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25 Best Online Business Ideas for 2024

Looking for ways to make more money online? Check out these 25 online business ideas, from starting your own clothing line to selling handmade goods—and everything in between.

Running a small business can be the perfect job for someone with an entrepreneurial spirit, but every business venture comes with its own set of challenges. The truth is, starting a business of any kind is hard work, and the first thing you need is an idea.

To begin, you’ll need to think of a strong business idea—one that has a natural customer base and the potential to scale up over time. For many, an online business is a good place to start, given the simplicity of ecommerce compared to starting a brick-and-mortar business.

Starting an online business isn’t about one simple life-changing trick. Like all forms of entrepreneurship , it requires dedication and sweat equity. In this guide, we’ll give you online business ideas for beginners and experienced entrepreneurs alike, as well as tips on how to start a business without quitting your day job.

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Best online business ideas for 2024

• Start your own clothing line
• Launch a dropshipping business
• Sell your art online
• Become a freelance writer, designer, or developer
• Teach an online course
• Flip your thrift store finds
• Publish your own book
• Start a blog or a newsletter
• Become a virtual assistant
• Become an influencer
• Build apps and websites
• Launch a podcast
• Become an affiliate marketer
• Curate subscription boxes
• Develop a niche product
• Create handmade goods
• Become a social media manager
• Sell merchandise on marketplaces
• Become a translator
• Start an accounting or bookkeeping firm
• Become an online fitness trainer
• Start an online coaching business
• Do voiceover work
• Become an ad consultant

1. Start your own clothing line

If you have a passion for fashion and a willingness to navigate supply chains, you can start a clothing company .

The Shopify App Store is stocked with numerous product sourcing apps, including Printify and Printful . These apps connect you to apparel printers and clothing manufacturers—perfect for clothing entrepreneurs who want to oversee design but not manufacturing.

These services also handle every step of the retail fulfillment process for you, giving you the freedom to design and ship a wide range of pieces right out of the gate.

Why start a clothing line?

• As a clothing designer, you create products people use every day.
• As soon as you build your Shopify store, you can start selling instantly. Thanks to print-on-demand apps, the process of designing and delivering your own custom-made clothing is streamlined and simple.
• You’ll love the feeling of seeing your designs come to life by transforming your creativity into something real and profitable.

These handy resources can help grow your apparel business at every stage, from crafting your brand’s story to promoting your products with influencer marketing:

• Shirt Mockups in Seconds: Free T-Shirt & PSD Templates
• How to Start an Online T-Shirt Business
• How To Make and Sell Merch Your Fans Will Love

Free Course: Build a Print-on-Demand Business

Learn how to easily create and sell your own custom-branded products. Ecommerce expert Adrian Morrison shares his framework for launching a successful print-on-demand shop in our free video course.

2. Launch a dropshipping business

Think you need a warehouse full of inventory to run your own business? Think again! Dropshipping is a great way to start a business on a budget. You can hit the ground running by sourcing a pre-existing product from a supplier and having them take care of things like packaging and fulfillment.

💡 TIP: With Shopify, it’s easy to start a dropshipping business and begin selling without the hassle of managing inventory, packaging, or shipping. Orders are sent directly from your wholesaler to your customers, so you can focus on what matters.

Why choose dropshipping?

• You don’t need to stock products in a physical location, meaning your cash flow won’t get tied up in inventory. There’s less of an upfront cash risk.
• Whenever a purchase is made, you place an order with a third party that handles the rest of the process for you. Since you don’t have to deal with things like tracking inventory or mailing packages, dropshipping eliminates a lot of headaches for budding entrepreneurs.
• No warehouse means you can run your business from anywhere. Whether it’s your living room or the café down the street, you decide where you want to work from.

If you don’t have any online store ideas, here are some resources for narrowing down the perfect product:

• Find products to sell on DSers .
• Read our guide on how to find a product to sell .
• Check out these 16 places ecommerce entrepreneurs go to find profitable products .
• Find out how one entrepreneur went from watching dropshipping YouTube videos to posting $3 million in revenue. 

Free Webinar: The Right Way to Start a Profitable Dropshipping Store

Learn how to find high-margin products, import them into your store, and start selling—fast.

3. Sell your art online

Whether you’re a painter, photographer , or musician, there are plenty of online business ideas and ways to turn your latest masterpiece into a source of revenue with a beautifully designed ecommerce website.

If painting or photography is your forte, you can sell your art as prints, canvases, and framed posters using Printify or Printful . This is a fantastic way to turn your art into something tangible that people can take home and integrate into their space. You can also sell your work as digital downloads .

Why sell your art?

• You’ll be part of people’s lives by getting your work into customers’ homes.
• You’ll create a platform for showcasing your work by setting up shop online.
• As an artist, creating art isn’t just a hobby—it’s a way of life. This is your chance to turn your passion into an income stream and potentially do what you love for a living.

Looking for inspiration? Learn how artist Sarah Andersen went from viral comics to a creative franchise.

4. Become a freelance writer, designer, or developer

Writers, graphic designers, and developers can start low-cost businesses based on their talents. As a freelancer, you’ll get to hop between different companies, taking on different projects at different scales. Some writing or design gigs might require only an afternoon’s work. Other projects can last for months. Freelancers can create their own schedules and accept only the projects they want, at a pace that fits their schedule.

To find people that need your skills, try freelancing marketplaces like Upwork and Fiverr .

It’s worth noting that Fiverr is a little different from a traditional job board. As the name suggests, a lot of the posted jobs pay $5. The key to making big money on Fiverr is carefully setting up your offers so you can easily upsell the client.

For instance, you could offer to write a 150-word introduction for a blog post as your initial $5 service. As an upsell, you could charge another $10 for every additional 150 words. You can tweak your services until you’ve found a combo that makes it worth your while.

If you want to run your own freelance operation you can set up your own website and use apps like BTA: Appointment Booking App and Events Calendar to help your customers schedule appointments.

Why freelance?

• When you freelance, you choose which projects you want to work on and set your own schedule and workplace.
• Getting paid to do something you’re good at is a rewarding feeling, whether you’re looking to strike out on your own or just want to make some extra cash on the weekend.
• If you’re new to writing, designing, or developing, freelancing is an excellent way to build your portfolio and get some real experience in a wide range of industries. You might discover that you have a knack or passion for something you never expected.

If freelancing sounds like it might be a good online business idea for your lifestyle, we’ve put together some great articles that can help you make the most of your time:

• 21 Ways to Work from Home (+ 9 Productivity Tips)
• What Is a Lifestyle Business and How to Start One
• The 24 Best Productivity Apps

5. Teach an online course

Teaching an online course is a low-investment online business idea for generating passive income. Your online course can be as simple as a video walkthrough that you host on your own personal website. From there, you can go much deeper, creating multi-level courses with a combination of pre-recorded video and live class interactions.

Although it requires effort upfront, a popular, high-value video tutorial series can generate passive income as people continue to enroll in your course.

To start creating your first online course , brainstorm a topic you know well enough to teach someone how to do from scratch. This can be anything—music production, social media marketing, web development, you name it.

Next, you’ll want to grab a screencasting app, such as ScreenFlow , to record your screen and voice while you walk your students through your tutorial. ScreenFlow also comes with a built-in video editing suite, so you can shoot and cut your videos all on the same platform.

Why teach an online course?

• Your initial efforts will go a long way. Once you’ve created your online course, you can monetize it for years, drawing in new students and passive income. 
• You already have the knowledge, you just need to share it. Focus on teaching something you’re already an expert at and the rest will come naturally, whether it’s building iOS apps, creating monthly budgets, or running Facebook ad campaigns .
• Teaching someone a new skill is its own reward. While there’s definitely money to be made teaching online courses, helping other people is always a satisfying experience in itself.

6. Flip your thrift store finds

If you love hitting up thrift stores and hunting down great deals, then one great online business idea is selling your second-hand treasures online .

Your potential customers want to buy cool stuff, but they don’t want to dig through old soccer jerseys and braided belts to get their hands on that one amazing find. Take advantage of this by positioning yourself as a trustworthy curator who can go out and uncover those great vintage pieces for others. You can sell these items on popular marketplaces like Etsy and Ebay, or you can build your own online store and sell them directly, with no third party taking a cut of sales.

Why sell your thrift store finds?

• If you’re combing through thrift store racks anyway, you might as well make some money while you do it.
• The margins are huge. That $2 ball cap you found? You can turn it into a $40 vintage hat.
• You’re selling something unique. Your exact catalog of vintage treasures won’t be duplicated by any other seller.

Make sure your offerings appear as alluring as possible. Take a look at these guides to making your products look great in photos:

• Perfect Product Photography: Craft a Perfect Setup
• Clothing Photography: Take Beautiful Apparel Photos

7. Publish your own book

If you’ve thought about publishing your own book someday, you’re hardly alone. Thanks to the advent of online publishers, it’s not that far out of reach.

It doesn’t matter if it’s a science-fiction novel, a marketing guide, or a children’s picture book, there are now plenty of options for successfully self-publishing your work. These include releasing your writing as an ebook with the Digital Downloads app or using on-demand printing services like Blurb .

To sell ebooks through your online store, install the Digital Downloads app and you’ll instantly be able to stock digital files as products. Once purchased, your ebooks will be sent to your customers via email or as a direct download link.

If you choose to sell physical copies of your book, you’ll just need to place an order whenever your work is purchased. They’ll custom print your book and handle the storage and fulfillment process.

Why publish a book?

• Self-publishing is the quickest way to get your book into the hands of potential readers. You won’t have to navigate the slow process of selling your manuscript to a publishing house.
• Printing, storage, and delivery are taken care of thanks to services like Blurb.
• You can list your book on a marketplace like Amazon and take advantage of a built-in customer base of eager readers.

Ready to live out your dreams of being a published author? This resource will help you on your way to the top:

• How To Get Media Coverage for Your Brand

8. Start a blog or a newsletter

Blogging has come a long way since its inception. What was once a virtual journal has now turned into a marketing and monetization tool. Writers can now host a blog on their personal website, or they can create email newsletters via platforms like Substack.

Whether you make money from subscriptions, sponsored posts, hosting third-party ads, or selling your products, a blog is an online business idea you can operate from home.

The key to starting a successful blog is to focus on building an engaged, loyal audience. When you start with an audience-centric approach, you’ll cultivate a community that trusts you. And when you can earn trust, you can start to drive revenue.

That’s how Mr. Money Mustache started his popular personal finance blog. What began as a movement turned into a successful business that’s earned national media coverage.

Why start a blog?

• Blogs have immense growth potential. You can expand into affiliate marketing, ecommerce, courses, and essentially any other online business venture. You can send email newsletters on a paid subscription model to drive revenue.
• A blog is a long-term play. While you’re unlikely to see overnight results, you may be able to cultivate a loyal readership base.
• It lets you practice your writing—an essential skill to have in business and communication. Use tools like Grammarly or Hemingway to improve your writing.

For more information on getting started, check out these articles:

• 15 Blog Examples to Inspire Your Own Content
• 4 Ecommerce Blog Post Templates to Build Traffic for Your Store
• How a Blog Became a Physical Store in Two Years

9. Become a virtual assistant

Are you super organized and love working behind the scenes? If so, you might be the perfect candidate to start a virtual assistant (VA) business.

A VA works remotely, using the phone and internet to help entrepreneurs, businesses, and executives organize their personal and professional lives. Virtual assistants tackle a broad spectrum of duties, from appointment scheduling to basic marketing management and everything in between. And while traditional assistants come into an office, a VA works remotely, often from the comfort of their own home.

Why become a VA?

• Work with your ideal client. Even if you don’t know at the start, over time you’ll find out who you love working with and what tasks you love doing for them. You can evolve your business to cater to those preferences.
• Interact with people from all over the world. All you need is an internet connection to do your work and you can have the chance to work with international clients and professionals. 
• Grow your business into a network of VAs. If you become too busy or have growth goals, you can hire and train VAs to work under you and increase profits.

10. Become an influencer

Influencer marketing is a $21 billion industry according to Statista, with plenty of business opportunities to be had.

You may associate influencing with celebrities, but there’s a robust market for micro-influencers —those with smaller but nonetheless engaged followings. This means you don’t need millions of followers to earn money on Instagram .

Why be an influencer?

• It’s an opportunity to get an introduction to marketing—particularly valuable if you’re interested in pursuing it as a career or additional business venture.
• You’ll learn about new and interesting brands. You might discover products and companies you love that you never would have found had they not solicited your services. In many cases, you’ll receive products that you can keep for free after profiling them.
• You can grow your own brand as an influencer. Perhaps you weren’t particularly famous before you debuted as a micro-influencer. If you’re a natural on camera and actively engage with your audience, you may find fame for profiling products online.

Here are our inspiring tips and stories to get you started as an influencer:

• How to Make Money as a Full-Time YouTuber
• How to Make Money on YouTube: 7 Simple Strategies (+ Video)

11. Build apps and websites

If you’re tech-savvy, acquire some coding skills and start building. Whether it’s mobile apps, Shopify apps , or websites, you can create digital products for purchase or as a service provider.

For example, you can create a custom Shopify theme template and sell it to merchants looking for an affordable DIY approach to designing their website. You can also work with clients directly to build websites and apps tailored to their specific needs.

Why build apps and websites?

• As more people embrace ecommerce and online entertainment, there will be expanding demand for the technical skills necessary to build apps and websites.
• Site building and coding can be quite lucrative. A skilled freelance web designer can work for an hourly rate ranging from about $50 to $100 . Depending on the scope of the project, you can expect to earn a few thousand dollars for a completed website.

12. Launch a podcast

Every day, millions of listeners tune into podcasts using platforms like Spotify, Apple, Pocket Casts, and Stitcher. Many of these podcasts contain paid advertising, which helps pay the people who write, record, and produce the episodes. Podcasts are a great home business idea with multiple monetization options, similar to starting a blog.

Here’s what you need to start your podcast :

• A high-quality microphone
• Audio recording software
• Call recording software

To promote your podcast, consider collaborating with prominent figures as guests on your show. Encourage listeners to leave reviews and share your podcast with their friends and family. 

Why start a podcast?

• Podcasts continue to grow in popularity. According to Statista , 79% of Americans have heard of podcasts and 38% have listened to one in the past three months.
• A successful podcast can lead to endless possibilities: Turn your episodes into a blog, gain sponsors and advertisers, and immerse yourself in a community you feel passionate about.
• Many podcasters simulcast on YouTube. You can film yourself taping episodes and post the content on YouTube. This opens up another revenue stream and a broader audience for your work.

Get some inspiration for your own podcast with these best business podcasts for entrepreneurs.

13. Become an affiliate marketer

Affiliate marketing is when you recommend a product or service by sharing it on your blog, social media, email list, website, or other channel. You earn a commission each time someone converts through your unique referral link or code.

Find an affiliate program that suits your interests, personal brand, and target audience. Affiliate Future , ShareASale , and FlexOffers are a few examples. Amazon has its own affiliate program , and you can also check out the Shopify Affiliate Program .

Once you’ve signed up, start sharing. Create social media posts, blog articles, emails, and other content about how great the product or service you’re promoting is. Don’t oversaturate your audience with ads, otherwise you risk coming across as spammy or inauthentic.

Why do affiliate marketing?

• You’re tapping into a natural instinct to help people. You probably already tell your friends about products and services you use. Now you can get paid for it! 
• Affiliate marketing is a great source of passive income. You continue to make money when your affiliate links lead to sales, even if it’s long after you posted those links. Take note that Shopify has its own affiliate program that rewards Shopify users who recruit new merchants to the platform.

Get paid by brands you love with Shopify Collabs

Shopify Collabs makes it easy to find brands that match your vibe, build affiliate relationships, get paid for what you sell, and track everything in one place.

14. Curate subscription boxes

Subscription boxes are themed packages of various products. There are subscription boxes in pretty much every industry, from meal-prep kits and craft snacks to fitness products and makeup. You can curate subscription boxes around virtually any theme of your choice.

Bokksu , for example, curates Japanese snacks and sends them to customers each month.

When you curate subscription boxes, you work with brands and artisans to purchase and resell their products in a bundled offering. Typically, consumers expect to be surprised by what’s in the box, though there are some (like meal prep kits) where the customer chooses what they receive.

Why curate subscription boxes?

• It’s a viable seasonal business. Subscription boxes are often purchased as gifts. So if you’re only interested in running your online business for part of the year, this could be a model worth checking out.
• It’s a growing industry. Subscription ecommerce sales totalled over $38 billion in the US in 2023.
• You don’t need to create your own products. Instead, you can use proven, successful products and simply put them together in a nice package.

15. Develop a niche product

If you recognize an opportunity in a certain niche, you can create a bespoke product to fill a market need. Niche products cater to a unique audience—one that may not be served by mass-market offerings.

A product niche could be based on industry, demographic, price point, geography, values, product attributes, and more. For example:

• Conscious consumers: There’s a market of consumers who want vegan, sustainable, and eco-friendly products.
• Pet owners: Pet owners represent a broad niche. You can tap into a smaller niche by targeting the owners of uncommon pets, like chinchillas or bearded dragons.
• Blind or deaf customers: Mass manufacturers often overlook those with compromised vision or hearing. You can cater to the needs of these communities with products and gain significant market share in the process.

Why develop a niche product?

• Niche products are unique and potentially buzzworthy. Early success can be all you need to drive press coverage with zero budget .
• Choosing a specific target customer makes it easier to create marketing and messaging that resonates. Rather than trying to speak to a broad, diverse group, you’re talking to a group of individuals with lots of shared characteristics.

16. Create handmade goods

If you’re particularly crafty, selling handmade products might be a great online business idea. Whether you make jewelry, picture frames, or furniture, you can monetize your craft skills by selling these products online. Selling handmade goods can even be an achievable business idea for kids .

While you can use platforms like Craigslist or Etsy to sell your wares, operating your own online store will give you more control and make it easier to track and fulfill orders.

Why sell handmade goods?

• Devote as much or as little time as you want. It’s your choice how big you want to grow.
• Create on your schedule. Make your handmade goods when you have spare time or even on your lunch break from your primary job. 
• Turn your passion into income. You may already be making handmade goods in your spare time. Turning your hobby into an entrepreneurial endeavor can yield a combination of pleasure and profit.

Ready to find new homes for your handcrafts? Get started here:

• Moving From Etsy to Shopify: An Ecommerce Migration Story
• The Business of DIY: 24 Things to Make and Sell Online

17. Become a social media manager

Effectively managing and growing social media accounts is a skill. If you have the chops, consider becoming a social media manager or a consultant for brands.

You’ll be responsible for maintaining a company’s social presence online, developing its social marketing strategy, managing campaigns, and related tasks like sending emails . It’s a solid online business idea with plenty of demand, with jobs in social media expected to grow by 6% through 2031, and it doesn’t take that much startup capital to begin.

Start your process by building up followers on your own social media channels. This functions as social proof that will help you win clients. Next, you’ll want to set up a business website and a payment processing system. As you gain more experience, you can start catering to a wider array of social media needs, like profile growth, outreach, or brand sponsorship management.

Why start a social media management business? 

• The service-based business has few barriers to entry, and it’s relatively easy to get started.
• You can be your own boss and decide your earning potential. The more experience and results you can show, the higher your service fees can be.
• If you’re a regular social media user, you can turn something you’re already doing into a money-making activity.

Ready to start your own social media management business? Brush up on social media know-how with the following resources:

• Social Media Marketing Strategy: Engagement Guide
• 12 Inspiring Social Media Campaign Examples

18. Sell merchandise on marketplaces 

Selling merchandise on marketplaces can be a sustainable online business model. Seller platforms like eBay, Bonanza, Etsy , OfferUp, or Facebook Marketplace make the process of listing products, capturing contact information, and receiving payments easy.

The best part? These massive seller platforms already come with built-in traffic. As the seller, it’s your job to get strategic with your listing and keep track of what sells and how well so you can optimize your efforts. You can do all of this from the comfort of your home, too.

To turn a profit under this business model, you’ll want to sell merchandise at a higher price than what you paid for it. This may mean buying items in bulk and reselling them at a higher per-unit cost.

It could also mean combing through garage sales and secondhand stores to find items with notable resale value. You can also use these marketplaces to offload unused items you have around your home. You won’t turn a profit unless you sell your old items for more than you paid for them. Still, you can make some extra cash while clearing space in your home.

Why sell on marketplaces? 

• It’s affordable to start, without a hefty upfront investment.
• You get access to a pool of traffic you might not be able to tap into on other platforms.
• The online selling skills you acquire can translate into adjacent businesses down the road.

19. Become a translator

Knowing more than one language can make you money. Combine your multilingual abilities with an internet connection and you can be well on your way to starting an online translation business. The translation industry is booming—it doubled in size in the past decade. You can market your services on a translation platform like Gengo , on an all-purpose gig marketplace like UpWork, or on your own website.

As a translator, you can apply your skills to translating content, meetings, résumés, books, or even online conferences. As you refine your skills, you can charge by the hour or by the project. No matter which pricing model you use, a translation business can be both flexible and lucrative once you get started with your first few clients.

Why start a translation business? 

• Translation can be a low-cost business that doesn’t require ad management or dealing with inventory. 
• If you speak a less common language, you can carve out a niche that makes you a go-to translator for a specific set of clients.
• You can use your translation gigs to create a portfolio for higher status projects, like translating entire books.

20. Start an accounting or bookkeeping firm

If you have a background in finance, you can take advantage of the steady market demand for accounting and bookkeeping. Try going freelance, offering your services to clients looking to outsource this part of their business.

Your qualification for this work will depend on your training and experience. A bookkeeper, who routinely keeps track of a company’s business transactions, can be largely self-taught, using software like QuickBooks to keep an accurate ledger. An accountant prepares documents that may be presented to tax collectors and business investors. Most companies will insist on hiring a certified public accountant (CPA) for such work.

Assuming you have the requisite training, you can bootstrap an accounting or bookkeeping business with a combination of advertising, word of mouth, and tenacity. You can list your services on platforms like UpWork, run your own website, or do a combination of both. As you begin to gain clients and deliver great work, referral clients start coming your way.

Why start an accounting or bookkeeping business? 

• Businesses have a consistent need for reliable, ethical bookkeepers and accountants to help them monitor finances, prepare tax forms, and attract investors.
•  While tax prep is largely seasonal (most tax accountants are busiest from January through April), there is steady year-round work to be found in corporate bookkeeping and financial management.
• A service-based business like accounting and bookkeeping thrive on building relationships and returning customers, which may ease your reliance on digital marketing campaigns. 

21. Become an online fitness trainer

Like many other service-based industries, fitness training has migrated online. Popular trainers like Kayla Itsines are making a killing online through memberships, fitness apps, and ebooks.

If you have fitness training experience, offering such services online might be a no-brainer.

Much of online fitness training involves video lessons—either live or pre-recorded. Other elements of a digital fitness business include workout guides, recipe books, and forums where class members can connect and share tips. All of these can live on your fitness training website.

As you get started, don’t forget to leverage social media—fitness is a visual industry. Being present on platforms like Instagram and TikTok can be a great way to build an audience and win clients.

Why start an online fitness trainer business?

• There is steady demand for fitness training. Americans spent more than $30 billion at gyms and health clubs in 2022.
• The public is open to online training. Video workouts have been around for decades, as fans of Richard Simmons and Sally Struthers know. The internet allows for a more interactive form of video training, and many customers are happy to embrace that model.
• You can create evergreen content like courses, cookbooks, or fitness plans that can continue to bring in passive income long after you’ve finished making them.

22. Sell music

If you’re able to write and produce music at home, you can sell it via licensing websites that connect composers to clients in search of musical cues.

Just take a look at The Drum Broker , the largest online drum sample business in the world. Its founder created a successful and sustainable small business model with the help of apps like FetchApp . Other online music marketplaces include PremiumBeat , Epidemic Sound , and CD Baby .

Why create and sell music?

