Online business ideas
With a laptop and some free time, you can try these online business models and careers.
- Affiliate market
- Digital freelancer
- Content creator
- Influencer
- Social media management consultant
- Dropshipping store owner
- Résumé writer
- Virtual assistant
- Digital designer
- Online dating consultant
1. Affiliate marketer
Affiliate marketing is a performance marketing tactic where a business pays people to promote products. Every time an affiliate brings in a new customer, they receive a commission.
Affiliates can promote products on their blogs, social media accounts, or websites, or in their communities. For many, affiliate marketing is a low-cost way to earn passive income.
To join an affiliate program:
- Find an affiliate program on sites like ShareASale, CJ, or LinkShare.
- Choose offers you want to promote.
- Get an affiliate link.
- Promote that link across your assets.
- Get a commission for every signup or purchase.
Commission rates vary by company and product. You could earn as little as 5% or as much as 50% for each sale. Some affiliate programs offer a flat rate instead of a percentage.
2. Digital freelancer
With a digital freelance business, your time is your inventory and your biggest investment. That makes it easy to get up and running if you have in-demand skills and spare hours.
If you have expertise in graphic design, search engine optimization, or web development, you could offer your skills as an ongoing service or start a consulting business that advises on projects. To start, create a website and promote your services on platforms like LinkedIn.
If you use Shopify, an appointment scheduling app from the Shopify App Store will let prospective clients book time with you directly from your website. And if you want to make passive income, consider offering a digital download on your site. For example, you might sell predesigned templates if you’re a graphic designer.
3. Content creator
Content creators share videos, stories, and content on social media to build audiences and make money. If your content is received positively, consider turning your social media presence into a business by partnering with brands or by making and selling merch.
4. Influencer
The ability to capture and keep attention is an asset businesses will pay top dollar for. You can become an influencer with a modest amount of followers if you have an engaged niche audience.
Whether you choose to grow your following on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, or a blog (or, ideally, on a combination channels), you have many avenues for monetizing your influence:
- Sponsored posts on behalf of brands
- Affiliate marketing
- Exclusive content for members or subscribers
Taking an audience-first approach to your small business idea means playing the long game—it might be months until you’ve figured it out. But you don’t need millions of followers to get started.
5. Social media management consultant
If you’re social-media-savvy but don’t want to create content full-time, consider freelancing as a social media manager or consultant. A social media manager creates and analyzes content for brands’ social accounts.
Depending on the client’s needs, you might help create content, brainstorm content ideas, facilitate partnerships with social media influencers, create a social media content calendar, or formalize a social media strategy.
6. Dropshipping store owner
Dropshipping is one of the quickest and easiest businesses you can start without money. That’s because you don’t need to handle any products yourself—you only need to make the sales and pass orders on to your dropshipping supplier.
Entrepreneur Kamil Sattar (The Ecom King on YouTube) recommends starting with five to 10 low-cost products, a Shopify website, and a TikTok account.
“I do believe the best opportunity right now in dropshipping is the TikTok Organic Method,” Kamil says on theShopify Masters podcast. “The profit margins are between 40% to 60%, and you just can’t argue with those numbers.”
With Shopify, it’s easy to start a dropshipping business. Sell popular products without the hassle of managing inventory, packaging, or shipping. Orders are sent directly to your customers, so you can work on what you do best—reaching your customers.
7. Résumé writer
Résumés are crucial to landing a new job, yet many people struggle to write them. If you excel at writing résumés, you can make a business out of it. Résumé writing and editing are usually performed more quickly than other freelance writing jobs, so it’s a good option for writers looking for a side hustle.
In addition to individual sessions, you can sell digital downloads, like a résumé template, job-hunting ebook, or prerecorded résumé writing course on your website. Try promoting your business on LinkedIn to connect with job seekers.
8. Virtual assistant
Virtual assistants help business owners manage tasks they don’t have time for. Unlike traditional personal assistants, virtual assistants don’t have to be in the same city (or even the same country) as their clients.
Virtual assistant services vary widely and can include social media work, graphic design, general admin, and sales. You can use virtual assistance to make extra income to fund your business idea or grow your virtual assistant business to hire others.
Get started as a virtual assistant by promoting yourself on freelance marketplaces like Upwork, Guru, and Fiverr, or join an agency like Time etc, Wing, or Fancy Hands.
9. Digital designer
You don’t need to sell physical products to make money as an artist online. You can sell digital products like printable bullet journal templates, sewing patterns, or music.
For example, Danish brand Deima Knitwear sells knitting patterns on its Shopify store. Deima also offers a limited number of ready-to-ship and made-to-order pieces to appeal to its audience of knitters and non-knitters alike.
Digital products include downloadable templates, journals, checklists, guides, and designs. It’s easy to experiment with different product types to see what sells—simply use a design tool like Canva to design your downloads, then sell them on a marketplace like Etsy or start an ecommerce store.
10. Online dating consultant
Consider yourself a matchmaker? Become an online dating consultant and help singles find love. Besides helping create online dating profiles, you can source potential matches and offer coaching through first dates. Try it out on willing friends first, then use their success stories to promote your services.
You can also generate passive income by creating an online dating course or workbook to sell on your website via Shopify’s Digital Downloads app.
Best small business ideas
With your existing skills and some ready-made online tools, launching a small business may be easier than you think. Here are some small businesses you can start today.
