{"id":8778,"date":"2021-03-02T10:00:06","date_gmt":"2021-03-02T10:00:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/?p=8778"},"modified":"2026-01-29T09:49:19","modified_gmt":"2026-01-29T09:49:19","slug":"generate-ideas-start-small-business","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/generate-ideas-start-small-business\/","title":{"rendered":"7 ways to generate ideas to start a small business"},"content":{"rendered":"<header class=\"entry-header has-dark-background-color entry-header--has-illustration entry-header--has-illustration--generic\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-header__row row align-center\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-lg-7 col-xlg-6 entry-header__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"component component-single-header\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-header__misc text--subtitle text--uppercase text--small\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/category\/growth-customers\/\" class=\"entry-header__link\">Growth &amp; Customers<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-title-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"entry-title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t7 ways to generate ideas to start a small business\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"entry-header__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<div class=\"single-post-details container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2021-03-02T10:00:06+00:00\">2 March, 2021<\/time><\/span><span class=\"reading-time\"> min read<\/span>\n\t\t<button\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\tclass=\"social-share-button button button--icon button--secondary js-social-share-button\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-title=\"7 ways to generate ideas to start a small business\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-url=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/generate-ideas-start-small-business\/\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-text=\"Please read this interesting article\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__share-label\">Share<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__copy-label\" hidden>Copy Link<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__copy-tooltip\" aria-hidden=\"true\" hidden>Copied<\/span>\n\t\t<\/button>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/header>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-author has-dark-background-color alignfull\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"co-authors\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-author-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<a class=\"entry-author\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/author\/staceymcintosh\/\">\n\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"40\" height=\"40\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2018\/11\/Stacey-McIntosh-350-1.jpg\" class=\"entry-author__image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<span class=\"entry-author__name\">Stacey McIntosh<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>More people are trying their hand at entrepreneurship than ever before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2020, there were six million businesses in the UK \u2013 almost double the number in the year 2000.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you see yourself joining their ranks, you\u2019ll first need to come up with ideas to start a small business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The simplest rule for any business is that it needs to meet (or create) a demand. If people aren\u2019t interested in buying a product or service, the organisation will be short-lived.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, here are our seven tips for figuring out what to start a business in. Here&#8217;s what we cover:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"#start-anchor-link\">1. Start with your motivations<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"#solve-anchor-link\">2. Solve a problem<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"#build-anchor-link\">3. Build on your existing skills and expertise<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"#look-anchor-link\">4. Look at your hobbies and interests<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"#research-anchor-link\">5. Research demand<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"#do-anchor-link\">6. Do something better or cheaper<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"#abroad-anchor-link\">7. Look at what\u2019s happening abroad<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a class=\"button button--primary\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/business-readiness-assessment\/\">Dreaming of bossing your own business? Take our quiz to see how ready you are to take the plunge<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"start-anchor-link\">1. Start with your motivations<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Launching a business involves a lot of time, effort and determination. You\u2019ll also need to invest your own money in the venture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, before even thinking of good ideas to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/six-steps-to-start-a-small-business\/\">start a business<\/a>, you should first look at your own reasons for wanting to start a business in the first place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These could be financial, personal, educational \u2013 the list goes on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Start by asking yourself these questions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Is the goal to make more money?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Would you like to solve a specific problem people face?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Are you looking for a way of supplementing your income?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Do you want to launch the next global corporation?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>By figuring out your motivations behind starting a business, you\u2019ll be able to narrow down your ideas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For instance, if you mainly hope to make money, you might opt for certain industries, such as finance or property, that are likely to generate most wealth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But if you want to act on your passions, you might choose something that links to your personal interests \u2013 be that baking, book binding or blogging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"solve-anchor-link\">2. Solve a problem<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Many of the world\u2019s most successful business ideas solve a problem that people are facing. Look around you at challenges that people are dealing with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you find that there\u2019s an issue you keep on running into, this is a good sign.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With a little ingenuity, you should be able to find a solution to a problem that people will be willing to pay for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, have you noticed that there isn\u2019t a gym in your neighbourhood? If you\u2019re a fitness expert, you could start offering people outdoor exercise classes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"build-anchor-link\">3. Build on your existing skills and expertise<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the most common ways of starting a business idea in the UK is to build on your existing skills and experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Whatever your background, you almost certainly have skills that you could bring to market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, if you\u2019ve worked as a food delivery person, you probably know a lot about how logistics works. You could then offer a specialist courier service to a market that is not yet being served.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Or perhaps your background is in call centres for a big company. You could use your telephone skills to set up a new business offering outsourced customer service for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"#gate-d7bc68ed-d198-44d2-baef-e4e091084f11\">Download your free guide, Small business pocket guide: Going it alone but never on your own<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"look-anchor-link\">4. Look at your hobbies and interests<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the best ideas to start a business from home is to look at your own hobbies and interests. This can be a great approach since you are the target market and will know what your audience is after.