50 Home Based Business Ideas To Start Making Money

Dollar Flow

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6 months ago

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Fortunately, with hardship comes ingenuity. More and more people are becoming creative with how they’re bringing income into their life. One excellent way to do this is to start your own home-based business, effectively becoming your own boss and making money on your own terms. But when looking into starting your own business, which options may be the best for you.

Best Home-Based Business Ideas to Start

To help you get started on your own self-employment journey, here are the 50 Best home-based business ideas to start making money right from the comfort of your own home.

1. Launch Your Own Blog About Any Topic

Our world relies on the internet and technology for almost everything. Whether you’re shopping for a product you need, trying to learn more about a certain topic, or even communicating with others, chances are that you’re on your phone or computer. The good news? Our reliance on technology has created a host of remote business opportunities that can be quite lucrative. One of these that you should definitely consider is starting a blog.

The best platform to start your blog on is WordPress. The following two website hosts are the best in the industry for those on a budget and those willing to spend a little more for features.

A blog is a website dedicated to a specific topic or related set of topics that provides users with entertainment, information, and access to resources or other related tools tailored specifically to visitors. As long as you have a passion, are able to translate your passion into the written word, and are willing to outsource your marketing needs or take some time to do your research, you can start your own blog.

When it comes to monetization, the sky’s the limit! Some ways people monetize their blog includes:

Running ads on their website
Developing relationships with other businesses who will pay them to advertise their products or services
Selling physical goods
Developing a membership community that provides their readers with some additional value
Selling digital goods like e-books, templates, and courses

Although a blog can take some work to set up (and pay is not necessarily guaranteed), this is one potentially lucrative at-home business idea that is perfect for almost anyone. If you want to share your knowledge with the world, consider starting your own blog!

Related: How To Start a Blog
Related: The Best Free Blogging Sites
Related: How To Start a WordPress Blog

2. Start a Vlog (or Become an Influencer)

Blogs offer visitors written media that they can consume at their leisure. Then what are vlogs? Aptly named, vlogs are video blogs that provide the same type of informative or entertainment-based value in a video format rather than having it written out. Vlogs are wildly popular because they’re often much easier to pay attention to and those who have a popular personality can easily rack up the number of subscribers they’re looking for.

Of course, you can then easily launch off of this platform by posting videos regularly for social media, where you can make money either through ads or as an influencer as well. If you want to go the extra mile to support your business, it can be a great idea to pair your blogging and your vlogging/social media together to create a system where you’re making money from all possible entertainment outlets.

Whether you’re looking to be an entertainer, help people get the information they need, or even launch a product/service business that uses blogging and vlogging as a way to market yourself and make money along the way, this is another way to start a business from home that is wildly popular for most.

3. Tackle the Needs of Parents By Becoming a Babysitter

To be direct, childcare has taken quite the hit during the pandemic. With many people out of work and unable to afford childcare, they have either opened up their own business as a way to provide childcare for others as well as themselves (making a little money in the process) or have skipped child care altogether. Before you dive into this type of business, it’s important to do your research and understand the current state of the industry before you launch your own business.

That being said, childcare is almost always essential, and if you live in a place where there is still demand, you may want to consider becoming a babysitter, no matter how temporary the situation may be. To compete, you’ll want to make sure that you’re following all of the COVID-19 safety precautions, being very transparent with your clients about your own health, and have all of the prerequisites required (such as a car, cell phone, and CPR and first-aid training). Then, you’ll either want to advertise your services locally or join a platform like Care.com to get started on your babysitting journey.

If you enjoy caring for children, have the availability, and are ready to meet the expectations and demands of today’s parents, becoming a babysitter may very well be the right business for you.

4. Watch or Walk Dogs/Cats As a Side Hustle

Some people are great at caring for others, but may not have the ability to care for children at the moment. Fortunately, that doesn’t mean that you have to give up your dream of starting a stay-at-home care service. One excellent alternative for animal lovers everywhere is to consider watching pets instead.

As it is with children, not everyone may have the ability to stay at home all day with their pets, which can be problematic if their animals suffer from separation anxiety and have accidents or engage in other behaviors while their owner is gone. Sometimes, an owner may simply want their pet to get more exercise and have someone walk with them. Either way, you may want to offer your services as a pet sitter or dog walker for locals who need pet care.

A couple of websites that you can turn to so that you can start your pet business include Rover.com, Fetch!, and even Care.com, which offers a wide variety of care services that you may want to look into if you’re looking to make some extra money here and there on the side of your pet services. If you love animals, make money caring for animals or even taking them on walks around the neighborhood.

5. Become a Tutor for Online or Local Pupils

Even in today’s world of distanced, online learning, students of all ages are going to need tutoring more than ever. If you have a background in education and the ability to compete in the market, this is where you come in!

Whether you choose to tutor local students from home (or conduct home visits safely) or tutor online independently or through an online tutoring service, chances are high that you’re going to be able to find plenty of students who will need support with their studies. All you will need is a degree (in some cases, this isn’t necessary but most parents and platforms like to see that you have the education to back up your tutoring subject), a computer with a webcam and microphone if you’re tutoring online, and a passion for helping others!

Don’t know where to begin? Here are a few starting points to jumpstart your journey.

Besides the fact that tutoring can be very accessible for those with the right skills and background, tutoring can be quite lucrative as well. Most tutors can start at a rate of $20 an hour, with pay increasing depending upon the difficulty of the subject and the grade level of the student. Why not make a home-based business that will always experience high demand and pay you well!

Related: Top Online Tutoring Job Companies

6. Resell Items You Find Around Your Area or Online

One of the first recommendations made in regards to making money from home is selling some of your unused items that people will still find use and value in. although this can be a great way to make a quick buck, it’s not a sustainable way to bring in consistent income. For this, you’ll want to consider reselling or flipping items.

For those with a great eye and plenty of creativity, flipping items can be a way to run a business home. Flipping entails looking for deals on certain items in your area or online, repairing and listing these items so that you make a profit, and repeating the process. What can you flip? It’s up to you! Some people choose to specialize in one area. For example, one flipper may look for exclusive video games while others may choose to offer a certain type of product, like repairing and flipping old appliances.

