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.

Best online business ideas for 2024

  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.
  1. 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.

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.
  1. 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.
  1. 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.

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.
  1. 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.

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.
  1. 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.

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.
  1. 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.

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.
  1. 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.

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.
  1. 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.

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.
  1. Become an influencer

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

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 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.
  1. 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.

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.
  1. 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.

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.
  1. 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.

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.
  1. 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.

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 totaled 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.
  1. 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.

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.
  1. 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.

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.
  1. 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.

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.
  1. 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.

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.
  1. 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.

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.
  1. 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.

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.
  1. Become an online fitness trainer

Like many other service-based industries, fitness training has migrated online.

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.
  1. 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.

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.
  1. 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.

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.
  1. Do voiceover work

Many voiceover artists make professional recordings from the comfort of their own home.

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.
  1. Become an ad consultant

Ads are everywhere, and behind many of them are consultants who help businesses optimize their outreach.

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

  1. Validate your idea with research
  2. Develop your product or service
  3. Set up your business finances
  4. Find partners, vendors, and suppliers
  5. Build your business website
  6. 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. After conducting market research, write a business plan to clarify your ideas.

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.

3. Set up your business finances

After officially registering your business, you should have the tax identification numbers and other information required to open a business bank account. Having a bank account is helpful for tax preparation and managing your business’s finances.

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.

5. Build your business website

If you want to start an online business, you need to have a website. Choose a domain name and verify that it’s available. Then build your own store on a platform like Shopify and start accepting payments from customers right away.

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. 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.