Top 10 Business Opportunities in Kolkata

Vir Sanghvi, the well-renowned journalist, and TV personality, once said,

“You want your city clean and green, stick to Delhi. You want your city rich and impersonal, go to Bombay. You want them hi-tech and full of draught beer, Bangalore’s your place. But if you want a city with a soul, come to Calcutta.”

For a first time visitor, the city might feel a little overwhelming, but then you must remember that Kolkata is not a place that you can whiz through. You need to have a heart full of emotion to feel the soul of this city.

From embarking on a tour for gastronomical explorations to visiting world-class art galleries to witnessing the mesmerizing sunsets along the Hooghly river, Kolkata offers a bag full of emotions for all the tourists that come from far and wide.

Kolkata (aka Calcutta), the former capital of India, boasts of its rich cultural heritage, which is undoubtedly known to all. This city has served as the gateway to major businesses for centuries.

The present scenario is such that its rich cultural and commercial heritage has declined over the years, compared to other metro cities in India. On the other hand, if you are aware of your business idea’s know-how, it won’t take long for your business to take off in Kolkata.

Best Business Opportunities in Kolkata

1. Fast-food restaurant
2. Data entry service
3. Retail showroom/boutique
4. Cyber café
5. Fruit juice kiosk
6. Home-based bakery
7. BPO – Telemarketing service
8. Coaching center
9. Digital studio
10. Tour agency

Kolkata has earned the name “City of Joy,” for the love, respect, liveliness, and soulful embodiment. This city is also infamous for its traditional street food and scrumptious sweet delicacies. It offers a perfect amalgamation of its ancient heritage along with today’s modernity.

According to the latest estimates of 2019, Kolkata ranked 3rd in the list of the most-productive metropolitan city in India. This extraordinary feat was achieved due to the exponential leap in GDP from $60 billion to $150 billion.

Business opportunities in Kolkata are ample for the MSMEs to have a profitable co-existence. The geographical location of this city also acts in favor of trade and commerce. It connects intra-country and inter-countries, both for businesses through its well-laid roads, rail, airway, and seaways.

The city is flooded with conventional industries that hold a strong point in today’s trade and commerce, such as leather, garment, steel, mining, agriculture, and food processing. The IT sector in Kolkata has also shown a major upsurge after the foreign direct investments.

If you an entrepreneur, who involves emotions in his business, along with his analytical mind, then Kolkata is the city that will welcome you with open arms. Read on to find out the top 10 business opportunities in Kolkata that you can successfully begin with considerably minimal initial investment (in no particular order).

1. Fast-food restaurant

Investment	₹1,00,000 to ₹2,50,000
ROI	1 to 2 years
Profit	₹24,000

Fast-food has become a staple-diet among youths nowadays. Whether a college-going student or a working professional, everyone loves to munch their favorite fast-food at any time of the day.

Starting a restaurant that sticks to a fixed cuisine might cause you to lose some potential customers based on your business location. Therefore, instead of choosing one cuisine, it is better to operate a fast-food restaurant that delves only in the selected delectable dishes.

Scope of this business

If asked to name one thing that the Kolkata people love, irrespective of any parameter, then it will be food, especially fast-foods! If you can strategically open your fast-food restaurant in Kolkata (in the busy market place or near a business park), then chances of you breaking even in this business will skyrocket in no time.

Reasons for starting this business

• Product-based business
• All-year-round business
• Highly profitable
• Always in-demand business
• Read more: How to Start a Fast Food Business in India?

2. Data entry service

Investment	₹5,000
ROI	2 to 3 months
Profit	₹1,500

Data entry is the type of work where you need to feed information into electronic format. This work is done with simple data processing software installed on your computer.

In a data entry service, your main target customers will be corporate clients, especially those companies that need data entry work in bulk. Most companies outsource their data entry jobs to well-renowned data entry businesses; hence, you keep getting an on-flow of work and monthly payments.

Scope of this business

This business opportunity in Kolkata requires the least initial investment. Since all you need is a computer and Internet connection, you have the option of getting your work done by freelancers. This will save a lot of your overhead costs.

As compared to the initial capital investment, the ROI of this business is enormous. If you can get hold of two to three loyal clients at the beginning, you can grow your business at more than 10% per annum if you build good brand value.

Reasons for starting this business

• Meager initial capital investment
• In-demand business
• Does not require any technical skills
• Can start either online or offline
• Highly lucrative

3. Retail showroom/boutique

Investment	₹1,00,000 to ₹3,00,000
ROI	1 to 2 years
Profit	₹30,000

Have you always had an inclination towards the fashion industry? If you did, then the starting a boutique showroom can add wings to your dreams. Garment businesses, especially boutiques, are always in demand throughout the year. Not only is a boutique showroom easy to start, but it is also trouble-free to manage.

Scope of this business

People in Kolkata go head over heels when it comes to shopping the trendiest clothes. The garment business is one of the evergreen businesses in Kolkata that enjoys a sizeable profit-share in the market.

Along with your offline boutique showroom, you can also expand your horizon by adding an online purchasing option. This will allow customers to make easy online payments while shopping for their favorite apparel from your boutique.

Reasons for starting this business

• Turn your passion into profession
• Evergreen business
• Highly lucrative
• Can be done both offline and online
• Easy to manage
• Read more: How to Start a Boutique in India?

4. Cyber café

Investment	₹70,000 to ₹1,00,000
ROI	1 year
Profit	₹9,000

In the information age that we live in, life without the Internet is simply unimaginable. Nowadays, almost every individual uses the Internet from their smartphones, but they still need other computer peripherals to get their job done.

Printouts, scans, resume writing, or even booking e-tickets can be done in a cyber café along with providing usual Internet services.

