startup ideas

With €500, consider solving small everyday problems in your town. For example, launch a local errand-running or delivery service for the elderly or busy people—set up a simple website, print flyers, and start with your neighborhood. This hyper-local approach keeps costs low and can grow by word of mouth.

With €500, you could start a business around buying and flipping secondhand items from local thrift stores or online marketplaces. Focus on curating vintage clothing, unique furniture, or upcycling old items into trendy home decor to tap into the sustainability trend—plus, most of your budget goes into inventory and basic marketing.

With €500 and just digital tools, you could start a micro-agency offering a niche online service—like creating LinkedIn profiles, ghostwriting blog posts, or managing newsletters for freelancers and small businesses. Use free tools (Canva, Google Docs, Mailchimp) and platforms (Upwork, LinkedIn) to get your first clients; spend your budget only on a domain, basic website, and maybe small ads. All the rest is sweat equity: outreach, trials, and fast learning!

With €500, what about a startup where you lease intensely decorated, hyper-niche selfie corners (think: absurd themes like "post-apocalyptic tea party" or "90s office cubicle horror") to cafes and shops for a week at a time—targeting social media addicts? Build scenes from thrifted junk for nearly nothing, market with viral stunts, and turn every install into a must-see local event. Ordinary photo booths are boring; make gloriously weird, completely unpredictable scenes.