If you’re interested in flipping, consider which products you’re interested in flipping, where and how you’ll source your inventory, and which platforms you’re going to sell your goods on. While you could always launch your own website, you may want to look into some websites like:

eBay
Amazon
OfferUp (LetGo was previously another platform that users could sell items locally through. However, LetGo was recently purchased by OfferUp.)
Craigslist
Facebook Marketplace
5Miles

As long as you can find goods others will want to buy and can make a profit along the way, you’ve got yourself a flipping business!

Related: How to Resell Textbooks
Related: Best Items to Flip for a Profit

7. Repair Electronics for Others

For some, it may be more worthwhile to purchase a new laptop, phone, or computer than it is to repair it. However, given the state of today’s economy, the tides may have changed as buying another electronic outright may no longer be as affordable for everyone. If you have the technical knowledge and experience, you can apply this to your own home-based electronic repair business.

This type of home-based business offers a lot more flexibility in regards to payment as you’ll be able to determine how much you charge for your repairs (although it’s likely you’ll want to base how much you charge on local prices as well as your overall skill level). It also gives you the ability to accept local repair needs as well as the repair needs of those out of your state (if you want to accept, repair, and ship electronics back to your customers). If you’re relatively skilled with electronics, you can also take on a wide range of electronics that people may need repaired, thereby boosting your overall profits in the long run.

Put simply, if you know how to troubleshoot common electronic issues, use those skills to make some extra income from home.

8. Look Into Starting a Dropshipping Business

Dropshipping has become popular in recent years among many who have sought to start their own home-based business. Why? Dropshipping eliminates many of the struggles that come with owning a business that relies on being able to hold inventory, ship it out to customers, and deal with the whole fulfillment process.

How does it work? Those who establish a dropshipping business find wholesalers or other businesses that produce their store’s products. When someone makes an order from their store, the seller then forwards this order to the manufacturer to fulfill themselves. As a home-based business owner, this means that you don’t have to worry about setting up a nexus for your inventory or dealing with shipping and handling. All you have to focus on is developing a webs store and marketing your business.

A dropshipping business does carry some more risk than other business ideas on this list. However, those who have succeeded in this business have made as much as six figures per year and beyond. If you have strong marketing skills and believe that you can stand out from your competition (especially if you choose to pursue popular product ideas), dropshipping may be the right business model for you.

9. Create Your Own Print-on-Demand Storefront

Graphic design skills are valuable for numerous reasons, something that you’ll notice as you navigate this list. However, one less discussed business idea that can put your graphic design skills to good use is starting your own print-on-demand (POD) storefront.

A POD storefront offers the same benefits of dropshipping but with a greater focus on home goods and clothing. With a POD storefront, all you do is establish yourself on the platform of your choice, upload creative designs that you can place on the store’s products, and market your wares through social media and other marketing channels. When someone goes to your storefront and makes a purchase, you then earn a commission from that sale, and the company that you’ve signed up with prepares and ships the product out to the customer.

Some platforms that can help you get started include:

Some of these websites are more focused on t-shirts, while others have a wider range of products that you can place your designs on. If you’re creative but don’t want to deal with the risks that come with opening up your own online store, opening up your own store on a POD website can be the next best thing to help you dip your toes into the water.

10. Become a Social Media Manager for Other Brands

Marketing is something that takes time and experience to master. More focused areas of marketing, such as social media management, for example, even more so. Because of this, many business owners may struggle to get their brand off the ground and begin attracting the attention they need online. The good news? If you know how social media operates, you can take up the challenge and help them.

From Pinterest to Instagram to Facebook, business owners rely on social media to attract potential customers. As a virtual social media manager, you would help them by scheduling posts, optimizing posts for greater engagement and visibility, develop campaigns that help businesses reach their goals, and analyzing data and analytics to strengthen their engagement. The average social media manager can make $20 an hour and beyond, but your earnings will be dependent upon how much value you have to offer and how many projects you choose to take on at a time.

Are you skilled at social media and knowledgeable about its inner workings (as well as up-to-date on all of the updates and changes that take place as soon as they come out)? Consider developing your resume and portfolio and becoming a virtual social media manager to bring in that extra income!

11. Sell Homemade Goods

For creative individuals who make their own products to use at home, one great way to put your talents to use is to start making homemade goods for others as well. The best aspect about this stay-at-home business idea is the level of freedom it gives you, which is something that you may not see in all of the ideas throughout this list.

For example, one person who sells homemade goods may make their own furniture and home goods for buyers, while others may focus on other areas like bath and body products. With the right branding, high-quality ingredients tools, and a large, loyal customer base, your passion for making certain items can make you quite a bit of money over time, especially if you have something unique to add to the mix that helps you stand out from your competition.

Generally, the most difficult part of launching such a business is figuring out how to get started. If you’re nervous about opening up your own store and want to play it safe in the beginning, the best way to start selling homemade goods is through a third-party platform like Etsy, where they take a small fee for hosting you and allowing you to sell on their website. If you’re feeling more adventurous and want to keep all of your profits, you may instead want to start your own website and begin your business journey. Either way, making and selling what you love can be a fun and profitable business idea for anyone.

12. Sell Printables

If you pay close attention to Etsy sellers and read up on stories about their success, chances are that you’ve run into at least one or two sellers who have made good money off of printables. But what are these items, and can you make money doing the same thing?

Aptly named, printables refer to any type of digital good that can be purchased and printed at home. Some ideas of printables that people will design and sell include:

Artwork
Worksheets
Planners
Journals
Calendars
Templates
Stickers
Coloring books
Trackers
Checklists
Spreadsheets

As you can see from the above, there are plenty of products that people will buy for either entertainment or to improve their life (printables can be an excellent product to sell as a standalone good or to pair with a coaching business). The key to creating great printables is to have excellent design skills and to develop printables that ad value to your ideal customer’s life in some way, shape, or form. Once you have the vision and the drive to try out this idea, you can easily begin selling your own printables on a platform like Etsy!

13. Use Your Organization and Administrative Skills to Become a Virtual Assistant

Administrative work is vital to a business’s operations. Without an efficient system designed for organization and someone who can ensure that this system is functioning optimally, keeping the business on track can be near impossible. Unfortunately, in today’s world, finding this type of work in an in-person setting can be difficult. But if you do have these skills, there is another way to leverage them to your advantage.

