Here are 20 profitable business ideas under ₹1 Lakh that are low-investment, beginner-friendly, and suitable for Indian cities below are the list
- Mobile Food Cart (Tea, Coffee, Sandwich, Momos)
- Online Reselling via Meesho, Amazon, Flipkart
- YouTube Channel or Blog
- Pet Grooming Service at Home
- Home-Based Bakery
- Mobile/Computer Repair Service
- Car/Bike Wash Service
- Event Decoration (Birthday/Housewarming)
- Coaching/Tuition Centre
- Social Media Manager for Local Businesses
- Second-Hand Goods Reselling (Furniture, Electronics)
- Homemade Organic Products (Pickles, Oils, Spices)
- Tuition App or Learning Course (Recorded)
- Toy Library or Book Rental Business
- Mini Plant Nursery or Gardening Service
- Virtual Assistant / Remote Support Business
1. Cloud Kitchen / Home-Based Tiffin Service
- Why it works: High demand from students, employees, and bachelors.
- Investment: ₹40K–₹80K
- To effectively start and manage a food business, certain important conditions must be met to ensure efficient operations and adherence to industry standards. First and foremost, a well-equipped kitchen area is required to prepare food effectively and hygienically. This includes suitable kitchen appliances, utensils, storage facilities, and a clean workspace that meets safety and health standards. Along with cooking, proper packaging is critical for preserving the freshness and quality of the food during delivery.
The packaging should be long-lasting, leak-proof, and visually appealing, improving the customer’s overall experience. Furthermore, acquiring an FSSAI license is required to operate any food-related business in India. This license guarantees that the food manufactured and sold meets the Food Safety and criteria Authority of India’s safety criteria, thereby increasing customer trust and assuring legal compliance. Finally, enrolling major meal delivery services such as Zomato and Swiggy might help the business grow its reach and increase orders. These platforms offer visibility to a huge client base, streamlined order management, and delivery logistics, making them indispensable partners for modern food businesses.
2. Dropshipping E-commerce Store
- Why it works: No inventory needed; you sell and the supplier ships.
- Investment: ₹30K–₹70K
- To launch a successful dropshipping e-commerce store, you need three core elements. First, a reliable platform like Shopify or WooCommerce to set up your online store, manage products, process payments, and automate orders. Next, a niche product is essential—something with demand and low competition that appeals to a specific target audience. Finally, effective ads are crucial to drive traffic and generate sales. Paid campaigns on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, or Google help reach potential customers quickly, making ads the backbone of growth in a dropshipping model.
3. Customized Gift Business
- Why it works: Huge demand for personalized gifts (mugs, frames, T-shirts).
- Investment: ₹40K–₹90K
- Starting a customized gift business requires the right tools to bring creative ideas to life and deliver high-quality, personalized products. The most important equipment includes a heat press machine, which is used to transfer designs onto various items like t-shirts, mugs, cushions, and more with precision and durability. Alongside this, a sublimation printer is essential for producing vibrant, detailed prints that can be transferred onto different surfaces, ensuring the final product looks professional and visually appealing. To create eye-catching and unique designs, you’ll also need design software such as Adobe Illustrator, CorelDRAW, or Canva. This software allows you to experiment with graphics, customize text, and produce ready-to-print artwork tailored to customer preferences. With these three key tools—heat press machine, sublimation printer, and design software—you can build a thriving customized gift business that offers one-of-a-kind products for birthdays, anniversaries, corporate events, and more.
4. Freelance Digital Marketing Agency
- Why it works: Every small business needs SEO, ads, and social media help.
- Investment: ₹20K–₹50K
- Starting a freelance digital marketing agency is a great way to build a flexible and profitable career in the online world, and it begins with having the right resources. A reliable laptop is essential, as it will be your primary tool for managing campaigns, creating content, analyzing data, and communicating with clients. To sharpen your skills and stay updated with the latest marketing trends, investing in courses and tools like Canva for graphic design, Meta Ads for social media advertising, and SEMrush for SEO and competitive analysis is crucial. These platforms empower you to deliver high-quality services across different aspects of digital marketing. Additionally, having your own website adds professionalism, showcases your portfolio, and acts as a central hub for potential clients to learn about your services and get in touch. With just a laptop, the right tools and training, and a simple yet effective website, you can launch a freelance digital marketing agency that attracts clients and grows steadily over time.
5. Mobile Food Cart (Tea, Coffee, Sandwich, Momos)
- Why it works: Low-cost street food = high profits.
