One of the biggest challenges of starting a business is figuring out how to distinguish yourself from the competition. If you’re selling a popular, widely available product, you know that demand is high. But with high demand comes saturated markets and established players.
Alternatively, you might have a completely original product. In that case, standing out is easier, but how can you be sure there’s enough product demand to sustain your business?
Balancing these factors is tricky, but it’s easier when you start with a unique business idea.
Unique businesses in niche industries tend to face less competition, but the competition they do have assures there’s a market for their product. Establishing your business from a point of originality can set it apart. Get inspired by this list of original business ideas.
Unique service business ideas
- Virtual interior design
- Virtual assistant services
- Freelance bookkeeping
- TikTok personal trainer
- Life coach
- Remote work setup consultant
1. Virtual interior design
With nearly 150,000 interior design businesses in the US and increased public interest in home décor, interior design is promising for business newcomers. Recent data estimates the interior design service market will bloom to more than $186 billion by 2030, up from a projected $145 billion in 2025. The home décor market is similarly poised for growth.
Combine those stats with access to augmented reality and you can see the potential in the virtual interior design industry. This is a unique business idea where online shoppers can “see” how furniture and other décor look in their homes.
Since virtual interior design is relatively new, it’s prime territory for upcoming brands, although established online platforms like Havenly and Spacejoy are already matching virtual interior designers with clients.
- Earning potential: The average interior designer salary in the US is $69,213.
- Best for: Creatives with an eye for design and proficiency in tools like SketchUp or Canva.
- Tips for starting out: Offer virtual consultations through your website or on platforms like Shopify. Build a portfolio by sharing before-and-after designs on social media.
Learn more: How To Sell Furniture Online
2. Virtual assistant services
Virtual assistants are contracted workers who provide a range of services, including accounting, content marketing, and personal task completion, like planning trips or managing schedules. It can be a full-time job or a side business.
Since businesses hire virtual assistants from anywhere in the world, you’re not restricted to a specific location. Look to examples like Fancy Hands and Zirtual for inspiration.
- Earning potential: $25 to $60 per hour.
- Best for: Organized, tech-savvy individuals who enjoy managing schedules, emails, and admin tasks.
- Tips for starting out: Create a service listing on Upwork or Fiverr. Build a professional Shopify website to showcase your services and client reviews.
Learn more: 11 Part-Time Business Ideas to Start in Your Spare Time (2024)
3. Freelance bookkeeping
Freelance small business accounting services are typically in high demand. Bookkeeping services offer small businesses crucial support and provide bookkeepers the flexibility to choose their clients and set their schedules.
As with virtual assisting, it’s easy to run a remote bookkeeping home business. A good bookkeeper should be organized, detail-oriented, and capable of multitasking since they’ll ideally have multiple clients at a time. You can search for example freelance bookkeeping services on sites like Bark.com.
- Earning potential: Freelance bookkeepers in the US earn an average of $23.41 an hour.
- Best for: Detail-oriented people with accounting or bookkeeping experience.
- Tips for starting out: Get certified in QuickBooks or Xero and reach out to local businesses who might need your services.
Learn more: Ecommerce Bookkeeping 101 for Small Business: A Step-by-Step Guide
4. TikTok personal trainer
TikTok is an incredibly popular app, with influencers relying on their personalities to build relationships with target audiences. Since personal training is also, well, personal, it’s an ideal platform for personal trainers. Nurturing client relationships takes time, but having a dedicated following on a social media network like TikTok gives you a head start on the competition.
Your TikTok marketing could include engaging your audience with post-workout routines, tips, and fitness challenges or sharing nutritious recipes and updates on your day-to-day life.
For inspiration, check out TikTok influencer Ulissesworld. A former professional bodybuilder, Ulisses has become one of fitness TikTok’s most popular content creators.
- Earning potential: Online personal trainers in the US make an average of $49,645 a year.
- Best for: Fitness enthusiasts who enjoy creating engaging video content.
- Tips for starting out: Build a TikTok following by posting quick workout videos. Use Shopify to sell workout plans or virtual coaching sessions.
Learn more: How To Make Money on TikTok in 2025: 13 Effective Strategies
5. Life coach
If your best entrepreneurial asset is your relationship-building ability, life coaching could be for you. Life coaches help clients identify their goals and assess and overcome obstacles. They may specialize in niches like relationships or careers. While not a substitute for professional counseling, life coaching can be an impactful and fulfilling online business.
