Dreaming of starting your own business but worried about where to begin? We’ve got your back with these 10 easy business ideas tailor-made for beginners. No need for a big investment or complex plans – just simple, doable ideas to get you started on your entrepreneurial journey this year.
The beauty of these business ideas lies in their simplicity and accessibility. There’s no need to fret about draining your savings or getting entangled in intricate business plans.
You’ll be able to generate at least a few thousand bucks per month by utilizing your existing skills or gaining a new skill in a short time.
1. Start a blog
- Potential income: $1k-100k/mo
- Profit margin: >90%
In the digital age, starting a blog is not just a hobby; it’s a gateway to unlocking your potential income. If you have a knack for writing or are eager to learn the art of copywriting, you could be on the path to making a solid $2-3k per month or even more. It’s time to transform your expertise, be it in cooking, fitness, or petting, into a valuable online resource.
Creating your blog is easier than you think, especially with platforms like WordPress. It provides a user-friendly interface, allowing you to showcase your expertise through well-crafted articles.
Once live, amplify your blog’s reach by promoting it on social media platforms like Facebook, Pinterest, and LinkedIn, fostering engagement and expanding your readership.
Learn the basics of SEO to ensure that your articles rank higher in search results. This increases the chances of reaching a broader audience and attracting more visitors to your blog.
As your blog gains momentum, monetize it with display ads using platforms like Google Adsense or Ezoic, turning visits into income with their low entry requirements.
Rinse and repeat the process. Analyse the content that gets the most traffic with Google Analytics, and craft similar content.
Eventually, you’ll start generating decent money every single month. Such a blog can be sold for 20-30x monthly revenue multiple.
2. Start a YouTube channel
- Potential income: $500-50k/mo
- Profit margin: >90%
Embarking on the journey of starting my own YouTube channel isn’t just a creative endeavor—it’s a thrilling pathway to unlocking potential income.
You can transform your passions, whether they’re centred around gaming, beauty, or DIY projects, into engaging and shareable video content that generates money from every single view.
Setting up your YouTube channel is more straightforward than you might imagine, especially with user-friendly platforms like YouTube. It provides a seamless interface, allowing you to showcase your personality and expertise through well-crafted videos.
The good thing is that you don’t necessarily have to show your face on camera if you’re not comfortable with this. I know hundreds of successful faceless channels on YT.
Once your channel is live, you can be enthusiastic about amplifying its reach by promoting it on social media platforms like Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook—building a community and expanding your viewership.
As your YouTube channel gains momentum, you can monetize your channel with Google Adsense, sponsorships or affiliate links.
3. Freelance on Upwork
- Potential income: $1k-20k/mo
- Profit margin: >85%
Freelancing on platforms like Upwork is probably the easiest way to make extra cash or even make a living out of it.
Whether you have a natural flair for writing, design, programming, or marketing, Upwork offers a platform to turn your skills into a thriving freelance career. Here are 9 examples of services you can start offering:
- Content Writing
- Graphic Design
- Web Development
- Social Media Management
- Virtual Assistance
- Digital Marketing
- Translation
- Video Editing
- Voiceover Services
The platform has a 10% freelance service fee. The rest is yours.
As your profile grows and you keep getting more and more clients, you can open an agency and expand the idea further.
There are freelancers and agencies on Upwork with over $1M in lifetime earnings.
4. Open an Etsy store
- Potential income: $300-10k/mo
- Profit margin: >25%
If you can create crafts like handmade jewelry or candles, you can easily make a profit on Etsy.
All you have to do is to open an Etsy store, customize it and add the products you want to sell.
Setting up an Etsy store is more straightforward than you might think. With its user-friendly interface, Etsy allows you to curate and present your handmade or vintage products in a visually appealing manner.
Once your store is live, people will start noticing your products by searching on Etsy so make sure your products are keyword-rich.
If you want extra exposure, Pinterest is a great social media platform to share crafts to.
To increase the chances of success, consider these seven examples of products that often perform well on Etsy:
- Handmade Jewelry
- Customized Art Prints
- Personalized Home Decor
- Vintage Clothing
- Handmade Candles
- Printable Art and Planner Stickers
- Personalized Pet Accessories
5. Promote products and services on TikTok
- Potential income: $500-30k/mo
- Profit margin: >95%
TikTok is a social app that currently gives you a massive organic reach.
