The coronavirus pandemic has motivated thousands of people across the world to turn their passion or hobby into a business from the comfort of their own home.
Over the past 10 years, there has been a sharp rise in home-businesses and the pandemic has put a spotlight on this, making many people realise that they too could start a successful business from home. People are continually discovering more ways to channel their entrepreneurship, setting up their business HQ at home.
Thanks to the progress of technology over the last decade, we are all more connected and flexible now than we ever have been before. Many traditional businesses are reverting to a remote structure now that they realise it can be done and they can save money on offices and commuting.
Everything is done online in the modern world. The largest companies in the world focus on online entertainment and the trading of physical goods via online marketplaces.
Home-businesses come in many shapes and sizes. Some may require the takeover of your living room to store stock, some can be operated totally online with just a laptop and a cup of tea.
The hardest part is deciding what business to start. It is important to think about your hobbies, what you like doing and what you’re good at when deciding what avenue to go down.
Read on for inspiration about what businesses you could start from home.
Buy Low, Sell High
We’re all familiar with eBay and Amazon as a way to buy and sell new and used items online. But, they can also be used as an easy way to start your own home business.
This option is very common amongst new business starters as it requires minimal work to start with and can provide a comfortable income with little continued commitment.
It’s a simple concept, buy in bulk at a reduced price, and sell the products individually at a higher price. Make sure to stock a product that is easy to store, has a good margin and is something people will always want or need.
Another good idea is to look out for big sales at popular high street or online retailers. If you can find something that is usually quite expensive for a bargain, in a month or so once the sales have ended someone online will pay close to the retail price if it hasn’t been used.
Make and Sell Products
This option isn’t for everyone as some of us are creatively challenged and are just not built for making anything from scratch. But maybe you are!?
Whether you are a keen sewer, painter, baker or candlestick maker, there is someone out there that wants to buy your products. Dust off your sewing machine and give your paintbrushes a wash, because they are the key to your successful home business.
When you have products that you’re proud of and want to sell, the next thing to consider is how and where to sell them. For crafts, it’s not necessarily as easy as selling them on eBay.
A good idea is to create your own website. This is really easy to do nowadays with services such as Squarespace and Wix, which allow you to easily create your own website to present your products. The next step is to advertise your products, which could be done via online ads or social media. Maybe you have a local community Facebook page that you could tap for customers?
Sell Your Services
If you’re not creatively gifted and don’t want to horde a lot of products, this might be the option for you. Starting an online service business couldn’t be easier with loads of websites dedicated to offering your skills on a freelance basis for cash.
If you have a skill that you maybe went to school for or developed in the professional world, you can easily monetize it via websites such as Fiverr and Upwork. Some examples of these skills are copywriting, graphic design, sales, customer service and training.
There are also services you can offer on a local basis to your community or family and friends. Common examples include dog walking, dog sitting, house sitting, house cleaning and even cat sitting.
Search deep within yourself, I know you have a monetizable skill!
Blogging
This one is a little trickier and takes a bit of time to build up, but can be done fairly easily with minimal commitment. Find something you’re passionate about, that you love reading about, and that you think you could contribute to.
Create a blog around that topic or niche and try and make yourself stand out. This can be done via the topics you write about or your writing style.
If you continue with this you may start to build up a following of readers that you can monetise. You could do this by advertising on your blog, affiliate links, or advertising products on a newsletter,
Once you have a dedicated audience, the possibilities for monetisation are endless.
The hardest step to take is the first one. Do some research and see which of these home business ideas is the best fit for you. None of these ideas requires a lot of investment and time, just a bit of commitment and a will to succeed.
