Working from home and generating additional cash is possible with internet businesses. Here are 20 suggestions for internet businesses to get budding entrepreneurs started.
If our most recent pandemic side hustle survey revealed anything positive, it was that remote labour has become more widely accepted globally (for many industries). As someone who has had a home-based web business since well before the epidemic, I can attest to the fact that the number of strange looks I receive from strangers when I mention that I work from home has significantly decreased. These days, people just get it.
Additionally, I'm starting to see two other trends:
After experiencing a taste of independence, some whose employment went remote in 2020 and 2021 now wish to go even farther and give up having a supervisor.
- Freedom of location is just one piece of the puzzle. The other is freedom over time. One approach to having both is to launch an internet company.
- When they observe how happy their friends who work remotely are now, those who have traditional jobs want a portion of that happiness. They are desperate to escape the routine of getting up, driving to work, working, and driving home.
People are in severe need of ideas in any scenario. And as a society, we now understand that millions of everyday individuals are discovering methods to turn their dreams of owning a profitable online business into reality.
Main Categories of Online Businesses
- Content business: A content creator's audience is essential to their success. You can get a lot of value out of the content you provide for an audience that is sufficiently engaged.
- Online service businesses focus on one-on-one customer work, project completion, and word-of-mouth marketing as their primary means of expansion.
- E-commerce is the online sale of goods, typically through a virtual storefront.
- Software as a Service (SaaS) and related technologies: producing instruments and goods that users must pay for. usually necessitates some prior experience with tech development.
Content Business Ideas
1. Launch a blog
Under $100 is the startup cost.
Cooking, fashion, or personal finance could be your passions. Or perhaps all you can think of are amazing ideas that you know will benefit others. A blog gives you the opportunity to earn money while sharing your interests with the world.
How to monetize a blog:
- Display ads (also known as banner ads)
- Selling another person's goods for a commission is known as affiliate marketing.
- Partnerships
- Selling an ebook or an online course
Examples:
- IncomeSuperstar.com: Side hustles and entrepreneurship
- ApartmentTherapy.com: Interior Design
- ThoughtfulParent.com: Parenting Resources
- Kotaku.com: Gaming Website
What you need to begin:
- Hosting (HostGator is our preferred choice) and domain name
- A topic you enjoy and have the time to focus on
- strong ability to write
The learning curve isn't as high as you might think, despite how intimidating it may sound. Learn from these five millennials, who all started their blogs within the last year and now earn more than $1,000 a month. They offer really simple advice: prepare ahead, be genuine, and don't be scared to make mistakes.
You might have a sizable internet income in less than a year if you put in a little effort and realise that it's not complicated.
2. Start a YouTube channel
Zero startup expenses
Being a successful YouTuber doesn't require you to be the next Logan Paul. Almost any topic, no matter how obscure, has a YouTube channel these days. If you enjoy the notion of producing content for a particular audience but find writing tedious, launching your own YouTube channel might be the solution.
The most common sources of income for YouTubers are:
- Ads (before, during, and/or after the video)
- Patronages
- Affiliate advertising
Examples:
- 541k subscribers to The Lawn Care Nut
- Oscar Ramos (59.3k subscribers, cryptocurrency)
- Yoga Boho Beautiful (2.84 million subscribers)
What you will require to begin:
- The camera on your smartphone
3. Sell online knowledge courses
You can find almost anything on the internet to study, thanks to Google and YouTube. We all have access to a tremendous amount of information, which is both great and overwhelming. That is the role of those who design courses.
Purchasing a single course from a reputable teacher is frequently easier (and wiser) than someone attempting to learn a subject on their own by piecing together fragmented knowledge from numerous sources. It reduces the amount of time lost and greatly improves learning efficiency.
As a course creator, you have the chance to create a course once and resell it hundreds or even thousands of times. There is extremely little startup cost and significant profit potential.
A course on anything can be created. Illustrations of well-liked courses:
- Get Your Ex Back ($57.99) by Lee Wilson
- Nicki Traikos' watercolour painting ($197)
- Pest Posse's ($324) pest control training for professionals
To effectively market your course, you will require readership. The most widely used techniques are:
- Expand your audience on social media by posting free material.
- Expand your following through search engine traffic.
- advertising on websites such as Google, Instagram, Facebook, and so on.
