50 Creative Business Ideas for Entrepreneurs



50 Business Ideas for Creative Entrepreneurs

If you consider yourself to be creative, then you’ve already got one of the essential traits of a successful entrepreneur. But you can use your creativity for more than just building a business plan and solving problems. You can actually build a business that’s fully centered around creativity. Here are 50 unique business ideas for creative entrepreneurs.



Creative Small Business Ideas for Entrepreneurs

Art Seller

If you’re a visual artist, you can create original drawings, paintings or prints of your work and build a business around selling them. You can go to local art fairs or sell on sites like Etsy.

Wedding Photographer

If photography is more your medium, providing photography services at weddings can be a lucrative business.

Jewelry Maker

You can also use your creativity to craft wearable art like necklaces and earings. You can use wire, beads or any number of other materials to put together jewelry and then sell it online or in local boutiques or at events.

Logo Designer

For creative entrepreneurs that want to work with other business owners, you can offer design services where you help businesses design basic branding materials like logos.

Musician

Creative Entrepreneurs - Musican



If you play any instruments or are musically inclined, you can build a business as a musician. You can either play at local venues or produce albums to sell.

Blogger

Writers or creative content creators, blogging is a viable business opportunity for entrepreneurs in a variety of different fields and areas of interest.

Mobile App Designer

For those who are at least somewhat tech savvy, app creation has turned into a huge field in recent years. You can offer your services designing apps for businesses or even create your own apps to sell.

Vintage Reseller

You don’t have to actually make your own products in order to showcase your creativity. You can curate vintage or secondhand items and then use your photography and writing skills to sell or showcase those items to potential customers online.



Interior Designer

Business Ideas - Interior Designer

If you have a keen eye for design and home décor, you may be able to build a business working with interior design clients.

Landscape Designer

Or if you prefer the outdoors, you could instead work with clients to design their landscaping and outdoor spaces.

Home Stager

You could even get a little more specific and work with homeowners or realtors who are looking to sell their spaces and just want them temporarily staged so they’ll appeal to more buyers.



Art Dealer

You can also use curation skills to start a business as an art dealer. You just need a keen eye for art and enough resources to procure some artistic pieces.

Airbrush Artist

Creative Entrepreneurs - Airbrush Artist

Airbrushing is a popular artform that can translate to a lot of different mediums. You can use your airbrushing talents to customize t-shirts and accessories and sell them online or in local markets.

Clothing Designer

You could also design clothing items from scratch and then work to get your line featured in stores or boutiques or even start your own.



Personal Stylist

If you don’t necessarily want to design the clothes but you still have a passion for fashion, you can build a business working as a personal stylist to help clients shop and put together outfits.

Portrait Photographer

For photographers who are more interested in staged photo shoots, you can build a business as a portrait photographer and work with clients for things like senior pictures, family photos, head shots or even pet photos.

Caricature Artist

If you prefer drawing and you have a bit of a sense of humor, you could turn that skill into work as a caricature artist at local events or venues and show off your talent to paying customers.

Prop Stylist

Photographers, event planners and other types of businesses could sometimes use help styling their photo shoots or spaces. So you can build a business as a prop stylist who comes in and arranges items in a way that’s visually pleasing.



Tattoo Artist

Tattooing is an ancient art that remains popular with a wide variety of people. If you’ve got the artistic sense and the training, you can build a successful business providing tattoos for clients.

Hair Stylist

There’s a lot of potential for creativity when it comes to being a hairstylist. You can offer a rang of cuts, updos and even coloring services.

Makeup Artist

Makeup is another area that requires a lot of creativity. You can start a salon type of business or even just travel to work with clients at their location.

T-shirt Designer

Got a cool idea for a t-shirt? You can really easily build a business selling t-shirts that you’ve designed by using online platforms like Redbubble or Cafepress.



eBook Author

If storytelling is more your cup of tea, you can write your own books and then self-publish them online as ebooks.

Website Designer

Web design continues to be a huge growing field. You can build a web design business by working with clients to build custom websites or even sell pre-made templates on sites like Etsy.

Cake Decorator

Business Ideas - Cake Decorator

Food can be another great area for showcasing creativity. You can decorate wedding cakes and specialty desserts to really show off your artistic skills.



Face Painter

Fairs, birthday parties and other events will often feature face painters and similar activities for kids. If you enjoy that type of atmosphere, you can offer your services to clients in your area.

Video Producer

Online video is a huge growing trend. You can build a business by producing your own videos and earning a share of ad revenue on YouTube or even work with other clients to help them with their video projects.

Tie Dye Artist

If you love the tie-dye look, you can use that art form on everything from t-shirts to socks and sell them online or at local events.

Balloon Sculpturer

Events also often feature balloon artists. You can offer your services to create balloon art for event attendees or even set up balloon installations as part of the event décor.



Card Designer

Cards and similar paper goods are still popular with some consumers. You can design your own cards and sell them online or in local paper goods stores.

Wood Worker

If you’re good with tools and enjoy putting things together, you can build and sell so many different items made out of wood, from small sculptures to intricate pieces of furniture.

