20+ Business Ideas Coming Out of COVID-19 Pandemic [Small Business Edition]

By Chris Watson

While the year 2020 was nothing less than a nightmare for lives and livelihoods worldwide, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact almost every aspect of our lives even in 2021. Millions of companies, including startups, entrepreneurs, enterprises, and organizations, bear the coronavirus outbreak’s brunt. Undoubtedly, it’s terrible for businesses, but it came as opportunities for many companies, brands, and startup companies worldwide. The opportunities for online sales explosion means a chance for outstanding profit margins. China offers excellent products at reasonable prices and are easily imported with a sourcing agent.

Did you know home improvement, gaming, pet products, and delivery services, among others, have all witnessed a massive surge in demand while most of the economy falters?

Still, if you were to start a business at this time, coronavirus —the new normal would be the major concern to take into account. Many things, such as how we interact with things/people, purchase online/offline, travelling, and how and where work have dramatically changed. No doubt, some of them may be temporary, while others will stick longer even if the pandemic is over.

So, keeping pandemic in mind, we have rounded up a list of business ideas that will be opportunistic during this pandemic and continue to bloom even after that as opportunities. Let’s explore;

Small Business Opportunities That Thrive Irrespective to Corona Impact

1. Cleaning Services

As the COVID-19 cases throughout the world continue to climb a new height every day, so is the demand for janitorial services. Especially in the urban areas, a number of cleaning companies have witnessed an increase in the number of cleaning and disinfection service requests.

In light of the pandemic, homeowners, apartment complexes, commercial high-rise buildings, and corporate offices are being reminded to continually clean and disinfect all commonly-used areas to contain the virus from spreading.

If you like to clean and you want to start a business with a little overhead, this is the business for you. All you need is proper planning, dedication, a little geographical marketing to get your business noticed.

2. Delivery Service

While many people are afraid to leave their homes or follow the local government’s advisory to stay inside the house, senior citizens and immunocompromised individuals are on high alert. All with a single purpose —to keep themselves safe. That naturally has boosted on-demand delivery service.

According to BusinessWire, online food delivery will be the largest beneficiary with more than a $104 billion market by 2023, among most other delivery services.

Getting involved into a fast-growing delivery business can keep you profitably busy as long as you want. You can choose to create your own independent delivery service business or courier service to make the best out of a pandemic. With many delivery services implemented during the lockdown period, some of them would continue to serve long; even the pandemic is over. Many startups will come out with niches delivering that never used to be delivered.

3. Remote Fitness

The fitness sector was one among the many that faced a big jolt due to the lockdown worldwide. The fitness industry is adjusting to a new reality by offering remote fitness services. You can grab this opportunity by providing on-demand virtual fitness classes that are gaining popularity.

The pandemic has compelled people to maintain a healthy lifestyle and boost immunity. Given that fitness will play an integral role in boosting their immune system, there will be an opportunistic opportunity for you. However, choose the right niche based on the region, locality and your expertise.

4. Cyber Security Consultant

Back in September of 2020, a major hospital chain in the United States across 400 locations nationwide got hacked. It was presumably the largest cyber attack in US history. Predictably, these organizations, including big corporations, are going to invest billions of dollars to secure their server.

But the wave is something different this time; the hackers will eye on the soft target, and they are likely to attack small and medium-sized businesses.

Besides, In light of coronavirus, remote working or WFH has become a backbone for corporate culture. Many companies have already announced lifetime remote working for their employees. It’s a good initiative, but many have experienced complexities —the transition from in-office to at-home operations, especially from the technology front. Cybersecurity has been a major concern for them. They need a robust and permanent solution in place.

If you have networking knowledge and IT expertise, you can start offering IT consulting services to companies recommending programs and tools for keeping business data secure. Meanwhile, cybersecurity maintenance and training staff will also be in high demand.

5. E-commerce

Pandemic has been a major blow to physical retail stores worldwide. That compelled many retailers to explore a robust alternate option (eCommerce platform). 2021 will accelerate eCommerce to even higher levels that alternatively allow many business aspirants to start a business online and offline.

This is evident because US and Canadian eCommerce orders reported 129% year-over-year growth last year by April (2020) while 146% overall online retail orders.

It’s a good thing that retail marketing technology is now available, boosting e-commerce businesses. Because many online stores and businesses proliferate right now, it’s important for business owners to accelerate their online presence and operations using marketing technology solutions. 

In addition, it’s also important to take advantage of excellent quality and affordable sources of products to gain higher profit. For instance, in China, the wholesale and retail prices of products are relatively lower than the other countries. That’s why many sellers around the world source their products from this country. E-commerce sellers can hire a product sourcing agent to help them in sourcing products or managing suppliers in China. How can a sourcing agent help you with your e-commerce business? Here’s how:

• Assists You In Sourcing And Cost Estimates: A product sourcing agent can help you in finding the best prices for the products you’re interested in purchasing.
• Assists You In Ensuring Product Quality Assurance: Your product sourcing agent can help evaluate the product quality by forwarding you all samples in one box. Some samples may include packaging and logo, depending on your requirements. 

