31 Best Small Business Ideas to Survive Lockdown 2024

Worrying about the lost sales and your customer base falling apart is easy! What’s difficult is to find out new ways to connect with your customers and offer them the real value. And, that is how they will come back to you post lockdown. So, which path do you choose?

31 Small Business Ideas to Try During the Lockdown

Become a Business Consultant

Most of the businesses these days operate from remote and as a business consultant, you would need expert guidance for handling digital processes related to managing a business. Make use of these tools for providing expert assistance over how to conduct successful marketing campaigns, etc. and see your business thrive.

Take Up Digital Marketing Projects

Offline events and other traditional marketing practices have taken the back seat. You can help businesses reach out to their target customers through online channels and earn money. If you build a decent client base now, you can start with your own digital marketing setup post the lockdown.

Get into Online Teaching

Reach out to an increasing number of students who are struggling to continue with their studies during the lockdown. You can connect with them through online webinars and video sessions to explain different concepts effectively.

Start with Freelancing Projects

There is a huge demand for freelancing tasks related to translation, content writing, graphic designing, etc. Join websites like Upwork and Freelancer to get freelancing projects as per your expertise. Build a good reputation with clients today, and you can continue with this small business idea in the future also.

Become a YouTuber

There is a huge spike in the number of people watching videos online during the lockdown. The platform is set, so why not make the most of it! Whether you are into food, interior designing, gardening, dancing or art & crafts, create professional-quality videos to get followers on YouTube. This YouTube marketing small business idea can become your consistent revenue stream in the future.

Start Your Own Blog Page

If you love to express your ideas through words and know how SERP works, it’s time to start your own blog page. A blog page is a good revenue source, as you can earn through affiliated ads and sponsored posts.

Website Development

People are starting their own website, getting into new home-based businesses, making their own blog pages, and a lot more at the time of lockdown. If you are into website development, you can easily take up freelancing projects and help other businesses flourish.

Sell Healthcare Products

If you can create masks and gloves in bulk, it’s one of the best ways to generate some income at these difficult times. You can sell hand-made gloves and masks to chemist stores and online to earn money.

Get into Art & Craft Products

It’s time to explore your creativity and turn it into a profession. Use the unused items in your house to create different art and craft products, which you can sell to your contacts, your neighbours, those living in your society, etc. You can also start your own website and social media pages to increase the reach online.

Join a Referral Program

Many companies have their own referral programs, which you can join for free. Their business model is such that you earn some amount of commission on every lead you share or product you sell. This is a great earning source for those who have strong networking skills.

Sewing & Alteration Help

Whether people shop a lot or restrain themselves from going out, they will always need someone to hem their favourite trousers or to mend the button of a shirt. If you are good at sewing, you can start by offering these simple tailoring services to people in your locality and take your small business idea to another level.

Fitness Trainer

While some people are interested in doing Yoga, others need to burn their belly fat and get toned muscles. However, most of them don’t have time to go to the gym daily. You can help them continue with their fitness regime from anywhere, anytime as an online fitness trainer. To attract new customers for this small business idea, you can provide the fitness package for the entire family to build a strong clientele.

Career Counsellor

In the time of uncertainty, children often look for an expert advice. This is the time when students are preparing for different entrance exams. As a career counsellor, you can guide them online with the best courses and career options depending upon the subjects they have chosen.

Resume Writer

People are looking for new jobs and better opportunities to uplift their economic condition. And, you can lend them professional help as a resume writer. Help your clients make the first impression right with a convincing resume that speaks louder for their skills and expertise.

House Cleaning Service

With limited house helps, people are now opting for professional house cleaners. This is an opportunity for you to start a house cleaning business online. This small business idea will never fail, as hygiene and cleanliness matter to all.

Online Fashion Boutique

If you are good at designing garments, you can start with your own online fashion boutique. You just need to get your hands at some of the best fashion designing software for beginners to brush up your creativity. And what next, you can make money through best earning app, out of this amazing small business idea!

