13 Online Business Ideas
That you can create using just a laptop
An ever-increasing number of online tools and technologies have reduced the barriers to entry for most people looking to launch an enterprise. These same tools have made it possible for people to stay at home and earn an income, without having to spend money on renting office buildings or hiring staff.
In fact, getting a business off the ground these days can be made possible by having just a laptop and stable internet connection. Here are 13 online business ideas you can kick start right now with just those basics.
1. Start a freelance writing business
Have writing skills? There is a constant demand for good writers who can create everything from website copy and blog posts to product descriptions and scripts.
What’s more, getting started as a content writer is among the easiest online businesses to get off the ground. All you need is a decent laptop or smart device with Microsoft Word or a suitable writing app.
You don’t even need to buy word processing software — Google Docs is among several free apps you can use to create a variety of written documents. You can start your career off using one of the popular freelancing websites that can put you in touch with people looking for writers. You can also set up your own website if you already have a client base and a strong portfolio.
2. Become a self-published author
If you have ambitions to write a crime-thriller fiction series, a self-help guide, or a book of tips, becoming an author might be the way to go. Writing and self-publishing e-books has grown leaps and bounds in the last 15 years or so, with books written by indie publishers commanding about one-third of all book sales. And you don’t need much to get started. You can use almost any writing device to start putting the content of your e-book together. You will probably also need to hire a designer to create a suitable book cover.
Once finished, you can have your work published on Amazon KDP, Kobo, or another digital publishing platform. Generally speaking, one e-book may not be able to earn you much money right away, especially if you are an unknown writer. You will probably need to publish several books that people find interesting before you can start seeing real results. But if your books are really good, you can keep earning from them for years to come.
3. Start an online e-commerce store
Whether you want to make and sell apparel, household items, or cosmetic products, it is possible to do it all online. In fact, it makes sense to start an e-commerce store right now, since it is expected that around 2.14 billion people — or just over 25% of the world’s population — will be shopping online in 2021. Setting up an online store nowadays takes little more than a few minutes using platforms such as Shopify or Gumroad. You can also create your own e-commerce store using WordPress, or have it built from scratch if you have the cash and want to build something unique.
4. Set up a drop shipping business
In the event that you want to create an online store but have no products of your own to sell, you can try out the world of drop shipping. This is where you create your e-commerce site, list some products, and set your prices. When you get a sale, another company fulfills the order for you. They get their cut, you get yours, and the buyer gets the product.
There are a number of drop shipping companies you can look into partnering with, including Oberlo and Shopify, which can help you create your own drop shipping store. There are also print-on-demand platforms such as TeeSpring, and Printify which allow you to use your own designs on products and then do the shipping for you when orders are received. As mentioned, you won’t have to deal with storing and shipping anything, so you can run a drop shipping business from practically anywhere in the world.
5. Become a blogger
Blogging is no longer just a hobby. Today, it has become a way to connect people around ideas, as well as a solid way to make money. That’s one reason why blogs are estimated to account for about a third of all websites. If you have an interest in sharing your thoughts on a particular subject area and have some writing skills, becoming a blogger could turn out to be a great online business idea you can launch with just a laptop.
There are plenty of platforms you can use to create your own, including WordPress, Ghost, and more.
You can buy your own domain and set it up using customizable, drag-and-drop templates, or you can code your own if you have the necessary website building skills. Earning from your blogging business can present itself in a number of ways. You can earn money by placing affiliate links in your blog posts, for instance. You can also set up your blog to host PPC ads or even monetize it by charging a subscription fee to view exclusive content. Alternatively, you can make money by writing for other people’s blogs.
6. Build mobile apps
The mobile app industry keeps growing and is expected to be worth a staggering $407 billion by the year 2026. With that said, you can create apps for businesses as a freelancer, build apps to be used on existing platforms, or you can make them for yourself to complement a business idea you might have. If you possess some coding skills, you could be onto something, and you won’t need much else apart from a computer and time on your hands.
Moreover, you can create apps even if you can’t write code — a growing number of no-code, app building tools makes this possible. Whatever route you choose, building apps can turn out to be a lucrative online business. You can earn by selling the apps you create, through ads placed on your app, or via in-app purchases.
7. Create websites
Websites are constantly in demand as well. In fact, a whopping 500,000+ websites are estimated to be created every single day, on average. If you have the necessary background experience in website building languages such as HTML, CSS, PHP, Python, etc., you can launch a business creating websites from the comfort of your home. You can also build websites using WordPress and other solutions that don’t require you to have much coding experience.
Whatever the case, you can easily start a business making websites for individuals, startups, or even large companies. As a website developer, you can also create templates and website themes, which you can sell on web development platforms. In addition, some clients may hire you to provide ongoing maintenance after building their website, so you can keep earning as long as the website is around. You can promote your skills as a web developer on one of the many freelancing marketplaces or build your own website to advertise your services.