Turning to online businesses and business owners that need support to act as a virtual assistant can be one way to put your administrative skills to use. The responsibilities of a virtual assistant will vary depending upon who you work for, but you may expect to engage in tasks like answering emails or phone calls, organizing digital files, managing social media, dealing with data entry, organizing meetings or trips, and so on. The more value you can offer your clients, the more you could potentially make.

Of course, the biggest question that many ask when thinking about this kind of work is, how does one become a virtual assistant? Some platforms that will help you find this kind of work include:

Once you have more experience, you may be able to branch out and start taking on clients independently (and accept more serious pay in the process).

Related: How to Become a Virtual Assistant Making $25+ an Hour

14. Know More Than Just Social Media? Become a Digital Marketer or Consultant

When it comes to marketing, social media is just one part of the equation. As we’ve touched on earlier, you can make decent money operating social media for others. However, with more extensive knowledge and experience, you can take this one step further and either lend your skills directly to clients or consult with them to help them figure out what their next steps will be as they grow their business.

So, what exactly does digital marketing entail? Usually, a digital marketer will know things like search engine optimization (SEO), how to run digital advertising campaigns, email marketing campaigns, track analytics and plan/execute new campaigns, and drive sales. Because of their extensive responsibilities, digital marketers will often earn anywhere from $25 to $30 per hour or more. Looking to use your marketing experience in a way that allows you to earn money from home? If so, digital marketing or digital marketing consulting may be two businesses worth looking into. As long as businesses are launching and operating, marketing will always be in demand.

15. Help Businesses Grow As a Business Consultant

Some people are great at certain aspects of business. Others, however, have launched or run multiple businesses of their own, giving them the experience necessary to know how to operate a sustainable business. On the off chance that you aren’t currently running a business of your own, you may want to consider helping others get theirs off the ground and grow their business.

Business consultants act as the advisor to a business. When a business is struggling or if its founder may be new to taking care of all aspects of the business, the consultant can step in to guide them in the right direction and offer them the advice and resources necessary to move forward more successfully and reach their goals. The level of counsel will depend upon the company and the consultant, but once you’ve developed a reputation for being an effective consultant, you can make a thriving career helping other businesses overcome their obstacles.

This idea may require a bit more hustle and creative marketing on your part (since you’ll need to find and pitch the businesses that you believe can benefit most from your services). However, once you get the ball rolling, it’s only a matter of keeping up your momentum and finding new clients where possible!

16. Leverage Your Knowledge of Multiple Languages to Earn Money As a Translator

Speaking multiple languages can be a helpful skill to have in life. However, that same skill is something that many businesses value when they need to communicate with others who do not speak the same language as them. As long as you can read, write, and speak a language fluently and understand it well, you could decide to make an at-home translator your new business.

The exciting part about being able to speak multiple languages is that it opens up a wide variety of doors for you when it comes to starting a business in translation. For example, you could use your translator skills to become an interpreter for various clients and companies, transcribe audio recordings and create scripts that businesses may need access to later, translating written blog posts or other written materials and creating a new piece in another language, or even becoming a writer in a different language for those who need it. The rarer the language you speak, the more you are likely to make. That said, there are always opportunities, regardless of the language being spoken.

Whether you speak multiple languages on a daily basis or need to brush up on your previous languages to resharpen your skills, becoming a translator to make some extra money from home is a great opportunity for the right people!

17. Flip Domain Names

Most people are familiar with the idea of flipping houses. You purchase the property, fix it up or sit on it until you are able to find the right buyer, and make money off of your new investment. But did you know that you can make money doing the same thing virtually? One way to make money that you may not have considered yet is flipping domain names.

The premise of this business activity is simple. Every business needs a domain name and website in order to reach the masses. However, when they go to look for a domain name that is best for them, they may not be able to grab it. Why? This is because someone has already purchased it, which is where you come in. Buying domain names at a cheap price in anticipation of businesses needing them later gives you the opportunity to up the selling price when they come knocking, giving you the profit you’re looking for without having to do any work.

Granted, learning how to flip domain names as a full-time business can be an extensive process. If this sounds like something you might be interested in doing, take a look at this guide to help you get started.

18. Create or Fix and Flip Whole Websites

This idea takes the previous recommendation a step further, and it is much more like the real estate flipping example.

When flipping websites, the idea is to find potentially profitable websites or develop your own that may attract buyers in the near future. If you choose to purchase an existing website that isn’t doing too well, you will then need to fix it, make it profitable, and then flip it by finding another buyer. If you choose to build a website from scratch, you will have the opportunity to choose your niche and develop your website based on what you anticipate will sell well later. Either way, it’s important that you do your due diligence to ensure that it’s possible for you to make the website profitable before you get started. Although there are some people who have succeeded, there are plenty of people who have failed.

Fixing and flipping websites can be a bit riskier of a business investment. However, as long as you take as many precautions as possible to mitigate potential risks, you may be able to make it work with time.

19. Offer Freelance Web Design Services

Flipping websites can be quite demanding, but there are plenty of valuable skills hidden within this activity that can be capitalized on in different ways. Perhaps you were drawn to the previous suggestion but are a bit concerned with the risks that come with flipping and want to try something less risky. If this holds true for you, you may want to look into becoming a freelance web designer instead!

All of the websites that we visit have been designed by someone. The deeper you dive, the more involved and complex the work becomes. However, when it comes to most of the surface level aspects of a website, this is something that can be quickly learned and leveraged to help business owners create a website of their dreams. If you’re going to become a web designer, it’s crucial that you stay on top of developments in the web design community and keep track of new trends and designs that website owners are looking for. Otherwise, it can be easy to fall behind and for your designs to fall out of fashion.

How can you get started? All you have to do is create a portfolio of your work (a live link to a working website is best), a resume to showcase your education and skills, and begin pitching to clients looking for web design support. Although you may see these names later throughout this article, some freelance websites that can help you connect with potential clients include:

20. Develop Apps and Software From Home

Tech skills continue to be and always will be in demand. The more well-versed you are in areas like coding and programming, the more money you could make. Of course, not everyone necessarily wants to work under or with someone when they’re able to code or program their own things. Are you a bit more of a free soul looking to be more independent with these skills? Instead of finding others who need this type of support, consider developing apps or software from home.

