You’re here because you know working at home on your own terms is what your dreams are made of.
Now it’s time to find the perfect online business idea and get things started.
Truth be told, there are so many awesome online business ideas that you can start while you have job (or want to dedicate some of your free time) there’s no excuse to start chasing your goals…today.
So, with that in mind, I’ve made the ultimate list of online business ideas so you get one step closer to the flexibility and freedom you’re craving.
Here’s something even more motivating – when you run your own online business you connect to unlimited earning potential.
The only thing that varies is what you envision yourself making dollar-wise.
Now, that’s not to say starting and growing an online business is easy – you’re going to have to roll up your sleeves and get to work.
You should also be prepared to invest in your business.
The great news is starting an online business is fairly inexpensive and even when you move into growing it, you’ll still be relatively budget-friendly as businesses go.
Starting an online business is affordable but it isn’t free.
Welcome to taking the first step in starting your very own online business – finding the perfect idea.
Let’s dig in.
The Epic List of Online Business Ideas
I’ve broken the online business ideas into categories to better help you navigate to what interests you because, in the online business world, there really is something for everyone!
So, make sure to read through the whole list with a pen and paper so you can jot down what sparks you!
Wherever possible, I’ve included helpful resources and quick-start action plans so you can start your online business today.
They are not full plans to grow your business but enough to get the ball rolling in the right direction…today. 🙂
Online Virtual Assistant Business Ideas
VA BUSINESS (VIRTUAL ASSISTANT)
Probably one of the best online business ideas out there today is becoming a virtual assistant.
What exactly is a VA?
Think of it as someone who assists a business owner but does everything virtually.
It could be general tasks like email management or something more niched down like a Pinterest VA.
You absolutely have skills of some kind that someone will pay to have taken off their plate.
Quick Start Action Plan Steps:
★ Write down all of the skills and talents you have (You have many!).
★ Choose which skills you’re comfortable offering as a service.
★ Choose a name and grab the domain to set your website up. (I use NameSilo.com for all my domain registering – yes, I have several!).
★ Take 30 Days or Less to Virtual Assistant Success to have all the information you need to start a successful VA business.
PINTEREST VIRTUAL ASSISTANT
If you can niche down your VA services by offering a high-end service you’ll find yourself making a great income from home.
A good example of this is becoming a Pinterest virtual assistant.
What is a Pinterest VA?
It’s someone who manages a Pinterest account to help their clients grow their business.
I LOVE this online business idea because I’m a huge Pinterest nerd.
In fact, you’re reading the blog of my successful work at home online business all based around Pinterest. 🙂
So, if you love scrolling on Pinterest or feel up to learning the skills, why not take a look at becoming a Pinterest VA?
Quick Start Action Plan Steps:
★ Same idea as the VA business – choose a name for your business and grab the .com.
★ Take Become a Pinterest VA Today to shorten your learning curve and get the info you need in one place.
★ If you want to understand what makes Pinterest tick, take Pinteresting Strategies to get your education started.
★ Reach out to me if you want to chat about this lucrative online business idea!
Online Freelancing Business Ideas
FREELANCER
Freelancing means you do work for a company or entrepreneur either on a contract or project basis.
Think of it as doing different jobs without working in a traditional sense.
Here are some of the freelancing services you could offer:
★ Copywriting
★ Graphics
★ Consulting
★ Editing
And, the list goes on and on.
You can look for jobs on sites like Upwork or Freelancer or network in Facebook groups where entrepreneurs hang out.
Working on different projects is a great way to earn an income from home especially if you want the freedom to work with many different clients or you enjoy short contract work.
Quick Start Action Plan Steps:
★ Choose which kind of freelance service you want to offer (I highly recommend writing down what you’re good at and then narrowing down to what you would enjoy working on the most).
★ Choose a business name – but don’t spend too much time on this – choose one and move on.
★ Purchase and set up a website for your online business.
★ Let people know what your business offers and have easy to digest service packages for clients to choose from.
BOOKKEEPING
You can offer bookkeeping services virtually and make great money at it!
Bookkeeping is one thing that most entrepreneurs can’t wait to offload to someone else so it should be relatively easy to get clients.
So if you’re organized and good with numbers this is a great online business to start so you can work at home!
Quick Start Action Plan Steps:
★ Choose a business name or set up under your own name.
★ Set up a website that lists services and your rates.
★ Include any experience and education you have that will help with trust.
ONLINE RESEARCHER
Do you love to deep dive into new topics?
If you answered yes then why not consider offering online research as your business idea?
Other online business owners are constantly creating new content and guess what that means?
They need to do some research before creating that content.
That’s where you come in – you’re helping them eliminate a time-consuming task from their fairly large to-do list.
Smart entrepreneurs pay for that.
