Local & home services: business ideas you can test
Holiday cat-sitting home visits with photo check-ins
A cat-focused home-visit service that feeds and cares for cats in their own homes while owners travel. Capacity and pricing are planned around holiday peaks.
- Start cash
- €100–250 per year
- Time
- 30–45 min / visit
Remote grave care with photo reports and video-call visits
A local service that tends graves for families who live far away, proving each visit with before-and-after photos and an optional live video call.
- Start cash
- €100–400 (assumes the founder already has a car and smartphone)
- Time
- 5–10 h / week
Sneaker and shoe cleaning with pickup and delivery
A one-person, home-based shoe care service. Customers drop off or send dirty sneakers by courier or parcel locker and get them back cleaned, restored and dried. Pricing is per pair or by bundle, and the business relies on repeat orders.
- Start cash
- under €300
- Time
- 30–90 min / pair
Staffless Village Convenience Store
A small, staffless shop with self-checkout and access control that sells everyday essentials 24/7 where no shop remains.
- Start cash
- Roughly EUR 15,000–60,000 depending on format
- Time
- 8–15 h / week
Pre-sell a small product line before you make it
Test a new product with a clear page, an interest-to-order ledger and a written go / no-go rule — before any inventory.
- Start cash
- €50–150
- Time
- 5 h / week
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