You’re finally ready to start your own company. You have the guts, the drive, and the commitment—oh yeah, and $10,000. But wait, is that enough? Can you start a business with 10K? And if so, what businesses can you start with that amount of money?
On this page, we’ll answer those questions by covering the following sections:
Keep reading to find out more about each of those topics!
Is $10K enough to start a business?
Yes.
That doesn’t mean that every type of business only requires $10K. It also doesn’t mean that starting a business with $10K will always be an easy and carefree process. But you can do it. Ultimately, the key is to choose the right type of business.
What kind of business can you start with $10K?
There are many types of companies that you can start with $10K—too many to list, in fact, though we’ll look at some examples in the next section. Most of these types of businesses are on the smaller side, of course, but $10K is a great starting point for a small local business.
Of course, you shouldn’t choose your industry based purely on your budget. You should also factor in your own skillset and interests.
10 examples of the best businesses to start with $10K
All right, now let’s get down to it. What types of businesses, specifically, can you start with $10,000?
As mentioned earlier, listing every type of business that meets that requirement would be nearly impossible. Having said that, in this section, we’ll look at 10 of the best businesses to start with $10K:
Read on to learn more about each of those examples.
1. Lawn care business
Difficulty level: Low
We start with the easiest option on our list: Lawn care. This type of business can treat lawns in different ways, but often, it’s as simple as mowing the grass. For that reason, there’s no specialized knowledge needed to start this business. As long as you know how to operate a lawn mower, you’re good to go.
The only thing you need to start this business is a lawn mower and maybe some additional equipment like a weedwhacker.
2. Pressure washing company
Difficulty level: Low
Another relatively simple business you can start with $10K is a pressure washing company. This isn’t quite as easy as lawn care, but it’s still not too hard—once again, all you really need is the right equipment and some basic knowledge of how to use it. Thankfully, learning how to pressure wash is pretty simple!
3. Moving company
Difficulty level: Low
To start a moving company, you only need two things: Trucks and employees. Both of those things are pretty easy to acquire. Buying trucks can be pricey, but look for secondhand options, and you’ll make up the money after a few moving jobs. Other than that, running a moving company is (more or less) as simple as lifting heavy boxes!
4. Bakery
Difficulty level: Moderate
Now, we move on to a more challenging type of business. Running a bakery requires several elements, including:
Baking proficiency
Ingredients and equipment
Adherence to food safety regulations
You may also want to be proficient in things like cake decorating, an art form unto itself. We don’t recommend pursuing this type of business unless you’re already an experienced baker.
5. Food truck
Difficulty level: Moderate
If food is your passion, consider starting a food truck or food cart. You’ll need a truck or cart and a vehicle to transport it, ingredients, and equipment.
You’ll also need the skills to plan your menu, prepare your food, and keep your operation running efficiently. And it’s essential to look into applicable laws and regulations, particularly regarding food safety.
One good thing about this type of business is that you can start with a relatively simple menu and expand and refine it over time. It’s a great way to get involved in the food and restaurant industry at a lower startup cost. And down the road, you can even consider expanding into a more traditional physical location.
6. Ecommerce business
Difficulty level: Moderate
Maybe you’re not looking to provide services but products. If that’s the case, you don’t necessarily need a physical store—you can sell your products online via an ecommerce business. As for what those products are, that’s entirely up to you.
Of course, to sell products online, you need a website. That means you need to be capable of creating one. Alternatively, you can hire a web design agency to build your site for you.
7. Photography company
Difficulty level: Moderate
Photography companies can take many different forms. It could be as simple as you and your camera, where you take photos of people at their chosen locations. Alternatively, you could set up a whole photography studio with multiple photographers and plenty of advanced equipment.
The former is pretty easy as long as you have a knack for photography, though the latter is obviously much more expensive and complicated. The exact setup of your business depends on your needs, skills, and budget.
8. Pet grooming business
Difficulty level: Moderate
Do you love dogs so much that you want to spend every day around them? If so, dog grooming might be for you, especially since starting a grooming business costs less than $10K.
In terms of financial investment, all you need are some grooming tools. You may also choose to buy a salon location for your business, though you could do it from your home if you wanted. However, it’s important to have grooming expertise before starting a business.
9. Consulting firm
Difficulty level: Moderate
Financially speaking, starting a consulting firm isn’t too difficult. After all, you don’t need tons of advanced equipment to get the job done—at most, you may need a few tools to help with conducting audits, depending on which industry you choose.
The real challenge, though, is in being qualified. If you want to start a consulting business, you need to have highly advanced knowledge of the industry you specialize in. That’s kind of the whole point of your services! If you hire additional consultants, you’ll also need to verify their expertise.
10. Tax preparation firm
Difficulty level: High
Finally, you can spend $10K or less to start a tax preparation firm. To start this type of business, you’ll first need a Preparer Tax Identification Number (PTIN) from the IRS, although that doesn’t cost anything. Just like with consulting, though, the tricky part is having the expertise to do the job.
If you want to build a career doing people’s taxes, you’ll need to have extremely in-depth knowledge of tax code and how tax forms work. Frankly, that requires years of training and experience, so don’t pick this one based purely on your budget—pick it only if you have the right skillset.
How to start a business with $10K
Now that we’ve seen some examples of businesses you can start with a budget of $10K, let’s talk about how you can actually do that. Obviously, the exact process for starting a business will vary widely between industries. However, there are a few basic steps you’ll almost always have to take:
Keep reading for an overview of each of those steps!
1. Determine your overhead investment
When you run a business, you’ll naturally have to navigate different operational expenses to produce your products or services. But you may also have overhead expenses like lease payments, power bills, and insurance. You’ll need to take all of these expenses into account if you plan on starting a business with $10K.
2. Obtain any needed skills and certifications
As we’ve already mentioned several times on this page, you can’t just jump headfirst into a new industry without any knowledge of it. When you start a business with $10K—or with any budget, for that matter—you have to know what you’re doing.
To that end, take the time to acquire any necessary skills or certifications. If you try to start a consulting firm without knowing anything about your chosen industry, you’re in deep trouble.
3. Acquire your inventory or supplies
The next step is to get all of the materials you’ll need. This might include tools, equipment, or machinery you need to do the job. It could also include parts for creating products. For example, you can’t serve food at a restaurant without having the ingredients to make that food.
4. Market your business
Finally, as you start your business, be sure to market it. This is a crucial step that many companies miss. Don’t buy into the idea that “if you build it, they will come”—you won’t attract customers unless you market yourself. If you don’t have the resources to do that yourself, you should partner with a professional marketing agency.
Get help marketing your business with WebFX and Nutshell
Marketing your business isn’t easy, but it’s critical for earning revenue. Without marketing, your company will be dead in the water. That’s why you should consider partnering with a digital marketing agency like WebFX, which can handle everything from your web design to social media marketing.
