When Dolly Parton sang about working nine to five, it was a sentiment that many Americans could relate to. Really, it’s enough to drive you crazy if you let it, and because of this, more and more people are looking for ways to break the mold and become their own bosses.
If this sounds like you, then you might be wondering how you can get started and which fields are the best when it comes to starting your own business. Fortunately, there is no shortage of great career choices for those looking to break away from the standard nine to five.
The Benefits of Being Your Own Boss
Before we dive into the best businesses to be your own boss, let’s look at how being the boss can benefit you.
1. Do Something You Love
Being your own boss and starting your own business can allow you to start doing something you love. When the work you do makes you happy, is it really even work at all?
By choosing to invest in a business that you are passionate about, you can wake up every morning knowing that you’re making a difference and not just putting in hours because you’re scheduled to. For many people, the ability to do something they love makes a world of difference in their overall happiness.
2. Flexible Work Locations
Being your own boss also gives you the ability to choose where you work, whether this means working from home or renting a location nearby that you can fix up and make your own shop. You have control, and you get to decide where you set up your office.
Even if you do have a brick-and-mortar location, as the boss, you can choose to work from home if you can’t — or don’t want — to come into the office.
3. Autonomy
As your own boss, you get to call all of the shots. This gives you complete autonomy over your business, and you get to decide all of its aspects. For instance, you can choose where you source products from, who you hire, and who your clients are. Although every company will benefit from teamwork, at the end of the day, knowing that you have the final decision can be important for many people.
Many Benefits
These are just three of the numerous benefits that being your own boss can provide. While many responsibilities can come with running your own business, the advantages can often overshadow this, especially if you are doing something you love.
The Best Businesses To Be Your Own Boss
Now that you know the benefits of being your own boss, let’s look at eight of the best businesses to be your own boss in.
1. Medical Supplies
Starting a medical supply business is an option to consider if you are looking for one of the best businesses to be your own boss. Whether you open a storefront or you sell exclusively online, this type of business can give you both security and flexibility. Medical supplies are always in demand, and by becoming a supplier, you can tap into this and grow your business quite effectively.
First, you’ll need to contact either your state’s public health or medical board to find out if you need any specific licenses for the supplies you’re looking to sell. This is usually only needed by businesses specializing in selling specific types of medical equipment, such as lift chairs or bed rails.
Once you have determined this, you’ll also need permits from your city or state so that you can start your own retail business. This can include a resale permit, a tax permit, a business certificate, or an employer identification number.
Depending on what you’re planning on selling, you may also wish to lease a warehouse or temperature-controlled storage space to ensure that your supplies stay viable, secure, and contaminated.
To start purchasing equipment to sell, open a wholesale account with a distributor and start advertising. To get your business off the ground, you could even start by giving deals and incentives to medical professionals.
2. Farming and Agriculture
If you have a green thumb, starting a farming business may be good for you. While it can be hard work, it can also be immensely rewarding.
To get started, you’ll want to identify the niche you want to cover. For instance, do you want to have a hobby farm or a fully-fledged commercial farm? Will you be farming animals or crops? Which kind? Where you live and the space that you have to work in will factor largely into this decision.
If possible, see if you can find a farming mentor. Farming can be a tricky business, and if you didn’t grow up doing it, there is a lot to learn. Consider speaking with a seasoned farmer to gain an insight into how you can best begin your business. If possible, see if you can spend a season helping around their farm to gain first-hand experience. You’ll also want to invest in farm insurance to make sure your business is covered if something happens.
Once you’ve gotten all of this nailed down, it’s time to consider how you’ll be bringing your products to market. For instance, if you’re selling large quantities of crops, you’ll most likely need to store them in silos, and if you’re running a hobby farm packaging your own goods, you’ll need packing materials, storage, and labels.
3. Interior Design
For those with design skills, interior design could be one of the best businesses to be your own boss in. However, to be labeled as an interior designer, you will need a degree, which makes starting a business like this a bigger investment. However, if it is something that you are passionate about, it can be well worth it.
Being an interior designer will require a great deal of knowledge about different materials, such as hardwood flooring versus linoleum or laminate. You’ll also need to know specifics about what designs are best suited for different rooms and different styles. For example, how window blinds can create a different feeling to a room when compared to thicker drapes or curtains.