Take the life coaches at Gay Man Thriving. They’re relationship experts who work exclusively with gay men to help them overcome fear of rejection in pursuit of love.
By focusing on a specific community, Gay Man Thriving distinguishes itself from other relationship advice programs.
- Earning potential: In the US, life coaches make between $28,561 and $62,509 a year depending on which state they live in.
- Best for: Coaching certified motivators with strong listening skills.
- Tips for starting out: Get certified with a reputable coaching program. Use Shopify to sell coaching packages and schedule sessions.
Learn more: How to Be Successful: Essential Tips for Success in Life
6. Remote work setup consultant
Remote work setup consultants transform clients’ home offices into optimized, ergonomic, and inspiring workspaces. Your services might include ergonomic assessments, tech stack recommendations, and workflow optimization. For example, you might suggest the ideal desk height, lighting solutions for reducing eye strain, or productivity tools like time-blocking apps and task management software.
- Earning potential: The average hourly rate for a remote consultant in the US is $49.72.
- Best for: Tech-savvy individuals who understand productivity tools and workplace ergonomics.
- Tips for starting out: Create blog posts or videos with remote work tips. Use Shopify to offer consultations and affiliate products.
Unique online business ideas
- Membership-based online education
- Online zines
- CNC-based business
- Author-preneur business
- Novelty t-shirts
- Podcasts
- AI-powered content repurposing
- Subscription box curator for corporate gifts
- Virtual pop-up shop
7. Membership-based online education
Demand is growing for online education, which can cover a range of topics—from cooking to piano to woodworking to marketing and more. You can share your expertise by selling memberships to your online course.
You can sell access to recorded lessons and livestreaming sessions and offer accompanying products in an online store. Or, take a hands-off approach to online teaching, as Helm Publishing does with its self-study courses that allow students to self-pace.
Not sure what to teach? Keyword research can help you identify subjects potential students are seeking to understand.
- Earning potential: Most course creators earn less than $100,000 a year, but there’s potential to earn a lot depending on your niche (like this course creator who made more than $1 million).
- Best for: Experts in a field who enjoy teaching.
- Tips for starting out: Use Shopify to create a membership platform offering exclusive courses and live webinars.
Learn more: How to Create an Online Course in 10 Steps
8. Online zines
If you love writing and are passionate about a particular topic, consider founding your own magazine. Zines are small-circulation magazines typically focused on niche topics. Zines tend to be small, independent, and relatively accessible to newcomers.
Selling digital subscriptions to your zine is easy with Shopify’s Digital Downloads app. To sell physical copies, consider a self-publishing app such as Lulu Direct. You can also hire freelance remote workers to help create content.
- Earning potential: Some zine creators earn a few thousand per issue but expect to start lower.
- Best for: Writers, artists, and niche community builders.
- Tips for starting out: Publish on Shopify with a digital download option and collaborate with contributors to spread the word.
Learn more: Subscription Business Model: How and Why It Works
9. CNC-based business
A CNC machine (also called a CNC router) is a computer-operated cutting tool that enables complex carving from wood, metals, plastic, and glass. Since CNC machines are computer-operated, they can mass produce goods in a fraction of the time it takes a professional builder, making this a relatively low-investment business idea.
Online marketplaces like Etsy and Facebook Marketplace are popular places to sell CNC-machine-made products, including home décor, cooking tools, toys, games, and more.
Take Avocrafts. Cut from wood and resin, its cedar coasters and placemats each boast an individual pattern. Avocrafts offers its customers high-quality, one-of-a-kind items that are still easy to mass produce.
- Earning potential: Machinists in the US earn an average of $54,600 a year.
- Best for: Makers with access to CNC machines and design skills.
- Tips for starting out:Sell custom products like signage or furniture on Shopify and Etsy.
Learn more: 26 Profitable CNC Projects to Sell in 2025
10. Author-preneur business
Many writers get discouraged by the idea of negotiating with big publishing companies over the creative direction of their work (and a cut of the profits). But author-preneurs—authors who write and sell their books—take full ownership, often using social media marketing to build a dedicated fan base.
Whether you write romance, science fiction, or guides on building birdhouses, it doesn’t take much to establish a side hustle as an author-preneur.
