Quick answer: The most practical small businesses to start in Australia for under $50,000 are mobile service businesses: lawn mowing, cleaning, laundry, dog washing, handyman work, fencing, test and tag, window and pressure cleaning, pest control and pool care. They need no shop or lease, many need no formal qualification, and customers book them again and again.
This guide comes from Jim’s Group, Australia’s largest franchise network, with 5,870 franchisees across 50+ divisions. Each business below is one Jim’s franchisees run every day, so for each one you’ll find what the work really involves, the licences you need, who it suits, and what the people doing it say.
Key takeaways
- Service businesses are the cheapest real businesses to start, because there’s no shop, fit-out or stock. Most Jim’s franchises cost around $30,000 to $35,000, including tools and trailer.
- Demand isn’t the problem. Jim’s had more than 200,000 jobs go unserviced in 2025 because no franchisee was available.
- Licences vary by business and by state. Mowing, cleaning and dog washing usually need none, while fencing, handyman work and pest control can.
- Pick work you’ll enjoy doing every day. The right business for an animal lover is very different from the right one for someone who wants school-hours work.
- Starting solo costs less upfront, but you have to find every customer yourself.
What small business can you start for under $50,000 in Australia?
You can start a mobile service business in Australia for well under $50,000: you need equipment, a vehicle or trailer, insurance and customers, but no premises. Here are 10 that suit first-time business owners.
| Business | Licence usually needed? | Physical demand | Repeat customers? |
| Lawn mowing | No (herbicide spraying can need one) | High | Yes, regular rounds |
| Cleaning | No specific licence listed by Jim’s | Medium | Yes, weekly or fortnightly |
| Laundry pickup and delivery | No specific licence listed by Jim’s | Low | Yes |
| Dog washing and grooming | No formal qualification | Medium | Yes, every 4 to 8 weeks |
| Handyman | Above state thresholds | Medium to high | Some |
| Fencing | Above state thresholds | High | Mostly one-off |
| Test and tag | Recognised course (AS/NZS 3760) | Low | Yes, scheduled retesting |
| Window and pressure cleaning | No, but wastewater rules apply | Medium to high | Yes, every few months |
| Pest control | Yes, a state licence | Medium | Some |
| Pool care | Training before you start | Medium | Yes |
10 service business ideas you can start in Australia
1. Lawn mowing
A lawn mowing business mows lawns and looks after gardens for homes and businesses, mostly on regular rounds. It’s hands-on, outdoor work that suits people who like being physical and seeing a finished job at the end of each one.
Be ready for the physical side. A new Jim’s Mowing franchisee said on the More Than Just Mowing podcast in 2024: “It requires lots and lots of hard work, and you need to be willing to get sweaty and have sore muscles every night.”
Work slows in winter but doesn’t stop. One franchisee pointed out that you may mow less often in the cold months, but “roses need pruning in July and August”.
- Licence: none for mowing. Commercial herbicide spraying can need a licence, depending on the state.
- Solo vs franchise: solo, you’ll need a trailer, mowers and hand tools, and you’ll have to find your own clients. Most Jim’s Mowing packages include territory, trailer, equipment and training, and some come with customers.
- Demand: a Jim’s franchisor told the podcast in 2025 that “we can’t service everybody”, and that franchisees who’d been going two or three years didn’t even take new leads anymore.
Read more about How to Start a Jim’s Mowing Franchise.
2. Cleaning
A cleaning business cleans homes and workplaces. Many owners specialise in one service, such as regular domestic cleaning, carpets or windows. It suits people who are organised and take pride in detail, and it fits around family life better than most businesses.
Ali, from Jim’s Cleaning Group, said in 2026 that some franchisees drop their kids off, work from 9:30 till 2:30, and don’t work weekends. He said new cleaning franchisees include chefs, truck drivers, pilots, nurses and teachers.
Haydar Hussein, a Jim’s Cleaning divisional franchisor, said in 2025: “If you’re doing carpet cleaning, you do carpets. If you do windows, you do windows.” New Jim’s Cleaning franchisees do “a five-day program where new franchisees work on the road with experienced trainers”.
- Licence: Jim’s doesn’t list a licence for cleaning. Check the Australian Government’s ABLIS tool (ablis.business.gov.au) for your state and council.
- Solo vs franchise: solo, you’ll need equipment, supplies and a way to win clients. A Jim’s Cleaning franchise costs roughly $30,000, including equipment, uniforms, vehicle signage and training.
- Demand: Jim’s Cleaning Group says it still has tens of thousands of unserviced leads in some states and regions.
