6 Cool business opportunities that can earn money by working from home
With high speed internet on its way through the NBN, now is the chance to get on the innovation band-wagon and look at a few business opportunities from home that can allow you to earn extra money while being in the comfort of your own home. By working just a few hours per night, you can start earning extra money, with hope that it will work for itself; or with the ability to turn into a full time job.
Why is now such a good time? Well the Australian Government has launched the National Innovation and Science Agenda which is promoting innovation and change, while offering tax breaks and incentives to young entrepreneurs and startup business’s. So there is no better time than now.
Here are a number of things that you can do to make some extra money on the side or create a job for yourself.
Drop Shipping
Drop shipping is a term that you probably haven’t heard of before, but it can be pretty profitable if done right. Drop shipping is where a supplier provides and ships goods directly to a business’s customer. For example, you can set up an eCommerce store selling a wide range of computer accessories. A customer places and pays you for a computer mouse through your website. You then send that order to your Drop shipper provider, who then will pack and post it directly to your customer on your behalf, under your brand name. There are a lot of benefits to drop shipping such as:
- Minimal capital and low overhead – you don’t need to purchase products before selling them, or to store products in a warehouse
- Easy to get started – find a drop shipper and set up a website
- Can be automated so you don’t have to lift a finger
Build Websites for Businesses
Building websites nowadays are so incredibly easy. You don’t even have to know how to code. There are many tutorials out there on how to build a website in which you can use to build professional websites for small businesses. One such service that makes building websites easy is Wix. With Wix, you can build almost anything from Blogs, eCommerce websites, portfolio websites, and websites for business. Did you know that there are 80 million users who have a Wix website? The reason why there are so many people using Wix is because of its intuitive editor. It’s all drag and drop. So if you know how to use Microsoft PowerPoint, you would know how to use Wix.
Below is a video that runs you through 11 Steps and tells you how easy it is to make a host a website.
With building a website, it will also help you with all of the other business opportunity that is discussed in this post. If you are looking for another tool to build websites (for more advance and technical users), I would also recommend WordPress.
Offer Your Skills
If you are a type of person who likes to get their hands dirty and be involved, why not offer people help who need your skills? There are plenty of people who need help and assistance on the internet to perform a whole range of tasks from providing customer support to administration, or even strategic planning.
There are a few websites that I regular use to offer my skills and time to. Fiverr, AirTasker and PeoplePerHour.
Fiverr has a simple concept. Get something done for $5. Not only can you get a logo designed for your business for only $5, you can sell your skills and services from anything such as Graphic Design, Digital Marketing, Writing and Translation, Video and Animation, Programming, Advertising, Business, Lifestyle, and even bizarre things you probably wouldn’t have thought of.
PeoplePerHour on the other hand allows you to set your own prices for jobs, or to post an “hourly”. With an hourly, it asks you one simple question:
I can _____ for $__.__ and will deliver it in ___ days.
Learn New Skills and Consult
If you are not sure what skills you can offer, why not learn a new skill? Coursera provides free online courses from top universities. For example, you can take a course in Digital Marketing, and start your own Digital Marketing firm. You are not limited to Coursera, there’s also ample of tutorials, discussions and tips on the internet to get your started. You could even go further and get your own Google AdWords Certification.
If Digital Marketing is not your thing, maybe you can do learn some of the below and sell your newly earned services.
- Learn Mobile App Development and create and sell mobile apps
- Learn a different language and become an online translator
- Provide editorial advice and writing services
Complete Online Surveys
Many people think you don’t make much money from completely online surveys… and they are probably right. I have been completing Roy Morgan’s Oz Panel for a number of years with maybe doing one 5 minute survey a week. The majority of the surveys take less than 5 minutes, and only provide you with a couple of points. 1 Point = $1. Over time, it does add up.
However, if you are lucky, you can get a few surveys that have an estimated completion time of 30 minutes, but can pay $40 or more. So if you love giving feedback, it’s a good way to earn some pocket money.
Start a Blog or Vlog
If you like writing or talking in front of a camera, and are passionate about a particular product, you can earn great money by Blogging and Vlogging. I started this website in as a hobby back in 2009 using WordPress to just share my knowledge at and news about technology. Due to some really popular articles, it does make a bit of money, which is great spending money. If writing isn’t your thing, and you love being in front of a camera, create a YouTube channel and share your knowledge or entertainment skills. Again, if you create a popular video, it is autonomous with money just rolling in.
Other Cool Idea’s?
Have you successfully earned money from working from home, or maybe you would like more assistance? Share your story in the comments below.