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25 business video ideas for inspiration (+ templates!)

We’ve compiled a list of every kind of video your business may need, from the obvious to the obscure. Peruse these business video ideas and pick the ones that are right for you.

When you’re done, head over to Biteable to  make your business video  in no time. Choose from hundreds of templates, then make it your own with brandable video scenes and one-of-a-kind animations. If you can make a PowerPoint, you can create a video for your business with Biteable. (We’re not kidding. It’s that easy.)

Create videos that drive action

Activate your audience with impactful, on-brand videos. Create them simply and collaboratively with Biteable.

Read on to learn about these business video ideas:

• Social media & YouTube videos

Video advertisements

Business explainers, presentations.

• Internal comms videos

Product pages

Business conference collateral, thank you videos, sales videos.

• Training videos
• Video resumes

Social media & YouTube video ideas

Video on social media is huge. Like, bigger than Godzilla in platform heels huge. On average, videos on social media get shared  1200% more  than text and images. (Thank you YouTube for getting the ball rolling.) Your business can benefit bigtime from the social video trend.

If you haven’t tapped into this traffic and engagement goldmine, it’s time to get started with your own  social media videos . Take inspiration from these business video ideas as you create your own social content.

1. Social media video content

Social media platforms are now prioritizing video content over text and static images. By simply posting a video in your feed, social algorithms give you a big pat on the back and reward your business with more views in people’s feeds.

Encourage engagement by creating some scroll-stopping social content. The Biteable library has video templates for every type of business, so if you’re stuck for ideas, we’ve got you covered. Here’s an example to get you started.

2. Facebook & Instagram ads

Instagram and  Facebook ads  are the perfect place to flex your business video muscles.

Videos get a lot more attention than static images, and this is super important if you’re paying for ad space as part of your business’ marketing campaigns. If you’re creating an ad for special offers, seasonal promotions, or new products, using video is one of the best ways to stop those scrolling thumbs and get eyes on your ads.

Here’s a colorful video template we created for a business sale ad.

3. LinkedIn ads

It’s no secret the LinkedIn algorithm loves video. Not only that, but research shows  59% of executives  love watching videos on the platform. If you need to reach key people to  promote your B2B products  and services, video content is the best choice to help build your business.

This next video idea comes from one of our business recruiting templates.

4. Twitter ads

Twitter is one of the  most popular platforms  for B2C marketers. If your business targets consumers, creating some  snappy twitter ads  on this platform is a smart move. Videos get three times more engagement here than your average tweet.

Take your marketing to the next level with this business video idea that fits Twitter to a tee.

5. YouTube TrueView video ads

TrueView is one of the three flavors of  YouTube ad placements . These ads show up in stream or in the discovery bar, so they need to have an immediately captivating poster image and intro to hook viewers and keep them watching.

If you want to capture the attention of the  1.9 billion people  that use YouTube daily, a TrueView add is your first stop for business video content.

6. YouTube intro

If your business has a YouTube channel, getting the intro right is critical for  growing awareness and getting viewer engagement . It needs to be catchy, short, and on-brand. Your intro is something your business will use over and over again, so it’s important that it makes an impact.

A lot of weight rests on your intro. But Biteable has come to your rescue with our range of  templates especially for intros . Check out this YouTube intro idea for starters.

You probably have billions of ideas to boost your business, and  video advertising  is probably top of the list. You’re not alone. Video advertisements are the best way to drive engagement and increase returns on your ad spend.

Check out these ideas for business video advertisements.

7. Funny video ads

Here’s an example of a lighthearted video ad we created. Feel free to use this business video idea, edit it with Biteable and make it your own. Or check out or other templates in the  video add template library .

If a picture says a thousand words, a video probably says a million. If you need to explain something new or something complicated,  business explainer videos  are one of the most effective ways to do this — without sending your audience to snooze town. Start with one of these business explainer ideas.

8. Explain your business

Whether you’re an established business or a bright young startup, having an explainer video on your website helps keep people on your site for longer. Video content can sum up what your business does and who it serves without the great wall of text some companies rely on.

9. Explain your product

Got a product ready to launch? We’ve got a business video idea for that. Showcase your products in motion or in a real-life context to build excitement and anticipation around your new offering. Integrate your  product reviews  in your video to build trust with customers right away.

10. Internal product launch explainer

Your employees need to know about product launches well ahead of time. For people not directly involved in the launch, create a quick business video explaining the rollout. Keep everyone on the same page with this business video idea.

11. Explain a concept

Concepts are difficult to explain with words. Even after pages of text, trying to connect a concept with your audience can often miss the mark. This is where video beats words hands down. Use this business video to quickly explain an idea to viewers – leaving them feeling smart and inspired by your handiwork.

If you need to make  presentations  to share with your team or to seal a deal with prospective clients, ditch the pointer and the whiteboard. Check out these ideas for business video presentations instead.

12. Sales presentations

Video takes some of the pressure out of presentation day. Stand back and let a sales presentation video do all the hard work as you reap the fame and rewards from your efforts.

We won’t tell anyone it only you a few minutes to put together…  wink wink.

13. Updates

Need to present updates to your team? Stop all the eye-rolling and groans and win their hearts with fun, informative videos instead.

Check out this business video idea: a team-focused “new tool” tool update that’s easy to make and even easier to watch.

Internal comms video ideas

Video can play an important part in your company’s  internal comms . Whether you need to update, onboard, or announce things to your people — video cuts through the noise of a busy workplace to get your messages heard and remembered.

Start with these business video ideas for internal comms.

14. Team update

Need to announce those important updates, financials, or team bloopers for the month? A team update video is a simple and effective way to communicate the things that matter in your business.

15. HR videos

Video and HR were a match made in heaven. Activate your employees and align your teams by  making an HR video  for just about every occasion. From recruiting ads, to benefits explainers, to training materials, video does it all.

Check out our list of  21 HR video ideas  (with templates) for inspiration.

16. Onboarding

Wow your new employees with a short, engaging  onboarding video  to get them excited about becoming a part of your company. Video captures the essence of your business values and work culture much better than yet another stuffy email or onboarding packet.

If you’re in the business of selling products, whether on Amazon, Shopify, or  your own e-commerce website , you’ll know that online competition is fierce. Stay ahead of the other guys by using video to display and promote your products. This next business video is a great idea if you need sleek, informative content for your product pages.

17. Product videos

Trying to sell anything online with static images is hard. With video, you can create desire by showcasing your product being used and enjoyed in different situations.

People buy based on emotion, and video is one of the most effective ways to  connect a potential customer  to the feeling that buying your product will give them.

Conferences are a huge time and money investment for your business. To make the most of them, your collateral needs to be polished and powerful — ready to make a big impact on your audience. These video ideas for business conferences helps get you there.

18. Sponsors

If you’ve got sponsors on board for your conference, you need to make sure you promote their logos during the event.

We’ve got a bunch of  marketing templates  that can be tailored and tweaked to add your sponsor logos, photos, or quotes to your videos.

19. Event invite

Get more bums on seats for your conference with an invite video that sparkles. Find the event invite of your dreams  over here  or make a quick start by dropping a photo and some event details into this template.

20. Branding

Keeping your business on-brand during a conference is a must. Videos help showcase your brand identity and ensure consistency of your brand colors, message, and personality throughout the event. Add this logo loop template to all your conference content.

You’re probably familiar with most of the business video ideas we just listed. But have you ever thought of sending a  video thank you note ? We think there’s no better way to show your appreciation than sending personalized videos to people.

21. Employee thank you

When an employee goes above and beyond, forget the cliched “thank you” email and send something with style. Our animated templates are just the ticket: super cool and super easy to edit. A few clicks and you’re ready to send — no previous video experience required.

A good  sales strategy  is central to your business. Whether you’re pitching your own services or you have a sales team working hard on your behalf,  creating a sales video  as part of your process sets you apart from the competition.

22. Personalized sales videos

If you’re using cold emails as a form of lead generation, a video can take the icky, salesy feeling out of this form of outreach. No matter which industry you’re in, sales videos can help you form a more genuine connection with the recipient and turn those cold leads into toasty warm ones.

23. Launch videos

Launch videos are a great way to build the hype about the new thing you’re selling. Whether it’s a new product or service, launch it with a bang with a video like the one below.

24. Sales enablement

Video is also a great addition to your sales enablement content. Engage and align reps with on-demand videos they can watch quickly and reference on the fly. Our business video ideas list wouldn’t be complete without this stand-out example.

Make training videos  to help people learn information in an engaging, memorable way.

25. Course outline

Increase anticipation and attendance for your course by whipping up an engaging and informative course outline on video. You can easily add and delete scenes and change the music to give your students a good feeling for what they’ll learn in the course.

Bonus idea: video resumes

Stand out from the boring mountains of PDF and paper CVs circulating in the business world by whipping up an eye-catching  video resume . This bonus business video idea could be just the competitive edge you need to land the job of your dreams.

Video resume

Unlike a traditional CV, a video resume captures more of what you’re like as a person through the images and music you choose, and any personal photos or footage you include. It gives employers a clearer sense of what you’ll be like to work with and if you’ll fit well into their existing team.

Here’s a template we prepared to give you a head start.

Business video FAQs

Business video ideas are just the starting point. Once you’ve landed on the right content for your business, check out our answers to the most frequently-asked questions about all things video.

What are some good ideas for videos?

There are plenty of good ideas for videos for your business. Try one of these:

• Create a how-to series for YouTube
• Make a product explainer video
• Update your team through video
• Send an engaging event invite
• Thank employees in style
• Nail your next client with a video pitch
• Align reps with sales enablement content

What should be included in a business video?

In your business video, always include branding (company colors and logo) throughout . Also include an intro scene that tells viewers what to expect from the video, and an outro scene for one last chance at branding. Beyond that, consider adding a call-to-action button at the end of your business video.

How do you make a cool business video?

To make a cool business video:

• Define your audience
• Look at other business videos for ideas
• Decide on your style
• Write an outline/script
• Use an online video maker for ready-made content
• Share your video using a trackable link
• Keep an eye on your video analytics
• If engagement is low, tweak your content until you get it right

How do I start my own business video?

Starting your own business video seems daunting if you have no experience. We recommend using an online video maker like Biteable. You get access to tons of content and easy editing tools, so you can start (and finish!) your entire business video without shooting any footage or wasting a lot of time editing.

Turn your business video ideas into reality with Biteable

We hope these business video ideas got your creative juices flowing. Now it’s time to get to work. Turning your business video ideas into reality is easy with  Biteable .

Biteable has hundreds of business-focused templates, ready-made video scenes, and unique animations to get you started. Customize your business video as much or as little as you like with smart editing tools and an intuitive workflow.

Let Biteable fetch your brand colors and logo from your website and automatically apply them to your entire video with a single click. It’s that easy! Single-link sharing and video analytics drive the point home. You’ll make your first video in less time than it takes to say, “Open for business”.

Make stunning videos with ease.

Take the struggle out of team communication.

Try Biteable now.

• No credit card required
• No complicated design decisions
• No experience necessary

21 YouTube Video Ideas for Businesses

Written by simon grant.

Last updated on 10th November 2023

An average of  2,500 new videos   are uploaded to YouTube every minute.

Getting noticed amongst all that footage is tricky, which is why you’ll need to be highly creative to make your business stand out.

Help is at hand, however, with our list of 21 YouTube video ideas for businesses that want to be seen on the world’s second largest social media platform!

Amazing YouTube video ideas

1. behind the scenes (ugly drinks).

Giving your viewers a sneak preview into how your business operates is a great way to build more views and engagement.

Taking them behind the scenes with a privileged tour of the inner workings of your business will reveal your brand’s relatable human side, which in turn encourages your audience to become more invested in your offer.

Even if you’re a small team that relies on remote working and coffee shop meet-ups, like Ugly Drinks, you can still provide a fascinating inside view of how your business operates with this creative YouTube video idea.

2. Recruitment video (SAP)

Are you searching for an ‘agile’, ‘value-added’ candidate who can ‘reach out’ to your clients?

Instead, why not ‘park’ the business jargon in favour of an inspirational recruitment video that really illustrates your business’ core values?

A great recruitment video can even tackle big issues like gender equality. Business software giants, SAP, used an animated recruitment video to great effect in their efforts to position their workplace as somewhere that actively encourages women to aim higher.

You could use this type of YouTube idea to influence your own recruitment campaigns.

3. Company culture (HubSpot)

Another good YouTube video idea if you’re vlogging for business is to make a video that highlights your company’s culture.