Scope of this business

Starting a cyber café in Kolkata is a profitable business idea that requires a meager initial capital investment. The best part is that you can break even in a couple of months after starting your business if you can maintain the quality of service that you give to your customers.

This business opportunity in Kolkata is not restricted to any particular section of society. Therefore, you get to enjoy a wide customer base, thus, doubling your profits.

Reasons for starting this business

• Minimal initial capital investment
• Break-even within just a couple of months
• Expand your business by providing diverse computer services
• Always in-demand business
• Read more: How to Start Internet Cafe Business in India?

5. Fruit juice kiosk

Investment	₹7,000 to ₹10,000
ROI	2 to 3 months
Profit	₹2,100

People nowadays are getting a lot more health-conscious than ever before. They are hitting the gym regularly and are also following a healthy diet. This is where you can execute your business idea of starting a fruit juice kiosk.

People prefer to drink a healthy glass of fruit juice after their gym sessions or even while on their way to college or office. Therefore, if you can choose the right location for your fruit juice kiosk, then breaking even won’t take long.

Scope of this business

You would have a wide range of options that you can offer your customers and charge differently for different flavors of fruit juice. The initial capital investment is also significantly less as compared to the other business opportunities in Kolkata.

You need to keep 2 things in mind while operating this business: the right location and the quality of juice that you offer to your customers.

Reasons for starting this business

• Meager initial capital investment
• High in-demand product
• Low overhead costs
• Profitable

6. Home-based bakery

Investment	₹10,000 to ₹30,000
ROI	5 to 6 months
Profit	₹3,000

Have a knack for baking? Why don’t you turn your passion into your profession?

Starting a home-based bakery is one of the easiest business opportunities in Kolkata, provided you have a liking to bake. You don’t need heavy kitchen equipment to start your bakery from home. Just a microwave oven and the ingredients to make cake and cookies, and you would be set to bake some of the most delectable cakes in town.

Scope of this business

A home-based bakery business idea in Kolkata does not require much to start. A meager initial investment of around ₹10,000 would be enough.

You would rarely find a soul who would not love to enjoy a piece of delectable pastry or cookie. Thus, the demand for this business is not going to end in the long foreseeable future. From birthday parties to anniversaries to wedding ceremonies, you can get orders throughout the year.

Reasons for starting this business

• Turn your passion into profession
• Meager initial investment
• High in-demand business
• Highly profitable

7. BPO – Telemarketing service

Investment	₹15,000 to ₹20,000
ROI	1 to 2 years
Profit	₹4,500

To start a BPO service, all you need is a computer, a good Internet connection, and a reliable telephone connection. You need to use your communication skills to convince the customers to purchase a certain product or help them solve a particular query (customer care service).

Scope of this business

A plethora of companies, both national and international, outsource their customer care and telemarketing services to BPO agencies. Kolkata has been witnessing an upsurge of BPOs since the last decade, and this proves this city has the right opportunity for its BPO service to flourish in no time.

Reasons for starting this business

• Low initial investment
• In-demand business
• Commission-based business
• Highly lucrative

8. Coaching center

Investment	₹40,000 to ₹1,00,000
ROI	6 months
Profit	₹6,000

Starting a home-based coaching center would be the right business idea for you if you are particularly skilled in a specific subject and know the art of teaching. The scope of this business opportunity in Kolkata is vast, as it offers you the scope to diversify your options in a plethora of fields.

Scope of this business

You can either teach a specific subject or a bundle of subjects that could be for school or college going students. From history to physics to programming language to embroidery, you can teach anything.

You can start by renting a small room with some essential stationeries and then work up to expand your business as your coaching gains fame among your students.

Reasons for starting this business

• Minimal initial investment
• Always in-demand business
• Scope of diversifying your business
• Huge growth prospects in Kolkata
• Highly lucrative
• Read more: How to Start a Coaching Institute Business in India?

9. Digital studio

Investment	₹50,000
ROI	1 to 2 years
Profit	₹15,000

In the era of social media, you would find every other person being obsessed with clicking selfies. While they claim to be “photographers,” the truth is that people prefer to hire professional photographers when it comes to shooting events. If you want to be your boss, then turning this passion into a business would be the best option.

Scope of this business

Starting your digital studio can turn out to be a lucrative business opportunity in Kolkata if you have a knack for photography. All you need is a good camera, a decent computer setup with the required peripherals for photography, and your photography skills.

Reasons for starting this business

• Turn your passion into a business
• Low initial investment
• In-demand throughout the year
• Highly profitable

10. Tour agency

Investment	₹40,000 to ₹60,000
ROI	1 year
Profit	₹10,000

A tour agency can become a lucrative business idea if it runs on a geographically favorable location. If you have a tour agency in a city that does not have tourists flocking every year, then such a business is not favorable in that location. On the other hand, operating a tour agency in Kolkata is both favorable and lucrative.

You need to do is create tour packages with detailed itineraries for tourists. You would also have to do some in-depth research on this city, and memorize the facts and historical legacies that made Kolkata earn its name in the top ten culture-rich cities in the world.

Scope of this business

Tourists from far and wide come to visit Kolkata to witness the beauty of this city. You can grab this lucrative opportunity and start your tour agency with minimal investment. The rich cultural heritage of Kolkata is famous all across the globe, which makes a tour agency, a particularly profitable business in this city.

Reasons for starting this business

• Geographically favorable business
• Low initial investment
• Profitable

Final thoughts

The successful business ideas that have been discussed above are specifically tailored for Kolkata. If you are looking for a business opportunity in Kolkata,then choosing one from the list mentioned above will prove to be successful.

Remember that you should choose and execute a business idea based only on your interest and not just the business’s ROI and high profits. If you aim to run a successful long-term business, then embarking on a specific venture that you have an inclination for, will always be favorable despite the low initial profit margins.