Do you know what the best thing about self employment is? Well, it allows you to explore your goal, pursue your passion, and use your skills to have a source of limitless earning.
According to the data provided by the Bureau of Economic Analysis of the US Department of Commerce- 99% of the total increase in employment from the years 2000 to 2011 was generated by the self employed individuals.
So in case, you are a dreamer looking to set up a career winging your skillset, or an entrepreneur questing for a new side hustle, a self employed job can definitely get you to your goals.
As Seth Godin said once- “You are not your resume, you are your work.”
You might have heard a lot about small businesses converting into something incredibly big and probably have also commended the famous example of Elon Musk or Bill Gates. If you try to take a look away from these big personalities, you may find a number of galant souls who are making the most of the best self employed opportunities available to them.
Even if we don’t talk about the world, our own country is brewing some flourishing opportunities and waiting with a plethora of self employment ideas in India for you to make the complete use of it. Full-time or per-time, remote or in-person, creative, or technical- no matter what type of self employment you seek, India is here to offer you all the favorable market conditions.
So without any delay of a second more, take a look at the top 10 self employment ideas in India and pick the one which fits your skillset. Here you go!
Table of Contents
Best Self Employment Ideas in India
- Freelance Writing
- Event or Party Planning
- Virtual Assistant
- Photography
- Bakery, Cafe or Restaurant
- Personal Trainer or Gym Instructor
- Landscape Architecture
- Local Tour Guide and Consultancy
- Recycling Services
- Resume Writing
Being Asia’s second developing country, India is full of self employment opportunities. But you have to find the one idea in which you can excel like nobody else, and that is going to be your Cheat Code to become a successful entrepreneur. A number of reasons are there which fuel the craving for being self employed and finally come out as a market-leading brand.
The best thing is, while working with any of the self employment ideas in India, you don’t have to wait for another person’s consent when it comes to decision making. You are not required to go to an office. Instead, you can just sit in your home or a co-working space and work on your own company.
Unlike a 9to5 job, you don’t have to wait for a hike or your management’s appraisal letter. The earning will be limitless. Yes, the more you work, the better you earn. Alongside this, you will have the benefits of working with a flexible schedule. So you can easily use this leverage on your own good.
Selecting the One idea is the first step that may unleash a sea of opportunities to you, especially when the business you’re going to set up is getting all favourable market conditions in India. We’ve enlisted the top 10 self employment ideas in India, have a look, and pick any, which perfectly fits your skill sets. Dive in!
1. Freelance Writing
| Investment | ₹5,000 |
| ROI | 2 months |
| Profit | ₹5,000 to ₹8,000 |
Do you have a knack of merging creativity and technicality to come up with a single article, which will convey a brand’s story? If yes, you can earn a good amount of money from freelance writing. From reports writing to blog writing, editing, SEO writing- you can do whatever you think matches your skills. The investment is also quite low; you just have to have a laptop or computer to start writing.
Scope of this business
India has started walking on the path of digitalization. Many businesses are there willing to mark their presence with a website, which will provide you with the endless opportunity of acquiring clients and making a handful. If you can provide good quality articles, which will keep the reader hooked and grow a certain customer base for the brand, there is no coming back. You will earn more and more with time.
Reasons for starting this business
- Low investment
- Quality content always gets its worth
- All-year-round demand
- Huge market
2. Event or Party Planning
| Investment | ₹50,000 to ₹1,00,000 |
| ROI | 1 to 2 years |
| Profit | ₹15,000 to ₹30,000 |
We Indians love to celebrate. No matter what the reason is, we love to throw a party and enjoy the day. That’s why the event or party planning is one of the best self employment ideas in India. You are required to have great management and social skills to pull off a successful event. Along with that, if you can comprehend the requirements of a particular event, your business is going to grow only.
Scope of this business
In India, event planning has a tremendous prospect. From birthdays to anniversaries, marriages, or festivals- every occasion gets celebrated with a grand party. People nowadays are more likely to search for a single point of contact who will render all required services in such events. So, you can easily get a huge number of clients throughout the year.
Reasons for starting this business
- Competition is moderate
- India is a fertile ground for this business
- Throughout the year market demand
3. Virtual Assistant
| Investment | ₹5,000 to ₹10,000 |
| ROI | 3 to 4 months |
| Profit | ₹2,500 to ₹6,000 |
Large companies like Facebook, Twitter all have hundreds of employees from every corner of the world. Still, they are unable to provide individual attention to every user. That’s why these companies hire different people based on their skills to manage some part of their social media platforms. If you can develop the expertise, this can be a great self employment idea as no investment is there. Still, you’ll earn a lucrative amount.