Quick Start Action Plan Steps
★ Do some market research by joining Facebook groups where business owners hang out and ask if this service would be something they’d pay for (you’re essentially doing two things you’re finding out good information AND starting to network before you even your website up! 🙂 )
★ Set up a simple website with your services and experience.
★ Keep on networking!
ONLINE MARKETING COORDINATOR
If you love marketing there are many online business owners who would love to outsource marketing plans and deadlines to a coordinator.
Services would include research, planning, implementing, and monitoring marketing efforts.
It would be ideal to have a background in marketing but, please, don’t let that stop you!
There are plenty of courses that will teach you what you need to know.
Quick Start Action Plan Steps:
★ Choose what type of marketing service you want to offer (funnels, copy, social media for example).
★ Take an online course to get up to speed.
★ Choose a business name and register the domain for it.
SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER
Business owners can’t keep up with all the things it takes to run a successful business.
One area that takes a lot of time is social media.
There’s connecting with audiences, customer service, promotion, and the list goes on…
That’s where you step in as the Social Media Manager for businesses.
So, if you’re decent at most social platforms this is a great online business idea that won’t be going anywhere in the near future.
Quick Start Action Plan Steps:
★ Choose which social media websites you would like to manage.
★ Take any courses you need so that you’re the expert.
★ Choose your business name.
★ Set up a website and start networking!
BRANDING
If you love design, choosing colors, storytelling, and typography, helping entrepreneurs craft a strong brand might just be your ticket to earning an income from home.
Branding is more important than ever these days because businesses need to be able to stand out.
Services would include choosing a business name to graphics to color choices to telling a brand story.
Quick Start Action Plan Steps:
★ Do some reading about branding.
★ Set up your business website and make sure you showcase your talent for branding (if your own website screams good branding it’ll be MUCH easier to land clients 🙂 ).
Online Writing Business Ideas
Have a love for writing?
There are amazing online businesses where you write all day! 🙂
FREELANCE WRITER
One of the most flexible online business ideas is freelance writing.
You can research and write from anywhere!
So, if you’ve dreamed about being a writer, freelance writing is the perfect ticket to becoming location independent and generating a great income.
What would your potential clients look like?
Bloggers, online publications, and other businesses hire freelance writers to craft a large array of different content styles – mainly because they don’t have time to do it themselves.
Quick Start Action Plan:
★ Create writing samples if you don’t have any and place them on your portfolio website.
★ Choose a business name and secure the domain.
★ Take 30 Days to Becoming a Freelance Writer to shorten the learning curve.
COPYWRITING
A copywriter writes the wording used in advertisements, brochures, and other marketing materials.
Basically, a copywriter is like an online salesperson.
If you’ve got the talent to persuade others with your writing through storytelling and a to the point type of writing you might have many clients lining up for your services.
You can offer copywriting services as an extension to your freelance writing business.
GHOSTWRITING
Ghostwriting is still freelance writing of sorts.
The difference is that the ghostwriter is hired to write as the person doing the hiring.
In other words, you’re writing on behalf of your client.
This is a service you can offer as part of a freelance writing business or can be a standalone offering as well.
RESUME WRITER
If you’re good at writing and design, you can offer resume writing services online.
Online Graphic Design Business Ideas
GRAPHIC DESIGN
Originally, graphic design was primarily thought of creating text and pictures for publications such as magazines and books – and that still happens – but the field has also evolved significantly in recent years.
Now there are social media graphics, ebooks, invitations, email headers, Facebook covers, Instagram, and the list can go on and on.
With an online graphic design business, you can literally decide to specialize in one kind of medium or take on one-off projects to fill your creativity.
So, if font pairings, colors, and design pique your interest this might just be the online business to start.
Quick Start Action Plan Steps:
★ Take a look at online education platforms such as Skillshare or Udemy to see if you can score an affordable course to get the ball rolling (there should be many).
★ Become an expert in one design software – my recommendation would be Canva to get things going (there are many like Photoshop, PicMonkey, and Illustrator but go with easiest and then work your way out).
★ Check out this post for free graphic design courses that might be worth looking at.
PIN DESIGNER
Here is an example of an online business model that takes in a graphic design element while pairing with an interest in Pinterest marketing.
Online content creators who use Pinterest to drive traffic need to push out fresh new pin designs regularly.
That’s where you come in – offering that specific service.
Trust me, there are a lot of clients to connect with!
So if you were looking for a unique online business idea, this might be it!
Quick Start Action Plan Steps:
★ Design a few different pins to showcase your talents because having a pin portfolio will be important!
★ Choose a business name and get your website moving.
★ Take the course Pins Made Happy – it focuses on making pin designs using Photoshop and Canva – two awesome software programs that are in demand with content creators. (PS. it’s really affordable and totally worth it!).
SELLING PRINTABLES
People just love printables and over the last few years, the online market for them has really exploded.
