In a country like India where there is so much unemployment; startups prove to be a great idea. While some people are pretty satisfied working for 9 to 5 jobs, or even for longer hours than that, some people want to set up their own business. People often think that there is much capital required in starting a business but this is not true, you can always start your business either online or offline with low investment.
Even some of the most popular entrepreneurs in the world started their business with very low investment. The best example is that of Facebook, it was started by Mark Zuckerberg and his college friends in a dorm room but is now one of the leading businesses in the world.
Here I have mentioned both low cost internet based businesses and low-cost offline businesses, so you can choose which suits you the most. These businesses are also the most profitable Indian businesses according to their start-up cost range.
1. Incense Stick Manufacturing
Incense stick also popularly known as Agarbatti has a special purpose in our community. It is being burnt in religious as well as social functions from centuries. It is used in Indian homes as a fragrant fumigant and is known to possess insecticidal and antiseptic properties. It is a labor-intensive cottage type of traditional industry. Agarbatti is being used by communities residing in India, Sri Lanka, Burma and by Indians residing abroad. Moreover, it is an export-oriented business. About 90 foreign countries are currently using agarbatti. It requires the use of low-level technology. Hence, can be easily taken to rural areas, thus, implementing the rural industrialization policy of the government to a large extent.
If you decide to manufacture 2,25,000 packets per month and sell them at a rate of Rs. 2.3 per packet then the minimum investment required would be around Rs. 4,93,113 which includes all the expenses(cost of machinery, working capital, production cost and other expenses). This would lead you to a net profit of 7.11% with an ROI of 30.94% per annum. This is the reason due to which Incense making is one of the most profitable businesses in India if we consider all the low investment businesses. Most of the raw materials can be acquired from Mysore and Bangalore.
2. Bus Service Website
This is a low-cost internet based business which can make you a millionaire. As 90% people travel by buses in India and people always prefer to know beforehand the schedule of buses and all the details related to them like ticket rates, bus route, etc. So it can really be an extremely profitable business and that too with a very low investment if you allow people to book buses from your website or an app.
A bus service website like Redbus.in which provides details regarding all this would prove to be very useful. It shall also provide details of the channels from which the ticket can be booked or can earn their commission by booking the tickets themselves. This business requires an accurate knowledge of interstate and intercity bus routes. However, it is essential to have good IT skills to maintain the website and communicate with the customers. This business entails a minimum investment of Rs. 2,00,000 and the expected gross profit is close to 10%. The minimum interval needed to achieve break-even in this business is 5 months.
Related- Business in Budget of Rs 1000- Rs 25000
3. Housekeeping Services for Hotels
According to Federation of Hotel and Restaurant Association of India (FHRAI), India will need 15 million hotel rooms in all categories by 2020. So demand by hotel authorities to keep their rooms sparkling clean is paving the path for this business to grow. To succeed in this domain of business world you would require good communication and management skills. It calls for a low investment of Rs. 3,00,000 and provides a gross profit of almost 20%.
4. Shoe-Wash Company
In earlier days, people used to clean their shoes on their own but those were canvas shoes which could be cleaned using old toothbrushes and detergent. Nowadays people have started using trendy sneakers and they wish to maintain them properly. Thus, if you are an expert in the field i.e. possess a fair degree of marketing skills and knowledge of how to use chemicals then this business can turn out to be a great success giving you a gross profit of nearly 40% with a low investment of Rs 2,00,000-3,00,000 for a small scale business. There are total 1.25 billion of people and each person of India has 1 pair of shoe on an average, so this business can also prove be the most profitable business for you. Click Here to get details of this business.
5. Property Management
If you have a minimum start-up budget of Rs. 3,00,000 this business can prove to be very profitable. You just need to get hold of a proper workplace and be ready to take the responsibility of the detailed documentation procedures and documents of the clients. Thus, saving a lot of their time. The pre-requisite for this business is adequate sales and marketing skills. Moreover, you can expect to achieve a gross profit of around 50% and can attain the status of break-even within a month.
Related- Businesses in Budget of Rs 25000 to Rs 50000
6. Ultra-Short Temping Services
A lot of event management firms require manpower services on a temporary basis. As a part of this business, you can provide these services to these firms as well as household and companies which require manpower on the temporary basis. This profession can turn out to be a great success if you have got the skill of networking. You can expect a gross profit of approximately 20% with the break-even period close to 10 months and a minimum investment of Rs. 1,00,000.
