best business plan on line

Best business plan software of 2024

For planning your business finance

Best overall

Best budget, best established, best for speed.

• How we test

The best business plan software makes it simple and easy to plan your business finances in order to present them to a bank or investors.

1. Best overall 2. Best budget 3. Best basic 4. Best established 5. Best for speed 6. FAQs 7. How we test

The whole point of a business plan is that it allows you to evaluate your strengths and weaknesses, not least via your Unique Selling Point (USP) ,and make product or service comparisons with competitors.

Of course, even the best business plan relies on estimates and guesstimates, as it's impossible to predict market changes, developments, and future performance under such conditions. 

Ultimately, though, a business plan will demonstratively prove why your business is a solid enough investment to risk putting money into, and shows that you have properly and thoroughly researched your market, and details the real potential of a new business opportunities.

Here then are the best business plan software providers currently available.

You may also be interested in our featured business guides on best business laptops , best business computers and best business smartphones .

The best business plan software of 2024 in fill:

Why you can trust TechRadar We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.

Reasons to buy

Reasons to avoid.

Bizplan is the online business planning tool that claims usage of 30,000 startup founders from the Startups.co platform. They use a guided creator that can break the big project down into the component pieces that get tracked with a Progress Tracker, and expert guidance each step of the way including templates that can be dropped in, and completed, along with simple integration of visuals along the way.

Additional resources are also provided via the Bizplan Academy, with lessons on relevant topics, for example, “Building a Brand: How to Tell a Powerful Brand Story,” and “Critical Path Your Way to Higher Revenues,” among the many offerings. Those that need even more assistance also can take advantage of an expert consultation from a financial expert.

• ^ Back to the top

2. PlanGuru

PlanGuru is a comprehensive, and powerful software package in the business planning space. Education is provided via a series of case studies at their PlanGuru University and a whole slew of video tutorials.

The feature set includes flexible budgeting that can handle a simple small business, or a larger multi-department operating budget, and financial forecasting that uses multiple methods, including intelligent and turn-key methods - twenty methods in total. Historical results can also be imported with the general ledger import utility which can then applied to produce a rolling forecast. They also offer PlanGuru Launch, a service to bring in expertise and is charged per hour of assistance.

A significant downside is Planguru charges a higher cost than other software options. The cheapest option is around $75 per month for one business entity when billed annually. While there is no free trial, PlanGuru does offer a 30 day money back guarantee. 

Our expert review:

Enloop is a great choice for business planning software for the cash strapped business as it is the rare offering that has a free tier. Step up up to the next tier, and this is no barebones product, as it has over 100 currency symbols, can automatically generate bank-ready financial reports, and even has automated text writing that can sync with financial data to turn it into text. There is also a real time performance score assigned, that dynamically changes as the business plan is strengthened.  

The plans start with the Free tier, which is limited to a single business plan with simple text, no images, and does not offer any advanced features. The next plan up is the Detailed plan, that supports three business plans, and offers a significant 55% discount when paid annually, making it even better value. This plan costs around $20 per month. For a more comprehensive package you can buy the Performance plan costing around $40 per month.

Read our full Enloop business plan software review .

4. LivePlan

LivePlan is business planning software that offers a simple pricing scheme as there is only a single plan to choose from. As they have a 15+ year track record, they offer a clean and simple interface, that can create business plans that look like they were done by an expert consultant, and the software includes a live dashboard that can track day-to-day performance. Those with writer’s block will benefit from the over 500 included sample plans that can be turned to for inspiration.  

Rather than complicate things with too many tiers to choose from, LivePlan only has a single plan which can be paid for monthly or annually.

5. Business Sorter

Business Sorter promises to simplify and speed up business planning and claims to be able to flesh out a plan in an hour or two, via a novel 273 card sort system that covers many common situations.

The ability to reword cards is included, or also to add cards to the already expansive deck, so no worries if there is not a pre-made card for your situation. Unlike some sites that have videos, the educational resources here are provided as PDFs and Word files, which can be quicker to access, but harder to follow for some learners. 

The lowest tier plan, Basic is fully featured, and includes up to three team leaders. 

Read our full Business Sorter review .

Other business plan software to consider

We've only covered some of the most popular business plan software platforms out there, but there are a number of other notables worth mentioning, plus a wide variety of providers of business plan templates. Below we'll briefly cover a range of some of the additional options out there that are worth considering to get your business plan right.

Go Business Plans is more of a consultancy than a software solution, but is worth mentioning for the simple fact that it's one of America's biggest business plan companies. While software might be able to do the job for you, if you're looking for significant funding, it's probably useful to get some professional advice, not least in terms of strategic planning, feasibility studies, and financial projections to ensure you have a solid base for your business plan.

Wise Business Plans provides a very wide range of templates to work from in constructing a business plan. These are particularly designed with funding in mind, no matter what kind of business you run. What is especially helpful is that Wise doesn’t simply deal with business plan templates for a diverse range of business types, the company also provides plan templates for franchises and non-profits.

Plan Writers  is another bespoke service that essentially listens to what you want and then puts the plan together for you. Again, this technically falls outside of business plan "software", but the chances are you'll use a software package as a platform to build from, and Plan Writers can then help you build up from that base.

Bplans is another provider of business plan templates, but goes beyond that with additional pitch and SWOT analysis templates. There are also business plan guides, industry reports, and a free course on writing a business plan. Bplans also publishes a lot of free-to-use articles on business planning, financials, and tax reporting, to help ensure you can keep your figures and projections accurate and compliant.

We've also listed the best free software for small business .

A business plan is essentially your roadmap to profitability from an initial investment. Whether it's your own money, or a loan from a bank, it's still a good idea to set up a business plan for yourself.

Main things to look to are a SWOT analysis to provide an idea of your business idea's strengths and weaknesses, as well as identify a unique selling point (USP) that will give your business an edge.

While business plans inevitably demand the use of figures, and while these can be impossible to be accurate with, at least by making intelligent guesses you can set yourself targets to work towards.

That's another common feature of a plan, so that specific periods you can review your business progress and make adjustments to your plan as required. This allows you to use real figures for your projections, allowing you to better plan ahead.

Which business plan software is best for you?

When deciding which business plan software to use, first consider what your actual needs are, as sometimes free platforms may only provide basic options, so if you need to use advanced tools you may find a paid platform is much more worthwhile. Additionally, free and budget software options can sometimes prove limited when it comes to the variety of tools available, while higher-end software can really cater for every need, so do ensure you have a good idea of which features you think you may require.

How we tested the best business plan software

To test for the best business plan software we first set up an account with the relevant software platform, whether as a download or as an online service. We then tested the service to see how the software could be used for different purposes and in different situations. The aim was to push each business plan software platform to see how useful its basic tools were and also how easy it was to get to grips with any more advanced tools.

Read how we test, rate, and review products on TechRadar .

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The WooCommerce Blog

July 26, 2023

How to Write an Online Business Plan in 2024

You’ve committed to turning your ecommerce or online business idea into something real. You want your small business to produce revenue and change the course of your life, but what’s your first step in realizing your dream? Developing a plan. If you’re not sure about how to write an online business plan, you’ve come to the right place.

One of the most essential tasks involved in starting any kind of business is to write a business plan. An online business plan won’t look that different from a traditional business plan and will include many of the same elements.

In this post, we’ll show you how to write an online business plan, including all the components and sections. We’ll also walk through how WooCommerce can help you put your plan to action and achieve your business goals.

• Why write a business plan? 

Starting your own business is a great experience and something that will shape your life, fill you with self-confidence and independence, and inspire other people around you. A new business is also a serious endeavor that will take time, money, sweat, lots of decisions, and a degree of risk.

A traditional business plan template helps you document and keep track of your business goals, challenges, opportunities, and all the steps and processes involved with making your idea work. It will help you conduct thorough market research and set you up for success.

When you write a business plan, it can confirm that you’ve found the best online business to start , or provide clarity about the need to pivot.

It details all the things you will need to do in order to successfully launch and grow your business, and may include revenue projections, timelines for specific goals, concept art for products, and architectural drawings for any brick and mortar aspects of your business. 

Business plans help create a structure for your company’s development and keep you grounded in reality, focused, and not distracted by less important matters. 

If you have more than one person helping run the business, the business plan also keeps everyone unified around the same set of goals and objectives. 

Another reason to write a business plan is for situations where you are presenting your idea to someone else and asking them to invest. In that scenario, your business plan is also a sort of sales document. It makes the argument for why your business idea is so good and well-considered that an investor should want to be a part of it. 

But even if you’re self-funding your entire business — which is more common with online businesses — you still want to write the plan for the reasons given earlier.

• The benefits of running an online business

Starting an online business or ecommerce store offers many of the same great benefits as any other business, but without as much risk. If you’re thinking of starting a business, here’s why an online one is a great option:

It has low startup costs

Without a storefront, you eliminate so many costs of running a business. With all the bills that come with having property — like rent, parking, furnishings and decor, etc. — there’s a much higher investment required to start a brick-and-mortar-based business. Online businesses still have startup costs, but they are much lower. 

It gives you freedom over your schedule

With an online business, you have more freedom to set your own hours, because you don’t always have to be open during the usual times. You can build your business to suit the lifestyle you want. Rearrange your time to get things done in the fastest possible way and take time off when you need it. 

You can start small

Once you have a location, it’s yours, and you have to make it work. With an online business, you can start very small, offering just a few products or even just a single service. You can more easily test the waters without making huge commitments with inventory, and other physical investments.

You can more easily pivot

If your online or ecommerce business doesn’t do as well as you expected, it’s easier to pivot and adapt to something new because you haven’t committed so much to making your original idea work. There are many business success stories where the business owner adjusted their idea after gaining some experience, and then it took off. It’s a lot easier to do that when you aren’t tied to a physical location.

But, there’s one thing online businesses have in common with every other type of business: You need a robust business plan to help guide your idea from concept to a successful reality that makes money and fulfills your dreams and goals. 

So, let’s get into business planning. 

• How do I write my own online business plan?

Most formal business plans and business plan templates include seven sections, plus an executive summary. You’ll need to keep in mind who you’re writing your business plan for. If you are taking this to potential investors or will be seeking a business loan, your business plan needs to sell the idea of your business as a great investment opportunity and communicate the skills, expertise, and commitment you personally bring to the table. 

Here are the key sections of a traditional business plan format:

• Executive summary
• Company description
• Market analysis
• Organization and management
• Service and product line
• Sales and marketing plans
• Financial projections
• Funding request (if working with investors or partners)

Here’s a brief look at each step of creating an online business plan:

Draft an executive summary

In the executive summary, the first section of almost every business plan template, you’ll present your vision and focus on building excitement. If the business plan is a sales document, the executive summary is the lead. It gets the reader engaged and excited to hear more. 

Your executive summary should achieve two goals:

• Deliver the basic facts about your business
• Motivate the reader to keep going and get them excited about your idea

What facts should you include? Whatever helps the reader understand your business idea. Describe the industry and niche. Mention the target market. Briefly state the needs or problems your products and services will be solving. Touch on the potential for growth in terms of revenue and customers. 

For motivation, describe your mission statement and company values. What will set you apart from the competition? What is your value proposition as a business owner? What makes you different? Again — keep this brief. You’ll elaborate later. 

It might be a good move to write all the other sections first, then finish with the executive summary so it will be the most concise and best version of how you describe your business.

Write a company description

Here, you’ll give a brief overview of your company. What are your strengths, skills, and areas of expertise as a business owner that will position you for success? If you have a compelling story behind why you’re starting your business, you can include that too.

Conduct a SWOT analysis 

If you’re not sure where to start, consider doing a SWOT analysis , which is a diagram outlining your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. 

It’s a common part of many business plans and will help paint a realistic picture of what your business can achieve, and what stands in the way. You won’t include all of this in the company description, but your strengths and opportunities may fit here. 

Create a mission and vision statement

The company description is also the place to create a mission statement and a vision statement. What’s the difference between these? 

The vision is where you’re going, the mission is how you’ll get there. A vision statement paints a picture of a future reality for your customers and perhaps the world at large, as a result of your company’s influence. A mission statement expresses how you will achieve that.

The company description can elaborate on your vision and mission beyond just a single sentence, and later you can fine-tune what you write into a succinct pair of statements. Feeling some writer’s block? See company description templates by industry for some inspiration.

Include any unique attributes

If your company will involve particular attributes such as manufacturing, supply chains, dropshipping, affiliates, coaching or advising, online courses, or other relevant particulars, include that in your company description, too. 

State your business location, industry, niche, and other details

Also, state the location of your business, even though it’s online. Name your industry and niche target market again, and describe the nature of your company. For example, is it an ecommerce business, a consulting firm, delivery service, wholesale, or ad-based website? These are just some of many types of online business structures. 

You may also want to include whether your business is in any special class of business that might position it for special loan or grant opportunities like women-owned businesses or veteran-owned businesses.

After reading your description, readers should have a good understanding of what your business is about, why it exists, and how it works. Here’s a detailed look at company descriptions , with an example.

Perform a market analysis

A market analysis uses industry research to assess the scope of your business’s target market and describe the current competition in your industry. It can help you estimate the potential for success and prepare for the challenges you may face when you launch your online business or ecommerce shop.

Doing this research, and including it your business plan, can also help you:

• Identify industry trends
• Pinpoint opportunities 
• Diminish risks and reduce costs
• Generate new ideas for products and services
• Learn from the failures and shortcomings of your competitors
• Find ways to stand out from your competitors
• Discover new markets
• Refine your marketing plans

Now let’s dig into the elements involved in a thorough market analysis.

Understand your audience

Here, you will explain in detail who your target customers are and why they want or need what you’ll be selling. What problems or needs does your product solve? What will motivate people to buy from you? And why can’t they get it somewhere else just as easily? An ecommerce business competes against other ecommerce businesses as well as brick-and-mortar stores and shopping malls. Stores with omnichannel strategies compete with both. Why would someone choose you?

Share your key customer demographics, psychographics, and interests. Who will you be serving? What drives them? 

What are their values? If your product, service, or personal brand will appeal to a customer segment that also shares particular values, that’s a strength, not a weakness, and you can use that to win them over. 

Perform customer segmentation

Break down different categories of target customers your business plans to serve. One category could be age. Another might be life situations such as retirees, parents, divorcees, or living with older relatives. You could create a segment of people with particular health conditions, or who live certain lifestyles. 

But you can also get way more specific than that. Runners are different from hikers, who are different from bikers, yoga enthusiasts, and gym enthusiasts. Different supplements, philosophies about food, motivations for eating various foods — all of these present near endless possibilities for more narrowly defining your customer segments, all under the broad category of ‘health.’ And you might serve multiple segments. 

The more customer segments you know, the more effectively you can market to them. In an online store, good product descriptions call out the various customer segments that product is designed for.

Also, give a sense of the potential size of your target market. How many people need what you’re selling? Show how this market is large enough to justify your business and drive revenue. You might do this by studying revenue reports from other companies in your industry. Or look at specific products related to yours and research their sales and revenue performance. 

You may also perform a survey of some kind, or an online quiz, and use that to express the needs your potential customers have that aren’t currently being met.

Perform a competitive analysis

Study your competition. What are they doing well? What areas are they underserving? Where are they underperforming? Make note of what other companies in your industry are struggling with or failing at so that you can deliver something more valuable and gain a competitive advantage.

It could be product quality, customer service, or selection. Maybe their ecommerce store is badly designed and hard to use. Perhaps there’s a huge industry serving the masses, but customers who have more particular tastes or needs aren’t being well-served by the big companies. Those customers might spend more on something that delivers what they really want. 

Maybe your key competition has been rocked by scandal. Maybe a company went out of business, was sold, or closed down due to retirement and there’s an opening in the market you want to leverage. 

The main point of the competitive analysis is to persuade investors that there’s an underserved market that your business plans to cater to. You must be able to promise something that no one else is currently delivering. Otherwise, why should your business exist? Put them at ease by demonstrating proper market research.

Refer to your SWOT analysis and present any potential threats from the competition here, too.

Outline management and organizational structure

Next, present your management and legal structure. Is your company an LLC, sole proprietorship, S corporation, partnership, or some other arrangement? Who’s in charge of what? If you have different departments, list out the leadership for each one. If relevant, you might even include some information about the expertise of your leaders concerning the areas under their charge and the tasks they’ll be performing.

Remember — if your business plan will be used to persuade investors to help fund your business idea, this sort of information will reassure them that your company has strong and competent leadership. 

If there’s a chain of command, use a diagram or other method for laying out who reports to whom. 

List your products and services

What are you selling? You’ll touch on this briefly in the earlier sections, but here is where you’ll expand on the details. If you have an array of similar products, such as food flavors or clothing variations, list as many as seem relevant. But focus on the spirit of the business plan — you’re simply communicating what your business is about, not listing every SKU in your projected inventory. 

Also, include information about your products such as quality, durability, expirations, patents, and whatever else will give a clear picture of what you’re selling.

For service businesses and memberships that may include multiple packages, bundles, or tiers, describe each of these so your readers get a sense of how you’ll appeal to different types of customers and price points. 

Develop a sales and marketing strategy

Having products is great, but how do you intend to sell them? How will people find your business? How will anyone know you exist? And once they know, what will motivate them to buy from you and not from your competition? What is your unique value proposition — the thing that sets you apart from your direct competitors?

You’ll need to develop an initial marketing plan to help promote your business, products, and services to your target customers.

And remember, competition isn’t limited just to other businesses. Sometimes, competition is against the customer’s time, or their budget, or mere indifference — the conflict between doing something and doing nothing. Your SWOT analysis should touch on several of these potential barriers to the success of your online business.

Your marketing plan will obviously change over time, but give your readers and potential investors a sense of how you plan to launch and grow your business. 

Discuss media channels you plan to use, such as pay-per-click (PPC) ads , social media , email marketing , affiliate marketing , direct mail, referrals, joint ventures, search engine optimization (SEO), webinars, influencer marketing , and live events. Describe the ones you actually plan to use, and explain the core strategy you’ll begin with and how you will measure success. 

Also, include a sense of your marketing budget. If you will have a dedicated marketing team, or actual sales professionals using a particular process or sales script, discuss that as well. 

For ecommerce businesses, include a discussion of how you plan to leverage platforms like WooCommerce, which features a host of extensions that can help manage your business , engage customers, save money, and promote growth .

Make financial projections

You’ve made a lot of claims in your business plan, but how will your investors be convinced of your future success? At some point, you have to show them the money. 

If this is a brand new business with no income, where will your finances come from for the first year? Give realistic financial projections for anticipated profits and losses, as well as growth expectations for the first five years. Include financial documents if you have them, including profit and loss statements, balance sheets, and cash flow statements. Include costs of employment, manufacturing, and other investments both one-time and ongoing.

Your financial projections should reference your:

• market analysis 
• anticipated sales volume 

Investors will feel more confident when they can see your business plan does not rely entirely on just one or two ‘wins.’ For example, if your entire plan hinges on selling on eBay or Amazon , what happens if Amazon suspends your store, changes the terms, or you struggle to get noticed there? 

If your plan depends on winning over a few Instagram influencers, what if they don’t come through? It’s really easy to say what you hope will happen. But actually making it happen is another thing. Business success happens more easily when you apply a multi-channel marketing and sales approach. 

Your financial projections will feel based in reality, when you can demonstrate some prior successes, either in other businesses you’ve already launched, test audiences, local sales you made, prior experience, or data from other businesses. 

Explain your funding request — if applicable

If you intend to ask investors to help fund your business idea, present your request in the final main section of your business plan. If you’ve already secured funding from other sources, include that here as well. An investor will feel better knowing they are not the only one who believes in the potential of your business. 

Will your funding request be for a one-time payment, monthly, annually, or at some other interval? How do you plan to repay their investment? Will you allow them to charge interest? How much ROI can you promise them? 

• How WooCommerce can help

WooCommerce can help you build a scalable online business that supports your business plan. No matter what you’re selling, WooCommerce offers a suite of flexible tools that allows you to customize your store to meet your needs and goals. 

Here are just some of the benefits your business will enjoy when you choose to build your store with WooCommerce:

• Sell absolutely anything you can imagine . From physical items and digital downloads to subscriptions, memberships, bookings, courses, and affiliate products, WooCommerce provides everything you need. Want to run a wholesale store? You can do that, too!
• Harness the power of WordPress . Since WooCommerce is a plugin specifically for WordPress, you can take advantage of powerful features like the block editor and blogging capabilities. 
• Capture payments securely. Choose from a large number of payment gateways, from popular options like PayPal and Stripe, to more niche processors for specific locations and types of regulated products. And with tools like WooPayments , you can keep customers on-site, capture a variety of currencies, and even accept digital wallets like Apple Pay and Google Pay.
• Customize your shipping options. Offer free shipping, charge based on weight, set fixed prices, or calculate shipping costs based on real-time carrier rates. You can even use extensions like Table Rate Shipping to create complicated shipping rules based on conditions that you set. And with WooCommerce Shipping , you benefit from discounted shipping labels and the ability to print right from your dashboard. 
• Connect to your social media channels. Use extensions to sync your store with social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest. You can even sell on those platforms alongside your store without having to update inventory and information manually.
• Integrate with marketing tools. Quickly connect your store to any number of marketing tools, from email platforms like MailPoet to CRMs like Jetpack CRM . You can also implement a number of marketing strategies, from abandoned cart emails to loyalty programs.
• Keep track of your numbers. Ecommerce accounting is a big part of running an online business. While you can easily view data in your dashboard, you can also sync with tools like QuickBooks to make your accountant’s life a little bit easier.
• Manage inventory. Update your inventory levels manually or connect to tools like Scanventory to sync with your warehouse. Running low or out of stock? Add a wishlist option so customers get an alert as soon as it’s available.

As you can see, WooCommerce is well-equipped to handle any type of online store and support you as you grow. Here are a few more reasons that WooCommerce should be your go-to choice for implementing the ecommerce side of your online business plan:

WooCommerce itself is free! Many extensions for WooCommerce can also be found for free in the WordPress.org plugins library or on the Woo Marketplace . If you need to start your website with a limited budget, but want to build on a platform that can grow to support a thriving, high-traffic store, WooCommerce is an excellent option.

You have full control over your store

Unlike other ecommerce solutions that are tied to the platform’s own web hosting, WooCommerce is designed to be used with WordPress along with any hosting provider of your choice. You are also free to use whatever payment processor you want without any additional fees from WooCommerce. You can also customize your site’s appearance and functionality more extensively than you can with other ecommerce platforms and with less (or no) coding knowledge.

Thousands of free and premium extensions

There are over 800 free and premium extensions for WooCommerce on WooCommerce.com alone and over 1,000 in the WordPress.org plugins library . There are also hundreds of independent developers and agencies that offer premium and custom extensions for WooCommerce so that you can customize your store with the exact features you need. 

Excellent support and large community of users

WooCommerce is used by over 3.9 million stores — 23% of all online stores worldwide . The support team is available to answer questions and the documentation library is extensive and thorough. There are also plenty of independent resources for learning how to use WordPress and WooCommerce.

• Dedicate time and resources to put your online business plan in action

A successful business plan is one that empowers and guides the business owner to launch their online or ecommerce business, and possibly secure funding. But it only works if you use it.

One advantage of starting an ecommerce store or online business is that you aren’t as locked down by deadlines. With a physical location, once you start paying the rent, you better have your business plan ready to put into action. 

But the beauty of being online is that you have more flexibility on the front end. Despite having more wiggle room with your timelines, you still need to keep your momentum going forward. Staying on track with your business projects and goals is one of the keys to reaching profitability sooner and turning your business plan into reality. A few quick tips:

• Schedule your time. Block out hours and specific days to work on your business.
• Treat it like a job, not a hobby. Build on your momentum week after week.
• Always keep learning. Research your industry, competition, target audience, and potential customers. Learn marketing — you can never know too much.
• Try stuff! Take risks, make calls, create campaigns, write content.

Your business plan template should give you a concrete list of tasks and business objectives. Once you write a business plan, then you can implement it.

• Frequently asked questions about writing an online business plan

What are the seven steps of a business plan?

The seven key elements of a business plan are the executive summary, company description, market analysis, organization and management, services and products, marketing plan, and financial projections. If you’re making a funding request, that would be an eighth section.

Where can I find business plan templates?

You can find a free business plan template online, for general business plans as well as for specific industries. However, since each business is different and your plan must be authentic and specific to your company — a business plan template can only get you so far. 

If you need design inspiration for your own custom business plan template or want to start with a pre-designed template that you can customize, you can purchase one for a relatively low cost through a stock resources site like Envato Market or Creative Market .

