110 Business Ideas for Beginners in Urban Areas

Commercial HVAC Coil Cleaning Service

Specialize in pressure washing HVAC coils at grocery stores, gas stations, and commercial buildings. This is a recurring…

$10k-30k/month

TV and Movie Location Tour Business

Run guided tours of famous filming locations, like Breaking Bad tours in Albuquerque. Low overhead business requiring ma…

$50K-$150K/year

Local Newsletter Business

Start a hyper-local email newsletter covering restaurants, events, local news, and community happenings for a specific c…

$2k-10k/month

AI Literacy Classes for Adults and Boomers

Offer in-person or virtual classes teaching adults (especially older demographics) how to effectively use ChatGPT and ot…

$2k-8k/month

BeginnerOnlineUnder $5K

Local City/Neighborhood Newsletter

Start a hyper-local newsletter covering restaurants, events, local news, and community happenings for a specific city or…

$2,000-$10,000/month

AI Tutoring Classes for Boomers and Adults

In-person or virtual classes teaching older adults and boomers how to use ChatGPT and AI tools effectively. Start by off…

$3000-$10000/month

Facebook Marketplace Flipping (Buy Free/Cheap, Resell)

Source free or underpriced items from Facebook Marketplace, thrift stores (like Deseret Industries), or curb alerts, the…

$1000-5000/month

Homemade Food Sales on Facebook Marketplace

Prepare and sell homemade food items such as empanadas, arepas, dumplings, fettuccine alfredo, or sourdough starter dire…

$500-3000/month

$700-$2500/month per machine

Perfume/Cologne Vending Machine Operator

Purchase perfume vending machines (~$3,000 each from Perfuma in Spain) and place them in high-traffic locations like nig…

Perfume Vending Machine Event Rental

Own perfume vending machines and rent them out to festivals, weddings, corporate events, and parties for a flat daily or…

$500-$2000/month

Mini Donut Cart Business

Start a mobile mini donut cart operation at fairs, festivals, and farmers markets. Begin small with an eBay cart purchas…

$3000-$10000/month

Perfume Vending Machine Placement Operator

Purchase perfume vending machines (~$3,000 each) and place them in high-traffic locations like nightclubs, bars, hotels,…

$1,000-$5,000/month indirect revenue

BeginnerOfflineFree

Speed Service Competition Marketing for Local Businesses

Organize creative free competitions to market local service businesses. Examples: dirtiest car speed-cleaning contest fo…

Late-Night Cookie Delivery near College Campuses

Open a cookie shop near a college campus offering fresh-baked cookies with delivery until 4 AM, modeled after Insomnia C…

$15000-$40000/month

Frozen Yogurt Store

Self-serve frozen yogurt shop where customers fill their own cups and pay by weight. Matthew mentioned starting one righ…

$15000-$40000/month

Vehicle Parking Rental

Rent out open land for vehicle parking, especially near airports, stadiums, event venues, or urban areas where parking i…

$1,000-$5,000/month

AI voice agent agency for barbers and salons

Build AI voice agents using GoHighLevel for barbers, salons, nail techs, and massage therapists that replace their voice…

$5000-15000/month

Airbnb local experience guide service

Offer local guided experiences through Airbnb Experiences for tourists visiting your city. Show visitors the best local …

Escape room guerrilla marketing agency

Run viral marketing campaigns for escape room businesses using creative stunts like hiding money or QR codes around the …

$3000-$10000/month

BeginnerOnlineUnder $500

Local newsletter business

Start a local newsletter for a specific city or town, covering local news, events, weather, concerts, and real estate ma…

$5000-20000/month

Google Business Profile management agency

Start a local agency managing Google Business Profiles (formerly Google My Business) for local businesses like dentists,…

$5000-20000/month

Disc golf hole-in-one challenge business

Set up a disc golf basket at a challenging distance (75-95 feet) and charge participants $5 for one throw or $10 for thr…

$2000/month

Skill-based carnival challenge business

Run pop-up skill-based challenge games at events, tournaments, fairs, and high-traffic locations. Variations include pul…

$5000/month

Frozen drink machine rental service

Buy frozen drink/margarita machines and rent them out for pool parties, weddings, and events in warm-weather markets. Ma…

$5000/month

Pop-up headshot and photo booth at conferences

Set up a professional camera rig at business conferences, office building lobbies, or co-working spaces and offer quick …

$5000-$10000/day

Project Earth - Nonprofit using robots to clean the planet

A college student's idea to start a nonprofit called Project Earth that develops robots to clean the planet. The host ad…

$0/month

Spin-the-wheel bar concept (Pickleback or Nickelback)

Lease a tiny 100 sq ft commercial space with street frontage in a dense city like New York where customers pay $10 to sp…

