Seattle, known as the “Emerald City” is a West Coast seaport city. It is located between the saltwater Puget Sound to the west and Lake Washington to the east. Surrounded by water, mountains, and evergreen forests, the Seattle metropolitan area is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the United States.
Built atop the ruins of a city center that burned down more than a hundred years ago, Seattle is the birthplace of some major corporations like Amazon, Microsoft, Boeing, Starbucks, etc. Linked by roads, rail, ship, and air to global distribution networks, this city appreciable international economic importance; a development that owes much to Seattle’s role as one of the world’s leading centers for the manufacture of high technology and for Internet-based commerce.
If you are aiming to build your business from scratch in Seattle, then the following are a few ideas for you to consider. These are low investment ideas, but to make the success happen you need loads of effort.
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29 Proven Low-Cost Business Ideas for Seattle in 2023
1- Property and Real Estate:
Granted that establishing a real estate business requires a large investment capital in some cases, but the returns are very high and the invested amount can be recovered within a short period of time. As we are discussing low-cost ideas, you can start it very small to save costs, i.e. an online service from home. Development and sale of the property and apartment renting and leasing are two very profitable areas in the real estate business in a city like Seattle, so get in touch with the developers and help people in hassle-free leasing and huge profits will be waiting for you!
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Riley; a person real estate assistant is just an SMS away from you
Real estate mistakes to avoid
2- Repair and Resale of Electronics:
Electronic devices have become a necessity in every house. And by virtue of their nature, they break down and need repairing every now and then. With a little experience and study of these devices, a business can be set up, that not only repairs devices but also sells second-hand electronics. There’s a huge market for this business, but you need to have business skills!
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Things to consider before starting a computer repair business
3- Web Development Outsourcing:
The internet today is widely being used for businesses, online marketing, freelancing, and online trade. The field of web development is growing tremendously and flourishing worldwide, and is one of the best business ideas for Seattle. As the web comes with easy access, the demand for web developers is increasing by the day. It is a career-based, lucrative business idea that can financially make you stand out from others. Get local projects, outsource the work to countries like India and Pakistan, and keep your profit!
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4- Engineering Consultancy Firm:
Seattle is a tech and start-up hub with an emerging virtual reality technology. It holds numerous opportunities for engineers and researchers. An engineering consultancy firm may provide assistance to young engineers, struggling to make out their way into the high-paced world outside.
5- Daycare:
While at work, many people prefer their child being cared for in a home environment, as opposed to a more institutional-like setting. So if you love children, then you can start off your daycare business right from your house without any capital investment.
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Requirements for Opening Daycare or Childcare Business
Things to Consider Before Starting a Childcare Business
6- Pet care:
According to Census Data, there are more dogs living in Seattle than there are children, and that’s both small dogs (like Yorkies), and even bigger dogs. Thus pet care is a favored business idea. It can be started at home with a small investment. You can even begin with no investment by walking people’s dogs. Again, the possibilities for expansion are endless.
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Petbulb; a social networking platform for pet owners
7- Events & Photography:
Event planning and management can be a busy and hectic business but it has high profits. With a hardworking team and experience, you can set up this business with a small investment and have numerous opportunities to expand it later. Successful event planning business requires you to stay up-to-date with the latest trends in fashion, décor, styles, colors, food i.e. almost everything under the sun. In addition, you need to fully understand the demands of your customer. A little skill in photography adds a cherry to the top.
Related Reading:
How to start a photography business with no money
8- At-Home Car Wash Service:
A car wash facility at your doorstep comes in very handy for people with a busy routine. This business requires a very low initial investment and it can be expanded by not just increasing the area of operation, but also by increasing the services provided. Bringing a service station at the customer’s house is the main idea. You can begin with a simple car-wash business and then expand it to services like fixing flat tires, checking gas, etc.
9- Lawn Landscaping & Maintenance Service:
Lawn landscaping and maintenance service, in addition to the mowing of a lawn, watering, and planting, you can include maintenance of a kitchen-garden, fencing, tree care, pest control, gutter cleaning, outdoor cleaning, etc. It all depends on what lengths you, as an entrepreneur, are willing to go. You can start as a straight-forward one-man business and expand it to a team equipped with the latest lawn maintenance machinery.
10- Ferry Rental Business:
This business may require some hefty investment initially but it can high prospects of prospering. Seattle is a seaport city and people like to rent ferries and boats for their birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, and holidays.
11- Rent-a-Vehicle Service:
An interesting business idea is a rent-a-vehicle service. You can keep vehicles like bicycles, cars, motorcycles, even ferries, and boats, and rent them to your customers for some time.
12- Cleaning Service:
Cleaning businesses cover everything from one cleaner with a couple of domestic properties to maintain each week, to a large commercial business with thousands of staff on the books. You can start with an office cleaner and expand to domestic, hospital, and school cleaners. The possibilities in this field are vast and wide.
Related Reading:
How to Start Cleaning Business from Scratch
13- Laundry Service:
A laundry business is easy to start, even if you don’t have experience in the field. It can further be expanded to dry cleaning which generates much more profit than ordinary laundry cleaning services.