No other social platform gives such reach to its users unless they promote the content with paid ads.
Another good thing about TikTok is that it mainly shows your content locally. This means that if you publish a video from the USA, it will mainly show it to Americans, ensuring a higher buying power for you.
Once you get at least 1000 followers on your TikTok account, you’ll be offered to add a website link to your profile.
This is the place where you can promote products and services. You can add a link to your store or affiliate link that will pay you a commission for every attributed sale.
To push this idea further, consider these seven examples of products and services that often perform well on TikTok:
- Fashion Showcases
- Beauty Tutorials
- DIY Craft Projects
- Tech Gadgets Demos
- Fitness Routines
- Culinary Creations
- Educational Tips
6. Publish your books on KDP
- Potential income: $300-10k/mo
- Profit margin: >35%
Publishing your books on Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) is a straightforward process where you can self-publish your e-books and paperback books on Amazon.
To get started, you need a completed manuscript, a book cover, and basic book details.
Your earnings depend on factors like book price, sales volume, and whether you enrol in Kindle Unlimited.
Royalties typically range from 35% to 70%, offering authors the potential to earn a significant income, especially if their books gain popularity among readers on the Amazon platform.
7. Sell accounting services
- Potential income: $1k-20k/mo
- Profit margin: >90%
Selling accounting services is like being the financial superhero for individuals or businesses in need of bookkeeping, tax help, or financial guidance.
The money you can make varies depending on the services you offer, your clients, and how in-demand your expertise becomes. To kick off, all you need is a solid foundation – think of a degree in accounting, relevant certifications, and the essential software tools to crunch those numbers efficiently.
It’s like stepping into a world where numbers meet strategy. Create an online presence, connect with businesses, and soon you’ll find yourself not just balancing books but also balancing a thriving accounting service.
If you don’t have such skills, you can take accounting courses online and get certifications.
Then you can pitch your services to individuals and businesses on Upwork, Fiverr or LinkedIn.
8. Become a personal trainer
- Potential income: $500-5k/mo
- Profit margin: >95%
If you spend countless hours in gym, you can probably monetize your skills and knowledge by training others.
The money you can make depends on where you are, your experience, and the people you inspire, offering a potential range from a steady income to substantial earnings.
To dive in, all you need is a recognized fitness certification, a CPR certification for that extra safety boost, and, most importantly, a genuine passion for fitness.
Picture yourself not just as a trainer but as a motivator, creating personalized fitness plans and making a real impact.
Become a fitness content creator on TikTok, post helpful videos that will be shown to local audiences.
This way, you’ll get recognised and likely get clients.
9. Sell SEO services
- Potential income: $1k-30k/mo
- Profit margin: >80%
Venturing into selling SEO services is like being the digital wizard for businesses, waving a wand to boost their online visibility.
If you have SEO knowledge and experience, like myself, you probably don’t need another business idea.
Many SEO services, like backlink building, keyword research… are paid really well.
As an example, I offer backlink building by digital PR campaigns, which can cost $5-10k per one.
You don’t need to be an expert in everything. Just master one activity that might provide a comfortable living for you and your family.
The good part about offering SEO services, you don’t need any certification. All you need is a few case studies of successfully completed projects which can be yours.
You can look out for clients on Upwork, Fiverr or social platforms like Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook groups.
If you want to push it further, combine it with a YouTube channel.
10. Create a dropshipping store
- Potential income: $10k-1M/mo
- Profit margin: >20%
To make a profit from dropshipping, you need to master content creation and media buying.
To kick things off, pick a niche that sparks your interest, set up your online store using user-friendly platforms like Shopify, and build relationships with reliable suppliers who’ll handle the nitty-gritty of shipping.
With minimal upfront costs and a bit of e-commerce magic, dropshipping lets you dip your toes into the world of online retail without breaking a sweat.
Start testing products, create videos, and publish to social media platforms like TikTok, YouTube, Instagram or FaceBook.
Once found the winner, double-down on content and run paid ads.
Rinse and repeat the process.