Unpacking your business’ goals, values and reason for being is a great way to demonstrate what makes your organisation tick. Your video doesn’t have to be stuffy or overly corporate either. Digital marketing gurus, HubSpot, absolutely nailed this idea with their kitsch, 80s inspired company culture video.

This semi-animated video pokes just the right amount of fun at themselves, whilst still accentuating their professionalism – a textbook example of a ‘work hard, play hard’ company culture.

4. Meet the team (Olympus Group)

As we know, it’s the people behind the brand that invariably drive a company’s success. Giving your audience a glimpse of the faces and personalities of those responsible for creating your products or delivering your services is a great way to foster a stronger personal connection with your customers.

It’s captivating to see how a diverse workforce can pull together for a common cause. More often than not, your personnel can become your company’s most vocal mascots. Or they can be your mascots and make them in Olympus Group’s case. You get the picture.

5. Product showcase (Nest)

A product video is an excellent YouTube video idea for businesses planning to demonstrate the features and benefits of their must-have invention.

Our research shows that 84% of people have been swayed to buy a product or service after watching a brand’s video.

Nest develop smart, connected-home devices that are designed to simplify everyday activities, like controlling your thermostat. It stands to reason then that they’d produce an elegantly simple animated explainer video to demonstrate the benefits of their smart home concept. Keeping it simple like this is a great place to start when showcasing your own product.

6. New product announcement (Google Now)

When the time comes to launch a brand-new product, an announcement video gives you the opportunity to wax lyrical about its advantages.

More in-depth than a product showcase, this type of YouTube video idea can even feature a comparison of predecessor or competitor products to show how your new product has evolved.

If you can show your prospective customers how your product works and why it can benefit them, just as Google achieved with aplomb in this animated explainer video, then you’re already halfway there in terms of convincing your viewers that they need your product in their lives.

7. Special event announcement (McDonald’s)

Another great YouTube video technique to keep your audience engaged is to create some hype around an upcoming special event.

Promoting a one-off event that really captures the imagination and taps into the current zeitgeist can be a really effective way to generate buzz around your brand.

McDonald’s are the absolute masters of leveraging topical issues to draw attention to their corporate social responsibility efforts. In this example, they created a brilliant animated video to highlight all the alternative modes of transport customers could use to pick up their Big Macs on World Car-Free Day. Tortoise-driven sled anyone?!

8. Explainer video (Wyzowl)

Explainer videos are perfect for illustrating how a product or service business works. Ideal for simplifying complex features or theories, explainer videos are far more illuminating and immediate than words can ever hope to be.

In fact, our studies have shown that 69% of people would choose video over text to learn about a product or service.

We’ve produced our fair share of explainer videos and have even gone as far as creating this explainer video to explain explainer videos. We’ll let the video do the explaining!

9. Employee profile videos (Hilton)

Profiling an individual employee working at your company can be a great way to give your audience a one-to-one introduction to your talent pool.

Adopting a narrower focus than a ‘meet the team’ video, employee profiles typically involve a short interview that uncovers your interviewee’s background, skills and contribution to your business.

Hilton’s video provides an interesting insight into the motivations behind one team member’s reasons for joining the hotel chain. Human interest is always compelling material for YouTube videos.

10. How to/tutorials (GingerPale)

If you don’t know how to do something, where’s the first place you go?

YouTube, right?

The video giant is awash with tutorial videos and it’s a genre that you can tap into. The point of this YouTube video idea is to share actionable knowledge for your viewers to learn from.

You’re an expert in your field, so why not underline that fact by offering handy hints and tips to your audience?

YouTube animator, GingerPale, does exactly that with this step-by-step animated explainer about how he goes about producing his videos – from writing the initial script, right through to uploading his creation.

11. Product/service/app tutorial (Headspace)

An excellent technique for gaining exposure to your product or service is making a tutorial video . You can walk your audience through the intricacies of whatever you’re selling and share valuable insights into the best ways to use it.

You can learn from the likes of meditation app developers, Headspace, whose lovely clean and simple animation epitomises the stress-free experience that their app sets out to deliver.

If you can align the look and feel of your tutorial video with the fundamental principles associated with your product like this, then you’re onto a winner.

12. Webinar (Yoast)

If you’ve hosted an educational webinar, you can post the recorded footage of your event on YouTube for those who couldn’t attend your event the first time around or to generate traction with a whole new audience.

By their very nature, webinars are designed to be interactive and those interactions translate extremely well into video format.

SEO experts, Yoast, launched a conversational-style webinar to explain essential SEO tips. This is one of the most accessible and easiest YouTube video ideas for you to try without having to stretch your budget too much.

13. Live stream from an event (EA SPORTS FIFA)

There’s a sense of excitement and anticipation about witnessing a live event. If you’re planning a special event or launch, then why not stream it live ?

You can use your social channels to generate interest well in advance and build up a groundswell of excitement. Take a leaf out of EA SPORTS’ playbook, who live streamed the latter stages of their FIFA FUT Champions Cup event to thousands of engaged viewers.

If you’ve got an interesting product to speak about, the engagement levels are worth the logistics.

14. Ask Me Anything (SPORF)

Ask Me Anything (AMA) discussions have been popularised on Reddit and X (formerly Twitter) but translate perfectly to video.

This type of YouTube idea can either take the form of a live stream or a recorded event where you collate your audience’s questions in advance and pose them to an expert in your business.

AMA videos can often reveal surprises. For instance, who could have predicted that Eden Hazard is as sharp witted off the pitch as he is skillful on it without this video from SPORF?

15. Interview someone interesting (BBC News)

Put that little black book to work and invite an interesting or authoritative figure from your industry to appear in an interview video.

This is an opportunity for some valuable reciprocal exposure and is particularly useful if you can make it a collaborative effort, whereby your video is shared on each other’s channels.

Just be sure to do your homework and thoroughly vet your interview subject beforehand, as Guy Goma’s now legendary BBC ‘interview’ proves in all its cringe-worthy glory.

16. Testimonials (HP)

If you’ve received positive feedback from your customers or clients, why not ask them to come in and film a testimonial video ?

As far as actionable YouTube video ideas go, this is right up there with the best of them. Testimonial videos are a great way to evidence “social proof” and offer an independent perspective on your products or services. You could even ask customers to send you webcam testimonials to save time and money.

It helps if you can splice your testimonials with footage of your products in action, just like HP did in this testimonial video.

17. Whiteboard video (Moz)

Whiteboard videos are an engaging way to explain complex ideas with a highly visual narrative. The traditional approach is to film an expert deconstructing a theory on a whiteboard.

However, latterly the growing trend is for digital whiteboard videos featuring an animated illustrator who draws a story as the narrator tells it.

If you go down the old school route, you’re heavily dependent on finding a charismatic speaker, like Moz’s Rand Fishkin, who can bring the discussion subject to life. If you don’t have anyone comfortable enough in front of camera, then the digital route works just as well.

18. Competitions/contests (Kiesel Guitars)

Competition or contest videos are an excellent way to get your audience involved in your video content. If you can encourage your viewers to develop their own mini-videos as part of your wider competition, then not only are you ramping up the engagement but you’re also going to benefit from fresh, original content with very little effort required on your behalf.

When Kiesel Guitars ran a contest to find a guitarist with the most creative “licks” using one of their guitars, they hit advertising gold.

19. List videos (Neil Patel)

We all love a good list.

You’re reading this article, right?!

Lists are powerful because they tap into what psychologists call “schemata” – the mental maps we build up from experience – and provide digestible, bitesize snippets of information.

If you’re breaking down techniques or top-ranked products, then a list video can work wonders. Follow the example of SEO guru, Neil Patel, and employ this YouTube video idea to give your audience added value with a list of useful recommendations for them to take away and use.

20. Top tips (Warhammer)

Another way to enrich your viewer’s lives is by providing tips that subtly promote your brand, product, or expertise. If you can provide actionable tips on a topic that you’re knowledgeable about, then you’ll foster a level of trust that should see your audience visit you again to glean more insights and buy into your products or services.

Warhammer have a cult following of avid hobbyists and by sharing tips on how to achieve the perfect paint job they simultaneously upskill their customers and promote their paints and figures. It’s a clever dual approach to building up a cache of brand loyalty.

21. Case studies (Ritz Carlton)

Taking the customer testimonials YouTube idea a step further, case study videos are the perfect way to illustrate how your products or services have benefitted particular customers. This type of collaboration can give you relatable content that brings your product offering to the fore.

Ritz Carlton achieved this in a really innovative way when they created this animated video that highlights the true story of a happy couple whose romantic proposal story unfolded in one of their hotels. The upshot is a beautifully subtle endorsement of the hotel giant’s upmarket offering.

Final thoughts

As this list proves, there are countless YouTube video ideas that you can leverage to get your business noticed. All you need is the spark of an idea and either the hands-on skills to do it yourself or the support of creative collaborators to develop eye-catching and memorable live action or animated explainer videos and the YouTube world is your oyster.

If you’d like to learn more about enhancing your chances of success, then check out this blog posts:

How to get more views on YouTube

The optimal YouTube banner size for 2024

The 7 best fonts for YouTube thumbnails

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How to Come Up with an Innovative Business Idea

• 21 Jul 2020

Entrepreneurship is the pursuit of opportunity beyond currently controlled resources. By definition, entrepreneurs seek to fill a need in a new way.

For aspiring entrepreneurs, however, generating strong, novel business ideas can be challenging.

If you’re interested in being an entrepreneur , brainstorming ways you can satisfy needs and solve problems is a good place to start.

Remember the golden rule of brainstorming: There are no bad ideas. As your thoughts flow, jot them down so you can later prune the list to focus on your strongest concepts.

Here are some thought-starters for coming up with innovative business ideas and examples of how entrepreneurs have used them to build successful companies.

Access your free e-book today.

How to Come Up with a Business Idea

Is there an easier way.

One place to start brainstorming potential business ideas is by asking yourself, “What task can I make easier?”

A common denominator for successful businesses is their ability to fulfill customer needs . In this case, the need is to create a product or service that makes people’s lives easier.

Related: How to Identify an Underserved Need in the Market

The most innovative businesses have flourished from simple ideas. For example, HelloFresh has taught people how to cook and provided tools to prepare meals more efficiently. It started with a need to make meal planning and grocery shopping easier. By preparing meal kits that directly fulfill busy people’s needs, this idea has seen major growth.

Check out our video on how to come up with innovative business ideas below below, and subscribe to our YouTube channel for more explainer content!

This method of creating a product to fill a need can be viewed through the lens of Harvard Business School Professor Clayton Christensen’s jobs to be done theory , which he presents in the online course Disruptive Strategy .

“A ‘job to be done’ is a problem or opportunity that somebody is trying to solve,” Christensen says. “We call it a ‘job’ because it needs to be done, and we hire people or products to get jobs done.”

Look for these kinds of opportunities in your own life. Every “job” presents an opportunity to create an easier way to get it done.

By centering your business plan on a particular need, you can increase your chances of building a profitable business.

Related: Jobs to Be Done: 4 Real-World Examples

Can I Make This More Accessible?

There are many useful products and services that aren’t readily available to the entire market, creating an opportunity to produce a similar, more accessible product offering.

The founding of Airbnb by Brian Chesky and Joe Gebbia is an example that HBS Professor William Sahlman uses in the online course Entrepreneurship Essentials .

“Chesky and Gebbia observed how hard it was to find housing during big local events,” Sahlman explains. “They decided to list online three air beds in their apartment for people coming to San Francisco for a design conference.”

From there, they added a third member to their founding team, Nathan Blecharczyk, who built the platform for connecting people with spare rooms to travelers needing a place to stay. They called it AirBed and Breakfast, which later became Airbnb .

Chesky and Gebbia noticed hotel rooms weren’t easy to book during large events, recognized a business opportunity, and devised a solution to fulfill a need for accessible, short-term lodging.

There are countless industries and companies whose offerings are inaccessible to certain market segments or during specific periods. Consider how you might fill those needs.

Related: 10 Characteristics of Successful Entrepreneurs

What Can I Improve About This?

For every successful product offering, there's a multitude of ways to make it better. Think of companies you admire and imagine how you could improve their products. As you do so, consider the following four factors.

1. Delivery Process

Your business idea doesn’t have to be entirely new—it just has to fill a need. If you can identify a more convenient way of delivering an existing service, it could be an opportunity for your business.

Uber is used as an example in Entrepreneurship Essentials . Taxis have existed for decades, but Uber delivered its services in a new, innovative way by linking drivers in their own cars to customers via an app.

