You’ve long had a dream—a burning desire. The dream to be your own boss. To call the shots. It’s been with you since you can remember. It’s the dream of freedom. The freedom to work from home or on the road. The freedom to have more time to spend with loved ones. To make money—real money—so that you can finally exit survival mode. But this dream of yours is dwindling. Fading. It’s disappearing slowly into the abyss. And with each passing day, this dream of taking life by the horns and being your own boss is dying a slow and steady death.
But it’s never too late to turn your dreams into reality. It’s never too late to decide one moment that enough is enough. It only takes a single instant. In that instant, life can change forever. In that instant, you can make a decision. A decision that enough is enough. One that triggers a chain reaction to finally extricate yourself from a depleting 9-to-5 job. It only takes an instant to decide to start a business. A real business. One that allows you to make money in your sleep or while traveling the world. A business that allows you to be your own boss and finally call the shots.
Picture that for a moment. Freedom. True freedom. It’s not a pipe dream. It can be your reality—anyone’s reality. As long as you want it badly enough. But that doesn’t mean you’ll up and quit your day job tomorrow. It doesn’t mean you can just throw all your obligations to the wind, right? What would you do? Where would you start? How can you build a business working from home? One that can make you enough money to not just survive but to thrive? One that can help you cover your bills and finally give you a chance to breathe again?
How to Work From Home
Most dream of working from home. But most don’t know where to begin. What type of business would you start? How would you make money? Would you sell a product or a service? Where do you even begin? The answer is this. Find a way to solve a problem that someone is experiencing. Solve that problem so well that people flock to you for the solution. It has to be a problem big enough that people are willing to pay you handsomely to solve it. We’re not talking about tiny problems here. Everyone can solve tiny problems.
The bigger the problem you can solve the more money you can make. It doesn’t matter if you’re working from an office or your home. It doesn’t matter where you live or where you’re from. What matters is your ability to solve that problem. That’s where you begin. You begin at the intersection of the problem. What type of problems can you solve? Where do your skills begin and end? This isn’t about just having the confidence to solve the problem. You must actually be able to solve it and solve it well. And the better you can solve it the more money you can make.
The best part is this. You can typically solve problems from anywhere. It doesn’t require you to be in a specific location to solve a problem. That’s the beauty of working from home. The Internet allows us the freedom to live and work anywhere. That’s not the hard part. The hard part is defining the problem and finding the people experiencing that problem. Then, you must convince those people that you can actually solve their problem. But if you can do that then you have yourself a business. It all starts there. Pick the problem and find the people experiencing that problem. Then go all in.
1—Marketing Funnel Consultant
All businesses need marketing funnels. Every single one. What is a marketing funnel? It’s an ecosystem. Marketing funnels allow companies to generate leads and increase sales. They take customers on a predefined journey. It simplifies the entire lead generation and customer acquisition process. That’s why every company needs a marketing funnel. It’s a problem some companies don’t even know they have. Some still have websites and don’t know better. But marketing funnels are the key. And you can build an entire consulting business around it.
2—Lead Magnet Creator
Lead magnets allow you to prove that you can solve problems for customers. They’re used to help generate leads and establish a person as an authority. And you can build an entire business working from home just by creating lead magnets for others. Lead magnets can come in many forms. They can be written lead magnets, audio lead magnets, videos, free trials, and more. The point is that it must help to solve a specific problem that a prospect is experiencing. And lead magnets are typically offered for free within a lead generation funnel. Prospects exchange their contact details for the free lead magnet.
3—Landing Page Designer
Landing pages are an important part of any business. But most companies struggle with creating high-converting landing pages. Landing pages must look nice and be easy to consume. That’s because they’re at the basis of every critical business operation. Landing pages are part of every process that a company has to attract, convert, and retain its customers. And every business knows the importance of landing pages. You can make money creating landing pages for specific businesses. And you can also create landing pages as part of entire funnels and sell them in the funnel marketplace. This allows you to generate passive income from your landing page designs.
4—Online Course Creator
You can create an entire business around online courses. And you can do it from anywhere. That’s the beauty of the online education world. You can create and sell your courses to make money online. What type of online courses should you create? Get specific. Dig deep into the problem that your prospect is experiencing. And create a course that helps to solve that problem in a very detailed way. Go above and beyond. Give them all the knowledge and tools they could need to solve that problem. If you can do that, you can succeed with online courses.
