A micro-business (also known as a micro-entity) is defined in the UK as a company with 0-9 employees. According to 2020 House of Commons statistics, there are around 5.7 million micro-businesses in the United Kingdom. This number comprises over 96% of all UK businesses.
Although the vast majority of businesses in the UK employ fewer than 10 people, this sort of business only accounts for 21% of employment and 14% of turnover. A micro-business has a turnover of £10.2 million or less and £5.1 million or less on its balance sheet.
Micro Business ideas in the UK
A dog treat business is a pet-related business that prepares and sells dog treats. A dog biscuit is a hard biscuit-based dietary supplement for dogs or other canines, similar to human snack food. A dog treats business in the UK can be as small as a single location or as big as a national chain.
Please note that dog treats typically have high amounts of fat, oil, and carbohydrates, giving them stronger flavors and smells than most dog foods. The textures, sizes, and variety make treats an exciting change in your dog’s diet.
A fish and chip shop in the UK is usually a small limited-service shop that prepares and sells fish and chips, coffee, and other breakfast items. A fish and chip shop can be as small as a single location or as big as a national chain. A fish and chip shop is a restaurant that specializes in selling fish and chips.
Usually, fish and chip shops provide takeaway service, although some have seating facilities. Fish and chips is a popular hot dish consisting of fried fish in crispy batter, served with chips (French fries or wedges).
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Cake Decorating Supplies Business
A cake decorating supplies business is involved in the sale and supply of everything that is used in the decoration of cakes. Cake decorating supplies are in high demand because bakers would always decorate their cakes.
Examples of cake decorating supplies are food coloring, cake turntable stand, cake decorating brushes, fondant and gum paste cake tool, gum paste wire and tape, fondant imprint mat, pastry bags, piping bags or decorating bags, piping tips (or tubes), decorating bag holder, cake airbrush and piping nozzles.
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Cigar Shop
A cigar shop can be considered a micro business in the UK. A cigar shop or smoke shop is a retail outlet where smokers go to buy their preferred cigar brand and smoke freely without being arrested, or fined. In some cigar shops, you would be required to sign up as a member before you can have access.
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Daiquiri Shop
A Daiquiri shop is a business that prepares and serves different flavors of Daiquiri and other drinks. Daiquiri is a family of cocktails whose main ingredients are rum, citrus juice (typically lime juice), and sugar or other sweeteners.
A wide variety of alcoholic mixed drinks made with finely pulverized ice are often called frozen daiquiri. These drinks can also be combined and poured from a blender, eliminating the need for manual pulverization and producing a texture similar to a smoothie.
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Pearl Party Business
Another micro business that you can start in the UK is the pearl party business. A pearl party business organizes pearl parties where party attendees pay large sums of money to their hostess in hopes of finding a matching-sized pearl. The hostess will whip everyone into a frenzy as she frantically cracks open oyster after oyster in hopes of satisfying her customer’s whim.
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Start a Pet Sitting Business
A pet sitting business is a business that takes care of other people’s pets either in their home or a business premises that accommodate different types of pets. The pet sitter’s responsibilities include preparing special meals for pets, reporting behavioral issues to pet owners, as well as playing with pets to encourage mental and physical stimulation.
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Lemonade Stand
A lemonade stand or a QSR (quick-service restaurant) is a business that prepares and sells lemonades from a stand. A lemonade stand refers to a small, temporary, stand-alone booth used in high-traffic areas for the purpose of selling lemonade and a lemonade stand may be manned by one or two people.
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Travel Agency
A travel agency is a business that provides travel and tourism-related services to the general public. Please note that a travel agency can also provide outdoor recreation activities, car rentals, cruise line trips, hotels, railways, travel insurance, package tours, insurance, guide books, VIP airport lounge access, arranging logistics for luggage and medical items delivery, public transport timetables, and bureau de change services.
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Makeup Artist Business
Starting a makeup artist business from your home is very easy. The truth is that, if you are a good makeup artist and your house is easily accessible, one of the businesses you can engage in is to start a makeup artist business. You will be amazed at the high level of response you will get if you list this service online. Besides, you have the option of offering tutoring classes right there in your home to teach people the art.
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Online Shoe Store Business
An online shoe store is an e-commerce website or an online retail outlet that sells different types of shoes. Please note that an online shoe store can be a brick-and-mortar business with a website.
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Indoor Flea Market Business
An indoor flea market (or swap meet) is a type of indoor market that provides space for vendors to sell previously-owned (second-hand) merchandise. This type of market is often seasonal. However, in recent years there has been the development of ‘formal’ and ‘casual’ markets which divide a fixed-style market (formal) with long-term leases and a seasonal-style market with short-term leases.
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Charcuterie Business
A charcuterie business is yet another micro business that can be started in the UK. Charcuterie is a display of prepared meats paired with cheeses and plain vegetables on a traditional board.
