achieved by creating a cloud-based shared workspace online. A study conducted in 2012 found that it is possible to increase staff productivity by more than 10 percent just by adding an online social communication network into the office. Still, companies found out soon enough that social media was not the answer, as it was lax and could not be monitored. Instead, emerging entrepreneurs have only recently opened up the market for seamless communication, making it an opportunity worth exploring.
Corporate Wellness Service
In 2016, companies recognized the advantages in-house wellness programs can have on the satisfaction of the existing staff, as well as luring new talent in. Still, most companies don’t have the capabilities to hire full-time wellness experts and instead opt for outsourcing those services. This has opened the market to wellness startups that target corporate clients. The best examples include wellness services that provide clients with large-staff programs in their own facilities but can also make house calls. This startup model can be easily marketed, since it appeals to corporate HR’s concerns for employee healthcare and job satisfaction, but is flexible enough to accommodate the mobility of the modern workplace.
Warehouse Storage Business
Launching a warehouse business in 2017 seems to be a logical choice, especially when you factor in the potential client base, mainly e-commerce companies. Better yet, choosing to exclusively deal in storage, rather than storage plus shipping, means you will be quick to take advantage of “supply and demand” and invest just enough to get your idea off the ground. Still, the initial price tag is overwhelming, the major expenses being facility costs and labor. However, by investing in the latest warehouse equipment, like hybrid storage containers, state-of-the-line scissor lifts and forklifts, you can be sure to rake in all the clientele, get one over the competition (if any), and make a quick return on your investment.
Package-Free Shops
Package-less food shopping has been around in Germany for a couple of years but has only just arrived to the US. This means the market shares are still at a low. Instead of conventional packaging, cardboard boxes, plastic and paper bags, customers can only buy their groceries by bringing their own, re-usable glass or metal containers and textile bags. The idea here is to provide customers with a chance to buy local, organic food and beverages with 0 percent waste emission.
With a little bit of inventiveness, 2017 can be a profitable year for innovative entrepreneurs. Use these ideas to introduce your startup into the world, or be inspired to produce an idea that just might feature as a trendsetter next year. If you still need some business ideas, check out our list of the best 300 small business ideas.
Diana Smith is a BusinessTown.com contributor