- T-shirt designer
- House- or pet-sitter
- Tutor
- Personal assistant
- Dog walker
- Airbnb host
- Pool host
- Backyard host
- Car rental provider
- Baker
- House cleaner
- Car washer
11. T-shirt designer
Websites and apps that offer print-on-demand services are perfect for small businesses. With them, you can sell custom products like t-shirts, hats, hoodies, and tote bags without worrying about manufacturing, shipping, or pre-paying for inventory.
Ready to get started? Build, run, and grow your t-shirt business with free training, intuitive tools, and dedicated support.
A print-on-demand company will produce and ship your t-shirts as orders come in; your role is creating original shirts and other items with branding and unique visuals.
“Print on demand gives you that option to be like, ‘You know what, I want to start a fashion brand, not have to pay for any stock, test these designs out, and see if they do well,’” entrepreneur Kamil Sattar says.
If there’s passion and pride within a community, a potential print-on-demand t-shirt business is waiting to be started.
If you’re not a designer yourself, hire one from freelancer sites like Fiverr, Upwork, Dribbble, or 99Designs. You can even use t-shirt mockup templates, so you won’t need to spend money on a photoshoot to model your designs.
12. House- or pet-sitter
House- and pet-sitting are businesses you can start with zero dollars, making them great business ideas for teens. Create an online store to market and sell your services, or register for an account on dedicated home and pet care apps, such as:
- HouseSitter.com: This website is for both house and pet sitting. You can create a profile and apply to postings. People who need house- or pet-sitting can browse sitters and reach out.
- Rover: Rover is a website and app specifically for pet-sitting. On it, you can create a profile and apply to gigs.
- Care.com: Care.com is a site where pet-sitters can create a profile and list their experience and apply to gigs. Care.com is a good site to use if you offer senior care, tutoring, housekeeping, or child-care services.
- TrustedHousesitters: TrustedHousesitters is a great place to start if you need experience or testimonials. The platform specifically prohibits paid gigs—instead, sitters get a free place to stay, and clients get free housesitting.
Consider that some pet sitters offer on-site services while others care for pets in their own homes.
13. Tutor
You might be great at math, playing the drums, or speaking French, so why not teach others?
Promote your tutoring services on local Facebook groups and in nearby schools to get the word out and build up your client base. If you’re planning to create courses for your students, start by watching this guide to making online courses.
14. Personal assistant
Becoming a personal assistant requires little upfront expenditure and lets you work with a range of businesses. You’ll essentially be helping business owners with admin tasks, like booking appointments, responding to emails, and taking meeting notes.
Start by networking with business owners on LinkedIn to build relationships and market your services. Create effective LinkedIn marketing strategies with these tips.
15. Dog walker
Dog walking is a fun and rewarding job with built-in exercise. Build a dog-walking business by checking your state laws to see what licensing and insurance you’ll need, then setting up a website to advertise. If you want to avoid administrative tasks, sign up with a platform like Rover that connects dog owners and dog walkers.
16. Airbnb host
You don’t need a fancy second home to become an Airbnb host—in fact, the accommodation platform originally started so homeowners could temporarily rent out spare rooms for extra cash. If you have the space (and the permission, if you don’t own) in your house, you can create an account with Airbnb and rent it out whenever it suits you.
Like the idea of running a rental business? Here are some other rental business ideas to consider.
17. Pool host
If your house has a pool, you don’t need to list it on Airbnb to make passive income. You can offer your pool by the hour or day on sites like Swimply.
You can also partner with freelance swim instructors who need a pool to teach from.
18. Backyard host
If you have a large, fenced backyard or plot of land, consider renting it to city-dwelling dog owners looking for a safe and private space for their dogs to play. Simply add a few photos and a description of your property on a platform like Sniffspot.
If you can add amenities like a dog agility course or splash pad, you may be able to charge more for your spot.
19. Car rental provider
If you own a car that you don’t drive every day, why not rent it out when you don’t need it? Platforms like Turo let car owners list their vehicles for rent by the hour or day—think of it as Airbnb for your vehicle.
You can rent out almost any type of car, but there are more monetization opportunities with specialty vehicles. If you have a classic car, you can rent it out for photoshoots or weddings. Consider reaching out to wedding planners and photographers to build ongoing partnerships.
If you have a camper van or RV, you can list it on RV-specific platforms like Outdoorsy, so others can enjoy it while you make money for your next trip.
20. Baker
Are you always called on to bake cakes and sweet treats for your friends and family? If the answer is yes, you can sell baked goods to locals in your community. In addition to baking cakes for birthdays and events, your bakery business plan could include selling baked goods to local cafés, or distributing them through an online store.
Brooklyn-based L’Appartment 4F started as a home bakery taking pickup orders through Instagram; today, it’s a brick-and-mortar bakery and restaurant.
21. House cleaner
If you’re a stickler for cleanliness, a cleaning business can be a fulfilling way to make money. Create flyers to stick through doors in your neighborhood, and advertise your services on local Facebook groups. If you do a good job, word of mouth can help you organically pick up customers.
With your clients’ permission, you can create short-form video content for TikTok and Instagram, where satisfying cleaning videos have the potential to go viral. As your business grows, you can hire staff, launch your website, and maybe even put your name on a line of white-label cleaning products you can sell via social commerce.
22. Car washer
Car washing has long been a source of fundraising for high schoolers, but it can work as a business for adults, too. If you have space outside your house or in a nearby yard, you can offer car-washing and valeting services to locals.
You can also partner with a local office building to provide car-washing services in their parking garage. Consider creating—with your clients’ permission—short-form videos for social media showing the satisfying transformation of the vehicles you clean.