Disc Jockey

Or if you enjoy music and working at events, you can build a business working with clients as a disc jockey for weddings or other gatherings.

Dance Teacher

There are so many different forms of dance you can learn and teach to clients. You can start a dance studio in your community and work with clients of all ages.



Music Teacher

Or you can teach people different musical instruments or even provide voice lessons to more musically inclined clients.

Voice Artist

Using your voice can also be considered a creative outlet. You can offer your services as a voice-over artist for advertisements or other materials.

Tailor

If you’re skilled with sewing and measuring, you can build a business as a custom tailor and work with clients to alter their clothing and accessories.

Custom Embroiderer

You can also work with clients to customize clothing and other items through embroidery. You can even work remotely and just have customers mail you their items since there isn’t any measuring involved.

Quilt Maker

Quilting is an intricate art form. But if you have the skills and the patience, you can make money selling your custom quilts to those who want really special gifts or customized items.

Knit Goods Seller

If you enjoy knitting, you can create handmade hats, scarves and other items and sell them online or at local craft fairs.

Candle Maker

Candles are popular gift items with many consumers. And you can get really creative customizing the scents and even colors of different candle products.

Basket Weaver

Basket making is another traditional art form to consider. You can make and sell baskets of all different shapes and sizes.

Pottery Maker

Or you can sculpt custom dishware and décor items out of clay and glaze them in various colors.

Calligrapher

You can also build a business as a calligrapher. You can offer your services to anyone from businesses looking for traditional lettering for marketing materials to couples who want an extra special touch for their wedding invitations.

Children’s Book Author

Children’s books offer a lot of opportunities for creativity. You can get creative with the storytelling and you can also put together original illustrations to appear throughout the book.

House Painter

If you enjoy painting large-scale projects, what better canvas is there than a house? You can offer your services to homeowners looking to paint the outside of their homes or even specific rooms on the inside.

Soap Maker

Soap is another product that allows you to get creative with both scents and aesthetics. You can make various soap and beauty products to sell online or at local events.

Bag Designer

If you enjoy designing and putting together accessories, you can build a successful business as a handbag designer and sell your creations online or get them into local boutiques.

Printable Seller

If you want to design artwork but don’t necessarily want to produce or ship it in a physical form, you can offer to sell your work in a digital form and then just allow your customers to print it themselves.

Book Binder

Book binding is an older art form. But you can still build a business around it by offering your services to independent authors or businesses or even creating your own handmade journals or sketchbooks for sale.

Art Supply Store Owner

Or if you want to use your love for art and creativity to help others showcase their own talents, you can open a store that sells various art supplies and creative materials.

For more see our article on Small Business Ideas for Beginners.

Images: Shutterstock


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Annie Pilon Annie Pilon is a Senior Staff Writer for Small Business Trends, covering entrepreneur profiles, interviews, feature stories, community news and in-depth, expert-based guides. When she’s not writing she can be found exploring all that her home state of Michigan has to offer.

11 Reactions
  1. An art seller is good. But if you are really creative, I suggest that you have your art in different platforms – digital or in merchandise for a wider market.

  2. Interesting to see that book binder is listed. My father knows how to bind a book.

    I like the blogger business idea! 😉 I am participating in a course called, How to Start a Blog That Matters.

  3. Got some for your list: Pet Clothes Designer, One of a kind cellphone case designer, Terrarium Maker, Body painter 🙂

    Thanks for these business ideas, Annie!

    I’m sharing this so that others can add to the list 🙂

  4. Thanks for this list of ideas! It’s really helping me get the entrepreneurial juices flowing! I think a good place to start is thinking about current hobbies you have and things you love to do, then doing some research and finding out if there is a niche for your hobby/service/product that you would generate a business around, and then seeing if there are potential competitors in that field and how you could provide a singular experience compared to what is already out there.

    I always say you are never going to know until you try! So make sure you are passionate and determined and willing to try, learn and grow. The possibilities are endless, just keep on going! Some great resources I use to grow as an entrepreneur are Skillshare and I listen to a ton of podcasts, especially while I drive. My current favorite is “A Conversation Among Friends” by BobOlmsteadInk.com this one has really helped me grow my mindset as an entrepreneur and helped reignite a spirit that was beginning to burn out.

    Good luck out there fellow entrepreneurs!

  5. My sister has been able to take her writing skills and essentially run her own writing company, where she produces blogs for business owners all over the world. It really is true that if you have a creative skill that is in demand, you’ve got a fantastic opportunity right in front of you!

  6. This is a great list of creative business ideas. Many people are creative but don’t class themselves as creative enough to pursue it as a business. I hope this list help many to see what they do naturally as a gift that should be shared with others.

  7. I want to start something of my own but I am contemplating between Interior Design and Party Decor. Is there anyway I can merge the two.

  8. I’m an undergraduate interior designer and your articles motivate me a lot. Keep sharing such useful posts 🙂

  9. Thanks for share these wonderfull ideas

  10. Thanks for sharing such good ideas…