5—Membership Sites
You can build a business working from home by creating a membership site. Take a topic or a specific problem that people are experiencing and create a membership site around that. Membership sites are constantly updated with fresh content and new information. They take time and energy. But it’s worthwhile because membership sites deliver recurring revenue. Customers pay month after month without fail. That means you’ll spend less time finding new customers. Instead, you’ll spend more time delivering value to existing customers.
6—Email Marketing Business
Email marketing is vital in business. If you’re not marketing via email you’re wasting your time. But the problem is this. Most companies are bad at email marketing. They don’t know what it takes to make money with emails. But the truth is that email marketing takes effort. It takes storytelling. And it takes being vulnerable with your audience. Is it easy? No. But it is well worth it. If you’re a good writer, you can help other companies make money in email marketing. Many don’t invest enough in email marketing. But emails offer the highest return on investment of any marketing activity.
7—Copywriting
Copywriting is a high-level skill that can make you money from home. The top copywriters in the world get paid a lot of money to produce high-level copy. That’s why this makes a great business model. Especially if you’re a good copywriter. Copywriting is different than writing because the skill zeros in on conversions. You must be able to speak to the prospect and their problem. The best copywriting identifies the problem and agitates it before presenting a solution. And it does it in a way that helps convey that their solution not only works for others but will also work for them.
8—Digital Products
Digital products come in all shapes and flavors. They can vary by medium and format. Some digital products can be cheat sheets or checklists. Others can be tools or video series. But the real draw of digital products is that they’re digital. They require no manufacturing or production time aside from creating it once. After you’ve created a digital product you can sell it again and again. Your inventory is virtually limitless. And as long as those digital products solve real problems, you can make money selling them day and night. That’s why digital products make a great work-from-home business idea.
9—Social Media Consultant
Many people rely on social media for an income. It’s used by businesses around the world to increase exposure and generate sales. Meaning that if you’re good at social media, consider helping other companies to increase their brand awareness on social media. You can promote your services on different platforms and use social media to make money. To find clients, you should create a hero funnel and link it to your profile. A hero funnel is a way for you to generate leads on social media when people click the link in your profile. Use other tactics like direct messaging and other outreach to find your first few clients.
10—Vacation Rental Management
You can run a vacation rental management business while working from home. And you can do this even if you don’t live in a vacation hotspot. Vacation rentals are everywhere. You can easily discover local listings and work with those owners to manage their rentals. While it does take some time and effort to get things going, it’s a lucrative industry. Vacation rental managers can secure anywhere from 20 to 40% commissions on gross rental rates. The best part? You don’t need a real estate license to be a vacation rental manager. You do need to understand how the process works and secure contracts with existing listings.
11—Web Developer
Many web developers earn a lot of money because this skill is in high demand. It’s easy to build a web development business from home. That’s because it doesn’t require you to be physically present. Most web developers work remotely and deal with clients halfway around the world. To find clients, use some of the popular freelancing websites like Upwork and Freelancer. You’ll need to secure great reviews and feedback to succeed. So it will take you time. But if you’re a web developer, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t be working for yourself.
12—Bookkeeper
Every business needs bookkeeping. If you’re good with numbers, consider setting this up as a home-based business. Bookkeeping doesn’t require tons of many hours. Especially when you’re working with small businesses. You can launch a bookkeeping business on a shoestring budget and promote it with a simple lead generation funnel. Stick to one specific type of client such as business owners. Bookkeeping also provides recurring revenue because every business needs its books looked after regularly. If you know how to use the prevailing software platforms, even better.
13—Business Flipper
Did you know that you can go out there and buy businesses only to later resell them? Yes. You can flip all kinds of businesses. And it doesn’t require a huge amount of upfront capital. That doesn’t mean you’ll acquire a business for free. You can if you’re savvy but I wouldn’t count on it. But you can use existing platforms like Flippa or Empire Flippers to find existing businesses that are cash-flowing. Once you acquire the business you can enhance its sales and marketing to increase its revenue. Then, you can turn around and resell the business. You can also buy boring businesses and other small businesses in your local area.
14—Coaching
If you’re an expert in your field consider coaching others. This is a great business to run from home. You can either choose group coaching and take the one-to-many approach or you can do private coaching. To scale your coaching business, you must reach as many people as you can at the same time. To do that you will need an application funnel. An application funnel allows you to accept applications from people looking to work with you. They’ll fill out a form and pre-qualify themselves. Then, you can weed through anyone who doesn’t fit your criteria.