Home-Run Bakery

Birthday cakes, match-maker muffins, ice-breaker cookies and pies for late-night cravings will always be in demand. So, why not start a home-run bakery and serve all sweet-toothed people in your vicinity. As your business grows, you can also integrate with Swiggy and Zomato to take more online orders.

Print-On-Demand Business

Quirky posters, cards, T-shirts and wallpapers attract everyone’s attention. You can start selling print-on-demand accessories, such as, coffee mugs, cushions, table lamps, etc. This is one of the best small business ideas to earn a decent income consistently.

Start a Non-Profit Organization

Whether you want to do something for street dogs, homeless kids, unemployed adults, marginalized women or lonely senior citizens, it’s the right time to start a non-profit organization or a charity group. This is one of the most satisfying best business to start with little money, which will help grow both as an entrepreneur and an individual.

Interior Designing

People are now spending more time at home and have many ideas to renovate their existing space. You can help in turning their ordinary pad into a snuggly nest as an interior designer. Some might also want to change their traditional kitchen into a modular kitchen or have their own office space at home. If you have small profitable business ideas, just go for this one!

Give Online Therapy

COVID-19 pandemic has put immense pressure on people mentally. If you’re a counselor, therapist, or psychologist, give face-to-face online therapy sessions to people worldwide. You can also connect with other specialists and mental health professionals, counselors, and social workers.

Be Online Personal Assistant

If you think that you are focused, have good communication skills and can manage multiple tasks at once, then connect with entrepreneurs and business owners to help them with their daily activities. You can get paid to manage their schedule, urgent travels, emails, and much more.

Become a Video Editor

Content creators are focused on growing their brand during lockdown as more people spend their time on social media with one of most profitable businesses. You can start by taking courses and doing your own projects to get comfortable. Then, connect with influencers and other content creators looking for a video editor.

Delivery Business App

If you are into app development, you can connect with vendors based on what works best for you in your local area. Then, develop an app for home-to-home delivery of necessary items like sanitizers, food items, or baby care items. Many large organizations have also started offering delivery services of any item from one place to another as people cannot go out.

Game Makers and Sellers

Kids keep themselves entertained by playing games as they are unable to go out. You can be a game developer or seller and earn huge profits by selling them to children. Moreover, you can also develop an app that is educational but fun so that parents and children get interested.

Transportation Services

You can start offering cab and other transport facilities for people looking to travel safely from one place to another. There is a high demand of transport services during COVID-19 pandemic. People need services in urgent situations and cannot risk travelling in public transport.

Accounting Services

Many businesses, especially small to medium enterprises (SMEs), are worried about their profits during and post Covid-19 pandemic. If you have the necessary qualifications required for an accountant, your services are high in demand. You can help businesses in bookkeeping and managing their finances to stay afloat.

Drone Disinfectants Business

You can start a UVC drone disinfection business. Ultraviolet-C (UVC) lights on drones can disinfect areas infected with COVID-19 without risking the life of anyone, especially in tightly enclosed spaces. Such areas could be containment zones, emergency rooms, waiting areas, doctor’s offices, grocery and convenience stores, among others.

eCommerce Business

You can start your own ecommerce business in your locality and promote your page on social media platforms. What can set you apart is solutions customized to your customers and fast confirmation. It can also be a monthly subscription service so that customers are stress free for the rest of the year. Ensure that the payment options used by customers are secure.

Affiliate Marketing

There are many Indian social media apps that pay creators to post content on their platform and grow their followers. If you have a social media following, you can start getting paid for leaving positive reviews and doing promotions for other small scale businesses. Your income is based on your popularity.

eBook Writer

If you always wanted to publish your own book but never had the time, now is the chance. You can use your writing skills and even publish content in vernacular languages. As people are cooped up in their home and are anxious about their wellbeing, reading is a good form of distraction for them.

10 Best Tips for Small Business During Second Lockdown

If as an SMB, you want to explore new ideas, let’s get started!