Related Reading:
Business Plan for Laundry Business & Dry Cleaning Services
14- Chemical-Free Carpet Cleaning Service:
Most homes have carpets in them somewhere, but one problem with carpeting is that it’s a perfect home to microorganisms such as mildew and dust mites. Thus cleaning them every now and then is necessary. A carpet cleaning service that doesn’t use chemicals is an interesting business field not only for the entrepreneur but also for the customers.
15- Software House:
As the demand for good software is increasing in the market, so is the competition. The possibilities for software business are limitless. With some know-how and experience in software development, you can set up this business. Little investment is required.
16- Pet Breeding:
If you love pets and have enough space to breed them, pet breeding is one of the best business ideas for Seattle. The commonest type is dog breeding. However, if you want to start pet breeding as a home business and not just a hobby, you need to be a professional dog breeder. If you feed your dogs well and give them adequate medical care, dog breeding is a lucrative small business idea.
17- Florist:
Florist business is wider than a lot of people think. It is not limited to providing floral needs at wedding parties. It includes consultation, design, delivery, setting up of floral bouquets. You can start from the basics by going into the plantation and cultivation of flowers. You can either sell to other florists or arrange them in bouquets and then sell them directly to the customers. This is an encouraging business field for early risers with a good eye who are unafraid of hard physical labor. Once your business is well-established, expect to earn up to $32,000.
Related Reading:
10 Tips to Start & Run a Successful Florist Business
18- Boutique:
Opening a boutique can be a great investment, as the general public is always on the lookout for new fashions and great deals on existing designer clothes. But there’s more to running a successful boutique than having a sharp sense of style and a passion for fashion. Maintenance, management, deliverance, marketing, quality, and consistency are the key to a well-run boutique.
19- Take-Away Delivery System:
Well, there are too many restaurants that do not have delivery facilities; so the concept of this business is to take orders from restaurants for customers and then deliver them to their homes. You can set up this business on a small scale with a tiny investment and slowly expand it.
20- Mobile Food Truck/ Restaurant:
Americans, in general, are famous for being food lovers. One of the most successful business ideas is setting up a restaurant, bakery, a canteen, or an eatery because people love to eat no matter what their financial situation is. Having a mobile canteen will increase your area of business as you can move around the city and target a greater audience.
Related Reading:
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21- Sports Camp Organization:
Sports gets a lot of encouragement in Seattle, especially football. A business in organizing an evening sports camp for kids and teenagers requires fitness, skill and knowledge, and experience in various sports. The sports camps can be extended to summer camps for kids during their vacations.
22- Tourist Guide:
Seattle attracts many tourists throughout the year with its football, ferry rides, and amazing summers. So if you live in Seattle and you know the area well, you can set up a business starting as a personal guide. It has the potential of producing an income that can exceed $50,000 annually.
Related Readings:
Small business ideas for adventurous people
No Cost business ideas for travel lovers
23- Beauty Salon, Spa Combo:
Usually, salon owners have a wealth of experience in the beauty industry and are fully-qualified beauty therapists. Many salon owners will also have management training to effectively manage the business. However, if your background is not in beauty, you don’t necessarily have to rule it out. It is possible to employ a beauty therapist as a day-to-day manager as a partner. It may be a hefty investment in the beginning but it has the potential to pay off.
Related Reading:
How to start & run a profitable hair salon business
24- Old Book Bank:
Book shops bring regular customers. You can start off with unused books in the house and set up a small book shop. Make your shop known for a specific category (or two) of books, having some first editions for sale. Maps, illustrations, postcards, greeting cards, and magazines are good sidelines to include in your shop.
25- Frozen Food Providers:
The frozen foods business is one of the most lucrative branches of the food business because a lot of people are too busy with work that they find it difficult to spend a lot of time cooking or searching for fresh ingredients to cook with. You can start it off at home with a small investment and still expect a handsome turnover.
26- Start up a Nonprofit:
Are you looking for business ideas for Seattle? Do you also want to make a difference in the community at the same time? Well, then the best option for you might be starting up a nonprofit. Just because the business is a nonprofit doesn’t mean that it can’t be a great way to support yourself as well. The main idea with nonprofits is to bring value to your community, just in a different way than your average corporation.
When running a nonprofit, one of the benefits is that you can use volunteers to help you out, which can save you a ton of startup costs. The nonprofit realm is also super versatile, so whichever cause you want to support through your work, you could make it happen! Perhaps you could begin a pet shelter, rehabilitation center, or ex-con volunteer matching service. They’re all great ideas!
27- Become a Private Investigator:
Becoming a PI could be a good idea for a city like Seattle. If you like to figure things out and spend your time solving mysteries, people will hire you for it! Of course, you’ll have to study some laws and the legality of certain actions, but if you’re good at what you do you could run a great freelance private investigation agency.
28- Ski Shop:
Living in a place with loads of precipitation makes a ski shop one of the best business ideas for Seattle. There are multiple popular mountains that people flock to in the winter season. So, something you should consider is opening up your own winter sport shop! This idea requires a bit more capital, but as you grow this will become less of a concern. Snow sports can get expensive, so people are usually looking for something of quality, but on the cheaper side.
If you score some good wholesale deals, you should have an easier time making a profit off of ski equipment! It’s also up to you the size and quantity of the items you would be selling.
The Bottom Line
So, that’s all for now regarding our list of the best business ideas for Seattle, Washington. This city has one of the best communities in the world and is a great place to start a business. So, put in some hard work and you might find success with one of these ideas!
