10 Online Businesses To Start On The Side: The Best Side Hustles
Having a full-time job is no walk in the park, however, spending that extra time doing something you are passionate about whilst also putting some extra cash in your pocket is never a bad idea. Starting, running, and scaling an online business gives you the freedom to make money anywhere in the world, be your own boss, decide your own hours, and work from the comfort of your laptop. Most people can’t think of anything more satisfying, especially people who understand the 9-5 cycle. This idea seems more achievable now than more than it ever did before but most people are put off by the simple notion of ‘I don’t know where I would even start”.
The most crucial step to starting a profitable side business is to have an idea that can match your strengths and skills. Starting an online business is becoming more and more popular, and more and more people are discovering that the sky really is the limit when it comes to how much you can earn online. However, starting a side hustle isn’t always as easy as it seems, especially when you only have limited hours in a day that you can dedicate to it all.
Whether part-time or full-time, online based businesses have started to gain a significant chunk of the more traditional retail market worldwide, and people can get their online business ideas up and running fairly quickly nowadays than ever before. As more entrepreneurs begin to enter crowded markets, customers will be on the hunt for new and innovative ideas and products that are communicated in a way they have never seen before.
We are going to help you take the guesswork out of finding a profitable online business by providing you with a list of some of the most profitable, highly scalable ideas that you can start whilst still committing to your day job.
1. Blogging
Blogging is a very viable small business opportunity that requires no more than a part-time commitment from the entrepreneur’s end. Starting a blog about something you love to do or talk about is something that will come naturally to you.
The trick is turning a blog into a business and not just a medium. With blogging, you have the opportunity to refer your readers to products you believe in through affiliate links, wherein turn you will receive a commission. Most commission payouts range from anything between 10-30%.
On Krepling, entrepreneurs and bloggers also have the ability to charge readers a subscription for more exclusive reading material. This is a business model the likes of Forbes, TechCrunch, and Business Insider all abide by, therefore the profitability in a subscription-based blog has already been proven.
2. Providing Virtual Service
Digital commerce is no longer reserved for the likes of retail and the rest of the physical world. Selling your services through a secure online payment system is a highly scalable and profitable space.
Different businesses and professionals may need the help of an assistant to manage various daily tasks, including social media, email, etc. Businesses that do not understand the fundamentals of particular spaces or have the willingness to outsource a certain position will look for someone to fulfill that role. A virtual service-based business charges anything from $10-$20 per month to render a particular service, whilst some also charge $30-$40 per month for higher tier based services.
Don’t have a skill you can sell as a service? Not a problem! A large variety of entrepreneurs have resulted in outsourcing services like social media management and lead generation to third parties on the likes of Fiverr, UpWork, and PeoplePerHour.
Starting a virtual service-based business has a lot of potentials, and turning your business into a brand, with your own website, variety of provided services, and dedicated blogs will keep your customers coming back, especially when it comes to services like social media management, which only provides more value when purchased as an ongoing monthly service.
What is the gig economy?
The gig economy is a free market system where companies work with independent contractors or freelancers rather than hire full-time staff. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported in 2017 that 55 million people in the United States were “gig workers,” making up 34% of the economy
3. Freelance Web Developer or Agency
Freelance web design can be the right path for those people who are creative digital professionals who can thrive on forming the visual theme, layout, color palette, and font set of someone’s brand or idea. Learning web development is no longer a daunting task like it used to be. Many entrepreneurs simply result to ‘no-code’, easy to use platforms to build websites for their clients. This also helps the client maintain the website after the service has been rendered.
Website development does not have to be a full-time commitment. It can be as simple as building your client-facing website on Krepling (thus minimizing the need to take a night course in C++), learning the ins and outs of building websites whilst you build your own. You then repeat the process for your client’s websites by building them on the same platform as your own website, this time for a fee. On average, a website developer who builds Krepling based websites charges anything from $300-$10,000 depending on the complexity, and size of the website in question.
This will minimize the risk and startup costs associated with finding a host, setting up the backend, and discovering which platforms and infrastructures are the ‘best’. Your clients will also appreciate your thought about the long term aspects of their website by putting them on a platform they can trust, and that is easy to use and understand, this all minimizes the time you will need to dedicate to handing the website over.
Once you begin to grow, you may even decide to hire additional developers to increase your monthly turnover.