Printables could be a budget sheet, a planner, or a decorative saying that can be printed and framed.
The key here will be figuring out which style you want to design and sell – either way, you can make templates that are easy to customize to fill in your client’s needs.
Price the printables correctly and you can have a thriving and creative online business.
Quick Start Action Plan Steps:
★ Take the course Product Perfection because it will teach you how to make money with printables which is what you want (the sales page is for people who have been building an online business for a while but haven’t earned the income they want – this course teaches them how to finally make money – so makes sense for you to have the info right away, no? 🙂 )
★ Grab a website and set up a shop – also consider platforms like Etsy to tap into the traffic that is already looking for printables.
Online Website Business Ideas
You might be thinking it’s obvious that an online business would have a website and you’re right – but there are many styles of websites to start and grow so it’ll be helpful to connect to a few of these ideas.
BLOGGING
Not going to lie, I LOVE blogging – it’s where I got my online business start.
There are so many reasons to start a blog but here are my favs:
★ It’s creative.
★ There’s something new to do every day.
★ It’s great for people who love to write.
★ You get to express yourself.
★ It’s yours to grow how you want.
Blogging is a good online business to start because it’s flexible and can be built as you have time.
Quick Start Action Plan Steps:
★ Tap into Start a Mom Blog’s courses and resources for an affordable way to get started (they give you so much value for your dollar!).
★ Start thinking about what you want to write about.
★ Brainstorm blog name ideas and see if they’re available here.
Thrive with step by step instructions? You need this for success then.
MEMBERSHIP SITES
Starting a membership site is another viable online business idea if you have a topic that you love talking about that would thrive with a community.
For example, you could offer coaching or a meal planning service that specializes in family meal plans at an affordable rate.
The possibilities really are endless!
Quick Start Action Plan
★ Brainstorm your community ideas and narrow down which one interests you most.
★ Choose a name and secure the domain for it.
★ Start the website – hire it out if you thrive with the content creation part – it’s a smart move to get the ball rolling and totally worth the cost.
E-COMMERCE WEBSITE
Selling a physical product either made or curated by you is a lucrative online business idea.
Platforms such as Shopify or WooCommerce make starting an e-commerce website a breeze.
Tasks to do to get started:
★ Read this article to get up to speed.
★ Figure out what products to sell.
★ Do some market research to make sure there is enough demand.
Service-Based Online Business Ideas
You can find plenty of service-based online business ideas that will help a wide variety of different people and/or businesses that also have great earning potential.
The key is to find something people don’t mind paying for and then filling the problem.
Let’s take a look at a few ideas.
ONLINE MEAL PLANNING
Figuring out what to have for dinner (or any meal) every day can feel exhausting for most people.
Hey, we’re all pretty busy.
That’s where your online meal planning service comes into play.
For a small fee, you could plan their meals based on tastes and even supply them with weekly grocery lists to make their lives…easier.
Quick Start Action Plan Steps:
★ Figure out a good name for this kind of online business.
★ You’ll need to figure out how you’ll collect people’s preferences and fulfill a weekly meal plan or whatever your offering is.
★ Here is an example of this kind of online business to inspire you.
PROOFREADING
If your eye always catches mistakes when you’re reading something, consider offering proofreading services.
Bloggers and other kinds of content creators would love to have this time-consuming task taken off their plates!
If you put freelance writing on your online business ideas list, offering a proofreading service could be another extension to that business.
Quick Start Action Steps:
★ Take this proofreading course to brush up on your skills and get the help you need to get your business of the ground.
★ Create a website to display your services and experience.
ONLINE ADVERTISING
More and more businesses will join the online world to grow their businesses.
Not to mention the hundreds of online businesses that already exist.
Getting in front of the right clients and customers can be hard for entrepreneurs.
So, why not help them by offering online advertising services?
You’ll need to know what ad styles work and for what platform but that’s all part of your education.
My point is, this is an online business model that won’t ‘be going anywhere as the Internet continues to grow.
It’s a savvy skill to have, my friend.
Quick Start Action Plan
★ Choose what advertising method to learn (Facebook ads, promoted pins on Pinterest, ads on Google, etc.).
★ Set up a website that has your services and testimonials.
Creative Online Business Ideas
Online business is already pretty creative but what happens if you haven’t seen anything that speaks to YOUR creativity?
Well, if there’s been nothing so far, I’m willing to bet you might be the type to enjoy an online creative business.
Let’s look at some examples.
RUN AN ETSY SHOP
Love creating things that could be your products?
Items like jewelry, crafts, handmade clothes, and the list can go on…
If that makes you nod your head then consider starting and running an Etsy shop.
Tasks to do to get started:
★ Browse Etsy to get inspired.