Read more about How do i start a Jim’s Cleaning Franchise.
3. Laundry pickup and delivery
A laundry pickup and delivery business collects washing, ironing and dry cleaning from homes, NDIS clients and businesses, and brings it back clean. It’s one of the least physical service businesses, which makes it a good fit for people who want flexible hours.
Jim’s Laundry Services partners with local laundromats that have spare machine capacity, so franchisees don’t need to buy commercial machines. Bill Cobanoglu, who founded the division, said in 2025: “They’ve got the equipment, but they need the vehicle of clients, and the Jim’s system is that vehicle.” He added: “It helps single mums or single dads work around kids’ drop-off times.”
Heidi Yi, a Jim’s Laundry franchisee, set her week as Monday to Thursday to keep Fridays free. Her reason was simple: “Health comes first and time freedom.”
- Licence: Jim’s doesn’t list a licence for laundry services. Check ABLIS for your area.
- Solo vs franchise: solo, you’d need either machines or a laundromat partner, plus a van and clients. Jim’s arranges the laundromat model and the brand.
- Demand: Bill Cobanoglu said that once the van is branded, “the leads start coming through fairly quickly.”
Read more about How do i start a Jim’s Laundry Franchise.
4. Dog washing and grooming
A mobile dog wash business washes and grooms dogs from a fitted-out trailer at the customer’s home. It suits people who genuinely love animals, because you’ll handle every type of dog in every type of mood.
It isn’t for everyone, and Jim’s says so up front. Sharon Connell, who leads Jim’s Dog Wash, said in 2025: “Some people, it hurts their soul to do it. That’s why a day in the trailer is so important.” Jim’s Dog Wash has grown to more than 250 franchisees.
- Licence: in Australia, formal study isn’t required to work as a dog groomer. Council rules on wastewater can apply.
- Solo vs franchise: solo, you’ll need a trailer with a hydrobath, hot water and a grooming table, plus training. Jim’s Dog Wash includes grooming training, an equipment pack and a uniform and promo pack, with a trailer to buy or rent.
- Repeat work: clients typically rebook every 4 to 8 weeks.
Read more about How do I start a Jim’s Dog Wash franchise.
5. Handyman
A handyman business does small repairs and maintenance, from a door handle to a deck. It suits practical people who enjoy variety and solving problems, including career changers.
Nick Nassis of Jim’s Handyman in northern Melbourne said in 2024: “They don’t have to be fully qualified carpenters, just need to have a passion for it.” He added: “For anyone thinking about a career change, especially those coming out of office jobs, becoming a Jim’s Handyman franchisee is a fantastic option.”
- Licence: basic handyman work doesn’t need a licence, but larger jobs do, and the limits depend on your state. In NSW, residential work valued at more than $5,000 in labour and materials (including GST) needs a contractor licence. In Queensland, building work over $3,300 generally needs a QBCC licence. In Victoria, building contracts worth more than $10,000 need registration. Electrical and plumbing work always need a licensed tradesperson.
- Solo vs franchise: solo, you’ll need tools, a vehicle and clients. Jim’s Handyman provides training and leads, and training can be a step towards a builder’s licence later.
Read more about How do I start a Jim’s Handyman franchise.
6. Fencing
A fencing business builds and repairs fences for homes and businesses. It’s heavy, outdoor work that suits people who like working with their hands and seeing big results in a day.
Tom Ngapti, a Jim’s Fencing franchisee in Queensland, said in 2026 that demolition is a major part of the load, including “heavy concrete” and “pulling out big posts”. He said the biggest change wasn’t finding work but “learning to manage the leads”.
- Licence: you don’t need formal qualifications to work as a fencer, but larger jobs need a state licence or registration. In NSW, residential fencing work valued at more than $5,000 in labour and materials (including GST) needs a contractor licence. In Victoria, contracts worth more than $10,000 need registration. In Queensland, check with the QBCC.
- Solo vs franchise: solo, you’ll need tools, a trailer and a steady flow of quotes. Jim’s Fencing provides training and leads from the Jim’s call centre, and help setting up your ABN and GST.
Read more about How to start a Jim’s Fencing franchise.
7. Test and tag
A test and tag business checks portable electrical equipment in workplaces and tags it as safe. It’s low on physical effort and high on repeat work, because equipment has to be retested on a schedule.
Dave, a Jim’s Test and Tag franchisee, said in 2026 that he puts in “quite a few hours” but finds the work mentally easy and “pretty stress-free”. As for workload, there’s “more than what I can do”.
