There’s nothing like starting your own business to provide the financial independence and workplace flexibility you crave. For many, taking your life partner along for the ride only sweetens the pot. You can divvy up tasks, tag-team problem-solving, and spend more time with your loved one. You may even find that work feels less like work.
If you’re sure about doing business but unsure where to start, these profitable business ideas for couples may spark your fire. Some start small and grow over time; others hit the ground running and never slow. Most involve growing pains, unforeseen headaches, and customer service challenges – all soothed by the knowledge you’re becoming excellent business partners.
Health and fitness business ideas for couples
Design fitness apps or wearables
Annual income range: Varies, but may reach $500,000-$1,000,000 ($240-$480/hour)
Techie fitness buffs, this one’s for you!
Wearable tech has consumed the fitness world. Gadgets and apps track and analyze your health and nutrition, guide you through workouts, and make recommendations. But, as in your workout routine, there’s always room to improve.
Tech-minded couples can:
- Redesign existing gadgets to be cheaper, more efficient, or more comfortable
- Tinker with new wearables catered to specific needs and demographics using tools like Tinkercad or Mako
- Design physical accessories to make using gadgets easier (remember how big cell phone clips were?)
- Develop apps to help others reach their fitness goals using code-free AI like Appy Pie or Mobincube
Launching a wearables business together means bouncing business ideas and design changes off your built-in partner. Plus, you can divide the more exhausting aspects of innovation like product testing, marketing, and partnering with distributors based on your skillsets. Don’t forget to patent your invention when it’s finished!
Develop or dropship fitness equipment
Annual income range: Varies, but may reach $500,000-$1,000,000 ($240-$480/hour)
The fitness world is always ready for new innovations to make “better, faster, stronger” tomorrow’s reality. If you like to sew, work with metal or wood, or experiment with new materials, you can get hands-on to create:
- High-tech clothing that vaporizes sweat
- Ethically-sourced clothing that pairs religious modesty and comfort
- Stronger, cheaper, or more durable workout, yoga, or sports gear
- Your own line of protein powders, organic smoothies, or muscle recovery tools
- Carbon steel gear to keep outdoor adventurers safe on the go
But fitness innovation isn’t cheap – which is where crowdfunding using sources like Kickstarter or GoFundMecomes in. Or, cut costs by contracting with a dropshipper like Supliful, HealioHealth, or VitaLabs to sell existing products you believe in.
Take your organic farmstead to the next level
Annual income range: $31,000-$121,500 ($15-$59/hour)
Organic goods are a hot commodity, worth an estimated $52 billion annually. Consumers have proven they’re willing to pay for healthier produce, meat, and products grown with limited chemical or antibiotic intervention. (Not to mention the knowledge that every purchase helps reduce the negative impacts of commercial farming.)
With just a few acres and a steady water supply, your partnership has the makings of an organic farm. Depending on your abilities, preferences, and the greenness of your thumb, you could:
- Growing organic fruits or vegetables
- Raising organic, all-natural, or free-range meat
- Harvesting organic animal products like wool, milk, or honey
Post-harvest, you can sell at your local farmers market, roadside stands, or through partnerships with restaurants, natural food stores, or commercial retailers.
Fantastic business ideas for couples on the go
Mobile wash and fold laundry service
Annual income range: $27,000–$500,000 ($13-$240/hour)
Let’s get real: laundry is a never-ending drag for just about everyone. But you can ease this common household dread by starting your own on-demand laundry service. Mobile laundry services travel to customers, whisk away dirty items, and return them cleaned, pressed, and folded.
To start, you’ll need a vehicle, washer and dryer (or several), and all the laundry fixin’s. (Detergents, softeners, sprays, and of course, an ironing board.) You’ll also want to establish a competitive niche, perhaps by offering:
- Same-day pickup and delivery
- Eco-friendly and/or hypoallergenic chemicals
- Special processes for medical clients and nursing homes
Not sure your partnership can survive never-ending piles of laundry? Test-drive this profitable business idea for couples as a Poplin contractor first. Once you’ve established name recognition, you may be ready to launder dirty clothes into cash under your own brand.