- Investment: ₹50K–₹1L
- Starting a mobile food cart business selling popular items like tea, coffee, sandwiches, or momos is an excellent low-investment opportunity with high earning potential. To get started, you’ll first need a cart that is sturdy, well-designed, and equipped with storage and cooking areas suited for your specific food offerings. Along with the cart, essential equipment such as a stove, gas cylinder, utensils, serving containers, and a mini refrigerator (if needed) are crucial for smooth daily operations. Legal compliance is equally important—you must obtain a vendor license from the local municipality to legally set up and operate your cart in public spaces. Additionally, a food safety license from the FSSAI is mandatory to ensure that your food is prepared and served hygienically, building customer trust and avoiding legal issues. With these key elements in place, you can run a successful and profitable mobile food cart that caters to busy office-goers, students, and passersby looking for quick, tasty, and affordable meals.
6. Online Reselling via Meesho, Amazon, Flipkart
- Why it works: No inventory needed, you earn margin on sales.
- Investment: ₹10K–₹30K
- Starting an online reselling business through platforms like Meesho, Amazon, or Flipkart is a simple and low-cost way to earn money from home. To get started, all you need is a smartphone, which acts as your main tool for browsing products, listing items, managing orders, and communicating with customers. A bank account is essential to receive payments from the platforms once your products start selling. While not mandatory for beginners, having a GST number can help you access more product categories, increase credibility, and unlock higher earning potential on platforms like Amazon and Flipkart. With just these few basic requirements, anyone can begin their journey as an online reseller, promoting trending products and earning commissions with minimal investment.
7. YouTube Channel or Blog
- Why it works: Great for long-term Google AdSense & affiliate income.
- Investment: ₹20K–₹80K
- Starting an online YouTube channel or blog is a powerful way to share your knowledge, build an audience, and even earn a steady income. The foundation of success lies in choosing a niche topic something you’re passionate about, and that has a clear audience interest, whether it’s tech, beauty, fitness, education, or travel. Once your niche is defined, consistency becomes key; regularly posting valuable content helps build trust, grow followers, and improve visibility on platforms like YouTube or Google search. To create quality content, you’ll need some basic gear a good mic for clear audio, a tripod for stable video recording, and a laptop for editing videos or writing blog posts. With these simple tools and a strong commitment to your content strategy, you can build a successful digital presence and turn your passion into a profitable venture.
8. Pet Grooming Service at Home
- Why it works: Urban pet owners want affordable grooming at doorstep.
- Investment: ₹40K–₹80K
- Launching a pet grooming service at home is a rewarding business opportunity for animal lovers and requires a mix of skills, tools, and smart marketing. First, proper training is essential to understand grooming techniques, pet behavior, and safety practices, ensuring you can handle pets with care and professionalism. Alongside training, investing in quality pet supplies like shampoos, grooming scissors, clippers, brushes, and cleaning products is crucial for delivering a comfortable and hygienic experience for pets. To attract clients and build a loyal customer base, leveraging Instagram promotion is highly effective—sharing before-and-after grooming photos, client testimonials, and behind-the-scenes videos can help you showcase your expertise and grow your brand online. With the right training, tools, and social media presence, you can turn your passion for pets into a thriving at-home grooming service.
9. Home-Based Bakery
- Why it works: Custom cakes & snacks are always in demand.
- Investment: ₹30K–₹70K
- Starting a home-based bakery is a delightful and profitable business idea for those who love baking and want to turn their passion into income. The first step is to gather essential baking tools such as an oven, measuring cups, mixing bowls, cake tins, and decorating equipment to ensure smooth and efficient production. Along with tools, proper training in baking techniques, recipes, and food safety helps you maintain quality and consistency in your products. Once your treats are ready, attractive and hygienic packaging is crucial to preserve freshness and create a professional impression that appeals to customers. To promote your bakery and reach a wider audience, setting up an Instagram page is a must. By sharing photos of your baked goods, customer reviews, and behind-the-scenes content, you can build a strong online presence and attract regular orders. With the right tools, training, packaging, and online marketing, your home-based bakery can quickly grow into a successful and loved local brand.
10. Mobile/Computer Repair Service
- Why it works: High usage = high repair demand.