Do I need a business plan if I am already running an online business or ecommerce shop?

Business plans aren’t only for people who are launching new businesses. You can create a business plan at any time to help you maintain or change the direction of your store or just to get a better picture of the health of your business. Below are a few different types of business plans that you might want to consider for your established online business:

• Operational business plan. Outlines the structure of your business operations, staffing, and logistics.
• Feasibility plan. Feasibility plans are like mini business plans that cover new business ideas and outline steps for implementation.
• Growth business plan. This plan is for businesses that want to demonstrate opportunities and plans for growth to attract investors.
• Maturing business plan. This plan is for businesses looking to merge with or acquire other companies, significantly expand, or go public.
• Strategic business plan. Any time your business wants to shift strategies regarding products or marketing or any other major changes to your previous business plan, you’ll want to create a new strategic business plan to address your new goals and the steps involved in achieving them.

What software should I use for my online business plan?

Your business plan should include some images, graphs, and graphic elements in the layout, so you’ll want to at least use word processing software to put your business plan together. If you have access to Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Canva, or Adobe Creative Cloud, you’ll have some other options that might lead to a more professional layout.

Here’s a list of free and paid software that can help you put together your online business plan outline:

What do investors want to see in a business plan?

The most important piece of information to show investors in your business plan is potential for profitability. Investors don’t want to throw money at a sinking ship, no matter how cool and exciting the business sounds. 

Most investors also want to make sure that they’ll see a decent return on their investment in a relatively short time period — probably around 5-7 years. How much of a return they’ll expect will depend on your industry and what kind of investor they are. 

Investors will also want to see that you clearly understand your business, your industry, and that you have concrete, actionable steps for achieving, maintaining, and growing profitability. They’ll want to make sure that the key people on your team also understand your business and the roles they play and they’ll want to see that each person has a good amount of experience in their field and the required skill sets to fulfill their job duties, if not go above and beyond. 

Any details you can include that highlight unique aspects of your business will also be important. Any area where you have a competitive edge, are offering a unique or proprietary solution, have established any celebrity endorsements, have the backing of other investors, or have secured special grants will be of special interest to investors.

• Create your plan for success

Now that you understand what goes into creating a formal business plan, it’s time to write one! Take the time to think through and consider each aspect of the list included in this article, and you’ll be well on your way to finding success.

And WooCommerce is here to support your business every step of the way, with powerful and flexible tools that help your business grow. Start selling online today !

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How to Start an Online Business in 5 Steps (2024 Guide)

Brian Connolly

December 16, 2023

Table of Contents

Step 1: research your product idea , step 2: build a financial plan for your online business, step 3: create compelling product listings , step 4: market your product, drive traffic, and build brand awareness, step 5: optimize your online business and plan for growth.

Aspiring entrepreneurs have looked for innovative ways to make money. Fortunately, Jungle Scout’s research has proven time and again that running an ecommerce business is a viable way to earn an income —and can generate enough profit to replace a full-time job. 

Ecommerce offers entrepreneurs the kind of flexibility a traditional retailer could only dream of. Online sellers set their own hours, pay what they want to launch and grow their businesses, and can work from anywhere in the world. They succeed at all ages and education levels , many with no prior business experience. 

Selling products online isn’t just accessible—it’s meeting an enormous surge in demand for online shopping. As more consumers shift to shopping on their phones, tablets, and even smart speakers, opportunities to launch ecommerce businesses will only grow. In fact, 57% of consumers shop online at least once a week. 

If you’ve been thinking about starting a business online, now is the perfect time to get the ball rolling. We’ll go over how to launch an ecommerce business in five detailed steps, plus how to plan for future growth—even if you have zero startup funds. 

The first step to launching your online business is often the biggest bottleneck: finding a profitable product to sell . 

Notice that step one of starting a business isn’t fundraising. You can start a business at virtually zero up-front cost—stay tuned to find out how. 

If you don’t have any product ideas yet, don’t worry! Thinking about how you want to sell online will inspire you. 

Choose a business model

There are all kinds of ways to sell products online, but here are seven tried-and-tested, profitable options:

• Private label : You rebrand or rename a product already in production under your own label. If you’ve bought a drugstore’s “generic” equivalent of a brand-name product, you’ve seen an example of a private-label business. It’s the most popular and profitable business model among Amazon sellers. 
• Wholesale : You purchase brand-name products in bulk from a manufacturer, supplier, or distributor and resell them online as individual units to the end customer. It’s the second most popular model for Amazon sellers, and among the easiest to launch.
• Retail arbitrage : You’ll purchase inexpensive or discounted products from a brick-and-mortar retail store, then resell them online. This is a relatively low-cost method—you just pay for the products the gas you burned driving to the store. 
• Online arbitrage : Similar to retail arbitrage, except you purchase products from other online marketplaces and resell them online. 
• Dropshipping : You’ll take online orders for a product on behalf of a manufacturer, supplier, or distributor. When a customer makes a purchase, you notify the supplier, who then fulfills and ships the order. Next to used items, dropshipping is the best business model if you want to start selling for free. 
• Handmade products: You’ll sell your hand-crafted wares on handmade-friendly platforms like Etsy and Amazon Handmade. 
• Used items : You’ll list still-functional items like furniture, video games, art, books, collectibles, and even cars for resale online. This model calls for virtually zero startup investment—the products are already sitting in your closet, garage, or bookshelves. You can also source hidden gems from yard sales, consignment shops, and estate sales for cheap.  

Your business model will help determine where you source your products, your marketing plan, and how much you stand to profit. Check out our guide to Amazon business models to learn more about each method’s popularity and profitability. 

Note that you can sell online in more than one way—for instance, you could start selling used items to earn enough money to develop your own private-label product. 

Validate your product idea with data

Here’s a gut check: Your product decision can’t hinge on a hunch. 

That’s right—you can’t just take the revolutionary idea you conjured in the shower and run with it. You have to validate its profitability through product research, even if your family, your friends, and your dog all think it’s a million-dollar idea.

Product research answers many of the necessary questions any ecommerce business owner should ask before launching their operations, such as the following: 

• Is my product idea original? If similar products exist, is there an opportunity to improve on those products?
• Will my product idea sell year-round, seasonally, or not at all? 
• Where should I source my product, and how much will that cost? 
• What fees will I have to pay to list and fulfill my orders? 

Product research estimates your dream product’s profitability before you seriously invest in selling it—a necessary, if time-consuming first step. Skip it, and you may end up building a business around inventory that will ultimately sit unsold in a warehouse (or your garage). 

Jungle Scout’s data-driven tools and free educational resources are here to handle the heavy lifting and guide you in your product research. While our software tools use data specific to Amazon, the product opportunities they reveal are transferable to virtually every ecommerce platform, whether it’s Walmart , eBay , Etsy , or Facebook Marketplace . 

With the Opportunity Finder , Chrome Extension , and Product Database , Jungle Scout users can examine competition and demand for specific product niches, forecast potential sales using real Amazon sales data, and ultimately uncover profitable product ideas they wouldn’t otherwise find. 

If you’re not a Jungle Scout user yet, you can still follow our free, in-depth guides to selling on Amazon, read about our data-driven ecommerce product ideas , and learn about how to discover niche opportunities . More guides will be linked throughout this article.  

We keep a finger on the pulse of the ecommerce industry through regularly-published data reports on consumer spending and seller behavior. You can view insights into what consumers are buying online in our quarterly-updated Consumer Trends Report . 

Data on how ecommerce sellers conduct their business can be found in our annual State of the Amazon Seller Report . Our seller guides draw from industry trends to give readers new opportunities to launch and grow their businesses. 

Find a supplier

Your supplier can be many things—a private-label product manufacturer , a wholesale distributor, or the local hardware store where you buy furniture-making supplies. Whatever your sourcing needs, the cost of procuring your product is a crucial aspect of product research. 

Reliability is important—you’ll want to develop a rapport with your supplier if possible, choose materials you can easily reorder, and stay within your inventory budget instead of banking on runaway sales to cover the cost of goods.  

• Private-label sellers can easily find high-quality suppliers using Jungle Scout’s Supplier Database and on Alibaba . 
• Arbitrage sellers looking for sourcing ideas can check out our guides to retail arbitrage , online arbitrage, and profitable seasonal products to sell. 
• Wholesalers can check out this article for tips on finding a distributor. 
• Our startup guides on eBay and Facebook Marketplace offer tons of ideas on where to find used items. 

Choose an ecommerce platform and fulfillment method

Thanks to ecommerce’s growing popularity, you can list your product on many different online marketplaces, where it can be viewed by thousands—if not millions—of potential customers.  

While online marketplaces tend to have some similarities, you’ll find that each one offers advantages depending on what kinds of products you’re selling. For instance, used items tend to do well on eBay and Facebook Marketplace, whereas private-label products sell well on Amazon and Walmart Marketplace .

Selling on Facebook Marketplace, or Instagram can also be lucrative; 54% of U.S. consumers have purchased products they first learned about on social media, and that figure is likely to grow.  

Each platform offers different fulfillment methods. “Fulfillment” includes all the actions that occur after a customer clicks “purchase”: picking and packing the order, labeling the package, and shipping it to the customer. Done right, and it feels like a magic trick to the end customer—it’s a key determinant of customer ratings and reviews. 

The best fulfillment method for your business will depend on your finances and time. You can self-fulfill by storing inventory in your home or a rented space, and pack and ship orders yourself. You may prefer to outsource these tasks to a third-party logistics provider or use Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA). 

Whatever you choose to do, make sure you can reliably fulfill orders on time and at a reasonable cost to the customer, using packaging that ensures the product arrives intact.  

To that end, it can be helpful to have some inventory on hand in case there’s a sudden disruption with third-party fulfillment services. When COVID-19 interrupted FBA shipping speed, many Amazon sellers temporarily pivoted to FBM (Fulfillment by Merchant), packing and shipping orders from their homes to avoid losing their rank and ratings on Amazon. 

Choose a memorable brand name 

Think hard about your brand name—it’s an important piece of marketing. Use it to evoke what you want your customers to feel about your brand. 

It should be distinctive, memorable, and original. Be sure to check whether your intended brand name is already taken before you use it.

Not sure what to call your brand? Try riffing on branding trends and archetypes , or tell a personal story with a family name. If you’re stumped, play around with an online brand name generator— this one even suggests fonts and logos to match. 

Once you’ve validated your product idea, it’s time to get real about the numbers game—namely, how much it’ll cost you to launch and maintain your business, and when you can expect to start earning profits. 

It is possible to start an online business for free . But if you want to make a significant investment in inventory, legally register your business right away, or develop your own private-label product, you’ll incur some up-front costs. 

Having a budget for your business is important. Try not to get overwhelmed by all the line items that can accrue—making adjustments here and there to stay within your spending limit is part of the process. An up-front investment can feel like a huge risk, but with a well-researched product and optimized operations, it’ll pay off.   

Let’s go over what items you should consider in your financial plan. Loosely, they include: 

• Cost of goods/sourcing costs
• Seller fees and/or fulfillment fees (varies by marketplace)
• Cost to form an LLC
• Business insurance
• Taxes 
• Your estimated time-to-profit
• Financing options

Seller fees, legal fees, insurance costs, and taxes

Depending on where you list your products, you may be subject to seller fees and insurance requirements . You’ll also want to think about legally registering your business as an LLC , as it comes with some tax advantages. 

Seller fees

On Amazon, sellers must pay “referral” fees—kind of like a commission—back to Amazon for each order. Typically, these fees come out to 15% of the product’s sale price. Amazon sellers also pay additional per-item fees or subscription fees (depending on their seller account type) and refund administration fees. And if they use FBA, there are fees for that, too. 

Not every ecommerce platform will charge as many fees. You can use a fee calculator to estimate your net profit—we recommend Salecalc . 

Here’s a rough breakdown of online seller fees outside of Amazon: 

• Walmart: referral fee for each product sold, typically 15% of sale price; no monthly subscription fees
• eBay: 13.25% of product sale price to list and sell most items; $0 monthly for a free seller account, $7.95+ per month for eBay Store subscribers 
• Facebook Marketplace: no subscription fees; no referral fee for local sales; referral fee of 5% of the sale price if the product is shipped  
• Instagram Checkout: selling fee of 5% per shipment
• Shopify : monthly seller subscriptions start at $29.99
• Etsy: listing fee of $0.20 for each item, plus a 6.5% of sale price transaction fee. Etsy Plus subscribers pay $10 per month
• Craigslist: listings are free , except for a handful of regional fees for vehicles, housing, and furniture

Keep in mind that platforms often offer advertising programs to their sellers, which come with their own fees. We’ll discuss marketing in Step 4, but for now, keep in mind that advertising costs need to factor into your overall budget. 

If you’re in the U.S., it’s a good idea to register your business as an LLC (a Limited Liability Company). While you don’t technically need a business license to sell products in most ecommerce marketplaces, LLCs offer business owners protection, flexibility, and a simpler tax reporting process—not to mention the credibility of a licensed brand name. While it costs money to create and maintain an LLC, we recommend it. 

You can form an LLC all on your own, or you can hire a lawyer to help you. The price of forming an LLC varies by state , but typically falls between $50-200. Naturally, you can expect to pay more for the help of an attorney. 

Once you have your LLC set up, you’ll want to protect it from unexpected costs like accidents and lawsuits. On certain ecommerce platforms like Amazon , you may be required to maintain some form of business insurance. 

The type of insurance you’ll need depends on where and how you run your business—there are policies to protect you from lawsuits, property damage, and defective products. You should shop around to compare rates and benefits. 

All U.S. businesses must file taxes, typically on a yearly or quarterly basis. Our seller calendar can help you stay on track with quarterly business tax deadlines. 

If you’re operating as an LLC, you’re eligible to write off a significant amount of business expenses through deductibles. We recommend that you hire a professional accountant to handle your taxes, as they can be tricky to decipher.   

Startup costs and time to profit

So, after all of these fees and taxes, what should you expect to spend at startup, and how quickly can you make a return on your investment? Once again, it depends. 

You can start selling online for virtually no money—dropshippers, Amazon Merch sellers, and used item resellers (if they’re selling their own stuff) don’t have to spend a dime on inventory. 

Our data on Amazon sellers indicates that sellers using the wholesale or arbitrage models will pay up-front costs in the neighborhood of $500-$2,000. Private-label sellers tend to spend more, because it costs more to develop your own product. 59% of private-label FBA sellers invest at least $2,500 at startup on inventory, Amazon fees and storage, and advertising costs.

On the whole, over half of all Amazon sellers spend below $5,000 at launch, and nearly one quarter spend no more than $1,000.  

Ecommerce isn’t a get-rich-quick tactic—it takes time to generate profits. While the majority of Amazon arbitrage, wholesale, and dropshipping sellers turn a profit within three months of launching their businesses, private label sellers usually take longer. 

But the outlook is generally positive: 63% of all third-party Amazon sellers achieve profitability within the first year of launching their business.

That said, if you’ve invested heavily at launch, make sure you’re ready to spend several months to a year before making that money back. While most Amazon sellers are profitable ( 89%, to be exact ), they didn’t get that way overnight. 

How to finance your online business 

There are many different ways you can fundraise the money you need to start an ecommerce business. 

Over three quarters of Amazon sellers funded their businesses using personal savings, a testament to ecommerce’s affordability for aspiring entrepreneurs. 

A third took out family or business loans, which can range from $500 microloans to tens of thousands of dollars paid back over several years. 

It can be difficult for new ecommerce sellers to qualify for loans from a bank or the government, because they tend to require tax and credit histories that new sellers don’t have. 

Fortunately, Amazon and fintech companies like AccrueMe are developing investment solutions for online sellers that offer more flexibility. You can read more about how to fund your ecommerce business in our guide to financing options . 

Customers can learn about a product many different ways—by viewing ads, seeing a suggestion on Google or Amazon, reading a review from a satisfied customer, scrolling through social media, and even via word-of-mouth.  

Ultimately, brand awareness starts with your product listing —it’s the single best piece of marketing in your arsenal. Use your listing to tell customers why they need your product, communicate your brand identity, and build credibility with your audience.  

Use keywords to boost visibility 

Your product listing should capture the relevant keywords and feature the data that customers use to find the products they want to buy. That way, it’ll actually show up in search results, instead of getting lost in a sea of competitors. 

Here’s how that works: when deciding what to display in search results, search engines like Google and Amazon check potential results for relevance—either by “crawling” text on a web page, as is the case for Google, or by scanning keywords and data associated with different products, as Amazon does with ASINs. 

One big difference between traditional search engines and ecommerce platform search functions is that the latter are product-focused. In other words, while Google seeks to answer questions with information (i.e. articles on the “best dog beds” or “top 10 dog beds”), Amazon wants to answer search queries with relevant products (i.e. the products most related to the customer’s search terms, like “dog bed”).

Because users come to Amazon to buy things, the search results need to facilitate a purchase, which means presenting the products most likely to satisfy the customer’s needs.   

In any event, this is true for both Google and Amazon: the more relevant your listing is to a customer’s search, the more likely it is to appear in search results.

A keyword-rich product listing boosts your product’s visibility to the millions of customers across the globe who shop online. A great keyword strategy can elevate your brand above your competitors, reach new audiences, and ultimately generate more sales for your business. 

You can do keyword research for free on ecommerce platforms and search engines. Here’s a great method to start: try searching Amazon for broad terms that describe your product, and see what its search algorithm suggests in the autofill drop-down box. For instance, if you’re envisioning selling a dog bed, type “dog bed” into the Amazon search bar, but don’t press “enter” just yet.  

Amazon will suggest popular keywords associated with “dog bed,” so you can see exactly what real customers have searched for, design your product to suit that demand, and include those keywords in your product listing. 

If you already have ideas about your product’s design or features, you can search for more specific keywords, too. Say you want to sell a pink, fluffy dog bed that heats up.  Make your search more descriptive (“pink dog bed” or “heated dog bed”), and take note of the suggested keywords for those specific niches. You’ll want to include at least some of them in your listing. 

Then, start browsing your competitors’ listings. Take note of how other sellers describe their dog beds: do they mention benefits for your dog, machine-washability, or other special features? Informative descriptions help convert customers, so be sure to include relevant details about functionality, advantages, and design features in your listing. 

You run a similar autofill search on Google. Be sure to also take a look at the “People also ask” feature to generate more keywords. This section pops up in Google search results and can offer details about how and why people are searching for a given product. You can translate those queries into keywords that indicate your product’s functionality or purpose.

For example, people who Google “dog bed” want to know about proper firmness, best use, and accessories, so you should include keywords in your listing like “soft” “for crate” or “with blanket” if they apply to your product. 

The best way to do keyword research is to use a paid tool like Jungle Scout’s Keyword Scout. This tool does the work for you—it pulls advertising data directly from Amazon and suggests thousands of high-converting, top-ranked keywords to include in your listing.

To learn more, check out our top keyword strategies .  

Take great product images

Different marketplaces will have different image requirements for listings and ads. One thing is true wherever you sell: having high-quality images of your product will boost sales. 

You should also consider including video content of your product. Amazon allows sellers to upload quick, informative videos for ads and product listings.   

So, you’ve built an informative, keyword-rich product listing with compelling copy and stunning visuals. Now it’s time to let the world know about it! 

You want to drive as much traffic as possible to your listing so you have more chances at conversion—that is, you want to get as many people as you can to click on, view, and purchase your product. 

The broader your online presence, the more likely you are to attract online shoppers. So make sure to establish a digital foothold in at least three areas: on your own ecommerce storefront or landing page, on social media , and in online ad space. Once you start making sales, keeping your review count and ratings high will boost your brand’s legitimacy. 

Build an ecommerce storefront

Your storefront is where customers can learn about your brand, and where you’ll convince customers that your brand is legitimate, with products worthy of their hard-earned cash. 

Essentially, you want to recreate the experience of visiting a physical store, but streamlined. Think about what a customer would want to know about your product or brand and what questions they’d have for the store clerk, and communicate that information somewhere within your storefront.

Typically, that means providing plenty of photos and videos of your products in action , links to product listings, and information about your return policy. You can include your brand story, customer testimonials, and even helpful tutorials on how to use your product. The goal is to gain the customer’s trust in your product—and ultimately, a purchase.

You can build a standalone website through hosting platforms like Shopify or Wix, or you can create a storefront on Amazon or eBay using their templates.   

Leverage social media

54% of consumers have purchased products they first learned about on social media, making a social presence a no-brainer for entrepreneurs looking to build brand awareness. 

Growing a following for your brand on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and TikTok exposes your products to millions of potential customers. 

You can link your storefront or individual product listings within your social media profiles so customers can easily navigate to your listings You can even sell products directly on Facebook and Instagram . 

Social apps also allow you to interact with viewers in ways that can feel more organic than with traditional advertising. For example, you can run polls on Instagram or Twitter to get feedback on your products, notify customers about sales and discount codes, or post engagement prompts to encourage comments. 

You can also use social media to notify customers about sales and other notable events. 

Even if you don’t yet have a social media strategy to promote your brand, it’s important to claim the social media handles you’ll want to use (like “@junglescout”) before someone else scoops them up. 

Create ad campaigns 

Ads generate clicks, which in turn lead to sales. And in today’s competitive ecommerce industry, you have to maintain a solid advertising strategy to get noticed.  

Fortunately, ecommerce sellers have a ton of options when it comes to advertising their products. Amazon offers a wealth of pay-per-click (PPC) ad options to its sellers, as well as other marketing programs to boost visibility. You can even track inbound traffic to your listing from your off-Amazon ad campaigns. 

Here are some helpful guides to advertising your products on and off Amazon:

• Amazon PPC Strategies – The Ultimate Guide for 202 4
• 2024 Amazon Advertising Guide for Sellers
• How to Use Facebook Ads for Amazon FBA (And Sell More Products)

Get reviews 

Product reviews matter more to your business’s long-term success than you might expect. 71% of U.S. consumers are influenced by products with the best ratings and reviews when shopping online, and 68% find reviews with photos or videos more compelling. On Amazon, getting a high volume of great reviews boosts your product’s ranking, which in turn affects sales. 

Getting great reviews starts with having a high-quality product. Ensuring timely fulfillment and returns processing, courteous communication, and beautiful brand help, too. 

We know getting reviews is hard, so we’ve published a few different articles about why reviews are important and strategies for boosting your review count.

Launching a business is a huge accomplishment that takes time, money, and patience. Congratulations on becoming an entrepreneur! 

Once you’ve gotten your business up and running, it’s important to regularly check in on its performance. You may need to make some changes in order to set yourself up for long-term success .  

Plan to check in on your business sometime in the first three months. But remember that while the majority of Amazon sellers get their businesses up and running relatively quickly, 23% take at least three months to launch their businesses, and over half wait six months or longer before turning a profit. 

Measure your business’s performance

Pull up your financial plan and start comparing it to how your business actually performed. Here are some questions to consider: 

• Are you meeting sales estimates, exceeding them, or falling short?
• Have you turned a profit? 
• Is your current fulfillment method working for you and your customers, or do you need to find an alternative? 
• Are you able to stay on top of your inventory, or do you regularly run out of stock? 
• Is your profit margin above 20-30%? If not, how can you raise it? 
• Are you getting plenty of positive reviews? Have you checked your reviews for helpful feedback or improvement opportunities? 

You’ll want to keep a close eye on performance metrics like sales volume, revenue, and ad spend, so you can spot trends and quickly identify hidden fees. Software tools like Jungle Scout’s Sales Analytics keep track of this for you, so you can focus on strategy instead of bookkeeping.   

If your product isn’t living up to your expectations, don’t panic. Investigate any changes you could make to improve its functionality, or try to get customer feedback on how it could be upgraded. If you’re selling multiple products, consider nixing one that isn’t selling well.  

Lower your fees and costs

If running your business is costing more than you expected, there are probably ways you can cut back. 

It’s easy for first-time ecommerce sellers to know they’re being overcharged for things like shipping fees, so we wrote a guide to help you get reimbursed . 

Here’s another way to cut back on overhead costs: try negotiating for better inventory costs with your supplier. 

Expand to other channels

Just because you start your business on one ecommerce platform doesn’t mean you have to stay there forever. You’ll be more competitive and attract a wider audience if you list your product on multiple ecommerce channels.

Hire freelancers or employees

Like any job, selling online comes with tasks you perhaps would rather not have to do. Thanks to freelancer hubs like Fiverr and Upwork, it’s easy to find high-rated, trained consultants to cover every imaginable aspect of running an ecommerce business. 

Start your online business today

Ecommerce is a rapidly growing industry with plenty of opportunities for newcomers with great product ideas. With a bit of product research and planning, you can join the ranks of profitable ecommerce sellers. In time, you may be able to replace your full-time job, like the 47% of Amazon sellers who are self-employed or earn income exclusively from ecommerce. 