Pet hangout service for travelers in hotels

A service where travelers pay a small fee to spend time with local people's pets in their hotel room for an hour, target…

$1000+/month

Luxury claw machine business with mystery items

Place a claw machine stocked with mystery items like Pokemon cards, NFL cards, and Fortnite cards in high-traffic retail…

$2000-5000/month

$1000-2000/month per machine

Perfume vending machine business

Purchase and place perfume vending machines in high-traffic locations like malls and airports. Machines can generate $50…

BeginnerOnlineFree

Local events and social newsletter (Joy List clone)

Create a curated local events newsletter for a mid-size city like Phoenix, modeled after the Joy List in Dallas/Fort Wor…

Storefront window cleaning route business

Build a recurring book of commercial storefront clients who need their windows cleaned weekly or monthly. Unlike residen…

$3000-$20000/month

Graffiti removal service

A specialized cleaning service that removes graffiti from buildings, walls, and other surfaces using pressure washing eq…

$3000-$15000/month

Mobile niche bookstore

Convert a vehicle into a mobile bookstore specializing in a specific niche like romance novels or business books, then r…

$3000-10000/month

Interactive fish vending machine for pet stores

Deploy claw-machine-style fish scooping vending machines at pet stores and family-oriented venues where kids can scoop l…

$2000-8000/month

Junk removal service

Start a junk removal business by first finding paying customers through personal Facebook posts, then renting a U-Haul t…

$5000-$15000/month

Couch Flipping in College Towns

Buy used or discounted couches and resell them to college students and fraternities. Students need couches every semeste…

$10000/month

BeginnerOnlineFree

Local city newsletter

Start a newsletter focused on your local city covering news, events, and community updates. Use a platform like Beehiiv …

$1000-5000/month

Pickup and delivery student storage

Offer pickup and delivery storage services to college students who need to store their belongings between semesters. Nic…

$10000-$50000/month

Laundry service business

Start a laundry pickup and delivery or wash-and-fold service. Listed among Nick Huber's sweaty startup ideas. Recurring …

$5000-$20000/month

Pet Cremation Logistics Service

Provide logistics services for veterinarians who need pets cremated, acting as a middleman between vet clinics and crema…

Perfume and Cologne Vending Machine

A compact vending machine about the size of a large mailbox with a glass display holding 5 bottles of cologne/perfume, a…

Piano Removal Service

Charge homeowners $250 to remove unwanted pianos from their homes. In Dallas alone, 55-65 free pianos are listed on Face…

Perfume Vending Machine

A European concept where machines dispense perfume sprays for about $1 per spray with approximately 90% margins. Machine…

$2000+/month

Massage Chair Business

Place credit card-operated massage chairs in public venues like malls, airports, and hotels for passive income. Customer…

$1500+/month

Jukebox Business

Place jukeboxes equipped with credit card readers in bars, restaurants, and entertainment venues. Customers pay to selec…

$1000+/month

Buying Existing Vending or ATM Routes

Instead of cold calling to build locations from scratch, buy existing vending machine or ATM routes from retiring operat…

Airbnb/Short-Term Rental Cleaning Service

Provide turnover cleaning services for short-term rental (Airbnb) property owners. Land one whale client who owns many r…

$10000-$100000/month

Perfume Vending Machine Business

Sell perfume through vending machines placed in strategic locations. The speaker mentions this started from a short form…

Uber/Lyft In-Car Product Sales

Sell products to Uber or Lyft passengers during rides, with items that can be pitched and sold in 15 minutes or less. Dr…

$1000+/month

Home/Hoarder House Cleaning with Social Media Marketing

Start a home cleaning business focused on extreme transformations like hoarder houses or heavily soiled apartments, and …

Facebook Marketplace Phone Flipping

Use AI agents to find significantly underpriced iPhone 15s and other electronics on Facebook Marketplace that were just …

$2000+/month

Wholesale product distribution to convenience stores

Buy products at wholesale prices and resell them to convenience stores like 7-Eleven. Marcus Lemonis started his entrepr…

$2000-10000/month

$1000+/month per 3 machines scaling to $72000+/month at scale

ATM Route Operation

Buy and operate ATM machines placed in retail locations like convenience stores. Revenue comes from surcharge fees (typi…

University Concierge Service for Parents (Dean List)

A subscription service ($500/year) for parents of college students offering local knowledge, insider tips, and concierge…

Pet Cremation Logistics Service

Sunbeam Paws - a pet cremation logistics business in the DFW area that picks up deceased animals (dogs, cats, hamsters) …

Piano Removal Service

Pick up free pianos listed on Facebook Marketplace and charge owners $200-$250 per piano for removal. Rent a U-Haul for …

