What business to open in Poland? 24 profitable business ideas

Small and medium business is well developed in Poland. This is facilitated by a stable economy, support for small and medium-sized businesses from the state, the availability of various bonuses, cheap labor market (this is due to immigrants from the former CIS countries – Ukraine, Belarus), a reliable legislative framework, developed infrastructure and social protection. Corporate Income Tax (CIT) is one of the lowest in the European Union – 19%, if your turnover of less than 1 200 000 euros – 9% (for example in Italy 24%, in Germany it is 30%, in Belgium 34%).

The above factors contribute to thinking about which business in Poland is the best to open.

The UniConsulting team has selected 24 business ideas in Poland that have every chance of success. As well as 8 unsuccessful ideas that are doomed to failure.

We suggest you watch a video about popular niches in 2023.

We can help you solve any task!

Stanislav Tsys

Head of UniConsulting

Get consultation

Are you planning to start a business in Poland? Start a company or a private enterprise? We will help you bring your business to the Polish market from scratch until the first sales. We will develop: a strategy for entering the Polish market, open a remote legal entity or IE, will do accounting and registration of your employees. Leave an application for introductory consultation

You can also check out the niches we recommended in 2019 (even before covid), many of which are still relevant this year.

We recently recorded a new topical video about profitable niches for Ukrainians who moved to Poland after February 24:

Repair work in Poland

Due to the fact that Poland is still one of the most popular destinations for relocation in the European Union, many Ukrainians, Belarusians, CIS and EU residents move here. The country is being built and this applies not only in external construction works (i.e. erection of buildings), but also internal repair works. Not only that – the house is built once, and repairs are made by each new owner of the apartment, modifying the space under their own tastes and interests.

In addition to the fact that this direction is consistently relevant, it is cheaper at the entry than the external construction work, since it requires various permits, special equipment.

As for repair work, it is enough to have people who know how to do their job well.

Courier & Delivery

Since the pandemic, delivery has been at the top of the most popular and in-demand areas. In addition to such popular services as Uber, there are many local firms that open their delivery business and sign cooperation agreements with restaurants, stores, florists, in general with all structures that involve delivery.

For example, you can open a company and sign a contract with a local pizzeria and eco-food store. Even if you initially work yourself, then in the long term you can use the profits to buy another car and hire staff, slowly growing.

Moreover, if you open delivery companies, you can cooperate with large and companies such as DHL, Amazon, FedEx, etc., as they often have requests for permanent/temporary cooperation with small firms that have a certain number of machines, personnel.

Aparthotel and boutique hotels

In 2023, the market is saturated with destinations such as hostels, but tourists in Poland have not become less.

Boutique hotels have become much more popular among them. Boutique hotel – roughly speaking hostels are on the head above, that is, this is a separate facility from 10 to 100 rooms, each of which differs in some way idea, chip. Often, there is a common kitchen for several rooms, but separate bathrooms. This is convenient for young travelers who stay in a city or country for several days and go further, and through the common kitchens people find new acquaintances, forming a kind of community, it is also in boutique hotels often rent rooms for tour groups, so that group members spend more time together.

Aerofarms and microgreens in Poland

Society has become more concerned about their health, everyone is exercising and eating right, leading a healthy lifestyle.

Stereotypical proper diet consists of large consumption of vegetables, salads, and microgreens themselves are quite a useful product. The advantage of this niche is that the business can start with very little cost, growing microgreens at your window sill, and already in the future to untwist themselves as a company and expand to larger-scale production.

Another advantage of this niche is that you can work as a B2B, ie, supplying products to the point of catering, and B2C sell it to individuals.

It’s important to understand that if you’re initially targeting B2B, it implies growing greens on a more industrial scale, which means higher input costs. On this topic, there are ready-made solutions on the type of equipped container for growing microgreens with the right shelves, microclimate, lighting, and sensor system – a ready-made franchise.

Call center or sales center

Despite the fact that the world has become more digitalized, still all important moments are solved through the phone, especially in Poland, where people like to call and find out everything at once. That’s why one of the areas we have picked up is the establishment of an outsourced call center.

You can recruit a group of people and remotely serve different companies, having their services, prices and sales scripts on hand.