As you already know, our society runs on apps and software. Whether it’s for entertainment, business, organization, personal development, or even basic day-to-day activities, there’s an application for everything. Those who develop these apps and are able to get them in the public eye can make a great deal of money, especially if it’s designed to be something that can be used over time rather than a trendy game application.

No matter what you’re interested in creating, consider working on this project and sending it out into the world. Like most personal projects, payment isn’t always guaranteed, but if you can throw together a great project and market yourself, the sky’s the limit when it comes to running your own development business and making money.

21. Become a Freelance Copywriter or Content Writer

Almost everything that you’ve read on the web has been written in a professional capacity. If you’re great at writing to others in an engaging, informative, actionable manner, you may be able to start your own freelance writing business with ease.

Before we dive deeper into this business idea, it’s important to note that there are many different types of writing opportunities out there, which will ultimately determine what you choose to study and pursue. Some types of writing you’ll see when looking for clients includes:

Blog or article writing (basic writing focused on developing engaging content)
SEO writing
Copywriting
E-book writing
Ghostwriting (writing for people or publications in their voice without receiving credit)
News writing
Product descriptions
Grant writing
Technical writing

These are just a few of the main categories that you may want to specialize in when beginning your journey. As a freelance writer, you are going to need a portfolio, a resume, and determination to pitch, land, and retain clients.

One of the best places to begin is with content mills. Although they pay less than what you could make as an independent freelancer, they do offer you the experience you need to get started and learn what you can expect to encounter when you do start writing. Some content mills worth looking into include:

After you’ve gotten some experience and know what people are looking for, you can then begin pitching real clients on freelance platforms and building your business.

Related: Get Paid to Write: 5 Steps to Become A Freelance Writer

22. Catch Mistakes As a Proofreader or Editor

Writing isn’t the only skill that you can turn into a business. As you’ll experience once you start writing for others, there are those in charge of overviewing your work to ensure that the grammar is correct, that it meets the guidelines set forth by the client that you’re working for, and that everything is done and delivered on time. If this appeals to you more than writing, proofreading or editing may be your ideal business activity.

Proofreading is arguably the easiest of the two to break into, which is due to the fact that proofreaders are only responsible for looking over the work and making necessary corrections. Proofreading will often fall under the editing category when looking for clients or platforms that can help you get started, so it’s important to understand what your responsibilities are before seeking out opportunities.

Meanwhile, an editor will be asked to do more. This can mean leaving feedback on pieces where necessary, tackling style and flow rather than just grammar, managing writers, and so on. Some editing platforms that may help you get started on your journey include:

Whether you’re looking to skim written pieces for mistakes or manage whole teams of writers, these are two options you have at your disposal.

Related: 30 Best Online Proofreading Jobs for Beginners

23. Support Businesses With Your Graphic Design Skills

Graphic design comes into play a lot throughout this guide. This is because, where there are branding needs, there is someone with the skills and experience to develop the look they’re searching for. If you have the talent, this could mean lending your skills to

Logo design
Covers for books and magazines
Product packaging
Clothing designs
Web design
Multimedia design
UI/UX design

Ultimately, you’ll want to have a flexible, attractive style that is appealing to most clients, as well as a detailed resume describing your skills and portfolio of successful projects to show clients what you’re capable of doing for them. This idea will require a bit more creative thinking as you navigate this type of business, so it can be important to do your research and learn how others have gained success in becoming a graphic designer.

24. Help Others Out As a (Insert Ideal Choice Here) Coach

If you’re struggling in any area of your life, there is a coach out there that can help you get back on track. Coaches act as the ultimate accountability partner. Not only do they provide you with all of the tools needed to help you learn and grow but they guide you along your desire path, supporting you until you reach your destination. If this excited you, setting up your own coaching business may be something you could do.

There is no limit when it comes to what types of coaching you can pursue. Some coaches are focused on nutrition, others are focused on business, and others are general life coaches that assess various areas of a client’s life and work to provide comprehensive support. Additionally, while being careful legally is important, there is not typically any type of accreditation or certification required to get started. As long as you have the skills, can produce successful clients who can provide you with satisfied testimonials, and a desire to help others rise up, this is easily something you can get started on your own.

Set aside some time to consider some of your skills and passions, what you will be able to offer potential clients (and how you can gain value from those tools), and what your plan looks like moving forward.

25. Offer Your Video and Sound Editing Skills to Others

Everything we see or hear is edited in some capacity. Movies are edited to look and sound great, music is mixed and edited to produce the sound we’re looking for, even commercials and advertisements are edited so as to produce the right finished product. If you’re capable of editing video or sound, this is definitely something you will want to make a business out of.

The most important thing to have besides the education or relevant skillset when it comes to this type of business is the right tools. Editing both sound and video requires a great deal of dedication, creativity, and knowledge about the programs used in whichever industry you’re pursuing clients in. Sound editors can often make more than video editors, but your compensation depends on who you come into contact with and what type of projects you tackle.

For those who have previous education in this area and got pulled in another direction in life, consider tapping back into these skills to create your ideal at-home-career.

26. Write Your Own Non-Fiction or Fiction E-Books

Bookstores have taken a beating as a result of COVID-19 and for many, it can be safer to purchase a device where they could read their favorite book without ever having to leave their house to get it. Of course, no one is new to the concept of an e-book. But what you may have not thought of when thinking of ways to make money from home is writing your own e-books.

One area that is wildly popular is the self-development and business space. Non-fiction e-books that are actionable and help people change their habits and lives are relatively easy to produce (with the right knowledge) and market on your own. If you’re someone who is more adept at writing fictional stories, don’t fret. There is plenty of demand for new book series in all genres, although it may be a little more difficult for you to make a name for yourself.

Whether you’re looking to dive right in and sell books or offer a few free options to give users a taste of your writing style, some self-publishing platforms that you can use to sell your copies include:

Once you find the right publisher for you, it’s just a matter of signing up, writing your book, and sending it out!

