What kind of business can be opened in a small town - TOP-8 proven ideas

You will learn how to start your business from scratch in a small town and what to do to make it profitable. What business ideas with minimal investment are most justified in the province?

A small town is not a hindrance for large, and even more so for medium and small businesses. Entrepreneurial people are everywhere - if there is a desire, and you can realize your potential in a small village.

Do not rush to move to megacities - their smaller counterparts also need jobs and quality goods / services. In this article, we have prepared an overview of business ideas for small towns. These ideas are easy to implement and do not require large investments.

Business in a small town - how justified is it

Let's start with the fact that there is no clear definition of a "small" city. This concept is relative and largely subjective. For one businessman, these are places with a population of less than 50,000 inhabitants, the second one feels comfortable in cities with a population of 100,000-300,000 people, and for a third, even half a million will turn out to be small.

According to official data, only 37 out of 1,100 cities in Russia have a population of over 500,000. This means that we have many sites for building a small local business.

Most often, in such settlements, those who have lived in them all their lives or have relatives open their own businesses. But modern technologies allow you to set up a business almost anywhere and control it remotely in the future.

At the same time, minimal investments are required to open, since the cost of rent and the level of wages of workers in the province are an order of magnitude lower.

Small towns tend to lack infrastructure. People lack a variety of products, entertainment, services. If you live in such a town, you yourself will say with confidence what you lack as an inhabitant of it.

But what if you don't know the locality intimately enough to know about its problems? Any startup starts with an analysis. First you need to study the city and its infrastructure and find out what its inhabitants need.

We have selected several relevant areas that are well established in small towns.

Popular areas of business in the province

Consider the most popular areas of business in small towns.

Choose in these areas - you can't go wrong.

Services sector

Services are always and everywhere in demand by the population. But what is included in this broad concept? Hairdressing, legal, trucking, home training, etc. Within a small town, it is better to pay attention to the types of services that residents need regularly. Tire service, car service, shoe repair.

Whatever area you choose, you need to closely study your potential competitors and, if possible, collect “news from the fields” - find out what the residents do not like in their work, what needs to be improved and added.

Sale of goods

The most banal, but at the same time win-win option is a grocery store. In provincial cities, shops do not pamper residents with a variety of assortment, and federal grocery chains have not yet reached many.

In addition to basic necessities, residents lack quality clothing and footwear, household goods and other things. Market research will allow you to identify which areas are not covered and choose the right niche.

Production

Most often, small towns are located at some plant - a city-forming enterprise where most of the population works. Open your own production - not a factory, of course, but a small full-cycle enterprise. For example, a bakery - in many cities there are problems with quality bread. Take this niche, there will be no end to buyers.

In addition, the labor force is cheap and there will always be employees for a company that assembles shovels, for example, or the production of paving slabs. But then you will have to establish sales in other regions and district centers.

You will not only earn money, but also create additional jobs, and in case of great success, a family business that you will pass on to your children.

What kind of business can be opened in a small town - TOP 8 ideas that work

This is only an indicative list, which is not necessarily limited.

flower business

I want to voice an unusual, but interesting option for making money on flowers.

In small towns there are many private houses where industrious women compete in growing a wide variety of flowers. In the summer, organize the purchase of the most beautiful specimens for a small fee and make successful compositions from them. And in winter, engage in the traditional supply of flowers for the holidays and provide services for decorating weddings and other celebrations.

Renting premises

This profitable option is for those who have a free amount to buy residential or commercial space. Pay attention to the towns at the ski and traditional resorts - in the high season, daily rent is very in demand. And in the low season, you can rent the premises to business travelers.

The advantage of this option is that you will not lose your invested money in case of failure.

Commission shop

Since in most cases the level of wages and the purchasing power of the population are low, people more often have to turn to Second Hand stores.

Arranging the supply of things is not difficult, you just need to take into account the tastes of the population. If you want to expand your business, sell not only used clothes, but also other goods. A pawnshop becomes a logical continuation of such a business.

Repair of household appliances

In places with a population of more than 20,000 people, there are already stores of federal chains that sell modern household appliances - all kinds of multicookers, coffee machines and hobs.

Not every man knows how to repair newfangled appliances. Yes, and already well-worn microwaves and vacuum cleaners also need periodic maintenance. People here are more used to fixing a thing than throwing it away when it breaks. Therefore, the flow of customers to a good specialist is guaranteed.

Opening a private kindergarten or development center

If in large cities people pay from 10 thousand or more for a private garden, then here be prepared for lower bills. Nevertheless, private kindergartens are in great demand among the population against the background of the reduction of preschool institutions. Of course, in this case, it is necessary to carefully select staff and control nutrition.

In provincial cities, there is not enough variety of entertainment and educational programs for kids. Within the framework of the development center, several groups can be offered to choose from. The only question here is where to find competent personnel.

Now for kids there are a huge number of developmental programs that do not require special training - just love children.

Finger painting, sand therapy, baby yoga and the first steps in English will fit perfectly under one roof. Yes, and the traditional children's playroom will become a favorite pastime for mothers and babies.

Furniture repair

The low level of wages does not allow the inhabitants of the province to buy expensive modern furniture. However, everyone has a need for beautiful and high-quality things. If you have a friend with golden hands in mind, organize a tandem where you will organize the business and attract customers, and your friend will repair and update outdated furniture.