Many interior designers also choose to use their own names as the name of their business or combine it with a phrase such as, ‘Designs By [Your Name].’ When setting up your business, you’ll need to officially register your chosen name and choose whether you want to operate as an LLC, sole proprietorship, or corporation. You’ll also need to register and get an EIN so that you can file business taxes, hire employees if needed, and officially open your business.
Some states may also require you to have an interior design license as well. Make sure to check your state’s specifications before getting started.
Once the foundation of your business is built, you’ll need to connect with suppliers and customers. In some cases, you can start with friends, family, or acquaintances to help build your portfolio.
4. Automotive
Another one of the best businesses to be your own boss in is automotive. Almost everyone has cars, and they are all going to need work sooner or later. When thinking about starting an automotive business, consider what type of shop you’d like to open. Many auto shops specialize in a particular niche, such as auto body collision repair, brakes, or engine repair.
Think about what kind of repair you are most trained in and what you feel most comfortable working with. Once you have this in mind, you can start coming up with your own business plan and scouting a location to set up shop.
However, since more and more people are on the go, mobile mechanics are becoming increasingly popular—especially those who change tires, as many car owners don’t know this skill. If you don’t want to set up a shop, you can instead consider offering mobile services like this.
As the boss of an auto shop, you may also want to consider hiring other mechanics at one point or another, particularly if you want to expand your services.
5. Construction
Construction is another one of the best businesses to be your own boss in, and it can offer a lot of opportunities. Consider the type of construction you would like to specialize in. For instance, do you want to function as a commercial garage door repair service, a remodeling specialist, a deck builder, or a commercial construction service?
Research the construction market in your area and see where the most potential is. Some niches may already be oversaturated, so you’ll want something that will set you apart from competitors. To do this, you could consider working alongside other local businesses such as septic companies, interior designers, or landscapers. Making connections like this can give you a wider range of clients to work with.
Once you find out how you want to function, you can use that to start writing your business plan and then register your business so that you can function legally. Know what licenses, insurance, and permits you’ll need before booking any appointments so that you can stay safe, legal, and covered while getting started.
6. Beauty
Starting your own hair salon is another of the best businesses to be your own boss in, and it can be surprisingly easy. While you will need to be a licensed hairstylist to work legally, once you have that, you’ll need a lot of what the other businesses on this list need. For instance, a legal structure, a registered name, an operating license, and insurance.
What makes opening a hair salon easier than a few of these other businesses is that where you operate can be very flexible. For instance, you can choose to offer mobile services where you visit clients in their homes, open a dedicated salon space, or work out of your own home.
Being a hairstylist offers you many opportunities to grow and work the way you want.
7. Web Designer
Web designers can benefit from working from the comfort of their own homes, and with the right portfolio, some even freelance their services to numerous customers. Once you’ve set up your business and registered it, you can start marketing yourself to clients.
To find clients, you can set up your own website and start building your online presence. To get as many clients as possible, make sure to design your website to stand out and highlight what you can do. Implement SEO so that your site is easy to find, and consider advertising on social media to reach a wider audience.
You can also reach out to clients yourself and inform them of what you can do for them. For instance, if you notice an online website for a bail bonds service is hard to navigate and clunky, you can reach out and describe the faults you’ve noticed and how you can improve them. Proposals like this can be a great way to get your name out there and connect with companies who otherwise may not have heard of you.
8. Food Service
If you love cooking, starting a food business can be one of the best businesses to be your own boss in. To get started on this, you’ll need to pinpoint what you are serving and nail down how to make it consistently. Think of your business plan, the costs, where you’ll be selling from, and what type of restaurant you want it to be. Set up connections with trustworthy suppliers who can supply you with top-tier ingredients and, if possible, look for suppliers who offer locally produced foods.
Once you have supplies and the type of restaurant you want in mind, make sure you get all the licenses you’ll need and decide where you want to operate from. You may also want to hire additional staff to ensure that your restaurant can run efficiently.
Couple this with effective advertising, and you can turn your secret recipe for juicy beef burgers into a worthwhile and profitable business.
A Business You Can Take Pride In
If you are tired of working for someone else, consider how these eight fields can enable you to become your own boss. While these aren’t all of the jobs available that offer these opportunities, they are some of the best. Consider your strengths, passions, and interests when deciding which fields you want to branch out into. While starting your own business can feel like an uphill climb at first, once you start making a living doing what you love, you’ll be glad that you took the plunge.