Scope of this business
All these companies face a shortage of manpower because there is a huge deficiency of skilled people, and it’s challenging to communicate and offer in house jobs to worthy individuals around the globe. That’s why they feel the urgency to hire virtual assistants. So you can see, there is no dearth of scope or prospect in this business.
Reasons for starting this business
- Low investment only a laptop or computer is required
- ROI is quick
- Only a certain type of skills is required
- Easy works like evaluating Facebook content, advertising, or securing accounts
4. Photography
| Investment | ₹1,00,000 to ₹2,00,000 |
| ROI | 2 to 3 years |
| Profit | ₹10,000 to ₹30,000 |
Photography is one of the trendiest self employment ideas in India. With this business, you can turn your passion into a profession and earn a lucrative amount. So, are you an aspiring photographer? If yes, it’s time to let people know about your business and grow your customer base. To mark your presence in this era of competition, you only need to have a website and proper hosting space where you can show the sample of your work.
Scope of this business
Freelance photography is emerging as one of the best self employment ideas in India. There is a reason behind this- in metropolitan cities, there is an extensive number of youngsters who like to make portfolios for different purposes. Alongside this, many events take place all over India, so event photography can let you make a great amount of profit.
Reasons for starting this business
- Low investment, a professional camera, and a website is required
- Turn passion into profession
- High profits
- Quick ROI
5. Bakery, Cafe or Restaurant
| Investment | ₹50,000 to ₹1,00,000 |
| ROI | 1 to 3 years |
| Profit | ₹15,000 to ₹21,000 |
Do you love to bake? Or do you have a deep love for cooking? If yes, why not turn your hobby into your profession? Yes, opening a bakery stall or Cafe is one of the latest self-employment opportunities in India. The initial investment is quite low. You can start with your kitchen only. Once you grab a significant amount of clients, you must build a website to spread your brand awareness and thrive in your business.
Scope of this business
According to some of the leading bakery entrepreneurs, this idea is great to start with a small investment. Many people are there who want customized cakes, cookies, or other baked products to celebrate different occasions. So if you render good quality food items, your customers will turn into your brand ambassador. After one or two years, you will earn huge profits.
Reasons for starting this business
- Passion will be a profession
- Easy to get customers
- One time a customer can be a lifetime customer if the product has good quality
- High profit
- Read more: How to Start a Restaurant Business in India?
6. Personal Trainer or Gym Instructor
| Investment | ₹40,000 to ₹60,000 |
| ROI | 9 to 12 months |
| Profit | ₹12,000 to ₹18,000 |
Do you love to stay fit and want to make people aware of the benefits of fitness? If yes, then becoming a personal trainer or gym instructor will perfectly suit your skillset. Though the competition is quite tough, still there is always a chance to stand out. You can start with low investment and give people home fitness-sessions.
Once your client base grows, you can opt for renting space to open your Gym. Also, start a website to reach as much audience as you can. For that, you will need a professional digital marketing team. If you can establish your brand, there will be no end of profits.
Scope of this business
These days people love to eat healthily and stay healthy. Being a developing country, the per capita income of India is increasing, so an excessive number of individuals are interested in investing in health and fitness. This surge in market demand has welcomed a great prospect for personal trainers or gym instructors. The best part is, this business is not limited to any certain type of audience. You can easily get clients from different age groups.
Reasons for starting this business
- The initial investment is low
- Easy to acquire clients
- One time a client is a long-term client
- Lucrative profits
7. Landscape Architecture
| Investment | ₹50,000 to ₹90,000 |
| ROI | 2 to 3 years |
| Profit | ₹15,000 to ₹18,000 |
This work is for the people who nurture fondness for land and creativity. Landscape architects plan and set up outdoor spaces like parks, house gardens, yards, and other open areas. As the competition is still low in this field, you can easily start this business to get success within a minimum timeframe.
To become a landscape architect, you need to have some education and a license. In case you don’t have a degree, you can hire someone who would like to work with you. Next, you can create your brand to lengthen your client list by accomplishing different projects.