27. Bring Video to Life As a Voiceover Artist

Some voices are unique without effort, while other people can mimic popular voices in animated shows or marketing materials. Whether you’re someone like Kristen Schaal or you have a knack for becoming some of your favorite characters on command, voiceover artists can serve as your inspiration for your new home-based business.

Becoming a voiceover artist requires many of the same things that you would need if you were to start a podcast, with a few exceptions. As a voiceover artist, you will need all of the recording gear required to get clean audio clips, a quiet space to record where no background noise will enter, and an extensive portfolio of various voices that you can offer to clients, no matter what type of support they’re looking for.

After that, it’s just a matter of honing your skills, pitching clients, and gaining the reputation you need to further your efforts. While you will have to take care of your voice and invest in your equipment, this could be a near-effortless business to start that would be perfect for the creative types with exciting voices and ideas to offer the world.

28. Find a Way to Bring Your Passion for Food to Life

Most people think that culinary jobs are only offered in the kitchen. True, if you love to cook, you can find plenty of jobs in your area that would allow you to pursue your passion. However, in today’s world, this may not be the best choice if you’re looking to avoid as much outside contact as possible. That being said, there are plenty of food-based businesses that you can run from home to satisfy your cravings.

Food-based businesses that are also home-based businesses don’t necessarily fall into one category. Rather, what you decide to do depends upon your imagination. Some ideas that you may be interested in pursuing could include:

Making baked goods and shipping them to customers
Developing a meal delivery business that can help people in need in your community
Creating a cooking blog to share your recipes and wisdom with the world
Starting your own cooking vlog
Launching a catering business

These are just a few ideas to help you get started if you’re truly interested in making cooking or baking a full-time activity. However, feel free to get creative and come up with some unique ways you can do what you love and make money doing it from home!

29. Create Online Courses That Help Others Learn Essential Skills

Before the pandemic, online courses were gaining traction but weren’t necessarily as popular as they are now with remote learning and working becoming more ingrained in our society. Now, online courses represent an opportunity to learn something new, build our skills, and help us move toward our professional and personal goals. If you have something to teach others, you can contribute to this online learning revolution by creating your own online courses.

Online course topics will vary wildly, with some courses being about topics like personal development and others being developed by serious educational institutions. Chances are that you may fall somewhere in between. Whatever you have to offer the world, you’re going to need access to filming equipment, editing software, recording equipment, and any other software you need to create additional tools that will accompany your course. Platforms like Teachable will allow you to upload your courses and sell them, but keep in mind that your success will depend on your marketing, what value your courses offer, and the reputation you have as a course creator.

With the right message and course development, this is a passive income stream that you can develop on its own or even incorporate into a larger business model at a later date.

30. If You Have Something to Say, Start Your Own Podcast!

Taking your time to read a blog or watch a video can be one way to consume. The problem? This type of media often requires our full attention, meaning that it’s near impossible for us to take some time to learn something while we’re engaged in another activity. Fortunately for us, there’s another type of media designed for that: podcasts.

If you’re vocal about any type of subject (and like how your voice sounds on a recording), you could start your own podcast from the comfort of your own home. Whether it be entertainment, politics, or even a learning-based podcast, there are all kinds of podcasts out there that people regularly tune in to when a new episode comes out.

But when all of these episodes are free, how do people make money? Podcasts will generally bring in revenue through partnerships, advertising, or selling products outside of the podcast on a related website. Although it can take some time to set up and gain traction, this could be an excellent at-home business for those who enjoy entertaining others and don’t mind investing in a bit of recording equipment to get started.

31. Become a Freelance Accountant or Bookkeeper

Finance has always been an important focus in most people’s lives, but it’s become especially crucial with the economy in the state that it’s in. From small businesses to individuals, everyone’s looking for support to help them become more financially stable or successful. If you have financial experience and skills, you may be able to offer them the support that they need.

If you’re interested in helping others review their finances and provide them with an accurate picture of their wealth or profitability, becoming a freelance bookkeeper can be an excellent way to get started. Additionally, you can utilize these skills to provide seasonal services, such as helping others file taxes, for example. Meanwhile, becoming an accountant is a bit more involved as you will be focused on not only tracking income and expenses but analyzing finances and helping your clients as well. Either way, both of these opportunities can be quite lucrative once you start finding clientele.

As long as you have the skills and can compete with others in your field, this may be an idea that you can set up and start fairly easily.

32. Invest in Assets That Can Help You Grow Your Wealth

Most of the examples found throughout this guide are what we would call active income sources. Active income is income that you work to receive, even when it comes in the form of operating your own business. But sometimes, the best way to make money isn’t to work for it, but to let your money work for you.

Investing can be one way to start growing your wealth without dealing with as much of a demand of your time and energy as would be expected from other ideas listed here. One frequently recommended way to invest your money and start making money on the side is day trading. Day trading is a complex activity, requiring a deep understanding of financial markets as well as patience and perseverance. However, there are plenty of people who swear by this investing activity as a way to make money during your free time. Others may choose to invest by extending loans to individuals and small businesses. Put simply, there are plenty of investment opportunities that can offer you access to the income you’re looking for.

No matter what you decide on, do your research and assess all potential risks before investing your money into any asset. If you are careless with your money, the consequences can be costly.

33. Can You Code? Make Real Money As a Programmer

You’ve seen multiple ways to make money off of technical skills throughout this post. This is due to the fact that these skills can be difficult to learn and even more difficult to find high-quality people needed to develop the projects or products that organizations are in need of. If you’re able to code, this opens up a wide variety of potential business ideas for you to access.

Some of these business ideas we have already discussed. For example, developing your own apps is one way that you can use your coding skills to bring in additional income. Becoming a web developer is another way. For organizations with more intense projects, however, you may want to offer your skills on a freelance basis, doing projects for a wide variety of businesses as you grow your skills and develop a solid portfolio. If you’re well-versed in coding and confident in your skills, you could also teach others how to code, something that can be especially lucrative if you’re excellent at explaining difficult topics.

No matter what may pull your attention the most, consider how you can leverage these lucrative and in-demand skills to make money from home!

