42 Small Business Ideas in the Philippines for 2018

Are you planning to start a business in 2018 but still confused about what business idea is best for you? Well, worry no more because I am going to give you a list of best small business ideas in 2018 that will surely help you decide  what business to engage  this year.

Experts also believe that 2018 will be the best year for entrepreneurs.  Keeping an eye on key trends and new development is indeed very important  for anyone who wants to start a business.  There are several factors why 2018 is apt for entrepreneurs such as the adoption of advanced technologies, growing population, penetration of internet to distant regions, increasing number of dual families, income hikes, increasing political will in the government, millennials, etc.

So, since this year  will foster a favorable ambiance for entrepreneurs, here are some list of business ideas in the Philippines this 2018.

1. Photography business
If you can capture beautiful photos of people, places, events , know how to edit it using Photoshop or Lightroom  and owns a DSLR camera, you can build your own small business. The first thing you just have to do is to create your own portfolio of stunning photos and outstanding projects.

There are actually a lot of things you can do to make money in your photography business such as stock photos where you can submit photos to a variety of stock photography websites and photography services where you can either build your own team and a lot more.

Also read: How to Start a Photography Business in the Philippines

2. Photo booths
Filipinos love to take photos and share it on social media. And there’s another trend to make special occasions or parties more fun . Photo booth is just like karaoke booth however, you need to invest money to buy equipment for this such as printer, laptop, DSLR, etc. You also need to have some photo  editing skills so you can create templates for your clients and this kind of business is booming because Filipinos are fond of parties and taking photos.

3. Dance instructor
Zumba has now becoming popular in the Philippines especially for the moms at home. This is another way for the mothers to socialize with other mothers,  it releases their stress and a good way to stay fit as well. If you have a talent in dancing this could be a good source of income which only takes  two hours teaching Zumba or other dance. You can also organized workshops for kids and adults

4. Internet cafe business
If you think you have a good  place to put up a business like this, then you might want to try it. Since most of the computer shops nowadays are accommodated by students, this is a good opportunity to build your own business. However, the only thing you need here is quite a big amount of investment capital because you need several computers which is quite expensive.

5. T-Shirt printing business
T-shirt printing is indeed a growing business that will never get old. There are actually a lot of ways you can market a T-shirt business. All you need to have are designs people love, a brand people cherish and quality people trust.  You can make a living out of this business and if you want your business to grow, you can create your own Facebook page or website to market and sell your customize shirts.

6. Catering Service
Filipinos love to prepare and serve food to guests most especially if there are special occasions. However, cooking and serving food can be a bit of exhausting. Thus the only solution for this is to call a catering service provider.

Though,  this type of business also requires a lot of money at first, since you need to buy equipment for this such as tables, chairs and table cloth with various colors.  But once you get enough clients,  your business will soon pick up.

7. Blogging and online publishing
Blogging could help you discover through social media. Since people are now more exposed to social networking sites this is also a good advantage if you want to take a business opportunity in blogging. And if you create more traffic on your web site then you’ll earn from it.

8. Online shop/ online Selling
More than 3 billion people are online every day and the internet offers a wide opportunity for online businesses.  If you want to set up an online business all you need are a computer, a good internet connection, website, merchant account with bank and a trustworthy suppliers. It doesn’t also require a large investment so you don’t have to worry about building your online shop to sell your own products which may include consumable items, apparels, and others.

9. Web design and development 
This is another kind of online job where their task is to create a website, create templates and themes then sell it.  You just need to have good technical and negotiation skills to make a good business out of it. Once you’ve find yourself loaded with web development works you may outsource other jobs to people while getting commission out of it.  However, if you want it to put it to the next level you can build your own web design or development agency.

10. Tarpaulin/banner printing
If you want to start a tarpaulin printing business, events like birthday parties, debut or congratulatory banners, election period and many more are your target market. This type of business can make a living, same as T-shirt printing business if you want your business to grow you can create your own Facebook page or website to market and sell your tarpaulins.

11. Convenience store
Convenience store can serve the customers 24 hours in a day. If you live in a place where people are still working and active at night, this kind of store might be the one that they are looking for. People would want that their basic needs is already provided near their homes or workplace so they wouldn’t have to stock up plenty items that might in the end get spoiled or rotten in the storage.