• Commercial clients actively seek musical compositions to place in their ads.
• Unlike other sectors of the music industry, you don’t need personal connections to break into selling music online.
• Selling tracks online can bolster your résumé and make you a stronger candidate for more lucrative work, like scoring an entire movie.

23. Start an online coaching business

Life coaches help steer their clients through important events involving work, relationships, and lifecycle milestones. It has some overlap with therapy, but coaches don’t need a license or a master’s degree to practice their craft. To succeed as an online coach, it helps to carve out a niche. Clearly communicate what specialties you offer and what results clients can expect from your coaching sessions.

One way to break into coaching is to market yourself on social media. Online coaches like Simone Seol use Instagram to reach potential clients. As you build up your client base, you can get more work from word-of-mouth referrals—both from patients and fellow coaches.

Why start an online coaching business? 

• Online coaching has high income potential if you have solid interpersonal skills and can help clients achieve their goals.
• You don’t need a license or a degree to work as a coach. You can start coaching in any subject you’re knowledgeable enough in to charge for. 
• Happy clients can stay loyal to you and give you valuable word-of-mouth referrals.

24. Do voiceover work

Many voiceover artists make professional recordings from the comfort of their own home. You can join their ranks by learning the basics of recording software and investing in equipment like a condenser microphone, a digital audio interface, a computer, and the software itself.

You’ll also need a soundproof space in your home—closets do an excellent job of absorbing outside noise, and you can invest in soundproof panels to hang from walls.

Voiceover artists record audiobooks, commercials, webinars, course guides, and acting roles, among other work. To start booking voiceover work, consider recording a demo reel, setting up a website, and social media presence that will attract customers to you. You can also keep track of voiceover audition calls in trade forums like Backstage .

Why start a voiceover business? 

• Starting a voiceover business can turn your voice into a revenue generator.
• While you’ll need to invest in both software and hardware to record yourself at home, you can create a full voiceover setup for less than $1,000.
• Voiceover work can present many fun job opportunities, from narrating books to acting.

25. Become an ad consultant

Ads are everywhere, and behind many of them are consultants who help businesses optimize their outreach. Much of this work can now be done online, as successful ad consultants like Monica Louie can attest.

To get started, pick the types of ads you want to specialize in—whether that’s PPC ads on Google , Instagram ads, Facebook ads, TikTok ads, or even display ads—and then start marketing your services with a professional website. You can also advertise your services on professional networking sites like LinkedIn.

To succeed in ad consulting, it helps to have a background in the field with test cases you can present to interested clients. If you’re brand new to ad strategy, it can be helpful to work under a seasoned ad consultant until you gain expertise. Later, you can hang a shingle for an ad consulting business of your own.

Why start an ad consulting business? 

• Ad consultants will have work as long as there is advertising—which is to say, forever.
• It’s a great online business idea if you’re savvy with people and understand the basics of advertising strategy.
• You can work with multiple clients simultaneously, building out your network as you do.

How to start an online business in 6 steps

• Validate your idea with research
• Develop your product or service
• Set up your business finances
• Find vendors and suppliers
• Build your business website
• Market your new small business

Once you’ve decided on an online business idea, you’ll want to do your due diligence and, eventually, give it life. Here’s how to start a business online, step by step:

1. Validate your idea with research

It might sound harsh, but it’s true: Just because you think you have a great idea doesn’t mean there’s a market for it.

Before investing your time and energy into starting your business, research how feasible it is and whether there’s any potential buyer interest. You can hire an agency to conduct market research for you, but if you’re on a shoestring budget, you can also take the DIY approach. These resources will help get you started:

• What is Market Demand and How to Calculate It
• How to Use Niche Marketing to Build Your Business From the Ground Up

After conducting market research, write a business plan to clarify your ideas. Having a business plan will help you stay organized and focused as you go through the ups and downs of starting a new business.

2. Develop your product or service

You’ve validated your idea, now it’s time to turn it into a reality. Whether you’re selling a product or service, you need to create it. Find a manufacturer to bring your product to life, create packages of your service offerings, or write your book and identify a self-publishing option to bring it to fruition.

If you go the dropshipping route, the product has already been developed for you. It’s up to you to choose the products you’re passionate about or that you’ve identified a hot market for. To help you, we’ve put together a guide to finding the best products for dropshipping .

3. Set up your business finances

“How do I open a business bank account ?” is a common question for many new entrepreneurs. After you’ve officially registered your business with your local government, you should have the tax identification numbers and other information required to open a business bank account.

As you grow, you might need funding for future endeavors, be it a new product launch or marketing and advertising spend. Having business bank accounts makes it easier for you to manage that capital, as well as track your revenue and expenses.

Having a bank account is also helpful when it comes to tax preparation, since your business-related transactions will be in a single place. As your business finances get more complicated, hiring a professional accountant or tax professional could be a viable option.

💡 TIP: Want to simplify your business finances? Shopify Balance is a free financial account that lets you manage your business’s money from your Shopify admin. Pay no monthly fees, get payouts up to four days earlier, and earn cashback on eligible purchases.

Further reading:

• Best Small Business Accounting Software Picks
• Small Business Accounting 101: How To Set Up and Manage Your Books
• How to Do Crowdfunding: With Expert Tips and Examples from Successful Campaigns
• The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Small Business Finance and Accounting

4. Find partners, vendors and suppliers

Product-based online businesses in particular may require lots of business relationships. For example: a manufacturer, a dropshipper, or a third-party logistics coordinator. When identifying which partnerships you want to move forward with, it’s best to shop around and compare your options to make sure you’re getting the best solution for your needs.

Other online business ideas may require different relationships or contractors. If you’re writing a book, for example, you may want to hire a professional editor and book designer.

5. Build your business website

If you want to start an online business, you need to have a website. And to make money online, you’ll need to incorporate payment processing functionality.

First, come up with a business name . You can use a business name generator to help you if you’re stuck. You’ll need one to start building your website.

Then choose a domain name and verify that it’s available. You can purchase a domain name for less than $20 a year in some cases. From there, you can build your own store on a platform like Shopify and start accepting payments from customers right away.

Here are a few other resources to help you get started with your ecommerce site:

• Shopify’s domain name generator
• Ecommerce Business Blueprint: How to Build, Launch, and Grow a Profitable Online Store
• Ecommerce Website Designs: Best Shops And Why They Work

6. Market your new small business

Getting your first paying customer is a huge milestone for a new small business owner. Now that you’ve got your store set up, you’ll want to start getting your business out there. But finding new customers and creating convincing promotions takes time and energy.

There are so many channels to choose from—email marketing, mobile marketing, etc.—it’s hard to know the best way to grow your online business. It’s easy to get caught up in the wrong tactics and invest your time and money in the wrong places.

Here are some resources to help you market your business:

• Social Media Marketing Guide for Small Business Owners
• What Are Marketing Channels? Types and Examples To Decide on Yours
• How To Market a Product: 10 Highly Effective Ways

Start your online business today

If you’ve been thinking about starting an online business , it’s time to get out there and embark on your new web startups ideas in your spare time. You don’t have to go all in. Start small with a part-time side hustle and scale from there. Or, keep things small. The beauty of learning how to start a business online is that you can take whatever path you choose.

• The Ultimate Guide To Dropshipping (2024)
• How to Start a Dropshipping Business- A Complete Playbook for 2024
• 130+ Dropshipping Products To Sell for Profit
• How To Source Products To Sell Online
• The 13 Best Dropshipping Suppliers in 2024
• AliExpress Dropshipping- How to Dropship From AliExpress
• The 9 Best Dropshipping Websites for Your Online Store
• Free Business Plan Template- A Practical Framework for Creating Your Business Plan
• Making Spirits Bright- Inside the Workshops of 7 Christmas Store Owners
• How to Make and Sell Stickers Online

Online business ideas FAQ

How do you brainstorm online business ideas.

• Create a brainstorming board and put all your ideas on it.
• Revisit with fresh ideas and refine your list.
• Get help from friends and family.
• Survey existing customers to find new online business ideas.
• Check search trends on Google Trends.

What is the best online business to start?

• Dropshipping
• A clothing line
• Selling art
• Curating subscription boxes
• Selling handmade goods
• Being an affiliate marketer
• A consulting business

What is the best online business to start from home?

• An ecommerce store
• Buying products in bulk to sell online
• Teaching online courses
• A writing business
• Online services
• Selling homemade products
• Starting a YouTube channel
• Becoming a blogger

What are some online service business ideas?

• Graphic design
• Freelance writing
• WordPress development
• Shopify theme building
• App development
• Copywriting
• Search engine optimization consulting

How do I start a small online business?

1. Find a gap in a niche market and fill it.

2. Learn how to write copy that sells.

3. Build and design your own website.

4. Get on social media sites like Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

5. Optimize your website for SEO.

6. Become an expert in your industry.

7. Provide excellent customer service.

8. Create multiple sources of income.

Do I need an LLC to sell online?

You don’t need an LLC to sell online, but it’s recommended that you file for one. As a business owner, this helps mitigate risk and protects your personal assets in case you end up in a lawsuit or need to file bankruptcy.

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41 Online Business Ideas You Can Start in 2024

Sally Lauckner is an editor on NerdWallet's small-business team. She has over 15 years of experience in print and online journalism. Before joining NerdWallet in 2020, Sally was the editorial director at Fundera, where she built and led a team focused on small-business content and specializing in business financing. Her prior experience includes two years as a senior editor at SmartAsset, where she edited a wide range of personal finance content, and five years at the AOL Huffington Post Media Group, where she held a variety of editorial roles. She is based in New York City.

Rosalie Murphy is a small-business writer at NerdWallet. Since 2021, she has covered business insurance, banking, credit cards and e-commerce software, and her reporting has been featured by The Associated Press, MarketWatch, Entrepreneur and many other publications. Rosalie holds a graduate certificate in Quantitative Business Management from Kent State University and is now pursuing an MBA. She is based in Chicago.

Ryan Lane is an editor on NerdWallet’s small-business team. He joined NerdWallet in 2019 as a student loans writer, serving as an authority on that topic after spending more than a decade at student loan guarantor American Student Assistance. In that role, Ryan co-authored the Student Loan Ranger blog in partnership with U.S. News & World Report, as well as wrote and edited content about education financing and financial literacy for multiple online properties, e-courses and more. Ryan also previously oversaw the production of life science journals as a managing editor for publisher Cell Press. Ryan is located in Rochester, New York.

Many or all of the products featured here are from our partners who compensate us. This influences which products we write about and where and how the product appears on a page. However, this does not influence our evaluations. Our opinions are our own. Here is a list of our partners and here's how we make money .

Setting up an online business can help you become an entrepreneur without significant startup costs. The first step: figuring out the best online business idea for you.

What do you have expertise in? What do you love to do? Do you know someone who needs a type of support you could provide? Answering questions like these can offer inspiration as you prepare to start a business .

Here are 41 online business ideas to help you brainstorm. From side hustles to full-time enterprise, e-commerce businesses to services for remote clients, you may be able to run these from home on your own schedule.

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The 41 best online business ideas

If you're not totally set on going all-in on your online business, many of these ideas can be started part time. As you build your side hustle, it may be successful enough to turn into a full-time gig .

1. E-commerce store

Starting an e-commerce website is relatively easy and cheap — at least when compared with opening up a brick-and-mortar store. You can start with a limited amount of inventory, use an e-commerce website builder to set up your store, then market your products on social media and online marketplaces and see how customers respond. These platforms can also help you manage orders, ship your products and take online payments.

2. Social media marketing

If you’ve got a knack for getting likes, favorites, retweets, followers, shares, comments and clicks, then you might want to consider offering social media marketing services to other businesses. By consulting with companies to manage their social media profiles, spread their content across the web, keep their brands on track and respond to customer questions, you can turn your favorite hobby into your day job.

3. Freelance graphic design

Got an eye for aesthetics? Did you go to art school, or have you always spent your free time designing posters in Photoshop or Illustrator?

If so, then freelance designing might be a good choice. Take on clients at your own speed, build up a good reputation online and by word-of-mouth and work on projects that you find interesting.

4. Freelance writing

If you’re skilled in words instead, you might become a freelance writer . So long as you’ve got an internet connection and a keyboard, you can contribute all types of written content, from blog posts to feature stories to product descriptions. It helps if you’ve got a special area of interest or expertise so your employers will know you’re qualified to comment on certain topics.

» MORE: Best bank accounts for freelancers

5. E-book writing

With Amazon and other websites around, self-publishing has never been easier than it is today. If you think you’ve got something interesting or useful to say — and you believe other people will think so, too — then writing e-books could become a lucrative business.

With e-books, you don’t have to design, print or ship physical copies of your work. Of course, you will have to learn how to format an e-book correctly, pay for editing and cover design services and figure out an effective marketing strategy — but there are plenty of examples to learn from.

6. Translation

If you’re fluent in multiple languages, then translating could be the ideal online freelance job. You can do it from anywhere, so long as you’ve got the text you’re working on and you understand the goal of the translation.

» MORE: Check out 16 other e-commerce business ideas

Editing comes in many shapes and sizes, from copyediting a company’s marketing materials to proofreading novels to indexing academic manuscripts. As long as you have a sharp eye for detail, a strong grasp of grammar and a willingness to get in the weeds, then editing could be a great business idea if you’re interested in working when and how you want.

8. Writing a blog

Starting a blog can support other online business ideas by showing off your skills. Interested in coding, photography and video, fitness, food or anything else? Demonstrate your knowledge by writing great articles on those topics for others’ blogs.

If you choose to start your own blog, it can also generate revenue itself through affiliate links or advertisements.

9. Freelance researching

Whether you’re putting together documents for competitor or market research , answering tough technical questions on forums or analyzing statistics to point out trends, you can put your skills to work for your clients — with the freedom to work how you want.

10. Freelance coding and web design

If you’re seeking flexibility, diversity of projects, taking on work at your own pace and being your own boss, then freelance coding or web design for clients may be a good fit.

Plus, you can double down as a software consultant as well, offering your critical eye and expertise without writing code yourself.

» MORE: Best accounting software for consultants

11. Software and app development

Want to take freelance coding to the next level? Instead of helping clients, you can work on your own applications, programs, extensions and add-ons. Whether you sell your work in an app store or you’re holding out for the long haul and are hoping to get bought by a bigger company, the cash you make will be a direct result of your effort and ingenuity. App development is also a way to make money on Shopify .

Keep in mind, it’s not as easy to have a predictable stream of revenue until your app is already out and selling, and by then you’ve already invested a lot of time and energy. You’ll want to be sure that there’s a market out there for the product you’re creating, and that people are willing to pay for it.

» MORE: Best business credit cards for LLCs

12. Business coaching

You’ll need a good track record and a variety of testimonials to back you up, but if you’re already an entrepreneur, business coaching can provide an additional revenue stream. You can offer one-off sessions, small-group experiences or ongoing client relationships at a variety of price points.

13. College consulting

If you went to a top-tier university and have strong writing skills, you may be able to help applicants seeking admission to elite colleges. You might find yourself editing essays, steering students toward test prep courses and recommending scholarship programs, among other things.

» MORE: How to start a consulting business

14. Tutoring

For those studious entrepreneurs who scored highly on standardized tests, tutoring can pull in a lot of money without too much effort. The better your results, the better your reputation — which means the more you can charge per hour, session or package.

15. Online fitness trainer

If fitness and health is your passion, then serving as a fitness trainer to clients could be a fulfilling career. While training people online can be more difficult than being with them in person, this is an increasingly popular option for busy professionals. You can also consider related services like nutrition education.

» MORE: A step-by-step guide to starting a fitness business

16. SEO consulting

Maybe you’re a pro at SEO, or search engine optimization. If you’ve got loads of skill and experience in getting websites to rank highly on Google, and you understand how to turn searchers into customers, then there are plenty of companies willing to pay handsomely for your help.

Whether it’s by editing metadata tags, regularly updating the company blog or searching for smart keywords to rank highly on, a good SEO consultant can drastically change how a company’s website appears to search engine users — and just a few positions on Google can make a huge difference in traffic numbers. In short, you could have a big impact on a business’s bottom line, which means this online business idea is in high demand.

17. Selling handmade goods

If you’re handy or creative, you could craft your products and sell them on sites like Etsy, Amazon and eBay, straight out of your home.

Beyond that, if you’re a visual artist, you may also try selling print-on-demand products. That’s a type of e-commerce business where customers order mugs, T-shirts or other goods and with your artwork printed on them, then a third party creates the product and ships it to the customer.

18. Virtual thrift shop

Maybe you’re not into handicrafts but the idea of an starting an online store is still appealing? Selling clothes online using platforms like thredUP and Poshmark is one option.

If you're more interested in other types of products, you can scour local estate sales and secondhand shops for unique finds. You may also discover good finds on websites like eBay. As you present these products in compelling ways on your own site, good copywriting and a strong brand can go a long way to separating your site from the crowd.

19. Affiliate marketing

Social media pros, take notice: You can get paid by companies to highlight products on your blog, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube or other social channels. The more followers or site visitors you have, the more of an impact your brand recommendation will make, and the more you’ll earn with product placement.

20. Accounting or bookkeeping

Although entering the industry as a virtual bookkeeper or accountant can be tough because of competition from well-known brands in the industry, it can be done if you have the credentials or target clients in a specific niche. You’ll also need formal training and certification, and it may take time to build up a committed client base — but once you do, your clients may be with you for years.

» MORE: See our picks for best small-business accounting software

21. Telemarketing

If you’re a natural conversationalist who likes helping others, virtual telemarketing is another good online small-business idea to consider. Plenty of companies outsource some of their sales and customer service roles, so if you don’t mind working the phone at home or on the go, then try this option out.

22. Online personal assistant

Thinking about becoming a virtual assistant ? What exactly you’ll do depends on what your skills, experience and network of contacts are, but you can expect tasks from data entry to customer management, research, scheduling and other duties.

23. Data entry

If you’re looking for a job that offers a predictable income without requiring intense creativity, then data entry might be a good place to start. Try looking at online job boards for opportunities.

24. Transcription

Offering transcription services online can take many forms: You can transcribe audio interviews for reporters, create captions for TV shows and videos or develop transcribed versions of podcasts. Services like Rev or TranscribeMe can also send you work as it becomes available, which saves you the work of cultivating your own client base.

25. Travel planning

If travel is your passion, you might consider starting an online travel planning business . You can help clients plan every aspect of their trip — from flights to hotels to activities. You can work on itineraries, give tips about food, currency exchange and safety, and serve as a point of contact between your clients and any international contacts.

Not only can you operate your travel planning business at home, you can also do it while you travel. And more traveling will help you grow your business — you might even start a travel blog or photography site to supplement your planning business.

26. Cybersecurity and IT consulting

As a cybersecurity consultant, you can work with businesses of all sizes to evaluate their systems, run testing and offer tips on how they can improve their set up.

For those looking for something broader, you might consider serving as an IT consultant, assisting businesses or individuals with their technology — helping them get it set up, troubleshoot any issues and offer general operating advice.

With the proper computer set up, you can run your cybersecurity or IT consulting business from anywhere — including potentially traveling to clients’ offices for occasional on-site system assistance.

27. Online therapy

With the emergence of companies like TalkSpace and BetterHelp, you no longer have to have an office or your own practice to counsel patients. Again, you’ll need training and proper credentials. But you can explore the online therapy space by joining one of these new companies or another practice that offers virtual appointments.

28. PR consulting

If you're knowledgeable about business branding and marketing, you might start an online PR consulting business. You can assist businesses with their online presence — including social media accounts, press releases, web content and more — as well as advise them on campaigns, initiatives and overall public image.

As a freelance PR consultant, your hours and responsibilities may vary depending on the specific clients you're working with; however, you'll have more control than you would as part of a firm or agency.

29. Podcasting

Provided you have the right audio equipment and a quiet space, you can record your podcast from anywhere. You can then upload your content to various podcast apps and market your business on social media. Once you reach a certain number of listeners, some podcast platforms will help you sell ads and you'll begin generating revenue.

30. Life coaching

Looking for a way to offer advice and guidance to people without needing the extensive education of a medical professional? Consider life coaching . Although you may need a certification to become a life coach, you have much more freedom to find your niche and decide how you can help people through life's ups and downs.

As a life coach, you can also create resources like e-books and courses to give your clients additional resources outside of traditional phone call or video chat meetings.

31. Video production

As a video producer, you can work with different clients in various industries to shoot, cut and edit video to create the perfect final product. Video production can give you the opportunity to explore a unique medium of storytelling and exercise your creativity.

32. Resume writing and career coaching

If you have a background in human resources, or just know your way around formulating the perfect resume, you might consider starting an online resume writing and career coaching business. You can offer clients advice and guidance on their career path, job applications, resumes and cover letters.

LinkedIn is a great place to get started with this type of online business idea, as many professionals look for career help on that platform.

33. Dropshipping

If you don't want the responsibility of creating your own products or buying inventory upfront, you might consider starting a dropshipping business. With this kind of e-commerce operation, you create your own website, choose products from suppliers, list them on your site, and when an order is placed, the supplier will ship them directly to the customer.

You can get started by browsing dropshipping marketplaces or trying to work directly with manufacturers and importers.

» MORE: How to dropship on Shopify

34. Recruiting

If you're a people person and have good online research skills, you might consider a career as a recruiter. As an online recruiter, you can service different businesses looking to hire new employees and help them find and screen candidates. The more experience you have, the higher-level positions you may be tapped to help fill.

35. Marketing consulting

As a marketing consultant, you can provide guidance on a wide range of topics, depending on your specific expertise, and help businesses execute their online marketing strategies and campaigns. This could include email marketing, social media management and advertising, local marketing , event planning and more. You can specialize in a particular industry or geography, or market your skills to a variety of clients using a network like Upwork.

36. Online fundraising or grant writing

Are you passionate about helping mission-based businesses, especially nonprofits, getting the assistance they need? If so, consider a grant writing business. This requires you to work with clients who need help fundraising to identify grants suited to their needs, then apply for and hopefully win them.

37. Online course teaching

You can find information about practically anything online, but sometimes when you're trying to learn a specific skill or topic, it just helps to hear or see someone else explain it. So if there’s a subject you have specialized knowledge of — a particular software program, a craft, a particular historical event — consider designing an online course. If you have formal qualifications like an advanced degree, you might be able to work with an online course service to teach courses online for their students.

38. Online cooking instruction

Do you have an affinity for cooking or baking? Showcasing your skills online via virtual cooking classes is a great way to earn money while doing something you love. There are a variety of ways you can structure your cooking business: You can offer one-on-one instruction videos, host live classes and even create workshops and cooking programs.

This easy business idea could even translate into a cooking blog, e-books, cookbooks and linking your favorite cooking and baking supplies through affiliate marketing.

39. YouTube channel

One way to promote your new brand, service or message is by creating a YouTube channel. If you feel comfortable on camera, have a spot where you can film and love the idea of reaching a wide audience, YouTube might be the right platform for you. Note, though, that it can take some time for your channel to grow and you'll likely need to network on social media and blogging platforms in the beginning.

» MORE: How to make money on YouTube

40. Voiceover work

To start your own voiceover business, you'll need a microphone, sound editing software and the ability to lend your voice to ad agencies, production companies and anyone else looking for a voiceover.

Then, you can sign up for a freelance voiceover site like voices.com and start searching for the right opportunities. Once you've gotten your foot in the door, you'll have excellent clips to show potential clients.

41. Start a team

If you've been freelancing or running your own company for a while, you might be ready to take the plunge and start your own team of consultants or freelancers. For instance, if you have years of writing and editing experience and can no longer handle all your client inquiries yourself, you might be ready to hire your first employee and expand your capacity.

How to choose an online business idea

These online business ideas represent a variety of e-commerce business models . To choose the right one for you, ask these questions.

How do you want to make money?

Lots of business owners seek out predictable, recurring revenue so they can plan their personal finances. Keeping clients on retainer can help with that. But affiliate marketing, advertising or product sales may be harder to predict. Creating a business plan can help you think through your options and decide which you’re comfortable with.