CRAFTING
There are so many styles of crafts and people will pay for them – think pottery, signs made with decals, glass, knitted items, and the list goes on…
This online business idea is similar to running an Etsy shop BUT you don’t have to use that platform.
You can network on Facebook and even list your items on their marketplace to generate sales.
You can also start your own website – the possibilities are endless!
Quick Start Action Plan Steps:
★ Figure out what kind of craft you want to make.
★ Purchase a domain and build a website to display your creations.
★ Post your products on social media.
PODCASTING
Podcasting has really gained popularity over the last several reasons and with good reason!
Think of it as audio blogging.
So, if blogging is of interest but you don’t want to write, starting a podcast might be the answer.
You can make money by creating products around the topic of your podcast – just make sure they are helpful.
You can also start a blog or a membership website as you grow your podcast even more.
Quick Start Action Plan Steps:
★ Brainstorm and then choose a topic for your podcast.
★ Invest in good equipment – sound quality and good editing are important parts of a successful podcast.
★ Buy the domain that matches your podcast name.
Techy Online Business Ideas
If you have online technical experience or love the idea of helping entrepreneurs with the ‘backend’ of their businesses, consider starting a tech online business.
Let’s look at some ideas.
WEB DESIGN
If you’ve built websites in an capacity, you could start an online web design business.
You don’t need to create a web design agency at the start.
Begin by helping smaller businesses get online and grow from there.
Tasks to do to get started:
★ A portfolio website of work done will be very important so get that going ASAP.
★ Network in person and online to attract clients.
WORDPRESS SUPPORT
I’m seeing some online business owners start support websites that help entrepreneurs with one piece of their online presence.
For example, WordPress is the most widely used website platform in the world.
Think about how many will need help making changes, tweaks, or simply understanding how to do something with their website.
That’s where you business comes in as the WordPress expert with all of the answers.
There are other platforms as well, such as Wix or Squarespace that you could become an expert at and offer coaching, advice, and tips.
Quick Start Action Plan Steps:
★ Choose a platform to become an expert at.
★ Take courses and practice on your own website to gain experience.
Teaching Online Business Ideas
If you’re a teacher or know you have something to share with the world that others want to learn, consider starting a teaching online business.
CREATE AN ONLINE COURSE
The internet has opened the door to many people who want to teach others to do something.
You don’t need a fancy degree to create a profitable online course.
What you do need is expertise (often gained through experience) that others will want to learn as well.
An online course can be something like teaching others to knit to balancing their budgets to learning a new skill of many different kinds.
Quick Start Action Plan Steps:
★ Brainstorm ideas that you have good experience in.
★ Research to make sure there is a demand for your idea.
★ Outline the course and create the content.
★ Research platforms to place your course on.
Online Coaching Business Ideas
Ever wanted to help other people reach their goals?
Perhaps starting an online coaching business is a good choice if you love the idea of helping people take the steps needed to be successful.
LIFE COACH
People have goals but a lot of times no clue how to actually achieve them.
That plus the fact we live in a fast-paced world full of distractions, getting things done can be downright overwhelming.
So, the popularity of hiring life coaches has grown in the last several years.
People are willing to pay someone to help them organize their life or achieve goals.
Quick Start Action Plan Steps:
★ Consider getting certified.
★ Figure out what kind of courses and/or services you want to offer.
★ Set up a website.
Here is a great article to read to learn more about becoming a life coach.
BUSINESS COACH
Businesses coaches are in demand because starting a business is one thing, growing it an entirely different one.
A business coach helps entrepreneurs grow their business by helping them stay on track through focused guidance.
This could be mindset help, structure, and helping business owners know what the next step will grow their business.
Quick Start Action Plan Steps:
★ Read this article to learn more about becoming a business coach.
★ Start a website that offers your services and showcases your abilities.
ONLINE PHOTOGRAPHER
When you think of a photographer, you envision an in-person photo session followed by edited photos and delivery.
But did you know you can become an online photographer?
Say, what?
Content creators of all types are constantly looking for quality images to place in their content – and that’s where you come in.
You take photos – some styled others more candid, create a membership website where customers can download your images for a fee.
Quick Start Actions Plan Steps:
★ Check out sites like this one for inspiration.
★ Look at what kind of equipment you will need for photos, editing, and a website.
That wraps up this awesome list of online business ideas you can start today so that you can work from home!
I hope I’ve sparked your creative juices and that you’re excited to get your online business going.
Remember – starting an online business is one thing – growing it is another so give yourself the time to get things accomplished and know that results don’t happen overnight.
The great part about choosing to start an online business is that they usually come with low investment at startup and aren’t typically expensive to grow.
Yes, you will need to invest money into your business but that shouldn’t scare you!
Think of it as investing in yourself and your future.
Share with me – what online business ideas caught your attention?
Do you have any questions?
Let me know and ask in the comments!