Working for oneself, being an entrepreneur, holds an undefinable charm for many. Flexibility, freedom, profits - these are some of the benefits of doing a business, which propel many of us towards it. Starting a business and running it successfully, though, is not a child's play. The success of a business, besides on the hard work that a person puts in, depends a great deal on the idea i.e. the products/services that the business offers as well as the market it is catering to. In today's economically grim times, there are some businesses which are expected to do better than others. Scroll down for such lucrative small business ideas. Consultancy For starting a consultancy, the only things that you initially need to invest in are an office space and a telephone. Of course, you should have the required industry experience to offer advice to upcoming businesses as well as some good contacts, with the help of whom you can get clients. So, if you have experience in marketing, you can offer your consultancy services to small businesses on how to market and advertise themselves as well as their products. If you have experience in the financial sector, you can advice businesses as well as individuals on how to manage, save and invest finances for maximum profits. Likewise, depending upon your experience and knowledge, you can start a consultancy for businesses and individuals. Home Repair Services In this time of recession, when people are in no mood to invest in a new property and move houses, a business which upgrades the place they are living in currently i.e. offers home repair services like plumbing, roof repairing, electrical wiring, tiling, amongst others, can prove to be very lucrative. For carrying on this business, you would need to hire people who are trained in these jobs as well as clients who need their services. Online Selling As more and more people depend on the Internet for work, socialization as well as shopping, the scope for online selling business has increased manifold. For this, you need a credit card and a registration with websites such as eBay. On these sites, you can sell anything, be it clothes, bags, wall hangings, books, art and craft items, etc. Many people are already making a lot of money through online selling. Buying goods cheaper from discounted or second hand stores and then selling them at a profit online, is the way this business is mostly conducted. Employment Agency Keeping in mind today's economic scenario, another idea is to start your own employment agency. As the number of people who have been terminated from their jobs increases, they would be obviously needing new jobs and employers. By starting an employment agency, you would be providing a meeting ground for them and their probable employers. Again, good contacts in the industry is a prerequisite for being successful in this business. Life Coaching A life coach is a person who offers guidance to the people on how to lead a happy, fulfilled and satisfied life. As the economic recession has left many people under a lot of stress, this business has a lot of scope of doing well in today's scenario. To make this business a success, you need to be a good judge of human behavior, well traveled and experienced, you should have an ability to empathize with people and show them the right course of action. Cleaning Services You can provide cleaning services to households, such as window cleaning, carpet cleaning and vacuuming the entire house. For starting this home business, you need to invest in a few cleaning tools, equipment and products as well as pamphlets for advertising in your neighborhood. Initially, you can carry on the business yourself. As and when your clientèle increases, you can hire some more people to do jobs for you. Virtual Assistant These days, in order to cut down on their costs, companies are hiring people who can offer administrative and secretarial services from their homes. So, you can become a virtual assistant for various companies and start a small business of it. Usually, services such as data entry, servicing the customers, scheduling appointments, making phone calls on behalf of the company to various people, bookkeeping, etc. are provided by a virtual assistant. You would need a telephone, computer and an Internet connection to carry on this work. Even if it's a small business that you are starting, to make it successful, you should have the initial capital and a proper plan in place. The way you conduct the business and carry on your assignments, especially the initial ones, will determine your reputation in the industry as well as your success.