Food & drinkUnited States
United StatesHome-baked cupcakes sold at a local market and to TV sets
A social worker's market cupcakes grew into a repeat order from a TV show.
$300–900Medium6 steps
How to startEfaru — Small business ideas you can start yourself, from all over the world.
Latest ideas
Food & drinkBrazil
BrazilGourmet brigadeiros in unusual flavours sold by the box
Lavender, caipirinha and beer brigadeiros turned a home kitchen into a brand.
$150–900Easy6 steps
Food & drinkIndia
IndiaSun-dried lentil badi made from a family recipe in Bihar
A mother's kitchen recipe for badi became a small brand, GomatiRoots, in Bihar.
$200–900Easy6 steps
ServicesThailand
ThailandThai traditional costume rental and styling for ID-card photos in Thailand
People in Thailand are swapping plain shirts for Thai dress in their ID photos, and someone has to dress them.
$600–2.5kEasy6 steps
Crafts & makingUnited States
Hand-lettered wedding photo booth props from a home studio
Give wedding photo booths props worth holding, and offer couples a keepsake that replaces the usual greeting card.
$200–900Medium6 steps
Food & drinkBrazil
Gourmet dessert popsicles made at home and sold in Recife
She started with 15 popsicles and a blender; nine years later the business turns over R$ 1.4 million a year.
$150–800Medium6 steps
Crafts & makingAustralia
AustraliaPen-and-ink house portraits sold as framed gifts to homeowners
People will pay to hang a drawing of the home they love, and you only need a pen and a photo.
$100–500Medium6 steps
AgricultureUnited States
Weekly goat rental for brush and weed clearing in the US
Goats that clear brush and vines for paying landowners, with no herbicide and no heavy machinery.
$1.5k–6kMedium6 steps
Creator economyBrazil
Food photo and video shoots for restaurants in Santa Catarina
A phone, a small light kit and a sharp eye can turn a restaurant's menu into scroll-stopping content.
$250–900Medium6 steps
Crafts & makingBrazil
Restoring and reselling vintage typewriters from a home workshop
People tired of screens will pay for a machine that does one thing: let them write.
$300–900Medium6 steps
ServicesIndonesia
IndonesiaMotorcycle helmet repair stall for riders in Jakarta
Riders throw away cracked helmets; a small Jakarta stall restores them from about $0.30 a job.
$150–800Medium6 steps
Food & drinkBrazil
Asian-style coconut ice cream served in the shell from a beach cart
A fresh coconut as the bowl turns a simple scoop into a dessert people queue and post for.
$1.5k–5kMedium6 steps
Crafts & makingIndia
Hand-stitched sal leaf plates for caterers and temples in India
Fallen forest leaves, a bamboo splinter and a skilled hand become plastic-free plates that caterers buy by the hundred.
$50–300Easy6 steps
Crafts & makingThailand
Hand-made stickers and colouring books sold from a home studio
Small drawings on paper helped one young artist clear a huge student loan.
$200–900Easy6 steps
ServicesBrazil
Wedding pet handler for dogs at ceremonies in Rio de Janeiro
Couples want their dog at the altar, but someone must keep it calm, clean and on cue.
$300–900Medium6 steps
Food & drinkBrazil
Cloud cake slices from a home kitchen, sold by pickup in Brazil
A fluffy white powdered-milk cream turned plain sponge cake into a viral dessert.
$300–1.2kEasy6 steps
Crafts & makingIndia
Hand-carved wooden Mukh shuttles for Pashmina weavers in Srinagar
One tiny carved shuttle sits at the heart of every handwoven Pashmina shawl, and almost nobody still makes it.
$200–800Hard6 steps
Crafts & makingBrazil
Build-your-own 3D-printed figurine kiosk in a tourist park
Customers pick heads, hair and outfits from wall niches and walk away with a figurine that looks like them.
$4k–10kMedium6 steps
Crafts & makingBrazil
Upcycled denim bags and accessories from factory offcuts in Brazil
Jeans factories throw away tonnes of scraps. A couple in Santa Catarina turned them into bags people queue to buy.
$400–1.5kMedium6 steps
Crafts & makingBrazil
Custom ceramic pet Christmas ornaments made from photos in Rio
Customers send a photo, and their dog or cat becomes a hand-sculpted tree decoration.
$900–3kMedium6 steps
Crafts & makingUnited States
Hand-printed city maze posters sold at markets and online
Turn a famous city into a puzzle people hang on the wall and gift to friends.
$300–900Medium6 steps
ServicesUnited States
Hand-pollinating tomato plants for home growers and greenhouses
Indoor tomatoes need a shake to set fruit, and some growers will pay someone else to do it.
$30–300Easy6 steps
Crafts & makingMexico
MexicoHandmade Christmas nativity scenes sold at Mexican bazaars
A centuries-old Christmas tradition that families still pay to put on their table, made with wood, clay or card.
$100–600Easy6 steps
Crafts & makingBrazil
Themed glass terrariums with axé motifs from a home workshop
A couple turned a tiny "planet in a glass" into a brand by adding Afro-Brazilian axé themes.
$150–800Easy6 steps
Food & drinkBrazil
Chopped garlic by weight from a home kitchen in Nilópolis, Brazil
She swapped manicures for peeled, chopped garlic and now buys up to 90 kg of raw garlic a week.
$300–1kMedium6 steps