This example also shows there are no limits to what type of business you can create. Your business’ ability to fulfill a need will matter more than whether it’s a brick-and-mortar or online business.

Related: 3 Effective Methods for Assessing Customer Needs

2. Location

One of the simplest improvements to a product or service is bringing it to a new location.

Returning to the Uber example in Entrepreneurship Essentials , ride-sharing company Didi was founded in China—a location Uber hadn’t yet reached. Didi used a similar platform and model as Uber but filled a location gap Uber had left open.

What products, services, or concepts have you experienced in other places that you’d like to bring to your community?

One improvement that can make a significant impact is cost. Determining how to make a high-quality equivalent to a leading product and offer it for a fraction of the price has great potential.

Home security brand Wyze was founded using this logic. After four ex-Amazon employees discovered they could produce high-quality security cameras and sell them for one-tenth the cost of leading competitors, they sold one million security cameras in their first year as a company.

It takes testing to ensure product quality isn’t sacrificed for a lower price, but finding a way to reduce the cost of an in-demand item could jumpstart your entrepreneurial journey.

4. Customer Experience

Taking an existing offering and improving the customer experience for all or a segment of the market can be a valuable way to fill a need.

One example of an organization that’s done this well is Wanderful , a platform that, similar to Airbnb, connects travelers to locals who can offer lodging and travel advice—with the provision that all users are women.

Beth Santos, founder and CEO of Wanderful, noticed that female solo travelers made up 11 percent of the travel industry , which failed to take into consideration the safety, gender norm, and cultural concerns of women traveling alone.

She improved this experience by creating a network of women that can be tapped into for lodging, travel advice, or just a friendly face in a new location. Wanderful has since expanded its mission to give female and non-binary travelers voices in the travel industry through conferences, communities, and recognition programs.

If there’s an opportunity to improve the experience of a specific group of people, act on it and see where the opportunity leads.

Related: 6 Questions to Ask Before Starting a Business

Is It Time to Pivot?

When starting a business, you may need to pivot from your original idea as new needs arise in the market.

For instance, Jebbit , a tech startup that originally offered a platform to pay students for the advertisements they watched, saw a rising need for privacy and consent in the consumer data space. It pivoted to create a platform for secure, declared customer data.

Another instance in which it makes sense to pivot is during technological evolution.

In Disruptive Strategy , Christensen explains that technological advancements can be either sustaining or disruptive innovations , depending on how they impact your company.

Take Netflix : The service was created to allow people to watch movies without going to the video store and accomplished this by mailing DVDs to customers’ homes with prepaid return envelopes.

When streaming came on the scene in 2007, Netflix implemented the new technology into its business model and has continued to adapt as it’s evolved. Because Netflix was able to adopt new technology to continue serving its customers, streaming was a sustaining innovation.

In the case of video store Blockbuster , streaming was a disruptive innovation that it tried but couldn’t affordably adopt. It ultimately led the business to shut down.

When technological advancements arise, think of how your current business model could shift to use innovation as a sustaining force.

More Examples of Innovative Business Ideas

As you think of ideas for businesses, take inspiration from the world around you. Analyze the foundational needs other businesses have fulfilled for society and how they’ve adapted to what customers want.

Remember: As a future business owner, it’s critical to understand your company’s core mission. Focusing on that can help align your startup ideas and provide a greater chance for success.

To gain even more insight and inspiration, consider the following examples, which show how diverse your business model and mission can be.

Notarize , the first online platform for legally signing and notarizing documents is just one example of an online startup that discovered an overlooked need. For many, it’s a hassle to find a notary public to sign a document in person. This prompted Pat Kinsel, founder and CEO of Notarize, to make this difficult, but necessary, task more convenient.

"It really struck me that notarized documents are often some of the most important things people sign, and yet, we have this system that’s 100 years old," Kinsel said in an interview with Inc .

Kinsel designed the Notarize app to connect people to licensed notary publics via video chat so they can see their documents signed in real time.

This need for notarized documents seemed to be a common, but overlooked, need for many professionals. By thinking outside the box, Notarize seized a business opportunity and brought it to its fullest potential.

The development of Starbucks under former chairman and CEO Howard Schultz is another example that highlights how to efficiently choose locations for your brick-and-mortar.

“Schultz admired the sidewalk coffee shops he’d visited in Italy and decided he would introduce the same basic idea in the United States,” Sahlman says in Entrepreneurship Essentials. “That venture became Starbucks.”

Now, it’s rare to walk a few blocks without seeing a Starbucks on a corner. Strategic locations within high traffic routes created a customer base that’s made Starbucks an essential part of their lives.

Perhaps one of the most well-known companies in the world, Amazon is a prime example of fulfilling people’s need for convenience.

This e-commerce business made it the norm to buy items online—including books, music, movies, housewares, and electronics—and have them quickly and conveniently delivered.

Think Like an Entrepreneur

Coming up with an innovative business idea isn’t difficult if you’re observant. By asking yourself key brainstorming questions, you can generate a list of business ideas that fill market needs, improve existing products, and make daily life easier and more enjoyable.

Do you want to turn an idea into a viable venture? Explore our four-week Entrepreneurship Essentials course, six-week Disruptive Strategy course, and other online entrepreneurship and innovation courses to discover how you can harness the power of innovation. Download our free course flowchart to determine which best aligns with your goals.

This post was updated on September 19, 2022. It was originally published on July 21, 2020.

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40 Startup Business Ideas to Try in 2024

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Aspiring entrepreneurs are often one brilliant startup business idea away from becoming their own boss. Of course, brilliance is easier said than done when starting a business .

The best startup ideas have business plans that solve a problem, meet an unmet demand or improve upon something already on the market — if not all of the above. Here are 40 ideas to help get your wheels turning as you look to bring a company to life.

40 best startup business ideas

Even startup ideas that seemingly come out of left field can yield incredible success. Read through this list for instant inspiration.

1. Create educational content or activities

Parents are always looking for tools and activities to keep their kids entertained and engaged. Printable activity guides for different age groups, home-school lesson plans or even virtual nature walks or story time could all be viable startup ideas.

2. Offer virtual team-building

Companies need new ways to boost morale and build camaraderie among remote and hybrid teams. Enter the virtual team-builder. Cheesemongers, mixologists, chefs, magicians, artists, historians, master gardeners — almost anyone can create and offer bonding experiences for virtual companies.

3. Start a meal-prep business

The U.S. market for meal kits is expected to grow 14.2% annually between 2023 and 2030, according to market analysis by Grand View Research [0] Grand View Research . Meal Kit Delivery Services Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Offering (Heat & Eat, Cook & Eat), By Service (Single, Multiple), By Platform (Online, Offline), Meal Type (Vegan, Vegetarian), By Region, And Segment Forecasts, 2023 - 2030 . Accessed Feb 21, 2024. View all sources . Tap into that market and start a meal-prep service to make people’s lives easier and cater to specialized diets (keto, vegan, Whole30).

4. Create a food waste solution

Creating a startup focused on reducing food waste could not only earn you some serious funding, but also positively change the food system and help save grocery stores and restaurants money.

5. Capitalize on plant-based foods

The U.S. plant-based market was worth $8 billion in 2022, with sales of plant-based foods projected to climb 44% over three years, according to the most recent annual report from the Good Food Institute [0] Good Food Institute . U.S. retail market insights for the plant-based industry . Accessed Feb 21, 2024. View all sources . Creating a vegan supermarket or making meat-free versions of traditional foods could be the ticket to success for aspiring entrepreneurs.

6. Start a dropshipping business

The e-commerce business model of dropshipping is especially attractive because it doesn’t require you to purchase inventory upfront. Selling higher-end products with low shipping costs could become profitable quickly if you do thorough competition research.

» MORE: 25 low-cost business ideas

7. Curate subscription boxes

Subscription boxes were a $32.9 billion business globally in 2023 (up from $22.7 billion in 2021), and the industry is still set to grow, according to a market research report by the International Market Analysis Research and Consulting Group [0] International Market Analysis Research and Consulting Group . Subscription Box Market Report by Type (Replenishment Subscription, Curation Subscription, Access Subscription), Gender (Male, Female), Application (Clothing and Fashion, Beauty, Food and Beverages, Pet Food, Baby Products, Health and Fitness, and Others), and Region 2024-2032 . Accessed Feb 21, 2024. View all sources . Pick a niche, and then curate a collection of specialized goods to deliver unique experiences to consumers. Some subscription boxes focus on a mix of products, like makeup or dog toys; others focus on a single item or theme, like shaving or sustainability. Find the right starting point for you and run with it.

Ready to get started? Here's what to do next

Open a business bank account.

Start keeping the books.

Build your website.

Protect yourself from liability.

8. Create an airport-centric app

Creating an all-in-one app that allows travelers tonavigate unfamiliar airports with real-time information is a relatively untapped startup idea. Though various travel applications exist, an app that shows amenities, TSA line wait times, ground transportation options and airport maps could be useful to passengers.

9. Become a destination wedding planner

Planning a wedding is stressful; planning a wedding from afar could fray any couple’s nerves. That creates a niche for a destination wedding planner who can advise on venue and vendor selections, as well as manage wedding and travel logistics for the bridal party and guests. If you love exploring, have expertise in a popular wedding locale and are great under pressure, this could be the startup idea for you.

10. Make local guides

Even if you don’t consider yourself a local expert, creating local guides can get you familiar with your surroundings and help tourists enjoy off-the-beaten-path experiences in your area. Make themed guides, highlight attractions and partner with local businesses for advertising opportunities.

» MORE: 25 side business ideas

11. Create a local grocery delivery service

A grocery delivery startup can come with minimal setup costs — you only need a vehicle and a cell phone to get started. Help older people or others who are too busy to shop by offering this community-friendly service. You can even approach grocery stores in your area to see if they're willing to partner with you to get the service off the ground.

12. Start a virtual event planning company

Virtual event planning is a new booming business as in-person gatherings go online or take a hybrid approach. A skilled planner who can ensure all attendees are engaged, regardless of location, will be in high demand for years to come.

» MORE: Best business credit cards for LLCs

13. Sell zero-waste products

Starting a zero-waste company is more than just a trendy thing to do; it can be an ethical, environmentally conscious decision. Selling sustainable products such as reusable bags, bamboo toothbrushes or products with zero-waste packaging could appeal to a growing number of sustainability-focused consumers.

14. Make products for pets

Create innovative pet products to take advantage of the fact that 66% of U.S. households (about 86.9 million households) have at least one animal companion, according to the annual pet ownership survey by the American Pet Products Association [0] American Pet Products Association . Industry Trends and Stats . View all sources . Developing toys, accessories or clothing for furry friends can help you tap into that expansive market. You can also go the service route and offer pet sitting, walking or virtual dog training. Or develop an app or tech solution that makes pet parents’ lives easier.

15. Create custom clothing

Selling custom clothing or offering a tailoring service could be your winning startup idea. The custom clothing industry is gaining popularity and offers room for long-term growth.

» MORE: How to open an Etsy shop

16. Sell vintage clothing online

Demand for sustainable fashion has helped propel second-hand clothing into a $39 billion industry in the U.S. with projections to hit $70 billion by 2027, according to an annual resale report by online consignment company ThredUp [0] ThredUp . ThredUp Resale Report 2023 . View all sources . Consider selling thrifted, vintage or upcycled clothing on social media, an ecommerce platform or an app such as ThredUp or Poshmark.

17. Begin niche blogging

Find a niche (think e-sports or urban farming) and create engaging content around it. You can earn money through advertising, affiliate links and even product sales once you build an audience.

How much do you need?

with Fundera by NerdWallet

We’ll start with a brief questionnaire to better understand the unique needs of your business.

Once we uncover your personalized matches, our team will consult you on the process moving forward.

18. Become an e-book writer

If you’ve got a way with words, consider becoming a self-published author and selling e-books on virtual platforms.

» MORE: 14 profitable e-commerce business ideas

19. Start ghostwriting

Create content for busy professionals who don’t have the time or the skill to write themselves. If you don’t mind not attaching your name to your writing, ghostwriting is a great way to earn money with little to no startup costs attached.

20. Become a resume writer

Everyone needs a resume, but few people are skilled at or enjoy writing their own. If you’ve got writing experience and are looking to launch a startup with no setup costs, creating a resume-writing service could be the path for you.

21. Open a coworking space

Capitalize on the rising popularity of remote work by creating a modern coworking space that addresses pain points of entrepreneurs. Pick a convenient location and build it out with highly sought-after amenities.

