Home Based Business Ideas

Fancy scented candles and fragrant soaps with natural ingredients are garnering high demand these days. People are preferring them for gift hampers and celebration gifting. It is a low cost investment business and requires less time and energy from you. The raw materials are easily available and it is very simple to make these scented candles and soaps. You can advertise them on social media and your friends circle for increased visibility. Business keeps growing through repeat customers and word of mouth marketing.

Dropshipping

Dropshipping is where you serve as a point of sales but the delivery and distribution of goods happens from a third party warehouse or inventory. Your chief role will be in marketing and customer service. You can develop a website that lists the products and allow customers to order them online. The orders are then fulfilled by the manufacturer or distributor directly to the buyer. This removes the space crunch that may arise from stocking inventory. Also, it may cause problems if the items are not delivered on time or the quality of the product is not up to the mark. You need trustworthy manufacturers and distributors for a successful dropshipping venture.

Network Marketing/MLM

Network marketing, also referred to as Multi-Level Marketing (MLM) retains the top position among home-based business ideas in India by any standards. Increasing numbers of foreign companies entering India are engaged in healthcare and nutritional supplements, body, beauty and skincare. Consumers are seeking these products for a range of medical conditions ranging from impaired immunity to diabetes and beauty remedies to bright skin to hair loss prevention.

You can become a network marketer for any of these top global brands with a small capital, and sell their products for a profit. Investment is fairly secure as you'll only spend on customer-ordered products. All MLM firms stipulate the maximum price you can sell a product at. The sale price, however, provides a hefty profit for you.

Creche / Day Care Services

A childcare centre or baby sitter service is a great home business you can start in India. This enterprise, however, is best for a woman or couple with experience in managing infants while understanding their needs. Working couples generally require crèche services in cities, towns and large metros.

You should be ready to handle children as young as six months, as working moms resume their jobs at the end of their maternity leave.

Crèche don’t require high investment. It's enough to launch you into this business with a few playpens, sufficient toys and games, diapers, baby food and a first aid kit! You have to make sure that all kids receive high quality care and personalized attention.

Party Catering

Thousands of Indians made a fortune from party-catering and other events. To get into this very lucrative home business you'll need some great culinary and organizational skills. The main task here is to organize an interesting event, from start to finish. This means that you'll need to create various menus for clients to choose from. You do need tie-ups with food and liquor wholesalers to get the raw material and other items at lower rates. Your investment in a catering business includes the purchase of stoves fuelled by gas and kerosene, large utensils, buffet servers, heating trays and related devices. You should be able to outsource manpower at short notice. Enabling and facilitating housewives who can cook well and want to make extra cash in their spare time is the best way to go about this business.

Photography

You may start a photography business from home, if you own a high quality digital or film and video camera as well as some lighting equipment such as parabolic reflectors. For this business, the basic requirement is an eye for pictures and high creativity. Indian tradition commands that every major event such as weddings, birthday parties and get-togethers need to be filmed and should be well preserved in the form of pictures and videos. The same applies to corporate and social happenings.

Trend is changing very rapidly. No longer is photography or videography restricted to mega cities or large metro cities. But it is catching up in India 's smaller cities, industrial belts, semi-urban and rural areas too.

Home-Cooked Meals & Tiffins

This is a great home based business idea in India. With the number of working women increasing day by day, the demand for home cooked food has also increased. Working women prefer to order from such home chefs for a healthy and hygienic diet for their family. We should also consider the number of bachelors who work in other cities who crave home cooked foods. It does not require any additional infrastructure and can be managed with what you have at home. This also allows you greater flexibility with work timings. Depending upon your abilities, you can offer three meals a day- breakfast, lunch and dinner, on home delivery basis. Proficiency in cuisine allows you to cook meals that suit a different set of consumers.

Hand-made Jewellery

We cannot get enough of jewellery. We are always looking for new accessories to match our attire. Jewellery making has gained traction as a low cost business idea among many. There is terracotta jewellery, beads jewellery, thread jewellery, antique stone jewellery and many more variety that can be easily made at home and sold online. You can market them through social media, friends & relatives and affiliate marketing with leading websites and blogs. It is a low cost investment. You will be investing in raw materials and shipping charges only. This needs an eye for designing and creativity.

Tutoring – Home-based or Online

There is a constant demand for home tuitions and online tutoring classes. Find out your niche subject and you can start tutoring from the comfort of your home or through online video classes. If you possess any special skills, you are in for an advantage. You can choose your work timings and decide your pay. This gives increased control on your work-life balance. You can market yourself through social media, friends and relatives. There are also franchise opportunities with online training or tutoring classes that provide you with hand holding support to get started.

Content writing

Content is everything in today’s digital world. We consume so much content from every website, social media app, blogs, shopping sites and others. The demand for content writers has manifested manifold in recent years. If you can dole out creative and impactful content, nothing is stopping you from becoming a professional content writer.

If you are proficient in regional languages of India, you have an edge over the others. It is a simple online business from home without investment. You can be a creative writer, copywriter, adaptive writer or a ghost writer based on your skillset. There is ample opportunity available online for content writers.

Conclusion

The list of home based businesses is extensive. You need to research enough to find your niche so that you can choose the best business opportunity for you. Low cost investment and minimal infrastructure make these businesses a lucrative deal for these entrepreneurs.