Such a call center can deal with both calling the client base and, for example, sales and, in general, everything related to any outgoing communication with the client. This direction is very profitable if you cooperate with a Russian-speaking business diaspora in Poland, because many businessmen come to Poland from Ukraine or Belarus without knowing the language, and it is necessary to communicate with clients and counterparties right at the entrance, and you can offer such entrepreneurs the services of your Polish-speaking call center.

Everything for animals

We should not forget about our little brothers. There have always been and will always be many of them, and each animal requires special care throughout its life cycle. They need to be washed, walked with, cut their hair, brushed their teeth, treated, and now, judging by the trends in social networks, dressed as well.

In this area there really is a lot to choose from, but probably the cheapest direction to start would be making clothes for small dogs, because you can start by knitting sweaters. It’s no secret that every owner of a furry kitty is worried about keeping him warm in windy weather.

Or you could combine the niche of hotels and pets and offer a pet-friendly hotel.

Hand made

Handmade is still a popular destination.

There are many sites and platforms through which people sell their individual products, paying only a commission to the site.

A key advantage of this direction is that the product can be anything, for example among young people very popular handmade backpacks, leather purses are not going out of fashion. Also, in this niche can work on the principle of execution of one-time orders (making the product itself at home) or immediately open a workshop for the manufacture, for example, shamballa bracelets.

Green power

Green energy – this is going to be in great demand in the coming years.

I am not going to suggest that you look for oil, but it is very relevant to sell components for power plants or to open your own power plant. You can also manufacture, install, or maintain solar panels, because all of Europe is moving to them right now.

Even if you do not currently have competence in this field, nothing prevents you from finding people who know about it, consulting with experts, learning everything from the inside and starting to work.

Cleaning in Poland

The concept of cleaning is broader than most people realize. You can consider for yourself not only the format of cleaning apartments, but also cars, industrial cleaning, cleaning of trains, trains and even supermarkets.

Before opening this business can be done on a banal phone call various networkers or small local institutions and offer their services, and based on the response to draw conclusions.

P.S a little “tin” on this topic: there are specific cleaning companies that are engaged in cleaning after murders and similar things.

All by subscription

Most people already have a certain amount of subscriptions such as YouTube premium, Spotify, and things like that.

But why not think about it on a larger scale? After all, you could deliver fresh fruits and vegetables once a week on a subscription basis, whether to individuals or to cafes or restaurants. In addition to food, you can think about the delivery of any consumables that everyone has, for example socks or fresh coffee.

Affiliate marketing

Due to the fact that in the last few years a lot of companies have opened, and in completely different directions, it is becoming more and more difficult to compete.

One way out is to do affiliate marketing. You can enter into an agreement with a large company, such as Play, which will consist in the fact that you recommend them to their customers, and they will recommend you + plushkas, like a percentage of each hot lead. The main thing between you and your affiliate company was some logical relationship that would make their services useful and interesting to your client and vice versa.

Bloggers actively use this, and if you look closely, there’s often a whole sheet of affiliate links underneath the videos of millionaire influencers, from money transfers to Amazon products.

Real estate services

Poland’s population is growing every day, and it’s growing at the expense of foreigners. It is not a secret to anyone. Therefore, we recommend that you consider a real estate agency. They can help you to find a place for long-term rent as well as assist with buying/selling commercial real estate/apartments. The conditions of real estate agencies when searching for an apartment for rent is often that the agency receives as payment the amount of rent for 1 month and 50/50 split it with an employee, in the case of buying/selling the agency receives a set percentage of the value of the premises.

Catering outlet in Poland

Regardless of the circumstances, people have to eat. That is why it is possible to make money on it. If the kitchen is distinguished by its original menu and acceptable prices from other catering outlets, it is guaranteed to be noticed. And you will be able to attract regular customers in a short time.

It is important to think about the location in advance, because if your institution will sell alcohol, there should not be a kindergarten or playground, school, hospital and church nearby. Is there room for parking.

The benefits of a catering outlet:

• It pays for itself quickly
• Is in demand among the population
• You can start with a minimum investment

Grocery store in Poland

Thinking about what kind of business to open in Poland, pay attention to the grocery store. As the practice of life in Poland shows, Poles buy food directly near their homes. Therefore, it is possible to start with a small retail outlet in residential areas, where residents can buy basic necessities without going to large stores. A grocery store in residential areas brings more profit compared to a point in a public bazaar, where there is more competition.

