Written by Utkarsh Anand, a Personal Branding and Marketing Expert: Learn more
Are you a small business owner or an aspiring entrepreneur looking for profitable online business ideas to kickstart your own business journey?
The world of entrepreneurship is ever-evolving; finding the right business ideas can be just what you need to succeed.
Over the past few years, I have tried my hand at many business ideas in the pursuit of building the business of my dreams.
From the time I have spent working on my own businesses, I have learned to spot opportunities that are simple and can be a great avenue for aspiring entrepreneurs.
In this blog post, we’ll explore some innovative business ideas tailored for small business owners like yourself.
1. Start a Blog
Starting a blog can be a great business idea for anyone who is early in their entrepreneurial journey.
Now, it might sound too generic and on the surface might not even seem like a business.
But it can be a solid business.
It’s a business I am currently running. So, I am speaking with experience.
You may think how would a blog even make money?
So, if you can generate traffic for your blog from Google, you can find a million ways to monetize it.
But you will need to learn a thing or two about SEO. If you’re looking for tools to help with this, check out our list of the best DIY SEO tools.
Starting an affiliate blog can be an extremely lucrative business idea.
An affiliate blog aims to provide potential buyers with information to make purchasing decisions. And once someone makes a purchase you make a commission.
Pick a niche, write amazing content and build your brand.
In this video, Matt Diggity talks about how you can find a profitable niche in your blog:
If you still have doubts, this is a formula even huge companies use. Build traffic on Google and find ways to monetize it via sign-ups, affiliate sales, etc.
A company like Hubspot is a perfect example of using SEO to grow a business.
2. Start a YouTube Channel
There are numerous channels on YouTube but very few provide good information or worthwhile entertainment.
If you have deep knowledge of a specific field or have a knack for creating good content, you can build a profitable business on YouTube.
You can start your own YouTube channel and earn money through it and other social media platforms.
Of course, it won’t be easy to get people to follow you but don’t worry there is a formula to building an audience.
If you have a loyal audience on YouTube, you can make money in many different ways.
You can make money through YouTube Ads, Sponsorships, product sales, and much more.
And don’t forget YouTube Shorts. They are a great way to grow your audience and generate more revenue.
3. Start a Podcast
Speaking of small business ideas, starting a podcast can be a powerful avenue.
Start a podcast targeting a specific niche, and find creative ways to make your conversation engaging and informative for the viewer.
One of my favorite podcasts that does a great job of this is the NFR Podcast.
They create content about music and Hip-Hop and do a great job of making their conversations fun and engaging by tackling great topics.
Building an audience through a podcast can open up many other opportunities and allow you to venture into other business opportunities.
Also, this isn’t a business that will take a huge investment. All you need is a good microphone and some editing software to fine-tune the audio.
You can even take a different approach and offer informational content about specific topics. A more informational approach will allow you to remove yourself as a personality from the podcast.
And in this case, you can use AI voice generators to record the material. Trust they are much better than you’d imagine and almost sound like real people.
Remember, you will need to leverage different social media platforms to build an audience. You can use AI marketing tools to help you make the best of different mediums.
4. Build Websites for Others
If you are looking to build a consulting business, creating websites for others can be a great place to start.
Businesses and individuals want to build an online presence; offering website-building services can be a lucrative venture.
If you pick a specific market, for example, gyms or plumbing businesses it can be much easier for you to build a clientele.
Whether you’re a seasoned web developer or someone intrigued by the digital landscape, building websites for others offers a rewarding path to entrepreneurship.
You can even use AI website builders to help you get this done much more quickly.
5. Graphic Designer
Every business needs a graphic designer in some way or another.
Graphic design is everywhere, from advertisements to the packaging of the final product.
The journey of a successful business venture can be realized through the artistry of graphic design, making it not just a good business idea but a crucial one, especially in the realm of social media.
Today’s consumers are extremely visually driven. And businesses are constantly seeking compelling visual content to enhance their online presence.
For someone with a creative flair, this can offer an exciting opportunity to transform concepts into visually captivating designs.
You can work for a firm or go solo as a freelancer, which provides you the flexibility to work at your convenience.
You can AI tools like Dezgo to create amazing visuals in a fraction of the time.
6. Start an E-Commerce Store
An e-commerce store is a tried and tested formula that many entrepreneurs use to make a great living.
You should remember that the world of e-commerce is pretty saturated.
But finding the right product and niche can do wonders for you.
