In today’s day and age, starting a home-based business is becoming the norm, and for good reason. It’s the ideal solution for escaping the daily rat race of being an employee, and instead, it allows you to work from the comfort of your own home.
If you have been kicking around the idea of starting a business from home and are now ready to move forward, we would like to provide you with 20 home-based business ideas that are easy to start. This should set you on the fast track to earning money from home and enable you to create the lifestyle you have been dreaming about!
Starting a Home-Based Business is a Smart Idea
It’s difficult for some people to see the reality that working for a paycheck not only means that someone else controls your schedule, but that your earning potential is capped. Starting a home business can open up income possibilities that you never knew were even possible, but most importantly, working from home provides something money can’t buy. It allows you to take charge of your day to day activities because you are not trapped in a 9-5 schedule. Imagine how freeing it would be to have the opportunity to just say, “I’m taking my family to the beach today”, without having to ask for permission. Starting a home-based business will put you in the driver’s seat so you can improve both the quality of your life and your financial situation!
20 Profitable Home-Based Business Ideas
The first step in starting a home business is determining what type of business would be profitable and enjoyable to run. With this in mind, we are laying out a list of home-based business opportunities that are easy to start. This will give you an idea of the possibilities available to you. So, let’s dive in and read through this awesome list of home-based businesses!
1. Earn Money Online Starting a Blog with Affiliate Marketing
Do you have a passion for writing, or a knack for creating entertaining and informative articles? If so, then blogging and adding affiliate links to your articles may be your ticket to financial independence. This home-based business idea is a proven way to bring in cash from home.
Affiliate marketing for bloggers is when you add special links to your articles in a natural way, and you receive commissions when a reader either visits the affiliate’s site through that link, clicks and purchases, or signs up. Each affiliate program is different when it comes to commission rates and how things work.
Here are a few pointers to get started on creating a home blogging business:
- Choose a reliable hosting company. We utilize Bluehost and highly recommend them.
- Use WordPress to build your website. It’s one of the most used platforms for bloggers and can be easily installed within a Bluehost account.
- Place subscription forms on your site to capture names for your email list. ActiveCampaign is a great company to use for simplifying the process.
- Generate some engaging blog articles and make your site live!
- Research affiliate programs. Check out Sharasale for a head start.
- Kickstart your website traffic with Facebook ads. Here is an outstanding FB Ad Course for Bloggers that will help speed things up.
The amount of passive income you can create is what’s exciting about this home-based business idea. Additionally, the fact that you can roll out of bed and start working without an hour drive is also a perk!
2. Sell a Product on Amazon Using Their FBA Program
You can easily sell a product on Amazon and have them handle all the details for you. You can accomplish this by selling through their Fulfillment by Amazon program. Selling through Amazon is a smart way to create that passive income you have been dreaming about. Their FBA program will literally sell your product for you as you travel, sleep in, or, work on starting another home-based business. This is possible because Amazon will take care of the selling, shipping, and customer returns. All you have to do is keep your inventory stocked.
There are so many options as to what you can sell on Amazon, and this opens up opportunities for those of you who have a small start-up budget. Amazon business owners can fill their online store with items that range from one dollar to a few thousand dollars. Interested yet? If so, do some research on how to get started selling on Amazon through their FBA program.
3. Earn Passive Income by Creating Online Courses
In today’s digital society, more and more individuals are looking to the internet to better themselves by learning new skills, become familiar with software programs, or even earn a degree. Although you’re not an accredited school that can pass out a degree, you can start a home-based business that caters to those seeking more knowledge. You can do this by launching online courses that people pay to watch. From “how to train your dog” to ” Becoming an expert at retouching photographs”, the course topics are virtually endless.
The online education market is booming, so if you’re interested, now is the time to get started so you can finally make money from home. If you’re wondering how in the world do I do this, it’s actually pretty simple. There are various platforms out there that are already set up for you to easily start earning passive income. All you will need is a computer, a good mic, and to figure out which platform would work best for you. A few examples you can check out would be Udemy, CourseCraft, and SkillShare.
4. Bring in Cash from Home Teaching English
Similar to teaching through online courses, teaching English through real-time sessions are on the rise. Creating a home-based business such as this will allow you to help children and adults learn the English language. People from all over the world are seeking out English lessons, from China to Portugal, you will be sure to find your students.