15—Consulting
Consultants help others solve problems by taking a hands-on approach. Some consultants solve the problem for the customer. Others provide a solution that the customer can implement. Either way, you must be good at solving specific types of problems for specific types of people. Can you make money as a consultant working from home? Yes. You can consult virtually or provide a service that helps businesses or individuals solve problems. And you can do it on the Internet and meet virtually. To attract clients, create an in-depth lead magnet and place it inside of a lead generation funnel. Then, drive traffic to that funnel by posting on social media, creating videos, blogging, and running ads.
16—Video Editing
The world is turning to video. It’s the medium of choice today. And platforms everywhere are embracing video. That gives video editors a great opportunity to create a work-from-home business doing video editing. If you’re at all interested in video editing, you should consider this. It doesn’t mean you need to be a creative genius. You only need to understand how to edit videos the right way. Video editing involves storytelling and understanding how to make a video flow and be engaging. It’s not always simple. But with practice, almost anyone can get very good at this.
17—Graphic Designer
You’re in luck if you’re a graphic designer and you want to work from home. That’s because every company needs graphic design services. That’s also why you can quickly build a graphic design business working from anywhere. Carve out a good niche and focus on that one area. For example, if you’re really good at designing logos then focus on that. If you’re great at doing brochures, then offer that. Stick to one specific service as your base-level service then build everything else up over that.
18—Webinar Builder
Webinars are presentations designed to help sell premium products and high-ticket services. These presentations allow you to break false beliefs. False beliefs are the stories that we tell ourselves that hold us back from buying things. They’re based on our experiences and beliefs. All beliefs are formed over time. But those beliefs can stand in the way of purchasing a particular product or service. Webinars help to break those false beliefs by replacing them with new stories. Many companies understand the power of webinars but don’t know where to start. You can learn how to structure the perfect webinar here.
19—Self-Published Author
You can be a self-published author in an instant. You don’t need approval or permission from anyone. All you need to do is learn how to write a book. If you want that book to sell, it must be well-written and engaging. But anyone can become a self-published author. All you need is to create an account at Kindle Direct Publishing. Simply publish a book there on any topic. Research topics that are in demand and create a great book that solves a real problem. The best part? You can make money as an author in your sleep or while traveling. You can do it from home or abroad. It’ll take time but it’ll be well worth the wait.
20—Search Engine Optimization
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a skill that drives highly relevant organic traffic to websites. Most companies spend a lot of money on ads to drive traffic. That’s what makes SEO a very sought-after service. It’s free and organic. If you’re good at SEO, consider providing this as a service for companies who need it most. But don’t provide the service before you really understand how to do SEO the right. Not by cutting corners or using shady tricks to rank. Real SEO must be done the right way.
21—Paid Search Engine Marketing
Another work-from-home business you can do is paid search engine marketing. Search Engine Marketing (SEM) is a service that involves running and managing paid ads. Paid ads are used to drive traffic, generate leads and make sales. Every company runs paid ads to some extent. If you understand the various ad platforms, you could offer this as a service. If you’re really good at it, you could make a lot of money fast. That’s because successful ads can directly impact a company’s bottom line fast.
22—ATM Business
ATMs are everywhere. That’s because people still need cash. And sometimes ATMs aren’t easy to find in certain places. That’s what makes ATM businesses so lucrative. When you place an ATM in the right location you can make a lot of money. ATMs pay out a percentage of the transaction. It’s baked into the fee. So if you can place an ATM in the right location, it might generate thousands of transactions weekly. And you can find many ATM providers you can work with. All you need to do is find the right location and strike a deal with the business owner to place the ATM there.
23—Vending Machines
Vending machines offer another great opportunity for working from home. That’s because vending machine businesses have a low barrier to entry. Most vending machines do not cost that much money. And if you put it in the right location they can generate profit immediately. That doesn’t mean the business is easy. It only means that the process is simple. You’ll need to find the right locations. You’ll also need to provide timely restocking.
24—Live Streamer
Live streaming is increasingly popular today. You can use many platforms to do it. Kick, Twitch, TikTok, and other platforms are used heavily by live streamers to make money. Live streaming means that you’re live and in front of your camera. That could be at your desktop or your phone. It takes time to build an audience and make money live streaming. You also must be entertaining and engaging to hold your audience’s attention for long periods.
