Starting a home-based business in the Philippines might have become more appealing for many Filipinos. You might be inspired to make a change from your 9-5 job and embark on your entrepreneurship journey given the rise of home businesses from the pandemic. With commuting times becoming arduous and more expensive, at least 50% Filipinos now prefer working from home. With 9 out of 10 professionals wanting more work from home arrangements in the future, the future of business is starting to look different. Business ideas no longer need to be large-scale businesses that require huge production costs or financial outlay. You can definitely start small
If you have a business idea, the best place for you to put it into action is probably from home!
For professionals wanting to shift to a home business, chances are you don’t know where to start. What skills do I need to know? What kind of business can I do?
Before you start ideating, you might need to register your business with the local government. Check out our guide in registering your business in the Philippines to get familiar before you proceed with putting together a business plan for your winning business idea!
If you are wondering what is the most profitable business ideas in the Philippines, here are some that you can start in the comfort of your home.
Sari-sari store
A sari-sari store is a variety store in which you sell mixed items. This can range from laundry detergents to favorite snacks and small grocery items. It is potentially one of the most profitable home-based business in the Philippines to look into, especially if you have a space in your home that you can use as a storefront.
Some of the items you can start with as a sari-sari store are:
- Household Cleaning Supplies
- Grocery items, such as Milk, Eggs, Canned Goods, and Instant Noodles
- Snack items such as instant coffee, bottled water, canned drinks, and small snack packs (that can go as low as Php10 per snack)
- Mobile Phone Prepaid Load
You can start Sari-sari stores with a small capital, going for as low as Php 3,000. Once you know which products are popular, you can gradually increase your investment as you begin selling more and more of your products and stock. You will also might want to register your business with the local government, too, so you can benefit from the government’s small business programs, such as Bayanihan Cares, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) COVID Assistance Programs, and the financing programs for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).
If setting up a local sari-sari store is not your cup of tea, you can still sell goods but take your business online instead!
Setting up an E-commerce store to sell online
Online shopping is already popular, but its growth probably accelerated during the pandemic. Therefore, setting up an e-commerce store to do online selling is definitely a home-based business you can consider in the Philippines.
What is online selling? It is where you sell your products through an online storefront, showing your product catalog and processing orders through a website. You typically show items that you have on hand. However, this can change if you’re dropshipping, which is an entirely different way of online selling. In both cases, customers buy your products through the store. You get paid through the store’s payment processing facility, though you can also process orders through cash-on-delivery.
An important thing about selling online - you are not limited to selling physical products on your online store! You can also sell music, videos or other digital content. The possibilities with an e-commerce business are endless. It is not just for entrepreneurs, but even for those who want to embark on it as part of their part-time endeavors! Out of the various business ideas, this is one that allows you the freedom to explore and generate extra money.
You can ride the momentum of this wave by creating your online stores over at marketplaces like Shopee and Lazada. Or better yet, create your own web e-commerce store through GoDaddy e-Store. Interested? Here are five reasons why you should set up an online store with GoDaddy.
Food selling business
Though closely related to the E-commerce business as outlined above, food selling is another popular home-based business in the Philippines. For many full time workers who can cook up a storm, this is an opportunity to share your skills with the world! And if you are running this from home, this can potentially be the cheapest business ideas that you can bring to life.
While many food sellers typically sell their wares offline, having a digital storefront will definitely help you to provide a better ordering experience for your customers. What's more, you can use your website as a marketing tool to help your brand become more discoverable! Coupled with getting word out through social media, calling up friends and family who you think might be interested in buying your cooked dishes, you can start building a profitable home-based business by starting small.
Since food services are part of the essential businesses list in the Philippines, you will be sure to stay afloat during this pandemic.
The following are dishes that you can sell:
- Lunch Packs
- Meal Sets (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner sold as a bundle)
- Single product cooked snack (a cooked snack, such as Turon or Cheese Sticks)
Even better, home based food selling business is such a very popular business idea that the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has a library of business ideas and guides, and most of these are food-based businesses! You will never run out of ideas or food types to sell for profit.
Professional services business
If you have in demand specialized skills that people will pay you for - these are great business ideas to start with! These professional services usually come to mind as home-based business ideas because many people operate these businesses from home. Some examples can include:
- Website Design
- Graphic Design
- Creative Services
- Writing Services
- Software Engineering
- Virtual Assistant Services
- Customer Support Services
- Technical Support Services
Services that you can provide digitally is one of the easiest home-based businesses in the Philippines you can start immediately. This is especially if you already are an experienced professional in any one of the lines of work listed above. The best part of this business idea? You can also start a very small capital just by listing your profile and services on online platforms such as Freelancer, Fiverr, and UpWork.
However, if you have a portfolio, that would work out even better! You can showcase your work in an online portfolio, which makes potential clients from small businesses to large companies find you more easily. An online portfolio will help them assess your skills and experience, therefore giving them more confidence in booking your services. Here’s a nifty little guide for you to start building your online digital portfolio.
Ready to start your home-based business in the Philippines?
There are numerous ways to start your home based business in the Philippines. Here are a few examples of popular ideas that will definitely help you kick start and get things rolling:
- Sari sari store
- Setting up an E-commerce business
- Food selling business
- Digital services business
You can start most of these business ideas with minimal initial investment! A Sari-Sari store may cost as little as Php3,000, or even lesser if you are looking to start your business providing professional services. Truly, now is the best time to put your business ideas to action and start building your dream business!
Editor’s note: Got questions about putting your idea online? Get instant answers on GoDaddy Asia Facebook Messenger now.