How will you find work?

If you’re selling your skills as a freelancer, consider searching sites like Upwork and Behance to find the right clients. Networking in your local community, joining industry-specific LinkedIn groups and asking for referrals can be helpful, too.

If you’re selling products or building an audience online, you’ll need different tactics. Search engine optimization can help get your videos or product listings in front of people who will be interested in them. But you may need a significant marketing budget to develop an audience that’s large enough to generate revenue.

How much autonomy do you want?

With some online businesses, like selling handmade goods or creating online courses, you’ll have control over your products from start to finish — which can be freeing but also high-pressure. On the other hand, when you’re producing work for clients, you’ll have to conform to the client’s standards — which may feel confining, but you won’t have to do the work of coming up with ideas yourself. Some solopreneurs aim for a mix of client work and self-directed projects so that they have steady revenue while pursuing their passions.

A version of this article originally appeared on JustBusiness, a subsidiary of NerdWallet.

On a similar note...

BUSINESS STRATEGIES

Top 22 online business ideas to start in 2024

• Cecilia Lazzaro Blasbalg
• 17 min read

Get started by: Creating a website →  | Getting a domain →

As you look to enter the ranks of today’s successful entrepreneurs who are diligently serving millions of customers around the world, it's vital to find an online business idea that matches your skills or strengths. After all, you’re likely to connect better with your customers vis-a-vis meeting their needs in the best possible way.

Whether you’re looking to establish a full-blown operation or start a side hustle  to your day job, launching an online business has never been easier. As you create a website , you’ll help your online business get more exposure, stand out from the pack and engage your audience.

Researching the right online business idea for yourself may seem like a big time commitment, but don’t worry. There are some great examples already underway to help you get started selling online . To ensure you're in the know, we’ve compiled the top 20 online business ideas that you can start right away, with in-depth explanations of what each one entails.

Top 22 online business ideas in 2024

Web designer

Affiliate marketer

eCommerce retailer

Dropshipping business owner

App developer

Facebook ad specialist

SEO consultant

Social media consultant

Online course instructor

Webinar guru

Technical writer

Remote tech support

Virtual assistant

Subscription box curator

Resume and cover letter writer

e-book author

Transcription services

01. Blogger

For writers and anyone with a passion or expertise to share, creating a blog might be the right fit. While the definition of what is a blog includes everything from travel journals to specialized industry ones, all blogs share some commonalities. Blogs are regularly updated websites that cover information, opinions or insights around a certain topic.

A successful blogger is someone who knows their niche, and is thus able to build a good blog with a clear focus. Blogs are low-investment spaces where you can foster a solid readership in a specific area, by providing critical content that keeps visitors coming back.

As a creator of high-quality content, you can begin thinking about how to monetize a blog, turning yours into a potential moneymaker. One way to make money as a blogger is through your ability to attract relevant advertisers with the help of your loyal fanbase. You can host an ad space, sponsored posts, offer products for sale and more - all of which would require minimal effort on your end. This makes blogging a very scalable business idea.

Another option might be to offer paid services in the forms of personal consultation or coaching. One-on-one sessions can complement your blog and reaffirm your expert voice in the field. Additionally, you could consider repurposing your content into paid online courses, e-books or webinars (more on those below). After all, a successful blog should continually drive community engagement.

Looking to start a blog? Wix has got you covered with thousands of design features, built-in SEO and marketing tools, that will allow you to scale your content, your brand and your business with a blog maker.

02. Web designer

Business owners are often looking to improve their online presence. If you’re a creative and technical person who enjoys building web pages and taking website design to the next level, then consider teaming up with clients whose sites need that professional touch.

Armed with a passion for fonts, color palettes and a seamless user experience, you can begin promoting yourself as a freelance web designer for small and local businesses. Whether you’re building a website from scratch or giving an existing one the ultimate makeover, every experience you gain will help raise your credibility and enrich your portfolio .

03. Affiliate marketer

If you’ve built a substantial online audience or following, you may want to look into affiliate marketing and how you can use it to monetize your content. As an affiliate marketer, you’d team up with a business to market their products or services by recommending or sharing them to your fans. Affiliate marketers earn a commission each time they convert any of their followers into purchasing the brand’s products through a unique referral link, known as an affiliate link.

When considering which affiliate program is right for you, look for one that suits both your interests and that of your target audience. Try to find a brand that you believe in or would be happy to endorse. In addition, double check that the product or service that they offer has a good enough demand. There are many affiliate programs out there, including Amazon Associates , ShareASale and the Wix Affiliate Program , so you might want to take a moment to research them before you reach out.

Once you’re signed up, you can begin promoting the affiliate content alongside your day-to-day materials which your followers have come to expect. There are different ways to promote your affiliate products to your readers without coming off as too spammy. One method is to try incorporating the product recommendations into a blog post, tutorial or video using relevant and engaging content. Be creative and think of new ways to adapt your marketing strategy to yield the most profit.

You can also choose to start this as a part-time business idea before committing full time once it becomes successful.

According to Guy Josipovich , Online Partnerships Manager at Wix.com,

"Companies entrust their product and reputation to their partner's hands. Therefore, it’s not surprising that trust is critical for a successful long-term partnership, together with proven professional skills such as analytical abilities, understanding of marketing principles, and good time management."

04. eCommerce retailer

Running an eCommerce website allows you control over every aspect of your business, from accepting secure online payment, to managing order fulfillment, to advanced marketing tools and an optimized shopping experience.

With many business capabilities, all that’s left is to ask yourself what things to make and sell , since picking the right products for your online store will be the core of this eCommerce business idea . When choosing which products to sell, let your skills and experience guide you. You can confirm your choice by conducting a thorough market research.

Knowing how to start an online business in your niche market means listening to your customers. On your site, it’s important to maintain clear communication with your customers in the form of live chat, a forum, email marketing and more.

Learn more about how to make an eCommerce website .

05. Dropshipping business owner

Some business owners may like the idea of running an online store, but don’t want or have the capacity to store inventory. For these cases, there’s an alternative way when considering how to start a business on a budget - dropshipping .

With dropshipping, you can sell products on your business website without managing your own inventory. Instead, you can send customers’ orders to a third-party retailer. This eliminates the risk of stocking up on pricey products, or finding out that the products in your inventory are no longer marketable.

Without needing to attend to a warehouse or a different physical location of your inventory, you can run your dropshipping business from wherever you have WiFi. This also allows you to expand your product offering and sell niche products , since you won’t be limited to what’s in an inventory.

Additionally, operating a dropshipping business frees you to adjust your merchandise by experimenting and testing with it, keeping your offering up with the latest eCommerce trends. If something isn’t selling, you’ll be able to change your offerings on the spot.

Learn more:

Dropshipping business ideas

Coffee dropshipping

Beauty dropshipping

Reverse dropshipping

Automated dropshipping

Jewelry dropshipping

Digital dropshipping

Clothing dropshipping

Sticker dropshipping

Pet dropshipping

Branded dropshipping

White label dropshipping

T-shirt dropshipping

Candle dropshipping

B2B dropshipping

06. App developer

Seeing that the number of apps downloaded in the last year hit an almost 200 billion , the app business is officially a tour de force. Perhaps it’s time to get your cool idea for an app set into motion.

If you haven’t any prior experience in app development, you'll need to pick up a couple of common programming languages, like Python, JavaScript or iOS, and know some basic software design.

On the other hand, even without a coding background, you can always collaborate with an experienced app developer on your idea.

It helps if your app idea is backed with thorough market research. Would your app offer something new to the competitive market, or are there others like it? This step is best taken before investing any money.

Learn more: AI business ideas

07. Facebook ad specialist

What individual hasn’t used Facebook already? In the small business sector, however, there are many veteran business owners who aren’t successfully tapping into the plethora of resources that the social media giant has to offer. The solution for many is to hire an expert on Facebook advertising.

Known as Facebook ad specialists, their goal is to collaborate with clients to help them plan, measure and execute paid marketing campaigns on Facebook. As a hired expert, you’ll be able to help your clients optimize their digital marketing and advertising, allowing them to reach their core audiences. Facebook ads are targeted to users based on location, demographics, and interests, making it easier to find the right niche.

You might want to start contacting businesses that already have a Facebook presence and offer your services to help create masterful Facebook ads.

08. SEO consultant

SEO stands for search engine optimization. SEO is the process of optimizing websites so that they rank better on search engine results, such as Google and Bing, which could ultimately drive more traffic to the site.

Becoming an SEO consultant includes learning highly profitable skills in online advertising platforms like Google Ads and Google Analytics, as well as the need to be at the cutting edge of Google’s algorithms.

As someone who is familiar with the number of ways to boost a site’s SEO, you will be an asset to any business looking to improve their online presence.

09. YouTuber

For some of us, starring in or directing our own videos is a dream come true. You may feel your best in front of the camera, have stories to tell or simply want to educate others about a specific topic using visual content. Whether you’re looking to start your own YouTube channel or simply like to vlog, there could be a great money making opportunity coming your way as your viewership grows.

There are several effective ways you can begin to make money on YouTube. They include becoming a YouTube Partner, selling merchandise, or venturing into affiliate marketing. You can experiment with any of these options to find the best fit for you and your audience.

10. Social media consultant

While corporations operate with full-time social media experts on their payroll, most small businesses not only lack this luxury, but may not even have a Facebook, Twitter or Instagram account.

As many shoppers turn to these popular platforms for their consumer needs, business owners might want to seek the assistance of a social media consultant to help them determine the best social media marketing strategies. These experts will help create and schedule posts to target potential customers, and more.

As a social media consultant, you can help online businesses choose the right platform for their target audience. From Facebook, the world’s number one social media network, to Instagram, known for its visual storytelling features and LinkedIn, where professionals go to network, each channel comes with different audiences and needs.

11. Podcaster

Podcasting is for those who can articulate a passion or certain topic they know well. In case you weren’t already familiar with this business idea , a podcast is an episodic series of audio recordings around a certain topic or topics.

Though starting a podcast can be one of the best businesses to start with little money using free recording and editing software, you might want to invest in a good-quality microphone. Your listenership will depend on the quality of your audio content and your ability to establish an expert voice in your area.

Bringing special guests to your podcast is one low-cost way to help promote your show. Once your show reaches more people and your subscribership grows, your podcast could have the potential to attract advertisers and ultimately become profitable.

12. Online course instructor

Is teaching a passion you’ve always wanted to pursue but never had the time to? Creating an online course is one way to share your knowledge while generating passive income, with little investment up front. In order to become an online course instructor, you’ll first need a website or platform from where you can host and stream your classes.

To get your online course started, you’ll want to focus on a specific topic that you know well. It can be anything, from women authors of the 19th-century to logo design. You’ll also need to give yourself a reasonable amount of time to build your course and plan each lesson.

If you already have a blog, website or video channel, then offering online courses as an added service may complement your published work and help you reaffirm your authority in your field.

13. Webinar guru

People often come to you for advice or tips, as you’ve become known by many as that person who has all the right answers. Although teaching an online course seems like a natural step to take, you may not have time to do it for an entire semester. Hence, one possible online low-cost business idea would be to create a webinar.

Webinars are online presentations often held in real-time, or simply put, an online event. The most direct way to make profit from your webinar is to charge a fee for attendance. You could also make money from a free webinar by offering a paid product at the end.

The shorter, the better: A webinar tends to run between 30-45 minutes, capitalizing on full engagement. In most cases, you can organize your webinar to best suit your schedule, as attendees are able to access your event from home.

Subscribe to the Wix blog  for a weekly dose of fresh business and web design tips and trends.

14. Copywriter

A copywriter is someone who writes engaging text or “copy” for the purpose of marketing or advertisement to increase a client’s message or brand. A good copy is meant to motivate readers to spur into action. Those who share a passion for creating good and clear content know that to master copywriting takes a lot of practice and skills.

Start by searching the web for copywriting listings. There are many new opportunities arising each day. A freelance copywriter can determine their either rate per hour or per word count. The pay rate may also increase as your experience does too.

Small businesses looking to expand their web audience need quality online content, and would benefit greatly from employing the services of a skilled copywriter. A diverse writing portfolio, covering different types of content, would help you attract a wider range of clientele.

15. Technical writer

There are situations when content needs to sound technical rather than creative. Think about the importance of manuals at certain points in our lives, like when we need to assemble an Ikea bookshelf or when we start a new medication. A technical writer deals with this line of work clearly and eloquently.

Once you’ve decided what industry you’d like to pursue - health, engineering or technology - it will be easier for you to focus on building your specialization.

Potential clients of technical writers may be corporate and pharmaceutical companies. Although it might feel you have bigger fish to fry as a technical writer, there are fewer of your kind in the general writing sphere. The odds are in your favor.

16. Remote tech support

Sometimes a small business has to outsource technical assistance because of budgetary issues or space constraints. If you have a solid background in IT and enjoy working from home, you can set up a paid tech support service for your local businesses.

Aside from bringing in a nice stream of revenue, a remote tech support operation is a great home-based business idea . In fact, it can even be run using little more than a mobile device. For more on how to make money from home , check out our guide.

17. Virtual assistant

Businesses and individuals alike often require extra support in managing their emails, drafting templated responses for diverse inquiries, social media channels and daily schedules. A virtual assistant is someone who can fulfill these tasks and support them remotely, making it one of the most accessible online unique business ideas to start now.

Unlike an office assistant who performs administrative and clerical duties only, a virtual assistant will cover these traditional tasks while offering a multitude of other services, including everything from content creation to website or project management. In the role of virtual assistant, there is plenty of room for creativity and personal growth, allowing you to add or change your services depending on your availability, client demand or interests.

You can also choose your clients and area of industry. Take advantage of the number of online tools, from file sharing to virtual calendars, that are available to help you perform most assistant tasks without investing a lot upfront.

Tip: How to start a virtual assistant business

18. Subscription box curator

Have you ever been told that you give the best presents in your family? Creating that perfect gift-giving moment may be something important to you. Selling subscriptions requires that same attention to detail and love for delivering smiles.

When curating a subscription box, you won’t necessarily have to create your own merchandise if you don’t choose to. There are so many unique and creative products you can find online and curate into your boxes. Most successful subscription boxes work around a certain theme, making them compatible with their target market. For example, adults may prefer wine and children can’t resist colorful candy.

Remember that subscription boxes are often purchased as gifts to others, so it’s worth changing or adding your offerings to reflect the times or trends. This can also be a great family business idea or a fun business idea for couples .

Tip: How to start a subscription box business

19. Resume and cover letter writer

Writing resumes and cover letters is in-demand. Even though the typical word count for a professional resume or cover letter does not reach more than 400 words, the work of a resume and cover letter writer is essential and everlasting.

Your target audience is any individual looking for a job, leaving you free to work with any number of clients. Be sure to provide successful writing samples you’ve worked on in the past to potential customers, or share links to online resume websites that you’ve created. This allows you to show off your skills and rich industry jargon for any market or niche.

20. e-book author

While few writers manage to get published in their lifetime, many new authors are already making their e-book debut amid the digital products , specifically book market boom.

Self-publishing your book has never been more affordable or effective, using a number of options including Apple Books , Smashwords and Amazon , which will help you with the post-production aspects of distribution and sales.

Consider investing in an editor or proofreader and an illustrator to make your book more marketable. As a writer, breaking into the category of e-book author is one online business idea that could help you succeed in your industry.

21. Sell NFTs

Selling Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) has emerged as a groundbreaking avenue for creators to monetize their unique content. NFTs are blockchain-based tokens that authenticate the ownership and rarity of digital files, including artworks, music, videos and more. By tokenizing their creations, artists can offer a sense of exclusivity and ownership to their audience, fostering a new era of digital collectibles.

One key advantage of selling NFTs lies in the ability to directly connect with a global audience of collectors and enthusiasts. The blockchain ensures transparency and authenticity in ownership, allowing creators to establish a direct relationship with their supporters. Additionally, the smart contract functionality embedded in NFTs can enable creators to receive royalties automatically each time their token is resold, providing a sustainable revenue stream over time. This decentralized and borderless nature of NFT transactions has democratized the art and content creation industry, empowering creators to reach a broader market without traditional intermediaries.

While NFTs present exciting opportunities, navigating the space requires careful consideration of market trends, pricing strategies and community engagement. Building a strong online presence, leveraging social media and participating in relevant online communities can help creators showcase and sell their NFTs successfully. As the market continues to evolve, staying informed about emerging platforms and technological developments will be crucial for creators looking to thrive in the dynamic world of NFTs.

22. Transcription services

Transcription services helps provide accurate and timely conversion of audio and video content into written form. Transcription services cater to a broad range of industries, from media and legal to academic and corporate. As businesses increasingly rely on digital communication, there is a growing demand for skilled transcriptionists who can efficiently transcribe interviews, meetings, podcasts and various other audio materials. Online platforms and freelance marketplaces offer opportunities for transcriptionists to connect with clients globally, making it a flexible and accessible business option.

One specialized area within transcription services that tends to get paid the most is medical transcription, a critical component of healthcare documentation. Medical transcriptionists transcribe dictated recordings made by healthcare professionals into written documents. Individuals with a background in healthcare or specialized knowledge of medical terminology can carve a niche in this field, ensuring that healthcare providers have clear and precise documentation of patient interactions.

If you want to offer transcription services, building a reputation for reliability and confidentiality is crucial. Make sure you effectively communicate with your clients, stick to deadlines and use transcription software and tools to boost your chances of success.

Tips for starting an online business

Choose your online business niche.

When coming up with an online business idea, you should figure out what you're passionate about and what you're good at, as well as what problems you can you solve for others (for example, if you're crafty, you can sell crafts online ). Once you know your niche, you can start to focus your marketing efforts and build a community around your products or services.

Do your research

Before you launch your online business ideas, it's important to do your research and understand the market you're entering. Make sure you know who your target audience is, what their needs and wants are and what your competitors are doing in the same space.

Create a business website

Your website is your online storefront, so it's important to make sure it's well-designed, easy to navigate and mobile-friendly. You can sell directly from your site, or use it to market your brand. You should also create social media profiles for your business and actively engage with your audience.

Provide excellent customer service

This is one of the most important factors in building a successful online business. Make sure you're responsive to customer inquiries, resolve issues quickly and provide friendly and helpful support.

Start small and scale up

There'd no need to start your online business with a huge investment. You can start small and scale up as your business grows. Remember that it takes time and effort to build a successful online business, so don't get discouraged if you don't see results immediately.

Most popular online business ideas

In 2024, the most common online business ideas are expected to include:

E-commerce stores

With the continued growth of online shopping, e-commerce businesses selling a wide range of products are likely to remain popular. Niche e-commerce stores focusing on specific product categories or offering personalized shopping experiences may also thrive. In 2024 it's expected that 21.2% of all retail sales will happen online, making online shopping and ecommerce stores a continuing trend.

Online education and training

The demand for remote learning and upskilling is expected to drive the growth of online education businesses. To date it's believed that US higher education facilities enroll over 1.1. million students , a number that is growing. Platforms offering courses, tutorials and certification programs in various fields are likely to be in high demand.

Digital marketing agencies

As businesses increasingly rely on digital marketing to reach their target audience, digital marketing agencies offering services such as social media management, SEO, content marketing and online advertising are expected to be prevalent.

Subscription-based services

Subscription-based businesses offering products or services on a recurring basis, such as streaming platforms, meal kit deliveries, and subscription boxes, are anticipated to be more common due to their convenience and recurring revenue model. These types of businesses are expected to generate income of $904.2 billion by 2026 maikng them a huge growth potential online business idea.

Online business idea trends for 2024

Ecommerce and online selling.

Personalized shopping experiences: Using AI and machine learning to tailor product recommendations and provide personalized shopping journeys.

Virtual try-on technology: Allowing customers to experience products virtually before purchasing, reducing returns and improving customer satisfaction.

Social commerce: Leveraging social media platforms for product discovery, purchase and customer engagement.

Digital subscription services

Streaming services: Expanding beyond entertainment to include fitness, education and other lifestyle content.

Membership programs: Providing exclusive access to perks, discounts and personalized experiences for loyal customers.

AI-powered businesses

Chatbots and virtual assistants: Providing 24/7 customer support, automating tasks, and enhancing website functionality.

Predictive analytics: Using AI to analyze data and make informed decisions about product development, marketing campaigns and inventory management.

Automated decision-making: Empowering systems to make decisions without human intervention, improving efficiency and reducing bias.

Remote work and collaboration

Virtual workspaces: Creating online platforms that facilitate remote work, team collaboration and communication.

Online meeting tools: Enabling seamless video conferencing, screen sharing and collaborative document editing.

Freelance marketplaces: Connecting businesses with independent contractors for a wide range of services, increasing flexibility and talent access.

Sustainable and ethical businesses

E-commerce for sustainable products: Catering to consumers seeking eco-friendly, ethical and socially responsible products.

Zero-waste initiatives: Implementing practices to minimize waste in packaging, shipping and operations.

Transparency and traceability: Providing customers with information about product sourcing, manufacturing and environmental impact.

Niche market targeting

Micro-influencer marketing: Collaborating with niche influencers who have highly engaged and targeted audiences.

Subscription boxes for specific hobbies: Catering to niche interests, such as crafting, cooking or fitness.

Personalized products and experiences: Offering customizable products and curated experiences tailored to specific demographics or preferences.

Online business ideas FAQ

What are the most profitable online business ideas to start.

Turning an online business idea into a profitable business is not without its challenges, and profitability will depend on many other factors than just the specific business idea you choose. However in general online business ideas with a high potential for profitability include creating and selling online courses, affiliate marketing and dropshipping.

What are the best online business ideas for beginners?

What are the quickest online business ideas to start, how do you brainstorm online business ideas, what is the best online business to start from home, do you need an llc to sell online, explore more business ideas.

Craft business ideas

Beauty business ideas

Reselling business ideas

DIY business ideas

Clothing business ideas

Small-town business ideas

Rental business ideas

B2B business ideas

Business ideas for teachers

Recession-proof business ideas

Kidswear business ideas

Business ideas for teens

Hobbies that make money

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How to Start an Online Business in 5 Steps (2024 Guide)

Brian Connolly

December 16, 2023

Table of Contents

Step 1: research your product idea , step 2: build a financial plan for your online business, step 3: create compelling product listings , step 4: market your product, drive traffic, and build brand awareness, step 5: optimize your online business and plan for growth.

Aspiring entrepreneurs have looked for innovative ways to make money. Fortunately, Jungle Scout’s research has proven time and again that running an ecommerce business is a viable way to earn an income —and can generate enough profit to replace a full-time job. 

Ecommerce offers entrepreneurs the kind of flexibility a traditional retailer could only dream of. Online sellers set their own hours, pay what they want to launch and grow their businesses, and can work from anywhere in the world. They succeed at all ages and education levels , many with no prior business experience. 

Selling products online isn’t just accessible—it’s meeting an enormous surge in demand for online shopping. As more consumers shift to shopping on their phones, tablets, and even smart speakers, opportunities to launch ecommerce businesses will only grow. In fact, 57% of consumers shop online at least once a week. 

If you’ve been thinking about starting a business online, now is the perfect time to get the ball rolling. We’ll go over how to launch an ecommerce business in five detailed steps, plus how to plan for future growth—even if you have zero startup funds. 

The first step to launching your online business is often the biggest bottleneck: finding a profitable product to sell . 

Notice that step one of starting a business isn’t fundraising. You can start a business at virtually zero up-front cost—stay tuned to find out how. 

If you don’t have any product ideas yet, don’t worry! Thinking about how you want to sell online will inspire you. 