4. Travel Consultant
Travel agents may not be as popular as they were in the past, but you can still build your part-time business as an online travel consultant.
The business model is fairly simple, you provide a one-time service to help travel goers, groups, or couples find the best possible deals on their travel options. On average, travel consultants charge anything from $100-$200 per consultation.
You can begin to scale your business by specializing in areas like romantic-based getaways, begin to offer bundles that include research on events/landmarks, and even specialized seasonal deals.
5. SEO Consultant
Starting a more specialized online business sometimes enables you to strengthen your ability to form a unique brand that your customers will keep coming back to. Offering something like SEO consultations to small businesses is one of the best models to start to not only ensure repeat purchasing but also enhance your ability to network with potential clients.
Search engine optimization (SEO) is a type of digital marketing that changes websites so that they rank higher on organic and paid online searches. The industry is often changing rapidly each year, and businesses are often forced to learn new ways of ranking and advertising every year. As an SEO consultant, you will be able to offer your time and expertise to these businesses and a fixed or monthly price. The majority of SEO consultants charge anything from $100-$200 per consultation or $150 per month. You will need to invest in marketing, education, and business organization in order to reap profits from the business model. Building a Krepling business and outsourcing the services/expertise is also quite a common practice that is proven to be relatively profitable.
6. Affiliate Marketer
Affiliate marketing poses a valuable and unique opportunity to start something without any major risk or commitment of time. You would have the distinct advantage of not holding inventory and typically don’t need to hire employees, but you’re still setting up a profitable online operation.
The best way to operate as an affiliate marketer on a part-time basis is to choose a niche you know well and can easily promote without too much research. Even if you’re just creating and paying for online advertisements, your niche can make or break how profitable your affiliate marketing efforts are, so do pay close attention.
You have to leverage the best strategies to attract an audience and build relationships with them. This can be done by creating a website with the goal of referring products and services to people or by running a paid ad campaign with the objective of reaching relevant target groups. For example; a lot of business owners, operating in other industries, choose to opt-in for the Krepling Affiliates (https://www.krepling.com/krepling-affiliates/) program as a side hustle, this allows them to promote a service they know whilst receiving monthly online commissions. Most affiliate commissions range from 10-50%, on Krepling Affiliates, the average affiliate monthly payout is $85-$120, depending on the size and number of referrals generated.
7. Online Craftsman
Nowadays, it has become straightforward for online artisans to switch their sales to e-commerce by producing a steady supply of quality handmade products, including unique painted glassware or crochet blankets. If you have this unique sense of creativity, then selling products on an e-commerce site can be an excellent way to earn some extra income. Most handmade products are set at a price point from anything between $20-$40 apiece.
8. Digital Bookkeeping
If you have the background and know-how about very basic financial accounting, this may provide you with a unique opportunity to earn some great money on the side. Platforms like Krepling are enabling bookkeeping services to be made readily available online, to match the demand small businesses drive for the service. Most online bookkeepers charge anything from $40-$75, which mostly also occur monthly.
If you are an accountant or bookkeeper who wants the freedom and autonomy of running your own business, you can take advantage of modern technology to start your own online bookkeeping service, taking on other companies as clients.
9. Freelance Copywriting
You don’t have to be a spelling wizard to start your very own freelance copywriting business. If you are pretty good at proofreading and know a little bit about marketing, you can very easily launch your very own copywriting business, that’s entirely based online.
Whether you write blogs, web content or press releases, plenty of companies will pay for your services. Such a model will also go hand-in-hand with being an SEO consultant, as you will be able to help your clients craft a strategy to attack specific keywords that their target audience is already using in their online searches. Most freelance copywriters charge a $50 one-time fee or a $40 monthly fee, but those with expertise in a given vertical could charge even more.
10. Graphic Design
Corporations, small businesses, and sole proprietors all need eye-catching promotional materials, but not nearly everybody has an eye for what looks good. If you’ve got an artistic streak and know how to organize content into a visually pleasing format, you can start a graphic design business to provide flyers, digital ads, posters, and other engaging visual materials. Graphic design also has the benefit of requiring few physical tools beyond a laptop and a desk. Most graphic designers charge anything from $20-$200 apiece.
Conclusion
It can be an exciting venture to start an online business, especially when you find some free time. Though every business is unique, you have to take a few steps to maximize your chance of starting a successful online business, including choosing an idea, finding a niche, conducting market research, familiarizing yourself with the laws, etc.