4. Become an influencer
It's true that tens of thousands of people make a full-time living as influencers, despite the fact that they occasionally receive a negative reputation. Though it's a feasible business strategy, converting a social media following into a steady stream of cash is more said than done. The more specialised and focused your area of focus is, the better, much like with most other online enterprises.
There is almost definitely an influencer in that field who is killing it, regardless of how bizarre and obscure the topic is.
@ImagineItDone, an influencer on TikTok about organisation and cleanliness; @ClubProGuy, an Instagram account; @EdLatimore, an influencer on addiction and sobriety on Twitter
5. Flip digital real estate
Most likely, you've heard of "flipping houses," in which a person purchases a home with promise but requires renovations. Once the renovations or repairs are completed, they sell the home at a profit. Consider blog flipping as the online equivalent of real estate flipping.
An individual with prior blogging expertise would be most suitable for this online venture. It is advisable to start from scratch and gain some experience if you have never managed a successful blog before. When the time comes for you to purchase a blog with the intention of selling it for a profit soon after, this will assist you in identifying potential investment prospects.
Several well-known sites where blogs may be bought and sold include:
- Flippa has a large number of listings, most of which are modest (<$50,000).
- Empire Flippers, typically for more established sites,
- MotionInvest
6. Create an online newsletter
Over the past several years, paid newsletters have been increasingly popular as readers have come to place a higher value on reliable sources of information. Chris Best, the creator of Substack, a platform for hosting paid newsletters, saw an issue in online media that forced publishers that rely on advertising revenue to go to great lengths in order to attract readers' attention (and clicks).
The end product is frequently dull listicles, sensationalised tales, and generally uninteresting—or purposefully divisive—content. For writers, Substack provides an alternate business model. They are "building a future where writers can flourish by being paid directly by readers," to use their own words.
On Substack, there are more than 500,000 paying members, and the top ten writers on the network are reportedly worth over $20 million annually combined. There is obviously a problem here. Media models without ads are in demand. This is a chance not to be missed if you enjoy writing.
Service-Based Online Businesses
7. Freelance writer
Owners of busy web businesses want assistance with content creation. Astute companies will hire freelance writers to produce blog posts for them rather than devoting hours to producing the content themselves. One of the best ways to start making money right now is to learn how to become a freelance writer and acquire assignments like these.
Establishing an online freelance writing career entails selecting one or more niches, honing your craft, and building an online portfolio that potential clients can view. It takes experience to get steady, well-paying clients as a freelancer. Starting your own blog is one way to get your freelance writing business off to a great start without any clients.
You're ready for your first writing customer once your online company website is finished, complete with a diverse portfolio, and you feel comfortable writing in your niche. Getting new writing clients becomes easier if you have a string of reliable testimonials under your belt, even though it can take months of working for free or very little money.
8. Facebook ad agency for local businesses
Consider the neighbourhood establishments in your community, such as coffee shops, gyms, bookstores, and legal offices. Likely, the majority of them would like to have more clients or consumers but are unsure of how to go about it.
That's where you fit in. You may assist them in growing their business by collaborating on Facebook ad campaigns.
Many local businesses are aware that they should be using Facebook for advertising, but many lack the knowledge and time to do so. Small company owners would gladly pay for your skills if you could figure out how to operate Facebook advertisements efficiently.
For this, you don't need an advanced website or any previous expertise in marketing. As few as two or three hours a week might be dedicated to managing your Facebook advertising business. Entry requirements are simple; all you need is a PayPal account, an email address, and a Facebook page.
A passionate writer and digital marketer, Bobby Hoyt began providing local businesses in his neighbourhood with Facebook ad management services, which he eventually grew into a substantial source of revenue for himself. He and Mike Yanda started their own Facebook Side Hustle Course, which instructs others on how to follow suit.
9. Graphic design
No matter how fantastic a product or service a company offers, it will never grow to its full potential without a strong brand identity. Although most business owners are aware of this, design is not a strength of theirs. You've got an extremely profitable skill if you have an eye for design and can make someone else's vision a reality.
10. Virtual assistant
Becoming a virtual assistant is one of the most well-liked home business ideas available right now. There are several ways that a virtual assistant might help business owners. You have the freedom to select the services you provide as a virtual assistant based on your interests and special set of talents.