12. Real estate brokerage and management
This is one of the most profitable  business ideas you can start in the Philippines. Since many Filipinos owned condos and other real properties, you can help them manage , sell and lease out their real estate investments.

People who are looking for properties to buy never ends and this is why it’s a perfect business for you. And if you want to bring it to the next level, you can take Licence examination for real estate broker. This can be competitive but if right connection is established, one sale can make you financially stable.

13. Load retailer business
Since everyone has cell phones these days and prepaid load is a valuable commodity in the Philippines, this can be a good sideline or business. The good thing about this kind of business is you don’t have to shell out a lot of money and you can sell load anywhere you go.

Nowadays, you can also sell loads like ABSCBN/iWANT TV loads.

14. Meat shop
If you want to start this kind of business, you need to consider the right location, target market, supplier and competition. Meat is indeed one of the most basic needs of Filipinos and  is one of the best business choices for those who want to be entrepreneurs because this is just very simple, profitable and the demand is stable. You just need to gather sufficient funds for starting the venture, get an ideal location, proper facilities and equipment.

15. Car wash business
More Filipinos are becoming car owners and this is probably one of the reasons of traffic congestion in Metro Manila but of course these cars also needs to clean up. Thus, planning to start a car wash business is good and a great opportunity as well since car industry is growing.

16. Poultry business
If you have a backyard and you’re into taking animals, you may want to try putting up a poultry business. This type of business requires a not so high investment, you can easily start a business with a minimum amount of money. However, this is profitable and you may want to start things out at your backyard then move on to a larger area if you think you can already push it to the next level.

17. Food cart business
Filipinos loves to eat! and choosing what business to start should be something that is in demand to people. There will always be an active market for food based businesses and has always been profitable. However, you just have to shell out some more cash to maintain and to expand your business. There may be different food businesses now but if you can win your competitors then surely your business will grow.

18. Rice retailing business
Rice will always be in demand since this is our staple diet and a necessity. Starting this kind of business, one must secure a license from the National Food Authority (NFA). Hence, engaging this kind of business is also lucrative since everyone from this country eat rice.

19. Pet Shop
Filipinos are pet lovers and the pet owners community is indeed growing.  Thus, putting up a business like this will surely boost, since there are a lot of Filipinos interested to pets. All you just have to do is start buying pet foods, supplements, grooming tools cages, etc. to simply start your business. You can also sell and breed cats, puppies, birds, reptiles aquarium fish and a lot more. Just make sure that you have all the licenses to breed and sell them.

20. Street food business
One of the most popular street food among Filipinos is “Isaw”  or grilled intestines. This industry is indeed growing at 20% year-on-year and buyers are attracted by the country’s growing number of urban street markets.  Not like other businesses, you can start at a low cost but profitable business.

21. Travel agency business
Filipinos also love to travel and there is no doubt that the number of people travelling is indeed growing. Putting up a business like this is now possible with a low capital.  You just need to apply for the necessary papers, learn different marketing  strategies and you can earn big from this kind of business.

22. Recreation business
If you have a hobby in any kind of sports or if you are a sporty type person, this is a good business opportunity for you. Due to busier lifestyle people want to enjoy and relieve their stress by engaging to different sports, hobbies and other recreational activities such as biking, body building, backpacking, archery, air gun and go kart racing.

23. Book keeping business
This is one of the profitable and in-demand kind of business opportunity that might fit for you. If you are good at organizing financial information and performs well in accounting and government compliance duties, this is probably a good business opportunity for you. Since many of business owners find it as a burden processing papers, you can help them ease the process and make it as a business.

24. Tutorial business
This kind of business doesn’t really require a lot of money but of course, you need to have the skills. So if you think that you can impart knowledge to students then a tutorial business is surely perfect for you. You can provide tutorial services for kids so that they’ll be more advanced in their lessons.

25. Rental business
If you have something  like instruments, car, gadgets gowns or anything that other people may rent for a day or occasional purposes, why not try to put up a rental business. It doesn’t require much money, all you need to have are things that people may rent.

26. Laundry shop business
People are indeed busy with their careers and families as well, they might not have enough time to do the laundry. Thus, a laundry shop is a perfect business for you most especially in busy towns and cities.