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you love video games, for instance, you could set up an esports team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Or, if you\u2019re green fingered, perhaps you could launch a gardening company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"research-anchor-link\">5. Research demand<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Finding out what is a good business to start often comes from intensive market research. Once you spot a theme that has potential, you can then build a business around that idea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are several ways that you can learn about new trends, including these:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Sign up to newsletters from market research companies<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Get on the mailing list for organisations who try to predict consumer trends<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Attend trade shows to get a feel for common theme<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Visit department stores, outdoor markets and online auctions for inspiration<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>By taking some time to explore markets that have potential to grow in future, you might be able to get in just at the right time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"do-anchor-link\">6. Do something better or cheaper<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>You don\u2019t always need to come up with a completely new concept when looking for the best markets to start a business in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Indeed, the most common <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/size\/small-business\/\">small businesses<\/a> in the UK are construction, professional services and wholesale\/retail \u2013 none of which are hugely ground-breaking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, what many of these companies do is to offer something that is simply better or cheaper than what\u2019s available elsewhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For instance, there are plenty of companies selling peanut butter. But perhaps you know a way to source peanuts at a lower price than other companies. You would then be able to sell it to your market for less, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"abroad-anchor-link\">7. Look at what\u2019s happening abroad<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Looking abroad is a great way of finding good ideas to start a business. By finding out about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/sound-advice-small-business-plan-sahar-hashemi\/\">trends in foreign countries<\/a>, you might be able to bring those ideas to the UK.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Perhaps you\u2019ve heard about a new fitness dance class that is hugely popular in Brazil \u2013 you could try importing this craze to the UK.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Or maybe you fell in love with a little-known pastry you tried on holiday in Morocco. You could try introducing this product to British customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Final thoughts<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Coming up with a idea is a key part of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/how-to-write-a-business-plan\/\">business planning<\/a> process. Working out what type of business you&#8217;d like to run might be a lot of fun \u2013 and empowering too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But remember, this is only the beginning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Up next is the need to execute on your idea \u2013 set up your processes, invest in the right <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/size\/small-business\/\">small business software<\/a>, start selling, delight your customers or clients, and make money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You&#8217;ve got this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"single-cta\">\n\t<div class=\"single-cta__positioner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__wrapper has-dark-background-color\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"single-cta__title h3\">Are you ready to be your own boss?<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Dreaming of managing your own business? Take our quiz to see how ready you are to take the plunge.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/business-readiness-assessment\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"single-cta__button button button--primary\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tid=\"cta-id-8930\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdata-button-location=\"cta_box\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>Take the quiz<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"780\" height=\"500\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2021\/03\/CTA-2.jpg\" class=\"single-cta__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2021\/03\/CTA-2.jpg 780w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 33vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"single-cta\">\n\t<div class=\"single-cta__positioner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__wrapper has-dark-background-color\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"single-cta__title h3\">Subscribe to the Sage Advice newsletter<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Join more than 500,000 UK readers and get the best business admin strategies and tactics, as well as actionable advice to help your company thrive, in your inbox every month.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"#gate-b1a63862-3fa0-4a5e-bb67-c76b88bbc6b8\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"single-cta__button button button--primary\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>Subscribe now<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1440\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1073797282-1-1440x810.jpg\" class=\"single-cta__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1073797282-1-1440x810.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 33vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Want to run your own business but not sure what type of company to start? Read this for a series of tips to help you generate some ideas.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":346,"featured_media":9103,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_sage_video":false,"post_featured_image_hide":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[12],"business_type":[4],"lilypad":[],"context":[],"industry":[],"persona":[75],"imagine_tag":[109],"coauthors":[353],"class_list":["post-8778","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-growth-customers","tag-start-business","business_type-small-business"],"sage_meta":{"region":"en-gb","author_name":"Stacey McIntosh","featured_image":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2021\/04\/M-PESAFoundation_FY19_X3_EnterpriseManagement_31.jpg","imagine_tags":{"109":"Small business"}},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Sage Advice UK","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8778","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/346"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8778"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8778\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/9103"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8778"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8778"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8778"},{"taxonomy":"business_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/business_type?post=8778"},{"taxonomy":"lilypad","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/lilypad?post=8778"},{"taxonomy":"context","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/context?post=8778"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=8778"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=8778"},{"taxonomy":"imagine_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/imagine_tag?post=8778"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=8778"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}