8. Offer online courses
More than ever, people are heading online to learn new stuff and improve their skills. If you have expertise in a particular subject area and believe you could teach someone how to become good at it, you could start a business selling online courses. Creating a course typically involves putting together video, audio, and text files to teach a user about the selected subject area. You can host your online course on one of several online course portals such as Udemy, Teachable, or Coursera. Alternatively, you can also sell your course through your own website.
Creating an online course does not require much time or money upfront. If you have a functioning laptop, you can pretty much get started right away by downloading a screen capturing tool and using basic video/audio editing software to put it all together.
9. Launch a graphic design service
Another low-investment online business you can start with just a laptop is offering graphic design services. Most graphic design jobs online tend to revolve around proficiency in using Adobe applications such as Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign. However, while being knowledgeable in using those tools will definitely give you an edge, you can still offer graphic design services without them.
Websites such as Canva, PicMonkey, and Remove.bg are just a few of the numerous affordable tools that can help you to accomplish many of the graphic design tasks usually requested by entrepreneurs and small businesses, including creating logos, resizing photos, and removing backgrounds from images. You can either join a freelancing website and set up your profile as a graphic designer or launch your own website if you have a strong portfolio of previous work.
10. Sell printable art online
Good art is constantly sought after by art connoisseurs and enthusiasts alike all over the world. If you happen to paint or draw, you can sell your pieces as printable designs. Etsy, Shopify, Big Cartel, and even Amazon are among a number of online marketplaces that allow artists to have their artistic works downloaded for a price.
You don’t have to be an artist to sell printable art either. If you take nice photos that can be turned into printable posters or can create eye-catching designs in Canva, you could also sell these as printable art online.
In addition to selling your art on an e-commerce platform, many of which tend to take a percentage of all earnings, you can also create your own online storefront and use social media channels such as Facebook and Twitter to promote your work.
11. Become a digital marketer
Digital marketing skills are among the most in-demand right now. Entrepreneurs and corporations keep expanding their budgets in this area. As a digital marketer, you will need to have skills in managing clients’ social media business pages and carrying out SEO activities, as well as setting up pay per click (PPC) ads and landing pages, copywriting, and even doing some email marketing. Just in case you are new to any of these skills, there are many short and low-cost courses you can do to learn the basics of digital marketing in a relatively short amount of time.
Furthermore, most of the tools you require to run a digital marketing business are already online and relatively cheap or even free to use. They include the various social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc.), scheduling apps such as Buffer and HootSuite, MailChimp, Google and other search engines, the Microsoft Office Suite, etc. One thing to keep in mind is that the digital marketing industry is constantly changing, so you need to keep up with the trends in order to be successful in the field. To kick start your digital marketing business, you can join one of the many freelancing platforms or set up your own website.
12. Offer your services as a virtual assistant
Many busy professionals, including corporate managers and startup owners, are looking for additional help to accomplish common tasks. For instance, they may need assistance to read and reply to emails, schedule appointments, do online research, or even manage their personal social media pages. These are just a few examples of tasks a virtual assistant (VA) may be hired to do. The list keeps growing, which is one reason why the category is one of the most popular on many freelancing websites. There are more than 74,000 virtual assistants on Guru, for example, and over 26,000 on Freelancer.
Getting started as a VA is not difficult, considering the wide range of services that can be offered. Some employers may even offer to train you or provide scripts you can use (in the case of receiving or making calls, for instance). The internet is your playground as a virtual assistant, and all you need to get started is a laptop, although some tasks may require you to get additional devices such as headsets or microphones.
13. Set up an online consultation business
If you have strong knowledge in a specific subject area and an ability to sell your ideas, you could also start a business as an online consultant or coach. With this type of service, your goal is to help company leaders and other people find solutions to problems they face in their business or personal lives. Depending on your knowledge and expertise, some clients may be willing to pay you big bucks for your services. But you will need to have some proof of your expertise in the field you are consulting in. For example, if you are a consultant on overcoming human resource (HR) challenges in the workplace, you will need to show what companies you have worked with in the past to help them solve issues in HR.
Being an online consultant does not necessarily mean you will need to do the actual work. You simply need to demonstrate your knowledge of the issues and that you have ideas on how to fix them. If hired, you can always outsource the actual work to a consultancy agency or an individual who is an expert in the relevant field.
Conclusion
Traditionally, starting a business often meant having to acquire huge amounts of cash, as well as equipment and manpower. But as you can see, having just a laptop can help you bring to life almost any online business idea you might have.
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Thanks for reading this article! Leave a comment below if you have any questions, and if you want to learn more about blogging, content marketing, or subscription newsletter strategy, be sure to sign up for the Blogging Guide Newsletter!
If you liked this article, here are some other articles you may enjoy:
Casey Botticello is an internet entrepreneur and the founder of Blogging Guide, an online community of writers with an award-winning newsletter. He is also the creator of the popular Medium Writing Course and the Substack Newsletter Course.
Casey previously worked at several tech startups, a lobbying & strategic communications firm, and has created several businesses of his own. He is a graduate of The University of Pennsylvania, where he received his B.A. in Urban Studies.
You can connect with him on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, follow his Medium publications, Digital Marketing Lab and Medium Blogging Guide, or reach out to him directly on his personal website.