It is only necessary to purchase the necessary tools and materials, and send a friend to courses on upholstering upholstered furniture. This is a very profitable option, despite its apparent simplicity.

hairdressing services

It also happens that in small towns there are not enough beauty specialists. Hairdressing services will be in demand always and everywhere, as long as people's hair grows. But besides this, women love manicure, cosmetology, makeup.

If you have a degree in hairdressing and are leaning towards opening your own office, take courses in makeup or aesthetic cosmetology. So you will expand the list of your services, which means you will increase the number of customers.

Shops of the "All for 50" format

This is a real money magnet, especially in small towns. The biggest difficulty in organizing the work of such a store is the calculation of the profitability of sales, since the purchase cost of some goods is higher than the selling price.

This is compensated by a large margin on other groups of goods. You can start small by putting cheap and functional products on the shelves. And in the future, after studying the needs of the population, to supplement the assortment. And promoting such a store is as easy as shelling pears - housewives and word of mouth will do it for you.

There are other options: buying a franchise of a popular catering establishment such as KFS, a dumpling or pizzeria, a karaoke bar, a bowling alley or a dry cleaner, where they will help you at the opening stage. But they are quite expensive and have their own pitfalls, so we will leave them for another article.

Where to start - step by step instructions

The key to the success of any undertaking is a well-planned plan to achieve the goal.

Take advantage of expert knowledge.

Step 1. Choose a direction and analyze competitors

First, decide which direction will bring you more pleasure in your work. What can you do with enthusiasm?

After you find the answer to this question, answer the following one: will this case be useful and in demand in the location you have chosen?

If yes, then proceed to the study of competitors. The following indicators are important here: their location and distance from each other (it is better to visualize this on a map); level of service, price range and breadth of assortment.

All these indicators are best summarized in a comparative table that will clearly show the pros and cons of your competitors. Do not be too lazy to visit their establishments yourself and personally evaluate the work.

Step 2. We draw up a business plan

In a business plan, you need to take into account all the costs and prescribe all the steps to implement your idea.

First, write down each task in as much detail as possible and the time it takes to complete it:

search for suitable premises;
selection of employees;
search and purchase of equipment;
production of a sign;
what repairs need to be carried out in the room;
employee training;
registration of a legal entity - for a small business, an individual entrepreneur is enough.

Then do the costing.

Here are the main items of expenditure:

Rent.
Internal and external design of the point.
Equipment costs: Don't have to buy if you can rent.
Employee wages.
Advertising costs: outdoor advertising and advertising in social networks, posting ads, making booklets (optionally depending on the type of your business).

Step 3. Launching the project and looking for clients

After you have completed all the points of your business plan, decide what you will do yourself and what is better to entrust to contractors. Often start-up entrepreneurs take on the entire burden of tasks in order to reduce costs and fail.

If you don’t know how to attract customers to your All for 50 goods store, then trust in the hands of SMM specialists who will be able to show your store’s advertisement to the residents of the town.

How to properly analyze the market and competitors

Competitive analysis provides the basic information for drawing up a business plan based on market needs. A map of the location of competitors will help you choose the best location for your point.

Keep in mind that it is advantageous to be located next to related businesses. So, it is advisable to place a flower shop near a confectionery or alcohol store; tire fitting - next to the car service; furniture repair - next to a furniture store.

Competitive Comparison Table provides comprehensive information on what prices to set and what products or services to add to your assortment in order to outperform your competitors. To complete the picture, ask your friends or post a survey in the settlement group on social networks.

The more you know about your competitors, the better your chances of outperforming them.

How to grow your business

Competition in the provinces is often small but fierce. How you present yourself to the local community in the first place will play a key role in the future of your business. Therefore, always try to provide the highest quality service.

Large retail chains took the example from the West and were the first in the country to introduce service standards. It takes a long time for these standards to reach the provincial cities, and here people pay more attention to the courtesy of the staff and the quality of service.

Teach your employees to smile and wish you a good day - and soon you will notice how the number of regular customers has increased.

Conduct regular mystery shopper raids on the most brisk of competitors and apply the information you receive to improve your business.

You should not spread rumors like “one client told me that he bought an expired product from Vasily the other day,” if you can’t back them up with anything. Word of mouth in the villages works both ways, and in this way you will only ruin your reputation.

Loyalty programs work great in an environment of limited competition. Since there are not so many clients, try to look for an individual approach to each. Friendly attitude and individual privileges are the best engine of trade in such conditions.

What is the basis of a successful business in a small town

And a few other key success factors.

Memorize them and don't forget to put them into practice.

Availability of goods

Keeping in mind the level of wages and the purchasing power of the population, try to keep prices always at the same level. And take this into account when developing a price range - in the difficult conditions of small towns, price stability is important to people.

And do not forget that in a city that can be walked around in 30 minutes, it is not difficult to go to a nearby store where prices are lower.

Close attention to competitors

A small number of competitors is one of the main advantages of entrepreneurship in small towns. Always stay up to date with competitors and changes in their work. Any mistake by a competing firm is a chance to improve its performance.

Consistently good reputation

The opening of a new store is a big event for the life of a provincial settlement, so be prepared for close attention from the residents.

During this period, everything must be perfect - the quality of service and goods, the level of service and ongoing promotions. If you manage to win the favor of buyers at this stage, then the flow of regular customers is guaranteed to you.

A few more video ideas:

Conclusion

It is not necessary to live in a metropolis to open your own successful business. Quality and a serious approach to business are valued in any city. Technologies used in business today allow us to work from anywhere in the world.

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