Home-based business ideas

Print prototypes, spare parts, models and custom gifts on desktop 3D printers for students, engineers, shops and small manufacturers.

Install, service and repair air conditioners and refrigerators at customers' homes and shops with a small team and a set of tools.

Make raw agarbatti on automatic machines from premix powder and bamboo sticks; sell raw sticks to perfumers or scent and pack your own brand.

Offer threading, waxing, facials, hair care and bridal make-up from a small parlour or a room at home. Skill-based, with repeat customers.

Melt paraffin wax, mould plain and decorative candles on a simple machine and sell to shops, churches, decorators and gift buyers.

Supply and install CCTV cameras and recorders for homes, shops, societies and offices, and earn from equipment margin, labour and maintenance.

Make groundnut, sesame and dry-fruit chikki from roasted nuts and jaggery syrup, cut into bars and sell packed to shops and travellers.

Teach school or competitive-exam students in batches from a rented hall or a room at home. Income depends on results and reputation.

Make round and long cotton wicks for pooja lamps on a small machine at home, pack them in pouches and sell to pooja shops and wholesalers.

Fill online forms, deliver government and banking services as a Common Service Centre, and offer printing, scanning and internet access.

Look after infants and young children of working parents through the day in a safe, child-proofed space with trained caregivers.

Press sambrani (loban) cups and dhoop from powder mix on a cavity machine, dry, pack in boxes and sell to pooja shops and wholesalers.

Manage social media, online ads, search ranking and Google listings for local shops, clinics, classes and small brands on a monthly fee.

Spray pesticides and liquid fertiliser on farmers' fields with an agricultural drone, charging per acre, with a trained and certified pilot.

Make fashion jewellery by hand from beads, silk thread, terracotta or resin at home and sell online, at exhibitions and through boutiques.

Bake custom cakes, cupcakes, brownies and cookies to order from your home kitchen and sell through WhatsApp and Instagram.

Melt and mould compound chocolate into filled and flavoured pieces at home, pack them in gift boxes and sell for festivals and functions.

Send a trained team with machines to deep-clean homes, kitchens, bathrooms, sofas and offices, on single jobs and regular contracts.

Roll and roast thin wheat khakhra in plain, methi, jeera and masala flavours and sell packed to shops, sweet marts and online buyers.

Apply bridal and party mehendi at weddings, festivals and functions. Needs skill and practice, almost no money, and work comes by reference.

Grow oyster mushrooms on straw in hanging bags in a spare room or shed and sell them fresh to homes, vegetable shops and hotels.

Teach school or college subjects, languages or exam preparation over video calls from home, paid by the hour or by the month.

Make urad dal papad with a small machine and a few workers, and sell to kirana shops and wholesalers. Low investment, steady year-round demand.

Press paper plates and donas from laminated paper on small hydraulic machines and sell to caterers, wholesalers and disposable-goods shops.

Treat homes, shops, restaurants and offices for cockroaches, termites, bed bugs, rodents and mosquitoes, on one-time jobs and yearly contracts.

Dilute phenyl concentrate with water in a mixing tank, bottle it and sell white phenyl and floor cleaner to shops, societies and institutions.

Shoot weddings, pre-wedding sessions, functions and portraits with your own cameras, edit the photos and films, and deliver albums.

Make mango, lime, chilli and mixed pickles in season, cure them in drums and sell in jars and pouches to shops, caterers and direct customers.

Stitch falls and do pico edging on new sarees for neighbours, saree shops and tailors from home with a sewing machine and a pico machine.

Print logos and designs on T-shirts, bags, cards and packaging with manual screen printing equipment, as job work for local businesses.

Cut soles from rubber or EVA sheets on a small press, fit straps and sell hawai chappals to footwear shops and weekly-market traders.

Stitch blouses, salwar suits, shirts and trousers to measure and do alterations from a small shop or a room at home.

Cook simple home-style meals and deliver them daily to office workers, students and seniors on monthly subscriptions. Low investment, long hours.

Sell holiday and pilgrimage packages, hotel bookings, flight, train and bus tickets, and visa help from a small office or from home.

Service and repair household RO water purifiers: change filters and membranes, fix leaks and pumps, and sell annual maintenance contracts.

Build and maintain websites and online stores for local businesses, professionals, schools and small brands, working from home or a small office.