Open a carwash or car detailing business
Annual income range: $41,000-900,000 ($19-$433/hour)
Starting an auto cleaning business offers plenty of operational flexibility. For instance, a self-service or automatic wash requires (comparatively) less effort and capital. Build your car washing facilities, establish a maintenance schedule, and keep the detergent and water flowing.
Or, charge a premium for full-service washes with waxing and auto detailing add-ons. Loop in your partner to tag-team tasks, take turns opening shop or handling customers, or double your output.
However, even self-service washes require hefty startup capital. If you can’t fund your business solo, you’ll need a solid business plan to pitch potential lenders. Fortunately, you can find all the information you need using free resources like the SBA website, Inc., and the Y Combinator’s Startup Library.)
Open a food truck
Annual income range: $50,000–$300,000 ($24-$145/hour)
Culinary couples lacking the desire to struggle with the restaurant industry’s razor-thin profits may consider opening a food truck. These mobile eateries pair the ability to follow hungry crowds with smaller overhead costs.
Your two person team can divide menu design, food prep, customer service, marketing, and administrative tasks. Plus, you can start your business as a side hustle and move to full-time on your own schedule.
That said, even food trucks require hefty startup capital, as well as regulation navigation. It’s possible to lower upfront expenses by customizing a used food truck off eBay or Craigslist, but they’ll require more maintenance. Or, you can spend a little more to buy or lease a new truck on marketplaces like Roaming Hunger.
Junk removal services
Annual income range: $20,800–$1,000,000 ($10-$480/hour)
Couples itching to convert carbs to cash may start a part- or full-time junk removal service. This is another business idea for couples requiring startup capital: notably, a box truck, high-quality tools, safety equipment, and insurance coverage. With the right gear, you can offer general or niche junk removal services, such as:
- Office or home furniture
- Electronic waste
- Large appliances
- Old vehicles
- Hazardous materials
As a team, you’re better positioned to tackle large items together or halve your pickup times. Gain customers by listing on sites like Facebook Marketplace, Angi’s List, or Craigslist. (Or you can spread your good name contracting through sites like LoadUp.) You can also split other less-fun tasks, like administrative, financial, and customer service duties.
Best business ideas for pet lovers
Sell pet products and accessories
Annual income range: $20,800–$150,000 ($10-$72/hour)
If you and your partner squeal over dogs on the sideway, a pet-based business could keep your tails wagging for years to come. In a saturated market, finding an underserved niche and perfecting your product is key. That could mean:
- Opening a locally-sourced pet shop
- Building toys from sustainably-sourced materials
- Designing smart tech monitoring or feeding solutions
- Formulating organic or hypoallergenic animal feed
- Building nifty subscription boxes with Cratejoy or Subbly
- Dropshipping affordable pet supplies through Amazon or Shopify
Whatever your niche market, pet merch is big biz with the right design and a little luck.
Start a daycare or boarding kennel
Annual income range: $18,000–$500,000 ($9-$240/hour)
Pet sitting often ranks as an ideal side hustle for couples and individuals. If you just can’t get enough pets, consider stepping up to doggy daycare or extended boarding services. Having two in your team will make it easy to tackle daily tasks like scheduling, administration, and lots of walks. (You’ll also need to research local licensing, insurance, and other essential regulations.)
With the right facilities and a love of humanity’s best friend, you can make a career out of making dogs’ days better. You can convert part of your own property or rent a commercial space on marketplaces like LoopNet or CommercialSearch. Couples ready to fetch their first clients can sniff around pet platforms like Rover and DogVacay.
Best couple business ideas for tech lovers
Start an online store or e-commerce business
Annual income range: $25,500-$339,500 ($12-$163/hour)
We won’t linger here long, because “start a business” is both redundant and often overhyped. But if you have a solid business plan, it’s possible to carve your name into niches like:
- Home-based ecommerce business
- Software sales
- Dropshipping
- Affiliate marketing
- Social media marketing
Mind you, it takes dedication and lots of hours upfront to make online businesses work in today’s highly-competitive market. Fortunately, you’ll have your partner to help tackle essentials like product design, marketing, logistics, customer service, and more.
Old-school or new-school tech repair
Annual income range: $25,000-$66,500 ($12-$32/hour)
Even as new tech advances, antique and vintage pieces retain their ability to pull a classy room together or impress the next generation. If one in your couple boasts the tinker gene, opening an old-school repair shop could rake in a decent income.
