Are you planning to establish a successful start-up in the financial capital of eastern India- Kolkata? If yes, then you have landed at the right place. Here, we have brainstormed some excellent and unique business ideas to start in Kolkata for you.
Kolkata is indubitably one of the most developed, organised, and talent-rich cities of eastern India. Additionally, remarkable infrastructure, premier educational institutes like IIM Calcutta, and an international airport are just the cherry on the cake.
Let’s check out some interesting ideas and dive a bit deeper.
1. Online Bengali Sweet Store
Bengali sweets are famous throughout the country for their uniqueness and taste. A person who comes to visit this majestic and culturally rich state will not want to miss out on these famous sweets.
However, not everyone has time to travel to the stores specifically for buying sweets. And that’s exactly when an online Bengali sweet store will come to the rescue. So, you can achieve a competitive advantage by using an online business to send these delicacies directly to their homes.
2. Online Thrift Store
Thrift stores are on the rise now and many people are willing to reuse products if they are in good condition. So, plan in such a way that you receive a constant supply of used materials, be it clothes, books, or toys, to sell in your store.
One way is to buy the supplies from people who are willing to sell and then generate good profits by selling these items via your online store.
However, you will have to ensure to inspect the quality of every product before putting it on sale. Otherwise, your business’s reputation will be at risk.
3. Tourist Guide Services
Kolkata has many tourist attractions like Victoria Memorial, Indian Museum, and Howrah Bridge. However, there are also some places that aren’t too seen and aren’t too known but yet they are worth the visit. For example- the Chor Bazar, Dacres Lane, and Rabindra Sarovar Lake all have some great experiences to offer.
Sadly, tourists don’t have enough knowledge and miss out on these exquisite experiences. However, this problem can be easily solved with the help of local tourist guide services. These services will never go out of business in a city like Kolkata. So, it’s a great start-up idea and if you make your services available online as well, you will get more bookings.
4. Online Bookstore
Bengal is the land of many talented writers who took Indian Literature to another level. Remarkable works of respectable writers like Rabindranath Tagore, Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay, etc. are still appreciated throughout the world.
Additionally, new talent flows through this land, and the people of Bengal are avid readers. Hence, opening an online bookstore that has a collection of Bengali classics along with modern works is a good idea.
5. Online Fresh Meat Supply
Bengalis and their love for non-veg dishes are famous all over the world. And it goes without saying that fish is an integral part of every Bengali kitchen. Hence, it’s plausible that the meat consumption in Kolkata is quite high but there are very less stores that keep fresh meat. And lesser is the number of stores that deliver fresh meat at one’s doorstep.
So, opening a store that not only sells meat offline but also delivers it to nearby households is definitely a fantastic option.
6. Home-Based Online Bakery
If you are running on a tight budget or if you don’t want to invest too much in your business initially then a home-based bakery is the option for you. The return on investment in the bakery business is quite good provided the taste is good.
Additionally, with multiple options to sell your preparations online like Zomato, Swiggy, and Shoopy, you will be able to easily scale up your business with time.
7. Online Dokra Metal Craft Shop
Dokra is a unique folk art of West Bengal which is used to create various contemporary sculptures. Additionally, this art form also attracts many tourists because of its beauty and intricateness. It looks unique and eye-catching which makes these sculptures perfect for décor.
Likewise, many other Bengali handicrafts are worth a lot of appreciation. So, you can open a store to represent and promote your culture via art to the tourists and other states as well.
8. Online Plant Nursery
The love for indoor plants and plants, in general, has multiplied after Covid majorly because people found peace in gardening during the tough times. And now this has just become a beautiful part of their lives. Hence, opening an online nursery that sells every trending plant might be an excellent idea.
9. Authentic Leather Product Store
Due to the general abundance of raw materials and trained labor, West Bengal is regarded as a center for leather products for both the domestic and international markets. Additionally, the 1100-acre Kolkata Leather Complex, called India’s largest integrated leather park, is a boost to the leather industry.
Hence, it is easier to design and make authentic leather products in Kolkata. You can do a bit more research, contact a few suppliers and analyze if you have the expertise to start such a business. And, if everything seems fine, you can open a store and sell authentic leather products both online and offline.
Summing Up
There are multiple opportunities in Kolkata that you as an entrepreneur can tap to generate good profits. You will have to dig a bit deeper to get proper details, understand your target audience, to know your weakness and strengths, but an idea is the first step.