1. Start a Blog
Think blogging is no longer a viable source of income? Think again. Recent blogging statistics show that tens of thousands of bloggers (including yours truly) create profitable content on topics as diverse as scrapbooking, home cooking, travel, film, lifestyle, business, personal finance, and more. The best part? It doesn’t cost much to blog—about $65/year.
2. Graphic Design
This business idea is great for creative types.
While having a formal background in graphic design is absolutely going to be helpful, it’s also relatively easy to learn the foundations of graphic design on your own. An increasingly easy-to-use Adobe Illustrator and even more easily accessible tools like Stencil and Visme are making it so that just about anyone with two opposable thumbs, a bit of creativity, and motivation can earn a side income doing things like designing (and selling) images like these motivational quotes that can be printed onto posters and sold on platforms like Etsy.
3. Web Development
As a web developer, you’ll build precious skills that are in extremely high demand. You can get up to speed on building websites in as little as a few months with inexpensive or free online education programs like Treehouse, the Web Developer Bootcamp on Udemy, and CodeAcademy.
4. Web Design
This business idea is the perfect blend of creativity and analytical. Web designers are precious for technology companies, so becoming a freelance web designer is a top side business idea today. Web design is all about mastering the art of creating a beautiful, value-driven experience for the people using a website or app.
5. Online Courses
One of the easiest online business ideas is based on teaching from your expertise. Using your skills for profit is a common trend with all of the best side business ideas. If you’re an expert at something, there’s likely an audience of people online who would be willing to pay to become an expert in your field—just like you. If you want to take your skills and turn them into an online course that teaches others how to get the same results you’ve achieved in your life, career, or business, start with How to Create an Awesome Online Course on Udemy, where instructor Miguel Hernandez covers how he makes over $90,000/yr teaching online.
6. eBooks
If you enjoy writing, selling eBooks can be a very fulfilling online business. Packaging your skills and knowledge into a downloadable eBook (like I’ve done with my best blogging books) that delivers value to those seeking to learn a skill, advance in their careers, or start their own businesses, makes for a strong value proposition if you learn how to find your target audience (which is why it makes for such sustainable business ideas for many authors).
7. Instagram Marketing
Marketers are always in high demand and do well as consultants. Build up a following on your Instagram account, and you could quickly be approached by major brands, gear companies, and other relevant businesses that sell products or services related to the type of content you share on Instagram—creating multiple potential side business ideas that’ll come to you. If you have the right marketing skills and hundreds of thousands of followers, you can easily charge anywhere between $500 to $5,000 per post (or more)—which makes for very profitable side business ideas
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8. Online Coaching
Have a skill others want to learn? This home-based business idea could be perfect. If you have something you’re skilled at and very passionate about, you can turn that winning combination into offering your services with one-on-one online coaching as one of the most dependable side business ideas that leverage your skills. Just be sure to implement your own opportunity management system to avoid getting caught up working with clients that you can’t measurably help.
9. Podcasting
The perfect business if you enjoy researching, chatting, and telling stories. Cing My podcast, The Side Hustle Project, is actually one of my current side business ideas I’ve been working on. Because I had an existing audience here on my blog when I launched the show, I was able to broker a $5,000 sponsorship from Freshbooks to place ads on the first ten episodes before I even got started. Creating a regular audience for your podcast on a specific topic is a great way to get sponsors and fund this side business idea.
10. Amazon Reselling
If you can identify savvy product opportunities, this business idea is for you. Anyone can sell goods on Amazon, provided you have products to sell (or buy low, then resell). If you’re the type to hit all the local garage sales each weekend, there are all sorts of valuable things that can be resold online as incredibly lucrative side business ideas. If you want to step your Amazon selling game up, check out this detailed story about Amazon and eBay retail arbitrage featuring an interview with several successful drop-shippers who’ve grown this home-based business idea from a side business into a lucrative money-maker.
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