In essence, charcuterie is the culinary art of preparing meat products such as bacon, salami, ham, sausage, terrines, galantines, ballotines, pâtés, and confit. Interestingly, charcuterie remains a popular way to feed guests on a budget for small parties or wine tastings, and a person that prepares charcuterie is called a Charcutier.
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Coffee Van Business
A coffee van business basically sells coffee from a van and coffee vans are designed to service areas where it might be difficult to quickly construct the convention coffee bar; areas such as carnival sites, construction sites, sporting event centers, campgrounds, beaches et al.
Coffee vans also take advantage of places like campuses, office complexes, military bases, mechanical village, industrial parks, farmer’s markets, cinemas, and religious centers to sell their coffee, and snacks.
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Cotton Candy Business
A cotton candy business makes and sells cotton candies most especially at children’s parties, parks, stadiums et al. Cotton candy, which is also known as fairy floss and candy floss, is a spun-sugar confection that resembles cotton. Cotton candy has no fat, no preservatives, or sodium and is about 115 calories per serving. It usually contains small amounts of flavoring or food coloring.
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Fruit Juice Shop
A fruit juice shop is yet another micro business that can be started in the UK. A fruit juice shop is a small, informal restaurant where fruit juice and in most cases, smoothies are made and served to customers. Of course, fruit juice is ideally 100 percent pure juice made from the flesh of fresh fruit or from the whole fruit. It is not permitted to add sugars, sweeteners, preservatives, flavorings, or colorings to fruit juice.
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Funnel Cake Shop
A funnel cake business essentially bakes (fry) and sells funnel cakes. Funnel cake, which is also known as a fried-dough dish is popular at fairs, carnivals, boardwalks, and among street vendors.
To make funnel cake, the batter is swirled around into hot oil using a funnel, creating a lattice of deep-fried dough, and then served with heaps of powdered sugar. Please note that funnel cake tastes a lot like a fried doughnut, and can be finished with all sorts of toppings.
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Hot Dog Vendor Business
A hot dog vendor is a business that sells hot dogs and drinks from a shop, cart, or food truck. Hot dogs are prepared commercially by mixing the ingredients (meats, spices, binders, and fillers) in vats where rapidly moving blades grind and mix the ingredients. This mixture is forced through tubes into casings for cooking.
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Open a Popsicle Shop
A popsicle shop is yet another micro business that can be started in the UK. A popsicle is a water or milk-based frozen snack on a stick.
Unlike ice cream or sorbet, which are whipped while freezing to prevent ice crystal formation, an ice pop is frozen while at rest—and becomes a solid block of ice. Its other ingredients are sugar, corn syrup, gum, and stabilizers. These ingredients give the popsicle a texture called “mouth feel” that makes it pleasant to eat.
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Acai Bowl Bar Business
Acai bowl bar business is one of the businesses that an entrepreneur can successfully start on the corner of a busy street without breaking the bank for cash. Acai bowl bars can be located in any part of town as long as there are people living or working there.
Generally, Acai bowl bars are located in airports, seaports, shopping malls, hotel lobbies, railway stations, bus stations, campuses, hospital lobbies, and sports centers, and in any public facilities as long as you are given the permission to stay there.
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Small Art Studio
If you are an artist, as well as have a penchant for business, you can open your own art studio. The market for artworks has continued to soar, making the business a viable and profitable business. It is important to point out that the art studio business can’t go out of fashion because people would always appreciate good artwork.
Depending on the scale you want to start, the startup capital for this type of business can range from small to moderate. As a matter of fact, it is advisable to run an art gallery alongside your art studio if indeed you want to maximize profits in this business.
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Animation Studio
An animation studio is a company that is involved in the production of animated media. Such companies conceive of products to produce, own the physical equipment of production, employ operators, and hold a major stake in the sales or rentals of their animation works. This type of business is not capital intensive and you can start the business from your savings and from your home office.
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Bridal Shop
Bridal Shops are retail outlets that predominantly retail bridal wear, including wedding gowns, veils, and other accessories such as shoes, ties, gloves, and jewelry. The stores also provide alterations, such as hemming, taking in or letting out seams, and lengthening or shortening sleeves. Some of them also go as far as renting wedding gowns and other wedding accessories.
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Etsy Shop
If you are into handmade or vintage items and craft supplies and you are considering taking your business to customers beyond your location, then one of your options is to open a shop on the Etsy online platform.
Etsy shop just like most online businesses thrives on creativity, branding (media hype et al), and good business skills. Any aspiring entrepreneur can open a shop on the Etsy platform as long as they are creative, can get people to promote their brand, and have good business skills.
