It is more difficult for a person who wants to open his own business in a small town to navigate the market conditions than for a novice businessman from a metropolis. The number of potential consumers is limited, the choice of premises that can be rented is small, and administrative barriers sometimes seem insurmountable. Nevertheless, it is possible to become an entrepreneur in a small town.
Many successful businessmen who have made careers in a wide variety of industries started out as small traders. This type of activity, if you correctly determine the needs of the residents of your town, allows you to quickly return your investment, make a profit, expand your business or switch to another, more promising type of activity. Explore the range of retail outlets located in your town. Chain stores operate even in small towns. They, of course, satisfy most of the needs of the population, but if you wish, you can find an unoccupied niche. Try to choose goods that you need all the time: cheaper than those of chain stores, food, underwear, cosmetics, building materials, etc.
If it is possible to rent or buy a room located next to a busy road, train station or bus station, you can organize a cafe or a small restaurant. In such a place, services related to transport are also in demand - gas station, car wash, tire fitting, minor car repairs. A small workshop can be combined with a store selling related products.
In a small town, you can organize a service business. See if you have enough hairdressing, manicure and massage parlors, beauty salons. These services are needed all the time, so an enterprising and energetic person has a lot to turn around.
If there is a large enterprise in the neighborhood, it is possible to organize a related production, where surplus raw materials or waste from the main one are used. For example, a small workshop for the production of furniture or souvenirs can be successfully developed in the vicinity of a woodworking plant. It is in small towns that there are usually city-forming enterprises. It can be not only factories and plants, but also research institutes, so organizing a small science-intensive production will also not present insurmountable problems. Small businesses in these conditions produce very interesting things, from laser-cut souvenirs to medical isotopes. By the way, it is possible that there will be an opportunity to use the sales channels already worked out by the main enterprise.
You can try yourself in the culture or the entertainment industry. People get married, celebrate anniversaries, arrange children's parties. And a good animator or a toastmaster familiar to everyone can help them. Many scenarios have been written for all occasions, you just have to choose them and adapt them to the conditions of your town. First, hold a celebration with someone you know. If it succeeds, the path to the top is open. In small towns, such services do not even need advertising, rumors spread quickly, and people choose the organizer of the holidays on the advice of friends.
If there are interesting places in the city that can attract tourists, nothing prevents you from doing the excursion business. Develop original excursions, interactive games, figure out if there is the necessary infrastructure nearby - and get down to business. In many European countries, this is a trendy type of small business.
Before starting your own business, especially if it is related to production, contact your local government, the department for the development of the consumer market. You may be able to participate in regional small business support programs. These programs offer free tuition, preferential loans, and more. It is also useful to find out if there are business incubators in your city where you can get a premise on preferential terms at first, as well as accounting and legal support.
