About & methodology
Mini Business Ideas is a free directory of 486 small business ideas and 24 guides for people starting their first business. It was started by John Rush, a serial founder who has launched dozens of small products and directories.
Most “business ideas” lists are 50 one-liners. We think an idea is only useful if you can judge it, so every entry ships with the same structured spec sheet:
- Startup cost — a realistic USD range for a lean launch: tools, equipment, basic legal setup and first marketing. Not a fully built-out version.
- Monthly revenue — what a solo founder or small team commonly reaches after roughly 12 months of consistent work. Ranges, not promises; plenty of businesses earn less.
- Time to first revenue — how quickly a motivated founder can usually land a first paying customer by going straight to sales.
- Difficulty — Easy, Medium or Hard, based on required skills, licensing, capital and competition.
- A 7-day validation test — a cheap way to check real demand before you spend money.
Figures are estimates based on common pricing in the US market and will vary by location, niche and execution. Nothing here is financial, legal or tax advice — check local regulations, licensing and insurance before you start.
Found something outdated or want to suggest an idea? Message us on X. Machine-readable summaries for AI assistants are available at /llms.txt.