You can choose to open an online store on platforms like Etsy or Amazon but you will be paying a fee to them and will have to adhere to their guidelines.
You can use product research tools for Amazon or Etsy (Check out our review of Everbee) to find products that have little competition.
Or you could start your own store using Shopify or WooCommerce and advertise through other platforms to get sales and build a brand.
7. Start a Copywriting Business
From websites and social media posts to ads and email campaigns, businesses of all shapes and sizes need skilled writers to write great copy.
Starting a copywriting business can be a great venture if you have a knack for writing.
As a copywriter, you’ll have the power to transform brands, boost conversions, and ultimately help businesses achieve their goals.
The best part is that you can do it all from the comfort of your home office, setting your own pace and schedule.
You can even use AI writing tools to speed up the process and even create great content with little skills in the field.
Here are some of our favorite writing tools:
I will say that finding clients for your copywriting business might not be very easy but with the right strategy, you can definitely land some great clients.
8. Pitch Deck Agency
Creating and improving pitch decks for others is a great opportunity for anyone looking to make money without a big investment.
Great pitch decks are valuable in many different domains and if you are good at this, you can your services to startup founders and even students.
Often, these presentations can be very valuable to people.
For example, a good slide deck can be make or break for a founder looking or raise funds for their company.
This means that you can charge a premium for these services.
However, I would recommend that you work closely with your client so you can create a presentation that truly embodies their vision.
If you are looking for tools to help you with this, you can use AI presentation builders like Tome AI or Gamma.
9. Digital Business Card Setup For Businesses
Networking is the backbone of many businesses.
A real estate brokerage or an SEO agency is only as good as its network.
Making this entire process easier for a business can be a very valuable service.
Now, this is not an easy service to sell but if you find the right people you can charge a good amount of money to help set up digital business cards for all of their employees.
You can even charge a monthly fee to maintain these business cards and update them with the latest information.
There are many business card platforms that you can use. Some of our favorites are:
10. Homework Service
Helping students with their assignments and schoolwork is a bigger industry than you’d think.
I remember paying people to help when I was a student! Not proud of it but I did ?
And honestly, these services are not cheap.
You can use platforms like Chegg and Upwork to find clients.
You can also use AI tools to make the process of actually finding the answers to assignment questions much easier.
Some of our favorite tools are:
Smodin, Caktus AI, Cramly, and Homeworkify.
11. Resume Building Agency
For professionals who are looking to progress in their careers or find new opportunities, a good resume is highly valuable.
Creating a good resume that actually stands out is not an easy task.
Many people who are looking to create resumes for their job search are willing to pay someone to do it well.
Trust me, I’ve done this too.
Learn what makes a good resume and what employers look for when searching for a candidate for a job opening.
A platform like LinkedIn can be a great place to find clients. But you will have to do some cold outreach.
You can even use AI Resume Builders to speed up the process but don’t forget to add a human touch to further improve them.
If you are looking for a tool, check out our review of Rezi AI.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most successful small business to start?
There’s no single “most successful small business” because success heavily depends on various factors like your skills, passion, market demand, location, and business model. However, I can highlight some ideas with high potential for various situations:
Low Barrier to Entry:
Freelancing: Leverage your existing skills like writing, graphic design, or virtual assistance to offer services online.
Cleaning Services: It require a minimal amount of investment and offers high profit margins.
Home-based food businesses: Baking, catering, or meal prep can be successful with good food
and marketing.
Scalable and In-Demand:
E-commerce: Sell physical or digital products online with global reach.
Consulting: Offer expertise in a specific field to businesses or individuals.
Online courses: Share your knowledge on a specific topic and reach a wide audience.
High Growth Potential:
AI-powered solutions: Develop AI tools for specific industries or tasks.
Sustainable products or services: Address environmental concerns with innovative solutions.
Healthcare innovation: Develop new technologies or services for the healthcare sector.
Which business is best for a startup?
I believe that as a new entrepreneur, a service-based business like a design agency or SEO agency can be a great start.
These businesses don’t require a huge investment. All you need to do is go out there and get some clients.
Once you have a couple of clients you will be profitable and can start looking into hiring people to scale your business.
What is the easiest business to start right now?
One of the easiest businesses to start right now would be a content-based business that you can use to build an audience.
However, I think “easy” is relative in this case.
No business is easy, but you can find a blueprint for content businesses like YouTube Channels, podcasts, blogs, etc. that you can follow to success.