No teaching degree is needed, just a good handle on the English language. This type of home-based business can reel in $14 to $20, or more, per hour, allow you to create a schedule that’s right for you, and start earning passive income. There are companies that you can work with that will attract the clients for you, provide the lessons, and handle the billing. One such company is VIPKID, check them out and see if this home-based business idea is the one for you!
5. Start a Home Career as a Freelance Copywriter
If you have a knack for words, a good handle on punctuation and grammar, along with a passion for writing, then starting a business that offers copywriting services may be your ticket. It’s an easy business to start; all you need is a computer and your writing skills! If you are a polished writer, then you have an advantage because not everyone can write well or engage their readers. This is why businesses are willing to pay higher rates to grab experienced writers. Copywriters are hired to create copy for a variety of projects. This can include marketing materials, blogs, brochures, press releases, newsletters, sales materials, and so on.
This home-based business idea will allow you to work from anywhere in the world, create a schedule that’s best for you, and provide you with more personal time with friends and family. The earning potential is up to you because it greatly depends on the rate you charge and your availability. If you have a specialty topic that you are an authority on, like bitcoin or healthcare, for example, you might be in demand and earn even more. One of the best ways to find your clients is to work through the top freelance site on the market, which is upwork.com, or one similar to it. Here you will find hundreds of businesses looking for writers to create content for them.
6. Start a Graphic Design Home Business
This easy to start home business requires your talent, a computer, and a source for obtaining clients. You should also have a website where you can park your online portfolio. WordPress.com is the best route to take when creating this type of site because it provides you with hosting and WordPress all in one place – super simple to set up. The earning potential can be great if you are skilled at what you do and reliable. If you already know how to use programs such as Photoshop, Illustrator, or InDesign, then you are ahead of the game. Going into business for yourself armed with these programs just increased your hourly rate! Typical projects for graphic designers working from home include logos, posters, magazine ads, flyers, booklets, brochures, designing a website, and so on.
You can work from anywhere – your home, a cafe, or even on an airplane while you’re traveling. If you travel a lot and could benefit from having a place to put some of your business gear, take a look at these convenient travel clothes. Graphic designers make anywhere from minimum wage to $100 or more per hour. It all depends on your experience level. Finding jobs can be easy if you are signed up with sites like Upwork, Behance, or specific creative agencies such as Creative Circle.
7. Become a YouTube Personality
This may seem like a lighthearted way to make money, but you might be interested to know that there are many YouTube personalities that actually earn much more than individuals who work for a paycheck. Additionally, you can make this home-based business a professional one by incorporating as an LLC, or you can keep it casual and just work under your name. Either way, you have the potential to earn the big bucks through advertising. This rings true because becoming a YouTube personality or Vlogger has become a huge business due to its ability to engage viewers. This enables the content creators to leverage this interest into a financial gain.
The more popular your YouTube channel is, the greater the potential for ad revenue and third party offers. So if you have an interest in a certain topic, work with it to develop awesome content. Maybe your obsessed with makeup and you develop videos on makeup tips, and so on. If you get enough followers, you may receive offers from makeup brands to promote their product. Okay, so your not interested in makeup, but you get the general idea and its earning potential. All you need is a way to film yourself, a computer, a few great ideas, and the worlds largest video platform – YouTube.
8. Start a Profitable Home Business as a Virtual Administrative Assistant
If your organized, on the ball, love helping others, and you’re looking for a way to quit your day job, then becoming a virtual administrative assistant could be the best home-based business for you. Busy executives or department heads don’t have time to do certain day-to-day tasks that are crucial to keeping their business running. So, they hire you!
It’s actually pretty simple to start a virtual administrative assistant home business. You would need a phone, computer, a good wifi connection, email, and possibly software for managing calendars. Your rate will depend upon your experience and the tasks you will be performing. Someone who is experienced at drafting emails for high-level executives will earn far more than someone who only inputs data into Excel spreadsheets. We all have to start somewhere, and then we work our way up. So if you can’t charge the rate you would like now, you will get there by building your experience and brand. Typical virtual administrative assistant tasks include managing calls and emails, data entry, scheduling, reservations, proofing, research, and more. These types of jobs can be found on Fiver, Upwork, LinkedIn, and other online job sites.
9. Become an E-Book Author
Are you interested in writing books? If so, then this idea for creating a home-based business could be of interest to you! Now that we are no longer at the mercy of the big book publishers, you now have a chance at self-publishing your masterpiece. E-book authors can earn a huge amount of money if they are good at what they do. An e-book author can make anywhere from $0.99 to $5, and more, per download. It all really depends on the market you are targeting, the quality of your e-book, and your advertising efforts.
