The Small Business Administration reports that small business employment has decreased by 17 percent since the COVID-19 pandemic started. This is a higher rate of decline than the overall private employment, which has decreased by 15 percent. The unemployment rate is still fluctuating, but it is expected that the job market will be slow for some time.
You don’t have to find a traditional job to move on with your life. There are many ways to earn a living from home that people don’t realize, that you can do independently and on your own terms.
This guide contains a number of ideas for home-based businesses that can be anything from one-time side gigs to more long-term businesses. Not every idea will work for everyone, but there is an idea on this list that can help anyone earn some extra cash without having to “clock in.” Some of the ideas for home-based businesses are easy to implement, while others require a higher level of skill.
The key to finding an idea that will work for you is to assess your skills and interests, and then match them with a business idea that meets your needs. The following are some successful work at home business ideas to get you started.
1. Freelance Writing
If you enjoy writing and have a knack for it, you can start a freelance writing business from home. This is a great option for stay-at-home parents, as you can set your own hours and work around your family’s schedule.
All the content you read online is created by somebody, and it is likely that the author was paid for their capability and talent. If you are a freelance writer, you may earn a couple of hundred dollars for each article. However, if you know how to write longer and more difficult content, you have the potential to earn much more than that.
Still, you should check out this post on How to Become a Freelance Writer, which is written by Holly Johnson. Johnson has been earning multiple six figures as an online freelance writer for years, and she has a free webinar and a course you can buy. If you need help getting started, you can read more at EarnMoreWriting.com.
2. Virtual Assistant
Virtual assisting is the perfect way for someone to start working remotely. You can help business owners with tasks like invoicing, data entry, and email management. A virtual assistant can also provide administrative, secretarial, and other support services to clients from a home office. This is a great option for stay-at-home parents or those with flexibility in their schedule, as you can work around your client’s needs. There are many ways to get started, such as signing up with a virtual assistant site or contacting businesses directly to offer your services.
3. Web Designer
If you’re interested in design and building websites for businesses, you may want to consider becoming a web designer. Website builders have made it relatively easy to design a website, and becoming an expert with one of them could be a great way to offer your talents as a service.
4. Blogging
If you’re looking for a work-from-home opportunity and enjoy writing, starting a blog is a relatively easy way to get started. While there’s certainly potential to earn money from blogging, it’s not a get-rich-quick scheme—you’ll need to put in the work.
5. Online Store
In the past, you needed a physical store to sell products and incur the related costs. Now you can sell anything to anyone, anywhere in the world… online.
If you have a product that you want to sell, there is more than likely a market for it online. This is true whether your product is something like honey from your personal apiary, or personalized embroidered linens.
Steve Chou has an online course that helps people build their own online store. He and his wife quit their jobs and now make six figures a year with their business.
6. Podcasting
Podcasting has gained popularity in recent years for its ability to allow people to express themselves and reach an audience online, similarly to blogging. Monetization through ads is possible, and for those who are successful, it could lead to even more opportunities.
7. Printables
There are many things you can print and sell online, from planners to invitations to health trackers. If you love creating pretty things online but don’t have much experience with graphic design, printables may be a good option for you.
8. Write and Publish an eBook
Since anyone can get their work published online, it is possible for anyone to make a fortune from their writing.
There are many authors who are taking advantage of e-publishing. The biggest recent example is the 50 Shades of Gray trilogy.
If you enjoy writing and are willing to do your own promotion (a blog can be really beneficial in that case), writing an e-book is a great way to earn money quickly from home.
9. Surveys During Your Spare Time
You can earn money from surveys by participating in research studies. Companies will pay you for your time and opinions. This is a great way to make some extra money.
You can typically earn around $50.00 per month, which isn’t too bad considering it only requires 5-10 minutes per survey. Check out Survey Junkie. You can typically earn $2-5 per hour completing surveys on the site, which only takes 5-10 minutes each. Depending on how many surveys you complete, $50 per month may be possible.
Survey Junkie is a great way to earn money, but it’s not the only way. You can also make money by participating in focus groups, watching videos, and reviewing products. You can even earn money by playing games!
There are a number of survey companies, in addition to Survey Junkie, that will pay you for your time in answering questions.
10. Life Coach
If you love helping people to improve their lives, working as a life coach could be the perfect way to start your own home-based business. Life coaches provide guidance and advice to clients on matters such as health, careers and goal-setting.
11. Get Paid to Shop
Online stores are willing to pay for your attention if you shop a lot online. This could be a viable way to make money from home.
I’m talking about cash-back sites like Rakuten.com.
Rakuten.com offers cashback to users who make purchases from partner retailers. For example, if a user bought a lamp for $60 from Target, Rakuten might offer the user 3% cashback ($1.80).
$1.80 might not seem significant, but if you make a point of always using cashback sites, the money will start to add up.