34. Motivate Others Virtually As a Personal Trainer

With gyms shutting down or not being safe enough for many to justify going to them, people are looking for ways to continue their fitness journey and stay on top of their progress. Are you a fitness enthusiast who knows how to motivate others and help them achieve their physical and fitness-based goals? One way to utilize this talent is to become a virtual personal trainer.

As a personal trainer, you will be responsible for helping others find their ideal fitness regimen (this presents an opportunity to sell them items that may be crucial for the programs that you develop), create a better diet that allows them to reach their health and fitness goals, and keep them on track so that they don’t fall behind or lose motivation throughout their journey. Personal trainers who manage to garner a great deal of support can also make money as an influencer, forming partnerships with brands or even developing their own products to sell to those who are on their fitness journey.

If you love helping others and staying fit, this is a great opportunity to look into so that you can help others navigate these difficult times and stay on top of their fitness goals!

35. Assist Others As a Customer Service Representative

Some organizations will have their own dedicated team for customer service. Others will outsource this essential work to people located across the country or world. Tapping into the latter opportunity is one way to develop your home-based business and dictate how you work.

Customer service is relatively straightforward as you will generally be engaging with customers over the phone or online via text chat programs. The former will generally pay more, but the latter offers much more resources to help you get started on your journey. If you’re interested in becoming a chat agent, some platforms that can offer you this type of work include:

LiveWorld: LiveWorld hires individuals who will respond to customers on social media instead of using a live chat feature or speaking with them over the phone. For those who are social media savvy, this may be a better option to pursue instead of a regular customer service position done on the phone or through your laptop.
The Chat Shop: A UK-based company, The Chat Shop offers both human and AI-based live chat services, meaning that they are generally looking for new people to help them tackle the live chat aspects. Make sure to visit their website regularly to look for new positions.
ModSquad: ModSquad is known for hiring remote customer associates with a twist: their associates may be expected to moderate forums, live chat with customers, chat through social media, and manage online communities.
PrestoExperts: PrestoExpert hires expert chat agents who are knowledgeable (experts) in specific areas. Once you’ve been accepted onto the platform, you become an independent contractor that can then connect with those in need of your services.
Needle: Needle is a relatively straightforward company in which you act as a live chat ambassador who informs and helps to sell products from the companies that Needle partners with.

Becoming a customer service representative working over the phone will require a little more research on your part to find businesses that are in need of your services. However, if you are interested in getting involved in customer services, you are guaranteed to find a way to make money without having to leave the house to do so.

Related: Customer Service Jobs To Work From Home

36. Do Laundry That Others Don’t Have Time for

For many of us, laundry is a chore we take care of during our days off at the end of the week. For others with larger families, however, laundry can be an all-day affair that takes up a major chunk of their time. The good news? There are laundry services out there that support these individuals, and it may very well just be your next business idea.

A laundry business will require some monetary investment on your part as you’ll want to ensure that you have the proper equipment, enough equipment to handle multiple clients at a time, safety products to protect you from contaminants, and other products that are designed to support more delicate clothing items. However, if you are dedicated, you can make decent money as you either pick up others’ laundry or accept home pickups, wash and dry clothing, fold it, and deliver it back to your customers.

If you’re looking for something that will likely have high demand in your area and will be relatively easy to start, an at-home laundry service offers you a business model that requires basic skills most anyone can do!

37. Share Your Love for Music With These Business Ideas

Music is often overlooked when it comes to making money, but the truth is that there are plenty of great ways to make money by sharing your creative talents with others. But for many, the question is, where am I supposed to get started? Some great ways you can begin making money with your music include:

Tutoring others who are looking for vocal coaching or help learning or mastering a certain instrument
Recording your own songs and marketing them to become an independent artist (or even posting them on sites where you could make money for the number of views that you receive)
Creating beats or instrumentals and licensing them for commercials and other media
Creating music tracks for other artists who want to include them in their media
Finding virtual events to perform at
Making instrumentals for artists who may not play their own instruments
Writing songs and licensing them for others to sing
Selling great musical products to others from the comfort of your own
Starting your own music blog where you cover new bands and conduct interviews

Much like music itself is a creative activity, there are plenty of ways to get creative and start your own music-based business. Start with some of the ideas above to see if you can turn your passion into profit!

38. Become a Yoga or Meditation Instructor

Self-care is a major focus for many individuals in today’s world, and exercises like yoga and meditation can be a great way to relax, develop greater self-awareness, and de-stress from our day-to-day problems. However, while individual yoga and meditation can get the job done, it lacks the connection and accountability that comes with working with someone else. To become that person, you could easily start your own home-based instruction business.

Yoga and meditation are both excellent exercises that help quiet the mind and get us in tune with our bodies. That being said, learning how to do these exercises can be difficult as you either need to learn various positions for yoga or follow through on your meditation efforts, especially when your mind is being resistant to quiet. As a yoga or meditation instructor, you can serve to help others learn the practice and develop the self-discipline needed to follow through on their exercises when they’re on their own.

All you’ll need to get this set up is some of your own equipment, a web camera, a microphone, and enough room in your schedule to book clients. If you feel comfortable and practice safely, you may even be able to make house calls or start your own studio in the future.

39. Launch a Subscription Box Business

Subscription boxes have been quite popular as of late. Rather than requiring customers to purchase certain items they need as they go, subscription boxes often provide subscribers with beginner sets and give them the opportunity to build a collection over time or give them regular access to products that they may need over the period of their subscription. Because of this versatility and popularity, one home-based business idea you may want to look into is starting your own subscription box business.

Put simply, subscription boxes can offer absolutely anything. Some types of boxes that are currently being offered include spirituality kits or crystal boxes, self-care and personal care boxes, snack boxes, food boxes, clothing boxes, and even boxes with pet treats and toys. You can choose to take one of these routes or even come up with your own creative concept that people may be willing to try out. You could also vary it by making it a monthly box that people can opt-out if they don’t enjoy the theme for the month, which gives them greater freedom of what they choose to buy.

If you’re someone who loves subscription boxes and believes that your own ideas could really take off, considering putting together your own subscription box business!

