Software Engineer Business Ideas – There are so many startups started by software engineers these days. Uber, Instagram, Airbnb etc have raised billions of dollars in funding. However what many people don’t know is that you don’t have to be an advanced programmer to start a business. I’ll write about business ideas for people with little technical skills, who are just making their first steps in programming. Those business ideas are mainly based on building web or mobile apps, but it doesn’t mean that businesses without an app are excluded from this page.
Do you want to start your own software startup? But you don’t know exactly what to do? I’ve put together this article to provide you with some cool software engineer business ideas, where you can start your own software development business.
Medical Software
Medical software comes in handy when it is about maintaining the digital medical records of the patients. In the post-COVID world, people are more inclined towards their health. Many hospitals and clinics are looking for an alternative to the manual entry of the patients that is error-prone. You can sell this benefit-infused software to these hospitals and clinics.
As per data, the global market for medical software is expected to go beyond USD 11 billion by 2025. The medical software industry is one of the best start-up ideas because it is growing exponentially. Also, many companies are into healthcare software development and may help turn your start-up idea into reality.
Start a newsletter publishing business ($7.98M/year)
Matt Paulson from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, USA started MarketBeat almost 11 years ago, a newsletter publishing business.
- Revenue: $665,000/ month
- Founders: 1
- Employees: 6
- Location: Sioux Falls, South Dakota, USA
MarketBeat is a business that has evolved and iterated upon overtime. MarketBeat’s predecessor, American Consumer News, started in my college dorm room in 2006.
There weren’t a lot of good ways for me to generate an income as a computer science student in a college town of about 7,000 people. When I was a freshman in college, I worked the cash register and the deep fryer at McDonalds. I knew I didn’t want to repeat that experience the following year. I was able to scrape together an income working a few odd jobs for the university, but what allowed me to graduate debt free was freelance writing.
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Web Designer
Businesses of all shapes and sizes need websites. So if you’re experienced with design and the tech aspects of building a website, you can offer your services as a web designer and work with all different types of clients.
Computer Cleaning Services
It’s not really a service that you think about very often – do people actually pay to have their computer cleaned? The answer is yes, and you can make a lot of money from it. It’s a job that people are often reluctant to do themselves as they’re worried about damaging the computer, and many commercial cleaners won’t even so much as dust a desk if a computer is sitting on it because they don’t want to risk having to accept the liability should anything happen to it.
Social media platforms video downloader
The software that allows you to download videos from YouTube, TikTok, Instagram Reels, etc., is going to get a lot of site visits and downloads. Users will enter the link of the video and then can download it to their mobile phone or any other internet-enabled device. Although there are many websites and software’s like this in the market, what makes this start-up idea profitable is that many people are downloading videos from social media platforms these days. After TikTok became a rage, and now Instagram reels, there is no stopping the Video Downloader software. People who initially created YouTube downloaders have made a lot of money. If you provide a user-friendly and quality video downloading service without any spamming websites, your website or software is going to be a hit. It is easy to design and create this software. You can connect with a software development company and outsource it to them.
Start a web development business ($744K/year)
Ty Fujimura from New York, LA, NJ started Cantilever Web Design & Development almost 10 years ago, a web development business.
- Revenue: $62,000/ month
- Founders: 1
- Employees: 6
- Location: New York, LA, NJ
I’m the son of a therapist and an artist, and both sides of that upbringing prepared me well to manage a creative business! I was always playing with code and design growing up, and was lucky enough to have my dad’s tech hand-me-downs to learn on.
I regret bootstrapping because it forced us into making decisions based on the fear of running out of money, rather than on trying to find long-term value.
I majored in Mathematics at NYU, but while in classes I started to get the itch to design again. I did some portfolio pieces in photoshop but needed a website. I taught myself the basics by spending hours in Barnes & Noble reading every web design and development book I could find (even though I couldn’t afford to take them home) and got hooked.
IT Consultant
You can also offer your services to different businesses by working as an IT consultant that they can go to for a variety of different tech related issues.
3D Printing for Computer Engineer
3D printing is a rapidly growing sector within the computer industry that uses computer files to generate and manufacture products from scratch. If you’re experienced with 3D printing software and devices, you might want to consider launching a business selling 3D printing files or even the finished 3D printed products.
Time tracking and attendance software
A Time Tracking software tracks the time an employee spends at work. It helps organisations to identify how much time an employee invests in doing the organisational work. People who created such software have earned a lot of money because all the start-ups and even big organisations use this software. Every time such software is downloaded, creators continue to make money. To turn your idea into reality, you can connect with software development organisations and they will help in creating such software.
Start a laptop accessories brand ($24M/year)
Jack Yao from Boston, Massachusetts, USA started Mobile Pixels over 3 years ago, a laptop accessories brand.
- Revenue: $2,000,000/ month
- Founders: 3
- Employees: 4
- Location: Boston, Massachusetts, USA
I have used multiple screens my entire life as a professional and as a student. When I was forced to work on a small laptop screen at Amazon, I could not help but think about how much productivity was being lost across from the organization. That was the light bulb moment for me.
