If you want to start an online business, there are many different types. Knowing the different types will help you decide what type of business to start. It can also help you understand how to make your online business work for you.
Online business ideas are diverse, but what are the best kinds to invest your energy in? What are the different kinds of online businesses? And which could you start with? No matter what your level of expertise or budget, there is an online business for you. There are so many ways to generate income online, even if you’re just starting out. Here are just some of the most popular types of business to consider when planning your next venture.
Web Design
One of the most obvious businesses that you can start is a web design business, creating websites for other people. With online businesses erupting, it can be easy to find work in the web design field since most businesses want to maintain a modern web presence.
Graphic Design
Do you have a talent creating all things graphic and visual? Digital art work that can be found across the internet and on every website – which means there’s a high demand for this type of service. If you want to share your artistry with the world, offering graphic design services might be perfect for you.
Writing
Freelance writing and other forms of writing have become the backbone of the internet. Not only do readers want reliable content, business owners are looking to hire writers like crazy. You can easily find paid writing gigs just by performing a simple internet search!
Editing
Since we mentioned writing, we want to add that editing might be right up your ally. Do you find yourself critiquing articles or social media posts as you read them? Editing might be perfect for you. With so many people writing, whether it be for school, work, or fun, almost all of those people need editing services and the internet makes a perfect place to offer those services.
Online Store
eBay, Amazon, Shopify and Easy are excellent choices to start online stores. T-shirts, jewelry, shoes, pretty much any kind of product. If you have stuff that you want to sell, there is almost certainly someone on the internet who wants to buy it.
Voice Over Services
Books, YouTube videos, and sales videos all require voice overs, it is easy to do this with a good microphone and an internet connection.
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Coaching
There are people all over the world who need a helping hand and coaching over the internet is the perfect way for them to get it. There has been an explosion of coaches happening since there’s no regulation or certification needed. You can use your expertise to help others!
Business Coaching
Is your speciality helping other businesses succeed? Business coaching might be your niche. Where many business owners are familiar with their industry, they might need some help with other aspects of running a business. Marketing, Sales, Web Strategy and more. If you have solid results and business experience, you can make a lot of money helping people get the job they want.
Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing is essentially the process of selling products for another website. Many people operate more than one affiliate marketing sites making them extra money. If you’re just starting out with an online business idea – you don’t even need a product. With programs like Amazon Affiliate, JVZoo, here at Marketing Solved and other affiliate networks – you can simply earn money by sharing other people’s products!
Re-Selling
Re-selling products on the internet can be a great way to earn money, the key is finding a source for low cost items that you can sell for more. Are you a low price ninja, garage sale guru or an antique shopper? You can find items at a low cost and then sell them online on sites like eBay for a higher price. You keep the profit and continue sourcing new products. Buy low, sell high!
Digital/Virtual Assistant
Everyone has trouble getting all of their work done and keeping track of what is happening. A virtual assistant job can earn you a lot of money because of this. With the increase in online entrepreneurs, as their businesses grow – they find themselves needing help! That’s where being a VA can come in. Answering emails, helping with customer service, even social media. Hours can be flexible and you can easily work from home.
Online Courses
According to Forbes, market research projected that online learning would reach $107 Billion in 2015. Not only is there a lot of opportunity for you to jump in to this space – there’s a lot of money to make as well. Can you create an online course around your expertise? Teaching someone a new skill? Showing a How To or Tutorial? Here at Marketing Solved, online courses are our favorite way to monetize an online business.
EBook Selling
Whether you write an eBook or sell someone else’s you can make a lot of money doing so with the popularity of Kindle’s and other devices. You can use online programs like Lulu.com or even Canva.com to design your very own ebook to sell. This is a great entry level business to start with low overhead since delivery of the program is completely digital! No need to print a book, have merchandise on hand – or even worry about shipping.
Online Tutoring
Students of all ages come across subjects that they need a little extra help with and you could be just the person to help them over the internet. Use your expertise to help others who need it!