12. Consulting
Do you have extensive knowledge on a particular subject? You may want to consider becoming a consultant for businesses, and help them make sound decisions with your expert advice!
13. Proofreading
If you’re a fan of reading and have an eye for detail, you might want to think about becoming a proofreader. Content creators are often too busy to check their work for errors, so they outsource this task. As a proofreader, you would be able to work from home and get paid to read all day.
14. Join a Food Delivery Service
When restaurants take an order for delivery, they are responsible for delivering the food. If a restaurant gets a lot of delivery orders, they may hire employees to deliver the food.
What about restaurants that only get a few takeout orders and can’t justify hiring a full-time employee to deliver the food?
Technology has the ability to solve this problem and potentially your next business idea.
Uber drivers who transport people are different from those who deliver food from restaurants to customers, although the basic premise is the same. Instead of receiving a notification that a passenger needs a ride, Uber Eats drivers get a notification that a restaurant needs food delivered to a customer.
15. Mystery Shopping
To many people, getting paid to shop seems like a dream come true.
There are many mystery shopping scams, so be careful. If a gig requires an upfront fee, it’s probably not legitimate.
Mystery shopping can legitimately earn you between $8 and $100 per job, depending on the site you’re using.
16. Start a Catering Business
If you love cooking for large groups, why not start a catering business from your home?
The amount you earn is based on the size of the meals you take on, as well as your ability to accurately estimate the cost of materials.
This is an industry where one can start small and gradually work towards bigger gigs and higher profits.
17. Landscape Design
If you love landscaping and spending time working on your yard, then a landscape design business might be the perfect fit for you.
Although this is a new field, you can learn some skills by finding a part-time gig with a landscaping company. From there, you can start building your own client base of people who want their landscapes to look wonderful without having to do the work.
18. Advertising Specialist
Many businesses are willing to pay someone to take care of their online advertising, as it can take time to learn. Forms of online advertising include Facebook ads and Pay Per Click (PPC).
19. Meal Plan Service
If you’re good at coming up with dinner ideas and don’t mind doing a little extra work, you could make some money by offering a meal planning service. Think about how busy most people are nowadays – wouldn’t it be great to have someone else handle the meal planning for you?
You could promote your service online for added convenience, and before you know it, you could have a successful business up and running from the comfort of your own home.
20. Tour Guide
Even though you might enjoy exploring the different areas of your hometown, you might not think to turn that into a business.
Can you can themed or niche tours? Also, you can attract more customers and promote your business by creating experiences and advertising them on Airbnb.
21. Daycare In Your Home
If you are a stay-at-home-parent who wants to make some extra money, consider starting a home daycare. You are already taking care of your own children, so adding a few more should not be much of a problem. Just make sure to research the licensing requirements in your state, as they vary depending on where you live.
22. Care for Elders in Your Community
In many cases, professionals who provide in-home care for elders make daily visits to their patients to help with tasks such as preparing meals or making minor repairs around the house.
You can also go through an agency that specializes in placing caregivers with clients. You can make a lot of money by serving the elderly if that is something you are passionate about. You can market your services through word of mouth, social media, and by listing them on sites like Care.com. You can also find an agency that specializes in connecting caregivers with clients.
23. Cleaning Business
Many people in the world are too busy to clean, so offering cleaning services would let you make your own working hours.
24. House Sitting
Do you need some extra cash? House sitting is a great way to earn part-time income on your terms. You can get paid to look after people’s houses while they’re away on vacation. All you need is a little experience and some basic supplies. So if you’re looking for a flexible way to make some extra money, why not give house sitting a try?
25. Photographer
Do you love taking photos of people? Why not start a photography business and offer your services to others. You can travel to photo shoot locations or set up a studio in your home. This work at home business idea is relatively easy to get started.
26. Dog Walker or Pet Sitter
You can make money by becoming a professional dog walker or dog sitter through websites like Rover.com. This platform can be used to find enough pet-related work to fill a regular workweek, or to find short-term gigs to supplement your income.
Many people charge $29 or more per night to watch dogs or cats in their home. The cost for dog walking varies. Either way, this is fairly easy work that you can set up from home and in your spare time if you want.
Most pet owners would rather not clip nails, bathe, or give haircuts to their animals, so you could make money by offering these services as a pet groomer. With a few changes to a bathroom, basement, or laundry room, you could even turn your home into a full-service pet salon.
27. Travel Planner
While anyone can check an aggregator site for the best price to fly to St Louis, planning a more elaborate trip, such as booking a hotel or adding a rental car, might be too much for some travelers.
A travel planner can help you find the best trip for your budget, including flights, accommodations, a rental car, and tours.
This type of work is typically done by travel agents, but newer “travel concierge” services are becoming more common. If you’re interested in this business, you can start with a simple website and some basic marketing tools.
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