A proofreader could be someone with an excellent eye and a talent for grammar. Provide social media management services for your preferred platforms if you are proficient in using them. Managing emails, creating blog entries, providing customer support, and much more are additional ways you could help business owners. Dozens of options are available. Though Gina Horkey's VA Foundations course might help you expedite your business, being a virtual assistant is a simple career path.
11. Online business coach
Ideally, it should go without saying, but you really shouldn't be teaching others how to build great online businesses if you haven't actually done it yourself.
Having said that, many proprietors of internet businesses have switched from "doing" to "teaching" at some point in their careers. If you are an expert at managing Shopify stores, for instance, you may decide to switch to one-on-one consulting with brand-new store owners who are just starting out.
Everything is feasible if you are knowledgeable and genuinely interested in sharing your knowledge with others.
12. Online health coach
These days, personal trainers and wellness coaches work outside of gyms as well. An abundance of online health instructors has emerged as a result of social media sites like Instagram.
While they still work one-on-one with clients, these individuals are unlikely to ever see them in person (although there is a significant demand for this). This is a fantastic business concept that is worth pursuing if you are certified and enjoy creating fitness plans for people and guiding them in making healthier eating choices.
13. SEO consultant
Any business needs to be able to be found online, regardless of whether they operate entirely online or through physical stores.
Let's take an example where someone operates a landscaping business in Virginia Beach. The businesses that appear first in Google search results when someone looks for "lawn care in Virginia Beach" or "landscaping contractor near me" are the most likely to get business. It takes expertise to get websites listed close to the top of search results for their selected keywords; SEO (search engine optimisation) specialists are experts at doing this.
Since SEO can be tedious, many business owners would like to delegate it to a reliable third party. Even though SEO can be a laborious task, it can be accomplished quite quickly if you can secure a few clients for regular SEO work each month. Your ability to help clients reach their goals is what will determine your long-term success, just as in any other consulting business.
E-commerce Business Ideas
14. Dropshipping
Dropshipping is similar to selling merchandise in a physical store, but you manage no inventory and instead have an online storefront. All you have to do is make the product—which could be anything from colouring books to mugs and T-shirts—and put it up for sale on an online store like BigCommerce, Shopify, or Amazon.
A wholesaler will send an item to a consumer after they make a purchase, saving you the trouble of shipping or mailing it from your house.
A wholesaler will send an item to a consumer after they make a purchase, saving you the trouble of shipping or mailing it from your house.
Despite not being in charge of inventory, you still have to work hard to draw customers into your business. It's not an easy undertaking, especially if you're entering a highly competitive area, but it is achievable. Your success with dropshipping will depend on selecting products that genuinely sell well and investing in paid promotions.
With this internet business, you can make good money if you're prepared to put in the work to learn about paid promotion and identify physical or digital things that sell for high margins.
Popular dropshipping niches:
- Jewellery
- Clothing
- Car accessories
- Office products
- Phone accessories
- Health and beauty
15. Stock photography
Consider selling stock images on the internet if you're interested in photography. Businesses use stock photographs for their websites and advertisements.
Among the most well-known stock photo websites are Adobe Stock and Shutterstock. Anyone can upload images to these websites, and each time a photo is downloaded, you get compensated.
Make sure you post the kinds of photographs that people genuinely need if you want to sell stock photos and earn a decent living doing so. Images of people at work, in the outdoors, enjoying meals, or performing routine activities like cooking or watching TV are typically what businesses are searching for. Images such as this are profitable and in high demand.
16. Subscription box service
Recently, subscription-based businesses have become increasingly popular. Having consistent monthly revenue is quite appealing from a business perspective. The true appeal of having repeat customers on autopilot is that the lifetime customer value is usually much larger than with other company models, yet consistent revenue makes budgeting and planning much easier.
17. Sell digital art as NFTs
You're not alone if you've never heard of non-fungible tokens, or NFTs. Here is a clarification. NFTs are distinct digital assets that are stored on a blockchain, to put it briefly. It sounds trite, but selling digital art via technology is all the rage right now.
Value and beauty are subjective, much like any other kind of art. There is a lot of speculative investing going on in the cryptocurrency and NFT spaces right now, so if you are an artist looking to dabble in these areas, this could be your chance to make some money.
