Looking for the best business ideas online? Or maybe you’re enamored with the recent uptick in digital nomad gigs floating around on the internet. Whatever your motivation, there is a ton of work available out there for anyone dreaming of taking their career online. The internet opens a whole new world for you to work from – new ways to make money, an international impact, and the opportunity to run your own online business. In addition, there are also inspirational online courses such as the Abundance program (https://devinschumacher.com/
#1. Freelancing
Do you have a special skill you love to do? Maybe you’re a writer, graphic designer or marketer. Perhaps you dream of going it on your own or maybe you just want to make a little extra cash. Regardless of your motivation, almost everything you do can be freelance.
Besides getting paid some cold hard cash for your work, freelancing opens a whole world of possibilities. As a freelancer with my own online business, I’ve made amazing international connections, raised my own personal and professional profile and been able to work from anywhere!
Getting started as a freelancer is as easy as picking something you’re both passionate and good at, building a profile and finding clients. While it takes a while to build a sustainable online business freelancing, you can start growing your client base today!
#2. Blogging
Yes, you can make money as a blogger. But it is a long-term game. You’ll need to build up your audience and grow your skills before you start to see money rolling in.
That said, blogging is a pretty easy side-project start. Websites like WordPress, Wix and Squarespace offer easy-to-use platforms that anyone at any skill level can get to know. I personally use WordPress for my websites, but I know people who are successful with all of the above.
Becoming a blogger requires you to pick a topic (niche topics do better) and start blogging! You’ll need some writing skills to create your content and it’ll help if you brush up on your search engine optimization and digital marketing knowledge. But you can learn as you go!
#3. Consulting
Consulting is really high-level freelancing. Consultants operate on a freelance model where they work with various clients that they invoice monthly. However, the main difference that I find is that consultants typically don’t do the work, instead offering overall guidance.
For example: If I have my digital marketing freelance hat on I might design a newsletter for a client or prepare some website content. But as a consultant, I might help hammer out a marketing strategy for 2019.
Consulting typically requires a higher level of knowledge in a specific area to do successfully. If you’re new to consulting, it might be best to start out as a freelancer in your desired area, build your skill and portfolio and then move into consulting as you gain experience.
Much like freelancing, getting started in consulting simply requires you to decide on what topic or area of business you’d like to consult and find some clients.
#4. Virtual Assistant
I find that the role of virtual assistant changes constantly. I’ve never personally referred to myself as a virtual assistant, but from what I gather a lot of the work I do could be considered virtual assistant work.
Essentially, a virtual assistant provides assistant (typically in some administrative form) to remote clients. That said, I know a number of virtual assistants who act as social media or marketing assistants, a few who write, and a many who help edit blog posts and articles.
The biggest distinction I would draw is that a virtual assistant is more of a long-term gig – you work with one company (or several if you have part-time contracts) for a longer period of time on an ongoing basis.
To get started on your virtual assistant journey, you need to figure out what type of work you want to assist with and find yourself some clients.
#5. Teach English Online
If you love to teach and you have the English language mastered then teaching English might be the perfect side gig for you. There are a ton of companies out there like VipKid, Qkids and Italki that are always looking for new teachers. This is an area I have no experience in, but the people I know who teach English online absolutely love it.
Getting a teaching job online simply requires you to apply and likely do a test teaching opportunity. It helps if you have previous teaching experience (in any area). It is important to note that some online platforms require a TEFL certificate which will help you understand how to structure lesson plans and teach effectively.
Ready to Start Your Online Business?
Before you start handing out applications and contacting potential clients, do your research. See what other people operating in that field or profession are doing, take notes, read a few articles and listen to a few podcasts.
Running your own online business can be a real challenge. But if you’re passionate about creating an autonomous life and motivated to make a change it can be exceptionally rewarding.
Do you have tips for starting an online business? Share them below!
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Tae started out as a journalist before following the money into the corporate world. But it turns out that the grass isn’t always greener and now you can find her spending most of her time writing about all the things she loves. Namely, money, travel and business with a hefty dose of self-deprecating humor. She is a podcast fanatic, blogging aficionado and loves to find new ways to turn passions into cold hard cash!