40. Make Spiritual Supplies or Offer Spiritual Services to Others

Although these types of services and products are relatively hidden from mainstream customers, there are plenty of spiritual suppliers and entrepreneurs who have made a living offering products and services within certain spiritual niches. While some of them do have their own storefronts, many others conduct their business from home.

But what exactly are you able to offer if this is something that you’re interested in? Some ideas that others have already established include:

Spiritual subscription boxes
Selling products like crystals, incense, and other objects
Doing tarot readings or other readings
Selling homemade spiritual goods
Writing your own books about spirituality

It can be difficult to establish yourself in this kind of niche, but it may be worth it if this is something you’ve always wanted to pursue and make a business out of!

41. Join a Transcription Company and Jumpstart Your Own Business

Transcription is one of those activities that almost always makes its way into these guides and for good reason. Transcription is something that almost anyone can do, and once you gain some experience, it’s only a matter of time before you can make more money freelancing on the side. Additionally, you’ll only have to invest time into learning how to type more efficiently as well as a few materials here and there like pedals and headphones to make your job easier for you.

Getting started is also quite easy as there are plenty of platforms that you can approach to start working as a transcriptionist. A few platforms worth mentioning include:

TranscribeMe: TranscribeMe is one of the most popular transcription platforms available. Those who use TranscribeMe have reported being able to make anywhere from $15 to $22 per audio hour.
GoTranscript: GoTranscript pays up to $0.60 per audio minute or $36 per audio hour.
Rev: Rev is a popular platform that pays anywhere from $0.30 per audio minute to $1.10 per audio minute.
Casting Words: Casting Words pays around $0.085 to $1 per audio minute, depending upon the type of work.
QuickTate: QuickTate is a platform that is designed for those who have experience and professional references that the company can reach out to. Should you make it onto the platform, Quicktate pays $0.0025 per word for general transcription, $0.0050 per word for medical transcription, and around $0.0050 per word for iDictate.
Tigerfish: Tigerfish is a platform that only onboards U.S. residents and pays around $0.005 per word transcribed.
Ubiqus: Ubiqus hires both professionals and those who are interested in transcription and can prove their skills. They pay per word and their rates are $0.00588 per word for legal transcription and $0.00695 per word for medical transcription.
SpeechPad: SpeechPad is one of the highest-paying platforms currently available, offering $0.25 to $2.50 per audio minute!
SpeakWrite: SpeakWrite requires all users to have at least one year of transcription experience (which means you can make it on there once you have been on any of these other platforms for a year’s time). They pay $0.005 per word and state that there is a potential 10% bonus for some transcriptionists.
GMR Transcription: GMR Transcription offers $0.70 to $1.25 per audio minute for those who make it onto the platform.
Scribie: Scribie is arguably the lowest paying platform but quite easy to get onto. You can expect to make around $5 to $50 per audio hour.

As long as you’re willing to take the time to practice and get some of the materials needed to succeed as a transcriptionist, this could be an excellent work-from-home business that will grow exponentially over time as you leave platforms and bring on your clients.

42. Kick It Old School and Become an Illustrator

Graphic design tends to be the key focus for artists, and this is due to the fact that graphic design has a high demand in our society. That being said, that doesn’t mean that artists are barred from making money in today’s world. If you’re someone who prefers creating physical art, going the illustrator route may be better for you.

Illustrators are useful for a number of things, whether this is creating book covers or the pictures you see in books, making exciting t-shirt designs or other fashion creations, taking art commissions from others, or even making your own creations and offering them up for sale online. This may be a more difficult business idea to launch and sustain, but if you can market yourself in a way that sparks interest in your art and separates you from your competition, there is no reason why this can’t be a viable business option for you.

43. Put Your Law Experience and Knowledge to Use With These Ideas

Having a law degree opens up multiple career options, and oftentimes, these career paths can make you quite a bit of money in the process. But if you have yet to apply your law degree to a certain job area or if you have already left your career and are currently looking for ways to make money without having to go back to your practice, what options do you have at your disposal?

Some great ways to put your law degree to use without having to go into the office or back to the 9-to-5 include doing freelance law work for online clients, becoming a legal consulting for businesses and startups entering your field of expertise, doing administrative work or offering support for lawyers who may have too much work on their plate, using your vast knowledge to develop a platform where individuals can get legal help for whatever they may be dealing with, or even choosing to become an online personality in order to share your wisdom.

Becoming a lawyer offers a lot of flexibility, but the sheer number of creative business concepts past lawyers have come up with in order to serve the needs of others far outnumbers the types of law careers you could get into. If you want to use your law degree and work on your own time, set aside some time to look at ways other lawyers have started their own work-from-home journey and how you can begin your own home-based business.

44. Do Administrative Healthcare Work From Home

Besides law, healthcare is another area that offers a wide variety of earning opportunities for those who have experience in the field and a desire to continue helping without going back into the field.

Having a degree in healthcare of having experience working as a nurse or doctor presents you with plenty of home-based business ideas to pursue. Have administrative and healthcare experience? You could choose to manage systems from home and ensure that hospitals and other healthcare clinics are operating optimally. Have financial experience in the mix? Consider going into financial billing to follow up on patient payments that need to be made after treatment. Even in today’s world, new opportunities have cropped up, such as engaging in COVID-19 tracking to help stop the spread of the virus and keep the general population safer.

If you want to ensure that your education continues to serve you, consider some of the ideas above to make the most of your healthcare degree and passion for supporting healthcare professionals and everyday people.

Business Ideas (That May Require Some Live Interaction)

Sometimes, interacting with others is unavoidable and in the case of the suggestions below, you can expect to engage with some people along the way. However, that doesn’t make any of these home-based business suggestions any less valid. If you don’t mind interacting and getting out of the house to do your job, here are some business ideas you can start from home to make a little extra money.

45. Use These Gig Apps to Bring in Extra Money

Gig-economy apps like Uber and Lyft have attracted quite a bit of attention and controversy in the past year, with plenty of legislation being thrown at them in an attempt to change their business structure. But while they’re still operating, gig-based apps give you the ability to make extra money on your time. The more that you’re able to take on, the more money you could make as an independent contractor.

But which apps can help you get started? Although there are a few well-known apps out there, there may have been a handful that you haven’t heard about. Here are some of the best ones to consider using to start your independent contractor journey.