With several print-on-demand publishers to choose from, you can have your books printed and shipped directly to consumers without investing in overhead and storage costs.
Rupi Kaur is a poet who started sharing her work on Tumblr and Instagram. Unable to find a publisher, she decided to move forward without one, focusing on growing and engaging her online fan base. The move paid off: In 2017, her self-published poetry compilation milk and honey was Canada’s bestselling book.
Rupi also sells merch such as clothing, prints, stationery, and temporary tattoos. Creating additional revenue streams for your online store can supplement your income, giving you time to focus on writing.
- Earning potential: On average, self-published authors make more than traditional published authors, with median annual earnings of $12,749.
- Best for: Writers who enjoy marketing their work.
- Tips for starting out: Self-publish on Amazon and sell signed copies or bundles on Shopify.
Learn more: How to Print Your Own Book in 10 Steps
11. Novelty t-shirts
People use t-shirts to express their interests, identities, and values—or sometimes just their favorite bands.
The global custom t-shirt printing market is worth nearly $47 billion in 2025 and is expected to grow.
Even with high competition, novelty t-shirts are an opportunity for originality. Whether they feature catchy jokes, intricate designs, stunning artwork, or rousing political slogans—no other products like yours will exist.
- Earning potential: Custom t-shirts have average profit margins of 30% to 60%.
- Best for: Creatives with a sense of humor and design skills.
- Tips for starting out: Use Shopify with a print-on-demand service like Printful or Printify.
Learn more: How to Start a T-Shirt Business: 2025 Guide
12. Podcasts
As of 2025, more than 584 million people listen to podcasts, a number that’s expected to grow. Starting a podcast is inexpensive, easy to learn, and perfect for working remotely.
Plus, monetizing podcasts is fairly straightforward. A common online business model for podcasters is to offer short, free episodes alongside long in-depth paid versions. Selling merch and tickets to live recordings and partnering with brands are also options.
True-crime podcast Crime Junkie provides exclusive content through paid memberships. Crime Junkie consistently ranks among the top podcasts in the US.
- Earning potential: Beginners average up to $10,000 a year.
- Best for: People who love storytelling or niche topics.
- Tips for starting out: Publish on major podcasting platforms and consider selling merchandise or memberships via Shopify.
Learn more: How To Start a Podcast in 11 Steps
13. AI-powered content repurposing service
AI-powered content repurposing services use artificial intelligence to mine long-form content for short video clips, social media posts, email snippets, and blog summaries. Using AI tools to analyze, transcribe, and add captions lets you quickly identify engaging highlights and turn them into shareable assets tailored to social media.
You could offer this service as a monthly subscription where clients upload their content and receive a bank of repurposed assets ready to post. Premium tiers might include customized brand templates, AI-generated video captions, and SEO-optimized blog summaries.
- Earning potential: AI-powered content repurposing services range in price—this freelancer charges $1,190 a month and this freelancer charges up to $800 a month.
- Best for: Marketers and content creators with AI tool knowledge.
- Tips for starting out: Offer services via Shopify and showcase case studies of previous successful projects.
Learn more: 12 Things to Sell on Shopify Other Than Products
14. Subscription box curator for corporate gifts
Corporate gifting helps businesses nurture client relationships and celebrate milestones, but many struggle to select the right gifts. This is where you could come in, offering curated, themed gift boxes tailored to corporate needs.
You can customize gifts by industry or design them for occasions such as client onboarding, employee appreciation, and holidays. Sourcing products from small businesses and underrepresented makers helps position your clients as champions of ethical and sustainable practices.
- Earning potential: The average profit margin of a subscription box business is 40% to 60%, with some successful businesses earning upward of $1 million a year.
- Best for: Creative, organized individuals with a flair for gifting.
- Tips for starting out: Use Shopify to set up a subscription model and secure partnerships with suppliers.
15. Virtual pop-up shops
Live shopping is on the rise across TikTok, Instagram, and Amazon Live, and virtual pop-up shops are a creative way for small businesses to reach new customers. Nearly a quarter of shoppers who purchased via livestream spent $50 to $100 at a time. These events are special because viewers can ask questions, receive live product demos, and purchase immediately.
You can host limited one-time shopping events on livestreaming platforms, letting local artisans display their wares to a wide, interactive audience. Partnering with influencers or popular industry folk may attract more attendees.