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Buko Juice Shop
Buko juice shake is a simple mixture of fledgling coconut water, fledgling coconut meat, and milk, it’s very refreshing and very healthy. Coconut water has a sweet, nutty taste. It contains easily digested carbohydrates in the form of sugar and electrolytes. Buko juice shake business is one of the businesses that an entrepreneur can successfully start on the corner of a busy street or on a mobile shop without breaking the bank for cash.
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Business Coaching Firm
A business coaching business is one of many business ideas in the consulting industry that someone with certification in training and management can successfully launch in the United Kingdom and still break even within record time.
One good thing about business coaching is that it is not restricted to an industry. As a business coaching firm, you can choose to train people irrespective of the industry they belong to. The bottom line is that you should be able to help them achieve results as it relates to the business that they want to undertake.
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Calligraphy Shop
Calligraphy is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a broad-tipped instrument, brush, or other writing instruments. It’s a set of skills and techniques for positioning and inscribing words so they show integrity, harmony, some sort of ancestry, rhythm, and creative fire.
Modern calligraphy ranges from functional inscriptions and designs to fine-art pieces where the letters may or may not be readable. If you intend to start a calligraphy service business, then you must take out time to learn the trade because it only takes someone who is creative to be able to make it big in this line of business.
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Coffee Vending Machine Business
A vending machine business is a retail business that does not require face-to-face interaction with customers and can be run for 24 hours a day depending on the location. This business offers operator flexibility because it can be tailored to suit the lifestyle of the owner, thereby creating a balance between work, life, and family.
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Coin Dealer Business
Coin dealership business or coin collecting is the collecting of coins or other forms of minted legal tender. Coins of interest to collectors often include those that circulated for only a brief period, coins with mint errors, and beautiful or historically significant pieces. Depending on the scale you want to start, the startup capital for this type of business can range from small to moderate.
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Coin Laundry Business
Starting a coin laundry business requires that you purchase or lease equipment that are needed to run the business. So, part of what you need to know before starting a coin laundry business is to know the required equipment you will need.
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Comic Book Store
A comic book store is yet another micro business that can be started in the UK. A comic book store is a place where different types of comic books are sold.
Comic books which are also known as comic magazines or simply comics are a publication that consists of comic arts. Starting a comic book store business is just like starting any other retailing business; it will require start-up capital (money), planning (feasibility studies, market survey, budgeting), and of course time.
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Counseling Private Practice Business
Starting a counseling private practice business is yet another micro business that can be started in the UK. The scope of your business offerings can cover areas such as clinical psychology, industrial-organizational psychology, all other psychology, mental health, social work, marriage, family therapy, child, family, online counseling services, and retailing of self–help books and materials, et al.
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Education Agency
Education agents help clients handle their educational concerns, help them gain admission to colleges or universities of their choice, help them process admission and help them package their applications and documents amongst others.
They also help their clients (international students) obtain work permits in their new country of residence/studies. Interestingly, starting an education agency business is not too expensive except for the money required to rent and furnish office space, acquire the relevant licenses and permits et al.
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Open Electronics Repair Shop
One good thing about this type of business is that you can learn technical skills from someone who is already in the business or from a technical school. All you need to do is to rent a shop in a good location and advertise your electronics repair business. If you are lucky to be one of the few electronic repair technicians in your community, you will surely make good money from this type of business.
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Firewood Delivery Business
A firewood delivery business helps clients deliver firewood to their homes or offices. With this type of business, you can choose to own a firewood store if you have the financial capacity or you can choose to operate without a store. The bottom line is that you should know how to source firewood and how to get them delivered to your customers.
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Start a Food Kios Business
Another micro business that you can start in the UK is a food kiosk business. Although this type of business is profitable, at the same time you can run at a loss if your food kiosk business is not well positioned and managed.
It is important to state that loads of food kiosks and restaurants close because they failed to conduct detailed market surveys and feasibility studies before opening. Your ability to strategize and always up your service delivery will help you stay competitive.
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Freelance Writing Business
The freelance writing business is yet another micro business you can start in the UK. There are writing groups and freelance writer associations in many countries and it is a good idea to belong to them so that you can meet other writers, get information, seek career advice, and establish your credentials as a writer. A quick search using search engines and social media should find organizations in your local area or country.
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Frozen Custard Shop
Frozen custard is a cold dessert just like your usual ice cream, but it is made with eggs in addition to cream and sugar. It is usually kept at a warmer temperature compared to ice cream and typically has a denser consistency. Both ice cream and frozen custard are made with milk, cream, and sugar. Pasteurized egg yolk is the additional ingredient that gives Frozen Custard its creamy texture.
Please note that if you intend to start frozen custard or an ice cream-related business, you are expected to launch the business in a location with the right climatic condition; a place where there is some measure of fair weather in terms of heat and all that.