» MORE: 35 businesses that every community needs

22. Become an online coach

If you enjoy helping others achieve their goals and are a people person, this startup idea could be fulfilling for yourself and for your clientele. You can provide wellness, business or life coaching.

23. Flip failing websites

Buy an existing website, make improvements on it and sell it for a profit. You’ll need to understand the market well and have some web development skills, but this can be a profitable pursuit.

24. Become a web developer

The need for custom websites isn’t ever going away, and if you know your way around WordPress or know a programming language or two, you can start a profitable website development startup.

25. Start a podcast

If you’re deeply knowledgeable or passionate about a subject, consider getting into podcast production or hosting. Building an audience takes time, but once established, podcasters can earn money through affiliate marketing, donations and sponsorships.

26. Be a social media influencer

Once you find a niche and build a personal brand, amassing a large following on Instagram or YouTube can lead to a solid source of income through influencer marketing.

» MORE: 30 Instagram business ideas

27. Create online courses

Obscure hobbies can lead to lucrative business ideas if you make them easy for others to learn. If you’d like to teach others but aren’t interested in the coaching route, creating an online course could lead to reliable passive income.

28. Become a marketing consultant

If you’ve got digital marketing chops, help small businesses reach their target audiences by providing SEO, social media or copywriting services.

29. Develop an app

If you’ve got a unique idea and the necessary technical skills, creating an app could be your gold mine. It’s also possible to build an app without extensive coding skills, and once it launches, it can bring in passive earnings.

» MORE: 25 tech business ideas

30. Make a smart appliance

Smart accessories and home appliances are all the rage and becoming an important part of daily life for the average consumer. For inspiration, take note of daily tasks at home or at work that would be easier with a smart appliance.

31. Tap into virtual reality experiences

VR is the future, and the future is now. Create virtual reality experiences or accessories to tap into a global industry that’s projected to grow to a $165.91 billion market by 2030, according to a report by Fortune Business Insights [0] Fortune Business Insights . The global virtual reality market size was valued at $19.44 billion in 2022 & is projected to grow from $25.11 billion in 2023 to $165.91 billion by 2030... Read More at:- https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/industry-reports/virtual-reality-market-101378 . View all sources , a market research firm.

32. Make a niche dating site

The stigma around online dating has decreased over the past decade, so take the opportunity to help others find love. With various dating sites targeted to everyone from sea captains to farmers, there is market demand for specialty dating options.

33. Develop a chatbot

Create a chatbot — which uses artificial intelligence to communicate with people — to help businesses improve their communication. Chatbots have become more popular in recent years, and you can create one without knowing how to code.

34. Offer matchmaking skills

This is like creating a dating site but with a personal touch. If you have a knack for knowing what types of people and which personalities get along well, you might be the perfect person to start matchmaking. You can do this online or meet clients in person as well.

35. Be a virtual assistant

Being an online assistant for someone, or starting a company of virtual assistants, can be a huge success. Everyone could use a little extra help, and creating a startup focused around getting people that help for the administrative tasks in their lives, professional or personal, can be a huge moneymaker.

» MORE: Home-business ideas: 40 remote jobs to explore

36. Reinvent exercising

If there's one thing people get bored with, it's doing the same type of exercise day in and day out to stay healthy. Plenty of people have turned the exercise industry on its head, with businesses like CrossFit and Peloton popping up. You can do the same if you have an idea for a new regimen or activity for exercise enthusiasts.

37. Create eco-friendly, health-friendly makeup and beauty products

As people become more aware of the impact their personal choices have on their health and on the environment, they're looking for more health and beauty products that are also eco-friendly. Creating safe and eco-friendly products could be a great startup idea.

38. Open a food truck or restaurant pop-up

Opening a food truck or restaurant pop-up is a great startup idea for entrepreneurs with a knack for cooking. Both options are easier to launch than a full-scale restaurant and allow you to get started with a smaller staff and menu. You can open a food truck that only sells french fries with crazy toppings, for example, or launch a breakfast sandwich pop-up in your neighborhood coffee shop.

39. Start an organization business

Shows like "Tidying Up With Marie Kondo" and "The Home Edit" put professional organizing on the map, exposing millions to the magic of a tidy home. If you have a knack for making order out of chaotic spaces, you could start a business offering those services to those who need them. Organizing kitchen pantries, closets, bookshelves and more are all options you could offer customers at your new business.

40. Do interior design for young professionals

Have an eye for decorating? Start an interior design business, offering your services at an hourly rate virtually to young professionals looking for inspiration. It can be as simple as them uploading some images of their new space to your site and you sending back a few links with furniture in their budget and example images of what the room might look like when it's finished.

Start Your Dream Business

How to choose a startup idea

Do your homework before diving headfirst into a startup idea. First, make sure there's demand for the business you want to start, where you want to start it. More than 35% of businesses fail because there isn't a market need for their services or product, according to research from CB Insights [0] CB Insights . The Top 12 Reasons Startups Fail . View all sources .

You also need to write a business plan , which should include your company’s objective, sales plan, market analysis and financial projections. A good business plan can help to keep your business on track. Lenders will also want to see your business plan when considering you for a startup business loan . You should also consider the skills you already have and see how those align with any of the startup business ideas you might go with.

This article originally appeared on JustBusiness, a subsidiary of NerdWallet.

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63 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2024 We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2024.

By The Staff of Entrepreneur Media, Inc. • Mar 15, 2024

Many people dream of starting their own business. Running an enterprise in your home, garage or on the go means you can take more control over your professional goals, set more ambitious financial targets and achieve a more desirable work-life balance.

But what if you're ready to start a business but don't know what type of services to provide? You've come to the right place if you need profitable business ideas. Below, find a detailed breakdown of 63 small business ideas — from financial services to physical labor and creative contracting — to help you chart a path forward.

Some of these opportunities require more experience or credentials than others. Some can be started from home for cheap, while others require dedicated office space and capital investment. To ensure you choose the right business venture for yourself, it's crucial to consider a few factors before you pursue a sole proprietorship.

How do you determine the best small business idea?

Consider your current skill set and credentials..

For instance, if you already have a CPA license, venturing out as a freelance accountant (as detailed below) would be a natural avenue to explore. If you have experience as a writer, you might consider editorial services, or if you've spent years working in the food and beverage industry, you could explore catering or becoming a personal chef.

As you explore your options, consider if you'll need to secure special licenses (for example, hairstylists and electricians) or if the work requires additional education and credentialing.

Determine the goals of your small business.

For some people, starting a small business means leaving their full-time gig and committing to the new endeavor. For others, a part-time business provides meaningful supplemental income and can be managed in addition to other work. Consider how much money you're hoping to earn from the business, how many clients or customers you'll need to be profitable and how many hours you'll need to work each week to make it feasible.

Think about capital costs, as well as growth: Will launching the business require the purchase of equipment or other serious financial investment? Do you plan to hire employees? Will you expand to multiple locations? At the outset, it's a good idea to create a formal business plan .

Study your location and identify what's most feasible there.

Finding customers and clients is essential to any small business, so conduct a market analysis before you open shop. For instance, your boat cleaning business will be significantly more successful if you live near a coast, and your side hustle as an interpreter will likely be more profitable if you live in a diverse community.

You should also research what businesses already exist. Is there a dearth of dependable landscapers in your market? Is there a glut of professional photographers in your town? Answering these questions will help you determine the viability of your idea.

Decide if you want to run a business online or in person.

The digital age has created many opportunities for entrepreneurs to run a business from behind a laptop, meaning their enterprise can go wherever they choose. That's not for everyone, though. If you want to run a brick-and-mortar shop at the heart of your community or are more comfortable interacting with customers and clients in person, launch a business that will allow you to achieve those goals.

Related: TV Shows All Entrepreneurs Should Be Watching

Financial and Business Service Ideas

1. accounting and tax services.

Experience, training or licensing may be needed

At some point, most people seek the advice of a good bookkeeper or accountant, whether to prepare for tax season, get advice for starting a business or simply plan for the future. If you're already a Certified Public Accountant, you can earn good money by going out on your own.

If you're not already trained as an accountant or licensed by the state you live in, you'll want to explore the recommended educational prerequisites and plan to obtain the appropriate credentials. Most tax preparation franchises offer courses, seminars and training to get you ready to work for them.

You'll also want to think about the types of services you'll provide:

• Do you want to simply do bookkeeping for small businesses?
• Or do you also want to prepare balance sheets, income statements and other financial reports?

Other specializations can include tax accounting — a huge area of potential work.

2. Business Consulting

Has expansion possibilities

With a consulting business, you can work with a wide range of businesses on a variety of business problems. You could help new entities get off the ground by creating business plans , conducting market research and organizing a management structure.

Depending on your level of experience, you could also help large organizations through difficult transitions and periods of restructuring or outline a successful exit strategy by providing executive-level advice and guidance on an array of matters core to the business' mission.

A good calendar app will likely come in handy as time-tracking is crucial to accurate billing.

3. Financial Planning and Advising

Financial advisors help millions of Americans save for things like retirement and college funds while also helping them grow their wealth through various investments. If your goal is to become a Certified Financial Planner (CFP), you'll have to complete coursework and ultimately pass an exam. This will earn you a certificate that shows potential clients you have expertise and credibility. Once you're certified, working as an independent financial advisor can provide a steady income.

4. Buying a Franchise

Some business experience needed

The benefits of buying a franchise are many: You'll have a proven business model, the market research is already done and the brand typically provides support to franchisees as part of the purchase. Plus, many franchises can be launched for less than $10,000, including:

• Dream Vacations
• Cruise Planners
• Jazzercise Inc.

To learn more about how to buy and launch a franchise, read Entrepreneur's basics of buying a franchise business .

Related: Considering franchise ownership? Get started now to find your personalized list of franchises that match your lifestyle, interests and budget.

5. Notary Public Services

In most states, a notary public is a state officer who is authorized to witness and attest to the legalities of certain documents by stamping a seal and signing. Most states require that you pass an exam and a background check, but it costs very little to become a notary. You can generate significant income from notary work by charging fees for services such as loan-signing notarizations.

Manual Labor Business Ideas

6. general construction.

If you have experience working in construction, you may be ready to start your own handyman business and take on projects of your own. From building a fence to hanging drywall or framing an addition, many people need skilled laborers who can do quality work on time.

If you have a network of skilled people whose work you trust, you could also subcontract some of the construction and spend more time finding clients and growing your business. Check with your state to determine what permits and licenses you need to get started.

7. Landscaping

Put your green thumb to work. Most people want their yards tidied up in the spring, their lawns mowed in the summer, their leaves removed in the fall, their shrubs trimmed and their trees cared for. Your landscaping business could also offer irrigation services, including the installation and repair of sprinkler lines, as well as blowing them out before winter.

Garden work, such as planting annuals and perennials and vegetable garden preparation, can also be a lucrative business. There is plenty to do in the yard that has nothing to do with plants: stone wall restoration, fencing, artificial turf installation and more.

Read This: Start Your Own Lawn Care or Landscaping Business by The Staff of Entrepreneur Media and Cheryl Kimball | Amazon | eBooks.com | Barnes & Noble

8. House Painting

Regardless of the season, you can make good money with a residential painting business — inside and out. Before you begin offering services, you'll want to work with professional painters and learn the basics:

• Masking a house
• Laying a drop cloth
• Choosing the appropriate paints and brushes for various indoor and outdoor climates

You'll also need to invest in some basic equipment — ladders, brushes, trays and more. Once you're set up, you can begin marketing your services to customers through a variety of online platforms with relatively low upfront costs.

9. Carpentry

Woodworking is in high demand these days, and if you're a talented carpenter, there are a variety of ways you can make money. Residential projects like cabinets, tables and shelves are often high on homeowners' lists and typically pay well. You can also make good money with boutique projects like gallery frames, hand-carved figurines and other work. In some cases, you can work for general contractors to frame doorways and support larger construction projects.

10. Electrical Work

Becoming an electrician is not easy — you must take classes, work as an apprentice and pass licensing exams before you can start your own business — but there's no shortage of work for electricians. Master electricians are always in demand for small and large projects, and you'll have the ability to hire apprentices, build a team and scale your business offerings.

11. Moving Services

When people move, they often want to hire someone to do the heavy lifting for them — literally. You can focus your work on local moves across town or to the town next door. As your business ramps up, you may also offer large-scale, long-distance moving services if you have the personnel and equipment to accommodate it. Advertise around town to convince the locals to let you take care of their move, provide excellent customer service and watch your business grow.