- Qualification: testers must be a “competent person” under the Australian Standard AS/NZS 3760, usually through a nationally recognised test and tag course. You don’t need to be an electrician.
Read more about How to start a Jim’s Test and Tag franchise.
8. Window and pressure cleaning
A window and pressure cleaning business cleans windows, driveways, paths and building exteriors. Customers often rebook every few months, not every fortnight, so you’ll need a wide client base.
A Jim’s franchisee who does the work said in 2026 that windows “might be every six months”, and that doing it by hand is hard on the body.
- Licence: none needed, but wastewater must not go into the stormwater system. In Queensland, for example, this is covered by environmental protection law.
Read more about How to start a Jim’s Window and pressure cleaning franchise.
9. Pest control
A pest control business treats homes and businesses for insects, termites and rodents. It’s year-round work, but it’s one of the few on this list that always needs a licence.
- Licence: you need a state licence to apply pesticides for payment. In NSW, for example, that’s an EPA Pest Management Technician licence. Jim’s organises third-party pest control training and licensing for new, unlicensed franchise owners.
Read more about How to start a pest control business.
10. Pool care
A pool care business cleans, balances and maintains swimming pools on a regular schedule. It suits people who like outdoor work, repeat clients and a technical side to the job.
- Training: Jim’s Pool Care trains new owners before they start in the field.
- Demand: in 2026, Jim’s Pool Care was looking for more franchisees across Adelaide, including the eastern suburbs, the Adelaide Hills, and the north and south.
Read more about How to start a Jim’s Pool care franchise.
Which small business suits you?
The right small business depends more on how you want to spend your day than on the money. Use this as a starting point:
| If you… | Look at |
| Love being outdoors and don’t mind hard physical work | Lawn mowing, fencing |
| Love animals | Dog washing |
| Want to work around school hours | Cleaning, laundry |
| Want less physical work | Laundry, test and tag |
| Are handy and like variety | Handyman |
| Like technical, repeat work | Test and tag, Pool care, Pest control |
Then see it for yourself. Spend a day with someone who already does the work before you spend any money.
Should you start solo or buy a franchise?
Starting solo costs less upfront, but you have to find every customer yourself. Buying a franchise costs more upfront, but the brand and lead supply bring you work from the start. Which is better depends on whether you’re more confident with the work or with the marketing.
The demand is there for people who can do the work. Jim’s had more than 200,000 jobs go unserviced in 2025, because no franchisee was available to take them.
If you’re weighing up a franchise, read how much a franchise costs in Australia, is a franchise worth it and how to buy a franchise in Australia. Whatever you choose, call every single one of the franchisees you can before you buy.
What do you need to start a small business in Australia?
To start a small business in Australia, you need an ABN, the right licences for your work and state, insurance, and a business name registration if you trade under a name other than your own.
- ABN: apply for an Australian Business Number. It’s free.
- Business name: register your business name with ASIC if you won’t trade under your own name.
- GST: register for GST once your business turnover reaches $75,000 a year.
- Licences: use the Australian Government’s ABLIS tool (ablis.business.gov.au) to find the licences and permits for your business, state and council.
- Insurance: get public liability insurance at minimum. Customers and franchisors will expect it.
Small business ideas FAQs
Mobile service businesses are among the cheapest real businesses to start in Australia, because there’s no shop, lease or stock. Lawn mowing, cleaning and laundry pickup can all be started for well under $50,000. Most Jim’s franchises cost around $30,000 to $35,000, including tools and trailer.
Lawn mowing and domestic cleaning don’t usually need a specific licence in Australia, although commercial herbicide spraying can. Check the Australian Government’s ABLIS tool for your state and council before you start.
Small handyman and fencing jobs don’t need a licence, but larger jobs do, and the limits vary by state. In NSW, residential work valued at more than $5,000 in labour and materials needs a contractor licence. In Victoria, building contracts worth more than $10,000 need registration.
Cleaning and laundry pickup and delivery suit school hours well. At Jim’s Cleaning, some franchisees work from 9:30 till 2:30 and don’t work weekends.
Yes. Many service businesses, including lawn mowing, cleaning, dog washing and handyman work, don’t need formal qualifications, and franchise systems such as Jim’s train new owners before they start. Pest control and test and tag need training or a licence first.
Yes. Jim’s Group had more than 200,000 jobs go unserviced in 2025 because no franchisee was available to take them.
Ready to start your own service business?
Find out which Jim’s divisions have territories available in your area. Enquire, and a Jim’s franchisor will call you.
Or call 131 546 and ask about owning a Jim’s franchise.