- Earning potential: Pop-ups can bring in 20% to 30% more revenue than a traditional brick-and-mortar store.
- Best for: Retailers or creatives with a strong social media presence.
- Tips for starting out: Host pop-up events with checkout links on TikTok or Instagram Live. Encourage your audience to submit questions during the event.
Unique local business ideas
- Food truck
- Dog walking and pet-sitting
- Niche cleaning service
- Local grocery delivery
- Local travel guide and maps
- Neighborhood tool library
16. Food truck
If you love baking or cooking, consider starting a food truck business. The food truck industry consistently shows strong revenue growth, outpacing traditional restaurants.
Since food trucks are mobile, you can enjoy foot traffic from loyal customers wherever they are. Even if you’ve already opened a restaurant or café, food trucks can fit into your business plan and operations by serving as promotional tools or alternate revenue streams.
Captain Cookie & the Milkman started as a food truck in 2012 and has since expanded to multiple bakeries. Its food trucks still roam the Washington, DC, area and appear at private events.
- Earning potential: $250,000 to $500,000 per year.
- Best for: Foodies with cooking experience and a unique concept.
- Tips for starting out: Partner with local establishments and host competitions to spread the word.
Learn more:
- How To Write a Food Truck Business Plan (+ Template)
- 13 Profitable Food Business Ideas To Start Today
- How To Sell Food Online: A Step-by-Step Startup Guide
17. Dog walking and pet sitting
If you love animals, consider starting a dog-walking or pet sitting business. It’s a great way to get exercise and build relationships with clients and four-legged friends. Good customer service is crucial, so it’s ideal if you’re a people (and pet) person.
Differentiate yourself by customizing your services to your location. Along with its traditional dog-walking and pet sitting services, New Hampshire’s Salty Pawsoffers adventure walks along the coast.
- Earning potential: Dog walkers in the US can earn an average of $14.85 per hour.
- Best for: Animal lovers with flexible schedules.
- Tips for starting out: Flyer your neighborhood, advertise in local Facebook groups, and encourage customers to leave reviews.
Learn more: How To Start a Pet Business: 10 Profitable Tips
18. Niche cleaning service
There are many reasons clients hire professional cleaners. Niche cleaning business ideas include bereavement home cleaning, car cleaning, or post-renovation services.
PramWash is a Singapore-based stroller and child-gear cleaning service. In addition to stroller care, PramWash also offers in-home cleaning and disinfection treatments with pet- and baby-safe products.
Cleaning services tend to maintain demand, so pick a business name and get started.
- Earning potential: Cleaners in the US make an average of $15.52 per hour.
- Best for: Detail-oriented individuals targeting niche markets (e.g., eco-friendly cleaning).
- Tips for starting out: Pick a niche, flyer your local area, and use Shopify for bookings and subscriptions.
Learn more: 8 Service Business Ideas To Turn Your Expertise into Profit
19. Local grocery delivery
Everyone needs groceries, but not everyone can access the groceries they need. Delivery services let shoppers choose delivery items from the comfort of home.
Fresh products can spoil, making this time-dependent service a distinctly local venture. Look for retirement communities, college campuses, and densely populated areas near you. See Yummy.com, which provides fresh fruits, vegetables, and baked goods to customers in Los Angeles.
- Earning potential: Grocery delivery business owners earn an average of $90,000 a year.
- Best for: Organized people with local knowledge.
- Tips for starting out: Create a Shopify store for ordering and scheduling deliveries.
Learn more: Build a Successful Ecommerce Grocery Store with These Strategies
20. Local travel guides and maps
Well-versed travelers know that locals are often the best guides. If you live in a popular tourist area, why not create travel services for visitors? Travel guides can take many forms—you could sell audio walking tours, books, maps, or even augmented reality tours.
You don’t have to live in Paris or New York to create these resources. Small tourist destinations may have fewer competing resources, putting your services in demand.
Bedford, New Hampshire–based TravelBrains specializes in audio guides created by local historians to educate tourists on the area’s many historical sites.
Meanwhile, MAD Maps offers state and city maps for motorcyclists, demonstrating how travel companies can cater to hobbyists and other interest groups.
- Earning potential: This one travel guide is making $2,755.87 a month, while another guide map business owner makes $10,000 a month.