Scope of this business
Due to the increasing rate of pollution, the metropolitan cities are inclined towards having more green landscapes. Your targeted customers will be homeowners, commercial districts like malls or parks; even, some companies are nowadays hiring architects to turn their workplace into the green. So the prospect of this business is really bright.
Reasons for starting this business
- All-year-round business
- Increasing market demand
- Low competition
- Great profit
8. Local Tour Guide and Consultancy
| Investment | 10,000 to 30,000 |
| ROI | 8 months |
| Profit | 3,000 to 9,000 |
Are you from such a part of India, which is rich in terms of culture, heritage, and environment? Well, if the answer is yes, becoming a local tour guide can be a profitable business for you—no need to invest any large amount. You just have to have the crave of educating people about your surroundings or introducing the backpackers to the enchanting nature.
At first, you can tie up with any travel agency to get clients. This won’t require any investment except your knowledge and love for your locality. Once you start making profits, open your own office to reach the audience directly. The next obvious thing is making your company’s website and putting all the details and photographs of the place. In this way, your business will grow only.
Scope of this business
Who doesn’t love to spend quality time in serenity? Everyone, and that’s where your market lies. Tourists are more likely to trust the people who belong to the place rather than an outside company. So, if you think your surroundings are too attractive to resist, just start your business today. Once you grow as a brand, you can make huge profits.
Reasons for starting this business
- Locality based job
- The tourism business is growing rapidly
- With proper networking, client acquiring is easy
9. Recycling Services
| Investment | ₹50,000 to ₹70,000 |
| ROI | 6 to 8 months |
| Profit | ₹15,000 to ₹21,000 |
E-waste has become a headache recently. Most of the homeowners have pickup binds for the standard recyclable products like papers, plastic, or glass. But often they don’t make an effort to properly recycle different electronics or batteries which is extremely harmful to our environment. You can offer a pickup for all these types of household wastes (i.e., old television, defunct cell phones, broken computers, etc.) and drive them to your local recycling facility.
Start by charging per item or by weight or keep a flat fee. Don’t forget to include your travel cost also. Once you build your brand, you can easily get clients of a whole locality. If you are from a metropolitan city, this idea is going to benefit you with lucrative earnings.
Scope of this business
In a busy city like Mumbai or Pune, there are thousands of families who fill their garage with e-wastes. They don’t even get time to bring the stuff to a recycling-facility. Once you start rendering this service, you will get several clients who will be willing to pay a certain amount for cleaning their dump yards. Once your business grows, you can build a website to reach as many customers as possible.
Reasons for starting this business
- Easy to start as an investment is low
- Serves a great purpose like cleaning the environment
- Easy to get clients
10. Resume Writing
| Investment | ₹30,000 to ₹40,000 |
| ROI | 4 to 6 months |
| Profit | ₹9,000 to ₹12,000 |
It’s a fact that there are only a few who can actually make them look good on paper. If you have the right skills to craft mind-blowing resumes that can help people to get their feasible job, you can start providing resume writing service. Basic editing and layout skills along with a computer and a laser printer is all you need to have at the start.
Initially, you can start working from your home. Use social media and your personal contacts to do the marketing for you in the first place. Your work will mainly revolve around writing, designing, editing, and proofreading. Hence, a computer with a basic configuration and a few basic software will do the job for you.
Scope of this business
We all know how important it is to represent the version of ourselves to crack a job. But often or not, many of us get confused about what skill set to show and whatnot. If you have some industry knowledge and a clear idea of how to format a CV, there is no way you will become unsuccessful in this business. In India, the number of job aspirants is huge, and all of them require the best-suited resume to get their dream job. When your service can actually help people, your business ought to be successful.
Reasons for starting this business
- Very little initial investment
- Huge market with a large number of job aspirants across the country
- You can easily work remotely, and offer people services from your home
- Quick return of investment
EndNote
You’ve got a clear overview of the top 10 self employment ideas in India. Now, it’s your turn to choose the one which arises keen interest in you and perfectly fits the frame of your skills. But you must do a little bit of market research before investing in any business. For instance, if you invest in a photo studio in a rural area, you can’t make good profits. But if you do the same in an urban area, your business will flourish. So market research is a major part of getting self employed. For further queries, drop a comment in the below box. Stay tuned for more business guides. Adios!
These postings are very useful for people who are really willing to start something on their own apart from being employed 12 – 13 hours in office including travel. Thanks for the people who posted this… 🙂