If you have some award-winning ideas, but you’re not a great writer, no problem! You can hire a ghostwriter to put your words together. If you’re a great writer, but need your work proofed and perfected, you can use this service to edit your book. Once the book is polished, you can self-publish it on a site such as Amazon. If your new to the game, take a look at Amazon’s tips on how to get started.
10. Become a Vintage/Collectibles Seller Through eBay
As far as successful home businesses are concerned, this one takes the cake for being fun and easy to start. If you love hunting for hidden treasures at yard sales or thrift stores, and are always looking up the potential value of the items you find, then you will want to continue reading. Selling vintage/collectible items on eBay can be a great idea for a home business. It will allow you to deal in something you are highly interested in and profit from your efforts. So, if sorting through old baseball cards at a yard sale on a sunny day is more appealing to you then sitting in an office cubical, then you may want to try this legitimate home business idea out!
This huge online auction house has been around a long time and really has their selling platform fine-tuned. This makes it easy for sellers like you to earn money. Your vintage items can be anything from a matchbook from the 1940s to that typewriter your grandfather used. Additionally, vintage books are always in demand and worth looking into. The amount you make depends on how many items you list on eBay and what their worth is. Take a look at this guide that eBay put together to help you start selling.
11. Provide Music Lessons from a Home Studio
It’s important to do what you love, and great if you can earn money from it. If you’re a musician and would like to pass your expertise on to others, consider giving music lessons. You can set-up a home-based music studio and start teaching piano, saxophone, violin, and so on.
You most likely have your own instruments already, so you would just need to set-up space in your home so you have a designated area for providing the lessons. Most music teachers charge $25 to $150 per hour, depending on their experience. So, there is much money to be made once you have your students in place.
12. Sell Professional Stock Photography
This easy to start home-based business will have you making passive income while you sleep! So, if you love shooting photos and your good at it, you may want to give this money generating idea a try. To get started, find a quality company that will sell your photos for you. This could be istockphoto, Adobe Stock, Shutter Stock, and others you may find. Read their image requirements, grab a camera, and start shooting!
You can make this a truly passive income home business by hiring a virtual assistant to prepare your photos for upload. They can also manage your online account for you. As with other home businesses, your income potential is based on your efforts. The more photos you upload to the stock photography site, the better your chances of having more purchases. Some photographers make 1 dollar a month, while others make thousands!
13. Be Your Own Boss as a Hairdresser from Home
If you are a licensed hairstylist, did you know you can set-up a salon in your home? You can say goodbye to working for a paycheck and start working for yourself. Imagine the freedom of setting your own schedule and rates. This home-based business will have you cutting, styling, and coloring all the way to the bank. Make sure to do your research on any state requirements for setting up a salon in your home first. Once you’re up and running, you will start to see just how great the earning potential and scheduling freedom really is.
14. Launch a Successful Home Business as a Web Developer
Web developers can make obscene amounts of money, especially if they are true tech geniuses. Earning $200 an hour is not out of the question with this profitable work from home idea. When a business needs a website created or fixed, they are willing to pay higher rates for someone who can get the job done right, especially businesses that sell exclusively online.
A web developer shouldn’t be confused with a web designer, Although the two can be combined. Developers are usually armed with extensive knowledge of coding such as CSS/HTML, Java, PHP, databases, responsive designs, and fixing almost anything that is thrown at them. They can easily build a site from start to finish. It’s worth mentioning that you really have to be on top of your game because there can be fierce competition with very talented developers that work overseas and charge lower rates. Make yourself stand out of the crowd to justify your higher rate!
If you already have your computer, then starting this business would be easy and wouldn’t cost you anything. However, if you decide to incorporate as an LLC, expect to pay a few fees.
15. Real Estate Investor – The Ultimate Home-Based Business
There are many ways to create passive income from a home-based business, but real estate investing can be one of the most lucrative, as well as reliable. This avenue of making money can actually set you on the path to financial independence. Here’s how it works…you buy a piece of real estate, take care of its repairs, and hire a property manager. At this point, your property is rented out and the money starts flowing in. You can also generate money by flipping houses, as well as raw land. For a few details on how to get started purchasing properties, take a look at this helpful guide to purchasing rental properties. If this sounds like the home-based business you have been searching for, but you don’t have the funds to start, have a look at these three excellent resources for private financing.