$200K-$500K per year standalone, more with upsells

Duct Cleaning Business

Clean residential and commercial duct systems using brush-and-vac ($4-6K equipment) or negative air machines ($8-12K equ…

$50-150 profit per unit, 20+ units possible

Tesla Wall Charger Reselling

Buy Tesla wall chargers at cost or using credits, sell on Facebook Marketplace for $450-500 each. Retail price is $450 p…

$10,000-25,000+ per truckload during back-to-school season

Bulk Flat Pack Furniture for College Towns

Buy truckloads of flat-pack furniture (~$4K for 300 pieces) and sell near college campuses to parents and students befor…

$120,000-$250,000/year revenue with $50,000-$100,000 profit

Concrete Leveling Business (Subcontractor Model)

Start a concrete leveling business by subcontracting all work to existing foam jacking operators while you handle sales,…

$2K-$8K/month depending on event frequency

Inflatable Wall Rental for Events

Rent out large inflatable walls (25ft x 25ft x 9ft) for events, weddings, and conventions. Research the supply chain by …

Mini Dutch Pancakes Stand

Sell mini Dutch pancakes (poffertjes) from a street stand or front yard using a specialized appliance costing $78-$700. …

Luxury Picnic Experience Service

Set up luxury picnic experiences in public parks and scenic locations for couples and groups. Charge $440-$700 per booki…

Coffee Grounds Recycling Business

A waste recycling company that collects spent coffee grounds from coffee shops (which go through about 1000 pounds per w…

Coffee Shop Event Marketing Agency

An event marketing business that partners with coffee houses to fill their empty evening hours (4pm-10pm) with events, p…

$250+ per day, $50k-$75k annually

Car Washing at Tesla Superchargers

Set up a mobile car washing operation at Tesla Supercharger stations. Tesla owners sit idle for 30-45 minutes while char…

$500-$2000/month per machine

Vending Machine Business

Operating vending machines in high-traffic locations. Discussed in the context of whether any business can be oversatura…

360 Photo Booth Street Business

Set up a 360-degree photo booth in high foot traffic tourist areas like Times Square. Charge tourists for 360 photos/vid…

500000-700000/year

Home Services Business (Non-Licensed)

Start a home services business that does not require specialized licensing or training, as recommended by Chris Kerner f…

$50K-$200K+/year

Craigslist to Facebook Marketplace Arbitrage

Scrape underpriced items from Craigslist using AI tools, cross-reference prices with eBay or Facebook Marketplace, buy i…

$500-$5000/month

Cross-Platform Listing Demand Testing Service

Scrape items from Craigslist and list them on Facebook Marketplace (using the same photos and descriptions) to gauge dem…

$500-$3000/month

$50K-$200K/year depending on crew size and market

Remote Cleaning Business

Start a cleaning business that can be managed remotely by hiring and dispatching cleaning crews. Mentioned as a popular …

$5K-$20K/month depending on volume and pricing; strong repeat cus

Mobile Car Detailing Business

A mobile car detailing service operating in affluent areas. Travel to customers' locations to wash, detail, and maintain…

Highly variable; one high-ticket B2B conversion can yield $24,000

AirDrop Guerrilla Marketing at Events

Use Apple AirDrop to send promotional content to people at large gatherings like conferences, sporting events, bridal ex…

Low-cost customer acquisition at scale — reach hundreds of perfec

Retail Store AirDrop Customer Acquisition

Hire someone to stand outside a busy retail store like Buc-ee's and AirDrop promotional links to every customer entering…

$6,000-$10,000+/month with 100+ units at $60-85/month each, scala

Washer and Dryer Rental Business

Buy new or used washer and dryer sets and rent them month-to-month to apartment tenants who lack in-unit laundry. Charge…

$400-$500/day on busy days, several hundred dollars per day durin

Appliance Delivery and Installation Service

Partner with scratch-and-dent appliance stores by posting your phone number and flyers at their locations. When customer…

Free Proposal Consultant (Wedding Lead Gen)

Offer free proposal planning consulting to men planning to propose. Coordinate the ring, photographer, venue, and after-…

$50k-$200k/year

Mobile Sauna and Cold Plunge Rental

Operate mobile sauna and cold plunge units that you drive around, drop off, and rent out for hourly, daily, or weekend u…

$4500-$10000/month

$300+ per machine per month with 90%+ margins plus ad revenue and

Perfume/Cologne Vending Machine

Wall-mounted or pedestal vending machine with glass display holding 5 bottles of cologne/perfume. Customers swipe credit…

BeginnerOfflineFree

Flipping Free Couches from Facebook Marketplace

Pick up free or cheap couches from Facebook Marketplace, clean them up, do minor upholstery repairs, and resell them loc…