Blogging
Marketing Solved Founder, Katherine Sullivan started her career out as a blogger and was able to leverage her authority into a paid business. Blogging opens the doors to business in many ways. Being a paid writer, affiliate marketing, selling advertising on your site, even offering your expertise and services to help others. Plus – blogging is a budget friendly business.
Advertiser
Do you have a special skill for creating advertising that people love? You could pitch these services to business owners worldwide and help create their advertising campaigns, graphics, and ad copy to bring them more business. If it’s successful – you could make a lot of money.
Social Media Manager
If you’re addicted to Facebook, Instagram, & Twitter – why not get paid to play on social media? With softwares like TASSI, you can easily manage customers social media accounts in 1 hour per month. If you can create content people want to engage with and mix it in with the right amount of business promotions – businesses would love to outsource this work to a professional. You can work from home or even on your mobile.
Consultant
Almost all industries utilize consultants to some level and many of them you don’t physically need to be there to consult for. If you like analyzing, reviewing what works and what doesn’t, and can provide feedback on how to do better – consulting is just for you.
Photographer
Do you love taking photo’s? Why not turn this hobby into a paying gig? You can take pictures of scenery and sell your photos, you could take pictures of families or kids and sell packages, or you could photograph events like weddings or conferences. Flexible hours, great pay, and you get to do something you love. Sounds like a win-win!
Podcasting
If online courses and blogging aren’t your thing, why not try your hand at a podcast? These have exploded in popularity. You can create a podcast on any industry or niche and use your passion and expertise to entertain or educate listeners. You can monetize by getting sponsors & advertisers or even sharing your very own products!
Design T-Shirts
This is an easy, inexpensive and quick online business type.
Thanks to numerous platforms that do the heavy lifting, you can now easily go into t-shirts design business and sell t-shirt designs to your customers.
Influencer
Become popular in a niche and you can draw business to you as an influencer.
Building up a large audience means you become attractive to companies. Who in turn will offer money to help direct that audience to the products or services they provide.
Sell Domains
By purchasing domains on the cheap and reselling them, it is possible to make a considerable amount of money.
Many people make their money in this manner, but you do need some luck and skill to make it work. It can also be quite a time-consuming process.
Research
Business owners, writers, and many others hire researchers to find information for them. You can do the same and earn a tidy profit.
This can be done on a freelance platform (which is not really a business) or on your personal website (which is the true online business).
SEO Consultant
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the most popular, passive form of marketing on the Internet.
By becoming an expert in SEO, you can offer your services to businesses around the world in advertising their goods and services in a natural way.
Learning SEO can be a challenging task, but once you do it rewards will be considerable.
Social Media Consultant
Here, you offer advice to business owners about how to run their social media accounts.
As most of the social media platforms became a pay-to-play area for businesses it is not free to experiment with social media marketing anymore.
With the right advice, businesses can make their social media marketing effective which will positively affect their sales.
You’ll need a solid experience, skills, and knowledge for this, but you can serve many businesses in this manner.
Social Media Manager
Instead of consulting, you can run the social media accounts for business owners, making money from the monthly fees you charge to provide services.
This online business type is quite old now, but it still works.
Travel Consultant
While the travel agency has taken a hit, you can build a successful online business as a consultant helping people find the travel options and deals that work best for their needs.
Advertising Consultant
If you know about advertising options online, you can offer your expertise as a specialist in the field.
This helps businesses of all types better reach their customer base.
YouTube Celebrity
You’ve probably seen them, but you may not know that most of them make considerable money through advertising, affiliate marketing, and membership subscriptions through YouTube itself or from outside sources such as Patreon.
The only requirement is that you create interesting, entertaining videos for your YouTube channel on a regular basis that draws in the views.
Conclusion
Very few people start a business with a thorough thought about what type of a business to start. Most small business ideas are based on the personal experience of the entrepreneur or a recommendation from a well-wisher. Starting a business doesn’t require any rocket science since it is just another form of creative problem-solving, which all people are capable of.