Ensures Export And Import Compliance: The product sourcing agent will consult and communicate with you about all concerns in the export and import process which includes certifications, custom compliance, and many more.

6. Party (Cleanup) Committee

After a night-long party and drinking, people are too exhausted to clean their homes. That’s when the Party committee comes into the frame, helping people clean their house and providing breakfast.

You can start this business if you are exploring business options with a little overhead. It’s an all-season business and can keep you profitably busy. Most importantly, this business does not require intense promotions as you can easily promote your services by distributing your visiting card among individuals, corporate offices, societies, etc. From the skill front, you only require experience in cooking and cleaning.

7. Online Reseller

If you have an excellent eye for fashion, passion for clothing and incredible sales technique, then starting an online reseller business could be your call. Initially, you can start it as a side hustle and gradually turn it into a full-time resale business.

Even though success in this business requires time and dedication, it’s easy to start and achieve success. Websites like Poshmark and Mercari offer the best options to those individuals looking to sell their unwanted clothing, though if capable, you can develop your own resale website.

8. Freelance Copywriter

If you are passionate about writing, you can make your passion a convertible business. All you need is a bit of marketing knowledge. Whether you want to write blogs, web content, social media content, press releases, or write resumes, there are plenty of companies out there to pay you for your services.

Freelance writers and copywriters have been in high demand ever since WFH was implemented amid coronavirus chaeos. If you have a little SEO knowledge, you can increase charges for your writing SEO-friendly copy. The average charge you will receive for a copywriting job is $40 to $50/hr, while based on your experience and given vertices, you can increase the charges even further.

Freelance copywriting is a great business to run because as long as you have an internet connection, you can work. Most importantly, you can operate from the comfort of your own home or even from the road if you travel. If you establish a large enough network and gain referrals from satisfied clients, you could even make freelance writing your full-time job.

9. Home Care Service

If you love serving people or if you are a professional caregiver, providing home care service can be the most profitable business for you. According to data from National Institute on Aging, the 85+ population will increase 351% from 2010 to 2050, while those over age 100 will increase tenfold in number. Almost all of these populations will need care, mostly in their homes.

Experience or background in healthcare is not mandatory, but those skills could be in demand. Many seniors need support for everything, whether it is errands, maintaining health, or even repairing around the house.

10. Translation Service

Even though the year 2020 was not a good year for the translation services industry, it is projected to perform better in 2021. The decline in translation service was due to the pandemic, and it will have a short term effect, not in the long run. The growth of translation service is evident as the internet has effectively opened doors for entrepreneurs/translators to provide services globally.

From the equipment front, you need a good computer or laptop and a high-speed internet connection. Whereas, from the skill front, you need language proficiency. If you are a multilingual speaker, then offering translation services can be a successful endeavor.

11. Online Teaching

Did you know online teaching started almost 3-decade back, but in 2020, it became widespread? It was undoubtedly a potential death blow to many medium and small schools; it brought opportunities to them to provide online teaching. As we have mentioned, online teaching is not new, but due to the pandemic, it has exploded worldwide, and the demand for online teaching will surge to a new height this year (in 2021).

If you are passionate about teaching, it could be the most profitable business opportunity. You can start it as a part-time thing, as your hobby, and you can actively get involved full-time once you grow. The required skills include in-depth knowledge of the subject matter, such as match, history, biology, geography, etc. If you are starting this business in North America, you can get an average of $22/hr, while with specialized skills, you can charge between $35 to $50/hr.

12. Cloud Kitchen/Healthy Meal Delivery

Any professional parents with a couple of kids are overwhelmed with work, management, and more. Going to offices, spending time with kids, playing with them, and so on are daunting parents’ tasks. On top of that, they like to cook healthy and delicious food for themselves and their kids to stay healthy. But their busy lifestyles leave no time to focus on all these together.

It could be an excellent opportunity to step in with the meal prep delivery business. You can prepare a balanced meal that is, best of all, ready to eat. If you are passionate about cooking and have acceptable practices of healthy food, this idea can fit you well. With an excellent meal prep niche, you can end up making $100 to $200 a day while it can grow even further as you expand your business.

13. Video Editing Service

One of the top in-demand skills in 2021 is video editing. Both video marketing and Youtube are growing exponentially. So, the opportunity for growth is literally limitless. If you are proficient in final cut pro, adobe premiere, then you are in good luck. Once you become a master in video editing, you can charge $15/18 /hr, and as you grow, you can keep upgrading the charge upto $35 to $50 /hr.

The required skills for this job are to be superfast and super good in video editing and creativity. There are tons of people who are looking for video editing services, offering a lot of growth opportunities. You can create your accounts across Fiberr and other hiring sites to get work.

14. Pet Sitting

According to Fox News, pet adoption and fostering across the USA has recorded a 700% increase during the last year in 2020. No doubt, its excessive increase in number was due to the stay-at-home orders that led people to seek pet companionship.

Offering online pet sitting and care services can be an excellent opportunity for you. Consumers, in large numbers, are turning to online retailers to take care of their furry friends. You can begin by providing pet products like homemade treats and toys and gradually offer sitting services. You can also watch their pet at their home when they are out. It’s a small business idea but can run two income streams simultaneously.