- Investment: ₹30K–₹60K
- Starting a mobile or computer repair service is a smart and in-demand business idea, especially in today’s tech-driven world. To begin, enrolling in a professional training course is essential to gain hands-on experience in diagnosing and fixing common hardware and software issues. This not only builds your technical skills but also boosts your credibility as a service provider. Once trained, you’ll need a complete toolkit with items like screwdrivers, soldering equipment, multimeters, and spare parts to handle repairs efficiently and safely. To attract customers and grow your business, focus on local marketing—distribute flyers, list your service on Google Maps, promote through WhatsApp groups, and create a strong presence on platforms like Facebook and Instagram. By combining expert training, the right tools, and targeted local outreach, you can build a reliable and profitable mobile/computer repair service in your area.
11. Car/Bike Wash Service
- Why it works: People prefer doorstep services.
- Investment: ₹30K–₹80K
- Starting a car or bike wash service is a practical business idea with low investment and high demand, especially in urban and semi-urban areas. The first and most important requirement is a pressure washer, which helps efficiently clean vehicles using less water while delivering better results. Along with that, you’ll need essential cleaning supplies such as car shampoo, microfiber cloths, brushes, tire cleaners, and drying towels to ensure a thorough and professional wash. To attract customers and build a steady client base, it’s crucial to promote your service through local listings on platforms like Google My Business, Justdial, and social media. These listings help increase your visibility, allowing nearby vehicle owners to easily find and contact you. With the right tools, quality service, and local marketing, your car/bike wash business can quickly gain traction and grow steadily.
12. Event Decoration (Birthday/Housewarming)
- Why it works: Hyderabad has frequent events and celebrations.
- Investment: ₹50K–₹1L
- Starting an event decoration business for occasions like birthdays and housewarming parties is a creative and rewarding venture with great earning potential. To begin, you’ll need a variety of decoration materials such as balloons, banners, lights, floral arrangements, ribbons, and themed props to create stunning setups tailored to each event. Alongside the materials, basic training in decoration techniques, color coordination, and space planning will help you deliver professional and visually appealing results that wow your clients. To promote your services and attract bookings, Instagram marketing plays a vital role—by showcasing your decoration work, sharing client testimonials, and using local hashtags, you can build a strong online presence and reach a wider audience. With quality materials, the right skills, and an engaging Instagram strategy, you can turn your passion for decorating into a successful and in-demand business.
13. Coaching/Tuition Centre
- Why it works: Evergreen demand from school/college students.
- Investment: ₹10K–₹30K
- Starting a coaching or tuition centre is a great way to share knowledge and earn a stable income, especially in areas with growing educational needs. To begin, you only need a small room that is clean, quiet, and comfortable enough to accommodate a few students. A whiteboard is an essential teaching tool for explaining concepts clearly and engaging students during lessons. To spread the word and attract students, simple flyers can be distributed in nearby schools, stationery shops, and residential areas. Additionally, promoting your services through parent groups on WhatsApp or Facebook can help build trust and generate word-of-mouth referrals. With minimal investment and a strong focus on quality teaching and local promotion, your coaching or tuition centre can quickly grow and become a valuable educational support for students in your community.
14. Social Media Manager for Local Businesses
- Why it works: Local shops need help with Instagram, reviews, DMs.
- Investment: ₹10K–₹25K
- Needs: Smartphone/laptop, Canva, content planning skills.
15. Second-Hand Goods Reselling (Furniture, Electronics)
- Why it works: Hyderabad has many tenants and students.
- Investment: ₹20K–₹1L
- Needs: OLX, Quikr, small warehouse or garage space.
16. Homemade Organic Products (Pickles, Oils, Spices)
- Why it works: Health-conscious buyers prefer organic goods.
- Investment: ₹30K–₹70K
- Needs: Food license, packaging, local vendor tie-ups.
17. Tuition App or Learning Course (Recorded)
- Why it works: Low maintenance, passive income potential.
- Investment: ₹50K–₹1L
- Needs: Good content, LMS platform like Teachable, marketing.
18. Toy Library or Book Rental Business
- Why it works: Parents want educational toys/books, not permanent purchases.
- Investment: ₹30K–₹70K
- Needs: Initial stock, subscription plans, delivery setup.
19. Mini Plant Nursery or Gardening Service
- Why it works: Hyderabad homes love greenery.
- Investment: ₹20K–₹50K
- Needs: Pots, soil, seeds, local marketing.
20. Virtual Assistant / Remote Support Business
- Why it works: Many global clients need help with email, data, customer support.
- Investment: ₹10K–₹20K
Needs: Laptop, English proficiency, Fiverr/Upwork profiles.