Read This: Start Your Own Freelance Writing Business and More by Entrepreneur Press and George Sheldon | Amazon | eBooks.com | Barnes & Noble

Creative Work Business Ideas

12. content and editorial contracting.

Almost every business or organization needs good writers and editors, and if you have the skills to go out on your own, you'll likely find a bevy of work. From copyediting to developmental editing, ghostwriting and digital content production, freelance writers and editors can find clients in a host of industries, including marketing, communications, journalism and book publishing. To get started, you'll need to create a portfolio of work that exemplifies your skills for writing, content creation and/or editing–this will help you build relationships with potential clients.

13. Graphic Design

Have an eye for design? Logos, fliers, newsletters, information sheets and advertisements are just a few of the types of design materials that businesses hire independent designers to create for them. Websites and online advertising need graphic design services as well. You can offer clients a suite of services to take their project from beginning to end, including coordinating with content creators and print shops and getting products ready to mail and present.

Read This: Start Your Own Graphic Design Business by Entrepreneur Press and George Sheldon | Amazon | eBooks.com | Barnes & Noble

14. Web Development

Many in-person and online courses exist to teach you the language of coding and website creation. With some specialized training, you can master the basics of building a website from scratch — a service you can offer to many small businesses, whether they're looking for an ecommerce platform or just a landing page to describe their services. You may also find clients who will hire you to not only design their website but manage their online presence on a day-to-day basis.

15. Marketing or Public Relations Agency

Every business has a story to tell, but not everyone has the know-how to get their message into the world. With your marketing or public relations agency, you can help businesses identify new audiences, craft messages that resonate with new customers and produce newsletters and other products — potentially winning the media's interest along the way. You'll want experience working in this field before you set out on your own, as potential clients will want to hire someone who understands the world of marketing and public relations.

Read This: Start Your Own Consulting Business by Entrepreneur Press and Eileen F. Sandlin | Amazon | eBooks.com | Barnes & Noble

16. Photography

Independent photographers can run successful businesses with one or more specialties. You can offer:

• Portraits or senior pictures
• Wedding photography
• Editorial shots for newspapers or magazines

To get your photography business off the ground, you'll want to create an online portfolio of your work so potential clients can see your style and inquire with you. Being active on social media platforms is also a great strategy for growing your brand.

Read This: Start Your Own Photography Business by Entrepreneur Press and Charlene Davis | Amazon | eBooks.com | Barnes & Noble

17. Videography

If you can do quality work behind a camera and edit footage well, there are plenty of opportunities for videography work, from creating brand videos for organizations to filming events, weddings and interviews. Your clients could include outdoor brands, small nonprofits and big corporations, but you'll want to have some filming and editing training and experience creating quality content before you launch your business.

18. Audio Editing

Audio storytelling is a growing industry, with countless podcasts being streamed daily by listeners all over the world. If you have experience recording and editing audio, you could shop your services to media brands, businesses or individuals who might want to launch their own podcasts. And who knows? Maybe you can use your skills to launch and monetize a podcast of your own.

19. Social Media Management

Some experience needed

Although many businesses want to enhance their social media presence, they often don't have the skills or internal bandwidth to grow their following and post engaging content.

If you're skilled at brainstorming content plans and writing snappy copy — and you already spend many hours on social media — it might be worth launching your own social media marketing enterprise. Clients might have you create a content marketing plan, monitor and reply to comments and report growth statistics monthly.

If making art is already your hobby, you might be able to turn it into a profitable business. You can sell your work on sites like Etsy, enter your work in shows or ink contracts with clients who need illustrators or custom art as part of their brand assets. Other potential art business offerings include creating portraits, painting murals and teaching art classes.

21. Music Lessons

Turn down the volume and listen up: Your music skills could be in high demand. There are a few ways to approach running your own music business. You can be mobile and teach in your clients' homes or run it out of your own space (a separate building or designated area of your home).

Some people teach music lessons online by recording lessons on YouTube and offering subscriptions. To get started, try connecting with local music schools for part-time gigs. This will allow you to see if you like it and help you build a reputation with potential clients.

Related: 10 Essential Tips For a Long and Lucrative Music Career

Repair and Maintenance Business Ideas

22. mechanic shop.

If you've spent years working on your vehicles and know your way around an engine, it could be time to offer your services to customers. Depending on where you live, you may not need to obtain a mechanics license, but taking some formal classes and earning a certification will help build trust with customers.

Many shops require licensing before hiring mechanics, so if you're looking to get some experience before launching your own business, you'll likely want to take some classes.

23. Appliance Repair

Every household has several appliances — from refrigerators to dishwashers to dryers — and appliances tend to break down, so appliance repair is one of the best business ideas for any area. You can work on your own or contract with appliance stores to cover their warranty service calls — or some of each.

Start slow and build your customer base on recommendations and referrals from work well done. You could also develop relationships with contractors to be the go-to person to install appliances in newly constructed houses.

24. Bicycle Repair

Almost every bike needs a good tune-up. This business tends to be seasonal in many parts of the country, but you can find ways around that. If you have the space, you could offer to store people's bicycles during the winter after you do a tune-up and any needed repairs on them.

And if you keep Saturday shop hours, you could make your shop a meeting place for cycling enthusiasts. If you live in a bike-oriented place, you may be able to purchase and sell used bikes, making some money as a retailer on top of your repair business.

25. Boat Cleaning

Boats hauled out of the water for the winter or even just for mid-season repairs will need their hulls cleaned. Depending on the type of boat, it might also be time for a major cleaning of everything else—the decks, the sleeping quarters, the head and the holds.

Start by advertising on Nextdoor, Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace, reaching out to homes with boats sitting in their yard, or marketing your services to a local marina.

26. Car Cleaning & Detailing

Making a car shine inside and out isn't easy work, which is why many people don't want to do it themselves. Plus, because drive-thru car washes don't clean every corner, there's a market for car cleaning and detailing across the country. With a little investment in materials (soaps, scrubs, hoses, vacuums, etc.), you could make house calls or rent a garage space where customers can drop off their vehicles.

27. Electronics Repair

Whether it's a laptop, a television, a tablet or a specialized radio, if you're handy with circuit boards, you could run a profitable business for customers whose electronics are on the fritz. You'll want to run the business out of your home or a storefront so people can bring equipment directly to you. Not unlike other repair shops, your business may evolve to the point where you're buying used electronics and selling them to your customers.

28. Furniture Restoration

If you have a knack for sewing and woodwork, upholstery and restoration might be a natural business idea. Many books and online videos can be helpful as you learn the trade, but nothing will be as helpful as finding some discarded furniture and tearing it apart before restuffing and constructing it.

Often, furniture in need of upholstering will also require repairs—sanding, staining, or reinforcing damaged areas. Much of this work is relatively minor (you don't have to be a carpenter) and can add significant upsell value to your services.

Read This: Spruce: A Step-by-Step Guide to Upholstery and Design by Amanda Brown | Amazon | eBooks.com | Barnes & Noble

29. Rug Cleaning

Most people don't have the time or space to do more for their rugs than a basic vacuum. As a rug cleaner, you will need to learn how to work with all kinds of carpet fabrics, from synthetic to wool. You should also decide whether you will take on valuable antique rugs and family heirlooms. If you do, you should consider getting specialized training in handling and properly cleaning these carpets.

Learn how to get tough stains and odors out of carpets — such as dog and cat odors — and customers will seek your services out. You'll need a dedicated space for people to drop off their rugs, so plan for that as you set up your business.

30. Jewelry Making and Repair

There are many different ways of getting into the jewelry business and different types of materials you can work with. Manipulating metal will require specific tools since you need to heat the metal and use tools to cut and engrave, but you'll likely also work with glass, gemstones, and maybe even wood. The wider the variety of materials you can work with, , the broader the range of repair services you can provide to your customers, including stone polishing and setting.

Read This: Start Your Own Fashion Accessories Business by Entrepreneur Press and Eileen F. Sandlin | Amazon | eBooks.com | Barnes & Noble

Property and Real Estate Business Ideas

31. real estate.

Every community needs trusted real estate agents. Whether your clients are buying or selling property — or just seeking real estate advice — there are many opportunities to launch your own business. But, first, you'll need to become a licensed agent, and the requirements vary by state. Typically, you'll have to complete coursework and pass an exam. Once you've done that, you can start offering services and building your business from scratch.

32. Property Management

Many people manage properties as a side hustle. Maybe you have a vacation home that you use for short-term rentals or perhaps you have an additional property with a long-term lease. If you want to dive in full-time, you can acquire multiple properties and be a full-time landlord. In the case of rental units, your job will be to make sure the property is running smoothly, ensure tenants are paying rent and honoring their lease terms, and be available in case of any issues. You can also contract with individual property owners to serve as their property manager, lightening their load by taking care of the landlord duties for them.

33. Cleaning Service

No experience needed

There are many directions you can take this small business idea. If you want to work during hours when no one else does, you can focus your cleaning business on office clients. You can provide cleaning services to retail businesses and keep your customers within one or two blocks. Restaurants need daily thorough cleaning and can also be a great source of steady clients. But, if you're more interested in house cleaning, you can start with a small number of clients, and new customers will likely emerge via word of mouth.

Read This: Start Your Own Cleaning Service by Entrepreneur Press and Jacquelyn Lynn | Amazon | eBooks.com | Barnes & Noble

34. Professional Organizing

Spatial planning is not everyone's strength. If it's yours, you can make good money as a professional organizer for individuals and businesses. For individuals, you can choose either to do the organizing work — maybe a kids' playroom or a cluttered garage — or consult with the homeowner to help them better organize themselves.

Businesses, too, don't always know how to organize their office and maximize the efficiency of their spaces. You can consult on ways to better arrange furniture, desks, conference areas, stockrooms and more.

35. Home Inspection

To be a successful inspector, first establish contacts with real estate agents who can recommend your services to customers. Home inspection can be an incredibly competitive market so you will need to constantly update your education and knowledge. For instance, Builders are constantly introducing new materials. If you only know about wood decks, you will not know how to inspect and assess the new materials on the market, such as composites that look like real wood. Also, stay apprised of all safety updates regarding materials and problems with things like off-gassing, carbon monoxide production and other chemical hazards.

Read This: Start Your Own Home Inspection Service by Entrepreneur Press | Amazon | eBooks.com | Barnes & Noble

36. Home Energy Auditing

Homeowners are always looking for ways to save on their utility bills. With some specialized training, you can help by conducting an audit of their homes and calculating how much they might save on heating, cooling and electrical use by implementing new technology or upgraded appliances.

To grow your business, you can work directly with vendors to refer upgrades or gain a certification and learn how to do electrical work like installing solar panels and heat pumps yourself.

Read This: Toward a Zero Energy Home: A Complete Guide to Energy Self-Sufficiency at Home by David Johnston and Scott Gibson | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

37. Interior Decorating and Design

If you have an eye for design, market your interior decorating talents to building contractors. People purchasing new homes can often be overwhelmed with choices and possibilities. Create questionnaires for each major element and room in the house:

• How will the homeowner use the home?
• Are there children?

Depending on how involved your client wants to be, you can also help them purchase furniture, art, plants and more. You can also work with businesses, such as hotels and restaurants, to design their spaces.

Planning, Training and Coaching Business Ideas

38. event planning.

There are a variety of ways to launch an event-planning business, particularly if you have a professional background in planning large gatherings. First, you'll want to hone in on your niche, some of which include:

• Private parties at people's homes
• Kids birthday parties
• Corporate events

If you work with businesses, you must visit every potential event location you plan to work with. Tour each site and learn what's available, including capacity, AV equipment, chairs and tables and more. If you can nail a big party as an event planner, new clients will seek you out.

Read This: Start Your Own Event Planning Business by The Staff at Entrepreneur Media and Cheryl Kimball | Amazon | eBooks.com | Barnes & Noble

39. Wedding Planning

You will need to be up-to-date on wedding trends, dress styles, popular colors — and almost every other facet of the wedding industry. Offer your customers an à la carte menu of services, from helping them choose flowers, a wedding gown and bridesmaid dresses to picking the venue and hiring the caterer.

Before you open your business, visit area wedding shops and see what kinds of services they provide. Wedding planners need to know every business detail to assure couples that they are in the right hands.

40. Vacation Planning

Some people take great joy in planning their vacations. However, if you're an experienced traveler and know how to save people money, you can still be very much in demand as a vacation planner for individuals or large groups. You can coordinate hotel and flight bookings, arrange transportation, provide daily itineraries and help your clients re-book in case of unforeseen travel crises. There's typically no required certification for this work, but there are courses you can take that will put you and your clients at ease.

