Working from home? Nothing surprising anymore – offices are giving way to “work from anywhere.” Online shopping? Also nothing unusual – e-commerce has long outpaced physical stores. Starting a business without a team? That’s also simple – all you need is a good idea and… good Wi-Fi, according to a press release from Venipak.
The pandemic opened the door to “light business” – not only from home, but also without a physical store, office, or even a warehouse. More and more often, businesses are starting “with nothing” – just an idea, the internet, and a few external partners. This type of “light business” is becoming increasingly popular among young people who want to combine work and leisure.
Why is “light business” becoming the norm?
As working from home became the norm, businesses also began changing their operating models. Physical stores, offices, and warehouses are increasingly being left behind. New entrepreneurs are choosing a “light” business model: they set up an online store and rely on external partners for administration and infrastructure.
“We see more and more e-commerce businesses managed by one person or a couple. Warehousing, packaging, shipping – all of this is entrusted to a fulfillment partner, while the founders focus on the product, marketing, and growth opportunities,” says Venipak Marketing Manager Asta Raudonienė.
According to her, this model allows a business to start quickly and without large investments. It’s attractive to those who want to test their idea without the risks of renting premises, hiring staff, or dealing with storage. It also offers flexibility – a business can operate from anywhere, which is especially appealing to young entrepreneurs who want to balance work and leisure.
Focusing on what’s most interesting to them
When a business grows out of a hobby or is pursued as a side job, every hour becomes valuable. That’s why many small businesses consciously delegate what causes the most headaches – warehousing, packing, shipping – and keep for themselves the areas where they can create value: the product, content, and customer relationships.
“E-commerce newcomers no longer want to spend time ‘at the boxes’ – they want to create, not pack. That’s why they choose a model where all the technical work is entrusted to a logistics partner. For small businesses, this means one simple thing – no more worrying about inventory, packing materials, or handing parcels to a courier. Everything becomes automated, efficient, and helps avoid fixed costs,” notes Asta Raudonienė.
She adds that business success is increasingly defined not by how many people work there or how many square meters it occupies, but by how smartly it’s managed. Lightness itself becomes a competitive advantage – when you’re not bogged down in logistics details, you can make decisions faster, adapt to market changes, pivot directions, and allocate the saved budget to growth.
Playing in the “big players’ league”
Raudonienė points out that this approach not only saves time and costs – it also allows a business to appear more professional than it really is. Professional packaging, clear communication about parcel tracking, punctual delivery, smooth returns – all of this creates the image of a reliable brand.
“Today, consumers expect equally good service from both the biggest and the smallest e-commerce players. Professional logistics makes that possible. Even when a business means one person working from home, they can play in the ‘big players’ league,’” says Raudonienė.
According to her, when a customer receives a well-packed parcel on time, they would never suspect it was prepared by an entrepreneur working at their kitchen table. This becomes especially important during peak seasons or periods of rapid growth.
“Often, a small business looks like small problems, but once it starts growing, order volumes increase, and with them comes the risk of delays, mix-ups, and ultimately losing customers. Fulfillment not only saves ongoing costs but also ensures a consistently good customer experience,” says Raudonienė.
Not a passing trend, but a long-term shift
It seems that building “light businesses” is not a temporary fad but a long-term trend. With the growing potential of artificial intelligence, automation, and smart technologies, businesses will continue moving toward simplicity, speed, and flexibility.
“E-commerce is changing rapidly – just like expectations for businesses. Success comes not to those who try to do everything themselves, but to those who cleverly orchestrate processes to ensure a great customer experience. And if yesterday, a business without an office, warehouse, or team sounded like an experiment, tomorrow it will be the standard – a new norm where the most important thing is not what you sell, but how quickly, flexibly, and efficiently you can operate,” concludes Asta Raudonienė.