- Best for:Locals passionate about their area.
- Tips for starting out: Sell downloadable guides on Shopify and collaborate with local businesses.
Learn more: Top 10 Print-on-Demand Book Services for Self-Publishing
21. Neighborhood tool library
Do you have a decent collection of tools? Why not loan them to DIY enthusiasts, homeowners, and hobbyists in your area for a fee?
Similar to a traditional library, tool librarians lend tools for projects like home repairs, gardening, woodworking, or car maintenance. You could operate your tool library from your garage or offer a mobile lending service with delivery and pickup. Consider membership tiers for customers who regularly need tools.
The Tool Library offers three different membership tiers depending on a customer’s situation.
- Earning potential: The top tier in The Tool Library is $150 a year. If you have 100 customers, that’s $15,000 a year.
- Best for: Community-focused individuals with storage space.
- Tips for starting out: Use Shopify to manage memberships and tool reservations.
Four steps to follow up on your unique business idea
- Define your unique selling proposition
- Develop a business plan
- Promote your business through SEO
- Launch your online store
A unique business idea is a great starting point. Next, you’ll need to outline your value to customers and differentiate yourself from competitors. Here’s how to move your idea into reality:
1. Define your unique selling proposition
A unique selling proposition (USP) is what makes your business different, helping overwhelmed customers quickly understand your value to them. Your USP will also guide branding and digital marketing decisions.
Learn more: Win Sales With a Unique Selling Proposition + 8 Examples
2. Develop a business plan
A good business plan identifies necessary resources and potential roadblocks.
Good entrepreneurs can adapt, but it’s still important to have a roadmap. Take the time to:
- Research your business idea
- Identify challenges and pain points
- Outline the resources you need to grow your business
- Develop a timeline
3. Promote your business through SEO
Search engine optimization, or SEO, applies digital strategies for driving customers to your online store or social media pages. Publishing web content based on commonly searched keywords is a common SEO tactic.
Since 75% of Google users rarely click past the first search engine results page (SERP), getting to the top position for your target keywords is a competitive advantage.
Learn more: The Industry Leading Ecommerce SEO Guide
4. Launch your online store
Before launching your online store, ask yourself:
- Is my payment processor set up correctly?
- Do I have any dead links on my website?
- Are pages easy to navigate?
- Will customers find what they’re looking for?
Consider creating a launch checklist to streamline the tasks you must complete before opening. Check out this list of the best ecommerce sites for inspiration.
Learn more: Ecommerce Checklist: Launch Your Store in 19 Steps (2025)
Stand out from the competition with a unique business idea
Focus on the unique elements of your business, such as how you solve a common problem in a new way or how your product stands out from the competition. Smartphones were invented years before the iPhone, electric cars existed ahead of Tesla, and Amazon wasn’t the first company to sell products online, but all of these companies leveraged their originality to grow into the juggernauts they are today. With passion and drive, you too can set your business idea apart.
Read more
- How to Start a Dropshipping Business- A Complete Playbook for 2024
- The Ultimate Guide To Dropshipping (2024)
- How To Source Products To Sell Online
- The 13 Best Dropshipping Suppliers in 2024
- 25 Best Ways to Make Money From Home in 2024
- 130+ Dropshipping Products To Sell for Profit
- Product Ideas: 17 Places To Find Profitable Products
- The Founder’s Zodiac- The College Student’s Star Map to Starting a Small Business
- 10 Easy and Profitable Crafts to Make and Sell
- What is Social Entrepreneurship? Types and Examples
Unique business ideas FAQ
What are some unique business ideas?
The best business ideas usually offer a new spin on an existing offering or serve a niche market. For inspiration, review the unique businesses above.
How can you make business ideas profitable?
Promoting your business through SEO and social media marketing and establishing multiple streams of income can be profitable tactics.
How do you come up with a unique business idea?
To come up with a great business idea, think about successful businesses that inspire you. What sticks out to you about them? What sets them apart? What could they be doing better? A competitive analysis that identifies problems in competing businesses can ignite a new idea.
What new business can I start?
Try these resources for even more different business ideas:
How to choose the right business idea?
Choose a business idea that solves a real problem, matches your skills and interests, and has market demand. Validate it by researching your target audience, testing with a small offer, and ensuring it’s profitable and sustainable long term.