41. Private Coaching

Active children and adults alike often seek athletic instruction beyond what they've learned in group formats. If you're highly skilled in an athletic discipline, you can help take athletes to the next level.

Common business options include:

• Baseball pitching

In terms of qualifications, you should already have some coaching experience and be able to offer high-level instruction. Depending on the community where you're coaching, you may need to have a license to run your business or a certification to use public amenities, like tennis courts, for profit.

42. Personal Training

Many people are looking to improve their overall fitness, and working with a personal trainer is one way to achieve their goals. To get started, you'll need to obtain a certification — especially if you're working with a gym — which will help your clients trust that you know what you're doing and can help them avoid injury. You can advertise your business at gyms and other public places, and having a strong social media and web presence is always helpful.

43. Nutritional Advising

With so many different dieting trends and supplements in the world, a nutritionist can help people better understand the landscape of healthy eating and living. Although nutritionists don't offer medical nutritional counseling or treat illnesses (as a dietitian does), there is still a wide market for the work.

First, determine what kind of nutrition service you want to provide — pediatric, sports, holistic or something else — and then work toward credentialing. At a minimum, you'll need to research the laws for becoming certified in your state and begin taking prerequisite courses to help you become licensed.

44. Life Coaching

Life coaching has exploded in popularity over the past decade, as many people are looking to recreate or realign their personal goals. Life coaches do not provide clinical mental healthcare (a therapist does), but they help people create and use tools to move closer to their ultimate goals. To become a life coach, you'll first want to determine what kind of client you're looking for:

• People with professional hurdles to clear
• Folks struggling with romantic endeavors
• Busy entrepreneurs looking to reclaim work/life balance

You don't technically need certification, though many practitioners take courses and have credentials.

45. Career Coaching

Career coaches help people navigate professional transitions, establish business goals and make the most of their skills. As a career coach, you might help people write cover letters and resumes, find new opportunities, establish business plans and success strategies or hone their niche in a crowded market.

Your background and specialty will determine what clientele you should work with:

• Recent graduates
• People looking to start second careers
• Someone who has been out of the workforce for years

Although there is no standard license or certification, many career coaches have earned credentials or successful careers of their own.

46. Tutoring

If you have a background in education, you can make significant supplemental income — or launch a full-fledged business — by offering tutoring services. Start by choosing the subject area that best fits your strengths. For instance, if you're a professional writer or English teacher, you could offer essay writing help. If you're skilled in math and sciences, you could help high schoolers with algebra or precalculus.

You don't have to be a licensed teacher to offer tutoring services, but being a subject matter expert will make it easier to sell your services to potential customers.

Hospitality Business Ideas

47. private chef service.

If you have experience working in restaurants or other areas of the food and beverage industry, you could tap into the growing private chef market. Whether potential customers are looking to accommodate specific dietary needs or an intimate event with friends, a positive experience should lead to client testimonials and referrals to help you grow your business.

You'll want to make sure you have proper training — either via work experience or formal courses — because your reputation is on the line with every dish you create.

48. Bed and Breakfast / Airbnb

Do you have a room that has its own bathroom and is private from the rest of the living space? Or do you own a property that could function as a small lodging establishment near a tourist area, sports stadium or large venue? Maybe you own a charming home in the country. If so, turn your property into a bed and breakfast or Airbnb rental and welcome guests into a home away from home.

Read This: Start Your Own Bed and Breakfast by Entrepreneur Press and Cheryl Kimball | Amazon | eBooks.com | Barnes & Noble

49. Catering

Are you experienced with managing large-scale food operations? Consider branching out into catering to serve large events like weddings and corporate banquets. You'll need to make sure you have strong project- and personnel-management skills, because catering requires you to lead a team and deliver exceptional service for clients. You'll also need to obtain the proper licensing from the state in which you operate, similar to the requirements for opening a restaurant.

50. Food Truck

Do you want to deliver a specific type of cuisine to the masses without running an entire restaurant? Build (or purchase) a food truck and take your product on the go. You'll have to obtain appropriate operating licenses, but once you've checked those boxes, you can start working at festivals, breweries and other community events. As your reputation grows, you'll likely book business by word-of-mouth.

51. Brewery

Have you always wanted to run your own brewery? Maybe you've already been experimenting with brewing at home.? If so, opening a brewery could be an option. But first, you'll want to pursue training in brewing sciences and work as an apprentice to someone who knows the craft well. From there, you'll need to conduct a competitive market analysis to make sure there's room for another brewery in your area.

Other Small Business Ideas

52. dog walking.

If you have a flexible schedule and can make multiple house calls, you can generate significant revenue as a dog walker. Dog walkers take pooches out for their daily constitutional one or more times a day, individually or in small groups.

In some cities, like New York, dog walking alone can be a booming business. But, it's more common for dog walkers to offer additional services, including playing with and feeding pets, bringing in newspapers and mail and turning lights on and off.

Read This: Start Your Own Pet Business and More by Entrepreneur Press and Eileen F. Sandlin | Amazon | eBooks.com | Barnes & Noble

53. Pet Sitting or Boarding

Most people leave behind their pets when they travel. Although big daycare shelters exist, you can make decent money by offering a more personal pet-sitting service — either by staying at someone's house while they're out of town or by hosting their animal at your place.

Starting a pet-sitting service requires almost nothing in startup costs. Your list of credentials should probably include personal pet ownership — if not currently, at least in the past — and other pet-related experience, including referrals from pet owners whose pets you have taken care of before.

Read This: Start Your Own Pet Sitting Business and More by Entrepreneur Press and Cheryl Kimball | Amazon | eBooks.com | Barnes & Noble

54. Pet Grooming

Most animals need a bath or fresh cut from time to time. Most pet owners aren't equipped to do a full grooming themselves. This means there's a target market for professional groomers who do house calls or have a space where people can drop their pets for a few hours.

There are no required certifications, but most groomers begin by taking courses, which are widely available in most states.

55. At-Home Daycare

Childcare needs continue to soar in the United States, and many people prefer for their child to be cared for in a home environment as opposed to a more institutional setting. These factors make the market ripe for a home-based childcare business. The regulations for a home-based child care vary by state, so you'll need to pursue appropriate certifications and training depending on where you live.

Read This: Start Your Own Child-Care Service by The Staff of Entrepreneur Media and Jacquelyn Lynn | Amazon | eBooks.com | Barnes & Noble

56. Making Gift Baskets

Finding a niche is the best way to start out in the gift basket business. Are you a dog-lover, horse enthusiast or exercise guru who could put together baskets that hold the things that people with this interest would like?

Do you already create a product that a gift basket could be built around?

You could create custom, place-based gift baskets that could be shipped across the country or sold in a local store, or you can collaborate with local makers to get your business idea off the ground.

57. Hair Styling / Barber Shop

Styling hair or working as a barber is a popular business idea that can be lucrative if you have the right skills and online presence. Typically, a home-based hairstylist business or barber shop would be started by someone with a cosmetology career who wants to go out on their own. If you don't have experience, you can take courses and sharpen your skills by working in someone else's shop. You'll need to obtain the appropriate licenses before you can launch your own business.

58. Nail Technician

If you'd like to offer professional nail styling to clients, most states require that you complete cosmetology school — the number of hours varies depending on where you live. It can be smart to work with someone else before opening your own shop so you learn the skills and techniques you need to be successful.

Once you've completed these steps, you can run your own small business from home or a dedicated storefront.

59. Massage Therapist

Massage therapy can be a successful business, but you must have the proper education and training to not cause injury to your clients. At a minimum, you will want to become certified, which will help you practice safely and ultimately market your qualifications.

Certification courses cover not only human anatomy and physiology and the ways massage affects both, but also how to establish your own successful massage business.

60. Storage Facility

People tend to acquire more things than they can reasonably store in their homes. If you have land, you could make meaningful income by storing large items like recreational vehicles, boats, trailers and campers. Or, if you want to dive deeper into the self-storage business, you could consider opening a storage facility, which would require an increase in overhead costs, appropriate licensing and market analysis.

61. Independent Car Service / Ride-Sharing Driver

Driving experience needed

If you drive for companies like Uber and Lyft, you lose a percentage of your wage to the company. However, there are still market demands for private drivers. If you have a reliable vehicle — or can afford to manage a fleet and other drivers — you can cater to high-end clients not interested in using ride-share apps for their transportation needs.

Newer peer-to-peer car rental services like Turo (think Airbnb for cars) also allow potential business owners to rent out their vehicles to generate incremental income when not in use.

62. Online Reselling Business

Do you have items lurking around your household that you could sell? Or are you scouring Craigslist, eBay, Facebook Marketplace and thrift stores for deals on items you could flip?Here's a relatively straightforward online business idea: Auction or sell the items you find on one of online marketplaces.

Reselling products online can provide a major source of supplemental income, especially if you're willing to refurbish items and sell them at a higher rate. Anyone can get into this type of business as long as they're willing to hustle.

63. Interpreting or Translating Services

In communities with international populations, dependable interpreters and translators are extremely valuable. If you already speak multiple languages, you could earn extra income as an interpreter if you pursue a certification, which typically involves about 40 hours of training.

From there, you can determine what type of translation service clients you're seeking: business professionals, government officials, folks who need documents translated and more.

How to Get Started

Addressing these foundational "business checklist" elements early on can set a strong course for growth and operational efficiency for your entrepreneurial endeavor.

1. Create a Business Plan

Create a detailed business plan outlining your business goals, strategies for achieving them, market analysis, operational structure and financial projections. This document is crucial for guiding your strategy and securing business loans.

2. Decide on Legal Structure

Choose the appropriate legal structure for your business (e.g., sole proprietorship, LLC, partnership, corporation), and register your business according to local laws.

Your chosen business structure affects your taxes, liability and business operations, so consult an attorney and a certified accountant before finalizing your decision.

3. Keep Finances Separate

Set up a robust system for managing your finances, including budgeting, bookkeeping and financial forecasting. Consider your startup costs, ongoing expenses and how you will fund your business idea.

Keeping personal and business finances separate is also highly advisable.

• Open a business bank account and use it for all business-related transactions.
• Obtain a business credit card for company expenses.
• Pay yourself a salary from your business account, which then goes into your personal account, rather than directly using business funds for personal expenses.
• Keep all receipts and document all financial transactions meticulously.

4. Plan Operational Needs

Outline your business' operational needs, including staffing, location, equipment, technology and software needs. Consider how you will efficiently manage the production of goods or delivery of services.

5. Develop a Brand and Marketing Strategy

If through social media platforms, affiliate marketing or search engine optimization, consider how you will establish a strong brand identity and develop a marketing plan to reach your target audience.

This should include your branding elements (logo, color scheme) and your strategies for content creation, promotion and advertising.

6. Operate Within the Law

Ensure you know and comply with all relevant city and state laws, regulations and industry standards. This includes obtaining necessary licenses and permits, understanding labor laws if hiring employees and ensuring data protection and privacy.

7. Build a Support Network

Support networks can provide invaluable advice, feedback and connections. Build a network of mentors, advisors and fellow entrepreneurs.

This network might be close friends, former colleagues or paid mastermind groups.

Entrepreneur Staff

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

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63 small business ideas to start in 2024.

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2024.

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Apple’s soul-crushing new ad: who thought this was a good idea.

The dystopian spot, which depicts the relentless destruction of instruments and artworks, marks a dark turn for the company and begs the question: Will 2024 be like 1984?

By Julian Sancton

Julian Sancton

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Apple apologizes for ipad pro ad after criticism: "we missed the mark", apple releases may the 4th 'star wars' ad starring 172 real-life fans.

One almost expects the new clip , titled “Crush,” to end with a rueful answer to that slogan, one that reflects a widespread anxiety about the global advance of fascism and the inexorable rise of artificial intelligence: “2024  will  be like 1984.” 

But “Crush,” in an incomprehensible twist of irony, is actually an advertisement  for  Apple , endorsed enthusiastically by CEO Tim Cook on Twitter. All of that destruction, it seems, is meant to promote the release of … a new, extra thin iPad, revealed when the clamps open back up. You can imagine the pitch: “All of human creation compressed into one impossibly sleek tablet.” But the end result feels more like: “All of human creation sacrificed for a lifeless gadget.” 