If you’re ready to get started on your new business, check out our in-depth beginner’s guides to selling on different marketplaces: 

• How to Sell on Amazon FBA , Amazon Handmade , and Amazon Merch
• How to Sell on Walmart
• How to Sell on eBay
• How to Sell on Facebook Marketplace

If you need a product idea, get started here: 

• Top 20 Ecommerce Business Ideas
• Low Competition Niche Products to Sell on Amazon FBA

Do you have any questions about launching a business online that we didn’t cover in this post? Let us know in the comments!

Start your online business with Jungle Scout

Get everything you need to launch a profitable business on Amazon, including product research, competitive analysis, and more!

Ecommerce Expert & Writer at Jungle Scout

Brian Connolly is an Amazon seller, ecommerce expert, and writer for Jungle Scout. He lives in the New Jersey Shore area with his wife and cat. When he isn’t writing advice online for aspiring and experienced Amazon sellers for Jungle Scout, he spends his free time boating, fishing, and selling boating-themed items on his Amazon business.

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41 Online Business Ideas You Can Start in 2024

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Setting up an online business can help you become an entrepreneur without significant startup costs. The first step: figuring out the best online business idea for you.

What do you have expertise in? What do you love to do? Do you know someone who needs a type of support you could provide? Answering questions like these can offer inspiration as you prepare to start a business .

Here are 41 online business ideas to help you brainstorm. From side hustles to full-time enterprise, e-commerce businesses to services for remote clients, you may be able to run these from home on your own schedule.

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The 41 best online business ideas

If you're not totally set on going all-in on your online business, many of these ideas can be started part time. As you build your side hustle, it may be successful enough to turn into a full-time gig .

1. E-commerce store

Starting an e-commerce website is relatively easy and cheap — at least when compared with opening up a brick-and-mortar store. You can start with a limited amount of inventory, use an e-commerce website builder to set up your store, then market your products on social media and online marketplaces and see how customers respond. These platforms can also help you manage orders, ship your products and take online payments.

2. Social media marketing

If you’ve got a knack for getting likes, favorites, retweets, followers, shares, comments and clicks, then you might want to consider offering social media marketing services to other businesses. By consulting with companies to manage their social media profiles, spread their content across the web, keep their brands on track and respond to customer questions, you can turn your favorite hobby into your day job.

3. Freelance graphic design

Got an eye for aesthetics? Did you go to art school, or have you always spent your free time designing posters in Photoshop or Illustrator?

If so, then freelance designing might be a good choice. Take on clients at your own speed, build up a good reputation online and by word-of-mouth and work on projects that you find interesting.

4. Freelance writing

If you’re skilled in words instead, you might become a freelance writer . So long as you’ve got an internet connection and a keyboard, you can contribute all types of written content, from blog posts to feature stories to product descriptions. It helps if you’ve got a special area of interest or expertise so your employers will know you’re qualified to comment on certain topics.

» MORE: Best bank accounts for freelancers

5. E-book writing

With Amazon and other websites around, self-publishing has never been easier than it is today. If you think you’ve got something interesting or useful to say — and you believe other people will think so, too — then writing e-books could become a lucrative business.

With e-books, you don’t have to design, print or ship physical copies of your work. Of course, you will have to learn how to format an e-book correctly, pay for editing and cover design services and figure out an effective marketing strategy — but there are plenty of examples to learn from.

6. Translation

If you’re fluent in multiple languages, then translating could be the ideal online freelance job. You can do it from anywhere, so long as you’ve got the text you’re working on and you understand the goal of the translation.

» MORE: Check out 16 other e-commerce business ideas

Editing comes in many shapes and sizes, from copyediting a company’s marketing materials to proofreading novels to indexing academic manuscripts. As long as you have a sharp eye for detail, a strong grasp of grammar and a willingness to get in the weeds, then editing could be a great business idea if you’re interested in working when and how you want.

8. Writing a blog

Starting a blog can support other online business ideas by showing off your skills. Interested in coding, photography and video, fitness, food or anything else? Demonstrate your knowledge by writing great articles on those topics for others’ blogs.

If you choose to start your own blog, it can also generate revenue itself through affiliate links or advertisements.

9. Freelance researching

Whether you’re putting together documents for competitor or market research , answering tough technical questions on forums or analyzing statistics to point out trends, you can put your skills to work for your clients — with the freedom to work how you want.

10. Freelance coding and web design

If you’re seeking flexibility, diversity of projects, taking on work at your own pace and being your own boss, then freelance coding or web design for clients may be a good fit.

Plus, you can double down as a software consultant as well, offering your critical eye and expertise without writing code yourself.

» MORE: Best accounting software for consultants

11. Software and app development

Want to take freelance coding to the next level? Instead of helping clients, you can work on your own applications, programs, extensions and add-ons. Whether you sell your work in an app store or you’re holding out for the long haul and are hoping to get bought by a bigger company, the cash you make will be a direct result of your effort and ingenuity. App development is also a way to make money on Shopify .

Keep in mind, it’s not as easy to have a predictable stream of revenue until your app is already out and selling, and by then you’ve already invested a lot of time and energy. You’ll want to be sure that there’s a market out there for the product you’re creating, and that people are willing to pay for it.

» MORE: Best business credit cards for LLCs

12. Business coaching

You’ll need a good track record and a variety of testimonials to back you up, but if you’re already an entrepreneur, business coaching can provide an additional revenue stream. You can offer one-off sessions, small-group experiences or ongoing client relationships at a variety of price points.

13. College consulting

If you went to a top-tier university and have strong writing skills, you may be able to help applicants seeking admission to elite colleges. You might find yourself editing essays, steering students toward test prep courses and recommending scholarship programs, among other things.

» MORE: How to start a consulting business

14. Tutoring

For those studious entrepreneurs who scored highly on standardized tests, tutoring can pull in a lot of money without too much effort. The better your results, the better your reputation — which means the more you can charge per hour, session or package.

15. Online fitness trainer

If fitness and health is your passion, then serving as a fitness trainer to clients could be a fulfilling career. While training people online can be more difficult than being with them in person, this is an increasingly popular option for busy professionals. You can also consider related services like nutrition education.

» MORE: A step-by-step guide to starting a fitness business

16. SEO consulting

Maybe you’re a pro at SEO, or search engine optimization. If you’ve got loads of skill and experience in getting websites to rank highly on Google, and you understand how to turn searchers into customers, then there are plenty of companies willing to pay handsomely for your help.

Whether it’s by editing metadata tags, regularly updating the company blog or searching for smart keywords to rank highly on, a good SEO consultant can drastically change how a company’s website appears to search engine users — and just a few positions on Google can make a huge difference in traffic numbers. In short, you could have a big impact on a business’s bottom line, which means this online business idea is in high demand.

17. Selling handmade goods

If you’re handy or creative, you could craft your products and sell them on sites like Etsy, Amazon and eBay, straight out of your home.

Beyond that, if you’re a visual artist, you may also try selling print-on-demand products. That’s a type of e-commerce business where customers order mugs, T-shirts or other goods and with your artwork printed on them, then a third party creates the product and ships it to the customer.

18. Virtual thrift shop

Maybe you’re not into handicrafts but the idea of an starting an online store is still appealing? Selling clothes online using platforms like thredUP and Poshmark is one option.

If you're more interested in other types of products, you can scour local estate sales and secondhand shops for unique finds. You may also discover good finds on websites like eBay. As you present these products in compelling ways on your own site, good copywriting and a strong brand can go a long way to separating your site from the crowd.

19. Affiliate marketing

Social media pros, take notice: You can get paid by companies to highlight products on your blog, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube or other social channels. The more followers or site visitors you have, the more of an impact your brand recommendation will make, and the more you’ll earn with product placement.

20. Accounting or bookkeeping

Although entering the industry as a virtual bookkeeper or accountant can be tough because of competition from well-known brands in the industry, it can be done if you have the credentials or target clients in a specific niche. You’ll also need formal training and certification, and it may take time to build up a committed client base — but once you do, your clients may be with you for years.

» MORE: See our picks for best small-business accounting software

21. Telemarketing

If you’re a natural conversationalist who likes helping others, virtual telemarketing is another good online small-business idea to consider. Plenty of companies outsource some of their sales and customer service roles, so if you don’t mind working the phone at home or on the go, then try this option out.

22. Online personal assistant

Thinking about becoming a virtual assistant ? What exactly you’ll do depends on what your skills, experience and network of contacts are, but you can expect tasks from data entry to customer management, research, scheduling and other duties.

23. Data entry

If you’re looking for a job that offers a predictable income without requiring intense creativity, then data entry might be a good place to start. Try looking at online job boards for opportunities.

24. Transcription

Offering transcription services online can take many forms: You can transcribe audio interviews for reporters, create captions for TV shows and videos or develop transcribed versions of podcasts. Services like Rev or TranscribeMe can also send you work as it becomes available, which saves you the work of cultivating your own client base.

25. Travel planning

If travel is your passion, you might consider starting an online travel planning business . You can help clients plan every aspect of their trip — from flights to hotels to activities. You can work on itineraries, give tips about food, currency exchange and safety, and serve as a point of contact between your clients and any international contacts.

Not only can you operate your travel planning business at home, you can also do it while you travel. And more traveling will help you grow your business — you might even start a travel blog or photography site to supplement your planning business.

26. Cybersecurity and IT consulting

As a cybersecurity consultant, you can work with businesses of all sizes to evaluate their systems, run testing and offer tips on how they can improve their set up.

For those looking for something broader, you might consider serving as an IT consultant, assisting businesses or individuals with their technology — helping them get it set up, troubleshoot any issues and offer general operating advice.

With the proper computer set up, you can run your cybersecurity or IT consulting business from anywhere — including potentially traveling to clients’ offices for occasional on-site system assistance.

27. Online therapy

With the emergence of companies like TalkSpace and BetterHelp, you no longer have to have an office or your own practice to counsel patients. Again, you’ll need training and proper credentials. But you can explore the online therapy space by joining one of these new companies or another practice that offers virtual appointments.

28. PR consulting

If you're knowledgeable about business branding and marketing, you might start an online PR consulting business. You can assist businesses with their online presence — including social media accounts, press releases, web content and more — as well as advise them on campaigns, initiatives and overall public image.

As a freelance PR consultant, your hours and responsibilities may vary depending on the specific clients you're working with; however, you'll have more control than you would as part of a firm or agency.

29. Podcasting

Provided you have the right audio equipment and a quiet space, you can record your podcast from anywhere. You can then upload your content to various podcast apps and market your business on social media. Once you reach a certain number of listeners, some podcast platforms will help you sell ads and you'll begin generating revenue.

30. Life coaching

Looking for a way to offer advice and guidance to people without needing the extensive education of a medical professional? Consider life coaching . Although you may need a certification to become a life coach, you have much more freedom to find your niche and decide how you can help people through life's ups and downs.

As a life coach, you can also create resources like e-books and courses to give your clients additional resources outside of traditional phone call or video chat meetings.

31. Video production

As a video producer, you can work with different clients in various industries to shoot, cut and edit video to create the perfect final product. Video production can give you the opportunity to explore a unique medium of storytelling and exercise your creativity.

32. Resume writing and career coaching

If you have a background in human resources, or just know your way around formulating the perfect resume, you might consider starting an online resume writing and career coaching business. You can offer clients advice and guidance on their career path, job applications, resumes and cover letters.

LinkedIn is a great place to get started with this type of online business idea, as many professionals look for career help on that platform.

33. Dropshipping

If you don't want the responsibility of creating your own products or buying inventory upfront, you might consider starting a dropshipping business. With this kind of e-commerce operation, you create your own website, choose products from suppliers, list them on your site, and when an order is placed, the supplier will ship them directly to the customer.

You can get started by browsing dropshipping marketplaces or trying to work directly with manufacturers and importers.

» MORE: How to dropship on Shopify

34. Recruiting

If you're a people person and have good online research skills, you might consider a career as a recruiter. As an online recruiter, you can service different businesses looking to hire new employees and help them find and screen candidates. The more experience you have, the higher-level positions you may be tapped to help fill.

35. Marketing consulting

As a marketing consultant, you can provide guidance on a wide range of topics, depending on your specific expertise, and help businesses execute their online marketing strategies and campaigns. This could include email marketing, social media management and advertising, local marketing , event planning and more. You can specialize in a particular industry or geography, or market your skills to a variety of clients using a network like Upwork.

36. Online fundraising or grant writing

Are you passionate about helping mission-based businesses, especially nonprofits, getting the assistance they need? If so, consider a grant writing business. This requires you to work with clients who need help fundraising to identify grants suited to their needs, then apply for and hopefully win them.

37. Online course teaching

You can find information about practically anything online, but sometimes when you're trying to learn a specific skill or topic, it just helps to hear or see someone else explain it. So if there’s a subject you have specialized knowledge of — a particular software program, a craft, a particular historical event — consider designing an online course. If you have formal qualifications like an advanced degree, you might be able to work with an online course service to teach courses online for their students.

38. Online cooking instruction

Do you have an affinity for cooking or baking? Showcasing your skills online via virtual cooking classes is a great way to earn money while doing something you love. There are a variety of ways you can structure your cooking business: You can offer one-on-one instruction videos, host live classes and even create workshops and cooking programs.

This easy business idea could even translate into a cooking blog, e-books, cookbooks and linking your favorite cooking and baking supplies through affiliate marketing.

39. YouTube channel

One way to promote your new brand, service or message is by creating a YouTube channel. If you feel comfortable on camera, have a spot where you can film and love the idea of reaching a wide audience, YouTube might be the right platform for you. Note, though, that it can take some time for your channel to grow and you'll likely need to network on social media and blogging platforms in the beginning.

» MORE: How to make money on YouTube

40. Voiceover work

To start your own voiceover business, you'll need a microphone, sound editing software and the ability to lend your voice to ad agencies, production companies and anyone else looking for a voiceover.

Then, you can sign up for a freelance voiceover site like voices.com and start searching for the right opportunities. Once you've gotten your foot in the door, you'll have excellent clips to show potential clients.

41. Start a team

If you've been freelancing or running your own company for a while, you might be ready to take the plunge and start your own team of consultants or freelancers. For instance, if you have years of writing and editing experience and can no longer handle all your client inquiries yourself, you might be ready to hire your first employee and expand your capacity.

How to choose an online business idea

These online business ideas represent a variety of e-commerce business models . To choose the right one for you, ask these questions.

How do you want to make money?

Lots of business owners seek out predictable, recurring revenue so they can plan their personal finances. Keeping clients on retainer can help with that. But affiliate marketing, advertising or product sales may be harder to predict. Creating a business plan can help you think through your options and decide which you’re comfortable with.

How will you find work?

If you’re selling your skills as a freelancer, consider searching sites like Upwork and Behance to find the right clients. Networking in your local community, joining industry-specific LinkedIn groups and asking for referrals can be helpful, too.

If you’re selling products or building an audience online, you’ll need different tactics. Search engine optimization can help get your videos or product listings in front of people who will be interested in them. But you may need a significant marketing budget to develop an audience that’s large enough to generate revenue.

How much autonomy do you want?

With some online businesses, like selling handmade goods or creating online courses, you’ll have control over your products from start to finish — which can be freeing but also high-pressure. On the other hand, when you’re producing work for clients, you’ll have to conform to the client’s standards — which may feel confining, but you won’t have to do the work of coming up with ideas yourself. Some solopreneurs aim for a mix of client work and self-directed projects so that they have steady revenue while pursuing their passions.

A version of this article originally appeared on JustBusiness, a subsidiary of NerdWallet.

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25 Best Online Business Ideas for 2024

Looking for ways to make more money online? Check out these 25 online business ideas, from starting your own clothing line to selling handmade goods—and everything in between.

Running a small business can be the perfect job for someone with an entrepreneurial spirit, but every business venture comes with its own set of challenges. The truth is, starting a business of any kind is hard work, and the first thing you need is an idea.

To begin, you’ll need to think of a strong business idea—one that has a natural customer base and the potential to scale up over time. For many, an online business is a good place to start, given the simplicity of ecommerce compared to starting a brick-and-mortar business.

Starting an online business isn’t about one simple life-changing trick. Like all forms of entrepreneurship , it requires dedication and sweat equity. In this guide, we’ll give you online business ideas for beginners and experienced entrepreneurs alike, as well as tips on how to start a business without quitting your day job.

Get your free Big List of Business Ideas

Looking to start a business but unsure what to sell? Check out our free Big List of Business Ideas with 100+ trending products.

Best online business ideas for 2024

• Start your own clothing line
• Launch a dropshipping business
• Sell your art online
• Become a freelance writer, designer, or developer
• Teach an online course
• Flip your thrift store finds
• Publish your own book
• Start a blog or a newsletter
• Become a virtual assistant
• Become an influencer
• Build apps and websites
• Launch a podcast
• Become an affiliate marketer
• Curate subscription boxes
• Develop a niche product
• Create handmade goods
• Become a social media manager
• Sell merchandise on marketplaces
• Become a translator
• Start an accounting or bookkeeping firm
• Become an online fitness trainer
• Start an online coaching business
• Do voiceover work
• Become an ad consultant

1. Start your own clothing line

If you have a passion for fashion and a willingness to navigate supply chains, you can start a clothing company .

The Shopify App Store is stocked with numerous product sourcing apps, including Printify and Printful . These apps connect you to apparel printers and clothing manufacturers—perfect for clothing entrepreneurs who want to oversee design but not manufacturing.

These services also handle every step of the retail fulfillment process for you, giving you the freedom to design and ship a wide range of pieces right out of the gate.

Why start a clothing line?

• As a clothing designer, you create products people use every day.
• As soon as you build your Shopify store, you can start selling instantly. Thanks to print-on-demand apps, the process of designing and delivering your own custom-made clothing is streamlined and simple.
• You’ll love the feeling of seeing your designs come to life by transforming your creativity into something real and profitable.

These handy resources can help grow your apparel business at every stage, from crafting your brand’s story to promoting your products with influencer marketing:

• Shirt Mockups in Seconds: Free T-Shirt & PSD Templates
• How to Start an Online T-Shirt Business
• How To Make and Sell Merch Your Fans Will Love

2. Launch a dropshipping business

Think you need a warehouse full of inventory to run your own business? Think again! Dropshipping is a great way to start a business on a budget. You can hit the ground running by sourcing a pre-existing product from a supplier and having them take care of things like packaging and fulfillment.

💡 TIP: With Shopify, it’s easy to start a dropshipping business and begin selling without the hassle of managing inventory, packaging, or shipping. Orders are sent directly from your wholesaler to your customers, so you can focus on what matters.

Why choose dropshipping?

• You don’t need to stock products in a physical location, meaning your cash flow won’t get tied up in inventory. There’s less of an upfront cash risk.
• Whenever a purchase is made, you place an order with a third party that handles the rest of the process for you. Since you don’t have to deal with things like tracking inventory or mailing packages, dropshipping eliminates a lot of headaches for budding entrepreneurs.
• No warehouse means you can run your business from anywhere. Whether it’s your living room or the café down the street, you decide where you want to work from.

If you don’t have any online store ideas, here are some resources for narrowing down the perfect product:

• Find products to sell on DSers .
• Read our guide on how to find a product to sell .
• Check out these 16 places ecommerce entrepreneurs go to find profitable products .
• Find out how one entrepreneur went from watching dropshipping YouTube videos to posting $3 million in revenue. 

Free Webinar: The Right Way to Start a Profitable Dropshipping Store

Learn how to find high-margin products, import them into your store, and start selling—fast.

3. Sell your art online

Whether you’re a painter, photographer , or musician, there are plenty of online business ideas and ways to turn your latest masterpiece into a source of revenue with a beautifully designed ecommerce website.

If painting or photography is your forte, you can sell your art as prints, canvases, and framed posters using Printify or Printful . This is a fantastic way to turn your art into something tangible that people can take home and integrate into their space. You can also sell your work as digital downloads .

Why sell your art?

• You’ll be part of people’s lives by getting your work into customers’ homes.
• You’ll create a platform for showcasing your work by setting up shop online.
• As an artist, creating art isn’t just a hobby—it’s a way of life. This is your chance to turn your passion into an income stream and potentially do what you love for a living.

Looking for inspiration? Learn how artist Sarah Andersen went from viral comics to a creative franchise.

4. Become a freelance writer, designer, or developer

Writers, graphic designers, and developers can start low-cost businesses based on their talents. As a freelancer, you’ll get to hop between different companies, taking on different projects at different scales. Some writing or design gigs might require only an afternoon’s work. Other projects can last for months. Freelancers can create their own schedules and accept only the projects they want, at a pace that fits their schedule.

To find people that need your skills, try freelancing marketplaces like Upwork and Fiverr .

It’s worth noting that Fiverr is a little different from a traditional job board. As the name suggests, a lot of the posted jobs pay $5. The key to making big money on Fiverr is carefully setting up your offers so you can easily upsell the client.

For instance, you could offer to write a 150-word introduction for a blog post as your initial $5 service. As an upsell, you could charge another $10 for every additional 150 words. You can tweak your services until you’ve found a combo that makes it worth your while.

If you want to run your own freelance operation you can set up your own website and use apps like BTA: Appointment Booking App and Events Calendar to help your customers schedule appointments.

Why freelance?

• When you freelance, you choose which projects you want to work on and set your own schedule and workplace.
• Getting paid to do something you’re good at is a rewarding feeling, whether you’re looking to strike out on your own or just want to make some extra cash on the weekend.
• If you’re new to writing, designing, or developing, freelancing is an excellent way to build your portfolio and get some real experience in a wide range of industries. You might discover that you have a knack or passion for something you never expected.

If freelancing sounds like it might be a good online business idea for your lifestyle, we’ve put together some great articles that can help you make the most of your time:

• 21 Ways to Work from Home (+ 9 Productivity Tips)
• What Is a Lifestyle Business and How to Start One
• The 24 Best Productivity Apps

5. Teach an online course

Teaching an online course is a low-investment online business idea for generating passive income. Your online course can be as simple as a video walkthrough that you host on your own personal website. From there, you can go much deeper, creating multi-level courses with a combination of pre-recorded video and live class interactions.

Although it requires effort upfront, a popular, high-value video tutorial series can generate passive income as people continue to enroll in your course.

To start creating your first online course , brainstorm a topic you know well enough to teach someone how to do from scratch. This can be anything—music production, social media marketing, web development, you name it.

Next, you’ll want to grab a screencasting app, such as ScreenFlow , to record your screen and voice while you walk your students through your tutorial. ScreenFlow also comes with a built-in video editing suite, so you can shoot and cut your videos all on the same platform.

Why teach an online course?

• Your initial efforts will go a long way. Once you’ve created your online course, you can monetize it for years, drawing in new students and passive income. 
• You already have the knowledge, you just need to share it. Focus on teaching something you’re already an expert at and the rest will come naturally, whether it’s building iOS apps, creating monthly budgets, or running Facebook ad campaigns .
• Teaching someone a new skill is its own reward. While there’s definitely money to be made teaching online courses, helping other people is always a satisfying experience in itself.

6. Flip your thrift store finds

If you love hitting up thrift stores and hunting down great deals, then one great online business idea is selling your second-hand treasures online .

Your potential customers want to buy cool stuff, but they don’t want to dig through old soccer jerseys and braided belts to get their hands on that one amazing find. Take advantage of this by positioning yourself as a trustworthy curator who can go out and uncover those great vintage pieces for others. You can sell these items on popular marketplaces like Etsy and Ebay, or you can build your own online store and sell them directly, with no third party taking a cut of sales.

Why sell your thrift store finds?

• If you’re combing through thrift store racks anyway, you might as well make some money while you do it.
• The margins are huge. That $2 ball cap you found? You can turn it into a $40 vintage hat.
• You’re selling something unique. Your exact catalog of vintage treasures won’t be duplicated by any other seller.

Make sure your offerings appear as alluring as possible. Take a look at these guides to making your products look great in photos:

• Perfect Product Photography: Craft a Perfect Setup
• Clothing Photography: Take Beautiful Apparel Photos

7. Publish your own book

If you’ve thought about publishing your own book someday, you’re hardly alone. Thanks to the advent of online publishers, it’s not that far out of reach.

It doesn’t matter if it’s a science-fiction novel, a marketing guide, or a children’s picture book, there are now plenty of options for successfully self-publishing your work. These include releasing your writing as an ebook with the Digital Downloads app or using on-demand printing services like Blurb .

