Technology has enabled innovators to start making money almost from anywhere with good online business ideas. In fact, some companies operate wholly online and it lowers their operating cost. The profits can be great, and because everything is done over the internet, you can work pretty much wherever and whenever you please.
However, the online world is a crowded marketplace, and if you hope to start a business, you need to have a plan. And all great plans start with a great idea. While your business idea needs to be something unique so that you can stand out from the crowd, here are a few online business ideas to get you started:
1. eCommerce
Online shopping is growing everyday. People love the convenience of being able to scroll through various products online, choose the one they like best and then have it sent right to their door. As a business owner, you can get involved with this in a couple of ways. Either you can make and sell your own products, you can partner with someone you know to sell for them, or you can use platforms such as Etzy or Shopify to sell other people’s products for a commission. Either way, using the internet is a great way to reach new markets and make some money.
2. Affiliate Marketing
This works very similarly to eCommerce except that instead of functioning as a store, you set your business up more as a blog. By posting a lot of content on one particular topic or topics, you can establish yourself as an authority in a field. Then, you make recommendations or offer reviews about certain products relevant to your audience, and you make a small commission of each sale. You can either partner with one or a few companies to make this agreement, or you can go through Amazon or Google as both have affiliate marketing programs.
More Business Ideas: 12 Cheap Small Business Ideas You Can Start Now
3. Coaching
Something that is becoming very popular these days is the concept of coaching or personal training. This business requires you to build relationships and then use your skills to help people solve some of their problems. It helps to have experience in whatever it is you plan to coach, and you may have to start off offering some initial services for free to help build up credibility. But once you get started, this can be a very lucrative and rewarding business, and thanks to the internet, it’s one you can do from wherever you want.
4. Content Creation
For any business to be successful these days, especially online, they need to have great content. Whether videos, blog posts or infographics, companies need quality content to reach their marketing goals. But creating this content takes up a lot of time, often something most companies don’t have. So, they typically look to outsource this work. By setting up a company that addresses specific company needs and produces top-quality content, you are setting yourself up for a steady stream of work for the foreseeable future.
5. Marketing Services
If you have more experience in the marketing field, then there’s no need to stop at just content creation. You can become a full-on consultant offering your skills to help other businesses develop an effective strategy to will help them achieve their business goals. This may take a little while to get going, as you’ll need to build credibility, but once you get started you’ll find a lot of demand for these types of services.
6. Tech Support
We all know how frustrating it can be when something goes wrong with our phones or computers, and we all know how even more frustrating it can be to try and find a solution to whatever problem we are facing. If you have some experience working with these devices and their software, consider pursuing business opportunities that help people when they run into an issue. Perhaps you could offer a support line, or you could create some resources to help people when they have a problem. Again, this type of business will require some special skills, but the demand is seemingly endless.
7. Import/Export
With the world globalizing more and more each day, the amount of goods that pass from one country to another is immense. A good way to get in on this game is to set up an import/export company. This consists of helping companies looking to sell their products abroad find buyers who are willing to find the right price. This isn’t easy, but it can be very profitable. And, since you can communicate with people over the phone or email, there’s no need for you to be tied down to one country or industry, although specialization does help.
More Business Ideas: 13 Agriculture Business Ideas in Gambia
8. Podcasts
One thing that seems to be growing in popularity every day is podcast. These online radio programs that range in length from 10 minutes to over an hour are loved by people all over the world. Some people use them to get the news, others listen to learn something new, and many more listen for pure entertainment. They make money by selling advertising space to companies interested in your audience. It will take some time to build up a strong following, but once you do, you’ll find this to be a fun and profitable business to run.
9. Travel Agency
More and more people are travelling each year, and while there are hundreds of different travel blogs out there telling people all the amazing things they can and should be seeing, there aren’t as many sites out there dedicated to helping people actually put together the trip of your dreams. If you are from an area that is popular with tourists, or if you are familiar with one, consider setting up a travel agency to help them organize their trip and make the most of their time in your area. This can be done mostly online, but you may want to organize in-person meetings once people decide to travel.
10. Web design
This is another type of business that has been and will continue to be in very high demand. A website is the virtual storefront of a business, and it’s very important the style and design of the site be tailored specifically to the company, otherwise they risk making a bad first impression and losing the customer. It might take some time to learn the ins and outs of web design, but once you do, you’ll most likely be able to set up a sustainable and profitable online business that will support you in the years to come.
Final thoughts
The beauty of online businesses is the flexibility they offer. You can work on them from wherever you want, as long as you have an internet connection, and if and when you decide to move on, you can sell it rather easily so that you can free up time and resources to work on your next project. The best businesses will make use of your specific skills, but hopefully, these online business ideas have got you thinking and heading in the right direction.
About the author: Jock Purtle is an online entrepreneur who has started three different internet companies throughout his career. He loves the freedom and flexibility these companies provide, and he’s always looking for the next big opportunity he can get involved in. He believes entrepreneurs have the power to change the world, and he enjoys working to empower these individuals to follow their dreams.
Business plans are important for all businesses. Thank you for sharing your idea. I think it’s very good because there are many benefits of doing business online over just having a real offline business. When you have an online business billions of people can easily connect to you or your site.
Thank you John. Online business is an enormous opportunity.