27. Water station business
If you are living in a place where there is still no water station or if it is far from a water station then, it is an opportunity for you to first  put up a business there. Water station is indeed profitable thought you just need quite a big amount of capital to start this kind of business but it is easy to get your investment back .

28. Baking cakes and cupcakes
You probably have the knack  for baking, then why not make a business out of it? All you have to do is buy ingredients and bake a tasty fluffy cupcakes and promote it on social media. You can always bring your passion or hobby to the next level if you may want to earn and build your own business.

29. Barber shop
You can start this kind of business with a set of scissors, comb, mirror and razor. You just need to have an experience with this kind of business, like even a little knowledge about the different hairstyles  and build a confidence to do the haircut.

30 Gadget repair services
If you have a background in electronics, you can put up an electronic repair shop business. All you need to consider in this kind of business are conducive work area, repair tools, testing equipment, resource materials such as books, internet connection, electronics forums, electronics enthusiast friends, etc.

31. Handicrafts
If you are fond of creating awesome things out from the scratch, then it’s your turn to build your own business. The good thing about this kind of business is that, you can start right away because it’s easy to get materials for your business. You can actually recycle things out of junk perhaps making custom bracelets, origami or anything that is useful and catchy to the eyes of people. But the challenge here is that, you need to exert effort and time for this kind of business.

32. Ukay-Ukay business
Filipinos patronize this kind of business because this is cheaper rather than those clothes you buy on malls. Some of these clothes are used but imported from other countries and are still brand new but didn’t pass the export standard yet still good.

33. Computer services
Do you have knowledge or are you expert in solving computer problems? If you do then maybe this is now your time to make an investment in this kind of business. Many people are actually having troubles with their computers and this is your opportunity to show them your skills when it comes to computers. Hence, the only challenge here is meeting the deadlines most especially if you already have a lot of clients.

34. Shoe repair business
Shoes are essential to our daily living. We use it in schools, office and everywhere. We love our shoes and we want to take care of them. There will always be a demand for someone who can repair damaged shoes.

35. Pet grooming services
Since Filipinos are pet lovers but majority of pet owners doesn’t have time and are not keen on grooming their pets, this is your chance to build a business for pets grooming. You just need to have all the right knowledge and skills on pet grooming.

36. Fitness coach
People are becoming more conscious about their health, most especially with their weights. So if you have a knowledge on fitness coaching then, this is a good opportunity for you since fitness coaches have seen a big demand for fitness programs.

37. Event planning services
This kind of business doesn’t require big investment since the only thing you need to do is to coordinate the party needs provider, event location, catering and other things like deciding on what design or theme will fit. Your target market in this kind of business are weddings, birthday parties, family gatherings and the like.

38. Health and wellness products
These products are quite common and there are a lot of companies engaging into this kind of business. This is because most of the people nowadays are prone to stress due to the modern lifestyle. Thus, this is another type of business you might want to engage in the future.

39. Selling native delicacies
Filipinos love to eat “Kakanin”. Some of these “kakanin”/ delicacies  are puto, bibingka, suman, biko and many more. However the disadvantage of this kind of business is that these are perishable and should be sold within the day. But this is a good business as well most especially for tourists who also patronize “kakanin” (delicacies).

40. Candle making business
With a low cost of investment you can already start your candle making business. Since candles are used in different kinds of occasions  and people still use this in different purposes, this is probably a business you might want to try this year.

41. Adventure tour business
There’s a lot of business opportunities in Philippines tourism now that it is continuously booming. If you love your province and you are very familiar with its tourist and adventure spots, like caves, waterfalls and islands, you can offer adventure tour business to tourists local and abroad. Having a website or a social media page can greatly help you become reachable by your target tourist clients. You can also coordinate with the Department of Tourism to be an accredited tour guide.

42. Manufacturing or selling ready-to-assemble furniture
Ready-to-assemble home and office furniture are now popular among consumers since they are affordable and efficient. You can either manufacture them if you have the skills or just buy them from a supplier and retail them in your local market. These types of furniture help consumers save money since they will also be the ones who will assemble them. They can also transport them in their own since they are less bulky than the assembled furniture.

There you are. I hope you have gotten some ideas that will help you decide what business to pursue. Do you have any other business idea that you think we have missed in the list? Feel free to share it in the comments.