Choose a business model

There are all kinds of ways to sell products online, but here are seven tried-and-tested, profitable options:

• Private label : You rebrand or rename a product already in production under your own label. If you’ve bought a drugstore’s “generic” equivalent of a brand-name product, you’ve seen an example of a private-label business. It’s the most popular and profitable business model among Amazon sellers. 
• Wholesale : You purchase brand-name products in bulk from a manufacturer, supplier, or distributor and resell them online as individual units to the end customer. It’s the second most popular model for Amazon sellers, and among the easiest to launch.
• Retail arbitrage : You’ll purchase inexpensive or discounted products from a brick-and-mortar retail store, then resell them online. This is a relatively low-cost method—you just pay for the products the gas you burned driving to the store. 
• Online arbitrage : Similar to retail arbitrage, except you purchase products from other online marketplaces and resell them online. 
• Dropshipping : You’ll take online orders for a product on behalf of a manufacturer, supplier, or distributor. When a customer makes a purchase, you notify the supplier, who then fulfills and ships the order. Next to used items, dropshipping is the best business model if you want to start selling for free. 
• Handmade products: You’ll sell your hand-crafted wares on handmade-friendly platforms like Etsy and Amazon Handmade. 
• Used items : You’ll list still-functional items like furniture, video games, art, books, collectibles, and even cars for resale online. This model calls for virtually zero startup investment—the products are already sitting in your closet, garage, or bookshelves. You can also source hidden gems from yard sales, consignment shops, and estate sales for cheap.  

Your business model will help determine where you source your products, your marketing plan, and how much you stand to profit. Check out our guide to Amazon business models to learn more about each method’s popularity and profitability. 

Note that you can sell online in more than one way—for instance, you could start selling used items to earn enough money to develop your own private-label product. 

Validate your product idea with data

Here’s a gut check: Your product decision can’t hinge on a hunch. 

That’s right—you can’t just take the revolutionary idea you conjured in the shower and run with it. You have to validate its profitability through product research, even if your family, your friends, and your dog all think it’s a million-dollar idea.

Product research answers many of the necessary questions any ecommerce business owner should ask before launching their operations, such as the following: 

• Is my product idea original? If similar products exist, is there an opportunity to improve on those products?
• Will my product idea sell year-round, seasonally, or not at all? 
• Where should I source my product, and how much will that cost? 
• What fees will I have to pay to list and fulfill my orders? 

Product research estimates your dream product’s profitability before you seriously invest in selling it—a necessary, if time-consuming first step. Skip it, and you may end up building a business around inventory that will ultimately sit unsold in a warehouse (or your garage). 

Jungle Scout’s data-driven tools and free educational resources are here to handle the heavy lifting and guide you in your product research. While our software tools use data specific to Amazon, the product opportunities they reveal are transferable to virtually every ecommerce platform, whether it’s Walmart , eBay , Etsy , or Facebook Marketplace . 

With the Opportunity Finder , Chrome Extension , and Product Database , Jungle Scout users can examine competition and demand for specific product niches, forecast potential sales using real Amazon sales data, and ultimately uncover profitable product ideas they wouldn’t otherwise find. 

If you’re not a Jungle Scout user yet, you can still follow our free, in-depth guides to selling on Amazon, read about our data-driven ecommerce product ideas , and learn about how to discover niche opportunities . More guides will be linked throughout this article.  

We keep a finger on the pulse of the ecommerce industry through regularly-published data reports on consumer spending and seller behavior. You can view insights into what consumers are buying online in our quarterly-updated Consumer Trends Report . 

Data on how ecommerce sellers conduct their business can be found in our annual State of the Amazon Seller Report . Our seller guides draw from industry trends to give readers new opportunities to launch and grow their businesses. 

Find a supplier

Your supplier can be many things—a private-label product manufacturer , a wholesale distributor, or the local hardware store where you buy furniture-making supplies. Whatever your sourcing needs, the cost of procuring your product is a crucial aspect of product research. 

Reliability is important—you’ll want to develop a rapport with your supplier if possible, choose materials you can easily reorder, and stay within your inventory budget instead of banking on runaway sales to cover the cost of goods.  

• Private-label sellers can easily find high-quality suppliers using Jungle Scout’s Supplier Database and on Alibaba . 
• Arbitrage sellers looking for sourcing ideas can check out our guides to retail arbitrage , online arbitrage, and profitable seasonal products to sell. 
• Wholesalers can check out this article for tips on finding a distributor. 
• Our startup guides on eBay and Facebook Marketplace offer tons of ideas on where to find used items. 

Choose an ecommerce platform and fulfillment method

Thanks to ecommerce’s growing popularity, you can list your product on many different online marketplaces, where it can be viewed by thousands—if not millions—of potential customers.  

While online marketplaces tend to have some similarities, you’ll find that each one offers advantages depending on what kinds of products you’re selling. For instance, used items tend to do well on eBay and Facebook Marketplace, whereas private-label products sell well on Amazon and Walmart Marketplace .

Selling on Facebook Marketplace, or Instagram can also be lucrative; 54% of U.S. consumers have purchased products they first learned about on social media, and that figure is likely to grow.  

Each platform offers different fulfillment methods. “Fulfillment” includes all the actions that occur after a customer clicks “purchase”: picking and packing the order, labeling the package, and shipping it to the customer. Done right, and it feels like a magic trick to the end customer—it’s a key determinant of customer ratings and reviews. 

The best fulfillment method for your business will depend on your finances and time. You can self-fulfill by storing inventory in your home or a rented space, and pack and ship orders yourself. You may prefer to outsource these tasks to a third-party logistics provider or use Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA). 

Whatever you choose to do, make sure you can reliably fulfill orders on time and at a reasonable cost to the customer, using packaging that ensures the product arrives intact.  

To that end, it can be helpful to have some inventory on hand in case there’s a sudden disruption with third-party fulfillment services. When COVID-19 interrupted FBA shipping speed, many Amazon sellers temporarily pivoted to FBM (Fulfillment by Merchant), packing and shipping orders from their homes to avoid losing their rank and ratings on Amazon. 

Choose a memorable brand name 

Think hard about your brand name—it’s an important piece of marketing. Use it to evoke what you want your customers to feel about your brand. 

It should be distinctive, memorable, and original. Be sure to check whether your intended brand name is already taken before you use it.

Not sure what to call your brand? Try riffing on branding trends and archetypes , or tell a personal story with a family name. If you’re stumped, play around with an online brand name generator— this one even suggests fonts and logos to match. 

Once you’ve validated your product idea, it’s time to get real about the numbers game—namely, how much it’ll cost you to launch and maintain your business, and when you can expect to start earning profits. 

It is possible to start an online business for free . But if you want to make a significant investment in inventory, legally register your business right away, or develop your own private-label product, you’ll incur some up-front costs. 

Having a budget for your business is important. Try not to get overwhelmed by all the line items that can accrue—making adjustments here and there to stay within your spending limit is part of the process. An up-front investment can feel like a huge risk, but with a well-researched product and optimized operations, it’ll pay off.   

Let’s go over what items you should consider in your financial plan. Loosely, they include: 

• Cost of goods/sourcing costs
• Seller fees and/or fulfillment fees (varies by marketplace)
• Cost to form an LLC
• Business insurance
• Taxes 
• Your estimated time-to-profit
• Financing options

Seller fees, legal fees, insurance costs, and taxes

Depending on where you list your products, you may be subject to seller fees and insurance requirements . You’ll also want to think about legally registering your business as an LLC , as it comes with some tax advantages. 

Seller fees

On Amazon, sellers must pay “referral” fees—kind of like a commission—back to Amazon for each order. Typically, these fees come out to 15% of the product’s sale price. Amazon sellers also pay additional per-item fees or subscription fees (depending on their seller account type) and refund administration fees. And if they use FBA, there are fees for that, too. 

Not every ecommerce platform will charge as many fees. You can use a fee calculator to estimate your net profit—we recommend Salecalc . 

Here’s a rough breakdown of online seller fees outside of Amazon: 

• Walmart: referral fee for each product sold, typically 15% of sale price; no monthly subscription fees
• eBay: 13.25% of product sale price to list and sell most items; $0 monthly for a free seller account, $7.95+ per month for eBay Store subscribers 
• Facebook Marketplace: no subscription fees; no referral fee for local sales; referral fee of 5% of the sale price if the product is shipped  
• Instagram Checkout: selling fee of 5% per shipment
• Shopify : monthly seller subscriptions start at $29.99
• Etsy: listing fee of $0.20 for each item, plus a 6.5% of sale price transaction fee. Etsy Plus subscribers pay $10 per month
• Craigslist: listings are free , except for a handful of regional fees for vehicles, housing, and furniture

Keep in mind that platforms often offer advertising programs to their sellers, which come with their own fees. We’ll discuss marketing in Step 4, but for now, keep in mind that advertising costs need to factor into your overall budget. 

If you’re in the U.S., it’s a good idea to register your business as an LLC (a Limited Liability Company). While you don’t technically need a business license to sell products in most ecommerce marketplaces, LLCs offer business owners protection, flexibility, and a simpler tax reporting process—not to mention the credibility of a licensed brand name. While it costs money to create and maintain an LLC, we recommend it. 

You can form an LLC all on your own, or you can hire a lawyer to help you. The price of forming an LLC varies by state , but typically falls between $50-200. Naturally, you can expect to pay more for the help of an attorney. 

Once you have your LLC set up, you’ll want to protect it from unexpected costs like accidents and lawsuits. On certain ecommerce platforms like Amazon , you may be required to maintain some form of business insurance. 

The type of insurance you’ll need depends on where and how you run your business—there are policies to protect you from lawsuits, property damage, and defective products. You should shop around to compare rates and benefits. 

All U.S. businesses must file taxes, typically on a yearly or quarterly basis. Our seller calendar can help you stay on track with quarterly business tax deadlines. 

If you’re operating as an LLC, you’re eligible to write off a significant amount of business expenses through deductibles. We recommend that you hire a professional accountant to handle your taxes, as they can be tricky to decipher.   

Startup costs and time to profit

So, after all of these fees and taxes, what should you expect to spend at startup, and how quickly can you make a return on your investment? Once again, it depends. 

You can start selling online for virtually no money—dropshippers, Amazon Merch sellers, and used item resellers (if they’re selling their own stuff) don’t have to spend a dime on inventory. 

Our data on Amazon sellers indicates that sellers using the wholesale or arbitrage models will pay up-front costs in the neighborhood of $500-$2,000. Private-label sellers tend to spend more, because it costs more to develop your own product. 59% of private-label FBA sellers invest at least $2,500 at startup on inventory, Amazon fees and storage, and advertising costs.

On the whole, over half of all Amazon sellers spend below $5,000 at launch, and nearly one quarter spend no more than $1,000.  

Ecommerce isn’t a get-rich-quick tactic—it takes time to generate profits. While the majority of Amazon arbitrage, wholesale, and dropshipping sellers turn a profit within three months of launching their businesses, private label sellers usually take longer. 

But the outlook is generally positive: 63% of all third-party Amazon sellers achieve profitability within the first year of launching their business.

That said, if you’ve invested heavily at launch, make sure you’re ready to spend several months to a year before making that money back. While most Amazon sellers are profitable ( 89%, to be exact ), they didn’t get that way overnight. 

How to finance your online business 

There are many different ways you can fundraise the money you need to start an ecommerce business. 

Over three quarters of Amazon sellers funded their businesses using personal savings, a testament to ecommerce’s affordability for aspiring entrepreneurs. 

A third took out family or business loans, which can range from $500 microloans to tens of thousands of dollars paid back over several years. 

It can be difficult for new ecommerce sellers to qualify for loans from a bank or the government, because they tend to require tax and credit histories that new sellers don’t have. 

Fortunately, Amazon and fintech companies like AccrueMe are developing investment solutions for online sellers that offer more flexibility. You can read more about how to fund your ecommerce business in our guide to financing options . 

Customers can learn about a product many different ways—by viewing ads, seeing a suggestion on Google or Amazon, reading a review from a satisfied customer, scrolling through social media, and even via word-of-mouth.  

Ultimately, brand awareness starts with your product listing —it’s the single best piece of marketing in your arsenal. Use your listing to tell customers why they need your product, communicate your brand identity, and build credibility with your audience.  

Use keywords to boost visibility 

Your product listing should capture the relevant keywords and feature the data that customers use to find the products they want to buy. That way, it’ll actually show up in search results, instead of getting lost in a sea of competitors. 

Here’s how that works: when deciding what to display in search results, search engines like Google and Amazon check potential results for relevance—either by “crawling” text on a web page, as is the case for Google, or by scanning keywords and data associated with different products, as Amazon does with ASINs. 

One big difference between traditional search engines and ecommerce platform search functions is that the latter are product-focused. In other words, while Google seeks to answer questions with information (i.e. articles on the “best dog beds” or “top 10 dog beds”), Amazon wants to answer search queries with relevant products (i.e. the products most related to the customer’s search terms, like “dog bed”).

Because users come to Amazon to buy things, the search results need to facilitate a purchase, which means presenting the products most likely to satisfy the customer’s needs.   

In any event, this is true for both Google and Amazon: the more relevant your listing is to a customer’s search, the more likely it is to appear in search results.

A keyword-rich product listing boosts your product’s visibility to the millions of customers across the globe who shop online. A great keyword strategy can elevate your brand above your competitors, reach new audiences, and ultimately generate more sales for your business. 

You can do keyword research for free on ecommerce platforms and search engines. Here’s a great method to start: try searching Amazon for broad terms that describe your product, and see what its search algorithm suggests in the autofill drop-down box. For instance, if you’re envisioning selling a dog bed, type “dog bed” into the Amazon search bar, but don’t press “enter” just yet.  

Amazon will suggest popular keywords associated with “dog bed,” so you can see exactly what real customers have searched for, design your product to suit that demand, and include those keywords in your product listing. 

If you already have ideas about your product’s design or features, you can search for more specific keywords, too. Say you want to sell a pink, fluffy dog bed that heats up.  Make your search more descriptive (“pink dog bed” or “heated dog bed”), and take note of the suggested keywords for those specific niches. You’ll want to include at least some of them in your listing. 

Then, start browsing your competitors’ listings. Take note of how other sellers describe their dog beds: do they mention benefits for your dog, machine-washability, or other special features? Informative descriptions help convert customers, so be sure to include relevant details about functionality, advantages, and design features in your listing. 

You run a similar autofill search on Google. Be sure to also take a look at the “People also ask” feature to generate more keywords. This section pops up in Google search results and can offer details about how and why people are searching for a given product. You can translate those queries into keywords that indicate your product’s functionality or purpose.

For example, people who Google “dog bed” want to know about proper firmness, best use, and accessories, so you should include keywords in your listing like “soft” “for crate” or “with blanket” if they apply to your product. 

The best way to do keyword research is to use a paid tool like Jungle Scout’s Keyword Scout. This tool does the work for you—it pulls advertising data directly from Amazon and suggests thousands of high-converting, top-ranked keywords to include in your listing.

To learn more, check out our top keyword strategies .  

Take great product images

Different marketplaces will have different image requirements for listings and ads. One thing is true wherever you sell: having high-quality images of your product will boost sales. 

You should also consider including video content of your product. Amazon allows sellers to upload quick, informative videos for ads and product listings.   

So, you’ve built an informative, keyword-rich product listing with compelling copy and stunning visuals. Now it’s time to let the world know about it! 

You want to drive as much traffic as possible to your listing so you have more chances at conversion—that is, you want to get as many people as you can to click on, view, and purchase your product. 

The broader your online presence, the more likely you are to attract online shoppers. So make sure to establish a digital foothold in at least three areas: on your own ecommerce storefront or landing page, on social media , and in online ad space. Once you start making sales, keeping your review count and ratings high will boost your brand’s legitimacy. 

Build an ecommerce storefront

Your storefront is where customers can learn about your brand, and where you’ll convince customers that your brand is legitimate, with products worthy of their hard-earned cash. 

Essentially, you want to recreate the experience of visiting a physical store, but streamlined. Think about what a customer would want to know about your product or brand and what questions they’d have for the store clerk, and communicate that information somewhere within your storefront.

Typically, that means providing plenty of photos and videos of your products in action , links to product listings, and information about your return policy. You can include your brand story, customer testimonials, and even helpful tutorials on how to use your product. The goal is to gain the customer’s trust in your product—and ultimately, a purchase.

You can build a standalone website through hosting platforms like Shopify or Wix, or you can create a storefront on Amazon or eBay using their templates.   

Leverage social media

54% of consumers have purchased products they first learned about on social media, making a social presence a no-brainer for entrepreneurs looking to build brand awareness. 

Growing a following for your brand on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and TikTok exposes your products to millions of potential customers. 

You can link your storefront or individual product listings within your social media profiles so customers can easily navigate to your listings You can even sell products directly on Facebook and Instagram . 

Social apps also allow you to interact with viewers in ways that can feel more organic than with traditional advertising. For example, you can run polls on Instagram or Twitter to get feedback on your products, notify customers about sales and discount codes, or post engagement prompts to encourage comments. 

You can also use social media to notify customers about sales and other notable events. 

Even if you don’t yet have a social media strategy to promote your brand, it’s important to claim the social media handles you’ll want to use (like “@junglescout”) before someone else scoops them up. 

Create ad campaigns 

Ads generate clicks, which in turn lead to sales. And in today’s competitive ecommerce industry, you have to maintain a solid advertising strategy to get noticed.  

Fortunately, ecommerce sellers have a ton of options when it comes to advertising their products. Amazon offers a wealth of pay-per-click (PPC) ad options to its sellers, as well as other marketing programs to boost visibility. You can even track inbound traffic to your listing from your off-Amazon ad campaigns. 

Here are some helpful guides to advertising your products on and off Amazon:

• Amazon PPC Strategies – The Ultimate Guide for 202 4
• 2024 Amazon Advertising Guide for Sellers
• How to Use Facebook Ads for Amazon FBA (And Sell More Products)

Get reviews 

Product reviews matter more to your business’s long-term success than you might expect. 71% of U.S. consumers are influenced by products with the best ratings and reviews when shopping online, and 68% find reviews with photos or videos more compelling. On Amazon, getting a high volume of great reviews boosts your product’s ranking, which in turn affects sales. 

Getting great reviews starts with having a high-quality product. Ensuring timely fulfillment and returns processing, courteous communication, and beautiful brand help, too. 

We know getting reviews is hard, so we’ve published a few different articles about why reviews are important and strategies for boosting your review count.

Launching a business is a huge accomplishment that takes time, money, and patience. Congratulations on becoming an entrepreneur! 

Once you’ve gotten your business up and running, it’s important to regularly check in on its performance. You may need to make some changes in order to set yourself up for long-term success .  

Plan to check in on your business sometime in the first three months. But remember that while the majority of Amazon sellers get their businesses up and running relatively quickly, 23% take at least three months to launch their businesses, and over half wait six months or longer before turning a profit. 

Measure your business’s performance

Pull up your financial plan and start comparing it to how your business actually performed. Here are some questions to consider: 

• Are you meeting sales estimates, exceeding them, or falling short?
• Have you turned a profit? 
• Is your current fulfillment method working for you and your customers, or do you need to find an alternative? 
• Are you able to stay on top of your inventory, or do you regularly run out of stock? 
• Is your profit margin above 20-30%? If not, how can you raise it? 
• Are you getting plenty of positive reviews? Have you checked your reviews for helpful feedback or improvement opportunities? 

You’ll want to keep a close eye on performance metrics like sales volume, revenue, and ad spend, so you can spot trends and quickly identify hidden fees. Software tools like Jungle Scout’s Sales Analytics keep track of this for you, so you can focus on strategy instead of bookkeeping.   

If your product isn’t living up to your expectations, don’t panic. Investigate any changes you could make to improve its functionality, or try to get customer feedback on how it could be upgraded. If you’re selling multiple products, consider nixing one that isn’t selling well.  

Lower your fees and costs

If running your business is costing more than you expected, there are probably ways you can cut back. 

It’s easy for first-time ecommerce sellers to know they’re being overcharged for things like shipping fees, so we wrote a guide to help you get reimbursed . 

Here’s another way to cut back on overhead costs: try negotiating for better inventory costs with your supplier. 

Expand to other channels

Just because you start your business on one ecommerce platform doesn’t mean you have to stay there forever. You’ll be more competitive and attract a wider audience if you list your product on multiple ecommerce channels.

Hire freelancers or employees

Like any job, selling online comes with tasks you perhaps would rather not have to do. Thanks to freelancer hubs like Fiverr and Upwork, it’s easy to find high-rated, trained consultants to cover every imaginable aspect of running an ecommerce business. 

Start your online business today

Ecommerce is a rapidly growing industry with plenty of opportunities for newcomers with great product ideas. With a bit of product research and planning, you can join the ranks of profitable ecommerce sellers. In time, you may be able to replace your full-time job, like the 47% of Amazon sellers who are self-employed or earn income exclusively from ecommerce. 

If you’re ready to get started on your new business, check out our in-depth beginner’s guides to selling on different marketplaces: 

• How to Sell on Amazon FBA , Amazon Handmade , and Amazon Merch
• How to Sell on Walmart
• How to Sell on eBay
• How to Sell on Facebook Marketplace

If you need a product idea, get started here: 

• Top 20 Ecommerce Business Ideas
• Low Competition Niche Products to Sell on Amazon FBA

Do you have any questions about launching a business online that we didn’t cover in this post? Let us know in the comments!

Start your online business with Jungle Scout

Get everything you need to launch a profitable business on Amazon, including product research, competitive analysis, and more!

Ecommerce Expert & Writer at Jungle Scout

Brian Connolly is an Amazon seller, ecommerce expert, and writer for Jungle Scout. He lives in the New Jersey Shore area with his wife and cat. When he isn’t writing advice online for aspiring and experienced Amazon sellers for Jungle Scout, he spends his free time boating, fishing, and selling boating-themed items on his Amazon business.

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26 best online business ideas for 2023

• Jan 24 2023
• 20 min read

Want to join the online work force, do your dream job, or maybe just work from home? While there’s plenty of demand for online workers today, breaking in can be intimidating. Even if you’ve researched the top online business ideas and picked your best match, you still might not know how to get started or what to expect.

To help you find innovative business ideas for a digital career, we’ve compiled a list to inspire you. But before we dive into the best online business ideas, let’s talk a little about how to find the right path for you .

How to find online business ideas for you —

Your success in whatever job you choose will depend on your skills and talents, and your happiness will depend on what that job entails.

For starters, if you’re already a skilled laborer, you may be able to seamlessly migrate your job from offline to online. Specialized jobs like teacher, executive assistant, translator, bookkeeper, or personal shopper, all have online counterparts. Depending on your experience and credentials, you may even have an advantage over your online competition from day one.

So before you look at new innovative business ideas online, your first step should be seeing if you can shift your current job online. Of course most professions still need be handled on site, but in the wake of all the pandemic lockdowns, you might be surprised at what you can do online. Start by hitting the job boards (listed below), specifically for your field of expertise.

Of course, if your offline career is doing well, you have to ask yourself if switching online is really necessary. Maybe you like working directly with people, or maybe you prefer offline methods of attracting new business. Consider both your personal taste and the online demand for your services before making a decision to upend your offline business.

If you’re choosing a brand new career, that’s another story. Choosing a new career is always filled with obstacles and uncertainty. However, that’s just the price you pay for getting the job you want, especially with the flexibility of online work or doing your dream job. If you’re not sure where to start, ask yourself some introspective questions:

• What am I good at? What skills, knowledge and natural talents do I possess that can be used to make money?
• What do I enjoy doing? What tasks can I do comfortably all day every day?
• What resources do I have at my disposal? HD camera, Photoshop license, popular social media account?
• How much startup funds do I have? How long can I last without pay while my new career finds its footing?

The next step is finding out just how viable each career path is. The best way to begin is researching the business ideas you like online. A good starting point are the job boards that cater specifically to online work. Browse the sites below to see the expectations, salaries and demand for your the job you’re interested in:

• Jobspesso —an international job board specializing in development, design and other solutions for tech brands like content creation and customer service
• Dynamite Jobs —a good resource for finding remote jobs in traditional fields like engineering, financing and HR.
• LinkedIn Jobs —the job board at LinkedIn has a wide reach and lots of variety, plus it can even assess the skills in your profile for recommendations.

