Want to start a profitable home-based business? Consider starting a digital business. Digital home-based businesses are trending and don't require much start-up costs.
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The best thing about having a digital business is that you can work whenever you want. If you feel the urge to work at 2 a.m., you don't have to worry about leaving your home or working within certain office hours.
In this article we'll discuss profitable home-based digital businesses ideas, what you need to get started, and how to set your business up.
Step 1: Choose Your Business
1. Freelance Business
If you have a valuable service you can offer, a freelance business may interest you. You can write, perform virtual assistant tasks, design graphics and websites, do marketing and advertising, or whatever your niche is, all from home.
To start freelancing, you don't really need a special degree although having experience does help. To find clients, you need to do a combination of building your network and sending pitches. You can answer ads for projects or even do your research and reach out to clients individually.
The great thing about freelancing is that business can pick up really fast. One minute, you have a lot of time on your hands and you're scrambling to find clients. Then the next, you're fully booked.
Read this! Why Freelancing is the Best Work-From-Home Job (and How to Get Started)
2. Blogging
Starting a blog can be a great hobby, but it's an even better business idea. Often, people start blogs for fun then monetize them later. Thus, you don't really have to start a blog with the intention of turning it into a business.
However, there are so many ways to monetize your blog while still remaining authentic. For instance, you can team up with brands for paid sponsored content. Also, you can try affiliate marketing to promote products and services you like that would benefit your audience. Another option is to put ads on your site to generate income
You can also create your own products to sell from your blog or offer your services from your website. Personally, this is how I launched my freelance business.
Read this! Start Your Own WordPress Blog Like A Pro in 5 Easy Steps
3. Sales
Getting into digital sales is another profitable home-based business idea. You can either sell another company's product online, sell items you find or buy at resale stores, or create your own products.
- Sell ebooks – If you enjoy writing, find a topic you are passionate about and make money selling your own ebooks.
- Sell crafts – Turn your arts and crafts into cash online making popular seasonal crafts and more.
- Sell clothes – ThredUp is a great online resale shop you can use to buy and sell used clothing.
- Sell tech – Use a site like Decluttr to sell old CDs, DVDs, video games, and other tech items.
- Sell books – If you're looking to sell other items like books, Cash 4 Books is one website that allows you to sell used textbooks with free shipping. You can also try one of these sites to sell used textbooks.
In general, you can sell pretty much anything on Amazon or eBay. However, keep in mind that these sites do take a small cut out of your profits. What I love about Amazon is that you can automate your shipping when you sign up for their Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) service. With Amazon FBA, you send your items to their warehouse. Then, they can be packaged and shipped off whenever you make a sale. That way, you're not going to the post office each day. Instead, you can focus more on listing items to be sold.
Read this! 21 Things To Sell To Make Fast Money Online
Step 2: Gather What You Need
If you want to successfully run an online business, you'll need a few materials and supplies to get started. It won't nearly be as much as if you were running a business with a physical location.
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To get your home-based business up and running, you'll need:
- A computer – Preferably a quality laptop since you'll be depending on it each day.
- High-speed internet connection – Don't skimp when it comes to your internet connection because it could cause issues with operating your business. Plus, you can deduct internet expenses around tax time.
- Website and related expenses – You may want to set up a professional website. While you can do this for free in some cases, you may want to invest in one upfront.
- Product/inventory – If you are running a home-based sales business, you may need to invest in a product initially so you can start selling it
- Accounting software – Used to track your income and expenses. I recommend using a service like Freshbooks, GoDaddy Bookkeeping, or Quickbooks.
- Advertising budget – If you decide to advertise your services or products with digital ads, you may need to have cash on hand for this. However, advertising is not required to start a business. Word of mouth, emailing, and social media are free.
Step 3: Set Up Your Digital Home-Based Business
Once you have a great business idea, and the things (and budget) you'll need right away, you may be wondering how to get it off the ground.
Do Your Market Research
Do some market research and determine who your clients/customers will be and how you want to market to them. Sometimes you can implement no-cost marketing strategies. Other times, you may need to pay for a little advertising to get started. You'll also want to consider setting up a professional website to showcase your services or products.
Make a Business Plan
Next, you can write out a detailed business plan including the mission of your business, who your target market is, how you plan to earn money, what risks might be involved, etc. This business plan will definitely help you stay on track.
Plan for Legalities
Depending on when you want to legitimize your business, there may be some legal work that you need to take care of. If you want to start an LLC, S-Corp, or another type of business, you can check out LegalZoom for more information about how to get started. For example, you may need to apply for an EIN from the IRS.
Final Thoughts
Starting a digital home-based business is not super difficult. It can be done without much start-up cost. That makes it an effective and low-risk way to earn a living. If you want to start a digital home-based business, my best advice is to start it on the side of your current job. That way, you can see how much you can earn first. Then, as you experience success and enjoyment, phase out of your job and go all in!
Have you ever thought about starting a digital home-based business?