#1 Socialise Online with Your Customers Through Social Media

In order to get going through the Corona crisis, you need to build a connect with your prospects and existing customers. And what can be a better platform to deliver value and forge relationships than social media.

Increase the social media presence of your website
Check in with your audiences and show that you care
Respond to comments quickly and try to converse with your audience
Try video interactions to extend support to your audience at the time of ongoing uncertainty.

#2 Create Real Value for Your Customers Through Blogs

Now that your sales have taken a backseat, make sure you are still offering something valuable to your customers. Through insightful and informative content on your blog page, you will not just increase your online presence but also offer the real value to your customers.

Find logical connections to trending topics
Show your customers that you are open for business by sharing content around your offerings
Reoptimize your previous blogs & stay relevant for those keywords which are likely to bounce back post lockdown
Reuse & repackage your previous blogs in video formats to capture the readers’ attention.

#3 Replace Offline Events with Live Steaming & Webinars

Last minute cancellations and backouts from offline events was widely seen in the month of March! So, how these businesses are networking with prospects in the time of lockdown? Virtual meetups through live streams and webinars have quickly replaced offline events. This is where small businesses can tap on market opportunities with reduced costs!

You can host how-to & product tutorial videos
Training and workshop videos will attract a lot of audience
Ted-style talks and interviews with industry experts will be quite relevant for your audience
You can also create quirky videos about how your employees are staying connected in the time of isolation.

#4 Become a Part of Online & Local Business Communities

If you didn’t have time for this before, think about it now! Contribute to the social good, and this will ultimately result in an increased visibility among your target audience. Remember, any business doesn’t grow in isolation. As the society evolves, your business will also come out successfully post the lockdown.

Work with local charity groups and non-profit organizations
Create a business model that helps contribute to the society, such as, partnership programs, internship programs, etc.
Encourage your employees for volunteering in social activities.

#5 Avoid Setbacks: Plan for the Worst-Case Scenarios

It’s time to analyse all possible outcomes and scenarios so that you can take necessary steps to sail through the worst! You can take steps like extending LC payments and maintaining a lean inventory position for now. Also, try to keep a few percentages of all your revenue sources in the form of cash to support your small business ideas.

Try getting your fund-based outstanding converted into FCDL/WCDL for short-term benefits
Review your P&L statement and analyse ways to optimize the processes which are leading to recurring costs
Put a hold to your capital expenditure plans for the next few months.

#6 Give Your Website a Design Refresh

During any normal business day, diverting your limited resources towards website update may not be a very smart decision. But now, your employees have enough time to think out of the box and update your website with more relevant information, images and small business ideas.

Identify your priorities and map those with the design of your existing website
Redefine your website’s target audience
Find out what’s working for your brand and customers
Make a list of design changes to be done on your website.

#7 Stick to the Lean Inventory Fundamentals

Whether you are a manufacturing entity or a trading firm, let’s stick to the lean inventory fundamentals for now. Try not to hold more than 30 to 50 percent of your business sources in the form of inventory. Also, try optimizing your recurring costs to keep expenses at the minimum.

#8 Help Your Employees Upskill with Free Online Courses During Lockdown

E-learning platforms like Coursera are popular applications for delivering free online courses. Thus, encourage your teammates and workforce to upgrade their skills in areas such as coding, data analytics, digital marketing and programming language. The same can be further used for more creative courses like photography, music and art. Utilize this platform to earn good revenue from your unique business ideas.

#9 Feel Free to Share Your Concerns with the Staff

You might feel the weight of your staff’s salary at this time, but they are the ones who will help take your business ahead post lockdown. So, stick with them and share your concerns. After all, you can sail through this situation as a team and not alone.

#10 Take a Small Break from Worrying Everyday

Currently, the situation is not in your favour but try looking at the bright side of things. In this period of turmoil, binge watch your favourite series/movies, spend time with your near-dear ones, and attend online training sessions, demos, classes, etc. to hone your entrepreneurial skills. Let this phase pass and try putting to good use all the small business ideas you got inside your head.