The first casualty is a gleaming trumpet, propped heroically on its bell at the top of the pile. For anyone who plays the trumpet, as I do, the mere sight of a horn is joyful, summoning memories of music performed and suggesting melodies yet to be played. It is pure artistic potential. So when I saw the brass pistons and tubing start twisting and collapsing between the clamps, I felt a kind of sympathetic pain. The variety of creative objects that succumb to the inexorable crushing ensures that a maximum number of people will experience similar pangs of loss. 

The only thing that could have made it more dystopian would have been if actual human beings had been playing the instruments, reading the books, or wielding the paintbrushes. The geniuses behind “Crush” nevertheless made sure to include anthropomorphic figures — a drawing manikin, a clay bust, an Angry Bird, smiley faces whose eyes pop out under the strain — to make the slow destruction feel more like cruelty, and the final clampdown more like the eradication of life. 

The announcement comes as Apple’s tablet sales have slumped. It also arrives at moment when the company’s image as the most benevolent, or perhaps least evil, of the Big Tech behemoths, has been called into question. Unlike Google, Facebook, TikTok or Twitter, Apple could not be accused of algorithmically nurturing addiction, fraying the social fabric, spreading hate or undermining democracy. But it could be — and has been — accused of monopolistic practices, culminating in  a lawsuit from the Department of Justice  last month. The depiction of artworks and creative tools being demolished in a cultural  auto da fe  reminiscent of book burnings might not be the best strategy for restoring the company’s tarnished reputation.

Maybe Apple thinks different now. 

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‘The Idea of You’ Is Out Now: Here’s How to Stream Anne Hathaway’s New Movie for Free

Anne Hathaway & Nicholas Galitzine star in the romantic dramedy premiering Thursday (May 2) on Prime Video.

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A Coachella love story. Anne Hathaway plays a mom who falls for a boy bander in The Idea of You , premiering Thursday (May 2) on Prime Video .

Based on the bestselling novel , The Idea of You centers on Solène (Hathaway), a 40-year-old mother, who sparks a romance with Hayes Campbell (Nicholas Galitzine), the 24-year-old lead singer of the “ hottest boy band on the planet ” August Moon. The pair first meet at Coachella and find their way back to each other after the festival, but Hayes’ “superstar status poses unavoidable challenges to their relationship,” according to the film description .

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To celebrate the new movie, jewelry brand Local Eclectic released The Idea of You Gold Charm ($120) . Shop it here .

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How to Watch

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Catalyst's New CEO Has Big Ideas For The Small Biotech

C atalyst Pharmaceuticals' new Chief Executive, Richard Daly, is no stranger to working at big companies. But after cutting his teeth at Big Pharma stalwarts, including Takeda Pharmaceutical and AstraZeneca, he wanted something more.

Please watch the video at Investors.com - Biotech Stocks Are Shooting Higher. Here's How You Can Play Them.

In Daly's case, that meant going small.

Catalyst is not a pharma giant. Former CEO Patrick McEnany founded Catalyst in 2002 to license already or soon-to-be approved drugs in the rare diseases and central nervous system, or CNS, space. The biotech is focused on so-called orphan drugs, treatments for rare medical conditions.

The strategy has mostly paid off. Catalyst has expanded to three drugs for rare diseases. Sales skyrocketed between 79% and 98% in every quarter last year. Revenue growth in the first quarter of 2024 missed estimates, however, and advanced a more moderate 15.4%. Still, Catalyst doubled Wall Street's profit views.

Catalyst sells Firdapse, a treatment for a neuromuscular condition that often affects small cell lung cancer patients, a seizure treatment called Fycompa, and a Duchenne muscular dystrophy drug dubbed Agamree.

In an interview with Investor's Business Daily, Daly recalled how he had watched Catalyst Pharmaceuticals' transformation over the past nine years from his seat on the board of directors. He also explained why there are myriad benefits to working in a small company.

"I like staying small. Working in organizations as big as AstraZeneca or Bristol Myers Squibb — those are great experiences," he said. But "the opportunity to know and be known in your organization? I don't think there's anything like it."

This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.

Next Steps For Catalyst Pharmaceuticals

IBD: Why did you decide to step into the CEO role?

Daly: I have watched the company evolve and I have been playing a pretty major role in that as a board member. My career is one that spans large companies. I have worked for divisions of Abbott Laboratories, Takeda, Bristol Myers Squibb and AstraZeneca in startup, scale-up and transformation opportunities. This was one that was really an opportunity to work in a real positive environment and a transformational opportunity going from one product to three products, and also taking advantage of the experience I have in international markets as well.

I ran all of Takeda's businesses in North and South America, and actually started Takeda's businesses in Canada, Mexico and Brazil. At Takeda, as an example, I was the 14th employee at Takeda in the U.S. and helped grow that company to 5,000 employees and $6 billion in business in the U.S. Then, I helped expand that business from just the U.S. to Canada, Mexico and Brazil. Those companies, under my leadership, became commercial organizations within the Takeda family, and launched their first products — going from white paper exercises to fully integrated commercial organizations.

So, I saw it as a great opportunity to help Catalyst take that next step as we expand internationally, as we look for that opportunity to expand the portfolio as a buy-and-build organization.

Focusing On Rare, Orphan Diseases

IBD: What goals do you have for Catalyst?

Daly:We love the orphan model. We love the opportunity to be really close to the patient. We enjoy that experience. I like staying small. Working in the organizations as big as AstraZeneca or BMS — those are great experiences. The opportunity to know and be known in your organization? I don't think there's anything like it. The last 10 years my career have been in small companies, focused companies. What we really want to do is focus on the orphan, rare space. Right now, we happen to be in (central nervous system disorders), which is great. But we look for the opportunity to expand in orphan CNS, but CNS-adjacent as well.

We're going to continue to look for opportunities that support the business and support the business model that we have. For example, we don't see ourselves expanding internationally and building a footprint that is a Catalyst footprint outside the U.S. We would continue to partner like we're doing. Unlike companies like Takeda that built an infrastructure outside the U.S., we would see ourselves partnering. So, we're going to have a different model than other companies might have.

Growth Plans Could Buoy Biotech Stock

IBD: What are your near-term plans?

Daly: We will continue to look for opportunities to deliver on the execution that we have — the commercial execution. As an example, with Firdapse, it's 15% to 20% growth over the near term, next one to three years. (We hope to) launch Agamree successfully. (Catalyst licensed the drug for treating Duchenne muscular dystrophy.) We're really excited about Agamree. And then looking for those immediately accretive or nearly immediately accretive opportunities to add to the portfolio in the orphan CNS or adjacent CNS opportunities. Really looking for those opportunities to continue to build out the portfolio. Just looking to help more patients and deliver more value for patients.

A Different Business Model From Other Biotech Stocks

IBD: Can you talk to me about your model? Your model is so different from other biotech companies.

Daly: We look to mitigate risk. There are a couple of ways to do this, obviously. You could go out and build research labs. I was recently at a conference where we were talking about the success rate of going from research to development to commercialization. And the opportunity, if you're in CNS, I think the success rate is probably in the 6% to 10% range. And then those products that get to market, only 50% of those actually make back the money it cost to get them there.

But if you're buying down the risk, we believe that this creates a better opportunity. We've mitigated all that clinical and essentially regulatory risk in our model because we're seeing how it plays out in the clinic. We're seeing how it essentially plays out in the regulatory space because we have access to all those regulatory interactions with the (Food and Drug Administration). With Agamree, we were able to see the regulatory interactions that Santhera Pharmaceuticals had with the FDA prior to making our final offer for the product as a partnership. So, we believe (that by) buying down the risk, we can make better decisions.

That's the way we approach the opportunities. We feel like we can then integrate it into a very efficient and effective commercial model. We think getting that accretive or nearly immediately accretive product in our portfolio is really beneficial for us, the patients and the shareholders.

How Catalyst Pharmaceuticals Is Working Backward

IBD: What's the earliest-stage product you are looking to acquire?

Daly: I think you'll see a morphing of our portfolio. You saw when we had just Firdapse, we had one source of revenue. So, we went out and bought Fycompa, which was an epilepsy product.

And we did that for a couple of reasons. One, it brought a lot of talent to our organization. Epilepsy is a very complex and competitive area. But it also diversified our income stream as well. It's a stable product so it gave us a lot of stability and diversification in our pipeline. That was an on-the-market product. Then, you see us working our way back in the pipeline, and we got Agamree, which was a (New Drug Application)-filed product. So, we're starting to work our way back.

When we have more stability in our revenue line, we can take a little bit more risk. And it's a thoughtful approach. As we build that diversity, and that stability in our income line, we can take a little bit more risk, and we can be thoughtful about it. Right now, we want to be in that end-of-Phase 3 (testing), preparing to file the NDA, or NDA-filed place. As we build out that portfolio, we can still take a little bit more risk and go back further into the pipeline. Taking a little bit more risk, paying a little less and then having more potential.

Is Big Pharma Going To Compete?

IBD: For a small biotech company, you're certainly taking a Big Pharma tactic. How do you view that?

Daly: The slice that we're looking for is probably not of interest to Big Pharma companies. So when we look at the size of the opportunity, our base is such that we don't need a giant opportunity to continue to grow at 15% or 20% a year, whereas a larger company needs a much bigger opportunity.

Because our execution is so good — and having been on the buy side of a lot of these products — when you're giving up a product, you're giving up your child, if you will. You only have one shot at launching a product. You want to be sure you're giving it to a partner that can execute. This becomes really, really important. As somebody who has launched more than 10 products, you only have that one shot. So, you want to look at the performance of that company. And our performance is second to none.

We believe we have that capability, we have the infrastructure. We believe, beyond just the financial opportunity the partner might have, they can put it in our hands and rest assured that we can execute.

Biotech Stock Investors Watch The CNS Space

IBD: Why the CNS space?

Daly: CNS is a really interesting area right now. Between now and 2025, CNS is forecast to grow by 100%. So, it's a fast-growing area. It has less competition for assets. That, we believe, will change over time. We believe it's going to become more competitive. That's why we say, "CNS, rare today, but also adjacent." We believe our infrastructure — helping the patient get on and stay on (treatment) — is applicable to any rare disease.

So, while we're building our bones right now on CNS, we expect to be able to migrate to any orphan space, and use the infrastructure we have. While each orphan condition is unique, we believe there are essential elements to the orphan condition that are applicable across. Probably 80%, 85% of the requirements to be successful in an orphan condition are common. So, the growth that CNS represents — the opportunity that's there — we believe is good for us.

Over time, we believe that the competition will come to this space and we can play in that space. But we will also look for opportunities beyond CNS and grow those other opportunities.

What's Next For Catalyst Pharmaceuticals?

IBD: What opportunities would you look for beyond CNS?

Daly: I think cardiovascular is a strong space. In the late 80s and early 90s, cardiovascular was overwhelmed and highly competitive. I think that's changed. But I think there's a great deal of interest there now. I think there's a lot of good research there. I think diabetes is a really interesting space. I have experience in both those spaces, and I think that's an up-and-comer as well. We see that with the GLP-1s. I worked in that space 10 years ago at AstraZeneca. I think that's really interesting. Not that we would compete in the GLP-1 space. We would be looking for orphan and rare opportunities in cardiovascular and diabetes space as well.

Follow Allison Gatlin on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, at @IBD_AGatlin.

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100 Mother's Day Captions That Celebrate How Amazing Your Mom Is

Find inspiration from these sweet quotes and short sayings.

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If we're being honest, Mother's Day should absolutely be more than one day. How can we celebrate our amazing, hardworking, compassionate moms in just 24 hours? No matter how you spend this day dedicated to moms (or the mom-like figure in your life), we can easily say that each celebration with her is a treat — and that means we're taking as many photos of it that we can.

When you're in need of a good quote or saying to sum up your mom, look no further than our roundup of Mother's Day captions for Instagram .

Sweet Mother's Day Captions

• If love is as sweet as a flower, then my mother is that sweet flower of love.
• Mothers hold their children’s hands for a while but their hearts forever.
• Your loving spirit helped me find my own.
• No matter how old she may be, sometimes a girl just needs her mom.
• Not always eye to eye, but always heart to heart.
• There aren’t enough flowers in the world to show you how much you mean to me.
• Mom: A title just above queen.
• Life doesn't come with a manual, it comes with a mother.
• Who needs a superhero when I have her?
• Home is wherever my mom is.
• A mother is your first friend, your best friend, your forever friend.
• Moms are like buttons — they hold everything together.
• A mother's hug lasts long after she lets go.
• The only thing better than having you for a mom is my children having you for a grandma.
• To the world you are a mother, but to our family you are the absolute world.
• Out of all the moms in the world, I am so glad you are mine.
• My mother is a walking miracle.
• I love my mom to the moon and back.
• Behind every great woman is an even better mother.
• No matter how old she is, sometimes a girl just needs her mom.
• Mom, I can’t see your heart, but I know it’s made of gold.
• Thanks for giving me the best things in life: Your love, your care, and your cooking.
• If I didn’t have you as a mom, I’d choose you as a friend.
• I’d be nowhere without my mom.
• Mom, my biggest fan.
• My favorite moments in life are really just mom -ents, because everything is better with you.