You won’t find all online business ideas represented on the job boards, however. For example, if you want to start an ecommerce website or build an influencer brand from scratch, you won’t normally find job postings. Your best bet then is to check out your competitors—go to their sites and see what the day-to-day of the job entails.

Look for details like how much they charge or what services they provide. Feel free to request a quote if they don’t disclose their fees publicly. This will help you budget your business more effectively, or reveal that it’s a dead end because you can’t compete with their prices.

Lastly, make sure you’re prepared for the lifestyle of being self-employed. The switch can be quite jarring if you’re not used to working for yourself, so read our guides on how to build and online business or how to leave your job and become a full-time freelancer . It’s not always about the job, either—such a change in lifestyle can affect your mood and perspective and it can take a lot of determination and persistence, so be prepared for that as well.

How to find your business niche —

Narrowing down your job prospects is just the beginning. Your online business is more likely to succeed if you hone in on a particular niche, a very specific category of work or clientele. One of the biggest drawbacks to running an online business or freelance career is the competition—your best chance for making money is to specialize on a particular group to reduce that competition.

For example, let’s say you want to start an ecommerce business . If you sell a little bit of everything, shoppers will just continue using Amazon or Walmart because that’s what they’re familiar with. However, if you sell specialty products that aren’t readily available on other marketplaces, such as vegan pet food or your own handmade crafts, that reduces the competition and gives shoppers more incentive to buy from you.

That doesn’t just apply to retail, either. Creative professions like writers, photographers, artists, graphic designers, bloggers, vloggers, speakers and videographers can also specialize in certain fields and styles to stand out from the competition.

Aside from specializing in a certain industry or style, you can also hone in on a pricing niche. If you’re just starting your business, you may want to avoid high rates and charge to reflect your experience. This appeals more to customers on a tight budget, and can give you an advantage over more experienced competitors who charge twice as much.

That principle also applies to ecommerce. If you’re selling the same products as a more popular competitor, you can attract more customers by undercutting their prices. You can fill the market’s inexpensive niche for shoppers on a budget.

Then there’s your own branding niche. In business, people ultimately choose the option that most appeals to them, even if it’s not the most logical option. To appeal to a certain group of shoppers or clientele, adapt your site design, social media posts, content style, etc., to match. For example, if you want to target younger clientele or come across as friendly and casual, use emojis and slang in your site copy and email marketing.

To find the niche that’s right for you, there are two main considerations:

1. Which niche do I personally understand?

It’s easier to cater to a niche that you yourself belong too. If you personally don’t use emojis, it’ll be hard to market yourself as someone who does. But more to the point, if you understand your niche, you’ll be able to identify what your clientele are looking for, including pain points, user preferences and special features (i.e. two-day shipping).

2. Where do you see a market opening?

It’s not enough to know what niche you want; it also has to be viable . What if no one’s looking for a videographer who specializes in claymation? What if you can’t beat your competitor’s prices for vegan pet food?

This is where research comes in handy. You always want to get a lay of the land before charging in. Don’t just check out what your competitors are doing, but look into how their customers feel about them. Maybe their reviews complain about something that you can offer instead.

If you’re looking at online business ideas for ecommerce, research multiple suppliers to see just how low you can sell your products while still breaking even. If you’re a content creator, see what kinds of content are in high demand but low supply.

The best online business ideas —

Need some inspiration on which innovative business ideas might be right for you? Here’s a list of the best online business ideas, with what you need to get started in each.

1. Ecommerce: selling goods online

• Investment capital : cost of supplies, cost of website
• Necessary resources : trade tools
• Skill set : expertise in whatever you’re making

First, let’s start with one of the more obvious online business ideas: selling your own products, art, food and crafts. If you have created a genius new product or you’re a painter, fashion or jewellery designer, woodworker or even chef, you can easily sell what you make online. The hard part is knowing how to make something; after that, all you need is time, a website and an understanding of how to ship your products. A professional-looking website can be the key to success for new ecommerce businesses, so make sure your website and all your customer-facing profiles look top notch.

Because they’re your own goods, you can modify them to fit whatever niche is available. For example, a lot of people sell homemade jewellery, but very few sell homemade banana lockets with a tiny monkey inside . If you understand your niche, you’ll be able to offer the products they want but can’t find elsewhere.

Tips for breaking in

To start, you might want to begin selling on a site like Etsy, a marketplace for homemade goods. Once you have a stable following of loyal customers, you can open your own website for more control and to create a consistent brand for your business.

When you’re ready to scale up your operation, keep an eye on how much you pay for supplies and raw ingredients—when you’re using a lot, see if you can get a price break by buying in bulk.

2. Social media influencer

• Investment capital : low
• Necessary resources : successful social media account
• Skill set : social media skills: knowing what to post and how often, what to say in comments, etc.

A lot of people dream about being a social media influencer without understanding the work aspects. It’s one thing to use social media for fun; it’s another to use it as your job. You may have a natural talent for trending, but when you do it professionally there’s also technical aspects like researching what time periods have the highest traffic per platform, choosing which hashtags to use and knowing the right responses for a variety of different comments.

If you think you got those down, you can monetize your social media success by accepting sponsors and promoting their products. However, having a strong connection with your niche is essential—you’ll only attract sponsors who are trying to reach your follower group, so the more specialized they are, the better.

Breaking into the influencer profession is hard, and you’ll likely need a successful social media account first before you start making money and receive free gifts. Like the other online business ideas, it’s best to focus on a single niche. Unify your posts with a specific theme, and make sure you’re using the social media platform that your target audience prefers.

3. Writer & blogger

• Investment capital : none
• Necessary resources : none
• Skill set : writing and editorial skills, search engine optimization (SEO)

Content writers create the blog articles, books and ebooks and website copy that we all read on a daily basis. This job is the spiritual successor to print journalism of the past, and as such relies on the same skill set. Bloggers create this content for their own website in order to grow traffic and eventually monetize their blog through things like affiliate links, sponsored or gated content and consultations.

The main requirement to becoming a professional writer is writing ability. If you can write something that people enjoy reading, that’s enough to get your foot in the door. However, to maximize your success, you’ll also want to learn techniques for SEO, or how to get articles or websites to appear high up in search engine results like Google.

As always, it helps to focus on specific niches. You can specialize in certain topics (i.e. advice, industry news, DIY how-tos) or certain writing styles (i.e. humorous essays, dry legal copy).

Building a successful blog take a really long time, so keep that in mind if you want to build a blogging-based business.

As a freelance writer, you’ll need a portfolio before you start apply. Write up some samples specifically for the niche you want or do some pro bono work so you have a business reference.

If you’re planning to write online content, study up on how search algorithms work so you can improve your SEO.

4. Videographer or photographer

• Investment capital : varies depending on the scope of the project
• Necessary resources : HD camera, camera accessories (i.e. boom mic, lights), editing software
• Skill set : filmmaking and film-editing

The internet loves videos, from cats to comedy sketches to news clips. Someone with a good eye who knows how to put a film together can make a lot of money creating content for brands who need it, from social media posts to product videos.

The downside is the expenses. First and foremost, you usually need your own film equipment, which certainly isn’t cheap. Ambitious projects also require hiring a film crew, potentially with professional actors, not to mention additional fees like studio space or props.

To get started, it helps to make a reel of your best work. This acts as your portfolio, which you can show to prospective clients to see if you match their style. Just like with content writers, you might want to do some pro bono work for business references.

5. Dropshipping ecommerce

• Investment capital : website or shopping platform
• Skill set : sales and marketing

Compared to traditional retail, dropshipping ecommerce is far simpler. In dropshipping, the supplier handles all the storage and shipping of goods—the seller only focuses on making a sale, and then forwards the sales order to the supplier for fulfillment. The downside, though, is that the supplier takes home the bulk of the profit, leaving the seller to get by on what’s essentially a commission.

If you love the selling and marketing aspects of ecommerce but hate the shipping logistics, dropshipping is a perfect fit. The dropshipping seller focuses on sales strategy, promotions, outreach, advertising, customer service and branding—the customer-facing side of retail only. However, because you’re sharing your profits, you have to sell twice as much to make a comfortable living.

We explain with more detail how to get started in our guide to dropshipping . If you want some quick tips, first find a supplier in your niche, then look at your competitor’s prices and finally crunch the numbers to see how much you’d have to charge and what your profit would be.

6. Podcasting

• Investment capital : media host, marketing funds
• Necessary resources : professional-grade microphone, recording and editing software
• Skill set : speaking skills

If content writing is the spiritual successor to print journalism, then podcasting is the modern equivalent to talk radio. It’s the career of choice for people who not only like to talk, but also are good at it.

To succeed in podcasting, you must create something worth listening to, which requires excellent speaking skills. Good podcasts are entertaining, emotional and informative, so figure out a niche where you can achieve all three.

If you can, leverage your following from other online outlets like social media or YouTube. If you have friends in podcasting, guest star in each other’s shows to reach new audiences. It may take awhile to develop a large enough following to monetize, so be patient.

7. Selling services online

• Necessary resources : website
• Skill set : any special skills

This online business idea is all about the special skills you have that others don’t. Whether you’re a speaker, bookkeeper, consultant or coach, you can sell your services online. If you’re an expert in your niche, all you have to do it is find the clients that are in need of your services.

You can do that through word of mouth and recommendations, using online freelancing platforms or reaching out to potential clients via email. You can also advertise your services on Google or social media or you can start a website or blog to attract clients organically.

The key to selling your services is presenting your business online. You need to showcase your unique skills and why you’re the right person to do the job. The easiest way to do that is creating a professional-looking website with plenty of convincing examples of your work and some great customer testimonials.

8. Affiliate marketing

• Necessary resources : a successful online channel
• Skill set : marketing and advertising

If you own a successful channel online, like a popular blog or YouTube channel, you can “rent” your traffic to other businesses, a subtle form of advertising known as affiliate marketing. Though it comes in many forms, affiliate marketing today is most common in sponsored content.

For example, if you manage a blog, other companies would pay you to post articles they wrote about themselves, or even just posting a link to their site with a favorable mention. Sponsored content is one of the more subtle approaches to advertising online, but creates more natural ads that are less likely to be ignored.

To succeed in affiliate marketing, you need a preexisting source of internet traffic. The more traffic you can generate, the more you can charge. If you know whom you’re affiliating with, you can tailor the specifics of your site to optimize traffic for their particular audience.

9. Retail arbitrage ecommerce

• Investment capital : depends on your product range
• Skill set : shopping skills, bargain hunting

Retail arbitrage is when you buy products at a discount and then resell them at a higher mark-up. It may sound illegal, but it’s perfectly fine as long as you follow the rules.

For example, let’s say your local Walgreens is having a clearance on Halloween masks in November. You can buy the whole stock, put them in storage for about a year, and then sell them next autumn at full price to turn a profit.

In practice, retail arbitrage involves lots of legwork, specifically going around to store after store looking for deals. You also don’t have much control over what products you offer, which can make it hard to target specific niches. However, for people with a natural talent for shopping, it’s a good way to put those skills to use.

The key to retail arbitrage is having a wide reach: you need to know when there’s sales from multiple stores so that you always have a source of products. Pick and choose the right sources and become familiar with their “special discount” MO—how often they run sales and which items are usually discounted.

10. Freelance designer

• Necessary resources : design software
• Skill set : graphic design

Last but not least, freelance designers can work almost exclusively online. Most SMBs don’t have the budget for an in-house designer, so they look to freelancers to handle their one-off projects, like a logo or website design. Because the work is done remotely anyway, it’s no hassle to manage a freelance design career online.

Getting started as a freelance designer is the hard part. To begin, you need an impressive portfolio of samples to show prospective clients, so they can gauge your talent, professionalism and artistic style. Then, you need to find employers, but if you’re just starting out it might be hard to launch your career just by answering job ads.

That’s where platforms, like 99designs, can help. These platforms have a built-in audience, so it’s a great way to build a client base before setting out on your own.

Like the other online business ideas for freelancing, you’ll need a portfolio before you start. Again, try pro bono work to get some early experience. When you’re ready to start applying, you can build your own portfolio or join a platform, which already gets plenty of traffic and will send some your way.

More online business ideas —

Couldn’t find the right idea for you? Here are some more online business ideas to consider:

• build an app
• start a Youtube or Twitch channel
• career, fitness or life coaching
• digital advertising
• social media marketing
• sell an online course
• business, SEO or IT consulting
• create an online game
• start an online agency
• software or website development
• tutoring or online teaching
• virtual assistant
• 3D printing
• online recruiting
• music or voiceover work

Conclusion —

There’s never been a better time to follow your dreams! With all the new social media platforms and communication tools, it’s easier than ever to do what you love and make money from it. Not only does the new technology make it more realistic to work remotely, the communicate network allows you to work for people anywhere in the world. Maybe none of the local companies like your videos, but to an entrepreneur in India, you might be just what they’re looking for.

Just remember to pay attention to branding and design as you’re building your new online business. If you’re not a design expert, that’s okay! You can always enlist the help of a professional designer to make your website and brand look outstanding.

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This article was originally published in 2021. It has been updated with new examples and information.

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How to Come Up with an Innovative Business Idea

• 21 Jul 2020

Entrepreneurship is the pursuit of opportunity beyond currently controlled resources. By definition, entrepreneurs seek to fill a need in a new way.

For aspiring entrepreneurs, however, generating strong, novel business ideas can be challenging.

If you’re interested in being an entrepreneur , brainstorming ways you can satisfy needs and solve problems is a good place to start.

Remember the golden rule of brainstorming: There are no bad ideas. As your thoughts flow, jot them down so you can later prune the list to focus on your strongest concepts.

Here are some thought-starters for coming up with innovative business ideas and examples of how entrepreneurs have used them to build successful companies.

Access your free e-book today.

How to Come Up with a Business Idea

Is there an easier way.

One place to start brainstorming potential business ideas is by asking yourself, “What task can I make easier?”

A common denominator for successful businesses is their ability to fulfill customer needs . In this case, the need is to create a product or service that makes people’s lives easier.

Related: How to Identify an Underserved Need in the Market

The most innovative businesses have flourished from simple ideas. For example, HelloFresh has taught people how to cook and provided tools to prepare meals more efficiently. It started with a need to make meal planning and grocery shopping easier. By preparing meal kits that directly fulfill busy people’s needs, this idea has seen major growth.

Check out our video on how to come up with innovative business ideas below below, and subscribe to our YouTube channel for more explainer content!

This method of creating a product to fill a need can be viewed through the lens of Harvard Business School Professor Clayton Christensen’s jobs to be done theory , which he presents in the online course Disruptive Strategy .

“A ‘job to be done’ is a problem or opportunity that somebody is trying to solve,” Christensen says. “We call it a ‘job’ because it needs to be done, and we hire people or products to get jobs done.”

Look for these kinds of opportunities in your own life. Every “job” presents an opportunity to create an easier way to get it done.

By centering your business plan on a particular need, you can increase your chances of building a profitable business.

Related: Jobs to Be Done: 4 Real-World Examples

Can I Make This More Accessible?

There are many useful products and services that aren’t readily available to the entire market, creating an opportunity to produce a similar, more accessible product offering.

The founding of Airbnb by Brian Chesky and Joe Gebbia is an example that HBS Professor William Sahlman uses in the online course Entrepreneurship Essentials .

“Chesky and Gebbia observed how hard it was to find housing during big local events,” Sahlman explains. “They decided to list online three air beds in their apartment for people coming to San Francisco for a design conference.”

From there, they added a third member to their founding team, Nathan Blecharczyk, who built the platform for connecting people with spare rooms to travelers needing a place to stay. They called it AirBed and Breakfast, which later became Airbnb .

Chesky and Gebbia noticed hotel rooms weren’t easy to book during large events, recognized a business opportunity, and devised a solution to fulfill a need for accessible, short-term lodging.

There are countless industries and companies whose offerings are inaccessible to certain market segments or during specific periods. Consider how you might fill those needs.

Related: 10 Characteristics of Successful Entrepreneurs

What Can I Improve About This?

For every successful product offering, there's a multitude of ways to make it better. Think of companies you admire and imagine how you could improve their products. As you do so, consider the following four factors.

1. Delivery Process

Your business idea doesn’t have to be entirely new—it just has to fill a need. If you can identify a more convenient way of delivering an existing service, it could be an opportunity for your business.

Uber is used as an example in Entrepreneurship Essentials . Taxis have existed for decades, but Uber delivered its services in a new, innovative way by linking drivers in their own cars to customers via an app.

This example also shows there are no limits to what type of business you can create. Your business’ ability to fulfill a need will matter more than whether it’s a brick-and-mortar or online business.

Related: 3 Effective Methods for Assessing Customer Needs

2. Location

One of the simplest improvements to a product or service is bringing it to a new location.

Returning to the Uber example in Entrepreneurship Essentials , ride-sharing company Didi was founded in China—a location Uber hadn’t yet reached. Didi used a similar platform and model as Uber but filled a location gap Uber had left open.

What products, services, or concepts have you experienced in other places that you’d like to bring to your community?

One improvement that can make a significant impact is cost. Determining how to make a high-quality equivalent to a leading product and offer it for a fraction of the price has great potential.

Home security brand Wyze was founded using this logic. After four ex-Amazon employees discovered they could produce high-quality security cameras and sell them for one-tenth the cost of leading competitors, they sold one million security cameras in their first year as a company.

It takes testing to ensure product quality isn’t sacrificed for a lower price, but finding a way to reduce the cost of an in-demand item could jumpstart your entrepreneurial journey.

4. Customer Experience

Taking an existing offering and improving the customer experience for all or a segment of the market can be a valuable way to fill a need.

One example of an organization that’s done this well is Wanderful , a platform that, similar to Airbnb, connects travelers to locals who can offer lodging and travel advice—with the provision that all users are women.

Beth Santos, founder and CEO of Wanderful, noticed that female solo travelers made up 11 percent of the travel industry , which failed to take into consideration the safety, gender norm, and cultural concerns of women traveling alone.

She improved this experience by creating a network of women that can be tapped into for lodging, travel advice, or just a friendly face in a new location. Wanderful has since expanded its mission to give female and non-binary travelers voices in the travel industry through conferences, communities, and recognition programs.

If there’s an opportunity to improve the experience of a specific group of people, act on it and see where the opportunity leads.

Related: 6 Questions to Ask Before Starting a Business

Is It Time to Pivot?

When starting a business, you may need to pivot from your original idea as new needs arise in the market.

For instance, Jebbit , a tech startup that originally offered a platform to pay students for the advertisements they watched, saw a rising need for privacy and consent in the consumer data space. It pivoted to create a platform for secure, declared customer data.

Another instance in which it makes sense to pivot is during technological evolution.

In Disruptive Strategy , Christensen explains that technological advancements can be either sustaining or disruptive innovations , depending on how they impact your company.

Take Netflix : The service was created to allow people to watch movies without going to the video store and accomplished this by mailing DVDs to customers’ homes with prepaid return envelopes.

When streaming came on the scene in 2007, Netflix implemented the new technology into its business model and has continued to adapt as it’s evolved. Because Netflix was able to adopt new technology to continue serving its customers, streaming was a sustaining innovation.

In the case of video store Blockbuster , streaming was a disruptive innovation that it tried but couldn’t affordably adopt. It ultimately led the business to shut down.

When technological advancements arise, think of how your current business model could shift to use innovation as a sustaining force.

More Examples of Innovative Business Ideas

As you think of ideas for businesses, take inspiration from the world around you. Analyze the foundational needs other businesses have fulfilled for society and how they’ve adapted to what customers want.

Remember: As a future business owner, it’s critical to understand your company’s core mission. Focusing on that can help align your startup ideas and provide a greater chance for success.

To gain even more insight and inspiration, consider the following examples, which show how diverse your business model and mission can be.

Notarize , the first online platform for legally signing and notarizing documents is just one example of an online startup that discovered an overlooked need. For many, it’s a hassle to find a notary public to sign a document in person. This prompted Pat Kinsel, founder and CEO of Notarize, to make this difficult, but necessary, task more convenient.

"It really struck me that notarized documents are often some of the most important things people sign, and yet, we have this system that’s 100 years old," Kinsel said in an interview with Inc .

Kinsel designed the Notarize app to connect people to licensed notary publics via video chat so they can see their documents signed in real time.

This need for notarized documents seemed to be a common, but overlooked, need for many professionals. By thinking outside the box, Notarize seized a business opportunity and brought it to its fullest potential.

The development of Starbucks under former chairman and CEO Howard Schultz is another example that highlights how to efficiently choose locations for your brick-and-mortar.

“Schultz admired the sidewalk coffee shops he’d visited in Italy and decided he would introduce the same basic idea in the United States,” Sahlman says in Entrepreneurship Essentials. “That venture became Starbucks.”

Now, it’s rare to walk a few blocks without seeing a Starbucks on a corner. Strategic locations within high traffic routes created a customer base that’s made Starbucks an essential part of their lives.

Perhaps one of the most well-known companies in the world, Amazon is a prime example of fulfilling people’s need for convenience.

This e-commerce business made it the norm to buy items online—including books, music, movies, housewares, and electronics—and have them quickly and conveniently delivered.

Think Like an Entrepreneur

Coming up with an innovative business idea isn’t difficult if you’re observant. By asking yourself key brainstorming questions, you can generate a list of business ideas that fill market needs, improve existing products, and make daily life easier and more enjoyable.

Do you want to turn an idea into a viable venture? Explore our four-week Entrepreneurship Essentials course, six-week Disruptive Strategy course, and other online entrepreneurship and innovation courses to discover how you can harness the power of innovation. Download our free course flowchart to determine which best aligns with your goals.

This post was updated on September 19, 2022. It was originally published on July 21, 2020.

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The 7 Best Business Plan Examples (2024)

As an aspiring entrepreneur gearing up to start your own business , you likely know the importance of drafting a business plan. However, you might not be entirely sure where to begin or what specific details to include. That’s where examining business plan examples can be beneficial. Sample business plans serve as real-world templates to help you craft your own plan with confidence. They also provide insight into the key sections that make up a business plan, as well as demonstrate how to structure and present your ideas effectively.

Example business plan

To understand how to write a business plan, let’s study an example structured using a seven-part template. Here’s a quick overview of those parts:

• Executive summary: A quick overview of your business and the contents of your business plan.
• Company description: More info about your company, its goals and mission, and why you started it in the first place.
• Market analysis: Research about the market and industry your business will operate in, including a competitive analysis about the companies you’ll be up against.
• Products and services: A detailed description of what you’ll be selling to your customers.
• Marketing plan: A strategic outline of how you plan to market and promote your business before, during, and after your company launches into the market.
• Logistics and operations plan: An explanation of the systems, processes, and tools that are needed to run your business in the background.
• Financial plan: A map of your short-term (and even long-term) financial goals and the costs to run the business. If you’re looking for funding, this is the place to discuss your request and needs.

7 business plan examples (section by section)

In this section, you’ll find hypothetical and real-world examples of each aspect of a business plan to show you how the whole thing comes together. 

• Executive summary

Your executive summary offers a high-level overview of the rest of your business plan. You’ll want to include a brief description of your company, market research, competitor analysis, and financial information. 

In this free business plan template, the executive summary is three paragraphs and occupies nearly half the page:

• Company description

You might go more in-depth with your company description and include the following sections:

• Nature of the business. Mention the general category of business you fall under. Are you a manufacturer, wholesaler, or retailer of your products?
• Background information. Talk about your past experiences and skills, and how you’ve combined them to fill in the market. 
• Business structure. This section outlines how you registered your company —as a corporation, sole proprietorship, LLC, or other business type.
• Industry. Which business sector do you operate in? The answer might be technology, merchandising, or another industry.
• Team. Whether you’re the sole full-time employee of your business or you have contractors to support your daily workflow, this is your chance to put them under the spotlight.

You can also repurpose your company description elsewhere, like on your About page, Instagram page, or other properties that ask for a boilerplate description of your business. Hair extensions brand Luxy Hair has a blurb on it’s About page that could easily be repurposed as a company description for its business plan. 