Depending on your local market, you may specialize in phonographs, typewriters, record players, or vintage cameras. Or maybe one of you is tech-savvy enough to also offer phone and laptop repair.
Cybersecurity
Annual income range: $42,500–$186,000 ($21-$90/hour)
As more of our lives move online, cybersecurity looms more important than ever. The field boasts tons of niche opportunities, like:
- Tracking scammers and hackers
- Thwarting cyber fraud
- Building or leasing digital infrastructure
- Developing AI tools to stay abreast of criminal trends
- Designing more secure home security systems
While this business idea for couples doesn’t necessarily require a degree, remember that it’s also a highly specialized field. Whatever your bent, you’ll need the technical knowledge and problem-solving skills to make your cybersecurity business work.
Start a digital marketing agency
Annual income range: $43,000-$163,500 ($20-$79/hour)
Couples with a knack for spinning words into leads may consider building their own digital marketing agency. To succeed in this niche, you’ll need to combine skills like:
- Marketing strategy
- Content creation
- Demographic and competitor research
- Client management
Though the field is far from empty, its online nature means your team can service customers around the globe. You can also specialize based on industry, client size, or services required to deliver outstanding personalized results.
Flip digital real estate
Annual income range: Varies by domain selection and holding time
Think of flipping digital real estate like buying a run-down old house:
You buy an ugly site with good bones, splash on some paint and drywall, and entice passers-by to say “ooooh.” Once you’ve built up its potential, you turn around and sell the site to the highest bidder and enjoy your profits.
You can find digital diamonds in the rough on marketplaces like Flippa and Empire Flippers. You and your partner can work together to select, purchase, and flip your next big thing. Or, you can tackle tasks such as market research, site and product redesign, and sales individually.
Other business ideas for couples
Flip other small businesses or startups
Annual income range: Varies by business selection and holding time
Couples with spare capital (or a great credit score) might skip the digital experience for the real deal. Like its online counterpart, business flipping involves buying an existing business and taking it to the next level. That may mean saving it from bankruptcy, finishing product design, or simply letting it grow.
Every business is different, but you can generally expect to:
- Streamline processes
- Acquire better equipment and/or talent
- Improve or replace products and services
- Grow the bottom line
- Sell for a profit once the business hits its stride
If you have the stick-to-it-iveness to flip businesses full-time, you can scour opportunities on BizBuySell or BusinessBroker.net, bankruptcy announcements, or even Craigslist.
Open a storage facility
Annual income range: $50,000-$150,000 ($X-$X/hour)
Running a storage business is another great business idea that offers (relatively) passive income potential. You can start your side hustle by converting your empty garage, basement, or spare room into “official” storage space. List your freed-up space on sites like SpareFoot, Neighbor, or Store At My House.
When you’re ready to expand, consider investing in storage containers, building a new facility, or buying an existing one. Be sure to research any service gaps in your town, be they affordable storage space or high-end air-conditioned units. Lean on your partnership to complete essential tasks like customer inquiries, maintenance and janitorial duties, and marketing.
Pest control
Annual income range: $27,000–$80,000 ($13-$39/hour)
The pest control industry grew over $12 billion between 2012 and 2023, with plenty of growth left to go. Pest control isn’t the sexiest business, but it does boast solid income potential and work-life balance.
Better yet, you can specialize by pest, trap design, residential or commercial customers, or through eco-friendly chemical usage. (And by working as a couple, you can de-bug your clients twice as fast!)
If you’re not squeamish about banishing creepy crawlies from civilization, you’ll need to start researching your:
- Equipment needs
- Certification requirements
- Insurance requirements
- Ecological responsibilities
Once you’re licensed, you can start listing your availability on Angi’s List and Thumbtack. Or, branch out with an existing pest control franchise like Mosquito Joe, Eco Safe Pest Control, Critter Control, or Lawn Doctor.
Running a successful business is easier with two
Going from couple to business partners can be a daunting prospect. It takes a strong foundation, effective communication, creative skills, and of course, a good business idea. Pair these tools with a shared desire for success, you can turn your shared passions into a field of business opportunities.