To sell ebooks through your online store, install the Digital Downloads app and you’ll instantly be able to stock digital files as products. Once purchased, your ebooks will be sent to your customers via email or as a direct download link.

If you choose to sell physical copies of your book, you’ll just need to place an order whenever your work is purchased. They’ll custom print your book and handle the storage and fulfillment process.

Why publish a book?

• Self-publishing is the quickest way to get your book into the hands of potential readers. You won’t have to navigate the slow process of selling your manuscript to a publishing house.
• Printing, storage, and delivery are taken care of thanks to services like Blurb.
• You can list your book on a marketplace like Amazon and take advantage of a built-in customer base of eager readers.

Ready to live out your dreams of being a published author? This resource will help you on your way to the top:

• How To Get Media Coverage for Your Brand

8. Start a blog or a newsletter

Blogging has come a long way since its inception. What was once a virtual journal has now turned into a marketing and monetization tool. Writers can now host a blog on their personal website, or they can create email newsletters via platforms like Substack.

Whether you make money from subscriptions, sponsored posts, hosting third-party ads, or selling your products, a blog is an online business idea you can operate from home.

The key to starting a successful blog is to focus on building an engaged, loyal audience. When you start with an audience-centric approach, you’ll cultivate a community that trusts you. And when you can earn trust, you can start to drive revenue.

That’s how Mr. Money Mustache started his popular personal finance blog. What began as a movement turned into a successful business that’s earned national media coverage.

Why start a blog?

• Blogs have immense growth potential. You can expand into affiliate marketing, ecommerce, courses, and essentially any other online business venture. You can send email newsletters on a paid subscription model to drive revenue.
• A blog is a long-term play. While you’re unlikely to see overnight results, you may be able to cultivate a loyal readership base.
• It lets you practice your writing—an essential skill to have in business and communication. Use tools like Grammarly or Hemingway to improve your writing.

For more information on getting started, check out these articles:

• 15 Blog Examples to Inspire Your Own Content
• 4 Ecommerce Blog Post Templates to Build Traffic for Your Store
• How a Blog Became a Physical Store in Two Years

9. Become a virtual assistant

Are you super organized and love working behind the scenes? If so, you might be the perfect candidate to start a virtual assistant (VA) business.

A VA works remotely, using the phone and internet to help entrepreneurs, businesses, and executives organize their personal and professional lives. Virtual assistants tackle a broad spectrum of duties, from appointment scheduling to basic marketing management and everything in between. And while traditional assistants come into an office, a VA works remotely, often from the comfort of their own home.

Why become a VA?

• Work with your ideal client. Even if you don’t know at the start, over time you’ll find out who you love working with and what tasks you love doing for them. You can evolve your business to cater to those preferences.
• Interact with people from all over the world. All you need is an internet connection to do your work and you can have the chance to work with international clients and professionals. 
• Grow your business into a network of VAs. If you become too busy or have growth goals, you can hire and train VAs to work under you and increase profits.

10. Become an influencer

Influencer marketing is a $21 billion industry according to Statista, with plenty of business opportunities to be had.

You may associate influencing with celebrities, but there’s a robust market for micro-influencers —those with smaller but nonetheless engaged followings. This means you don’t need millions of followers to earn money on Instagram .

Why be an influencer?

• It’s an opportunity to get an introduction to marketing—particularly valuable if you’re interested in pursuing it as a career or additional business venture.
• You’ll learn about new and interesting brands. You might discover products and companies you love that you never would have found had they not solicited your services. In many cases, you’ll receive products that you can keep for free after profiling them.
• You can grow your own brand as an influencer. Perhaps you weren’t particularly famous before you debuted as a micro-influencer. If you’re a natural on camera and actively engage with your audience, you may find fame for profiling products online.

Here are our inspiring tips and stories to get you started as an influencer:

• How to Make Money as a Full-Time YouTuber
• How to Make Money on YouTube: 7 Simple Strategies (+ Video)

11. Build apps and websites

If you’re tech-savvy, acquire some coding skills and start building. Whether it’s mobile apps, Shopify apps , or websites, you can create digital products for purchase or as a service provider.

For example, you can create a custom Shopify theme template and sell it to merchants looking for an affordable DIY approach to designing their website. You can also work with clients directly to build websites and apps tailored to their specific needs.

Why build apps and websites?

• As more people embrace ecommerce and online entertainment, there will be expanding demand for the technical skills necessary to build apps and websites.
• Site building and coding can be quite lucrative. A skilled freelance web designer can work for an hourly rate ranging from about $50 to $100 . Depending on the scope of the project, you can expect to earn a few thousand dollars for a completed website.

12. Launch a podcast

Every day, millions of listeners tune into podcasts using platforms like Spotify, Apple, Pocket Casts, and Stitcher. Many of these podcasts contain paid advertising, which helps pay the people who write, record, and produce the episodes. Podcasts are a great home business idea with multiple monetization options, similar to starting a blog.

Here’s what you need to start your podcast :

• A high-quality microphone
• Audio recording software
• Call recording software

To promote your podcast, consider collaborating with prominent figures as guests on your show. Encourage listeners to leave reviews and share your podcast with their friends and family. 

Why start a podcast?

• Podcasts continue to grow in popularity. According to Statista , 79% of Americans have heard of podcasts and 38% have listened to one in the past three months.
• A successful podcast can lead to endless possibilities: Turn your episodes into a blog, gain sponsors and advertisers, and immerse yourself in a community you feel passionate about.
• Many podcasters simulcast on YouTube. You can film yourself taping episodes and post the content on YouTube. This opens up another revenue stream and a broader audience for your work.

Get some inspiration for your own podcast with these best business podcasts for entrepreneurs.

13. Become an affiliate marketer

Affiliate marketing is when you recommend a product or service by sharing it on your blog, social media, email list, website, or other channel. You earn a commission each time someone converts through your unique referral link or code.

Find an affiliate program that suits your interests, personal brand, and target audience. Affiliate Future , ShareASale , and FlexOffers are a few examples. Amazon has its own affiliate program , and you can also check out the Shopify Affiliate Program .

Once you’ve signed up, start sharing. Create social media posts, blog articles, emails, and other content about how great the product or service you’re promoting is. Don’t oversaturate your audience with ads, otherwise you risk coming across as spammy or inauthentic.

Why do affiliate marketing?

• You’re tapping into a natural instinct to help people. You probably already tell your friends about products and services you use. Now you can get paid for it! 
• Affiliate marketing is a great source of passive income. You continue to make money when your affiliate links lead to sales, even if it’s long after you posted those links. Take note that Shopify has its own affiliate program that rewards Shopify users who recruit new merchants to the platform.

Get paid by brands you love with Shopify Collabs

Shopify Collabs makes it easy to find brands that match your vibe, build affiliate relationships, get paid for what you sell, and track everything in one place.

14. Curate subscription boxes

Subscription boxes are themed packages of various products. There are subscription boxes in pretty much every industry, from meal-prep kits and craft snacks to fitness products and makeup. You can curate subscription boxes around virtually any theme of your choice.

Bokksu , for example, curates Japanese snacks and sends them to customers each month.

When you curate subscription boxes, you work with brands and artisans to purchase and resell their products in a bundled offering. Typically, consumers expect to be surprised by what’s in the box, though there are some (like meal prep kits) where the customer chooses what they receive.

Why curate subscription boxes?

• It’s a viable seasonal business. Subscription boxes are often purchased as gifts. So if you’re only interested in running your online business for part of the year, this could be a model worth checking out.
• It’s a growing industry. Subscription ecommerce sales totalled over $38 billion in the US in 2023.
• You don’t need to create your own products. Instead, you can use proven, successful products and simply put them together in a nice package.

15. Develop a niche product

If you recognize an opportunity in a certain niche, you can create a bespoke product to fill a market need. Niche products cater to a unique audience—one that may not be served by mass-market offerings.

A product niche could be based on industry, demographic, price point, geography, values, product attributes, and more. For example:

• Conscious consumers: There’s a market of consumers who want vegan, sustainable, and eco-friendly products.
• Pet owners: Pet owners represent a broad niche. You can tap into a smaller niche by targeting the owners of uncommon pets, like chinchillas or bearded dragons.
• Blind or deaf customers: Mass manufacturers often overlook those with compromised vision or hearing. You can cater to the needs of these communities with products and gain significant market share in the process.

Why develop a niche product?

• Niche products are unique and potentially buzzworthy. Early success can be all you need to drive press coverage with zero budget .
• Choosing a specific target customer makes it easier to create marketing and messaging that resonates. Rather than trying to speak to a broad, diverse group, you’re talking to a group of individuals with lots of shared characteristics.

16. Create handmade goods

If you’re particularly crafty, selling handmade products might be a great online business idea. Whether you make jewelry, picture frames, or furniture, you can monetize your craft skills by selling these products online. Selling handmade goods can even be an achievable business idea for kids .

While you can use platforms like Craigslist or Etsy to sell your wares, operating your own online store will give you more control and make it easier to track and fulfill orders.

Why sell handmade goods?

• Devote as much or as little time as you want. It’s your choice how big you want to grow.
• Create on your schedule. Make your handmade goods when you have spare time or even on your lunch break from your primary job. 
• Turn your passion into income. You may already be making handmade goods in your spare time. Turning your hobby into an entrepreneurial endeavor can yield a combination of pleasure and profit.

Ready to find new homes for your handcrafts? Get started here:

• Moving From Etsy to Shopify: An Ecommerce Migration Story
• The Business of DIY: 24 Things to Make and Sell Online

17. Become a social media manager

Effectively managing and growing social media accounts is a skill. If you have the chops, consider becoming a social media manager or a consultant for brands.

You’ll be responsible for maintaining a company’s social presence online, developing its social marketing strategy, managing campaigns, and related tasks like sending emails . It’s a solid online business idea with plenty of demand, with jobs in social media expected to grow by 6% through 2031, and it doesn’t take that much startup capital to begin.

Start your process by building up followers on your own social media channels. This functions as social proof that will help you win clients. Next, you’ll want to set up a business website and a payment processing system. As you gain more experience, you can start catering to a wider array of social media needs, like profile growth, outreach, or brand sponsorship management.

Why start a social media management business? 

• The service-based business has few barriers to entry, and it’s relatively easy to get started.
• You can be your own boss and decide your earning potential. The more experience and results you can show, the higher your service fees can be.
• If you’re a regular social media user, you can turn something you’re already doing into a money-making activity.

Ready to start your own social media management business? Brush up on social media know-how with the following resources:

• Social Media Marketing Strategy: Engagement Guide
• 12 Inspiring Social Media Campaign Examples

18. Sell merchandise on marketplaces 

Selling merchandise on marketplaces can be a sustainable online business model. Seller platforms like eBay, Bonanza, Etsy , OfferUp, or Facebook Marketplace make the process of listing products, capturing contact information, and receiving payments easy.

The best part? These massive seller platforms already come with built-in traffic. As the seller, it’s your job to get strategic with your listing and keep track of what sells and how well so you can optimize your efforts. You can do all of this from the comfort of your home, too.

To turn a profit under this business model, you’ll want to sell merchandise at a higher price than what you paid for it. This may mean buying items in bulk and reselling them at a higher per-unit cost.

It could also mean combing through garage sales and secondhand stores to find items with notable resale value. You can also use these marketplaces to offload unused items you have around your home. You won’t turn a profit unless you sell your old items for more than you paid for them. Still, you can make some extra cash while clearing space in your home.

Why sell on marketplaces? 

• It’s affordable to start, without a hefty upfront investment.
• You get access to a pool of traffic you might not be able to tap into on other platforms.
• The online selling skills you acquire can translate into adjacent businesses down the road.

19. Become a translator

Knowing more than one language can make you money. Combine your multilingual abilities with an internet connection and you can be well on your way to starting an online translation business. The translation industry is booming—it doubled in size in the past decade. You can market your services on a translation platform like Gengo , on an all-purpose gig marketplace like UpWork, or on your own website.

As a translator, you can apply your skills to translating content, meetings, résumés, books, or even online conferences. As you refine your skills, you can charge by the hour or by the project. No matter which pricing model you use, a translation business can be both flexible and lucrative once you get started with your first few clients.

Why start a translation business? 

• Translation can be a low-cost business that doesn’t require ad management or dealing with inventory. 
• If you speak a less common language, you can carve out a niche that makes you a go-to translator for a specific set of clients.
• You can use your translation gigs to create a portfolio for higher status projects, like translating entire books.

20. Start an accounting or bookkeeping firm

If you have a background in finance, you can take advantage of the steady market demand for accounting and bookkeeping. Try going freelance, offering your services to clients looking to outsource this part of their business.

Your qualification for this work will depend on your training and experience. A bookkeeper, who routinely keeps track of a company’s business transactions, can be largely self-taught, using software like QuickBooks to keep an accurate ledger. An accountant prepares documents that may be presented to tax collectors and business investors. Most companies will insist on hiring a certified public accountant (CPA) for such work.

Assuming you have the requisite training, you can bootstrap an accounting or bookkeeping business with a combination of advertising, word of mouth, and tenacity. You can list your services on platforms like UpWork, run your own website, or do a combination of both. As you begin to gain clients and deliver great work, referral clients start coming your way.

Why start an accounting or bookkeeping business? 

• Businesses have a consistent need for reliable, ethical bookkeepers and accountants to help them monitor finances, prepare tax forms, and attract investors.
•  While tax prep is largely seasonal (most tax accountants are busiest from January through April), there is steady year-round work to be found in corporate bookkeeping and financial management.
• A service-based business like accounting and bookkeeping thrive on building relationships and returning customers, which may ease your reliance on digital marketing campaigns. 

21. Become an online fitness trainer

Like many other service-based industries, fitness training has migrated online. Popular trainers like Kayla Itsines are making a killing online through memberships, fitness apps, and ebooks.

If you have fitness training experience, offering such services online might be a no-brainer.

Much of online fitness training involves video lessons—either live or pre-recorded. Other elements of a digital fitness business include workout guides, recipe books, and forums where class members can connect and share tips. All of these can live on your fitness training website.

As you get started, don’t forget to leverage social media—fitness is a visual industry. Being present on platforms like Instagram and TikTok can be a great way to build an audience and win clients.

Why start an online fitness trainer business?

• There is steady demand for fitness training. Americans spent more than $30 billion at gyms and health clubs in 2022.
• The public is open to online training. Video workouts have been around for decades, as fans of Richard Simmons and Sally Struthers know. The internet allows for a more interactive form of video training, and many customers are happy to embrace that model.
• You can create evergreen content like courses, cookbooks, or fitness plans that can continue to bring in passive income long after you’ve finished making them.

22. Sell music

If you’re able to write and produce music at home, you can sell it via licensing websites that connect composers to clients in search of musical cues.

Just take a look at The Drum Broker , the largest online drum sample business in the world. Its founder created a successful and sustainable small business model with the help of apps like FetchApp . Other online music marketplaces include PremiumBeat , Epidemic Sound , and CD Baby .

Why create and sell music?

• Commercial clients actively seek musical compositions to place in their ads.
• Unlike other sectors of the music industry, you don’t need personal connections to break into selling music online.
• Selling tracks online can bolster your résumé and make you a stronger candidate for more lucrative work, like scoring an entire movie.

23. Start an online coaching business

Life coaches help steer their clients through important events involving work, relationships, and lifecycle milestones. It has some overlap with therapy, but coaches don’t need a license or a master’s degree to practice their craft. To succeed as an online coach, it helps to carve out a niche. Clearly communicate what specialties you offer and what results clients can expect from your coaching sessions.

One way to break into coaching is to market yourself on social media. Online coaches like Simone Seol use Instagram to reach potential clients. As you build up your client base, you can get more work from word-of-mouth referrals—both from patients and fellow coaches.

Why start an online coaching business? 

• Online coaching has high income potential if you have solid interpersonal skills and can help clients achieve their goals.
• You don’t need a license or a degree to work as a coach. You can start coaching in any subject you’re knowledgeable enough in to charge for. 
• Happy clients can stay loyal to you and give you valuable word-of-mouth referrals.

24. Do voiceover work

Many voiceover artists make professional recordings from the comfort of their own home. You can join their ranks by learning the basics of recording software and investing in equipment like a condenser microphone, a digital audio interface, a computer, and the software itself.

You’ll also need a soundproof space in your home—closets do an excellent job of absorbing outside noise, and you can invest in soundproof panels to hang from walls.

Voiceover artists record audiobooks, commercials, webinars, course guides, and acting roles, among other work. To start booking voiceover work, consider recording a demo reel, setting up a website, and social media presence that will attract customers to you. You can also keep track of voiceover audition calls in trade forums like Backstage .

Why start a voiceover business? 

• Starting a voiceover business can turn your voice into a revenue generator.
• While you’ll need to invest in both software and hardware to record yourself at home, you can create a full voiceover setup for less than $1,000.
• Voiceover work can present many fun job opportunities, from narrating books to acting.

25. Become an ad consultant

Ads are everywhere, and behind many of them are consultants who help businesses optimize their outreach. Much of this work can now be done online, as successful ad consultants like Monica Louie can attest.

To get started, pick the types of ads you want to specialize in—whether that’s PPC ads on Google , Instagram ads, Facebook ads, TikTok ads, or even display ads—and then start marketing your services with a professional website. You can also advertise your services on professional networking sites like LinkedIn.

To succeed in ad consulting, it helps to have a background in the field with test cases you can present to interested clients. If you’re brand new to ad strategy, it can be helpful to work under a seasoned ad consultant until you gain expertise. Later, you can hang a shingle for an ad consulting business of your own.

Why start an ad consulting business? 

• Ad consultants will have work as long as there is advertising—which is to say, forever.
• It’s a great online business idea if you’re savvy with people and understand the basics of advertising strategy.
• You can work with multiple clients simultaneously, building out your network as you do.

How to start an online business in 6 steps

• Validate your idea with research
• Develop your product or service
• Set up your business finances
• Find vendors and suppliers
• Build your business website
• Market your new small business

Once you’ve decided on an online business idea, you’ll want to do your due diligence and, eventually, give it life. Here’s how to start a business online, step by step:

1. Validate your idea with research

It might sound harsh, but it’s true: Just because you think you have a great idea doesn’t mean there’s a market for it.

Before investing your time and energy into starting your business, research how feasible it is and whether there’s any potential buyer interest. You can hire an agency to conduct market research for you, but if you’re on a shoestring budget, you can also take the DIY approach. These resources will help get you started:

• What is Market Demand and How to Calculate It
• How to Use Niche Marketing to Build Your Business From the Ground Up

After conducting market research, write a business plan to clarify your ideas. Having a business plan will help you stay organized and focused as you go through the ups and downs of starting a new business.

2. Develop your product or service

You’ve validated your idea, now it’s time to turn it into a reality. Whether you’re selling a product or service, you need to create it. Find a manufacturer to bring your product to life, create packages of your service offerings, or write your book and identify a self-publishing option to bring it to fruition.

If you go the dropshipping route, the product has already been developed for you. It’s up to you to choose the products you’re passionate about or that you’ve identified a hot market for. To help you, we’ve put together a guide to finding the best products for dropshipping .

3. Set up your business finances

“How do I open a business bank account ?” is a common question for many new entrepreneurs. After you’ve officially registered your business with your local government, you should have the tax identification numbers and other information required to open a business bank account.

As you grow, you might need funding for future endeavors, be it a new product launch or marketing and advertising spend. Having business bank accounts makes it easier for you to manage that capital, as well as track your revenue and expenses.

Having a bank account is also helpful when it comes to tax preparation, since your business-related transactions will be in a single place. As your business finances get more complicated, hiring a professional accountant or tax professional could be a viable option.

💡 TIP: Want to simplify your business finances? Shopify Balance is a free financial account that lets you manage your business’s money from your Shopify admin. Pay no monthly fees, get payouts up to four days earlier, and earn cashback on eligible purchases.

Further reading:

• Best Small Business Accounting Software Picks
• Small Business Accounting 101: How To Set Up and Manage Your Books
• How to Do Crowdfunding: With Expert Tips and Examples from Successful Campaigns
• The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Small Business Finance and Accounting

4. Find partners, vendors and suppliers

Product-based online businesses in particular may require lots of business relationships. For example: a manufacturer, a dropshipper, or a third-party logistics coordinator. When identifying which partnerships you want to move forward with, it’s best to shop around and compare your options to make sure you’re getting the best solution for your needs.

Other online business ideas may require different relationships or contractors. If you’re writing a book, for example, you may want to hire a professional editor and book designer.

5. Build your business website

If you want to start an online business, you need to have a website. And to make money online, you’ll need to incorporate payment processing functionality.

First, come up with a business name . You can use a business name generator to help you if you’re stuck. You’ll need one to start building your website.

Then choose a domain name and verify that it’s available. You can purchase a domain name for less than $20 a year in some cases. From there, you can build your own store on a platform like Shopify and start accepting payments from customers right away.

Here are a few other resources to help you get started with your ecommerce site:

• Shopify’s domain name generator
• Ecommerce Business Blueprint: How to Build, Launch, and Grow a Profitable Online Store
• Ecommerce Website Designs: Best Shops And Why They Work

6. Market your new small business

Getting your first paying customer is a huge milestone for a new small business owner. Now that you’ve got your store set up, you’ll want to start getting your business out there. But finding new customers and creating convincing promotions takes time and energy.

There are so many channels to choose from—email marketing, mobile marketing, etc.—it’s hard to know the best way to grow your online business. It’s easy to get caught up in the wrong tactics and invest your time and money in the wrong places.

Here are some resources to help you market your business:

• Social Media Marketing Guide for Small Business Owners
• What Are Marketing Channels? Types and Examples To Decide on Yours
• How To Market a Product: 10 Highly Effective Ways

Start your online business today

If you’ve been thinking about starting an online business , it’s time to get out there and embark on your new web startups ideas in your spare time. You don’t have to go all in. Start small with a part-time side hustle and scale from there. Or, keep things small. The beauty of learning how to start a business online is that you can take whatever path you choose.

• The Ultimate Guide To Dropshipping (2024)
• How to Start a Dropshipping Business- A Complete Playbook for 2024
• 130+ Dropshipping Products To Sell for Profit
• How To Source Products To Sell Online
• The 13 Best Dropshipping Suppliers in 2024
• AliExpress Dropshipping- How to Dropship From AliExpress
• The 9 Best Dropshipping Websites for Your Online Store
• Free Business Plan Template- A Practical Framework for Creating Your Business Plan
• Making Spirits Bright- Inside the Workshops of 7 Christmas Store Owners
• How to Make and Sell Stickers Online

Online business ideas FAQ

How do you brainstorm online business ideas.

• Create a brainstorming board and put all your ideas on it.
• Revisit with fresh ideas and refine your list.
• Get help from friends and family.
• Survey existing customers to find new online business ideas.
• Check search trends on Google Trends.

What is the best online business to start?

• Dropshipping
• A clothing line
• Selling art
• Curating subscription boxes
• Selling handmade goods
• Being an affiliate marketer
• A consulting business

What is the best online business to start from home?

• An ecommerce store
• Buying products in bulk to sell online
• Teaching online courses
• A writing business
• Online services
• Selling homemade products
• Starting a YouTube channel
• Becoming a blogger

What are some online service business ideas?

• Graphic design
• Freelance writing
• WordPress development
• Shopify theme building
• App development
• Copywriting
• Search engine optimization consulting

How do I start a small online business?

1. Find a gap in a niche market and fill it.

2. Learn how to write copy that sells.

3. Build and design your own website.

4. Get on social media sites like Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

5. Optimize your website for SEO.

6. Become an expert in your industry.

7. Provide excellent customer service.

8. Create multiple sources of income.

Do I need an LLC to sell online?

You don’t need an LLC to sell online, but it’s recommended that you file for one. As a business owner, this helps mitigate risk and protects your personal assets in case you end up in a lawsuit or need to file bankruptcy.

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40 Online Business Ideas You Can Start in 2024

Starting a small business can be an exciting journey for anyone with an entrepreneurial spirit. However, each venture comes with its own unique challenges. The first step is always to have a solid business idea.

Think of a business concept that has a natural customer base and the potential to grow. Many find that an online business is a great starting point, due to its simplicity compared to a traditional brick-and-mortar setup.

In this article, we’ll share online business ideas that cater to both beginners and experienced entrepreneurs, along with tips on how to get started without leaving your current job .