• Market analysis

Market analysis comprises research on product supply and demand, your target market, the competitive landscape, and industry trends. You might do a SWOT analysis to learn where you stand and identify market gaps that you could exploit to establish your footing. Here’s an example of a SWOT analysis for a hypothetical ecommerce business: 

You’ll also want to run a competitive analysis as part of the market analysis component of your business plan. This will show you who you’re up against and give you ideas on how to gain an edge over the competition. 

• Products and services

This part of your business plan describes your product or service, how it will be priced, and the ways it will compete against similar offerings in the market. Don’t go into too much detail here—a few lines are enough to introduce your item to the reader.

• Marketing plan

Potential investors will want to know how you’ll get the word out about your business. So it’s essential to build a marketing plan that highlights the promotion and customer acquisition strategies you’re planning to adopt. 

Most marketing plans focus on the four Ps: product, price, place, and promotion. However, it’s easier when you break it down by the different marketing channels . Mention how you intend to promote your business using blogs, email, social media, and word-of-mouth marketing. 

Here’s an example of a hypothetical marketing plan for a real estate website:

Logistics and operations

This section of your business plan provides information about your production, facilities, equipment, shipping and fulfillment, and inventory.

Financial plan

The financial plan (a.k.a. financial statement) offers a breakdown of your sales, revenue, expenses, profit, and other financial metrics. You’ll want to include all the numbers and concrete data to project your current and projected financial state.

In this business plan example, the financial statement for ecommerce brand Nature’s Candy includes forecasted revenue, expenses, and net profit in graphs.

It then goes deeper into the financials, citing:

• Funding needs
• Project cash-flow statement
• Project profit-and-loss statement
• Projected balance sheet

You can use Shopify’s financial plan template to create your own income statement, cash-flow statement, and balance sheet. 

Types of business plans (and what to write for each)

A one-page business plan is a pared down version of a standard business plan that’s easy for potential investors and partners to understand. You’ll want to include all of these sections, but make sure they’re abbreviated and summarized:

• Logistics and operations plan
• Financials 

A startup business plan is meant to secure outside funding for a new business. Typically, there’s a big focus on the financials, as well as other sections that help determine the viability of your business idea—market analysis, for example. Shopify has a great business plan template for startups that include all the below points:

• Market research: in depth
• Financials: in depth

Your internal business plan acts as the enforcer of your company’s vision. It reminds your team of the long-term objective and keeps them strategically aligned toward the same goal. Be sure to include:

• Market research

Feasibility 

A feasibility business plan is essentially a feasibility study that helps you evaluate whether your product or idea is worthy of a full business plan. Include the following sections:

A strategic (or growth) business plan lays out your long-term vision and goals. This means your predictions stretch further into the future, and you aim for greater growth and revenue. While crafting this document, you use all the parts of a usual business plan but add more to each one:

• Products and services: for launch and expansion
• Market analysis: detailed analysis
• Marketing plan: detailed strategy
• Logistics and operations plan: detailed plan
• Financials: detailed projections

Free business plan templates

Now that you’re familiar with what’s included and how to format a business plan, let’s go over a few templates you can fill out or draw inspiration from.

Bplans’ free business plan template

Bplans’ free business plan template focuses a lot on the financial side of running a business. It has many pages just for your financial plan and statements. Once you fill it out, you’ll see exactly where your business stands financially and what you need to do to keep it on track or make it better.

PandaDoc’s free business plan template

PandaDoc’s free business plan template is detailed and guides you through every section, so you don’t have to figure everything out on your own. Filling it out, you’ll grasp the ins and outs of your business and how each part fits together. It’s also handy because it connects to PandaDoc’s e-signature for easy signing, ideal for businesses with partners or a board.

Miro’s Business Model Canvas Template

Miro’s Business Model Canvas Template helps you map out the essentials of your business, like partnerships, core activities, and what makes you different. It’s a collaborative tool for you and your team to learn how everything in your business is linked.

Better business planning equals better business outcomes

Building a business plan is key to establishing a clear direction and strategy for your venture. With a solid plan in hand, you’ll know what steps to take for achieving each of your business goals. Kickstart your business planning and set yourself up for success with a defined roadmap—utilizing the sample business plans above to inform your approach.

Business plan FAQ

What are the 3 main points of a business plan.

• Concept. Explain what your business does and the main idea behind it. This is where you tell people what you plan to achieve with your business.
• Contents. Explain what you’re selling or offering. Point out who you’re selling to and who else is selling something similar. This part concerns your products or services, who will buy them, and who you’re up against.
• Cash flow. Explain how money will move in and out of your business. Discuss the money you need to start and keep the business going, the costs of running your business, and how much money you expect to make.

How do I write a simple business plan?

To create a simple business plan, start with an executive summary that details your business vision and objectives. Follow this with a concise description of your company’s structure, your market analysis, and information about your products or services. Conclude your plan with financial projections that outline your expected revenue, expenses, and profitability.

What is the best format to write a business plan?

The optimal format for a business plan arranges your plan in a clear and structured way, helping potential investors get a quick grasp of what your business is about and what you aim to achieve. Always start with a summary of your plan and finish with the financial details or any extra information at the end.

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Thinking outside the digital box.

In a world saturated with digital possibilities, conceiving fresh and ingenious online business ideas can feel like chasing a mirage. Yet, it is precisely this challenge that fuels the entrepreneurial spirit to explore uncharted territories, seeking the next big breakthrough. 

While traditional business models continue to thrive in the virtual realm, the real gold lies in thinking creatively, devising online ventures that not only resonate with the current digital landscape but also cater to emerging commercial trends. In this article, we delve into ten innovative online business ideas for 2023 that are poised to redefine the e-commerce landscape.

The Landscape of Online Commerce

The digital marketplace is an ever-evolving ecosystem where adaptability is key to survival. With the advent of AI, virtual reality, and decentralised technologies, consumers are hungry for new and immersive online experiences.

Consider the meteoric rise of NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens), transforming digital art into high-value assets, or the booming subscription box services that offer personalised experiences delivered right to one's doorstep. These trends underscore the importance of blending technological advancements with consumer desires to create the perfect concoction of profit and passion.

Showcasing Successful Ventures

Before we dive into the crux of innovation, let's first draw inspiration from existing online success stories. Take Warby Parker, the eyewear disruptor that shattered the monopoly of traditional optical retailers. Founded in 2010, it disrupted the eyewear market by offering stylish and affordable glasses directly to consumers. By 2022, Warby Parker had amassed over $600 million in revenue, showcasing the immense potential of online retail.

Similarly, Glossier, a beauty brand launched in 2014, revolutionised the cosmetics industry by building a community-driven brand that thrives on social media engagement. By embracing the authenticity of user-generated content, Glossier tapped into a new era of marketing, achieving a valuation of over $1 billion by 2022.

So there’s clearly no doubting the potential that lies within online business. 

We’ve spent significant time researching some of the most inspired and potentially lucrative opportunities for online business for 2023. That you too can take advantage of. And we’re happy to share the valuable fruits of our labour with you now. 

1. Virtual Fitness Studios: The Digital Workout Revolution

As health and wellness take centre stage, virtual fitness studios are capitalising on the demand for at-home workouts. By offering a variety of interactive classes, personal training sessions, and wellness programs, these platforms cater to a global audience seeking convenience without compromising on quality. Peloton, the trailblazer in fitness, generated over $4.8 billion in revenue in 2022, setting a benchmark for virtual fitness success.

2. Eco-Friendly Subscription Boxes: Green Convenience at Your Doorstep

With sustainability becoming a non-negotiable priority, eco-friendly subscription boxes curate products that align with environmentally conscious consumers. From zero-waste toiletries to organic pantry staples, these boxes offer a guilt-free shopping experience that resonates with those committed to reducing their carbon footprint. The Zero Company, a leader in sustainable subscription services, reported a 200% increase in revenue from 2021 to 2022.

3. Personalised AI Stylists: Fashion Forward, Virtually

AI-driven fashion stylists are rewriting the rules of online shopping. By analysing user preferences and fashion trends, these virtual stylists curate personalised outfits, eliminating decision fatigue and enhancing the shopping experience. Stitch Fix, an AI-powered styling service, saw its revenue soar to $2.2 billion in 2022, validating the allure of personalised virtual fashion advisors.

4. Remote Workforce Development: Nurturing Tomorrow's Skills Today

As remote work continues to redefine traditional office dynamics, online platforms focused on remote workforce development are thriving. Offering a range of courses, certifications, and skill-building programs, these platforms empower individuals to stay competitive in a digital job market. Coursera, a frontrunner in online education, reported a staggering 82% increase in revenue in 2022, reflecting the growing demand for online skill enhancement.

5. Virtual Events and Experiences: The New Age of Engagement

Virtual events and experiences have transcended boundaries, offering a global audience front-row seats to concerts, conferences, and workshops. By capitalising on cutting-edge technology, these platforms facilitate immersive interactions that bring people together in a virtual setting. StagePass, a platform for virtual concerts, reported a 300% increase in revenue in 2022, demonstrating the lucrative potential of online events.

6. Personalized Nutrition Plans: Nourishing the Digital Appetite

In the age of health-conscious living, personalised nutrition plans are a burgeoning niche. Leveraging AI and data analytics, these platforms curate bespoke meal plans, recipes, and grocery lists tailored to individual dietary preferences and health goals. Nutrigenomix, a pioneer in genetic-based nutrition, witnessed a 150% increase in revenue in 2022, underscoring the growing appetite for personalised dietary guidance.

7. Virtual Real Estate Tours: Unlocking Property Potential

Virtual real estate tours have emerged as a game-changer in property sales and rentals. By offering immersive 3D tours and virtual walkthroughs, these platforms provide a comprehensive view of properties, eliminating geographical barriers and enhancing the buying and renting experience. Matterport, a leader in virtual real estate technology, recorded a 220% increase in revenue in 2022, reflecting the real estate industry's pivot towards virtual solutions.

8. Digital Health Assessments: Wellness at Your Fingertips

The digital health revolution is in full swing, with online platforms offering comprehensive health assessments and personalised wellness plans. By leveraging AI-driven diagnostics and data analysis, these platforms empower users to take charge of their health and well-being. Ada Health, a trailblazer in AI health assessments, reported a 280% increase in revenue in 2022, illustrating the rising demand for accessible and data-driven health solutions.

9. Sustainable E-Commerce Platforms: Conscious Consumerism, Virtually

As consumers demand transparency and ethical sourcing, sustainable e-commerce platforms are gaining momentum. These platforms curate a range of eco-friendly products, promoting conscious consumerism and supporting environmentally responsible brands. Earthly, a sustainable marketplace, reported a 190% increase in revenue in 2022, highlighting the growing appeal of ethical online shopping.

Thinking of starting an ecommerce business or already own one? Find out why Crunch is the best ecommerce accountant and how we save our clients 6+ hours per month with our epic ecommerce software .

10. Virtual Language Learning Communities: Connecting Through Communication

Virtual language learning communities are bridging linguistic gaps and connecting individuals across the globe. By offering interactive language lessons, cultural exchanges, and peer-to-peer learning, these platforms foster cross-cultural understanding and linguistic proficiency. Duolingo, a prominent player in virtual language learning, achieved a remarkable 400% increase in revenue in 2022, emphasising the universal thirst for language education.

Forging Digital Pathways

In online business, innovation is the catalyst that propels entrepreneurs towards unprecedented success. As we've explored these ten innovative online business ideas for 2023, it becomes clear that combining technological advancements with consumer needs holds the key to unlocking new horizons. 

Whether it's virtual fitness studios, eco-friendly subscription boxes, or personalised AI stylists, each idea demonstrates the potential for growth and profitability in the digital sector.

Aspiring online business owners should heed the lessons of Warby Parker, Glossier, and the success stories we've highlighted. The path to success is paved with a deep understanding of market trends, a commitment to quality and authenticity, and a willingness to embrace technological innovation. In this ever-evolving digital landscape, those who dare to dream beyond the confines of convention are poised to shape the future of online commerce. So, take the leap, think outside the box, and forge your own digital pathway towards entrepreneurial greatness.

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100 Best Online Business Ideas for Beginners

Darren DeMatas

May 20, 2024

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In addition to receiving commissions generated through affiliate marketing, we are able to fund our independent research and reviews at no extra cost to our readers. Learn more.

It’s easier than ever before to start an online business , even without any formal education or business experience. 

If you’re looking for a list of online business ideas for beginners, I’ve got you covered. 

Nah, we’re not talking about little side hustles here. Although, you can make legit money online with a side hustle. 

In this post we’re diving into viable businesses that allow you to be your own boss.

I’ve marketed websites professionally for almost two decades. In the last ten years, I transitioned to full time online entrepreneurship. Over the years, I’ve learned what types of businesses work well online and those that don’t.

I currently have two affiliate businesses, a B2B ecommerce startup and I co-own a marketing agency . Though that’s where I am now, that came on the heels of failure. 

In the beginning, I had a wholesale retail brand with a partner. We found that we were selling other brands at such a low price to compete that we slowly killed our profit margin. You won’t find wholesale or retail arbitrage on this list.

Without further ado, let’s jump into these businesses that anyone can start and run from home.

1. Start a Blog

Even if you don’t consider yourself a tech whiz, you can start your blog with little to no website design experience. If you know how to monetize it , you can build your blog into quite a lucrative source of income. That doesn’t mean you can build a blog and expect money to come in overnight. 

You must create content consistently and develop a way to sell something through the blog, whether it be sponsored posts, coaching services, ad space through networks like Google AdSense, affiliate products, or even digital products that you make yourself.

All you need to get started is web hosting and a domain.

It’s a pretty simple business model. The more quality blog posts you produce, the more revenue you can make. As long as you are able to build links to your blog.

The most successful blogs tend to be what many call a niche blog . By focusing on one core area of content you are passionate about, you’ll be able to attract more targeted readers to your blog posts, who are likely to buy the products and services you recommend.

Take for instance my friend, Adam Enfroy . He’s a digital marketer turned blogger on pace to hit 7 figures with his blog.

2. Sell Feet Pics Online

It sounds weird, sure, but selling feet pics online can be a lucrative venture. You don’t have to have “pretty” feet to get started, since there are a ton of niches to work with. And you’re not limited to selling to people with foot fetishes – you can sell to stock photo sites and marketing agencies, too.

3. Start a Subscription Box

Subscription boxes are everywhere you look these days, it seems so why not take a piece of that pie for yourself? No matter what you’re interested in, chances are there is an ecommerce subscription box service out there for it. Think about Dollar Shave Club , Loot Crate , Bawdy Bookworms , and Hunt a Killer . All of these are monthly subscription services that cater to entirely different audiences.

Bawdy Bookworms launched with a quarterly box, but added a lower cost monthly option to its business model. In less than one year, Bawdy Bookworms was able to double its sales by adding a smaller, more frequent option for its customers.

To boost your earning potential even more, you can open a separate online store where you sell past boxes or items that were in past boxes. It’s a great way to get rid of overstock and capture customers who aren’t ready to commit to a full subscription.

Want a sales team out there working for you without having to pay them a dime until they make a sale? Start your own affiliate marketing program so that others can promote your products and ideas.

4. Start an Advertising Network

If you have a group of niche blogs with decent traffic, you can sell ad space. Once you have a decent number of advertisers participating, you can invite other website owners and bloggers to join your advertising network to earn money with ad revenue.

5. Affiliate Marketing

As an affiliate marketer , you earn a commission when you promote someone else’s product. You can do this with information products like ebooks, video series, membership sites, etc., you can earn up to 50% in commission sales, and there are relatively low barriers to entry. You can become an Amazon affiliate and earn with the Amazon Associates program. To be successful, you need a knowledge of SEO in copywriting, but that is relatively easy to learn with a bit of research online. 

 Affiliate marketers often use various marketing strategies, including SEO, social media, frequent blogging , and pay per click ads to generate traffic and sales. If you’re not familiar with any of these, it can be a good idea to hire an SEO consultant to help you as you are starting an online business. This way, you can take your time as you learn the skills yourself.

If you’ve got an idea, chances are there is a business online already that you can use to make money with their affiliate programs. Once you get one business up and running, you might want to explore other affiliate marketing programs in different niches to increase your earning potential.

6. Ad Management 

Take a look at all of the local businesses in your area. Chances are, the majority of them would love to get more customers but don’t know how to do it. You come in and help them work on Facebook Ad or Google Ad campaigns to increase their business. Many small business owners are willing to pay for help learning about and managing pay per click ads.

7. Digital Marketing

As digital content and digital marketing demand continue to grow, many businesses can’t afford a full digital marketing department. As such, they reach out to digital marketing firms. Start your own just by taking some free online courses on digital marketing.

8. Search Engine Optimization

SEO is a crucial part of bringing people to your website online. It’s what helps you rank better in search engines. In an SEO consulting business, you analyze websites and give webmasters feedback on what they can do to improve their rankings. Keep in mind, however, to be a successful SEO consultant, it’s about more than just throwing keywords in the right places.

9. Lead Generation

Businesses are always looking for new leads because they are the lifeblood of business. When you work as a lead generator, you match customers to potential companies they would like to work with to solve their problems.

10. Social Media Management

If you love Facebook, Instagram, and various other social media platforms, a social media management business may be the answer. If you’re good at creating content and engaging with your audience, you can work as a social media manager to help other businesses do the same. Thanks to scheduling tools, this business is great for scaling. 

11. Become an Influencer

Whether you become an Instagram influencer or use another platform like YouTube, you can use your status to earn through sponsored posts, advertising campaigns, events, and more. Many businesses use influencer marketing to reach their ideal customers. With sites like:

• SocialBakers

You can be connected with businesses who want to spread the word about their products.

12. Start a Podcast

Like blogs, podcasts can be a great income generator. As your podcast grows, you can offer paid sponsorships as well as selling your own products and services. With podcasts, you’ll earn your listeners’ trust, which makes it more likely they will purchase whatever you’re offering.

Research shows the number of Americans listening to a podcast every week has grown 120% over the last five years . 90 million listen to a podcast monthly.  

To start a podcast, you don’t need any expensive or fancy audio equipment. It helps to have the episodes transcribed for accessibility and content marketing purposes.

John Lee Dumas, creator of the Entrepreneur on Fire podcast earns more than $250,000/month podcasting.

13. Start a Podcast Network

Let’s say you liked the idea of starting a podcast, so you’ve got one now. You can expand on that business idea to create additional podcasts until you have a complete network. Invite other podcasters to join your network, too. You’ll get increased visibility and can build an income by selling ads.

14. Start a Voiceover Business

All videos and ads need voiceover work. As long as you have a decent microphone and basic sound editing skills, you can produce quality recordings. You’ll be able to find work with independent production companies, ad agencies, and more.

15. Sound Editing and Post-Production

If you can use editing software, you can build an online business helping others make music and videos that sound great. You can edit podcasts, audio tracks for videos, master music, etc. 

16. Online Video Production

Videos are a great marketing tool, and if you can master that type of content creation, you’ll have no shortage of clients to work with. Combine it with social media management, and you’ll be that much more marketable.

17. Virtual Assistant

Virtual assistants (VAs) help with administrative tasks like managing email, scheduling appointments, and handling data entry. For companies that don’t want to hire in-house staff, VA businesses are the solution. Businesses can save as much as 78% on operational costs compared to a full-time employee.

Thinking bigger? You can also start your own virtual assistance business where you match other virtual assistants with clients. Similar to how a staffing agency works.

If you are good at managing people, this is a great small business idea for online entrepreneurs. 

18. Pinterest Virtual Assistant

This is similar to a traditional VA business but focusing on helping companies strengthen their presence on Pinterest. In this role, you help build a Pinterest marketing strategy, create pinnable graphics, set up boards, scheduling pins throughout the day, etc. 

19. Freelance Writing

Are you a decent writer? Are you willing to learn? Do you know a couple of different niches? You can start a freelance writing business providing content for other companies. You can use your own blog as a portfolio to help you get started. 

20. Self-Publishing

If you’ve ever thought about writing a book, writing an ebook is a great way to break into the market. You don’t need anything special to do it. All you have to do is convert your Word or Google Doc into a PDF, and you can list your digital product for sale through Amazon’s Kindle Direct self-publishing service. The more books you write, the more money you make. 

21. Technical Writer

Ever wonder who writes instruction manuals for electronics help guides for new software? Those are technical writers. If you enjoy writing and the technical side of things, then being a technical writer may be right for you.

22. Resume Writing

People are always looking for jobs. Some of those job seekers may look to others to improve their resumes and cover letters. Your services can help them get hired for their dream job. 

23. Speech Writing

A great speech is something many people need, but an art few have mastered. If you’re a writer who enjoys crafting presentations, you could build an online service business with speechwriting. You can also offer press releases (more on that below) and other public relations writing.

24. Grant Writer

 Grant and proposal writers help non-profits secure the funding they need to continue operations. Grant writers convince organizations to award funds to give the money to a particular non-profit.

It’s not an easy profitable online business idea to start, though, because it can be tough to break into. If you want to learn more about it, look into some of the American Grant Writers’ Association courses.

25. Press Release Writer

Do you enjoy telling stories? Do you love the idea of telling a compelling story in a limited amount of space that follows a specific format?

Press releases are much shorter than ebooks or grants, so that means each word needs to pack a punch. But, if you’re an effective communicator, you can earn some big bucks crafting press releases.

You can offer these as part of larger content packages for businesses or as part of your public relations business.

26. Copywriter

Copywriters can earn six figures or more writing sales copy for businesses. To make those big bucks, though, you must be able to write content that attracts potential customer attention and then convinces them to buy. The higher the conversion rate you earn for your clients, the more valuable you become.

To learn more or to hone your skills, take a look at the Copyblogger blog. Within the site, there’s a place where you can find webinars and ebooks to help you improve as a writer.

27. Editing and Proofreading

As an editor and proofreader, you look for the weak points in a story or other writing pieces and help the writer improve it. If you’ve got an eye for detail, then working in an editing and proofreading business can be a lucrative source of income.

28. Transcription

Digital transcription involves taking audio or video files and creating a written transcript of everything that’s said. Transcribing requires a bit more equipment to get started, but this could be a great business idea for you if you type fast.

29. Web Design

Do you have the knowledge and skill to create a website from scratch and customize it to your client’s needs? That’s all it takes. Of course, you do need your own killer website to market your services.

30. Web Developer

Web developers are the people working behind the scenes to write the code that designers use to build websites.

If the idea of coding for a living makes you happy, you can get started with various freelance gig websites. As you build a portfolio, you can strike out on your own to build clients.

If you don’t know anything about web development or coding but want to learn, there are plenty of online classes to help you get started.

31. Web Maintenance

 Beyond website design and development , website maintenance is a huge part of running an online business. The majority of people don’t know how to handle updates, backups, server issues, and website security. It’s a great way to generate a recurring monthly income.

32. Web Hosting

If you’re in web design or development, it makes sense to offer web hosting to clients as well. Many web hosting companies like Liquid Web offer reseller plans that put you in control. If you’re not in design and development, you can partner with someone to provide a full-service solution.

33. Website Flipper

An easy way to make money is to invest in online business ideas that are already profitable. Buy an existing website, hold onto it for a bit to build it up, and sell it for a profit once it has increased in value. Flippa is a leading marketplace to connect buyers and sellers.

34. Domain Flipper

This is the same concept as flipping websites, except with this one, you’re buying domain names and selling them again to someone for a profit. There is no website to go along with it.

You can also work as a domain broker, who finds the owners of domains for interested buyers and makes a deal. You’ll earn a portion of the sale for a finder’s fee.

35. Software Testing

All software, websites, and tech products need to be tested for bugs or other issues before going public. You can create an online business based on testing others’ software to find bugs, websites to report on usability, and so on. You can start with crowd-testing platforms like Userlytics , Utest , and Testbirds . You can also start your own business for quality control.

36. Build a Membership Site

Membership sites are a typical online business idea that brings people together for a long-term perspective. Membership sites allow members to access tools, online courses , and other types of products. Running and maintaining your membership site can be a little demanding but can bring in a steady stream of recurring income.