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Fruits and Vegetable Retail Store
If you are considering starting a fruit and vegetable retail store business, the good news is that you can’t get it wrong. This is so because various types of vegetables and fruits are consumed by almost everybody in the globe. It is important to state that starting a vegetable and fruit retail store business comes with its own fair share of challenges, but that does not rule out the fact that it is indeed a profitable business venture.
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Homemade Chocolates Retail Business
Homemade chocolates are chocolates that are made at the home and not in a factory of some sort where chocolates are mass produced. Those who are into the homemade chocolate retail business ensure that they target locations where they can easily attract children because children are the major consumers of chocolates and candies et al.
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Kettle Corn Production Business
Kettle corn is made from regular popping corn. The difference between regular popcorn and kettle corn is how the corn is popped. Traditionally, kettle corns are made in a large, cast-iron kettle that has been oiled. The popcorn is popped before it is tossed with a little salt, and sugar to give it that addictive flavor.
Depending on the scale you want to start, the startup capital for this type of business can be low to moderate. As a matter of fact, you can start your kettle corn production business and then grow it big within a short period of time by investing your profits back into the business.
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Candy Store
A candy store is a retail outlet where different candies, chocolates, chewing gums, toffees et al are sold. Candy stores ensure that they target locations where they can easily attract children because children are the major consumers of products from candy stores. A candy retail store is a very easy micro business to start and it is not so capital intensive.
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Handyman Business
A handyman business provides a wide range of services needed for the maintenance of buildings and properties. The services provided by a handyman include plumbing, electrical works, carpentry, painting, heating, and cooling services, and other building and property maintenance and repair works.
A handyman business can be set up by almost anyone. Whether you are well versed in facility/ property management or you have no such experience, this is a business that can be conveniently done.
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Open a Pet Store
A pet store is a store that sells a range of pets, such as dogs, cats, fish, and birds, and also sells pet food and supplies, such as collars, leashes, health and beauty aids, shampoos, medication, toys, pet containers, dog kennels, cat furniture et al. Some stores also offer pet grooming and training.
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Wedding Photography Business
Wedding photography is a photography business that is a subset of the broad photography industry. As the name implies, it is a photography business that covers wedding events; it covers pre-wedding photoshoots, the wedding ceremony proper and also post-wedding photoshoots (usually honeymoon and special wedding thanksgiving services et al).
Starting a wedding photography business is not difficult, and it requires moderate start-up capital to set the business up. No doubt, a wedding photography business is a profitable venture especially if you have the right link that will ensure that you have a steady flow of clients. Some of the people that you can partner with if you want to make it big as a wedding photographer are wedding planners, churches, magistrates et al.
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Bubble Tea Shop
A bubble tea shop is a small, informal restaurant where bubble tea and light refreshments such snacks, sandwiches, muffins, fruit, or pastries are served to customers. Bubble tea shops sell bubble tea, a Taiwanese tea-based drink with a variety of toppings, such as chewy tapioca balls. Bubble teas are described as sweet teas in a thick Styrofoam cup, mixed with non-dairy creamer, ice, and a spoonful of black tapioca pearls.
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Face Painting Business
Facing painting is not just restricted to kids and teens. Adults also love their faces to be painted during parties and carnivals. This type of business is not capital intensive and you can start the business from your savings. If you are hardworking and you have the right network in place, you can generate your start-up capital from one business deal.
Usually, party or carnival face painters charge based on their discretion but on average, they charge about $100 per hour. One good thing about this type of business is that you can combine it with other businesses without overworking yourself.
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Hot Sauce Shop
A hot sauce shop is a business that produces and sells different types and flavors of hot sauce. Most hot sauce is a combination of chili peppers, vinegar, and salt. Many hot sauces are fermented to add a funky flavor element. They can be liquid or paste, green, red, or even brown.
It’s often added to dishes like burgers, burritos, tacos, eggs, and marinades. Cholula, Crystal, El Yucateco, Frank’s Red Hot, Melinda’s, Tabasco, Tapatio, Texas Pete, Trappey’s and Valentina are all examples of different types of hot sauce.
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Knife Sharpening Business
A knife sharpening business is a business that sharpens knives, scissors, and other sharp edges/blade-like tools and instruments. They can operate from a shop/kiosk or from their truck as a mobile knife sharpening service. If you are looking for a micro business to start in the UK; a business that is less stressful, less challenging, and with pretty low start-up capital, then you may want to consider starting a knife sharpening business.
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Landscaping Business
The landscaping business just like the Lawn care business is not one of those businesses that someone can start and make big money from without working pretty hard and smart.
Any entrepreneur who intends to start his or her own landscaping business and make huge profits from it must be very creative and must be ready to go the extra mile to convince clients that he or she can deliver an excellent job and he or she must prove beyond every reasonable doubt that they are competent.