Many of these will allow you to engage in similar activities, making it so that you can sign up for multiple services and switch between them when things start to slow down. With dedication, ingenuity, and some extra time, you can definitely bring in money with these types of apps.

Related: 8 Best Delivery App Jobs To Make Money
Related: 8 Ways to Run Errands for Money

46. Rent Out Space in Your Home

Do you have an extra room in your home that isn’t currently being used? Are you someone who owns a home where you have a second house or room attached or separate in the backyard? If so, you may want to consider renting out space in your home as a way to make money.

Renting out a room in your home is something that you’ll want to seriously consider and research as there are just as many disadvantages as there are advantages. On one hand, you are able to make money from this unused space and, hopefully, share it with someone who you get along with. On the other hand, sharing a space with someone else you don’t know could prove to be problematic, especially when you consider the fact that it could cost you extra to allow them to stay there.

Additionally, renters have rights, and it’s your responsibility to know these laws and keep your renters protected, even if they’re only renting a room. If you’re interested in dipping your toes in, it’s recommended to start with an app like Airbnb where you can start seeing whether or not it’s something you want to continue with. If you don’t mind it and you find someone needing a more permanent situation, you could consider renting your space out through a short-term or long-term lease.

47. If You Have no Extra Space, Rent Out Unused Items Instead

Most people are well-acquainted with the concept of renting out unused space in their home.

As we’ve covered in the past, there are tons of platforms that will help you rent out unused items for additional income. Some of these websites and apps include:

Help campers find the perfect place to camp by listing your land on a platform like HomeCamper.
Rent out your home or additional space in your home via apps like Airbnb or VRBO.
RVs are a great way to venture into the great outdoors, but many people will buy them, only to leave them sitting in the driveway. Fortunately, you can give your RV the use it’s looking for through apps like RVshare or Outdoorsy.
An extra car can be great to have access to unless it’s collecting dust. Rent it to those in need of a vehicle using Turo or getaround.
You can easily rent out extra spaces for vehicles like parking spaces, curb space, or even driveways using platforms like CurbFlip.
Help those looking to access their local lake make their dreams come true by renting out your boat through Boatsetter.
Provide people with space in your house for events like modeling shoots or gatherings through Peerspace.
If you’re not looking to have anyone occupy the unused space in your home, you could instead rent it out for extra storage space using StoreAtMyHouse.
Twisted Road and Riders Share helps people find bikers who rarely use their motorcycles and allows them to rent these vehicles.
If you don’t have an extra motorcycle lying around but you do have some bikes that have not seen the light of day in a while, you can rent out your unused bicycles to others through services like Spinlister.
KitSplit and ShareGrid make it possible to rent or even sell cameras and film equipment. If you have any equipment that is in good condition and want to make some regular income, consider renting out these items to others.
Through platforms like BabyQuip, you can rent out and deliver your unused baby gear to parents who may have forgotten some of their essential baby goods while they’re out of town or on vacation.
Many unused clothing items can be thrown away or donated. However, some higher-end fashion choices cost a lot of money to buy, and you may not be willing to simply give designer clothes away. Instead, you can turn to StyleLend to let someone else wear these outfits and make a little extra money along the way.
Rent out instruments, recording equipment, and other musical tools to interested users on Fretish.

If you’re considering making a living renting out items, it’s best to vary the type of items you rent so that you can use multiple platforms, maximize your profits, and prevent you from dealing with a sudden loss of income if a platform you rely on no longer offers you the same security you once had. The list above will help you find and use some of the best rental platforms available today!

48. Start Your Own Home-Cleaning Business

Sometimes, the simplest business ideas are the best. One of the most reliable and easy-to-start businesses for anyone is your own home-cleaning business. No matter where you live, chances are that there are people who either need regular cleaning services or major deep-cleaning services for when they’re moving out or just in need of a thorough house cleaning. You can take advantage of this need by investing in some great cleaning supplies, advertising your business locally, and putting in the work to develop an excellent reputation.

While this business will require travel and interaction on your end at first, the great aspect about such a business is that you can begin to employ others once you have the right clientele and enough of a reputation. Then, it’s a matter of running your business from home and having your employees take care of your clients. If you’re in this for the long haul and can picture yourself as a business owner who can really stand out in this type of work, take a chance and start offering your services to homeowners in your area!

49. Become a Mystery Shopper

Mystery shopping sounds like an obscure type of job that transforms you into a secret agent for your work. To some degree, this is true. Mystery shoppers are given the opportunity to go to local businesses to collect data, pictures, and analyze how well businesses are performing or what they’re offering. The best part? You get to decide when you are mystery shopping and only take on what you’re interested in.

Despite the fact that this isn’t as covered as some of the other items on this list, there are actually quite a few platforms you can look into to decide whether or not this is something you’d be interested in. Here are a few to help you get started.

Once you’ve signed up with a few of these platforms, the key to making plenty of cash is to use multiple platforms and to pick up gigs when they become available. As long as you offer value to these platforms, do a great job for the gigs in your area, and take your mystery shopping seriously, traveling around your favorite stores is certainly an excellent way to bring in extra income.

Related: 25 Best Mystery Shopper Jobs

50. Pick Up Your Camera and Become a Photographer or Videographer

Being able to capture live moments and make them beautiful is a talent. As with every talent, this can be turned into a full-time business that allows you to earn money for your passion!

Photographers are often requested for major events, such as weddings, graduations, and other life events. Putting together a portfolio, creating a website, and advertising yourself is all you need to begin making money capturing others. If you may not be comfortable working with others at the moment, there are alternatives that you can turn to. For example, taking pictures to sell as stock photos and freelancing for publications that need top-tier photographers are just a few other ways you can make money this way.

If you’re someone who’s skilled with video equipment, you may also want to consider offering services to those in need of video production. With the right equipment and pictures to display, your business is right at your fingertips. All you have to do is get started!

Start Your Business Now!

While times may be tough, there are plenty of ways to make money that go beyond traditional employment. If you’ve always wanted to become a business owner but simply didn’t know where to start, use the easy 50 home-based business ideas listed above to start making money and take control of your income!