37. Sell Your Knowledge

If you’re an expert at something, take your knowledge and turn it into digital products and services. For instance, you can create an online course or ebook. 

No matter how crazy your idea may seem, do a bit of research to see if there are currently any courses out there that cover it. You’ll see what the competition is doing and how you make yours different. When you find something you feel confident in, start looking at domain names and build it out.

38. Build Apps

If you’re an app developer or willing to learn to become one, you have a virtually unlimited market for new mobile apps. You can make money developing apps for other people or partner with people to bring you ideas and marketing skills.

39. Graphic Design

If you consider yourself artistic and enjoy creating, consider graphic design. Graphic designers build sales pages, logos, web pages, and more. You don’t have to be great at drawing, and you don’t need a college degree or an expensive computer. All it takes to get started is some visual creativity and a portfolio to show to prospective clients. 

40. Build WordPress Themes

WordPress has many themes out there to choose from, but there’s still plenty of room in the market for new ones. If you’re a developer, you can build a source of passive income with custom themes. If your graphic designer, you can partner with a developer to turn your design into a workable WordPress theme.

41. Build WordPress Plugins 

WordPress plugins are essential for WordPress websites, so if you’ve got the technical knowledge it takes to create them, you can build a business. Plus, it’s scalable since you can license the software to as many WordPress users as you want. If you can’t build it yourself, you can partner with the developer.

42. Cryptocurrency Trading

Cryptocurrency is rapidly gaining popularity because there’s a lot of money to be made. If you’re okay with taking a risk and have a little bit of starting capital, you may want to try your hand at currency trading. Because it’s a volatile market, you can make money day trading as long as you’re willing to handle the risk.

43. Stock Trading

You don’t have to be a financial pro to make money in stock trading. Whether you dabble in fractional shares or have the startup capital to make some significant investments, you can earn some extra cash. Though this can be a profitable online business, it does require a certain amount of risk tolerance. If you’re not prepared to lose the money you put in, you may want to look into another small business idea.

44. Cryptocurrency Mining

Though it’s a bit more technical, setting up an online business focused solely on cryptocurrency mining or creating the mining rig makes you a lot of money. If you know basic mining from cloud mining, you’re one step ahead.

45. Bookkeeping and Accounting

You don’t have to be a certified public accountant to offer services to businesses. If you’ve got some experience and a knack for numbers, you can build a successful online business helping keep track of books for other companies.

46. Tax Prep

If you’re an accountant or otherwise familiar with tax preparation, you can start an online business dedicated to helping others prepare their tax returns. Though you’ll be busiest during tax season, you can stay busy year-round. 

47. Financial Planning

With a wide range of online investment tools, it’s an excellent time for the personal finance industry. Nearly half of the population has no plan for retirement . There’s a real need to plan for retirement and save for the future. Advisors do not need to work for large investment firms to build a financial planning business.

48.  Peer to Peer Lending

Traditional loans aren’t for everyone. With peer to peer lending, you connect borrowers to individual investors who want to make competitive returns with their money. It does require some capital to start, and there is risk involved.

49.  Make and Sell Candles

With a bit of wax, coloring, and essential oils, you can create candles or wax melts. Sell on Etsy, other online marketplaces, and through your own ecommerce site.

50. Make and Sell Jewelry

If you’re crafty, you can make your own jewelry and sell it on your own online store or Etsy. You can also source jewelry from manufacturers for dropshipping.

51. Soap and Lotion Making

Much like making candles and jewelry, you can make soaps, lotions, bath soaks, etc., and sell online with Etsy and other marketplaces.

52. Gift Basket Design

Gift baskets are still an option for friends, family, and coworkers. By having various supplies on hand for numerous occasions, you can put together various gift baskets and sell them. Creating several different packages to choose from gives you greater control over your profit margin.

Research shows that gifting food is becoming a widely accepted practical option during the coronavirus and beyond. The increase in food gifting is an opportunity for gift basket companies. 

53. Floral Arrangement

Fresh flowers are an integral part of weddings, Proms, and other events. If you’ve got an eye for design, you can start a successful business with floral arrangements. You’ll be able to make even more money if You have the option to include small gifts with the flower delivery.

54. Party/Event Planning

If you have a knack for planning parties, baby showers, weddings, etc., you can start an online business as an event planner.

To get started, pick a niche based on your skill set and market demand. For instance, you can focus on starting a business centered on weddings, birthday parties, or baby showers.

From there, build your niche website, then use social media and Facebook Ads to start spreading the word.

 If you enjoy baking, you can start an online bakery. You can take custom orders for cakes, cookies, pies, and other baked goods to make money.

To supplement your income stream, you can create baking kits with everything you need to make a particular baked good -then sell those as gifts or as solutions for customers who want a from-scratch product without all the hassle.

56. T-Shirt Business

Have an idea for a cute, funny, or catchy t-shirt you think others would really enjoy? With print-on-demand services , you can launch a full ecommerce store selling t-shirts without ever carrying an inventory.

57. Phone Case Business

Along the same lines as the tshirts business, you can create a print-on-demand business for phone cases. Cover your bases with the most popular Android and iPhone products. Then, expand into tablet cases.

58. Real Estate Crowdfunding

Want to build a real estate business without a lot of capital to get started? You can invest in it with a crowdfunding platform and generate income without the responsibility of directly owning the property.

59. Customer Service

If you enjoy working with people and have a background in customer service, you can start an online business providing customer support for other companies. Platforms like ModSquad make it easy to get started.

60. Virtual Tech Support

Similar to the customer service business, this is an ideal option for people who are savvy with technology and computers. Those who aren’t tech-savvy can come to you with issues, and you can help them solve their problems remotely. As a tech support agent, you could work for another company or go out on your own as a full-time freelancer.

61. Teaching and Tutoring

Many people, not just certified teachers, can make money teaching and tutoring online. If you’re an expert in something, you can make money by showing others how to improve their skills.

If you have a formal education in Education, you’ll be eligible to work with more sites like VIPKid , which only allows licensed teachers to teach English to students in foreign countries.

62. Language Services

If you’re fluent in more than one language, you can host classes, private tutoring sessions, and create several other products centered around teaching people a second language.

Beyond teaching another language, you could also offer your services as a translator.

63. Foreign Culture Consultant

If you’re an expert in another culture, you can provide services as a foreign culture consultant. People who are planning an international trip or hosting a foreign exchange student may be interested in your services so they can prepare ahead of time.

64. Start a YouTube Channel

Though it may seem like the market is saturated, there are still plenty of opportunities to make money on YouTube. Choose a niche you’re passionate and knowledgeable about. Earn through advertising and brand sponsorships. You can also convert your YouTube videos to MP3s and promote them on other channels.

65. Start an OnlyFans or Patreon Channel

OnlyFans has a controversial reputation because there are no restrictions on the type of content you can upload (and lock behind a paywall.) While there is certainly no shortage of adult content on the platform, that doesn’t mean your OnlyFans channel has to be centered on that. 

Both OnlyFans and Patreon allow content creators to earn money for the things they create.

66. Dropshipping

If you have a business idea but don’t want the hassle of purchasing and storing inventory, then an online business in dropshipping may be what you’re looking for. A dropshipping business connects with wholesalers to ship the products directly to your customers. Get started with platforms like Spocket , today.

You can find a wide variety of products through platforms like Alibaba or Spocket . Sell on Shopify or another ecommerce platform. If the platform you sell through integrates with your chosen dropshipping service, you can manage everything from a central location, making it easier for you.

You can easily run more than one ecommerce business at the same time using th e dropshipping business model.

67. Stock Photography Business

If you’ve got decent camera equipment and an eye for photography, then you can get paid for your photos. Many stock photography websites purchase photos from photographers like you and a percentage every time your images are used.

68. Sell Your Music

Do you write music? With a platform like TuneCore , songwriters can get published and distributed without a record deal. Plus, they handle royalties, so you’ll get paid every time someone purchases or streams one of your songs.

69. Build an Online Game

Online games like World of Warcraft are popular, with good reason. If you have a concept or idea for an online game, you don’t need to learn to build it yourself. You can partner with a developer to do it for you. Even if you make the game free to play, you can earn through advertising and in-game purchases.

If you want to start an online business with a game but don’t have any ideas for products, there are plenty of business opportunities out there for you. Many app developers create apps and flip them just like websites. You can purchase an existing game and then look for ways to start increasing its revenue.

70. Create Software as a Service

Known as SaaS, this is a software you build and license for a monthly fee. The software is available online from anywhere there is an internet connection. So If you can’t handle the software development  yourself, you can partner with someone who can and earn with the subscription model.

71. Sell Digital Printables and Planners

If you love organization and helping people get organized, you can create a series of digital documents for planning. By selling the printables, your customers can purchase and print just what they need, and you can make recurring revenue.

72. Recruiter

Companies spend a lot of money trying to find the right employees to fill open positions. You can work as a recruiter to connect potential candidates to employers who would be interested. You earn each time one of your recruits gets hired.

73. Direct Sales

I’m not talking about joining one (or more) multi-level marketing companies like Tupperware or Colorstreet. Instead, you’ll work as a commission-based salesperson on behalf of multiple companies. You replace the need for an in-house sales team.

74. Travel Consultant

Do you enjoy making travel plans for yourself, friends, and family? Make a consulting business out of it! Specializing in a niche helps to establish authority for a particular type of travel or a specific region.

75. Data Analysis

To make informed decisions about your business, you need data. But more than the data itself, you need to know what it means. That’s where data analysis comes in. It turns all the numbers and information into actionable insights small business owners can use to guide their decisions. If you consider yourself a data nerd who loves diving into analytics, this could be the right business for you.

76. Wellness Coach/Personal Trainer

If you’re a fitness buff who understands how to build a workout and nutrition plan, you can earn an income by helping people get healthier. You can do this with a business model that includes virtual group classes, one-on-one sessions, or online courses. 

You might want to consider working as a wellness or mental health coach, which is similar to life coaching but focuses on health. Certificate programs are available to help you build credibility and expertise.

77. Business Coach

Much like life coaching, business coaching means working with business owners to help them reach their goals. You don’t have to have any formal education to make it work – just results.’

78. Life Coaching

We can’t always do it all on our own. Life coaching helps people in various ways -happiness, relationships, health and wellness, finances and career, etc. To become a life coach, you don’t have to have special training, though certification helps. You can work in your local area with clients in person or expand your reach with video sessions.

Want to learn more about life coaching? Listen to the Life Coaching School Podcast .

79. Dating Coaching

As a dating coach or online dating consultant, you offer people guidance about connecting with others on various dating sites. Your ideal clients are those who spend a lot of time on the apps but come up empty or are disappointed with the results. Basically, you serve as an online matchmaker.

80. Teach a Musical Instrument

Do you play an instrument? You don’t have to be a professional level player to teach others. Whether you play the piano, guitar, or another musical instrument, you can book private lessons with students.

81. Sell Voice Lessons

This is the same as teaching a musical instrument, but in this case, the instrument is your voice.

82. Recycle Electronics

If you want to do your part for the environment and make some money, too, you can earn by recycling electronics. Starting a business repairing things that aren’t wanted or needed, then reselling them is easier than many may realize.

83. Art Lessons

Are you artistic? You can make money by teaching others your skill. Whether you do it through online courses or private lessons, there’s plenty of opportunities.

84. Online Researcher

Every day, an insane amount of content gets added to the internet. Though many of us have basic research skills, this job is more than just searching for a topic on multiple search engines.

If you love sorting through information and can tell a quality source from “fake news,” you can start an online business as a researcher. You can conduct/locate market research, help private investigators, conduct academic research, and more.

85. College Admissions Consultant

As a college admissions consultant, also known as an independent education counselor, you’ll work with parents and students to determine the schools they should apply to. You’ll also help with the application and essay writing process. To further your consulting business, you can also offer financial aid guidance, help with scholarship applications and essays, SAT/ACT test prep, course selection advice, and more.

86. Public Relations

If you have experience with marketing strategies and connections in the press, instead start an online business doing public relations work for other companies. This includes online reputation management, influencer outreach, and more.

87. Crowdfunding Consultant

If you’re starting a new business but looking for capital support to make your product or service come to life, then you may turn to crowdfunding platforms like Kickstarter and Indiegogo. But, without the right planning and execution, the campaign is sure to fall flat. 

For companies who want to make the most of their crowdfunding efforts, crowdfunding consultants step in to help plan and execute the campaign – from all the assets to advertising and rewards. 

88. 3D Printed Products

3-D printers are no longer unattainable for the average consumer. With a few hundred dollars, you can start a profitable online business selling your own 3-D printed products.

Though the startup costs for an ecommerce business like this one can be a bit higher than a dropshipping business, for instance, the sky’s the limit. You can build your ecommerce website selling whatever 3D printed product you want to make.

89. Content Curator

 Content curators sort through data online and collect the most relevant content to share on social media, blogs, and websites.

Businesses who frequently share promotional content online will have trouble keeping their audience engaged. That’s where sharing content from other sources but still has value to their target audience comes into play.

You can start a content curation business, collecting relevant content for other small businesses. Expand upon that business by adding social media management services and social media marketing.

90. Meal Planner

Plenty of people want to save money and eat healthier by cooking more of their meals at home. However, they don’t take the time to plan their meals either because they don’t know how or they don’t have time. That’s where you come in.

More than one business model works here. You can:

• Create a series of meal plans for the most popular diets out there to sell online.
• Offer personalized meal plans based on one on one consultation.
• Use a subscription model to provide meal plans to paid members every week.
• Create online courses or other products that teach people how to plan their meals on their own.
• Use a hybrid approach combining one or more business models.

Take a look at how Once a Month Meals does it. It’s a membership site full of freezer cooking meal plans. Paid members get access to everything they need (shopping lists, labels, recipes, directions, etc.) to create customized meal plans. Free members get limited resources.

91. Project Manager

If you’re experienced with platforms like Trello, Asana, or Wrike, you can help other small business owners and bloggers stay organized. As an expert, you can help them manage projects or train them on the platforms’ finer points to make it easier for them to handle things themselves.

92. Branding Consultant

As a branding consultant or branding strategist, you’ll help companies determine what customers want and how they can provide it. You essentially serve as a one-person marketing team.

93. College Prep Tutor

Many high school students need an extra boost in getting ready for the SAT or ACT. You can easily run an online business aimed at helping students get a better score.

94. Design Email Newsletter Templates

Online entrepreneurs need multiple ways to reach their audience. Email newsletters are a popular way to stay in touch with customers. You can design templates for other online business owners to use with their email lists. 

As long as you have some basic knowledge of design and marketing skills, you’ll be good to go. After you create a few pre-designed templates, you can sell them to blog owners and entrepreneurs. You can make templates that work with multiple email marketing platforms or choose one to specialize in.

95. Data Mining

 Data mining is what companies use to convert their raw data into useful information. If you’re into programming languages like Python and R, you can quickly learn data mining software suites and start a business offering data mining to other small businesses.

96. Content Strategist

 As a content strategist, you’ll plan, write, and edit content for businesses. You’ll use marketing strategies to distribute the content across social media platforms and the web. You’ll keep the content on-brand message and work to help businesses reach their goals with the content you create.

97. Illustrator

Love to draw? You can provide your services as an illustrator to authors for books, web design, product tutorials, and more. Build a portfolio and ask people for referrals. You can also cold email businesses to see if they are interested in your services.

98. Sell Slogans

If you like coming up with catchy slogans, you can start a small business selling them for other companies to use. It’s an excellent way to break into the advertising business, too.

One way to get money off of your slogans without selling them directly to others is to sell products with your slogans on them. You might want to offer potential customers the choice of product with a platform like Printify.

99. Charisma and Confidence Training

This is one of my favorite online business ideas. Charisma and confidence are two skills that make life more comfortable, and yet, it’s an area where lots of people struggle.

Even if you’re not an authority in the field, you can teach people confidence, social skills, and charisma based on what you’ve learned through trial and error in your own life. You can start a blog and YouTube channel to build authority in the industry, without any formal education or expertise.

100. Start a Clothing Line

With a bit of creativity and a flair for fashion, you can start your own clothing line , without ever having to sew a thing. Start out by selling a single product, and expand to offer other clothing items, just like Black Milk Clothing . 

What Makes Online Businesses Successful

Starting an online business is not easy. Just because there are so many business ideas for beginners out there doesn’t mean you don’t have to work to get it profitable.

While there are many ways to start a great online business, you still have to work hard. Low barriers to entry and little startup costs often mean that lots of people jump in, so there can be a considerable amount of competition. Running an online business is about more than finding an idea you like and running with it. So before I send you off to get started building one of these small business ideas, I wanted to talk about some of the things that make a successful online business.

Looking at the Big Picture

When you start an online business, you have to have a plan, but you also need long term goals. What do you want your business to look like a year from now? What do you want it to look like five years from now?

The most successful entrepreneurs know how to look ahead while also focusing on what’s in front of them. Failure to see the big picture can stifle growth.

Using Tools and Automation

In the beginning, you may be continuing to work your full-time job while starting your online business. Even if you were a stay-at-home parent before, there’s only going to be a limited amount of time to focus on getting the company up and running. With limited capital, it may be difficult to hire any kind of contractor or employee to help you grow faster.

With social media marketing tools, scheduling tools, and automation, it is now easier for one person to get more things done than they used to. Though the initial setup process does take some time, creating a series of automated processes to handle tedious tasks such as invoicing can help save time that entrepreneurs then use for more critical tasks. 

Outsourcing Where Necessary

Online businesses need social media marketing, paper click advertising, content marketing, and a website to succeed. However, if you’re not an expert in any of these things, it can be far more effective to hire someone who does understand these things.

Though you take the time to learn new skills yourself, it may mean losing money or letting your business suffer while you do. Outsourcing does cost time and money but often makes it easier for you to grow faster since you can focus your efforts on the skills that are your strongest.

Continuing Education

The idea that once you start a business, you know all there is to know is plain silly. Regardless of industry, things change, and in certain industries, they change quite rapidly. The best entrepreneurs know they need to learn more. They continuously look for new information and stay on top of industry news and trends.

Differentiating from the Competition

Even if there isn’t a lot of competition in your industry, having something that sets you apart and makes you different from the others in your market goes a great way toward reaching your target audience. If people can’t tell you from your number one competitor, you’ll have a hard time captivating potential customers and staying at the top of their minds.

Knowing their Value Proposition

One of the best ways to stand out from the competition is to know and understand your value proposition. Without that, your core messaging and your overall brand will suffer. When those are not as clear as possible, your conversion rates will also be lower.

The great thing about being an online entrepreneur is that you can run multiple successful online businesses. The best online business to start isn’t the same for everyone. What works for one business owner may be an idea that terrifies another. No matter what kind of online business you want to start, the key to success is taking your time and researching your target market and competition.

All that said, as an aspiring entrepreneur and small business owner, it’s crucial to do your homework on the business side of things. You can start an online business as a sole proprietor. You may need a business license , depending on where you’re operating your business. However, as you grow, it may be more advantageous to consider forming an LLC or other company entities. Before starting an online business, make sure you abide by all local, state, and federal laws. For help with this, you can turn to an attorney and a tax professional. If you don’t have a lot of capital for startup costs, there are services available online to help you.

I hope you enjoyed this list of ideas for beginners . Starting an online business isn’t for the faint of heart, but it is easier now than ever before.

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

• Initiate with Your Business Concept: Lay the Groundwork: Start by introducing your business idea into Plannit AI's Business Plan Generator. This first step is crucial, as it sets the tone for a tailored, insightful business plan that truly resonates with your vision. Capture the Essence: Our platform is designed to grasp the nuances of your concept, ensuring that the generated plan accurately reflects the core and potential of your business.
• Navigate Through the AI-Guided Questionnaire: Tailored Interactive Experience: Plannit AI’s AI-guided questionnaire is your interactive guide through the planning process. It meticulously gathers information about your business's objectives, strategies, and market positioning, ensuring a comprehensive and reflective plan. Intelligent Feedback and Suggestions: As you progress through the questionnaire, benefit from smart prompts and suggestions, ensuring that your plan is not just detailed but also strategically sound and aligned with industry standards.
• Generate Your Plan with Advanced AI: Intuitive Plan Creation: With the questionnaire complete, Plannit AI's advanced algorithms intelligently analyze your responses. They then craft a detailed, customizable, and strategically aligned business plan, providing you with a structured, coherent, and actionable format. Benefit from AI-Powered Insights: Plannit AI offers AI-driven insights and suggestions, ensuring your plan is not just a document but a strategic tool equipped with tailored AI prompts and an in-app plan editor. Get inspired by browsing through our sample business plans, a collection of successful strategies across various industries.
• Finalize Your Plan with Confidence: Dynamic Adaptation and Refinement: Plannit AI recognizes that a business plan is a living document. Our platform allows for continuous adaptation and refinement, ensuring your strategy remains agile, relevant, and aligned with your evolving business goals. Professional Presentation and Sharing: Once your plan meets your standards, utilize Plannit AI's export features to present your plan professionally. Choose between various formats for exporting your business plan, ready to impress stakeholders, attract investors, or guide your team. Review and Adapt: Ensure your business plan is a living document, ready to evolve with your growing business. Plannit AI's dynamic platform allows you to adapt your strategy as new opportunities or challenges arise.
• Roadmap for Success: At its core, a business plan acts as a strategic guide, providing detailed steps on how your business will achieve its objectives. It helps you navigate the startup phase, manage growth effectively, and tackle unforeseen challenges with a well-thought-out strategy.
• Securing Funding: For startups and businesses looking to expand, a business plan is crucial for securing loans or attracting investors. It demonstrates to potential financial backers that your business has a clear vision, a solid strategy for profitability, and a plan for delivering returns on their investment.
• Informed Decision-Making: A well-prepared business plan offers valuable insights into your market, competition, and potential challenges. This information is vital for making informed decisions, from day-to-day operations to long-term strategic shifts.
• Market Analysis and Strategy: It allows you to conduct an in-depth analysis of your target market, understand customer needs, and position your product or service effectively. The marketing strategy outlined in your business plan helps in identifying the best channels and tactics to reach your audience and achieve market penetration.
• Financial Planning: One of the most critical components of a business plan is the financial forecast. It outlines your funding requirements, expected revenue, profit margins, and cash flow projections. This section is essential for budgeting, financial management, and ensuring the financial viability of your business.
• Goal Setting and Performance Measurement: A business plan sets clear, measurable goals and objectives. It provides a framework for monitoring performance, measuring success, and making necessary adjustments to stay on track.
• Aspiring Entrepreneurs: If you're at the idea stage, looking to transform your vision into a viable business, Plannit AI offers the tools and guidance to bring your concept to life. Our platform helps you articulate your business idea, define your target market, and develop a solid plan to turn your dream into reality.
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• Small Business Owners: For small business owners seeking to optimize their operations, expand their customer base, or explore new markets, Plannit AI offers targeted solutions. Our platform simplifies the planning process, enabling owners to focus on growth while managing the day-to-day challenges of running their business.
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• Tailored Business Plan Creation: Our platform stands out with its tailored approach, featuring customizable templates that directly cater to your business type and industry, making plan creation straightforward and relevant.
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Take The First Step Towards Success

How to Write a Business Plan: Step-by-Step Guide + Examples

Noah Parsons

24 min. read

Updated May 7, 2024

Writing a business plan doesn’t have to be complicated. 

In this step-by-step guide, you’ll learn how to write a business plan that’s detailed enough to impress bankers and potential investors, while giving you the tools to start, run, and grow a successful business.

• The basics of business planning

If you’re reading this guide, then you already know why you need a business plan . 

You understand that planning helps you: 

• Raise money
• Grow strategically
• Keep your business on the right track 

As you start to write your plan, it’s useful to zoom out and remember what a business plan is .

At its core, a business plan is an overview of the products and services you sell, and the customers that you sell to. It explains your business strategy: how you’re going to build and grow your business, what your marketing strategy is, and who your competitors are.