Funny Mother's Day Captions

• Mom, I'm sorry for all the times I didn't take the chicken out of the freezer. I get it now.
• Happy Mother's Day to the person who uses my voicemail like a podcast.
• I love you, even though I'll never accept your follow request.
• Cheers to the woman who gave up wine for nine months, just for me.
• She wore Mom jeans before it was cool.
• Thanks for always loving me, even through all my awkward phases.
• She’s not like a regular mom, she’s a cool mom! (From Mean Girls )
• Mom, thanks for teaching me to stop and sip the rosé.
• Motherhood: Powered by love. Fueled by coffee. Sustained by wine.
• Mothers don't sleep. They just worry with their eyes closed.
• Mom: My greatest teacher, my best friend, and my cheapest therapist.
• I love how we don’t have to say out loud that I’m your favorite child.
• If at first you don't succeed, try doing it the way mom told you to in the beginning.
• Keep calm and call your mom.
• Dear mom, I get it now.
• Nothing is lost until your mother can’t find it.
• Mom: I love you and your super long voicemails.
• Mom, I forgive you for replacing me with cats.
• Mom—you’re definitely one of my favorite parents.
• Mom, I turned out awesome because of you.
• Parenting sure is hard work. How do you manage to look so young and stress-free all the time?
• Have a real mother of a Mother's Day.
• Mom, I love you loads. Speaking of, can you do my laundry?

Mother's Day Captions Inspired by Quotes

• "There is no role in life that is more essential than that of motherhood." — Elder M. Russell Ballard
• "Mothers are like glue. Even when you can’t see them, they’re still holding the family together." — Susan Gale
• "When you’re a mom, you get a front row seat to the best show in town: Watching your kids grow up." — This Is Us
• "I think I'm my mom's best friend, more than a daughter." — Bright Lights
• "I need you, I need you here, I need you now. I cannot do this alone. I need my Mommy, and dammit, I don't care who knows it." — Gilmore Girls
• "Somebody up there has got it in for me. I bet it's my mother." — Mamma Mia!
• "She's my hero. How do I explain her? She's as respected as Mother Theresa; she's as powerful as Stalin and she's as beautiful as Margaret Thatcher." — Parks and Recreation
• "Being a mom isn't a job. We don't punch in and punch out. There are no nights off." — Grey's Anatomy
• "I need her to make me some cocoa and tell me that everything that is going badly in my life will sort itself out." — You've Got Mail
• "I love you 3000." — Avengers: Endgame
• “My mom is too cool.” — The Parent Trap
• “I think you’re a great, cool kid and the best friend a girl could have.” — Gilmore Girls
• "It doesn't matter how old you are, or what you do in life — you never stop needing your mom." — Kate Winslet
• "It's not easy being a mother. If it were, fathers would do it." — The Golden Girls
• “I love you a thousand yellow daisies.” — Gilmore Girls
• “In a world full of trends, you always remain a classic.” — Iman
• “My mother was my role model before I even knew what that word was.” — Lisa Leslie
• “I can imagine no heroism greater than motherhood.” — Lance Conrad
• “God could not be everywhere, and therefore he made mothers.” — Rudyard Kipling
• "A mother's arms are more comforting than anyone else's." — Princess Diana
• "We are born of love; Love is our mother.” — Rumi
• "Mother’s love is peace. It need not be acquired, it need not be deserved.” — Erich Fromm
• "Motherhood. All love begins and ends there." — Robert Browning
• “My mother’s love has always been a sustaining force for our family, and one of my greatest joys is seeing her integrity, her compassion, her intelligence reflected in my daughters.” — Michelle Obama
• “I believe the choice to become a mother is the choice to become one of the greatest spiritual teachers there is.” — Oprah Winfrey
• "A child’s first teacher is its mother." — Peng Liyuan
• "The best place to cry is on a mother's arms." — Jodi Picoult
• "Life doesn't come with a manual. It comes with a mother." — Unknown
• " A mother's love liberates." — Maya Angelou
• "All that I am, or ever hope to be, I owe to my angel mother." — Abraham Lincoln

Mother's Day Captions Inspired by Songs

• "Always know that you've got a daughter that's so, so proud you took the high road." — Beyoncé
• "I admire you for the strength you've instilled in me." — Justin Bieber
• "Where you lead, I will follow, anywhere that you tell me to, if you need, you need me to be with you, I will follow where you lead.” — Carole King
• "I know you were on my side even when I was wrong, and I love you for giving me your eyes, staying back and watching me shine." — Taylor Swift
• "I only love my bed and my mama, I'm sorry." — Drake
• “I want to thank you for what you've done in hopes I can give back to you.” — The Backstreet Boys
• “She's the sky that holds the clouds, she's the lady of the house, a blind believer in all I dare to be.” — The Band Perry
• “She said I don't care if you're 80, you'll always be my baby.” — Blake Shelton
• “And I love you, I'll always love you. There's nothing I won't do, to say these words to you.” — Good Charlotte
• “She's your mother, you love her. There won't be another place like her again that you call home.” — Sugarland
• "You got me, I got you, together we always pull through." — Christina Aguilera
• "I will make you queen of everything you see, I'll put you on the map.” — Twenty One Pilots
• "You taught me to run, you taught me to fly, helped me to free the me inside." — Gloria Estefan and *NSYNC
• "You might have a mom, she might be the bomb, but ain't nobody got a mom like mine." — Meghan Trainor
• "You've given me everything that I will need, to make it through this crazy thing called life." — Carrie Underwood
• "No one else can be what you have been to me. You will always be the girl in my life for all times." — Boyz II Men
• "You taught me strength, and you gave me guidance. Whenever faith was lost you were there to find it." — Ashanti
• "For all the mothers fighting, for better days to come, and all my women, all my women sitting here trying, to come home before the sun, and all my sisters coming together say yes I will, yes I can!" — Alicia Keys
• " Ain't a woman alive that could take my mama's place." — 2Pac
• " Mama said there'll be days like this." — The Shirelles
• "I'm just sitting here, thinkin' 'bout the time that's slipping, and missing my mother." — Kacey Musgraves

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Fun Things to Do on Mother’s Day

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TikTok sues US to block law that could ban the social media platform

TikTok and its Chinese parent company filed a lawsuit Tuesday challenging a new American law that would ban the popular video-sharing app in the U.S. unless it’s sold to an approved buyer, saying it unfairly singles out the platform and is an unprecedented attack on free speech.

FILE - The TikTok logo is displayed on a mobile phone in front of a computer screen, Oct. 14, 2022, in Boston. On Tuesday, May 7, 2024, TikTok and its Chinese parent company ByteDance filed suit against the U.S. federal government to challenge a law that would force the sale of ByteDance’s stake or face a ban, saying that the law is unconstitutional. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer, File)

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FILE - A TikTok sign is displayed on their building in Culver City, Calif., March 11, 2024. If it feels like TikTok has been around forever, that’s probably because it has, at least if you’re measuring via internet time. What’s now in question is whether it will be around much longer — and if so, in what form. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)

In its lawsuit, ByteDance says the new law vaguely paints its ownership of TikTok as a national security threat in order to circumvent the First Amendment, despite no evidence that the company poses a threat. It also says the law is so “obviously unconstitutional” that its sponsors are instead portraying it as a way to regulate TikTok’s ownership.

“For the first time in history, Congress has enacted a law that subjects a single, named speech platform to a permanent, nationwide ban, and bars every American from participating in a unique online community with more than 1 billion people worldwide,” ByteDance asserts in the lawsuit filed in a Washington appeals court.

The law, which President Joe Biden signed as part of a larger foreign aid package, marks the first time the U.S. has singled out a social media company for a potential ban, which free speech advocates say is what would be expected from repressive regimes such as those in Iran and China.

The lawsuit is the latest turn in what’s shaping up to be a protracted legal fight over TikTok’s future in the United States — and one that could end up before the Supreme Court. If TikTok loses, it says it would be forced to shut down next year.

The law requires ByteDance to sell the platform to a U.S.-approved buyer within nine months. If a sale is already in progress, the company would get another three months to complete the deal. ByteDance has said it doesn’t plan to sell TikTok. But even if it wanted to divest, the company would need Beijing’s blessing . According to the lawsuit, the Chinese government has “made clear” that it wouldn’t allow ByteDance to include the algorithm that populates users’ feeds and has been the “key to the success of TikTok in the United States.”

TikTok and ByteDance say the new law leaves them with no choice but to shut down by next Jan. 19 because continuing to operate in the U.S. wouldn’t be commercially, technologically or legally possible. They also say it would be impossible for ByteDance to divest its U.S. TikTok platform as a separate entity from the rest of TikTok, which has 1 billion users worldwide — most of them outside of the United States. A U.S.-only TikTok would operate as an island that’s detached from the rest of the world, the lawsuit argues.

The suit also paints divestment as a technological impossibility, since the law requires all of TikTok’s millions of lines of software code to be wrested from ByteDance so that there would be no “operational relationship” between the Chinese company and the new U.S. app.

The companies argue that they should be protected by the First Amendment’s guarantee of freedom of expression and are seeking a declaratory judgment that it is unconstitutional.

The Justice Department declined to comment on the suit Tuesday. And White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre declined to engage on questions about why the president continues to use TikTok for his political activities, deferring to the campaign.

Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, an Illinois Democrat who is the ranking member of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, issued a statement Tuesday defending the new law.

“This is the only way to address the national security threat posed by ByteDance’s ownership of apps like TikTok. Instead of continuing its deceptive tactics, it’s time for ByteDance to start the divestment process,” he said.

ByteDance will first likely ask a court to temporarily block the federal law from taking effect, said Gus Hurwitz, a senior fellow at the University of Pennsylvania’s Carey Law School who isn’t involved in the case. And the decision whether to grant such a preliminary injunction could decide the case, because its absence, ByteDance would need to sell TikTok before the broader case could be decided, he said.

Whether a court will grant such an injunction remains unclear to Hurwitz, largely because it requires balancing important free speech issues against the Biden administration’s claims of harm to national security. “I think the courts will be very deferential to Congress on these issues,” he said.

The fight over TikTok comes amid a broader U.S.-China rivalry, especially in areas such as advanced technologies and data security that are seen as essential to each country’s economic prowess and national security.

U.S. lawmakers from both parties, as well as administration and law enforcement officials, have expressed concerns that Chinese authorities could force ByteDance to hand over U.S. user data or sway public opinion by manipulating the algorithm that populates users’ feeds. Some have also pointed to a Rutgers University study that maintains TikTok content was being amplified or underrepresented based on how it aligns with the Chinese government’s interests — a claim the company disputes.

Opponents of the law argue that Chinese authorities — or any nefarious parties — could easily get information on Americans in other ways, including through commercial data brokers that rent or sell personal information. They say the U.S. government hasn’t provided public evidence that shows TikTok has shared U.S. user information with Chinese authorities or tinkered with its algorithm for China’s benefit.

“Data collection by apps has real consequences for all of our privacy,” said Patrick Toomey, deputy director of the ACLU’s National Security Project. “But banning one social media platform used by millions of people around the world is not the solution. Instead, we need Congress to pass laws that protect our privacy in the first place.”

Jameel Jaffer, executive director of the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, expects TikTok’s lawsuit to succeed.

“The First Amendment means the government can’t restrict Americans’ access to ideas, information, or media from abroad without a very good reason for it — and no such reason exists here,” Jaffer said in a statement.

Although TikTok prevailed in earlier First Amendment challenges, it isn’t clear whether the current lawsuit will be as simple.

“The bipartisan nature of this federal law may make judges more likely to defer to a Congressional determination that the company poses a national security risk,” said Gautam Hans, a law professor and associate director of the First Amendment Clinic at Cornell University. “Without public discussion of what exactly the risks are, however, it’s difficult to determine why the courts should validate such an unprecedented law.”

Associated Press writers David Hamilton and Seung Min Kim contributed to this report.