Many businesses require licenses or permits. For instance, you need to be licensed to be a doctor, a massage therapist, a barber, an electrician, and countless other professions. Similarly, you need health and fire permits if you own a restaurant business or even a home daycare facility. Luckily, there are also many businesses that don’t require licenses or permits. Looking for a fun business opportunity that doesn’t require you to jump through a lot of hoops related to licenses or permits? Then, you may want to check out some of the following business ideas. Though most of these business types don’t require licenses or permits, the iRS requires most businesses to apply for a Tax ID (EIN) Number.
Steps to Learning About Businesses That Require Limited or No Licenses
- Freelance Writers
- Web Designers
- Hobby Breeders
- Craft Businesses
- Used Book Dealers
- Independent Business Owners/Consultants
- App Developers
1. Freelance Writers
Freelance writers don’t need any special licenses or permits to explore their craft. As a freelance writer, you can pen articles for online and print magazines, pitch stories to publishers, self publish novels or self help books on Amazon, write blogs for online marketing companies, or find a variety of other places to sell your words.
The start up costs for a freelance writing business are minimal. In a lot of cases, you can get started with a small laptop and an internet connection. Building up a list of clients or finding profitable places to sell your work can be challenging, but once you find your groove, being a freelance writer can be fun and rewarding.
2. Web Designers
Every business needs a website and many individuals also want to launch sites for their blogs or other creative pursuits. If you can convince these people to pay you to design their sites, you’ve started a business as a web designer, and you don’t need any permits or licenses for this trade either.
A web design business requires a fun balance of creativity and tech acumen. You get to set up someone’s website and make sure all the features work, but you also get to choose the layout and artistic elements. You can start small out of your home, but over time, you may expand into multiple employees and a brick-and-mortar space. Keep in mind that once you transition a small home-based business to a commercial office, you generally need to obtain a business permit from your municipality.
3. Hobby Breeders
Hobby breeders often focus on dogs. Depending on your situation and how much time you have, you can breed a pair of dogs once a year or invest in several females so you can produce more litters per year. However, you don’t have to breed dogs. Breeders also work with cats, fish, guinea pigs, rabbits, gerbils, even fish, and a long list of other creatures.
In a lot of cases, as long as you have under a certain number of animals, you can become a hobby breeder without any special permits or licenses. Keep in mind that the rules vary, and some towns and counties require you to get a special license if you have over a certain number of animals, whether you breed them or not.
4. Craft Businesses
If you love crafting, you may want to turn it into a business, and in most cases, you don’t need a special license for this type of business either. The only exception is if you’re doing a lot of welding or any other type of intense crafting that creates fumes. Additionally, if you open a brick-and-mortar store, you need a business permit for your town.
In most cases, however, you can sell your crafts without a special license. You can sell to friends and family via word of mouth advertising, you can travel to flea markets and expos, or you can open an online shop on a site such as etsy. To diversify their income stream, many serious crafters do a combination of these three approaches.
5. Used Book Dealers
Used book dealers used to need a brick-and-mortar store, but that fact has changed with the rise of online shopping. Now, you can easily open a used book store on a site such as eBay or on your own site. To build your inventory, you just need to scour the shelves at thrift stores, estate sales, and garage sales, looking for books that are underpriced. Then, you can clean them up, list them on your site, and hope they sell. If you love books, this business is a great way to turn your passion into a bit of extra cash.
6. Independent Business Owners/Consultants
An independent business owner/consultant works for a multi-level marketing company. Traditionally, Avon and Mary Kay were the big players in this realm, but now, you can sell everything from children’s books to wine to organic cleaners to essential oils to workout clothing and everything in between. With this type of business setup, you sell the products from a specific company. You don’t need a brick-and-mortar store, but you do need to do your own marketing.
Depending on how many sales you want to make, you can sell to friends and family, host sales on social media sites, or invite people over for “parties” where you play games and take orders. You may also want to book booths at expos, fairs, trade shows, or similar events where you can meet new customers. Many of these companies offer a multi-level set up where you can bring on new sales consultants, train them, and receive a portion of their sales.
7. App Developers
Similar to a web designer, an app developer can also work from home on a profession that combines tech and creativity. You can build apps for businesses, create and monetize your own apps, or play with a combination of those two ideas. To get started, contact local businesses in your area and try to pitch them on the benefits of having an app. Alternatively, set up a listing on a site such as UpWork, Fiverr, or any other sites focused on helping freelancers find work.
Alternatively, develop your own apps that do unique tasks or give people the chance to play a game. Then, either sell the app for a few dollars or give it away for free and monetize it with advertisements or in-game purchases. Again, you don’t need any special licenses or permits for this gig either.
Starting a business can be incredibly exciting and hopefully the process puts a lot of money in your pocket. But you also need to make sure that you’re legally compliant. Consider consulting with someone about the rules in your area to make sure that you don’t need any permits or licenses.