7. Event Management
Event Managment has always remained the most profitable business in India. Be it a wedding ceremony or a company’s product launch or any other function, people prefer that it is organized and celebrated on grand scales. But the host may not have the time to attend to every little detail of the function. Creativity proves to be a big game in making this profession a successful one. With gross profits of almost 15% and a minimum investment of Rs. 4,00,000, this company can achieve the status of break-even depending on the quality of projects that it gets.
8. Pre-Recruitment Assessment
If you have a minimal startup budget of Rs. 5,00,000, this is a profitable business venture to invest into. Companies want to hire the best possible employee. You can help the companies by providing them with some services like creating a test at different levels and then evaluating the candidates based on their performance in these tests. However, you require a combination of good marketing and sales capabilities for good performance in this domain. The minimum breakthrough period is 2 months and you can succeed in getting a gross profit of nearly 25%.
9. Custom-made Gifts
In India, there is a tradition to exchange gifts on every occasion, be it a festival or a birthday. Gone are the days when people used to give traditional gifts. Nowadays, people prefer to give customised gifts as they attract more like customised jewelry, cards, customised videos, etc. It is essential that you have the knowledge of excellent gift makers in town. It is important that you should be creative, sensitive, understanding and seek innovative gifts. You can wrap the gifts in an eye-catching manner before sending it to your clients. It can take at least 3 months to achieve uniformity which can provide a gross profit of almost 20% with a minimum investment of Rs. 1,00,000. Click Here to get details on this business.
10. Online ads Service
With the boom in the IT sector, the demand for the online ads is increasing. Every person tries that the details of their products and services reach the target audience. For this, they are ready to pay the website owners who can provide them with an appropriate space. If you have good knowledge of networking and media planning and have contacts with the website owners, then this business can get you a gross profit of 20% with the minimum investment of Rs. 3,00,000 and the minimum time interval to attain parity is 1 year.
Related- Complete List of Business Ideas
11. Scrap Collection
There is an unorganized sector that comprises of rag pickers, local kabaris, intermediaries, recycling factories and affluent businessmen who work upon the task of scrap collection and earn their share of profit while running parallel to the MCD’s waste management system. It is a multi-crore business in which the informal waste collection and disposal sector work starts literally from scratch. If you decide to deal with the scrap then you can contact any manufacturing company and make a deal with them. You can collect their scrap materials and sell them at much higher rates to the industries or people who need it. For example, you come across an iron rod which is a scrap for the company. You buy it at a price of Rs. 10-12 per kg. However, the market price of it is Rs. 35 per kg. You sell it to a customer at the price of Rs. 25 per kg, thus earning your share of profit. You would have to collect scrap and classify the items according to their raw materials and purpose. The pre-requisite for this business is that the dealer should have the basic knowledge of the current price of each item and should know the buyer who would provide them with the best price. Scrap business can be started with a low investment of Rs 3,00,000 to buy the essential measuring instruments and to contact the dealers. The profitability of business will vary according to the item you deal with. But whatever items you will choose, this business will always remain profitable if you really give time to your business.
Pls send me more details
Sir, i am an unemployed in rural area. Want to start a poor helping business.
Mail Us what you wanna do and how you wanna do, will help in making your strategies better.
If you are from NCR then you can join our annual assistance plan also, in that case, we will help you in making your business profitable.
want to start sprouts growing & supllying business in Delhi NCR.GUIDE ME WITH ALL THE POTENTIAL BUYERS & TRADERS.
Check your email Kishor
Hi, lokesh Veena here my husband is planning to do some pattu saree taking order in large scale if u have any idea kindly let me know.
Hi Veena,
If you want fabric, color etc. related details then as of now I cannot help in it, will update you if in recent time I meet any saree business expert. But if you want to know how to sell your sarees or how to negotiate or how to deal with vendors then I can surely help.
I want to discuss more on business options. Plz contact me.
Hi Abhijit,
Either you can email me or you can join my fb group, I personally respond to each query there
https://www.facebook.com/groups/241558026284893/
Hi sir, I’m planning to start a scrap collection business. I want to know the full details.
I want to start incense making business. Please guide me.
Any business idea with low profits but more social service which can be started with a loaned investment of Rs. 70 Lacs?
Business to start near Sanganer- Jaipur (Rajasthan).
Start a good quality school with nominal fees.
hello ,
thanks for writing such an awesome article.. the most uncommon business is Shoe-Wash , I think it would be an attracted and new type of business ahead.
scrap collection is a good concept but i want the machinary to seprate scrap and classify it. i am looking to establish a polyster making plant from plastic bootle. please help
contact us on [email protected] with your brief idea or business plan, will help you personally.
I really liked the idea of Shoe-Wash business, can you help me in planning and understanding how can I get it started? Value your response.
