Ecommerce has been the talk of the business world for years now, and the pandemic accelerated consumer adoption of online shopping for everything from groceries to luxury goods. But are we missing out on something when we focus on building a business online at the expense of an “offline” presence? This article from Small Business Trends points out some of the benefits of building an offline business in 2023 and then gives a few tips on how to do it.
The benefits of an offline business include the interpersonal aspects of working face-to-face with customers. You get to build relationships with employees and customers, and you get to provide tangible experiences and service to your customers. Working offline also allows you to focus on your local area, so you’ll be serving a community that you know. You’ll also face less competition locally than you would in a crowded online market.
So given those benefits, what type of offline business could you start? Some of the suggestions are services that don’t require a lot of capital or equipment to get started in, like pet care, child care, housesitting, personal training, and cleaning. Other suggestions don’t require a separate physical location to serve their customers, such as catering, food delivery, and event management.
In all, the article lists 50 ideas for offline businesses and then addresses some common questions an entrepreneur might have. It’s a great resource for people in the very early stages of planning their self-employment journey.