It is important to know your market and market size and then crafts your service or product specifically for that market.
I was discussing this problem over lunch with a colleague, and the idea of sliding a second monitor out from behind the first just came naturally. It was an idea that I could not shake.
Tech Blogger
If you want to share your expertise with a wider audience, you can start your own blog and write about computers and other aspects of the tech industry.
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Are you a computer engineer looking to earn extra income by starting your own business? If yes, we’ve got some of the best and most profitable small business ideas for computer engineers.
No other degree qualifications offer students the opportunity to work in as many fields as computer engineering. With just one degree, you could work in aerospace engineering, finance and banking, communications, IT, energy, biomedicine and many more. A computer engineer can easily have their career take them through many industries including medicine, teaching, law, research, and of course, entrepreneurship.
Any device with an IT or energy component is derived from a knowledge of computer engineering. From providing correct medical diagnoses to exploring outer space, the field of computer engineering plays a crucial role in today’s modern world. And, computer engineers are often the people who possess the knowledge and skills needed to make the world a better place.
If you have experience with computers and related technology, you’re well on your way to becoming the founder of a successful start-up. If you’ve got the qualifications, training, and relevant experience, here are some profitable small business ideas to consider.
Computer Cleaning Services
It’s not really a service that you think about very often – do people actually pay to have their computer cleaned? The answer is yes, and you can make a lot of money from it. It’s a job that people are often reluctant to do themselves as they’re worried about damaging the computer, and many commercial cleaners won’t even so much as dust a desk if a computer is sitting on it because they don’t want to risk having to accept the liability should anything happen to it.
3D Printing for Computer Engineer
3D printing is a rapidly growing sector within the computer industry that uses computer files to generate and manufacture products from scratch. If you’re experienced with 3D printing software and devices, you might want to consider launching a business selling 3D printing files or even the finished 3D printed products.
Battery Reconditioning
This business is all about restoring batteries to their full original power capacity; as an electrical engineer, you’ll probably know how this is done by adding chemicals. As more people are using cars and becoming more conscious of cost at the same time, there’s a growing need for this service. You could also provide the service for:
- Mobile phone batteries
- Laptop batteries
- Other rechargeable devices
CRM (Customer Relationship Management) Software
This software has a high saleable value as you can sell it to several start-ups in the market. Your new business idea of creating CRM software will get you subscription-based payment. It means that you will get payment from your customer at regular intervals. CRM software is of great use to a number of industries. Online business and offline business both require CRM software to manage their work. A software engineer business idea to create and market CRM software is going to yield profits. There are many software engineer freelancers and software development companies that will help you in creating your version of CRM software and provide you with an end-to-end solution for your online business idea.
Start a mobile app development business ($696K/year)
Tim Bornholdt from Minneapolis, MN, USA started The Jed Mahonis Group over 9 years ago, a mobile app development business.
- Revenue: $58,000/ month
- Founders: 2
- Employees: 7
- Location: Minneapolis, MN, USA
Growing up, I’ve always been into technology. I built my first website when I was in first grade, I built my first graphing calculator app when I was in sixth grade, and I used to run the internet’s largest website dedicated to Ralph Wiggum from The Simpsons.
I waited in line for the iPhone the day it launched in 2007, and I was instantly hooked. I knew I had to learn how to build software for this device. Eventually, I learned how to jailbreak my device which allowed me to run custom apps on it (this being before the launch of the App Store).
Even though I had a passion for technology, I never really wanted a career in it. My dream job was to work as a technical director for live television broadcasts, and the only class that was close to that at my school was the capstone course for the Professional Journalism program. I ended up switching my major from Computer Engineering to that and abandoned any dreams of professionally writing software.
Database Manager
Databases are important parts of many software programs and web applications. You can offer your services as a database manager to ensure that data is collected and handled properly.Computer Repair Service Provider
Computers experience technical issues fairly regularly. So you can offer services as a computer repair business, either one that goes to your clients or one with a physical location where they can come to you.
Computer Repair
Computer repair is the obvious choice when it comes to small business ideas for computer engineers. Offering computer repair services aimed at companies is a particularly lucrative move as a computer malfunction or complete network crash could cost some companies thousands of dollars. You could also offer phone repair services for business. This fact alone means that as a self-employed computer repair technician, your services will definitely be in demand.
- Clients will rely on you to get their computers and networks back up and running again as quickly as possible
- You can make money from offering an emergency service – for example, arriving on the same day to deal with an urgent situation
- If you have computer repair skills and experience, reliable transportation and tools to operate your business, you can easily get started
Invoicing Software
Invoicing software provides resolution to various invoicing issues that companies face on an everyday basis, be it a start-up or a big firm. With a dynamic taxation system in place that changes almost every few months, these software and their updates come in handy for business owners and make their task of invoicing, a hassle-free experience. This software is trending in the market nowadays. For payment processing, all the companies require and use such software. To stand out in this field, create software that is updated constantly and is user-friendly. Many companies outsource software development firms to create this software.
Conclusion
Software engineers are well paid professionals, but often create cool products which are free to use by everyone. Here are some software business ideas that software engineers can create to earn money online.