40 best online business ideas for 2024

• Sell t-shirts online
• Start a dropshipping business
• Launch a podcast
• Become an SEO consultant
• Sell online courses
• Start a social media marketing agency
• Become an online fitness trainer
• Provide bug testing services
• Produce videos for clients
• Curate subscription boxes
• Develop websites
• Offer graphic design services
• Create mobile apps
• Become a theme designer
• Offer translation services
• Provide remote customer service
• Work as a virtual assistant
• Sell merchandise on marketplaces
• Start an affiliate marketing business
• Offer lead generation services
• Become an influencer
• Sell handmade goods
• Become a private chef
• Offer nutrition consulting
• Start an online bakery
• Become an ad consultant
• Create a membership site
• Flip your thrift store finds
• Become a proofreader
• Sell mystery objects
• Host a webinar
• Offer remote tech support
• Sell art online
• Publish your own book
• Become a narrator
• Become an online wellness coach
• Provide speechwriting services
• Teach a foreign language
• Write resumes

1. Sell t-shirts online

If you have a bit of imagination and a knack for design, you can create your own online t-shirt shop . Platforms like Printful and Shopify make it incredibly simple to get started. The key to success in this business is offering unique and high-quality designs that people want. Some ideas include creating niche designs for specific interests, using trending themes, and collaborating with local artists to create exclusive shirts.

2. Start a dropshipping business

Dropshipping is the easiest way to start an ecommerce business . In this business model, you sell products from a supplier who keeps them in their warehouse. You create an online store to list and market those items. Once someone makes a purchase, the dropshipping supplier ships them directly to the customer. From online boutiques to jewelry stores to women’s clothing shops to one-product stores, dropshipping works for most types of ecommerce businesses.

3. Launch a podcast

Podcasting is a great home business idea with multiple ways to make money. You can earn through ads, listener donations, or merchandise sales. Brands also sponsor popular podcasts for exposure. To start a podcast, you’ll need a good microphone, audio recording software, and call recording tools. Make your podcast unique by offering in-depth discussions, sharing personal stories, or focusing on niche topics that aren’t widely covered.

4. Become an SEO consultant

If you know search engine optimization and can use Google Ads and Analytics, consider becoming an SEO consultant. SEO consultants sell their services to small businesses, enterprises, and anyone needing online help. Get started by teaching clients about the power of SEO. Then, use your skills to show them how content, link building, and PR can boost their traffic.

5. Sell online courses

Do you love teaching and want to share your knowledge? Selling online courses is a great way to share your expertise and make money. Platforms like Teachable and  Udemy let you host your courses and connect with a wide audience. You’ll need to choose a topic you know well and come up with engaging content for your online course. Seeing what other instructors charge can give you an idea of how to price your course competitively .

6. Start a social media marketing agency

Many small businesses need help with social media marketing . If you know how to attract audiences on TikTok, Instagram, and other platforms, consider starting a social media marketing agency. Begin by building a portfolio showcasing successful strategies from your own or friends’ accounts. Share this portfolio with potential clients to demonstrate your skills. Once you land your first clients, you can feature them in your portfolio to attract more business.

7. Become an online fitness trainer

If you have a background in fitness, consider becoming an online fitness trainer. Many people prefer online workouts for convenience and flexibility. You can cater to their demand by offering one-on-one classes or group sessions virtually. Use digital marketing to promote your services and reach a wider audience. Online fitness trainers can also earn passive income by creating and selling workout programs and fitness ebooks.

8. Provide bug testing services

Companies building software need people to test their products for potential bugs. You can offer your services to these companies and build a profitable business. While most companies hire testers via platforms like UserTesting , you can create your own website and offer specialized services. Landing direct clients will allow you to charge higher rates than what you’d get through third-party platforms.

9. Produce videos for clients

YouTube is the second largest website in the world, so it’s no surprise that video is now a main communication medium for businesses of all types and sizes. If you have video filming or editing skills, you can quickly build your clientele. Offer to create promotional videos, product demos, training videos, or social media content for businesses .

10. Curate subscription boxes

Subscription boxes are themed packages of various products, from snacks to fitness gear. This business model lets you curate and bundle items around any theme you choose. You don’t need to create products—just source and package them. Subscription boxes are part of a growing industry, with sales expected to grow from $31.4 billion in 2023 to $36.8 billion in 2024 .

11. Develop websites

Website development is in constant demand, as businesses always try to upgrade and improve their websites for more sales. This means there’s an opportunity for you to start an online business around creating and managing websites. Start by learning web development or hiring skilled developers for your business. Once you have the skills or team in place, you can start pitching your services to potential clients.

12. Offer graphic design services

Companies worldwide need eye-catching visuals for websites, social media, and print materials. This makes graphic design a lucrative business opportunity. Start by building a portfolio showcasing your best work. Use social media and freelance platforms to attract clients. Networking at industry events can also help you find opportunities and build connections.

13. Create mobile apps

Another lucrative online business venture is app development. With businesses and consumers always looking for new and useful apps, there’s a high demand for skilled app developers. You don’t necessarily need advanced coding skills. Today, there are no-code app platforms that allow you to create apps with ease. Start by exploring tools like Adalo or Bubble to build and launch your first app.

14. Become a theme designer

A theme designer is responsible for creating the look and feel of a website. It’s a  profitable side hustle , since businesses often need updated and attractive designs. Start by researching popular themes, identifying their weaknesses, and designing better versions. You can also specialize in a specific industry to attract more clients and increase your chances of success.

15. Offer translation services

If you are fluent in more than one language but have no interest in teaching, consider translating. Many companies need their websites and materials translated when they enter new markets. You can help them achieve this while staying active in multiple languages. Keep in mind, the most common way of billing is by cost per word, so price wisely to make smart money from this great online business idea.

16. Provide remote customer service

If you enjoy helping people but don’t want to be stuck in a call center or office all day, become a remote customer service agent and help people from the comfort of your own home. Choose between helping people via chat, email, phone, video, or other ways, and save the day for people every day. This may not make you your first million, but it feels great to help others.

17. Work as a virtual assistant

This is one of the best online business ideas to pursue from home. As a virtual assistant, you will be handling various tasks, from data entry to research and writing content. Start looking for clients on platforms like Upwork and Fiverr . Building a portfolio showcasing your work can help distinguish you from other VAs.

18. Sell merchandise on marketplaces

Selling on marketplaces can be a sustainable online business. Platforms like eBay and Etsy make listing products and receiving payments easy. You can sell items at a higher price than you paid, buying in bulk or finding secondhand treasures. Optimize your listings to attract more buyers and track your sales to improve your strategy.

19. Start an affiliate marketing business

Affiliate marketing involves promoting a product or brand. It’s a great way to make money online by earning commissions on sales. To start, choose a niche, sign up for affiliate programs , and create content to attract customers. Some ways you can differentiate yourself include creating exclusive content for subscribers, developing a comparison site, or offering bonus materials for purchases through your link.

20. Offer lead generation services

Lead generation can be time-consuming, so many companies outsource it. If you’re good on the phone and enjoy researching and reaching out to strangers, this could be your calling. Start by building a list of potential leads, then reach out with tailored pitches. Use a customer relationship management (CRM) tool to track your progress and stay organized.

21. Become an influencer

An influencer is someone with a large follower base on social media. Businesses pay influencers to promote products or services to their audience. To become an influencer, choose a niche and create engaging content. Post regularly and interact with your followers. With time, you’ll build a following, and businesses will start noticing your profile.

22. Sell handmade goods

Selling handmade products online is a great way to turn your craft skills into a business. You can make jewelry, furniture, or picture frames in your spare time and sell them on Etsy or your own website. Research popular trends to see what products are in demand, so you can fill your catalog with items that attract buyers.

23. Become a private chef

If cooking is one of your personal passions, there are dozens of opportunities to turn it into a decent business venture. You can start by setting up a catering website, experimenting with pop-up food stalls and local food markets, or joining platforms that encourage cooking enthusiasts to squeeze some money out of their passion. And if you’re not camera-shy, you can teach people how to cook special meals by selling online classes.

24. Offer nutrition consulting

The trend of healthy eating is here to say. Yet with so much contradictory advice online about what’s good for us and what isn’t, more and more people turn to professional nutritionists for specialist tips and guidance. You can find free online courses to learn the fundamentals of this profession and start offering personalized nutrition plans online.

25. Start an online bakery

Starting an online bakery is a sweet business idea. You can bake and sell items like croissants, macaroons, or bagels from your home. It’s a good way to turn a passion for baking into profit. Use platforms like Shopify to set up your online store. Promote your bakery on social media and start taking orders.

26. Sell music

If you can write and produce music at home, selling it online is a great business idea. Commercial clients need music for ads and other projects. Use platforms like PremiumBeat , Epidemic Sound , and CD Baby to sell your tracks. These websites connect you with clients looking for high-quality music and handle the payouts.

27. Become an ad consultant

Ad consultants are in demand as businesses need help optimizing their outreach. You can capitalize on this trend by starting your own ad consultancy business. Start by familiarizing yourself with various ad platforms. Work with experienced consultants to gain practical experience. With the right knowledge and skills, you’ll be equipped to serve a wide range of clients.

28. Create a membership site

Membership websites earn money by selling subscriptions for premium content and community features. Instead of relying on ads, users pay directly for access. Create your own membership website by identifying a valuable niche and using membership software to set it up. Offer exclusive content, community access, and other perks to attract and retain subscribers.

29. Flip your thrift store finds

If you love hitting up thrift stores and hunting down great deals, flipping your thrift store finds is a great online business idea. Customers want unique items but don’t want to search through piles of old stuff. Position yourself as a curator who finds and sells those vintage treasures. Use popular marketplaces like Etsy and eBay, or build your own online store to sell directly and keep all the profits.

30. Become a proofreader

If you love reading, becoming a proofreader could be your calling. Have other people send you their manuscripts for books, research papers, or whatever else you are interested in reading about, and give them honest feedback before they publish their works. This job requires attention to detail and expertise in the area to ensure that everything is ready to print.

31. Sell mystery objects

Offering mystery boxes can be a fun way to combine your love for unique finds with a steady income. You can fill these boxes with unique items from thrift stores or flea markets. Start by creating an online store on platforms like Etsy or Shopify and adding the products you want to sell. Use social media to create buzz and curiosity—consumers should find your store exciting and be keen to explore what you have to offer.

32. Host a webinar

Webinars are online presentations that connect you with your audience in real-time. You can host a webinar on digital marketing, cooking, or any other topic you’re knowledgeable in. The most direct way to make money from your webinar is to charge a fee for attendance. You can also offer a free webinar and sell a product at the end. The ideal length of a webinar is 20 to 35 minutes in order to keep engagement high.

33. Offer remote tech support

If you have a solid background in IT, consider starting a remote tech support business. Small businesses often need tech assistance but can’t afford in-house staff. You can offer your expertise to solve their technical issues without straining their finances. The best part is, you can work from anywhere and set your own hours.

34. Sell art online

If you’re a painter, photographer, or musician, consider selling your work online. Platforms like Printify or Printful let you turn your creations into tangible products that consumers can integrate into their homes. You can also sell digital art by creating downloadable files and uploading them on Etsy or your own online store.

35. Publish your own book

If you’ve dreamed of publishing your own book, it’s now easier than ever with online publishers. Whether it’s a fantasy novel, a business guide, or a children’s story, you have options to self-publish. Use apps like Digital Downloads for ebooks or print-on-demand services like Lulu to sell your work. You can also explore marketplaces like Smashwords where multiple authors list their books for sale.

36. Become a narrator

Narrators provide voice talent for videos, films, and digital content. Many YouTube channels seek narrators. Some basic voice training can help you start a profitable career. You’ll need a good mic, like the Blue Yeti, and audio software. Record your voice-overs and send the files to clients. Freelance sites like Upwork and Fiverr are ideal for finding your initial gigs and building a client base.

37. Become an online wellness coach

Online wellness coaches offer personalized advice on diet, exercise, and stress management. Many people want help to improve their well-being, making this a great business opportunity. Start by getting certified in a health-related field and creating a website. With minimal startup costs, you’ll have more to invest in marketing and advertising your services.

38. Provide speechwriting services

If you have a knack for words, consider offering speechwriting services. Many people need well-crafted speeches for events like weddings or business presentations. You can be the one to help them express their thoughts clearly. Start by creating a portfolio to showcase your work—this will help you attract clients. Promote your services on freelancing platforms and social media to build a steady client base.

39. Teach a foreign language

Teaching a foreign language online is a great business idea. Many people want to learn new languages for travel or work. Start by offering virtual classes or tutoring sessions. Use platforms like Zoom and Skype to connect with students. You can also create language learning videos or ebooks to earn passive income.

40. Write resumes

People need strong résumés to get noticed by employers. You can start a business writing résumés tailored to each candidate’s industry. Use social media and job boards to advertise your services. Join forums and writing communities to engage with potential clients and build your reputation. Offering personalized, industry-specific résumés can bring you a steady stream of customers.

How to start an online business

Once you’ve finalized your online business idea, do your due diligence and get ready to bring it to life. Here are the steps for starting your business online:

1. Check if your idea has potential

Just because you think you have a great idea doesn’t mean there’s a market for it.

Before investing your time and energy, research how feasible it is and whether there’s any buyer interest. You can hire an agency to do market research or take a DIY approach if you’re on a budget.

After your research, write a business plan to clarify your ideas. This will help you stay organized and focused as you navigate the ups and downs of starting a new business.

2. Develop your product or service

You’ve validated your idea, now it’s time to turn it into reality. Whether you’re selling a product or service, you need to create it. Find a manufacturer to make your product, package your service offerings, or write your book and choose a self-publishing option.

If you go the dropshipping route, the product is already made. You just need to pick products you’re passionate about or that have a hot market. To help you, we’ve put together a  guide to finding the best products for dropshipping .

3. Streamline your business finances

Wondering how to open a business bank account? After you’ve registered your business, you’ll get the tax ID numbers and other details needed to set it upt.

As your business grows, you may need money for new products or marketing. A business bank account will help you manage funds and track income and expenses.

It also simplifies tax prep by keeping all business transactions together. As things get more complex, you might hire an accountant.

Pro tip: Looking for an easier way to manage your business finances? Shopify Balance is a free account that lets you handle your business money directly from your Shopify admin. No monthly fees, early payouts, and cashback on certain purchases.

4. Connect with partners, vendors, and suppliers

Running a product-based online business means building various business relationships. You’ll need to find a manufacturer, a dropshipper, or someone for logistics. Compare different options to ensure you’re getting the best deal for your needs.

Other online businesses might need different partnerships. If you’re creating an online course, for instance, you might hire a graphic designer and video editor.

5. Create your business website

To start your own business online, you need a functional website . To make sales, you’ll need to set up payment processing.

First, pick a business name. If you’re struggling, try using a name generator for ideas. You’ll need a name before you build your site.

Next, choose and purchase a domain name. Often, these cost less than $30 per year. Use a platform like WordPress to build your site and set up payment processing to start accepting orders immediately.

6. Promote your new small business

Securing your first sale is a big moment for any new business owner. Now that your store is live, it’s time to start spreading the word. Finding customers and crafting effective promotions takes effort and strategy.

With many marketing channels like social media and email marketing, it can be difficult to know where to start. Missteps can lead to wasted resources.

Here are some resources to help you market your business:

• 5 Free Marketing Channels You Should Prioritize
• 9 Marketing Strategies That’ll Level Up Your Online Store

Start your online business today

If you’ve thought about launching an online business, now is the perfect time to start. It doesn’t require a full commitment on your part. You can begin with a small side project and expand as you go. Enjoy the flexibility and freedom of building an online venture.

Online business ideas FAQ

How do you brainstorm online business ideas.

• Create a brainstorming board and jot down all your ideas.
• Come back later with new insights and tweak your list.
• Seek input from friends and family.
• Survey your current customers for fresh online business concepts.
• Explore search patterns using Google Trends.

How do I start a successful online business?

• Identify a niche market and solve its problems.
• Master persuasive writing to attract customers.
• Design and build your own website.
• Leverage social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
• Optimize your website for search engines (SEO).
• Establish yourself as an expert in your field.
• Deliver outstanding customer service.
• Create multiple streams of income.

Do I need an LLC to sell online?

You don’t need an LLC to start selling online, but it’s a good idea to get one. It helps protect your personal assets if your business faces legal issues or financial troubles. As a business owner, an LLC can offer peace of mind by reducing personal risk.

Want to learn more?

• Free Business Name Generator
• Wondering How to Grow Your Business? 4 Ways Dropshipping Can Help
• Business Ideas That Will Make You Money
• What Should You Sell Online

18 of My Favorite Sample Business Plans & Examples For Your Inspiration

Published: July 01, 2024

I believe that reading sample business plans is essential when writing your own.

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As you explore business plan examples from real companies and brands, it’s easier for you to learn how to write a good one.

So what does a good business plan look like? And how do you write one that’s both viable and convincing? I’ll walk you through the ideal business plan format along with some examples to help you get started.

Table of Contents

Business Plan Types

Business plan format, sample business plan: section by section, sample business plan templates, top business plan examples.

Ultimately, the format of your business plan will vary based on your goals for that plan. I’ve added this quick review of different business plan types that achieve differing goals.

For a more detailed exploration of business plan types, you can check out this post .

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1. Startups

Startup business plans are for proposing new business ideas. If you’re planning to start a small business, preparing a business plan is crucial. The plan should include all the major factors of your business.

You can check out this guide for more detailed business plan inspiration .

2. Feasibility Studies

Feasibility business plans focus on that business's product or service. Feasibility plans are sometimes added to startup business plans. They can also be a new business plan for an already thriving organization.

3. Internal Use

You can use internal business plans to share goals, strategies, or performance updates with stakeholders. In my opinion, internal business plans are useful for alignment and building support for ambitious goals.

4. Strategic Initiatives

A strategic business plan is another business plan that's often shared internally. This plan covers long-term business objectives that might not have been included in the startup business plan.

5. Business Acquisition or Repositioning

When a business is moving forward with an acquisition or repositioning, it may need extra structure and support. These types of business plans expand on a company's acquisition or repositioning strategy.

Growth sometimes just happens as a business continues operations. But more often, a business needs to create a structure with specific targets to meet set goals for expansion. This business plan type can help a business focus on short-term growth goals and align resources with those goals.

I’m going to focus on a startup business plan that needs to be detailed and research-backed as well as compelling enough to convince investors to offer funding. In my experience, the most comprehensive and convincing business plans contain the following sections.

Executive Summary

This all-important introduction to your business plan sets the tone and includes the company description as well as what you will be exchanging for money — whether that’s product lines, services, or product-service hybrids.

Market Opportunity

Information about gaps in your industry’s market and how you plan to fill them, focused on demand and potential for growth.

Competitive Landscape Analysis

An overview of your competitors that includes consideration of their strengths and how you’ll manage them, their weaknesses and how you’ll capitalize on them, and how you can differentiate your offerings in the industry.

Target Audience

Descriptions of your ideal customers, their various problems that you can solve, and your customer acquisition strategy.

Marketing Strategy

This section details how you will market your brand to achieve specific goals, the channels and tactics you’ll utilize to reach those goals, and the metrics you’ll be using to measure your progress.

Key Features and Benefits

This is where you’ll use plain language to emphasize the value of your product/service, how it solves the problems of your target audiences, and how you’ll scale up over time.

Pricing and Revenue

This section describes your pricing strategy and plans for building revenue streams that fit your audiences while achieving your business goals.

This is the final section, communicating with investors that your business idea is worth investing in via profit/loss statements, cash flow statements, and balance sheets to prove viability.

Okay, so now that we have a format established, I’ll give you more specific details about each section along with examples. Truthfully, I wish I’d had this resource to help me flesh out those first business plans long ago.

1. Executive Summary

I’d say the executive summary is the most important section of the entire business plan. It is essentially an overview of and introduction to your entire project.

Write this in such a way that it grabs your readers' attention and guides them through the rest of the business plan. This is important because a business plan can be dozens or hundreds of pages long.

There are two main elements I’d recommend including in your executive summary: your company description and your products and services.

Company Description

This is the perfect space to highlight your company’s mission statement and goals, a brief overview of your history and leadership, and your top accomplishments as a business.

Tell potential investors who you are and why what you do matters. Naturally, they’re going to want to know who they’re getting into business with up front. This is a great opportunity to showcase your impact.

Need some extra help firming up your business goals? I’d recommend HubSpot Academy’s free course to help you set meaningful goals that matter most for your business.

Products and Services

Here, you will incorporate an overview of your offerings. This doesn’t have to be extensive, as it is just a chance to introduce your industry and overall purpose as a business. I recommend including snippets of information about your financial projections and competitive advantage here as well.

Keep in mind that you'll cover many of these topics in more detail later on in the business plan. The executive summary should be clear and brief, only including the most important takeaways.

Executive Summary Business Plan Examples

This example was created with HubSpot’s business plan template . What makes this executive summary good is that it tells potential investors a short story while still covering all of the most important details.

Our Mission

Maria’s Gluten Free Bagels offers gluten-free bagels, along with various toppings, other gluten-free breakfast sandwich items, and coffee. The facility is entirely gluten free. Our team expects to catch the interest of gluten-free, celiac, or health-conscious community members who are seeking an enjoyable cafe to socialize. Due to a lack of gluten-free bagel products in the food industry currently, we expect mild competition and are confident we will be able to build a strong market position.

The Company and Management

Maria’s Gluten Free Bagels was founded in 2010 by Maria Jones, who first began selling her gluten-free bagels online from her home, using social media to spread the word. In 2012 she bought a retail location in Hamilton, MA, which now employs four full-time employees and six part-time employees. Prior to her bagel shop, Maria was a chef in New York and has extensive experience in the food industry.

Along with Maria Jones, Gluten Free Bagel Shop has a board of advisors. The advisors are:

• Jeni King, partner at Winding Communications, Ltd.
• Henry Wilson, president of Blue Robin, LLP.

Our Product

We offer gluten-free products ranging from bagels and cream cheese to blueberry muffins, coffee, and pastries. Our customers are health-conscious, community-oriented people who enjoy gluten-free products. We will create a welcoming, warm environment with opportunities for open mic nights, poetry readings, and other community functions. We will focus on creating an environment in which someone feels comfortable meeting a friend for lunch, or working remotely.

Our Competitive Advantages

While there are other coffee shops and cafes in the North Shore region, there are none that offer purely gluten-free options. This restricts those suffering from gluten-free illnesses or simply those with a gluten-free preference. This will be our primary selling point. Additionally, our market research [see Section 3] has shown a demand for a community-oriented coffee and bagel shop in the town of Hamilton, MA.

Financial Considerations

Our sales projections for the first year are $400,000. We project a 15% growth rate over the next two years. By year three, we project 61% gross margins.

We will have four full-time employees. The salary for each employee will be $50,000.

Start-up Financing Requirements

We are seeking to raise $125,000 in startup to finance year one. The owner has invested $50,000 to meet working capital requirements, and will use a loan of $100,000 to supplement the rest.

Example 2 :

Marianne and Keith Bean have been involved with the food industry for several years. They opened their first restaurant in Antlers, Oklahoma in 1981, and their second in Hugo in 1988. Although praised for the quality of many of the items on their menu, they have attained a special notoriety for their desserts. After years of requests for their flavored whipped cream toppings, they have decided to pursue marketing these products separately from the restaurants.

Marianne and Keith Bean have developed several recipes for flavored whipped cream topping. They include chocolate, raspberry, cinnamon almond, and strawberry. These flavored dessert toppings have been used in the setting of their two restaurants over the past 18 years, and have been produced in large quantities. The estimated shelf life of the product is 21 days at refrigeration temperatures and up to six months when frozen. The Beans intend to market this product in its frozen state in 8 and 12-ounce plastic tubs. They also intend to have the products available in six ounce pressurized cans. Special attention has been given to developing an attractive label that will stress the gourmet/specialty nature of the products.

Distribution of Fancy's Foods Whipped Dream product will begin in the local southeastern Oklahoma area. The Beans have an established name and reputation in this area, and product introduction should encounter little resistance.

Financial analyses show that the company will have both a positive cash flow and profit in the first year. The expected return on equity in the first year is 10.88%

Tips for Writing Your Executive Summary

• Start with a strong introduction of your company that showcases your mission and impact, then outline the products and services you provide.
• Clearly define a problem, explain how your product solves that problem, and show why the market needs your business.
• Be sure to highlight your value proposition, market opportunity, and growth potential.
• Keep it concise and support ideas with data.
• Customize your summary to your audience. For example, you might emphasize finances and return on investment for venture capitalists, whereas you might emphasize community benefits and minimal environmental impact for progressive nonprofits.

For more guidance, check out our tips for writing an effective executive summary .

2. Market Opportunity

This is where you'll detail the opportunity in the market. Ask and answer: Where is the gap in the current industry, and how will my product fill that gap?