Yeah sure,
Mail us with ur details, will help in setting up your business
hello ,
I really liked the idea of bus service website and really want to work on it will you please provide me all the details regarding this business.
Yeah Sure Chetanchawre,
We are working on it, will update you once we complete it
I would really love to manage events but want to have some ideas.
I am interested in housekeeping business can u tell in brief how to start?
Yeah sure
mail me your contact number, either me or my team member will call you for the same
Hi any business idea for IT people in india if they want to change there sector
I am working on it mam, will update you very soon. Meanwhile you can drop mail regarding your interest areas, your strengths and how much you can invest on our email id. Will contact you
Dear Sir, Please let me know about incense stick business and shoe wash company. Please guide me, I have dropped the email id to you.
You can check your email 🙂
Lokesh Tanwar Can u suggest me that from which business i earn more profit but investment is low? Palash
Hi Palash,
All the above-mentioned businesses can earn a good profit and all are low investment business ideas, but if you are still not satisfied then you can go to following the link where I have mentioned some awesome business ideas and I regularly update it.
http://www.businessalligators.com/business/business-ideas/
If you still feel unsatisfied after reading all these then you can email me anytime but while mailing please let us know about your qualities, strengths, interests etc so that we can help you in a better way.
Cheers 🙂
Hi, I want to know about incense stick business and shoe wash company. Please guide me in details plz.
Hi Ashish,
We have updated the article. Now you can check details about shoe wash business.
Hello sir.
Where I can get details of all these businesses on how to start and setup.
Can you provide some valuable information?
I need to start scrap collection business, can you provide details, analysis for same. please!!!!
Hello sir, please provide the full details about insence sticks to my mail.
Thanking you sir.
i want to do some creative business in fashion line..but not getting any idea for unique business..
i’m a single mother.
hi
can u help me how to go about shoe cleaning business
Yeah sure
Mail me how you want my help.
I’m Sridhar.M, Mr. Lokesh can you provide me details on how to get a wholesale vine (Drinks and beverages) license and also cost and investments for the business.
There are two option and vary State to State.
1. Fill the tender and best one will get the store.
2. Government finalizes a day for bidding and you can participate in that by submitting the fees of participation, the one with the highest bid will get the store.
Hope that will help.
Hello Mr. Lokesh,
Can you please suggest me good business idea under 2lac to 5lac investment. Right now I am running my Advertising Agency by the name of “The Brandistan”. But I would like to explore some other segment.
Your prompt and positive revert will be highly appreciated.
Regards
Vineet Kumar Shishodia
Hi Vineet,
Can you please let me know more about you?
Like why u want to be in 2nd business, the field of interest, your location etc.
If possible then mail me.
Thanks for the revert.. Actually every segment has it’s limitations and saturation points, so before reaching to those limitations i would like to explore some other opportunities which might be related to same segment or something else.
Your revert awaited.
Regards
Vineet Kumar Shishodia
hello ,
Thanks for writing this article. It’s Really Helpful.
Hello, just read all the posts I’m interested and planning to set up E-Waste procurement company! Can you please help me with the proper steps, which are to be followed! And any other details would be really helpful.
Regards,
Sharath Chandra Reddy.
Sure,
Connect me on email
Hello Mr. Lokesh,
Can you please help me out in starting up of incense manufacturing…Is this having scope in market?..If yes, please support me by providing good ideas.
You can start incense stick business, this business has a great scope.
And what idea you want from me?
Hi Lokesh Tanwar, do you have other trading business idea? Kindly let me know
You can check cutting tool or manufacturing consumable market. A bit hard to penetrate initially but extremely profitable and comfortable in long run.
If we start manufacturing incense sticks, then who will buy it ?.. Is Karnataka good in this business market.
You can sell it in two ways.
1. To whole sellers
2. Direct Customers
Now it will depend on how you want to operate your business.
Can you please provide me with buyers contact
In Karnataka I won’t be able to help. In case of Kaenata I can only guide you about basic rules of doing business. Rest you have to look after.
In NCR I can help but I charge for it.
Want to start up RO water plant and Restaurant Business in Visakhapatnam and Kolkata
Need Start up funding
Hi JR Kumar,
both the businesses are wonderful but you need to read these two articles first.
https://www.businessalligators.com/starting-a-business-basics-steps/
and
https://www.businessalligators.com/start-restaurant-business/
If still feel any need then you can contact me anytime.
Please let me know about incense stick business and shoe wash company. Please guide me, I have dropped the email id to you.Also let me know about professional photography & tour and travel guide.
Hi Sunny,
First I will advise you to choose one business. Once you finalize one then you can ask details of that business from me.