Some Additional Resources to Jump Start Your Real Estate Investment Business:
- Ultimate Apartment Investing Guide
- Creating Cash from Flipping Raw Land
- Top Real Estate Investing Tools
16. Create Passive Income as a Social Media Consultant
From large corporations to small businesses; social media is a driving force for many successful companies today. But most businesses don’t have the time or the knowledge to get a social media strategy in place. So, if you have a background in social media and the knack for creating a successful plan of attack, then this may be a great full time or part time home business that you can easily start.
Having experience with the following platforms can kick start your home-based business – Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Tumblr, Pinterest, Instagram, LinkedIn, and more. Check out this information regarding Facebook that will give you an edge as a social media consultant. Helping companies create an online presence with these social media networks can grow their audience and your income! As a consultant, if you can help businesses determine the appropriate tactics and posting schedules that will boost their presence, you can certainly make a lucrative income. The average earnings for this type of home-based business range from $40,000 to over $100,000, or more.
17. Ditch the Day Job and Become a Home-Based Wedding Planner
Some individuals are just naturals at event planning. They seem to love every aspect of it and keep up-to-date with all the latest trends. If this sounds like you, and you think this might be a good home-based business idea, put your skills to work and make it happen! To be successful, you will need a professional website and an amazing schedule book or scheduling software.
Wedding planners are in demand and make good money. Some brides to be either don’t have the time or the experience to create their dream wedding, and that’s where you come in. You would assist couples with their venue choices, menu, flowers, wedding gown and bridesmaid’s dresses, invitations, and so on. This real work from home job can be very lucrative, rewarding, and enjoyable as you make a couple’s wedding dreams come to life!
18. Take Calls from Home as a Call Center Agent
This profitable home-based business would be great for anyone looking to escape the rat race of the typical office job. If you enjoy talking on the phone, don’t mind helping individuals with issues, or maybe you’re a natural salesperson, then you may want to look into this easy to start work from home job. Typical call center tasks include tech support, sales, general customer service, and so on. If you know a few languages, you will have more options and might receive higher pay. You can find companies who need home-based call center agents on Upwork.com. New requests pop up daily and the pay range varies based on their needs and your experience.
19. Create a Business Selling Crafts Online
Stay at home moms or dads, or anyone with has a creative side, can easily start a home-based business selling handcrafted items online. This home business idea goes into the category of “hobbies that make you money”. You can sell anything from handmade jewelry to clothes that you make yourself. Your items can be sold online with digital storefronts on Etsy, eBay, Amazon, Shopify, or even your own e-commerce website. We recommend using WordPress.com to get your site up and running if you are creating it yourself.
Just to give you a little inspiration…A husband and wife team, Dana and Melanie, were installing seat belts while restoring their classic Buick. At this time, Dana came up with the idea to create a matching purse for his wife made from seat belts. Interest led to creating more for their friends and family, to actually selling the Buick to create funds to produce even more purses. One thing led to another and now their creative home-based business that started in their garage, has turned them into successful entrepreneurs who sell their purses in high-end stores like Nordstrom.
20. Generate Income from Home Building Apps
Next time you’re out in public, take a moment and count the number of people who are staring at their phones. Or, count how many apps you currently have downloaded on your phone. This is an indicator of how much you can make if you were to build smartphone apps from home. Building an app won’t cost you anything except your time and expertise, so it’s an easy to start a home-based business. Successful apps make large amounts of money on their sales, as well as their ad revenue. So, if you are great at coding/programming, and have an interest in apps, try it out, have some fun, and makes lots of money from home!
Make it Official and Incorporate your Home Business
If you are interested in incorporating your home-based business for added protection and to be viewed as a more professional, we recommend utilizing an attorney to help with the initial setup. This will ensure everything is done properly. We use Garrett Sutton for all our incorporation needs and have asked him to give our readers a $100 discount. Here’s information on contacting him to set up your LLC for your home business.
Start a Home-Based Business and Escape the Rat Race!
We know what it feels like to be stuck in the rat race, the never-ending cycle of the 9 to 5 job, and how it feels to desperately want to escape that lifestyle. With that being said, our profitable and easy to start home-based business list was created to help you become a successful entrepreneur from the comfort of your home office. Try out a few of these home business ideas and create the dream lifestyle you have always wanted, one that allows you to make your own schedule and enjoy life!