To get a thorough understanding of the market opportunity, you'll want to conduct a TAM, SAM, SOM analysis , a SWOT analysis , and perform market research on your industry to get some insights for this section. More specifically, here’s what I’d include.

• The size of the market
• Current or potential market share
• Trends in the industry and consumer behavior
• Where the gap is
• What caused the gap
• How you intend to fill it

Market Opportunity Business Plan Example

I like this example because it uses critical data to underline the size of the potential market and what part of that market this service hopes to capture.

Example: The market for Doggie Pause is all of the dog owners in the metropolitan area and surrounding areas of the city. We believe that this is going to be 2/3 of the population, and we have a goal of gaining a 50% market share. We have a target of a 20% yearly profit increase as the business continues.

Tips for Writing Your Market Opportunity Section

• Focus on demand and potential for growth.
• Use market research, surveys, and industry trend data to support your market forecast and projections.
• Add a review of regulation shifts, tech advances, and consumer behavior changes.
• Refer to reliable sources.
• Showcase how your business can make the most of this opportunity.

3. Competitive Landscape Analysis

Since we’re already speaking of market share, you‘ll also need to create a section that shares details on who the top competitors are. After all, your customers likely have more than one brand to choose from, and you’ll want to understand exactly why they might choose one over another.

My favorite part of performing a competitive analysis is that it can help you uncover the following:

• Industry trends that other brands may not be utilizing.
• Strengths in your competition that may be obstacles to handle.
• Weaknesses in your competition that may help you develop selling points.
• The unique proposition you bring to the market that may resonate with customers.

Competitive Landscape Business Plan Example

I like how the competitive landscape section of this business plan shows a clear outline of who the top competitors are. It also highlights specific industry knowledge and the importance of location. This demonstrates useful experience in the industry, helping to build trust in your ability to execute your business plan.

Competitive Environment

Currently, there are four primary competitors in the Greater Omaha Area: Pinot’s Palette Lakeside (franchise partner), Village Canvas and Cabernet, The Corky Canvas, and Twisted Vine Collective. The first three competitors are in Omaha and the fourth is located in Papillion.

Despite the competition, all locations have both public and private events. Each location has a few sold-out painting events each month. The Omaha locations are in new, popular retail locations, while the existing Papillion location is in a downtown business district.

There is an opportunity to take advantage of the environment and open a studio in a well-traveled or growing area. Pinot’s Palette La Vista will differentiate itself from its competitors by offering a premium experience in a high-growth, influential location.

Tips for Writing Your Competitive Landscape

• Complete in-depth research, then emphasize your most important findings.
• Compare your unique selling proposition (USP) to your direct and indirect competitors.
• Show a clear and realistic plan for product and brand differentiation.
• Look for specific advantages and barriers in the competitive landscape. Then, highlight how that information could impact your business.
• Outline growth opportunities from a competitive perspective.
• Add customer feedback and insights to support your competitive analysis.

4. Target Audience

Use this section to describe who your customer segments are in detail. What is the demographic and psychographic information of your audience? I’d recommend building a buyer persona to get in the mindset of your ideal customers and be clear about why you're targeting them. Here are some questions I’d ask myself:

• What demographics will most likely need/buy your product or service?
• What are the psychographics of this audience? (Desires, triggering events, etc.)
• Why are your offerings valuable to them?

Target Audience Business Plan Example

I like the example below because it uses in-depth research to draw conclusions about audience priorities. It also analyzes how to create the right content for this audience.

The Audience

Recognize that audiences are often already aware of important issues. Outreach materials should:

• Emphasize a pollution-prevention practice
• Tell audience a little about how to prevent pollution
• Tell audience where they can obtain information about prevention.

Message Content

• Focus the content for outreach materials on cost savings, such as when and where pollution prevention is as cheap as or cheaper than traditional techniques. Include facts and figures.
• Emphasize how easy it is to do the right thing and the impacts of not engaging in pollution prevention.
• Stress benefits such as efficiency or better relations with government, for businesses not primarily concerned with public image.

Tips for Writing Your Target Audience Section

• Include details on the size and growth potential of your target audience.
• Figure out and refine the pain points for your target audience , then show why your product is a useful solution.
• Describe your targeted customer acquisition strategy in detail.
• Share anticipated challenges your business may face in acquiring customers and how you plan to address them.
• Add case studies, testimonials, and other data to support your target audience ideas.
• Remember to consider niche audiences and segments of your target audience in your business plan.

5. Marketing Strategy

Here, you‘ll discuss how you’ll acquire new customers with your marketing strategy. I think it’s helpful to have a marketing plan built out in advance to make this part of your business plan easier. I’d suggest including these details:

• Your brand positioning vision and how you'll cultivate it.
• The goal targets you aim to achieve.
• The metrics you'll use to measure success.
• The channels and distribution tactics you'll use.

Marketing Strategy Business Plan Example

This business plan example includes the marketing strategy for the town of Gawler. In my opinion, it works because it offers a comprehensive picture of how they plan to use digital marketing to promote the community.

You’ll also learn the financial benefits investors can reap from putting money into your venture rather than trying to sell them on how great your product or service is.

This business plan guide focuses less on the individual parts of a business plan, and more on the overarching goal of writing one. For that reason, it’s one of my favorites to supplement any template you choose to use. Harvard Business Review’s guide is instrumental for both new and seasoned business owners.

7. HubSpot’s Complete Guide to Starting a Business

The Best AI Tools for Ecommerce & How They'll Boost Your Business

23 of My Favorite Free Marketing Newsletters

The 8 Best Free Flowchart Templates [+ Examples]

What is a Business Plan? Definition, Tips, and Templates

7 Gantt Chart Examples You'll Want to Copy [+ 5 Steps to Make One]

How to Write an Executive Summary Execs Can't Ignore [+ 5 Top Examples]

20 Free & Paid Small Business Tools for Any Budget

Maximizing Your Social Media Strategy: The Top Aggregator Tools to Use

The Content Aggregator Guide for 2024

2 Essential Templates For Starting Your Business

Marketing software that helps you drive revenue, save time and resources, and measure and optimize your investments — all on one easy-to-use platform

Home > Business > Business Startup

The Complete Guide To Starting An Online Business

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Starting a business is sometimes scary and almost always challenging. It might seem overwhelming at first, but that is completely normal. And we owe you a massive congratulations. You have an idea good enough to share with the world, and that’s a big deal! You’ve officially gone further than most hopeful entrepreneurs. You’ve made the decision to get online and figure out how to turn this idea into a money-making business. So, let’s talk logistics. 

When I first started my own business, I panicked over taxes, finances, and marketing. I felt so behind that first year because I didn’t have anything figured out before launching my site. Then, when I did launch, I had to check all these boxes while I was knee-deep in the stress of maintaining my business. I had no idea which holes I hadn’t filled until they imploded and quadrupled my stress, since I had to put out fires that were completely preventable. 

To help you avoid the same mistakes I did when I launched my business, we've put together this guide to starting your small business online. Read through our eleven steps below to officially start your business off on the right track.

How to Launch a Small Online Business

• Vet your idea
• Identify your audience
• Choose your business name
• Write your business plan
• Sort out your branding
• Build your website prototype
• Test and validate your product
• Nail down your processes for delivering your product
• Make it legal
• Deal with your finances
• Launch your business

1. Vet your idea

First things first: you gotta vet your idea. 

Before jumping in head first, you need to be 100% confident (or at least 90%) confident that your idea is worth it—worth the time, sacrifice, stress, anxiety, frustration, and ego hits. 

It’s worth remembering that no matter what type of business you own (or how good your idea is), you’ll definitely experience ups and downs within the first 10 years. Some of these ups will be sky-high, and some of these downs will be depressingly low. 

But if you believe in your idea enough, you will persevere—you can absolutely come out the other side with an awesome business, which is an amazing way to spend your time and earn a living. On the other hand, if you’re shaky about your plans, this will be a tricky first decade for you. To make sure you’re on the right track, let’s talk about how to vet an idea:

While vetting your business idea, ask yourself these five questions: 

• How big is your potential audience? Are enough people interested in this type of product or service that you have a stable audience for sales? 
• Is your product or service something customers buy once and move on? Or is there a chance for building a repeat customer base? 
• Is your business idea going to be a passing trend like low-rise jeans, or does it have a long-term possibility like pencils? 
• What is your competition? For instance, if you are setting up a fry bread cafe, are there other fry bread cafes in the area? If there are, what unique element will set your business apart from the competition? 
• Will your business have any legal issues or limitations? For instance, are you creating something with strict regulations that make it trickier to market? Are you passionate enough about your idea that you’re willing to deal with the ups and downs and chaos of starting a business?

Once you’ve vetted your idea by asking yourself the questions above, getting advice from people you trust, and even speaking with an accountant or business banker about your business’s viability, it’s time to move on to the fun stuff—like choosing a name for your budding business.

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2. Identify your audience (or your target market)

Arguably, the most ignored aspect of building a business is identifying a specific audience. A lot of fresh entrepreneurs hesitate to hone in on one demographic because they believe their product or service can and should help everyone. Depending on the product, that might be true—but it still creates a watered-down, generic brand that doesn’t catch anyone’s attention of anyone. 

Our advice? Don’t fall for the trap of thinking everyone is your audience. There’s no way you can market to everyone and still have a unique brand. 

In contrast, if you are clear on who you are selling to, then you will attract people who actually want your product—which means your business is likelier to last. 

To take this a little further, remember that the best brands are aspirational. In other words, while you should start with the people who want your product, you should eventually expand into finding people who want to want your product. This means you will inherently cast a wider net than just your target market—but you will not catch much of anyone without a target market. Start there.

If you can really hone in on exactly who your dream customer is, you then know how to market your product to them. A good exercise to do here is to write your dream customer’s profile or buyer persona: 

• What is your ideal customer’s name? Age? Occupation? Hobbies? 
• What food do they like? What food do they dislike? 
• Do they have a family? 
• How much money do they make, and how much disposable income do they have? What are their hopes and goals? 

Now, ask yourself: Does a person like this actually exist? If so, now you know which social media platforms to target, where to buy ad space, and what tone your advertising should take. 

Having a hard time answering the questions above? Start by identifying who is not your audience. List the qualities of the person who is not your target audience, and narrow things down from there.

Again, you can have more than one target audience, but you should try to be as specific as possible for each one.

3. Choose your business name

Choosing a business name is where the fun starts. For one thing, your business’s name is the first point of contact between your business and your consumers. It also gives customers the first glimmer of your personality and is the place where your branding will shine. 

Remember, your name is also how the legal world will note your business. It also helps Google determine how to position your website when someone searches for your product or similar product on the internet. If your name is confusing, long or even too similar to other business names, you might be positioned at the bottom of the search results page. 

In other words, your business’s name is important. 

When it comes to business names, entrepreneurs tend to overthink, overthink, and, overthink some more. Sometimes, it feels like the trickiest part of starting a business, so here are some tips for figuring out the perfect name.

Keep it simple and short

Shoot for one to two words. You don’t want the name to be a chore for your customers to remember. Make it as easy as possible for your customers to think only of your service or product when they hear your name. You also want the name to fit neatly on a price tag or as a hashtag (always keep that social media marketing in mind)

For a good example of a short, simple brand name, consider Macintosh computers and Apple products. When someone says the word “apple,” most people now think of the computers before they think of the fruit. It’s a simple name, but with excellent marketing, the company completely co-opted the fruit.

Dare to get personal

Don’t be afraid to think of something quirky, weird, and maybe even a little kooky. For instance, many small online clothing businesses include the name of the owner’s grandmother in the title, or maybe of the owner’s children who inspired the clothing. 

Or if something from your hometown (or even a particular food) means something to you, consider including that as part of the name. This type of personality flair makes marketing the founder’s story even clearer (read: makes you more marketable). It’ll also provide an easy framework for storytelling within your marketing plans. 

These personal details will also help customers feel a sentimental connection to the brand. Sentimentality is an effective tool for building loyalty.

Be original

Make sure there are not other companies filed under the same name or an adjacent name.  You don’t want to confuse your potential customers or investors, and you also don’t want to confuse Google, which might pull up your company’s name and location while filling in product information from a completely unrelated company that happens to share your business’s name.

Search domain names, URLs, and social media handles for your would-be business name. Don’t forget to simply Google the name either. If you are dead set on your chosen name, consider tweaking it a little just to set it apart.

4. Write your business plan

Your business plan is a structured document that gets all your brilliant ideas down on paper. You’ll show it to investors (like angel investors or traditional lenders like banks) to demonstrate that your ideas are worth investing in. While you can modify your business plan from year to year, try to think about it as your business’s foundational document—this is how you design the path to making your dream work. 

You can create your business plan as early or late as you want before launching your business, but I highly recommend doing this early because it will reveal any flaws in your idea. The plan itself might feel redundant, but don’t speed through this. Consider it a proposition for the world to take your idea seriously.  

Executive Summary

This is your elevator pitch. Simply sum up what your business is, how it will function, and what success you anticipate. It should be brief and to the point. 

Company Description

This section should be a detailed description of what problems your company solves. It should also focus on who your company is serving and how you are serving that population.

Market Analysis

Who is your competition? Your investors will want to know you’ve done the research to find out that yours is a good idea, or that there is even a demand for this service or product. Along with showing that there is competition, this section of your business plan should point out what the competitors are doing better than you—and what you plan to do better than your competition.

Management and Organization

What kind of business is this? Is it an LLC, INC or DBA? How big is your business, and what is its structure? Most any business structure is fine—but remember: remember...stay away from pyramid schemes. (We say this mostly because they’re pretty similar to illegal pyramid schemes, but also because they can take advantage of women and marginalized populations.)

Products and Services

What exactly are you selling? List out each product, including each variation of your main product or service, as well as your pricing. Keep this portion of your business plan as clean and organized as possible (a spreadsheet will likely be a useful tool here). You will probably add to this list as you launch your business and continue to grow.

Marketing & Sales

How do you plan to let people know what you are selling? Many business owners use social media, local newspapers, radio ads, billboards, or even a combination of everything. The point is that you need to have a plan. 

Another angle to consider is what medium your audience primarily uses. For instance, if you’re focusing on a product that primarily serves older communities, you’ll want to focus on Facebook advertisements. If you’re focused on a younger population, TikTok ads will probably serve you better. Consider how you can use your audience’s preferred same media to get your message across. And what sort of posts or commercials will you create that both fit your brand and speak to your dream consumer? 

Funding Requests

Outline your funding requirements. This is where you get specific on how much you need and how each dollar will be spent. It’s also where you explain the lending and investment terms you would like and whether you are looking for debt or equity. The more specific you are, the better. Answer basic questions like how long you’ll need funding and how exactly you’ll use it. Most importantly, be overly detailed and incredibly tedious with this information—investors prefer more information when making a decision about whether or not your business is worth their time and money.

Financial Projections

Because you haven’t launched your business yet, this is where you will keep track of your monthly and/or quarterly projections. Throw in graphs, charts, and anything else that will tell your financial story as easily and quickly as possible. This section can be updated and added upon after you launch, but you should definitely keep track of your financial projects throughout the life of your business. Set routine goals to keep yourself motivated and on track.

Keep your business plan close by and allow it to remain a living document as you grow and learn new things. Even if you never end up presenting it to anyone, it will keep you focused and aware of when things are not lining up for you.

5. Define your brand identity

Last year, I taught a business class to high schoolers., These were Gen Z brilliant students who knew the internet forward and backward. They used the word “branding” casually, but they didn’t quite understand the ins and outs of branding a company. So we did what I like to call “the Starbucks exercise.”

I asked them to get out a piece of paper and write their answers to my questions: If Starbucks were a person, what gender are they? Do they smoke? What age are they? Do they have a family? A partner? Kids? A dog or a cat? What kind of outfit is Starbucks wearing? 

The majority of students had the same answers. To them, Starbucks was a white middle class lady who used to smoke cigarettes. She is a straight cis female with a couple of kids and a cat. She is stressed and she wears yoga pants a lot. 

These students were all from different homes and all had different relationships with the coffee brand— but they all had the same general understanding of what this brand was. And that’s the power of strong, consistent branding. 

If you can create a set understanding of what your company is if it were a person, you are golden. Creating a brand like this means you know exactly who you are marketing to. And having such a specific focus also means that you can attract the right customers. You will know which aspects of your company to negotiate in order to attract your target audience and expand from there.

What gender are they? Do they smoke? What age are they? Do they have a family? A partner? Kids? A dog or a cat? What kind of clothes do they wear? What is their income bracket? What type of music do they listen to?

Another helpful exercise is to try to describe your company with one word. Examples include: sleek, economical, efficient, retro, conscious, powerful, and rejuvenating. Practice this with your own business, and then make branding decisions based on that word. 

Now that you have an understanding of what your brand is, consider your unique selling point, words, colors, and logo.

Figure out your unique selling point

What makes your brand different from other brands? Why should people choose your service or product over others? Is there an emotional reason (for instance, you’re a local, naturally sourced brand), a practical reason (maybe you’re more affordable or offer higher quality products), or a combination of both?  Frankly, if there is an emotional pull, run with that—people love an emotional connection to the product they’re buying.

To put it simply, think about your origin story and what YOU bring to the table. Then go from there.

Colors are important! They should work together to make a good story. They should not be in a contest with each other. If you look at your branding and feel confused or disturbed, it means that the colors are not doing you favors. 

Not sure what we mean by that? Well, there is an area of study called color psychology. This is how our brain responds to certain colors. 

For example, yellow is a trigger for discomfort and red is a trigger for hunger, which is why most fast food places use red and yellow in their branding. These colors are intended to inspire patrons to come and eat a lot (red) and then leave quickly because the yellow is so glaring. Blue is calming which is why most therapy offices paint their walls blue. 

Consider what emotions you want your clients to feel and Google which colors best make that happen.

Red - enhances human metabolism, increases respiration rate and raises blood pressure; associated with energy, strength, danger, war, determination, passion, desire, and love -- it attracts more attention than any other color

Green - slows human metabolism and has a calming effect, associated with tranquility and calmness, symbolizes growth, freshness, rebirth, fertility and is associated with nature (all things organic). 

Blue - Peaceful, honest, compassionate, authentic and sympathetic 

Brown - reserved, dependable and resilient 

Yellow - joyful, happy, intellectual, a lot of energy, stimulates mental activity and muscle energy, can bring feelings of anxiousness when overused, and is definitely an attention grabber. Commonly used to mean loyalty and in other settings cowardice. 

Pink - calming and vulnerable. Signifies gentleness and youthful innocence, very sweet and tender feelings

Purple - power, nobility, luxury and ambition, wealth and extravagance. Reminds mystery, creativity, independence and magic 

White - signifies safety and cleanliness. Reminds of purity, light, faith, innocence and goodness

Black - power, death, formality, fear of the unknown, often feels negative and reminds of grief

Color theory also tells you which color combinations are most pleasing to our eyes. A fun resource is the Adobe color wheel . This site allows you to jump in and look at different combinations of colors that work within these theories of which colors are most compatible.

This is where you get to tell your story. Use words that fit the tones of the colors you choose (or vice versa). Words like sleek, organic, fresh, and honest all feel good with greens, light pinks, and whites. Words like powerful, strong, and forthright match the tones of reds and blacks. Consider which words best describe the mood you are trying to convey.

Unless you have a design background and are good with graphic design, consider hiring someone else to design your logo. Before hiring someone, your job is simply to figure out a basic idea of what you want. This will require you to look at different branding, websites, and fonts to think about what really resonates with you. 

When I was trying to sort out my own branding, I came across an Instagram profile that posted old Russian products with pre-1990 branding. My family comes from Eastern Europe and many of my family members speak Slavic languages, so seeing these unique logos and fonts felt familiar to me. I decided to hire a designer who created a font that could have come straight from old cheese cans from Moscow 1955, something with a Slavic touch and retro vibe. You never know where you will find inspiration.

• Old branding. Look at old magazines or old boxes and just study those fonts and how the logos were made.
• Notice t-shirts. 
• Whenever you find yourself in a waiting room or watching tv, jump on Pinterest and create different boards of ideas or tones.
• Start following different designers on social media. A popular one is Aaron Draplin, and from him you should be able to find an entire community that posts different design and logo ideas. This should inspire you as you figure out what you want. 
• Album covers. Go to a record store and sort through different old school album covers. You will see some of the best branding there has ever been. 
• Instagram, Instagram, Instagram. We love to hate it, but if you tap into the design community, you will be blown away by the options. 
• The grocery store. Andy Warhol found art in advertising and sold his Campbell’s Tomato Soup renderings for millions of dollars. He described the soup can as brilliant art and branding. Go to the grocery store, pretend to be Andy Warhol, and look for art in the mundane.

6. Build your website

Whether you’re offering a newsletter or a physical product, you need to start creating a site so you can fund your business and find customers. 

To start creating your ideal website, start by asking a few key questions. What is the purpose of your site? Are you selling or just giving information? Does your site include a call to action like signing up for a newsletter or service? Or do you need an e-commerce site to collect credit card information and shipping? 

A ton of different website building platforms are built for small online business owners like you. With services like Wix , Squarespace , and Weebly , you can create a site and keep it dormant before launching for testing. 

Not sure how to build a website from the ground up? Find other websites that are doing similar things to you and follow their lead. It is okay to gain inspiration from multiple sources. (Just don’t copy and paste an entire site. Plagiarism will not go well for you.) 

Start simple. You don’t have to have a perfect product right away. Create a basic website, then have a friend go through it and tell you what they would love to see or use. 

As you start creating your site, Just make sure you have these basics: 

• A site map 
• High-quality images 
• A call to action on each page (“sign up for our email,” “click to purchase,” etc.)
• A contact page

You’ll also want to use proper SEO ( search engine optimization ) for any blogs and sites you create. If you’re not sure what that means, no worries—most website builders include some sort of SEO recommendations that will help optimize your content. 

			800+	About 300
			9000+	5000+
			500+	About 300
			100+	About 30
			100+	N/A

SEO is an acronym for “search engine optimization.” It is the method in attracting a higher quality and quantity of traffic to a site. 

The goal of SEO is to make it easier for Google to recognize what your site pages are about and then help users find the best solutions to their needs.

• Figure out where your site stands in terms of Google rankings. Use the Google toolbar or other monitoring tools (there are a lot). 
• Use keywords or phrases organically throughout your pages. Use keywords that people might be including in their searches. Feel free to Google your topic and see what other people are posting or searching. 
• Include these search terms in your URLs. 
• Attach descriptors to your images. 
• Use internal links to guide users to another page on your site. 
• Link to other sites or the site you are sourcing information from. 
• Make sure that your website is updated regularly and actually has high-quality information.

7. Test and validate your product

Test your product.

Before launching and advertising, you must test your product and see if it is actually meeting the needs it is setting out to meet. You can do this in the form of focus groups, which means sending the product to a few choice people who you know will be honest about their impressions. Then you can start sending and giving to others. Find a bigger audience by inviting people from your focus group to pass your product along to their friends and ask for their feedback as well.

Validate your product

Before really going crazy with scaling and production, you must validate the product . This means setting up pre-orders and selling in person (read: starting off small before you buy 6.000 scrunchy leopard print bracelets that will just sit in your garage). Produce a few items and try to sell them. If you can’t move those few, there is no way you will move 6,000. 

Validating your product tests whether your idea actually does have legs and whether you are the right person to move it forward. This can also be done by setting up pre-orders, launching a crowdfunding campaign, or selling person to person. Each of these tactics can act as a thermostat of where you are in meeting a need or want of your dream customer. 

If your product is not a tangible thing and is content– or service-based, start promoting it through advertising. Consider offering a free service to get feedback before you start to sell. See what happens. Once again, if no one bites, it’s time to find another idea for your small business.

8. Nail down your processes for delivering your product

By now, you should have a good sense of your business’s organization, branding, and purpose. Now, it’s time to dig deeper into the nitty gritty part of building a company. 

Let’s start by asking a few questions. 

If you are using an online store to sell a product, ask yourself:

• Where are you going to store your inventory? 
• Would you rather mail each product yourself, or should you outsource via dropshipping ? 
• Who is making your product? 
• Are ethics and sustainability a part of your brand?  
• Do you need design help and how long term do you need the help to be? 

If you are selling a service, ask yourself: 

• Exactly what service are you offering? 
• What are your price points? 
• What size of jobs are you accepting? 
• What are you willing to negotiate with clients? 