And I have already mentioned details of shoe cleaning business. You can click on the link which was mentioned in the article to read in detail.
Dear Sir,
I need business idea like mention in your site.
What’s stopping you from starting your business?
Hi Lokesh – Thank you for your article. V helpful. Can you pls give me your guidance towards starting Incense stick business.Thank you in advance.
hi my name is sapna .earning just 10000.rs month. want to earn extra.want to start business with low investment and sure income
Hi Sapna,
As you don’t have any startup idea or money to invest then you can start with Niche Blogging. Within 6-10 months you can start earning decent money if all worked out properly.
But choose a niche wisely.
hi i would like to know more about the shoe wash business.
Hi Manav,
You can check it here
https://www.businessalligators.com/start-shoe-laundry-business/
Dear sir,
I completed my graduation BE at 2011, i not getting proper job, I decided to do some business with low investment. Will you help me out which is the best business to start. I just confusing to take decision. Please help me out
Hi Veeresh,
Go to this link https://www.businessalligators.com/business/business-ideas/
I have mentioned many low investment business ideas here. If you still feel unsatisfied then you can mail me.
Please provide me with the details and the complete process of setting up a Scrap Collection business.
Thank you!
Hi Jitendra,
you can check it here https://www.businessalligators.com/start-waste-management-business/
hello sir iam from kashmir and i also wann start small bussiness. could u please suggest me what to do
Hello sir, this is Bharath, im interested to start paper bag manufacturing company, so please suggest how to build up company and what are the marketing techniques to improve business dynamically
Hi Bharat,
What is the process you are following to make your paper bag?
What is budget?
Sir, myself Pooja, I want to become an entrepreneur please give me some information regarding this.
Hi Pooja,
You can check this link
https://www.businessalligators.com/become-entrepreneur/
i want to started a bus booking app online service. piz provide me any suggestion.
It is a great business idea. Red bus worked on the same model and made a great business.
To start with you first need to develop a mobile app which is very easy to use and have to collaborate with bus owners of the different routes.
Start with a single and by showing your performance in that region raise funds and scale your business.
Sir, I am from Dehradun rural area, and want to start paper bag manufacturing unit in my area. How can I start?
Hi Prakash,
Please check this link, I have mentioned about paper bag business in this article
https://www.businessalligators.com/small-business-ideas/
Hi sir,
Please let me know about incense stick business and shoe wash company. Please guide me, I have dropped the email id to you.Also let me know about professional photography & tour and travel guide.
What you want to know about these businesses?
Dear Sir, Please let me know about incense stick business and shoe wash company. Please guide me, I have dropped the email id to you.
Very good work you have done sir… I appreciate your business ideas. Sir please make some articles on construction related products manufacturing. I’m contractor,I want to establish manufacturing business in construction field. Thank you
Thanks for appreciation Adil. Will surely research in construction field but meanwhile, you can contact me personally as I have worked in real estate also for 4-5 years so might be can help you 🙂
Dear Lokesh,
I wanna start an online business with Amazon, Flipkart. And I’m looking to start a travel please guide me
Hi Bala,
You can do business with Amazon and Flipkart in many ways and I am not sure how you are planning. You can start in the following ways
1. Become an affiliate marketer
2. Become an agency which helps other manufacturers/ offline sellers in selling their product online on ecommerce portals
3. Sell your own products online
4. Buy unique products from the market at cheap prices and then sell them online with a good margin
Sir my name is Sarav Mazumder and I am good at singing but I don’t have any source to prove my self.
Make pages on different social media websites and share your videos. If you are really good then people will follow you
Sir, I want to start a petrol pump business please guide me about this.
HI Lokesh,
I am a Kundan meena diamond polki jewelry manufacturer from Bikaner Rajasthan, but now not satisfied with my business. Can you suggest a nice business opportunity for me?
Please check my course Business Crux 1.0. In the course, I have explained how you can find the perfect million/billion dollar idea according to your capabilities and a lot more about achieving your dreams.
Hi sir
I am Maheshkumar Mirji completed BE Mechanical. Presently working in Godavari Bio-refineries Ltd Sameerwadi Mudhol(Tq) Bagalkot(Dist) (Sugar Factory) from last 7 years as a Jr. Officer (Design & Drawing). Have a good knowledge of Auto-Cad software and Strong enough to understand and analyze all kind of drawings. Looking for work where I can work from home. Like any drawing work through online.
You can start your website and can advertise to your target audience. At the same time signup for the website like Upwork, Freelance, Fiverr. If you want to build a business then focus more on getting clients from the website, else focus on getting clients from mentioned sites.