$40,000-$60,000/year part-time

Flipping Hotel Liquidation Furniture

Buy bulk hotel room furniture from liquidation auctions (e.g. 34 rooms worth of furniture for $2,000 including sofas, ch…

$14,000-$16,000 per deal

$500-$2,000/month per machine

Vending Machine Business

Purchase and place vending machines in high-traffic locations such as college campuses, offices, and public venues. Requ…

Residential Cleaning Business

Start or acquire a residential cleaning service business. Requires hiring cleaners, marketing to homeowners, and managin…

$50K-$500K/year

Liquidation Furniture Reselling

Purchase Costco liquidation furniture (couches, dining sets) by the truckload at massive discounts. Example: truckload f…

$5,000-$20,000/month

Local Newsletter Business

Start a hyper-local newsletter and TikTok account covering your area (best bars, restaurants, events, etc.). Build an au…

$5,000-$20,000/month

Nightclub & Bar Marketing Agency (Full Lounge)

A niche marketing agency specializing exclusively in bars and nightclubs, focused on keeping venues full. The name 'Full…

$20,000/month

$50-$150 per job, multiple jobs per day possible

Local Declutter and Cleanup Service

Offer local decluttering, cleanup, and junk removal services in your area. Low barrier to entry requiring minimal equipm…

High scalability; example cited reached $8M revenue

Window Washing Business

Start a window washing company serving residential and commercial clients. Referenced example grew to $8 million in reve…

Restaurant & Coffee Shop Supply Distribution

Distribute consumable supplies like syrups to coffee shops or straws, napkins, and disposable goods to restaurants. Thes…

$100K-$500K/year gross

Laundromat

Open a modern laundromat near existing rundown competitors to capture market share. Low-labor business model with recurr…

$100K-$500K/year

$2000-$10000/month depending on volume and market

Flipping Trailers on Facebook Marketplace

Research supply and demand for trailers in comparable sister cities using Facebook Marketplace. Message every trailer li…

Flipping Large Items on Facebook Marketplace

Focus on flipping big, heavy items like appliances, furniture, and equipment that most people avoid because of the physi…

Storage Auction Flipping

Attend storage unit auctions, bid on abandoned storage lockers, and resell the contents for profit. Listen to other bidd…

Tesla Supercharger Car Washing Service

Set up a mobile car washing service at Tesla Supercharger stations where EV owners sit for 30-40 minutes while charging.…

$50K-$200K/year

Mobile Golf Simulator (Box Truck)

Put a golf simulator in a box truck and take it to festivals, corporate events, and high-traffic areas. Charge $10 for 1…

$80k-$150k/year

$20K-$80K/year per property depending on location and seasonality

Airbnb / Short-Term Rental in Puerto Rico

Purchase or rent properties in Puerto Rico with separate living units and list them on Airbnb. Properties outside the me…

BeginnerOnlineFree

Singles Newsletter

Start a local newsletter targeted specifically at singles in your city. Cover local events, dating tips, and community h…

$500-$5K/month

$1.26M average annual revenue with potential $150-300K owner inco

Commercial and Residential Cleaning Franchise

Office cleaning, commercial cleaning, and short-term rental (Airbnb) turnover cleaning franchise. Very accessible entry …

$50K-$150K/year depending on event volume

Espresso catering business (acquisition)

Acquiring an existing 32-year-old mobile espresso catering business that serves offices, schools, and events. Charges ar…

$50K-$100K/year at 10+ cars per day

Car washing at Tesla supercharger stations

Washing cars at Tesla Supercharger stations while owners wait 30-35 minutes to charge. Use a two-bucket no-rinse system …

$3,000-$15,000/month scaling with additional cleaners

Local Cleaning Service

Start a residential deep cleaning business and generate leads through Facebook ads. Target homeowners with message-objec…

$1,000/day potential at full capacity ($25/person x 6-8 people x

Mobile Interactive Floor Tile Games

Buy interactive light-up floor tiles (similar to Activate Games) for under $15,000 and run a mobile or fixed-location ga…

$2K-$10K/month depending on volume

Junk Removal Business

Start a junk removal service charging customers to haul away unwanted items. Many items collected can be resold for addi…

BeginnerOfflineFree

Couch Flipping

Acquire free couches from junk removal clients or Facebook Marketplace free listings, photograph them on your trailer, a…

$500-$3K/month as side income

Per-use fees from each booth across multiple locations, scalable

Old-Timey Photo Booths in Bars and Venues

Buy old-timey photo booths (vintage-style with film/Polaroid prints) from China and place them in bars, malls, and other…

$5000-$10000/month as solo operator

Mobile Car Detailing

Mobile auto detailing business where you travel to customers to clean their vehicles. Start by distributing business car…