Whether you’re selling a product or service, we recommend getting support that can help you save time and money as you hammer out the logistics of running your business. Here are some of the most crucial tools to consider:  

• Accounting software. We live in a wonderful time when there are trillions of options for different accounting apps. Different programs are tailored to different needs and include different price points as you grow. Check out our  list of the best accounting software for small businesses . 
• Email marketing. Email marketing benefits your SEO and builds trust with your customers—potential, past, and current. This is the one chance you have to speak directly with the people you are hoping to impact with your service. This is where you can ask them questions and remind them that you exist.
• Project management. If you are anything like me, you tend to procrastinate and get frazzled when things get off track. Just like accounting apps and software, finding the right project management tool can make a huge difference. We all work differently, so find the tool that makes the most sense for your brain and also your company’s needs.

9. Make it legal

Research licensing and government regulations.

Different states have different laws on what’s legal to sell, where, and how. These regulations can be quite complex, and there may be legal problems if you make a wrong move. 

Go ahead and Google your state laws. If you find any regulations that might affect your business,  definitely reach out to your county officials and they can guide you. If you feel like your business is in a gray area, consider investing in a lawyer as you set up your business.

Pick a business structure

A business structure is integral both for filing your taxes and your own liability.

Business Structure
Best for	Startups	This is for people who are going by a different business name but are not creating a new company. Usually DBA filers are sole proprietors.	This is for a bigger company that plans to go public or global and issue shares.
How it's unique	This gives you the most flexibility in how you manage your business. A board of directors is not required and you can have unlimited members.	It’s easy and it is not a legal entity.	You have as many owners/shareholders as you would like. These owners can get preferred stock.
Liabilities	You are not held personally on the hook for business liabilities.	You are personally liable for any business liabilities.	You are not personally liable for business debts.
Drawbacks	There is a lot of paperwork and fees the state requires of you throughout your existence. You can never go public or be recognized globally, so you may be taxed internationally in different ways.	If the ship goes down, you do too. There is no personal protection from liability.	Lots of filings and fees. Stricter management rules about meetings and record keeping.

10. Get your finances in order

Dealing with finances is usually where first-time entrepreneurs start panicking. They have an awesome idea, but they didn’t major in accounting and have no idea what to do about money . 

The first move is to figure out what accounting software you want to use(hopefully you figured that out in step seven). 

Next, we need to draw the line between your personal self and your business self. Your business profile needs to stay distinct from your personal finances.  

How do you separate the two? Just like how you have a social security number, your business needs its own identification number (this is called an employer identification number , or EIN) and bank account. Not only does this make sure you are not going to get into a jam with the IRS, but setting up a business EIN and bank account helps prove that your business is, well, yours. You will get your business identification number when you register your business with your state. 

Next, you need to get a business bank account and credit card . Open an account that will work best for you, whether that is through using a high yield savings account or an account with limited fees. Make sure that you are checking your credit card statement and your bank account weekly so you can stay on top of cash flow. 

Go to your bank and speak with someone about opening the right account for your needs. Your business banker will be your best friend—they can offer much better advice on different accounts and their benefits than anyone else. 

Be mindful that most of your money will go quickly in the beginning. You will be spending it on building your inventory and trial and error with marketing. If those startup costs are too big for your pocketbook, consider finding angel investors or crowdfunding . 

Starting at $0/month, Lili offers a checking account with time-saving tax optimization and accounting features specifically built for entrepreneurs.

11. Launch your business

You’ve done it! You’ve gone through all the major steps to get your business off the ground, and now you’re ready to launch. Publish your website and start getting the word out by leaning into social media and other advertising methods-. Using your brand identity and chosen colors and logo, be liberal in sharing your new project with the world to find customers. 

Most importantly, be confident . There will undoubtedly be ups and downs, but remember—you are providing something that people want. You’ve been through vetting and product testing and you know yours is a good idea. Hold onto that while you are weathering these early storms because yes, the initial phases are hard, but you’ve got this! 

Phew, you made it to the end—nicely done! Thanks for sticking with us, and best of luck to you with your small business. We know you're going to do great.

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100 Best Online Business Ideas for Beginners

Darren DeMatas

September 4, 2024

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In addition to receiving commissions generated through affiliate marketing, we are able to fund our independent research and reviews at no extra cost to our readers. Learn more.

It’s easier than ever before to start an online business , even without any formal education or business experience. 

If you’re looking for a list of online business ideas for beginners, I’ve got you covered. 

Nah, we’re not talking about little side hustles here. Although, you can make legit money online with a side hustle. 

In this post we’re diving into viable businesses that allow you to be your own boss.

I’ve marketed websites professionally for almost two decades. In the last ten years, I transitioned to full time online entrepreneurship. Over the years, I’ve learned what types of businesses work well online and those that don’t.

I currently have two affiliate businesses, a B2B ecommerce startup and I co-own a marketing agency . Though that’s where I am now, that came on the heels of failure. 

In the beginning, I had a wholesale retail brand with a partner. We found that we were selling other brands at such a low price to compete that we slowly killed our profit margin. You won’t find wholesale or retail arbitrage on this list.

Without further ado, let’s jump into these businesses that anyone can start and run from home.

1. Start a Blog

Even if you don’t consider yourself a tech whiz, you can start your blog with little to no website design experience. If you know how to monetize it , you can build your blog into quite a lucrative source of income. That doesn’t mean you can build a blog and expect money to come in overnight. 

You must create content consistently and develop a way to sell something through the blog, whether it be sponsored posts, coaching services, ad space through networks like Google AdSense, affiliate products, or even digital products that you make yourself.

All you need to get started is web hosting and a domain.

It’s a pretty simple business model. The more quality blog posts you produce, the more revenue you can make. As long as you are able to build links to your blog.

The most successful blogs tend to be what many call a niche blog . By focusing on one core area of content you are passionate about, you’ll be able to attract more targeted readers to your blog posts, who are likely to buy the products and services you recommend.

Take for instance my friend, Adam Enfroy . He’s a digital marketer turned blogger on pace to hit 7 figures with his blog.

2. Sell Feet Pics Online

It sounds weird, sure, but selling feet pics online can be a lucrative venture. You don’t have to have “pretty” feet to get started, since there are a ton of niches to work with. And you’re not limited to selling to people with foot fetishes – you can sell to stock photo sites and marketing agencies, too.

3. Start a Subscription Box

Subscription boxes are everywhere you look these days, it seems so why not take a piece of that pie for yourself? No matter what you’re interested in, chances are there is an ecommerce subscription box service out there for it. Think about Dollar Shave Club , Loot Crate , Bawdy Bookworms , and Hunt a Killer . All of these are monthly subscription services that cater to entirely different audiences.

Bawdy Bookworms launched with a quarterly box, but added a lower cost monthly option to its business model. In less than one year, Bawdy Bookworms was able to double its sales by adding a smaller, more frequent option for its customers.

To boost your earning potential even more, you can open a separate online store where you sell past boxes or items that were in past boxes. It’s a great way to get rid of overstock and capture customers who aren’t ready to commit to a full subscription.

Want a sales team out there working for you without having to pay them a dime until they make a sale? Start your own affiliate marketing program so that others can promote your products and ideas.

4. Start an Advertising Network

If you have a group of niche blogs with decent traffic, you can sell ad space. Once you have a decent number of advertisers participating, you can invite other website owners and bloggers to join your advertising network to earn money with ad revenue.

5. Affiliate Marketing

As an affiliate marketer , you earn a commission when you promote someone else’s product. You can do this with information products like ebooks, video series, membership sites, etc., you can earn up to 50% in commission sales, and there are relatively low barriers to entry. You can become an Amazon affiliate and earn with the Amazon Associates program. To be successful, you need a knowledge of SEO in copywriting, but that is relatively easy to learn with a bit of research online. 

 Affiliate marketers often use various marketing strategies, including SEO, social media, frequent blogging , and pay per click ads to generate traffic and sales. If you’re not familiar with any of these, it can be a good idea to hire an SEO consultant to help you as you are starting an online business. This way, you can take your time as you learn the skills yourself.

If you’ve got an idea, chances are there is a business online already that you can use to make money with their affiliate programs. Once you get one business up and running, you might want to explore other affiliate marketing programs in different niches to increase your earning potential.

6. Ad Management 

Take a look at all of the local businesses in your area. Chances are, the majority of them would love to get more customers but don’t know how to do it. You come in and help them work on Facebook Ad or Google Ad campaigns to increase their business. Many small business owners are willing to pay for help learning about and managing pay per click ads.

7. Digital Marketing

As digital content and digital marketing demand continue to grow, many businesses can’t afford a full digital marketing department. As such, they reach out to digital marketing firms. Start your own just by taking some free online courses on digital marketing.

8. Search Engine Optimization

SEO is a crucial part of bringing people to your website online. It’s what helps you rank better in search engines. In an SEO consulting business, you analyze websites and give webmasters feedback on what they can do to improve their rankings. Keep in mind, however, to be a successful SEO consultant, it’s about more than just throwing keywords in the right places.

9. Lead Generation

Businesses are always looking for new leads because they are the lifeblood of business. When you work as a lead generator, you match customers to potential companies they would like to work with to solve their problems.

10. Social Media Management

If you love Facebook, Instagram, and various other social media platforms, a social media management business may be the answer. If you’re good at creating content and engaging with your audience, you can work as a social media manager to help other businesses do the same. Thanks to scheduling tools, this business is great for scaling. 

11. Become an Influencer

Whether you become an Instagram influencer or use another platform like YouTube, you can use your status to earn through sponsored posts, advertising campaigns, events, and more. Many businesses use influencer marketing to reach their ideal customers. With sites like:

• SocialBakers

You can be connected with businesses who want to spread the word about their products.

12. Start a Podcast

Like blogs, podcasts can be a great income generator. As your podcast grows, you can offer paid sponsorships as well as selling your own products and services. With podcasts, you’ll earn your listeners’ trust, which makes it more likely they will purchase whatever you’re offering.

Research shows the number of Americans listening to a podcast every week has grown 120% over the last five years . 90 million listen to a podcast monthly.  

To start a podcast, you don’t need any expensive or fancy audio equipment. It helps to have the episodes transcribed for accessibility and content marketing purposes.

John Lee Dumas, creator of the Entrepreneur on Fire podcast earns more than $250,000/month podcasting.

13. Start a Podcast Network

Let’s say you liked the idea of starting a podcast, so you’ve got one now. You can expand on that business idea to create additional podcasts until you have a complete network. Invite other podcasters to join your network, too. You’ll get increased visibility and can build an income by selling ads.

14. Start a Voiceover Business

All videos and ads need voiceover work. As long as you have a decent microphone and basic sound editing skills, you can produce quality recordings. You’ll be able to find work with independent production companies, ad agencies, and more.

15. Sound Editing and Post-Production

If you can use editing software, you can build an online business helping others make music and videos that sound great. You can edit podcasts, audio tracks for videos, master music, etc. 

16. Online Video Production

Videos are a great marketing tool, and if you can master that type of content creation, you’ll have no shortage of clients to work with. Combine it with social media management, and you’ll be that much more marketable.

17. Virtual Assistant

Virtual assistants (VAs) help with administrative tasks like managing email, scheduling appointments, and handling data entry. For companies that don’t want to hire in-house staff, VA businesses are the solution. Businesses can save as much as 78% on operational costs compared to a full-time employee.

Thinking bigger? You can also start your own virtual assistance business where you match other virtual assistants with clients. Similar to how a staffing agency works.

If you are good at managing people, this is a great small business idea for online entrepreneurs. 

18. Pinterest Virtual Assistant

This is similar to a traditional VA business but focusing on helping companies strengthen their presence on Pinterest. In this role, you help build a Pinterest marketing strategy, create pinnable graphics, set up boards, scheduling pins throughout the day, etc. 

19. Freelance Writing

Are you a decent writer? Are you willing to learn? Do you know a couple of different niches? You can start a freelance writing business providing content for other companies. You can use your own blog as a portfolio to help you get started. 

20. Self-Publishing

If you’ve ever thought about writing a book, writing an ebook is a great way to break into the market. You don’t need anything special to do it. All you have to do is convert your Word or Google Doc into a PDF, and you can list your digital product for sale through Amazon’s Kindle Direct self-publishing service. The more books you write, the more money you make. 

21. Technical Writer

Ever wonder who writes instruction manuals for electronics help guides for new software? Those are technical writers. If you enjoy writing and the technical side of things, then being a technical writer may be right for you.

22. Resume Writing

People are always looking for jobs. Some of those job seekers may look to others to improve their resumes and cover letters. Your services can help them get hired for their dream job. 

23. Speech Writing

A great speech is something many people need, but an art few have mastered. If you’re a writer who enjoys crafting presentations, you could build an online service business with speechwriting. You can also offer press releases (more on that below) and other public relations writing.

24. Grant Writer

 Grant and proposal writers help non-profits secure the funding they need to continue operations. Grant writers convince organizations to award funds to give the money to a particular non-profit.

It’s not an easy profitable online business idea to start, though, because it can be tough to break into. If you want to learn more about it, look into some of the American Grant Writers’ Association courses.

25. Press Release Writer

Do you enjoy telling stories? Do you love the idea of telling a compelling story in a limited amount of space that follows a specific format?

Press releases are much shorter than ebooks or grants, so that means each word needs to pack a punch. But, if you’re an effective communicator, you can earn some big bucks crafting press releases.

You can offer these as part of larger content packages for businesses or as part of your public relations business.

26. Copywriter

Copywriters can earn six figures or more writing sales copy for businesses. To make those big bucks, though, you must be able to write content that attracts potential customer attention and then convinces them to buy. The higher the conversion rate you earn for your clients, the more valuable you become.

To learn more or to hone your skills, take a look at the Copyblogger blog. Within the site, there’s a place where you can find webinars and ebooks to help you improve as a writer.

27. Editing and Proofreading

As an editor and proofreader, you look for the weak points in a story or other writing pieces and help the writer improve it. If you’ve got an eye for detail, then working in an editing and proofreading business can be a lucrative source of income.

28. Transcription

Digital transcription involves taking audio or video files and creating a written transcript of everything that’s said. Transcribing requires a bit more equipment to get started, but this could be a great business idea for you if you type fast.

29. Web Design

Do you have the knowledge and skill to create a website from scratch and customize it to your client’s needs? That’s all it takes. Of course, you do need your own killer website to market your services.

30. Web Developer

Web developers are the people working behind the scenes to write the code that designers use to build websites.

If the idea of coding for a living makes you happy, you can get started with various freelance gig websites. As you build a portfolio, you can strike out on your own to build clients.

If you don’t know anything about web development or coding but want to learn, there are plenty of online classes to help you get started.

31. Web Maintenance

 Beyond website design and development , website maintenance is a huge part of running an online business. The majority of people don’t know how to handle updates, backups, server issues, and website security. It’s a great way to generate a recurring monthly income.

32. Web Hosting

If you’re in web design or development, it makes sense to offer web hosting to clients as well. Many web hosting companies like Liquid Web offer reseller plans that put you in control. If you’re not in design and development, you can partner with someone to provide a full-service solution.

33. Website Flipper

An easy way to make money is to invest in online business ideas that are already profitable. Buy an existing website, hold onto it for a bit to build it up, and sell it for a profit once it has increased in value. Flippa is a leading marketplace to connect buyers and sellers.

34. Domain Flipper

This is the same concept as flipping websites, except with this one, you’re buying domain names and selling them again to someone for a profit. There is no website to go along with it.

You can also work as a domain broker, who finds the owners of domains for interested buyers and makes a deal. You’ll earn a portion of the sale for a finder’s fee.

35. Software Testing

All software, websites, and tech products need to be tested for bugs or other issues before going public. You can create an online business based on testing others’ software to find bugs, websites to report on usability, and so on. You can start with crowd-testing platforms like Userlytics , Utest , and Testbirds . You can also start your own business for quality control.

36. Build a Membership Site

Membership sites are a typical online business idea that brings people together for a long-term perspective. Membership sites allow members to access tools, online courses , and other types of products. Running and maintaining your membership site can be a little demanding but can bring in a steady stream of recurring income.

37. Sell Your Knowledge

If you’re an expert at something, take your knowledge and turn it into digital products and services. For instance, you can create an online course or ebook. 

No matter how crazy your idea may seem, do a bit of research to see if there are currently any courses out there that cover it. You’ll see what the competition is doing and how you make yours different. When you find something you feel confident in, start looking at domain names and build it out.

38. Build Apps

If you’re an app developer or willing to learn to become one, you have a virtually unlimited market for new mobile apps. You can make money developing apps for other people or partner with people to bring you ideas and marketing skills.

39. Graphic Design

If you consider yourself artistic and enjoy creating, consider graphic design. Graphic designers build sales pages, logos, web pages, and more. You don’t have to be great at drawing, and you don’t need a college degree or an expensive computer. All it takes to get started is some visual creativity and a portfolio to show to prospective clients. 

40. Build WordPress Themes

WordPress has many themes out there to choose from, but there’s still plenty of room in the market for new ones. If you’re a developer, you can build a source of passive income with custom themes. If your graphic designer, you can partner with a developer to turn your design into a workable WordPress theme.

41. Build WordPress Plugins 

WordPress plugins are essential for WordPress websites, so if you’ve got the technical knowledge it takes to create them, you can build a business. Plus, it’s scalable since you can license the software to as many WordPress users as you want. If you can’t build it yourself, you can partner with the developer.

42. Cryptocurrency Trading

Cryptocurrency is rapidly gaining popularity because there’s a lot of money to be made. If you’re okay with taking a risk and have a little bit of starting capital, you may want to try your hand at currency trading. Because it’s a volatile market, you can make money day trading as long as you’re willing to handle the risk.

43. Stock Trading

You don’t have to be a financial pro to make money in stock trading. Whether you dabble in fractional shares or have the startup capital to make some significant investments, you can earn some extra cash. Though this can be a profitable online business, it does require a certain amount of risk tolerance. If you’re not prepared to lose the money you put in, you may want to look into another small business idea.

44. Cryptocurrency Mining

Though it’s a bit more technical, setting up an online business focused solely on cryptocurrency mining or creating the mining rig makes you a lot of money. If you know basic mining from cloud mining, you’re one step ahead.

45. Bookkeeping and Accounting

You don’t have to be a certified public accountant to offer services to businesses. If you’ve got some experience and a knack for numbers, you can build a successful online business helping keep track of books for other companies.

46. Tax Prep

If you’re an accountant or otherwise familiar with tax preparation, you can start an online business dedicated to helping others prepare their tax returns. Though you’ll be busiest during tax season, you can stay busy year-round. 

47. Financial Planning

With a wide range of online investment tools, it’s an excellent time for the personal finance industry. Nearly half of the population has no plan for retirement . There’s a real need to plan for retirement and save for the future. Advisors do not need to work for large investment firms to build a financial planning business.

48.  Peer to Peer Lending

Traditional loans aren’t for everyone. With peer to peer lending, you connect borrowers to individual investors who want to make competitive returns with their money. It does require some capital to start, and there is risk involved.

49.  Make and Sell Candles

With a bit of wax, coloring, and essential oils, you can create candles or wax melts. Sell on Etsy, other online marketplaces, and through your own ecommerce site.

50. Make and Sell Jewelry

If you’re crafty, you can make your own jewelry and sell it on your own online store or Etsy. You can also source jewelry from manufacturers for dropshipping.

51. Soap and Lotion Making

Much like making candles and jewelry, you can make soaps, lotions, bath soaks, etc., and sell online with Etsy and other marketplaces.

52. Gift Basket Design

Gift baskets are still an option for friends, family, and coworkers. By having various supplies on hand for numerous occasions, you can put together various gift baskets and sell them. Creating several different packages to choose from gives you greater control over your profit margin.

Research shows that gifting food is becoming a widely accepted practical option during the coronavirus and beyond. The increase in food gifting is an opportunity for gift basket companies. 

53. Floral Arrangement

Fresh flowers are an integral part of weddings, Proms, and other events. If you’ve got an eye for design, you can start a successful business with floral arrangements. You’ll be able to make even more money if You have the option to include small gifts with the flower delivery.

54. Party/Event Planning

If you have a knack for planning parties, baby showers, weddings, etc., you can start an online business as an event planner.

To get started, pick a niche based on your skill set and market demand. For instance, you can focus on starting a business centered on weddings, birthday parties, or baby showers.

From there, build your niche website, then use social media and Facebook Ads to start spreading the word.

 If you enjoy baking, you can start an online bakery. You can take custom orders for cakes, cookies, pies, and other baked goods to make money.

To supplement your income stream, you can create baking kits with everything you need to make a particular baked good -then sell those as gifts or as solutions for customers who want a from-scratch product without all the hassle.

56. T-Shirt Business

Have an idea for a cute, funny, or catchy t-shirt you think others would really enjoy? With print-on-demand services , you can launch a full ecommerce store selling t-shirts without ever carrying an inventory.

57. Phone Case Business

Along the same lines as the tshirts business, you can create a print-on-demand business for phone cases. Cover your bases with the most popular Android and iPhone products. Then, expand into tablet cases.

58. Real Estate Crowdfunding

Want to build a real estate business without a lot of capital to get started? You can invest in it with a crowdfunding platform and generate income without the responsibility of directly owning the property.

59. Customer Service

If you enjoy working with people and have a background in customer service, you can start an online business providing customer support for other companies. Platforms like ModSquad make it easy to get started.

60. Virtual Tech Support

Similar to the customer service business, this is an ideal option for people who are savvy with technology and computers. Those who aren’t tech-savvy can come to you with issues, and you can help them solve their problems remotely. As a tech support agent, you could work for another company or go out on your own as a full-time freelancer.

61. Teaching and Tutoring

Many people, not just certified teachers, can make money teaching and tutoring online. If you’re an expert in something, you can make money by showing others how to improve their skills.

If you have a formal education in Education, you’ll be eligible to work with more sites like VIPKid , which only allows licensed teachers to teach English to students in foreign countries.

62. Language Services

If you’re fluent in more than one language, you can host classes, private tutoring sessions, and create several other products centered around teaching people a second language.

Beyond teaching another language, you could also offer your services as a translator.

63. Foreign Culture Consultant

If you’re an expert in another culture, you can provide services as a foreign culture consultant. People who are planning an international trip or hosting a foreign exchange student may be interested in your services so they can prepare ahead of time.

64. Start a YouTube Channel

Though it may seem like the market is saturated, there are still plenty of opportunities to make money on YouTube. Choose a niche you’re passionate and knowledgeable about. Earn through advertising and brand sponsorships. You can also convert your YouTube videos to MP3s and promote them on other channels.

65. Start an OnlyFans or Patreon Channel

OnlyFans has a controversial reputation because there are no restrictions on the type of content you can upload (and lock behind a paywall.) While there is certainly no shortage of adult content on the platform, that doesn’t mean your OnlyFans channel has to be centered on that. 

Both OnlyFans and Patreon allow content creators to earn money for the things they create.

66. Dropshipping

If you have a business idea but don’t want the hassle of purchasing and storing inventory, then an online business in dropshipping may be what you’re looking for. A dropshipping business connects with wholesalers to ship the products directly to your customers. Get started with platforms like Spocket , today.

You can find a wide variety of products through platforms like Alibaba or Spocket . Sell on Shopify or another ecommerce platform. If the platform you sell through integrates with your chosen dropshipping service, you can manage everything from a central location, making it easier for you.

You can easily run more than one ecommerce business at the same time using th e dropshipping business model.

67. Stock Photography Business

If you’ve got decent camera equipment and an eye for photography, then you can get paid for your photos. Many stock photography websites purchase photos from photographers like you and a percentage every time your images are used.

68. Sell Your Music

Do you write music? With a platform like TuneCore , songwriters can get published and distributed without a record deal. Plus, they handle royalties, so you’ll get paid every time someone purchases or streams one of your songs.

69. Build an Online Game

Online games like World of Warcraft are popular, with good reason. If you have a concept or idea for an online game, you don’t need to learn to build it yourself. You can partner with a developer to do it for you. Even if you make the game free to play, you can earn through advertising and in-game purchases.

If you want to start an online business with a game but don’t have any ideas for products, there are plenty of business opportunities out there for you. Many app developers create apps and flip them just like websites. You can purchase an existing game and then look for ways to start increasing its revenue.

70. Create Software as a Service

Known as SaaS, this is a software you build and license for a monthly fee. The software is available online from anywhere there is an internet connection. So If you can’t handle the software development  yourself, you can partner with someone who can and earn with the subscription model.

71. Sell Digital Printables and Planners

If you love organization and helping people get organized, you can create a series of digital documents for planning. By selling the printables, your customers can purchase and print just what they need, and you can make recurring revenue.

72. Recruiter

Companies spend a lot of money trying to find the right employees to fill open positions. You can work as a recruiter to connect potential candidates to employers who would be interested. You earn each time one of your recruits gets hired.