25—Network Marketing
Network marketing is an industry that sometimes gets a bad rap. However, network marketing is a great way to make money while working from home. This is ideal for stay-at-home moms or dads who are at home most of the time. It’s very similar to affiliate marketing except it is often structured a little bit differently. While the top earners do make a lot of money, most others struggle with network marketing. That doesn’t mean you won’t succeed. But if you already have a list or an audience of some type somewhere, you’ll have a big advantage over others.
26—Automation Guru
Various systems exist in business today. They’re used concurrently to generate leads and make sales. Sometimes those systems are not designed to talk to one another. Other times employees must bring all that data into one repository to track key performance metrics. If you understand how to make systems speak to each other, you could become an automation guru. You could use systems like Zapier to integrate systems and automatically bring that data into places like Google Sheets. Find a way to create a valuable lead magnet around this problem to attract the right type of clients. Then, sell them your automation services.
27—Dog Walker
A simple work-from-home job or business is a dog walker. You can use popular apps like Rover to find clients with ease. People adore their dogs but don’t always have the time to spend walking them. They have busy schedules and lots of things going on. That’s what makes this such an attractive niche. The work is simple and you can find recurring clients with ease. If people are happy with your service, they’ll hire you again and again. This can also lead to things like pet sitting while dog parents are away on vacation. Set up an account on Rover and start hunting for clients today.
28—Care Giver
Caregivers provide services to others in need. For example, you could babysit for parents with small children, provide elderly care, and more. You could also do house sitting and various other things. To start as a caregiver, you can register on a site like Care.com. This gives you access to clients in need of care. You’ll need to gather great feedback and ratings to get the best gigs. And you’ll need to pass background checks on most platforms before you can provide these services. But it is well worth it. That’s because it’s an easy work-from-home business you can start in a single weekend.
29—Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing is a great business to start. Especially when you have an existing audience. If you have an email list you can use it to make money as an affiliate. If you don’t have an email list but you have an audience elsewhere, you can still succeed with affiliate marketing. For example, if you have a large following on TikTok or Instagram, it can help you get your message out to the right people. Even then, you must approach affiliate marketing with caution. Be careful not to spam affiliate links. You should use a bridge funnel and offer a free lead magnet to attract people into your world. Then, begin building rapport with email marketing. Eventually, you can start promoting affiliate offers. But not before delivering some value first.
30—Print-on-Demand
Print-on-demand (POD) businesses are very popular today. Two platforms exist that enable you to sell POD products. Those are Printful and Printify. POD is a great way to work from home because all you need to do is create the designs for the products. You don’t need to do the printing or embroidering. There’s no warehousing or shipping. You simply create the designs and ensure you find people to buy those products. The POD platform does everything else. And you take the profit as your pay. This is ideal for merchandising and brands to quickly roll out apparel and other items with their imagery.
31—Amazon Private Label Business
Everyone knows that Amazon is the world’s largest store. They have countless products for sale and generate untold amounts of money in sales. But not everyone knows that 60% of those products are sold by third-party sellers. They make up the bulk of products on Amazon. And the best part is this. Almost anyone can launch an Amazon private-label business. Private Label simply means that you’re creating a brand of products sold on Amazon. You’re not reselling existing products. To do this, you need to have a great product idea, produce the inventory, ship it to Amazon, then start selling it. Is it easy? Nope. You need to collect reviews, run Amazon PPC ads, and manage inventory. It takes time and effort. But in the long run it is worth it.
32—Online Tutoring
Today, you can tutor people from around the world online. You can do it from the comfort of your home or while traveling abroad. Online tutoring allows you to teach a skill or another language to others and get paid for doing it. If you’re skilled in a specific subject or know a musical instrument, then consider doing online tutoring. You can use any of the popular online tutoring websites out there. Tutor.com, Varsity Tutors, and many others exist. They all allow you to tutor students in a variety of different areas. You’ll need to gather great reviews and feedback to get the best gigs. And you’ll need a good internet connection wherever you might be.
33—Freelancer
You can build an entire work-from-home business as a freelancer. And you can make a lot of money doing it. Freelancing means that you do remote jobs for people working from home. It allows you to make money from your laptop. You can do all types of freelancing. Whatever your skill level is and whatever area you can think of, there’s an opportunity to freelance there. You can use Upwork, Freelancer, Fiverr, and many other platforms to find clients. You’ll need to hustle in the beginning. But that’s just like everything else. Stick to it and you can turn this into a real business.