Best Businesses To Start In Small Towns

By | September 21, 2025

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Best Businesses To Start In Small Towns

Best Businesses To Start In Small Towns

Stay with us till the end to discover 31 best small town business ideas.

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But starting a business is not easy. From coming up with a business idea to registering your company, hiring people and offering services, it takes a lot of time and effort.

To help aspiring entrepreneurs, we’ve compiled a list of the best small business ideas to start in a small town. Whether you already live in a small town or are planning to move to one, these small town business ideas will help you start your entrepreneurial journey.

However, before we look at small town business ideas, let’s take a look at what every small business owner needs to get started.

Whether you choose to open a coffee shop or run a digital marketing agency, there are certain steps every business owner should follow.

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For LLCs and corporations, your small business must be registered with the Secretary of State.

Although it is difficult to apply by hand, you can easily fill out an EIN application to apply online.

Here are some of the best small town business ideas you can use to start a business in 2022:

Best Businesses To Start In Small Towns

People living in rural areas and small towns have basic needs and wants. You need to find and exploit business opportunities that meet your basic needs.

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However, sustaining a small town without a local grocery store means that most of its residents commute daily to shop at local stores. This gap creates great opportunities for grocery store business ideas.

If your small town does not have a large population, the town cannot support many grocery stores. So before choosing one, do a feasibility study to know if there is enough demand for the missing items. Also, a study of how existing grocery stores operate.

Let’s say your business idea is to open an independent grocery store (not a franchise). In this case, you should try to diversify your grocery store so that you don’t spend too much money on inventory and infrastructure. Promoting local products through your store is a good way.

A good idea here is to choose a location for your grocery store in an area where there are no other stores nearby. Getting this idea right will give you a monopoly there.

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For example, find an area in your small town where people have to travel long distances to get food, and open a grocery store there. One of the best small town business ideas to serve the local community and make money.

Do you like street food? If so, you’re not alone. Many enjoy the delicious food specialties offered at food trucks and stalls.

If you are an expert in cooking your own food, you can easily start a food truck in your small town. Or, join a local farmers market to set up a booth to sell your produce. You can partner with existing food vendors to sell your products at retail locations.

Best Businesses To Start In Small Towns

Many people prefer food trucks to grocery stores because they don’t want to limit themselves to one location. Food trucks offer the opportunity to travel around the neighborhood or city with their food business.

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Food trucks are not the only mobile approach to street food business. They are also popular for parties, small town events, graduation events, etc. With a food truck you can come up with unique ideas to improve your business.

Also, if you have unique street food to sell, you can’t stop your business. You send mobile, unique and enjoy low-cost infrastructure; Food business ideas for small towns couldn’t be better.

You should check the legal requirements for food businesses in your area and ensure that your kitchen and processes comply with laws and regulations. You need commercial kitchen space to prepare and sell food.

Everyone needs a haircut, which makes a salon one of the best businesses to start in a small town. Depending on the size of your city, you can open a hair salon in an area where there are no salons.

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There are already some salons in your city. In this case, you should focus on less important customer demographics. For example, if you have a women’s beauty salon in your city, you can open a barber shop that caters mainly to men.

Apart from haircuts, you can also offer other services to your customers like waxing, manicures, facials, massages and other spa services.

Even if your small town has a full-service hair salon, you can use this business idea to consider mainstream hair care businesses like blow bars or beauty salons for eyebrows or makeup.

Best Businesses To Start In Small Towns

The idea here is to go as far as you can when there is stiff competition in your small town.

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Opening a coffee shop is one of the best small town business ideas. Many people love coffee and the local coffee shop is just what they need to unwind their evenings.

With various cafes, you can offer snacks, ice cream and local food to ensure customers have a good time at the cafe.

Coffee service is a daily business and a good idea even for a small town. If coffee shops aren’t a “thing” in your small town, you can open one where people go to bars. This could gradually legitimize operations in this space and create a good opportunity for crossover companies.

Speaking of bars, a small town bar might be your dream business, but a coffee shop can also be a great business idea. Unlike a bar, you can start in the morning and spend the whole day.

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The best part of this idea is that the coffee shop only needs a small space, basic equipment, skilled staff and creativity to design the coffee shop decor. You can create a book corner or even play board games to attract customers.

Cleaning is one of the most time-consuming and tedious tasks. This is why many people are happy to outsource their home and office cleaning work to house keepers and professional cleaning service providers.

Starting your cleaning business requires a small investment to register, hire housekeepers and cleaners, and purchase cleaning equipment and supplies. Cleaning services are very popular in small towns and cities so you can start earning fast.

Best Businesses To Start In Small Towns

This is a company that excels in word of mouth marketing. So, if you provide good service, you can get referral customers, which will help you grow your business faster.

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After you start, you can expand this business idea by expanding your services to include babysitting, yard work, home improvement services, etc.

Expert cleaning services are great business ideas that don’t require spending a lot of money on infrastructure. You don’t need any certifications or education to get started.

If you know some houses that need cleaning and maintenance work, don’t think twice about implementing this business idea in your small town.

The agriculture industry in the United States is expected to grow at a CAGR (compound annual growth rate) of 4.6% from 2020 to 2025. This makes landscaping one of the best business ideas to start in a small town.

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As with cleaning, many people don’t want to or don’t have the time to take care of their lawn or garden, so they are willing to pay for its upkeep.

Landscaping and lawn care businesses cater to the unique needs of small towns. These companies may merge with other businesses for expansion.

However, gardening and gardening business ideas can be seasonal for many parts of the United States. Therefore, you should look for other business ideas to earn money from your resources during the season.

Best Businesses To Start In Small Towns

To get started, you need basic training on seeding, bordering, mulching, watering and weed management. Then, you can register your lawn care business and start providing services to lawn owners.

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As a lawn care provider, you can charge anywhere from $30/hour to $120/hour on average. Some companies charge $220/hour to mow large lawns with sloping areas.

Cars have become an essential part of life today. They are no longer limited to big cities. Even those living in small towns and rural areas get around on bicycles, motorcycles and cars.

Today, whether everyone drives in rural areas or small towns, not everyone has access to the nearest service center. This is where garages come in handy, filling that gap and making life more livable for small towns.

Starting an auto repair shop might be a good idea for you. In addition to providing repairs and additional services

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