73. Direct Sales

I’m not talking about joining one (or more) multi-level marketing companies like Tupperware or Colorstreet. Instead, you’ll work as a commission-based salesperson on behalf of multiple companies. You replace the need for an in-house sales team.

74. Travel Consultant

Do you enjoy making travel plans for yourself, friends, and family? Make a consulting business out of it! Specializing in a niche helps to establish authority for a particular type of travel or a specific region.

75. Data Analysis

To make informed decisions about your business, you need data. But more than the data itself, you need to know what it means. That’s where data analysis comes in. It turns all the numbers and information into actionable insights small business owners can use to guide their decisions. If you consider yourself a data nerd who loves diving into analytics, this could be the right business for you.

76. Wellness Coach/Personal Trainer

If you’re a fitness buff who understands how to build a workout and nutrition plan, you can earn an income by helping people get healthier. You can do this with a business model that includes virtual group classes, one-on-one sessions, or online courses. 

You might want to consider working as a wellness or mental health coach, which is similar to life coaching but focuses on health. Certificate programs are available to help you build credibility and expertise.

77. Business Coach

Much like life coaching, business coaching means working with business owners to help them reach their goals. You don’t have to have any formal education to make it work – just results.’

78. Life Coaching

We can’t always do it all on our own. Life coaching helps people in various ways -happiness, relationships, health and wellness, finances and career, etc. To become a life coach, you don’t have to have special training, though certification helps. You can work in your local area with clients in person or expand your reach with video sessions.

Want to learn more about life coaching? Listen to the Life Coaching School Podcast .

79. Dating Coaching

As a dating coach or online dating consultant, you offer people guidance about connecting with others on various dating sites. Your ideal clients are those who spend a lot of time on the apps but come up empty or are disappointed with the results. Basically, you serve as an online matchmaker.

80. Teach a Musical Instrument

Do you play an instrument? You don’t have to be a professional level player to teach others. Whether you play the piano, guitar, or another musical instrument, you can book private lessons with students.

81. Sell Voice Lessons

This is the same as teaching a musical instrument, but in this case, the instrument is your voice.

82. Recycle Electronics

If you want to do your part for the environment and make some money, too, you can earn by recycling electronics. Starting a business repairing things that aren’t wanted or needed, then reselling them is easier than many may realize.

83. Art Lessons

Are you artistic? You can make money by teaching others your skill. Whether you do it through online courses or private lessons, there’s plenty of opportunities.

84. Online Researcher

Every day, an insane amount of content gets added to the internet. Though many of us have basic research skills, this job is more than just searching for a topic on multiple search engines.

If you love sorting through information and can tell a quality source from “fake news,” you can start an online business as a researcher. You can conduct/locate market research, help private investigators, conduct academic research, and more.

85. College Admissions Consultant

As a college admissions consultant, also known as an independent education counselor, you’ll work with parents and students to determine the schools they should apply to. You’ll also help with the application and essay writing process. To further your consulting business, you can also offer financial aid guidance, help with scholarship applications and essays, SAT/ACT test prep, course selection advice, and more.

86. Public Relations

If you have experience with marketing strategies and connections in the press, instead start an online business doing public relations work for other companies. This includes online reputation management, influencer outreach, and more.

87. Crowdfunding Consultant

If you’re starting a new business but looking for capital support to make your product or service come to life, then you may turn to crowdfunding platforms like Kickstarter and Indiegogo. But, without the right planning and execution, the campaign is sure to fall flat. 

For companies who want to make the most of their crowdfunding efforts, crowdfunding consultants step in to help plan and execute the campaign – from all the assets to advertising and rewards. 

88. 3D Printed Products

3-D printers are no longer unattainable for the average consumer. With a few hundred dollars, you can start a profitable online business selling your own 3-D printed products.

Though the startup costs for an ecommerce business like this one can be a bit higher than a dropshipping business, for instance, the sky’s the limit. You can build your ecommerce website selling whatever 3D printed product you want to make.

89. Content Curator

 Content curators sort through data online and collect the most relevant content to share on social media, blogs, and websites.

Businesses who frequently share promotional content online will have trouble keeping their audience engaged. That’s where sharing content from other sources but still has value to their target audience comes into play.

You can start a content curation business, collecting relevant content for other small businesses. Expand upon that business by adding social media management services and social media marketing.

90. Meal Planner

Plenty of people want to save money and eat healthier by cooking more of their meals at home. However, they don’t take the time to plan their meals either because they don’t know how or they don’t have time. That’s where you come in.

More than one business model works here. You can:

• Create a series of meal plans for the most popular diets out there to sell online.
• Offer personalized meal plans based on one on one consultation.
• Use a subscription model to provide meal plans to paid members every week.
• Create online courses or other products that teach people how to plan their meals on their own.
• Use a hybrid approach combining one or more business models.

Take a look at how Once a Month Meals does it. It’s a membership site full of freezer cooking meal plans. Paid members get access to everything they need (shopping lists, labels, recipes, directions, etc.) to create customized meal plans. Free members get limited resources.

91. Project Manager

If you’re experienced with platforms like Trello, Asana, or Wrike, you can help other small business owners and bloggers stay organized. As an expert, you can help them manage projects or train them on the platforms’ finer points to make it easier for them to handle things themselves.

92. Branding Consultant

As a branding consultant or branding strategist, you’ll help companies determine what customers want and how they can provide it. You essentially serve as a one-person marketing team.

93. College Prep Tutor

Many high school students need an extra boost in getting ready for the SAT or ACT. You can easily run an online business aimed at helping students get a better score.

94. Design Email Newsletter Templates

Online entrepreneurs need multiple ways to reach their audience. Email newsletters are a popular way to stay in touch with customers. You can design templates for other online business owners to use with their email lists. 

As long as you have some basic knowledge of design and marketing skills, you’ll be good to go. After you create a few pre-designed templates, you can sell them to blog owners and entrepreneurs. You can make templates that work with multiple email marketing platforms or choose one to specialize in.

95. Data Mining

 Data mining is what companies use to convert their raw data into useful information. If you’re into programming languages like Python and R, you can quickly learn data mining software suites and start a business offering data mining to other small businesses.

96. Content Strategist

 As a content strategist, you’ll plan, write, and edit content for businesses. You’ll use marketing strategies to distribute the content across social media platforms and the web. You’ll keep the content on-brand message and work to help businesses reach their goals with the content you create.

97. Illustrator

Love to draw? You can provide your services as an illustrator to authors for books, web design, product tutorials, and more. Build a portfolio and ask people for referrals. You can also cold email businesses to see if they are interested in your services.

98. Sell Slogans

If you like coming up with catchy slogans, you can start a small business selling them for other companies to use. It’s an excellent way to break into the advertising business, too.

One way to get money off of your slogans without selling them directly to others is to sell products with your slogans on them. You might want to offer potential customers the choice of product with a platform like Printify.

99. Charisma and Confidence Training

This is one of my favorite online business ideas. Charisma and confidence are two skills that make life more comfortable, and yet, it’s an area where lots of people struggle.

Even if you’re not an authority in the field, you can teach people confidence, social skills, and charisma based on what you’ve learned through trial and error in your own life. You can start a blog and YouTube channel to build authority in the industry, without any formal education or expertise.

100. Start a Clothing Line

With a bit of creativity and a flair for fashion, you can start your own clothing line , without ever having to sew a thing. Start out by selling a single product, and expand to offer other clothing items, just like Black Milk Clothing . 

What Makes Online Businesses Successful

Starting an online business is not easy. Just because there are so many business ideas for beginners out there doesn’t mean you don’t have to work to get it profitable.

While there are many ways to start a great online business, you still have to work hard. Low barriers to entry and little startup costs often mean that lots of people jump in, so there can be a considerable amount of competition. Running an online business is about more than finding an idea you like and running with it. So before I send you off to get started building one of these small business ideas, I wanted to talk about some of the things that make a successful online business.

Looking at the Big Picture

When you start an online business, you have to have a plan, but you also need long term goals. What do you want your business to look like a year from now? What do you want it to look like five years from now?

The most successful entrepreneurs know how to look ahead while also focusing on what’s in front of them. Failure to see the big picture can stifle growth.

Using Tools and Automation

In the beginning, you may be continuing to work your full-time job while starting your online business. Even if you were a stay-at-home parent before, there’s only going to be a limited amount of time to focus on getting the company up and running. With limited capital, it may be difficult to hire any kind of contractor or employee to help you grow faster.

With social media marketing tools, scheduling tools, and automation, it is now easier for one person to get more things done than they used to. Though the initial setup process does take some time, creating a series of automated processes to handle tedious tasks such as invoicing can help save time that entrepreneurs then use for more critical tasks. 

Outsourcing Where Necessary

Online businesses need social media marketing, paper click advertising, content marketing, and a website to succeed. However, if you’re not an expert in any of these things, it can be far more effective to hire someone who does understand these things.

Though you take the time to learn new skills yourself, it may mean losing money or letting your business suffer while you do. Outsourcing does cost time and money but often makes it easier for you to grow faster since you can focus your efforts on the skills that are your strongest.

Continuing Education

The idea that once you start a business, you know all there is to know is plain silly. Regardless of industry, things change, and in certain industries, they change quite rapidly. The best entrepreneurs know they need to learn more. They continuously look for new information and stay on top of industry news and trends.

Differentiating from the Competition

Even if there isn’t a lot of competition in your industry, having something that sets you apart and makes you different from the others in your market goes a great way toward reaching your target audience. If people can’t tell you from your number one competitor, you’ll have a hard time captivating potential customers and staying at the top of their minds.

Knowing their Value Proposition

One of the best ways to stand out from the competition is to know and understand your value proposition. Without that, your core messaging and your overall brand will suffer. When those are not as clear as possible, your conversion rates will also be lower.

The great thing about being an online entrepreneur is that you can run multiple successful online businesses. The best online business to start isn’t the same for everyone. What works for one business owner may be an idea that terrifies another. No matter what kind of online business you want to start, the key to success is taking your time and researching your target market and competition.

All that said, as an aspiring entrepreneur and small business owner, it’s crucial to do your homework on the business side of things. You can start an online business as a sole proprietor. You may need a business license , depending on where you’re operating your business. However, as you grow, it may be more advantageous to consider forming an LLC or other company entities. Before starting an online business, make sure you abide by all local, state, and federal laws. For help with this, you can turn to an attorney and a tax professional. If you don’t have a lot of capital for startup costs, there are services available online to help you.

I hope you enjoyed this list of ideas for beginners . Starting an online business isn’t for the faint of heart, but it is easier now than ever before.

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• Small Business

The Ultimate Checklist for Starting an Online Business

Published on Sept. 8, 2024

By: Steve Strauss

• Choose your right business type, such as e-commerce, selling services, content creation, or subscription models.
• Define your market, tools, and goals.
• Use social media, SEO, and data analysis for growth.

Starting an online business can be an exciting adventure, but it can also feel overwhelming, especially if you're new to entrepreneurship generally, and e-business in particular.

1. Choose your business type

The first step in starting your online business is deciding what type of business it will be, because the fact is, there are many options. Here are a few broad categories to consider:

• E-commerce: You would sell physical or digital products through an online store. You could also do this via affiliate marketing, where you sell someone else's product and make a commission, or dropshipping, where you sell the products of a manufacturer and it handles all logistics.
• Service-based business: You would offer services over the internet, like consulting, freelance work, or online coaching.
• Content creation: "Content is king," as they say. In this business, you would create and monetize content, such as blogs, podcasts, TikTok videos, or YouTube videos.
• Subscription services: You would sell products, services, or memberships on a subscription basis, like via a monthly membership site.

Pro tip: Choose a type of business that aligns with your skills, interests, and the market demand.

2. Create a plan of action

Once you have chosen your business type, the next step is to create a plan of action. You don't necessarily need a business plan (especially because most people either never finish writing one or never follow it anyway).

Why a Business Credit Card Could Transform Your Small Business

These business credit cards that offer a convenient and efficient way to separate personal and business expenses, simplifying accounting and tax reporting.

Additionally, business cards can provide valuable perks such as rewards points, cashback, and expense tracking tools, enhancing financial management and the potential to help save money in the long run.

Offer	Our Rating	Welcome Offer	Rewards Program	APR
On Chase's Secure Website.	Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.	Earn $900 bonus cash back Earn $900 bonus cash back after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.	Earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase Earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase made for your business	0% Intro APR on Purchases Purchases: 0% Intro APR on Purchases, 12 months Balance Transfers: N/A 18.49% - 24.49% Variable
On Chase's Secure Website.	Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.	Earn up to $750 bonus cash back Earn $350 when you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first three months and an additional $400 when you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first six months after account opening.	Earn 5% cash back in select business categories Earn 5% cash back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at office supply stores and on internet, cable and phone services each account anniversary year. Earn 2% cash back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at gas stations and restaurants each account anniversary year. Earn 1% cash back on all other card purchases with no limit to the amount you can earn.	0% Intro APR on Purchases Purchases: 0% Intro APR on Purchases, 12 months Balance Transfers: N/A 18.49% - 24.49% Variable

• Who is your target market?
• How will you market to them?
• What tools and platforms will you need?
• What are your short- and long-term goals?

3. Get a domain name and set up a website

Whatever type of online business you choose, you will need a website. It will be the face of your online business, so choose a domain name that is easy to remember and reflects your brand. In fact, if the URL can be the name of your business, all the better. Note: While a .com site is still preferable, almost any suffix will do today.

Once you have your domain, you can use website builders like WordPress, Wix, Shopify, or Squarespace to create a professional-looking site.

Pro tip: Ensure your website is mobile-friendly, as more than half of all web traffic comes from mobile devices now.

4. Set up your social channels

Social media should be one of your main ways to market your business, engage with customers, and get your name out. Indeed, Forbes says that 77% of small businesses use social media to connect with customers.

You will need social channels and handles that reflect your business name and URL. They don't have to be exactly the same, but they do need to be close.

Example : My site is called PlanetSmallBusiness.com. My social handles are all @PlanetSmallBiz.

5. Set up payment processing

The point is to make money, right? So you will need a way to accept payments online. Popular point-of-sale options include PayPal, Stripe, and Square.

6. Market your business -- and then market it some more

Once your website is live, it's time to attract customers, but no one yet knows you're out there. You will need to market the heck out of your new online venture.

Use social media, email marketing, and search engine optimization (SEO) to drive traffic to your site. Consider also starting a blog or a YouTube or TikTok channel to build authority in your niche.

7. Launch and test

Before formally launching, test every aspect of your website and social channels, including the checkout process. Make sure everything runs smoothly. You might even consider a soft launch to get feedback from friends or a small group of customers.

8. Analyze and adapt

One of the best parts of e-commerce and online businesses is that stats arrive in real time and pivoting is easy. Once your business is up and running, regularly review your metrics. Use tools like Google Analytics to track your traffic and conversion rates. Adapt as necessary.

Here's the thing to remember: Starting an online business is a journey, not a race. Stay patient, stay focused, and don't be afraid to make adjustments. With persistence and the right approach, you can turn your big idea into a thriving online success.

Our Research Expert

Steve Strauss is the president of a boutique content company, The Strauss Group, and is a bestselling small business author and columnist. He can be reached at www.MrAllBiz.com, or at [email protected] .

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TechBullion

7 tips to make writing a business plan easier.

Writing a business plan is one of the most valuable things you can do as a business owner. But it can also be one of the most challenging if you’re doing it for the first time.

To help you get right to the value of having a complete business plan, here are seven simple tips that will make business plan writing easier.

1. Understand What to Include in Your Business Plan

Take the time to understand the broad structure of a business plan and what information should be included in each section. This helps you avoid writing aimlessly and gives you a checklist to mark off as you go.

To get started, here is a brief overview of the most common sections of a business plan :

• Executive Summary : Summary of the full business plan, typically covering the problem, solution, target market, team, and financial highlights.
• Products and Services : Description of what you offer, the problem it solves, and any progress or traction.
• Market Analysis : Research on your target market, its size, segments, and trends.
• Competition : Analysis of competitors and how your business compares.
• Marketing and Sales : Strategies for reaching and selling to customers.
• Operations : Overview of your operations including technology, equipment, and facilities.
• Milestones and Metrics : Key goals and performance indicators.
• Company Overview and Team : Organizational structure, company history, and team bios.
• Financial Plan : Sales, expense, and cash flow forecasts along with standard financial statements like your profit and loss, cash flow statement, and balance sheet.
• Appendix : Additional information, such as detailed financial statements, resumes, and other supporting documents.

This list is not exhaustive, so, if you need additional details, look into lengthier business plan outlines or  just go on to step two and three in this guide.

2. Consider Starting With a One-Page Business Plan

You don’t necessarily need to write a traditional business plan. If you’re exploring an idea or planning to use it as an internal tool—then a one-page business plan may be a better option.

A one-page business plan is basically a condensed version of a traditional business plan that outlines your business’s key points in a single page. It’s faster and easier to create, simpler to edit and adjust as your business evolves, and it can always be expanded into a more detailed plan later on.

And even though it’s on one page, it still works as a fully functioning business plan. You just get the benefit of starting small, focusing on the essentials.

3. Download a Business Plan Template

Using a business plan template can provide additional guidance and structure to the planning process. With the right template, you’ll get step-by-step instruction, simple fill-in-the-blank sections, and potentially even tips from entrepreneurs or planning experts.

There are plenty of free business plan templates out there, but the best will be written by experts, recently updated, and available in a format that will meet the expectations of lenders and investors. Additionally, just be sure it’s available on software like Microsoft Word or Google Docs so you can get right into using it.

4. Review Business Plan Examples

Sometimes the best thing you can do is to see what the end result can look like. So, when writing a business plan you should explore and review a handful of business plans examples. Ideally, business plan examples are created by professionals or are real-world samples from existing businesses like yoga studios .

If you can, find a sample business plan that’s from the same industry as your own business. Pay attention to the structure, how the plan is written, and what information is unique to your specific industry. You should also take time to flag anything that you don’t think is done well as something to avoid in your own plan.

Keep in mind, you should not copy and paste these examples. Use them to inspire your plan and don’t replicate it.

5. Prioritize the Sections You Already Know

There may be a preferred order for structuring your business plan, but that doesn’t mean you have to write it that way. Instead of going from beginning to end, start with the sections that you already have ideas for and know best.

This will help you avoid just staring at a blank page and actually get information down. You may even find that it makes writing other sections easier as you start thinking more and more specifically about your business.

6. Set a Time Limit

Do not spend hours at a time writing your business plan. You’ll get burnt out, make mistakes, and likely end up seriously disliking the whole process.

To avoid this, set a time limit for your writing to be between 30-minutes and an hour. This is just enough time to actually write and work through sections while making it an easy time investment to fit around your busy schedule.

Keep in mind, this may mean you don’t finish your business plan. That’s totally fine and potentially beneficial. Step away, schedule a follow up writing session, and get back to it. It may end up taking two, three, maybe even four times but you’ll still end up with a complete business plan.

7. Have Someone Review Your Business Plan

Lastly, don’t do this writing process solo. Get someone you trust, like a friend, family member, or mentor, to review your plan as you go. Have them read it and provide feedback like:

• Do you understand how my business works?
• Is the business plan clear and easy to read?
• Are there areas that are confusing, make jumps in logic, or need more explanation?

Take their feedback and apply it to your plan. If you do this before completing the plan, you may end up saving time and catch any issues before they’re prevalent throughout the entire document. If you’re concerned about the quality or not getting enough feedback, consider hiring a professional plan writer or reviewer to take a look instead.

Writing a Business Plan Doesn’t Have to Be Difficult

The hardest part about writing a business plan is getting started. But by developing a framework, knowing what you’re getting into, and finding the right support it can be a lean and effective process.

So, take one or all of these tips and start writing your business plan. You’ll be happy you did.

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How To Make Money With An Online Business

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These days, starting an online business is one of the most accessible ways to create wealth. With minimal overhead, low barriers to entry, and a vast global audience, the opportunities are endless for those willing to embrace the world of e-commerce and online services.

However, it’s no secret that the online business world is saturated, with countless entrepreneurs competing for attention. However, saturation doesn’t mean there’s no opportunity, it just means you need to be more strategic to stand out.

By dialing in on what sets you apart and staying consistent in your efforts, you can rise above the competition and build a profitable online business even in a saturated market.

If you’ve been wondering how to make money by leveraging the power of the internet, here are some tips on how to do it:

1. find a profitable niche.

The key to building wealth online is to find a profitable niche where there is demand but not too much competition. A niche allows you to focus your marketing efforts, target a specific group of people, and establish yourself as an expert in that area. When choosing a niche, consider your passions, skills, and expertise. Think about what problems you can solve for your audience and what unique perspective you bring to the table.

2. Monetize Your Skills and Knowledge

Once you’ve found your niche, it’s time to monetize your skills. There are countless ways to generate income online, from offering coaching or consulting services to selling digital products or courses. The key is to focus on scalable business models—where your income is not limited by the number of hours you work.

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Clues And Answers For Sunday, September 8

The best netflix original movie 0f 2024 just dropped with a near-perfect rotten tomatoes score, ufc fighter gets sketchy win after replay reveals illegal tactics, 3. build a strong personal brand.

To stand out in the competitive online space, you need to build a personal brand. Your personal brand is what sets you apart from the rest and helps people connect with you on a personal level. People are more likely to buy from someone they trust, and building a personal brand allows you to build that trust.

4. Master Marketing and Sales

If you want to make money with an online business, you need to master marketing and sales. It’s not enough to have a great product or service; you need to know how to sell it effectively. Many people mistake a lack of sales for a lack of demand, but the real issue is often that they haven’t nailed their marketing strategy.

Identify your target audience and understand the pain they are experiencing from the problem that they have. Create marketing campaigns that speak directly to their needs and show them how your product or service can solve their problems. Use a combination of organic strategies (like blogging and social media) and paid advertising to drive traffic to your website.

Don’t forget about sales funnels. A well-designed sales funnel can automate your business, taking potential customers from initial interest to purchase with minimal effort on your part. This is where email marketing, webinars, and lead magnets come into play. Build a system that nurtures your leads and turns them into paying customers.

5. Create Multiple Revenue Streams

Wealthy entrepreneurs know that relying on one source of income is risky. That’s why you should aim to create multiple revenue streams within your online business. This can be done by diversifying your product offerings, selling affiliate products, or even adding passive income streams like ad revenue or sponsored content.

6. Reinvest Your Profits

Once you’ve established a profitable online business, don’t make the mistake of spending all your profits. Instead, reinvest a portion of your earnings into growing your business . This could mean upgrading your website, investing in advertising, or expanding your team.

Reinvestment also extends to personal development. Take courses, attend conferences, and work with mentors to continuously improve your skills and knowledge. The more you invest in yourself and your business, the faster you’ll grow and the more wealth you’ll build over time.

7. Stay Consistent and Resilient

Building an online business that creates wealth takes time. There will be challenges along the way but the key is to stay consistent and resilient. Every successful entrepreneur has faced setbacks, but what sets them apart is their ability to keep going.

The internet offers infinite possibilities for those willing to put in the work, adapt to changing trends, and continuously improve their strategies. Consistency in your efforts and resilience in the face of adversity will ultimately lead to success.

The bottom line is that getting rich with an online business is not an overnight process, but it is entirely achievable with the right approach. By following these tips, you can build a thriving online business that generates significant wealth. With persistence, strategic thinking, and continuous reinvestment, your online business can become a powerful vehicle for financial freedom and success.

Melissa Houston, CPA is the author of Cash Confident: An Entrepreneur’s Guide to Creating a Profitable Business and the founder of She Means Profit . As a Business Strategist for small business owners, Melissa helps women making mid-career shifts, to launch their dream businesses, and also guides established business owners to grow their businesses to more profitably.

The opinions expressed in this article are not intended to replace any professional or expert accounting and/or tax advice whatsoever.

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• False or intentionally out-of-context or misleading information
• Insults, profanity, incoherent, obscene or inflammatory language or threats of any kind
• Attacks on the identity of other commenters or the article's author
• Content that otherwise violates our site's  terms.

User accounts will be blocked if we notice or believe that users are engaged in:

• Continuous attempts to re-post comments that have been previously moderated/rejected
• Racist, sexist, homophobic or other discriminatory comments
• Attempts or tactics that put the site security at risk
• Actions that otherwise violate our site's  terms.

So, how can you be a power user?

• Stay on topic and share your insights
• Feel free to be clear and thoughtful to get your point across
• ‘Like’ or ‘Dislike’ to show your point of view.
• Protect your community.
• Use the report tool to alert us when someone breaks the rules.

Thanks for reading our community guidelines. Please read the full list of posting rules found in our site's  Terms of Service.