The advantages of opening a grocery store:

• Consistently high demand
• You can trade on your own
• Easily create an assortment (products of prime necessity)

Freight transportation in Poland

The next popular direction in business which one can choose in Poland is cargo transportation. Transportation is relevant, the Polish Republic is in an advantageous location, uniting two parts of the world – Ukraine, Belarus, Russia and Europe. Freight now is such an indicator of economic stability. Recall that during the quarantine, this niche continued to work. Now we are helping our client to pack a firm for sale, he moves to another country and talks about the amazing performance in the transportation niche, the company continued to work, they were given a deferral of leases for 6 months and a deferral of social contributions, cheap loans. Poles support this industry.

Store with alcoholic beverages

If you comply with all the rules and regulations of the state, a store with alcoholic beverages can become a profitable business. In Poland, on average, such a store pays for itself literally within 8-10 months of opening, ensuring high profitability. In addition, such an idea is very promising for further development. But it is worth bearing in mind that before opening such a store you need to obtain a permit for the sale of alcoholic beverages.The cost of a license to sell alcohol, depending on whether it’s wholesale or retail and from the strength of alcohol.

Round-the-clock stores bring a profit of 20% higher.

The benefits of a store with alcohol:

• High demand among customers
• High profits and fast payback
• No need to hire qualified personnal

Beauty salon in Poland

In Poland, the beauty industry is a lucrative business. Haircuts, manicures, beauty and massage salons are in demand. Everyone wants to look beautiful, so the investment pays off quite quickly. With the right business, the payback period is up to 6 months. We have a client to whom we helped launch a beauty salon in Krakow from scratch. And we managed to reach the break-even point after only two months. If you want to enter the Polish market quickly and with the lowest risks, leave an application and our team will suggest the best option for your case.

The choice of the location of the salon plays a role. Do not think that the city center is ideal. Yes, the traffic there is high, but the competition is also big. Choose a place near residential buildings, there are also people who use the services of beauty salons and massage parlors.

The advantages of business in the beauty industry:

• Consistently high demand
• Unique services can be offered
• Great opportunities for development

Stationery and printing services store

Another idea for opening your own business is a stationery store, express printing and photocopying. Various office supplies are always needed by office workers, schoolchildren and students, as are fast printing (e.g. documents) and photocopying services. Unlike grocery stores, there is minimal competition among stationery stores, and such stores are in demand at any time of the year.

The advantages of such a store:

• Demand among the population
• No seasonality
• Insignificant financial investments

Employment firm in Poland

The third business you can open in Poland is an employment company. It will be relevant in the next few years. It is possible to delegate employees to Germany or Benelux countries, for our client we worked out a business model and calculated figures

Consider why it is profitable:

1. About 10% of GDP is generated by foreigners – they are paid wages, their employer pays taxes, they buy food, goods, and services. That is why the RP likes “guest workers” – Poles are not stupid.
2. The Polish Republic is being built, which means we need hands. Corporations are coming here, they are developing, different kinds of specialists are needed – people ready to work with their hands (internal and external works), people of medium level, especially with knowledge of Polish (I can serve at the cash register, take out goods). And even high level people – programmers, managers. If you were planning to open an employment firm – 20-21 is a great opportunity to enter this niche.

Look more broadly: Germany, Belgium, Holland are under construction – all need good specialists, most of them manual workers. Poland is a good base from which these specialists can be sent to projects, because legalization, language and everyday life is easier, culture is closer.

What are the opportunities of opening a Polish company read our article 10 ways to use your company in RP.

Second hand in Poland

In Poland, it is possible to build a profitable business in second-hand shops, and there are quite a large number of them. If you offer your customers quality stock items from France, Germany or Italy, it will guarantee success, the main thing is to set competitive prices. To open a secondhand store, it will take from 10,000 euros, but with the right approach they quickly pay for themselves.

The advantages of second hand:

• Demand among different segments of the population
• Quick payback on the business
• Easy expansion

Entrepreneurs also open – a Ukrainian store with Ukrainian goods, a butcher’s shop, a Zabka franchise. People are always buying clothes and products. This is a relevant business in Poland, you have experience – please – a classic store or e-commerce.

By the way, the online store in RP is an easy niche to enter. And if you have a unique product, you may not get to the store itself – you’ll “rock” the social networks well, and all orders will come from there. But the online store is also worth getting hold of, we can help you with this. With the help of online designers, it can be done quickly and inexpensively.