15. Social Media Marketing

Are you passionate about social media and have got a knack for getting likes, favorites, recommendations, and all the hecks of social media? Then you have a secure and profitable career as a social media marketing professional.

There are thousands of small and medium-sized businesses in the USA and worldwide struggling with their social media presence. Enterprises are looking to hire someone who can efficiently take care of their social media channels to promote their business. You can consult companies by approaching them to manage their profiles across channels, promote their business products and services through content, respond to customers when they have any queries, and more.

You can start this business from the comfort of your home and can perform while travelling, from a resort anywhere you can bring your laptop with.

16. Ebook Writing

If writing is your passion and blog posts aren’t your style, you can choose to write for yourself. We are not saying to write for free. You can earn while writing and publishing eBooks. All you need to have is excellent storytelling skills, lovely writing patterns, and a platform where you will publish your eBook.

Amazon, Fiverr, NaNoWriMo, etc., are there that allow you to publish your book and earn as much money as possible. The success in this business lies behind your skills, interest in the subject, and usefulness of your story. Working with book publishing sites will save a lot of money. For example, you can get free eBook templates online, receipt template designing work can be taken care of by a website, and your work will be just to write, publish, and market.

17. Affiliate Marketing

If you have large fan flowers across social media channels like Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, etc., then you can get good bucks on behalf of promoting other people’s business. You can earn by leaving a positive review and highlighting products and services on your blog, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, etc.

The income will be based on the higher your profile is. However, to start this business, you need to focus on personal branding. You need to make your popularity across social channels, increasing fan following, and actively communicating with your followers. If you are doing Blog Writing, you need to make sure that you write an interesting and useful piece that users find worth reading.

If you are struggling to come up with the perfect name for your business, try utilizing a powerful business name generator (https://www.squadhelp.com/business-name-generator ) to act as a springboard for creativity.

18. Accounting or Bookkeeping

With a little knowledge of accounting, ledger book maintenance, and some technical skills, you make good buckles out bookkeeping business. Bookkeeping has made it possible to share your book with someone 100 miles away from you. Every successful business owner needs a reliable and smart bookkeeper.

If you are good with numbers and bookkeeping basics, then the idea could best fit you. You can make $30 to $40 an hour at the initial phase. Importantly, it does not require any high upfront cost to start. You can promote your services through Facebook ads promoting your business through social channels or you can explore online how to keep your online business stronger.

19. Online Personal Assistant/Virtual Assistant

If you explore social media, almost every week in your social feed, you will find someone asking, “if there is any virtual assistant to help them out. There are plenty of busy entrepreneurs and business owners who need help with their day-to-day tasks, like managing their calendar, travels, emails, and more.

If you have high proficiency with both computer and internet, excellent communication skills and more. With word-of-mouth marketing, you can quickly establish yourself in the market. If you have some advanced skills, like being bilingual, a good understanding of software or the ability to edit video can help you get higher pay.

20. Online Therapy

If you’re a counselor, therapist, or psychologist, then starting online therapy, aka teletherapy services, should be your call. We are saying this because mental health treatment in the major cities around the world has shifted from face-to-face therapy sessions to exclusively teletherapy sessions.

Besides, online therapy has recorded immense popularity during the lockdown as people needed support to keep themselves mentally fit. All you need is to team up with specialists such as psychologists, psychiatrists, mental health professionals, counselors, and social workers, and you are all set to assist people in need.

Bonus Points

Some years ago, had you asked someone to take a Starbucks franchise in Paris, they most likely would have laughed at you. Now, it feels that there is a Starbucks on every street corner in Paris. That means the things which are popular or in the mainstream today were either unheard of or considered as silly ideas at some point.

We are not talking about Starbucks; instead, we are talking about the best potential business that might not be so impressive as it should be, but they have a bright future. Let’s explore one such idea to look at in 2021.

Sustainable Energy Sales and Services

Solar energy is going to be the future, though it is still not being able to catch the attention at large due to the excessive costs, but things are going to be pretty different very soon. A lot of initiatives have been taken by the government and industry leaders to maximize the use of solar.

As a result, you could have seen the solar energy cost has dramatically dropped and been continuously going down. Even the government authorities are providing tax and other benefits to those looking to start this business. You can consider grabbing this opportunity, and your business will turn into a million-dollar company sometime very soon.

Final Thoughts

No doubt, COVID-19 came as a nightmare for people, ruining their lives and livelihood. But as the saying goes, “adversity opens up opportunities.” We need to think like that and explore the top potential business that will sustain, no matter how tough the situation arises. The ideas given here are based on research, interviews, and support from the top market leaders, hoping that it might help you grow into your endeavor in 2021.

Related information: Work from home quotes

About the Author

Chris Watson is Journalist whose heart goes with startups and entrepreneurs. He loves technology, but more than that he loves to explore how it enhances the life and livelihood of humanity. He works with an aim to share his incisive knowledge about innovations, like IoT, AR, VR and Smart Technologies to Business, eCommerce, Startup and Enterprise . To describe him in one word, he is a writer focused on Tomorrow’s World.