18. Create email newsletter templates
To reach their audience, every internet business owner requires a strategy. To maintain readership or consumer engagement, many employ consistent email newsletters. Designing and offering media templates, such as emails, to business owners might earn you a nice living.
Digital marketing expertise and some web design knowledge are required. But after you produce a few ready-made designs, you may market them to bloggers and business owners. You can create templates specifically for one provider, or you can make your designs work with multiple newsletter services.
SaaS and Tech Business Ideas
Compared to other ideas in this post, business ideas in this field usually demand a great deal more technical knowledge. Despite the greater entry barrier, there may be highly profitable profits.
19. Buy an existing SaaS business
MicroAcquire is an online marketplace that links small business owners and buyers. Getting a business started from scratch is difficult, which is why many people would rather purchase something that has some degree of existing advantage.
If the product is largely developed—or has already been developed—a new owner can quickly take over and focus on expanding the product's marketing initiatives or adding new features. In the SaaS (software-as-a-service) industry, this is a common occurrence: someone will develop a useful application, but they lack the resources or know-how to market it widely. As a result, they sell the company to an investor who recognises its potential.
20. Design and sell website themes
Perhaps you're a tech specialist rather than a business-savvy person. You can launch an online store selling website themes if you have some web design expertise. It's simple to create a few preset website themes that you can offer to blog and business owners if you know how to code and have website design experience.
Additionally, you can diversify and increase your income by creating unique websites. Companies that want to get online need and are prepared to pay for a professional-looking website. These days, almost everyone needs a website, so you'll always have a flow of customers.
You can launch an internet business as a graphic designer if graphic design is more your forte than coding. Businesses use graphic designers to produce eye-catching visuals for everything from brochures and Pinterest photos to logos and other marketing materials. You can start by listing your designs and services on websites such as 99designs or Fiverr.
How to Start Your Online Business
It's time to start working on your business idea once you have a broad notion of the kind you want to start. However, at first, it's easy to feel overburdened and like you're being tugged in a million different directions. This is a broad road map with carefully chosen tools for each stage to help you stay on course when starting an internet business.
Step 1: Validate your idea
Even when you think your idea is brilliant, how will the market react to what you release? It is crucial to have an answer to this question before beginning to labour for hundreds of hours on it. Make sure the product you are making will be in demand!
Step 2: Develop your product or service
It's time to get creative, keeping in mind the input from Step 1. This stage will seem slightly different for each person, depending on the idea that you ultimately decide on.
Step 3: Set up your LLC and business banking
The earlier you can keep your personal and corporate finances apart, the better. New businesses often tend to put this one off. This is the moment to outline the business's financial plan, including how much money will be invested, in addition to setting up all the administrative details. Which sales objectives do you have?
Step 4: Get your website and tech set up
You will require a fantastic website for your online venture, regardless of the kind you choose to launch. It's acceptable if you lack technological expertise; you can still get several sleek, contemporary design themes for a reasonable price. Everything that your brand represents should be reflected on your website.
Step 5: Market
We can't possibly cover every strategy for marketing a startup in its early stages because there are a gazillion of them. The good news is that you just need to figure out which method initially works best for you.
The Internet is Overflowing with Ways to Make Money
There are many different online business ideas you can attempt, such as selling your crafts on Etsy, using your technical expertise to develop website themes, or writing social media articles.
What makes an internet business the ideal fit for you will depend on your experience, interests, and history. If you've worked in marketing for the last ten years, you might want to think about managing social media or becoming a brand strategist. You might wish to establish a virtual assistant business if you have experience working as an administrative assistant.
Utilise your professional experience to help you establish your own company.
However, perhaps you'd like to turn your pastime into a full-time or part-time career. You may be a culinary, travel, or fashion enthusiast. Interests such as these provide excellent material for a blog or YouTube channel.
Naturally, it's crucial to take into account more than simply your preferences and knowledge. You'll also need to consider your options for earning enough money to replace your day job or allow you to resign. You may discover that you are unable to generate any revenue if you attempt to establish a firm in a niche that is too narrow or specialised.
Remember that launching an internet business is a time-consuming process. It won't start off as a monthly salary of thousands of dollars. That being said, you may run your own home-based business and earn money online if you put in the effort to create a reputable and high-quality company and market yourself effectively.