Children’s art studio in Poland

The number of shopping centers in Poland is growing every day. This contributes to the fact that Poles usually go shopping as a family. Children’s art studios allow parents to go shopping and their children to do more interesting things – play board games, model plasticine figures or make different handicrafts. And this is another current business idea.

Unlike other institutions of this nature, such a business has minimal investment, but you need staff who have experience working with children. There is no need for an advertising campaign – you only need to hand out flyers near the mall.

The advantages of a children’s art studio:

• Demand among parents
• Small investment
• Minimum staff requirements

Hookah or non-standard places of rest

Recently there has been an inquiry – hookah houses. It has to do with the Russian-speaking market. Now the trend is in the Czech Republic, the market is growing: there are many Russian speakers there, but Czechs are also starting to get involved. The Poles don’t yet understand much about the product and its culture, how to use it. But if you have the budget and experience, open a hookah shop, focus on the Russian-speaking audience, and then scale it up. Next to us, there is a hookah shop which is aimed at 90% of the Polish audience; they exist normally, they make money, the enterprise is profitable – that’s the main thing.

Many had and have their own cafes, pizzerias, sushi bars in their home country. We talked to an Uber cab driver recently, he had a pizzeria and a sushi bar in Dnipro. He closed them, moved to RP and the first thing he thought about was opening a similar business. People always want bread and circuses – cafes, restaurants are always relevant.

We helped open a coffee shop, a pub. Next door to our office, there is an establishment, it was opened by a guy from Ukraine, who came one day with one car and empty pants. Now he has a small chain of cafes around the city.

Vending and vending machines in Poland

A widespread type of business, which is profitable to be engaged in RP. The idea is to trade with the help of automated machines. With the help of such machines one can sell coffee and tea, water, various bars, chewing gum, newspapers and personal protective equipment. The range of products is steadily expanding. Such equipment can be installed on the street or inside shopping centers. It is important to have a large footfall.

The advantages of vending business:

• No need to hire staff
• You can combine with your main job
• Small financial investment

You can also consider ideas for buying a ready-made business in Poland, we have an article on this subject.

Commodity business in Poland

As a bonus, we want to share promising niches of commodity business in Poland, with which we have firsthand knowledge and can help you start with minimal costs:

• Sale of eco-fuel.
• Goods from China (with sales both here in Poland and in the States).
• Christmas trees with delivery – a seasonal direction. As in our countries, you can sell goods and services in season – flowers for March 8, before December 31 Christmas trees. Just remember, in RP, the holidays start before December 25, so you have to sell earlier. From December 25 is not relevant and the Christmas tree is free.
• Ultra-thin heaters.
• Production and sale of exclusive curtains.
• Handmade watch straps (we helped our client to transfer the Internet store from Ukraine, helped to localize the site for the Polish market).

What kind of business should not be opened in Poland?

According to the Uniconsulting team, it’s not worth it to open the next business:

1. Offline programming and design courses – only online courses are profitable.
2. Renting out apartments, offices and other real estate for rent – this is helped by cheap mortgages and great competition.
3. Babysitting agency – minimal demand and a lot of competition.
4. Coffee shop – very big competition.
5. Outstaffing (out + staff) – a lot of competition, rapidly changing legislation.
6. Clothing store – big investment to bypass the established infrastructure of shopping centers.
7. Financial services – knowledge of the Polish language, the legal and banking system is required.
8. Franchising – if a small company (e.g. Żabka) small income, if a large company (Macdonald’s) need large investments.

How to find and analyze the direction of the business in Poland?

If you do not like to read, we suggest you watch a video on the subject:

To decide what kind of business you can open in Poland, let’s start with statistics and official Google searches. Keyword planner will help, allowing you to watch the statistics of queries, ie, see how many times on the Internet people write different queries. Let us show you an example:

Go into the key scheduler and select a region:

Type “beauty salon Poland” and see the number of queries.

Lifehack: we looked at queries in the planner regarding a destination, but you’re interested in creating a business and your entrepreneurial brain is already looking for “How to use this” – do the same with a product or service. Type in the key queries (as people would google) for your product and look at the number of queries per month and estimate the market volume.

If you have your own business idea, but you doubt whether it will be profitable in Poland, leave an application on our website and our team will be able to analyze the relevance and profitability of the idea, develop a strategy for entering the Polish market and help with further promotion.