Most business plans also include financial forecasts for the future. These set sales goals, budget for expenses, and predict profits and cash flow. 

A good business plan is much more than just a document that you write once and forget about. It’s also a guide that helps you outline and achieve your goals. 

After completing your plan, you can use it as a management tool to track your progress toward your goals. Updating and adjusting your forecasts and budgets as you go is one of the most important steps you can take to run a healthier, smarter business. 

We’ll dive into how to use your plan later in this article.

There are many different types of plans , but we’ll go over the most common type here, which includes everything you need for an investor-ready plan. However, if you’re just starting out and are looking for something simpler—I recommend starting with a one-page business plan . It’s faster and easier to create. 

It’s also the perfect place to start if you’re just figuring out your idea, or need a simple strategic plan to use inside your business.

Dig deeper : How to write a one-page business plan

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• What to include in your business plan

Executive summary

The executive summary is an overview of your business and your plans. It comes first in your plan and is ideally just one to two pages. Most people write it last because it’s a summary of the complete business plan.

Ideally, the executive summary can act as a stand-alone document that covers the highlights of your detailed plan. 

In fact, it’s common for investors to ask only for the executive summary when evaluating your business. If they like what they see in the executive summary, they’ll often follow up with a request for a complete plan, a pitch presentation , or more in-depth financial forecasts .

Your executive summary should include:

• A summary of the problem you are solving
• A description of your product or service
• An overview of your target market
• A brief description of your team
• A summary of your financials
• Your funding requirements (if you are raising money)

Dig Deeper: How to write an effective executive summary

Products and services description

This is where you describe exactly what you’re selling, and how it solves a problem for your target market. The best way to organize this part of your plan is to start by describing the problem that exists for your customers. After that, you can describe how you plan to solve that problem with your product or service. 

This is usually called a problem and solution statement .

To truly showcase the value of your products and services, you need to craft a compelling narrative around your offerings. How will your product or service transform your customers’ lives or jobs? A strong narrative will draw in your readers.

This is also the part of the business plan to discuss any competitive advantages you may have, like specific intellectual property or patents that protect your product. If you have any initial sales, contracts, or other evidence that your product or service is likely to sell, include that information as well. It will show that your idea has traction , which can help convince readers that your plan has a high chance of success.

Market analysis

Your target market is a description of the type of people that you plan to sell to. You might even have multiple target markets, depending on your business. 

A market analysis is the part of your plan where you bring together all of the information you know about your target market. Basically, it’s a thorough description of who your customers are and why they need what you’re selling. You’ll also include information about the growth of your market and your industry .

Try to be as specific as possible when you describe your market. 

Include information such as age, income level, and location—these are what’s called “demographics.” If you can, also describe your market’s interests and habits as they relate to your business—these are “psychographics.” 

Related: Target market examples

Essentially, you want to include any knowledge you have about your customers that is relevant to how your product or service is right for them. With a solid target market, it will be easier to create a sales and marketing plan that will reach your customers. That’s because you know who they are, what they like to do, and the best ways to reach them.

Next, provide any additional information you have about your market. 

What is the size of your market ? Is the market growing or shrinking? Ideally, you’ll want to demonstrate that your market is growing over time, and also explain how your business is positioned to take advantage of any expected changes in your industry.

Dig Deeper: Learn how to write a market analysis

Competitive analysis

Part of defining your business opportunity is determining what your competitive advantage is. To do this effectively, you need to know as much about your competitors as your target customers. 

Every business has some form of competition. If you don’t think you have competitors, then explore what alternatives there are in the market for your product or service. 

For example: In the early years of cars, their main competition was horses. For social media, the early competition was reading books, watching TV, and talking on the phone.

A good competitive analysis fully lays out the competitive landscape and then explains how your business is different. Maybe your products are better made, or cheaper, or your customer service is superior. Maybe your competitive advantage is your location – a wide variety of factors can ultimately give you an advantage.

Dig Deeper: How to write a competitive analysis for your business plan

Marketing and sales plan

The marketing and sales plan covers how you will position your product or service in the market, the marketing channels and messaging you will use, and your sales tactics. 

The best place to start with a marketing plan is with a positioning statement . 

This explains how your business fits into the overall market, and how you will explain the advantages of your product or service to customers. You’ll use the information from your competitive analysis to help you with your positioning. 

For example: You might position your company as the premium, most expensive but the highest quality option in the market. Or your positioning might focus on being locally owned and that shoppers support the local economy by buying your products.

Once you understand your positioning, you’ll bring this together with the information about your target market to create your marketing strategy . 

This is how you plan to communicate your message to potential customers. Depending on who your customers are and how they purchase products like yours, you might use many different strategies, from social media advertising to creating a podcast. Your marketing plan is all about how your customers discover who you are and why they should consider your products and services. 

While your marketing plan is about reaching your customers—your sales plan will describe the actual sales process once a customer has decided that they’re interested in what you have to offer. 

If your business requires salespeople and a long sales process, describe that in this section. If your customers can “self-serve” and just make purchases quickly on your website, describe that process. 

A good sales plan picks up where your marketing plan leaves off. The marketing plan brings customers in the door and the sales plan is how you close the deal.

Together, these specific plans paint a picture of how you will connect with your target audience, and how you will turn them into paying customers.

Dig deeper: What to include in your sales and marketing plan

Business operations

The operations section describes the necessary requirements for your business to run smoothly. It’s where you talk about how your business works and what day-to-day operations look like. 

Depending on how your business is structured, your operations plan may include elements of the business like:

• Supply chain management
• Manufacturing processes
• Equipment and technology
• Distribution

Some businesses distribute their products and reach their customers through large retailers like Amazon.com, Walmart, Target, and grocery store chains. 

These businesses should review how this part of their business works. The plan should discuss the logistics and costs of getting products onto store shelves and any potential hurdles the business may have to overcome.

If your business is much simpler than this, that’s OK. This section of your business plan can be either extremely short or more detailed, depending on the type of business you are building.

For businesses selling services, such as physical therapy or online software, you can use this section to describe the technology you’ll leverage, what goes into your service, and who you will partner with to deliver your services.

Dig Deeper: Learn how to write the operations chapter of your plan

Key milestones and metrics

Although it’s not required to complete your business plan, mapping out key business milestones and the metrics can be incredibly useful for measuring your success.

Good milestones clearly lay out the parameters of the task and set expectations for their execution. You’ll want to include:

• A description of each task
• The proposed due date
• Who is responsible for each task

If you have a budget, you can include projected costs to hit each milestone. You don’t need extensive project planning in this section—just list key milestones you want to hit and when you plan to hit them. This is your overall business roadmap. 

Possible milestones might be:

• Website launch date
• Store or office opening date
• First significant sales
• Break even date
• Business licenses and approvals

You should also discuss the key numbers you will track to determine your success. Some common metrics worth tracking include:

• Conversion rates
• Customer acquisition costs
• Profit per customer
• Repeat purchases

It’s perfectly fine to start with just a few metrics and grow the number you are tracking over time. You also may find that some metrics simply aren’t relevant to your business and can narrow down what you’re tracking.

Dig Deeper: How to use milestones in your business plan

Organization and management team

Investors don’t just look for great ideas—they want to find great teams. Use this chapter to describe your current team and who you need to hire . You should also provide a quick overview of your location and history if you’re already up and running.

Briefly highlight the relevant experiences of each key team member in the company. It’s important to make the case for why yours is the right team to turn an idea into a reality. 

Do they have the right industry experience and background? Have members of the team had entrepreneurial successes before? 

If you still need to hire key team members, that’s OK. Just note those gaps in this section.

Your company overview should also include a summary of your company’s current business structure . The most common business structures include:

• Sole proprietor
• Partnership

Be sure to provide an overview of how the business is owned as well. Does each business partner own an equal portion of the business? How is ownership divided? 

Potential lenders and investors will want to know the structure of the business before they will consider a loan or investment.

Dig Deeper: How to write about your company structure and team

Financial plan

Last, but certainly not least, is your financial plan chapter. 

Entrepreneurs often find this section the most daunting. But, business financials for most startups are less complicated than you think, and a business degree is certainly not required to build a solid financial forecast. 

A typical financial forecast in a business plan includes the following:

• Sales forecast : An estimate of the sales expected over a given period. You’ll break down your forecast into the key revenue streams that you expect to have.
• Expense budget : Your planned spending such as personnel costs , marketing expenses, and taxes.
• Profit & Loss : Brings together your sales and expenses and helps you calculate planned profits.
• Cash Flow : Shows how cash moves into and out of your business. It can predict how much cash you’ll have on hand at any given point in the future.
• Balance Sheet : A list of the assets, liabilities, and equity in your company. In short, it provides an overview of the financial health of your business. 

A strong business plan will include a description of assumptions about the future, and potential risks that could impact the financial plan. Including those will be especially important if you’re writing a business plan to pursue a loan or other investment.

Dig Deeper: How to create financial forecasts and budgets

This is the place for additional data, charts, or other information that supports your plan.

Including an appendix can significantly enhance the credibility of your plan by showing readers that you’ve thoroughly considered the details of your business idea, and are backing your ideas up with solid data.

Just remember that the information in the appendix is meant to be supplementary. Your business plan should stand on its own, even if the reader skips this section.

Dig Deeper : What to include in your business plan appendix

Optional: Business plan cover page

Adding a business plan cover page can make your plan, and by extension your business, seem more professional in the eyes of potential investors, lenders, and partners. It serves as the introduction to your document and provides necessary contact information for stakeholders to reference.

Your cover page should be simple and include:

• Company logo
• Business name
• Value proposition (optional)
• Business plan title
• Completion and/or update date
• Address and contact information
• Confidentiality statement

Just remember, the cover page is optional. If you decide to include it, keep it very simple and only spend a short amount of time putting it together.

Dig Deeper: How to create a business plan cover page

How to use AI to help write your business plan

Generative AI tools such as ChatGPT can speed up the business plan writing process and help you think through concepts like market segmentation and competition. These tools are especially useful for taking ideas that you provide and converting them into polished text for your business plan.

The best way to use AI for your business plan is to leverage it as a collaborator , not a replacement for human creative thinking and ingenuity. 

AI can come up with lots of ideas and act as a brainstorming partner. It’s up to you to filter through those ideas and figure out which ones are realistic enough to resonate with your customers. 

There are pros and cons of using AI to help with your business plan . So, spend some time understanding how it can be most helpful before just outsourcing the job to AI.

Learn more: 10 AI prompts you need to write a business plan

• Writing tips and strategies

To help streamline the business plan writing process, here are a few tips and key questions to answer to make sure you get the most out of your plan and avoid common mistakes .  

Determine why you are writing a business plan

Knowing why you are writing a business plan will determine your approach to your planning project. 

For example: If you are writing a business plan for yourself, or just to use inside your own business , you can probably skip the section about your team and organizational structure. 

If you’re raising money, you’ll want to spend more time explaining why you’re looking to raise the funds and exactly how you will use them.

Regardless of how you intend to use your business plan , think about why you are writing and what you’re trying to get out of the process before you begin.

Keep things concise

Probably the most important tip is to keep your business plan short and simple. There are no prizes for long business plans . The longer your plan is, the less likely people are to read it. 

So focus on trimming things down to the essentials your readers need to know. Skip the extended, wordy descriptions and instead focus on creating a plan that is easy to read —using bullets and short sentences whenever possible.

Have someone review your business plan

Writing a business plan in a vacuum is never a good idea. Sometimes it’s helpful to zoom out and check if your plan makes sense to someone else. You also want to make sure that it’s easy to read and understand.

Don’t wait until your plan is “done” to get a second look. Start sharing your plan early, and find out from readers what questions your plan leaves unanswered. This early review cycle will help you spot shortcomings in your plan and address them quickly, rather than finding out about them right before you present your plan to a lender or investor.

If you need a more detailed review, you may want to explore hiring a professional plan writer to thoroughly examine it.

Use a free business plan template and business plan examples to get started

Knowing what information to include in a business plan is sometimes not quite enough. If you’re struggling to get started or need additional guidance, it may be worth using a business plan template. 

There are plenty of great options available (we’ve rounded up our 8 favorites to streamline your search).

But, if you’re looking for a free downloadable business plan template , you can get one right now; download the template used by more than 1 million businesses. 

Or, if you just want to see what a completed business plan looks like, check out our library of over 550 free business plan examples . 

We even have a growing list of industry business planning guides with tips for what to focus on depending on your business type.

Common pitfalls and how to avoid them

It’s easy to make mistakes when you’re writing your business plan. Some entrepreneurs get sucked into the writing and research process, and don’t focus enough on actually getting their business started. 

Here are a few common mistakes and how to avoid them:

Not talking to your customers : This is one of the most common mistakes. It’s easy to assume that your product or service is something that people want. Before you invest too much in your business and too much in the planning process, make sure you talk to your prospective customers and have a good understanding of their needs.

• Overly optimistic sales and profit forecasts: By nature, entrepreneurs are optimistic about the future. But it’s good to temper that optimism a little when you’re planning, and make sure your forecasts are grounded in reality. 
• Spending too much time planning: Yes, planning is crucial. But you also need to get out and talk to customers, build prototypes of your product and figure out if there’s a market for your idea. Make sure to balance planning with building.
• Not revising the plan: Planning is useful, but nothing ever goes exactly as planned. As you learn more about what’s working and what’s not—revise your plan, your budgets, and your revenue forecast. Doing so will provide a more realistic picture of where your business is going, and what your financial needs will be moving forward.
• Not using the plan to manage your business: A good business plan is a management tool. Don’t just write it and put it on the shelf to collect dust – use it to track your progress and help you reach your goals.
• Presenting your business plan

The planning process forces you to think through every aspect of your business and answer questions that you may not have thought of. That’s the real benefit of writing a business plan – the knowledge you gain about your business that you may not have been able to discover otherwise.

With all of this knowledge, you’re well prepared to convert your business plan into a pitch presentation to present your ideas. 

A pitch presentation is a summary of your plan, just hitting the highlights and key points. It’s the best way to present your business plan to investors and team members.

Dig Deeper: Learn what key slides should be included in your pitch deck

Use your business plan to manage your business

One of the biggest benefits of planning is that it gives you a tool to manage your business better. With a revenue forecast, expense budget, and projected cash flow, you know your targets and where you are headed.

And yet, nothing ever goes exactly as planned – it’s the nature of business.

That’s where using your plan as a management tool comes in. The key to leveraging it for your business is to review it periodically and compare your forecasts and projections to your actual results.

Start by setting up a regular time to review the plan – a monthly review is a good starting point. During this review, answer questions like:

• Did you meet your sales goals?
• Is spending following your budget?
• Has anything gone differently than what you expected?

Now that you see whether you’re meeting your goals or are off track, you can make adjustments and set new targets. 

Maybe you’re exceeding your sales goals and should set new, more aggressive goals. In that case, maybe you should also explore more spending or hiring more employees. 

Or maybe expenses are rising faster than you projected. If that’s the case, you would need to look at where you can cut costs.

A plan, and a method for comparing your plan to your actual results , is the tool you need to steer your business toward success.

Learn More: How to run a regular plan review

Free business plan templates and examples

Kickstart your business plan writing with one of our free business plan templates or recommended tools.

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How to write a business plan FAQ

What is a business plan?

A document that describes your business , the products and services you sell, and the customers that you sell to. It explains your business strategy, how you’re going to build and grow your business, what your marketing strategy is, and who your competitors are.

What are the benefits of a business plan?

A business plan helps you understand where you want to go with your business and what it will take to get there. It reduces your overall risk, helps you uncover your business’s potential, attracts investors, and identifies areas for growth.

Having a business plan ultimately makes you more confident as a business owner and more likely to succeed for a longer period of time.

What are the 7 steps of a business plan?

The seven steps to writing a business plan include:

• Write a brief executive summary
• Describe your products and services.
• Conduct market research and compile data into a cohesive market analysis.
• Describe your marketing and sales strategy.
• Outline your organizational structure and management team.
• Develop financial projections for sales, revenue, and cash flow.
• Add any additional documents to your appendix.

What are the 5 most common business plan mistakes?

There are plenty of mistakes that can be made when writing a business plan. However, these are the 5 most common that you should do your best to avoid:

• 1. Not taking the planning process seriously.
• Having unrealistic financial projections or incomplete financial information.
• Inconsistent information or simple mistakes.
• Failing to establish a sound business model.
• Not having a defined purpose for your business plan.

What questions should be answered in a business plan?

Writing a business plan is all about asking yourself questions about your business and being able to answer them through the planning process. You’ll likely be asking dozens and dozens of questions for each section of your plan.

However, these are the key questions you should ask and answer with your business plan:

• How will your business make money?
• Is there a need for your product or service?
• Who are your customers?
• How are you different from the competition?
• How will you reach your customers?
• How will you measure success?

How long should a business plan be?

The length of your business plan fully depends on what you intend to do with it. From the SBA and traditional lender point of view, a business plan needs to be whatever length necessary to fully explain your business. This means that you prove the viability of your business, show that you understand the market, and have a detailed strategy in place.

If you intend to use your business plan for internal management purposes, you don’t necessarily need a full 25-50 page business plan. Instead, you can start with a one-page plan to get all of the necessary information in place.

What are the different types of business plans?

While all business plans cover similar categories, the style and function fully depend on how you intend to use your plan. Here are a few common business plan types worth considering.

Traditional business plan: The tried-and-true traditional business plan is a formal document meant to be used when applying for funding or pitching to investors. This type of business plan follows the outline above and can be anywhere from 10-50 pages depending on the amount of detail included, the complexity of your business, and what you include in your appendix.

Business model canvas: The business model canvas is a one-page template designed to demystify the business planning process. It removes the need for a traditional, copy-heavy business plan, in favor of a single-page outline that can help you and outside parties better explore your business idea.

One-page business plan: This format is a simplified version of the traditional plan that focuses on the core aspects of your business. You’ll typically stick with bullet points and single sentences. It’s most useful for those exploring ideas, needing to validate their business model, or who need an internal plan to help them run and manage their business.

Lean Plan: The Lean Plan is less of a specific document type and more of a methodology. It takes the simplicity and styling of the one-page business plan and turns it into a process for you to continuously plan, test, review, refine, and take action based on performance. It’s faster, keeps your plan concise, and ensures that your plan is always up-to-date.

What’s the difference between a business plan and a strategic plan?

A business plan covers the “who” and “what” of your business. It explains what your business is doing right now and how it functions. The strategic plan explores long-term goals and explains “how” the business will get there. It encourages you to look more intently toward the future and how you will achieve your vision.

However, when approached correctly, your business plan can actually function as a strategic plan as well. If kept lean, you can define your business, outline strategic steps, and track ongoing operations all with a single plan.

Noah is the COO at Palo Alto Software, makers of the online business plan app LivePlan. He started his career at Yahoo! and then helped start the user review site Epinions.com. From there he started a software distribution business in the UK before coming to Palo Alto Software to run the marketing and product teams.

Table of Contents

• Use AI to help write your plan
• Common planning mistakes
• Manage with your business plan
• Templates and examples

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5 Best Website Builders for Small Businesses

Published: June 19, 2024

As a small business owner, you may or may not have a dedicated technical person on your team. So when it comes to launching a website for your small business, I know how important it is to have the right website builder on your side.

With a small business-friendly website builder, you can build a great-looking website without needing to be a professional web developer. Plus, you won't need to sacrifice on design and features, as you can access beautiful premade themes and key functionality like ecommerce sales and appointment booking.

In this post, I've used my 10+ years of experience building websites to come up with my picks for the five best website builders for small businesses, including some unique tools that you might not find on other lists.

Table of Contents

What Makes a Good Website Builder for Small Businesses?

How i evaluated the best website builder tools for small businesses, best website builders for small businesses, the best website builders for businesses builders.

To help you choose the best solution for your small business, I recommend looking for the following key elements and features (which are also the areas that I focused on when coming up with this list).

Easy to use (even for non-technical people).

While large enterprises might have dedicated development teams, your small business probably doesn‘t have those resources. That’s why it‘s important that your website builder offers a no-code way to set up and manage your site, even if you don’t know anything about HTML .

Features online payments/ecommerce capability.

If you plan to accept online payments or sell products/services directly from your website, you'll want to make sure that your website builder supports that and doesn't charge large transaction fees (which can cut into your bottom line).

Has built-in search engine optimization (SEO) features.

If you want to be able to connect with customers in Google and other search engines, it's important that your website builder gives you the SEO tools that you need to rank.

Offers additional business tools and/or marketing features.

Depending on your business, and your approach to marketing, you might also want access to other tools with your website builder. For example, if you rely on appointment bookings, it can be nice to choose a website builder with a built-in appointment booking feature. For marketing-specific features, you might want to look for blogging/content tools, a built-in CRM , marketing automation features, and so on.

Integrates with your business tools and services.

You'll want your website builder to integrate with other tools that your business relies on. For example, if you use HubSpot as your CRM , you'll want to choose a website builder that lets you integrate with HubSpot ( which most do ).

Prioritizes analytics.

You'll want to be able to track the traffic on your website, either through a built-in analytics tool or support for third-party analytics platforms like Google Analytics.

Includes quality support.

If you do run into any issues, you'll want to be able to reach out to support and/or find community learning resources to help you solve the problem.

Of course, these are not the only features that matter, and your small business might have unique needs. But in general, I think that looking for a website builder that ticks these boxes for your small business should set you up for long-term success.

To come up with this list of tools, I leaned heavily on my own personal experience in a few different areas:

• My prior experience with all of these tools . I've used and reviewed all of these builders multiple times over the years, with over five years of experience with most of them.
• Hands-on testing with all of these tools as they exist now. I tested every single tool on this list again as I was writing this post. This helped me ensure that all of my knowledge and opinions were still up to date with any changes that the tool has made over the past few years.
• My experience building small business websites. I've built my own websites and worked with a lot of small businesses, which helps me understand the specific features that are most relevant to the small business use case.
• WordPress.com
• HubSpot Content Hub
• Squarespace
• SpreadSimple

Now, let‘s take a detailed look at my picks for the five best website builders for small businesses. To give you a hands-on look at how each website builder works, I’ll show you what it's like to build a website for my fictional “HubSpot Cafe” small business.

1. WordPress.com (or Self-Hosted WordPress)

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Key Features

• Easy setup. You can launch your website just by registering for a WordPress.com account. Unlike using the self-hosted WordPress approach, there's no need to purchase your own hosting and install the WordPress software because WordPress.com already offers built-in hosting.
• Code-free editor . You can manage all of your content (and even your site's design) using the drag-and-drop WordPress Block Editor.
• Use any WordPress plugin or theme. With the WordPress.com Creator plan or above, you can install any WordPress plugin or theme on your site, including plugins from third-party developers. This lets you unlock the full flexibility of the 60,000+ WordPress plugins that are available.
• Tons of integrations . Because of how many plugins there are, you can find an integration for pretty much any tool that your small business relies on.
• Ecommerce functionality . If you want to sell products or services, you can add full ecommerce functionality using the WooCommerce plugin. WordPress.com also offers built-in features for accepting one-time or recurring payments, which can work well if you don't need the full ecommerce experience.
• Tons of SEO features . WordPress.com includes built-in SEO tools and you can also install SEO plugins to access more features.
• Dedicated support . You can get one-on-one support directly from WordPress.com Support Engineers, which is another advantage that WordPress.com has over self-hosted WordPress.

Website Building Experience

As I mentioned above, I recommend WordPress.com over self-hosting the WordPress software if you're looking for more of a “website builder” experience for your business.

When you use WordPress.com, all you need to do is register for an account to start building your site using WordPress.com's guided setup wizard.

You'll provide some basic details for your site to start. Then, you can choose from two different design experiences:

• Choose a theme . You can select one of the professionally-designed themes and then just add your own content as needed.
• Design your own . You can design your own theme using the WordPress Site Editor , which offers a code-free way to control every part of your site's design.

While neither approach requires technical knowledge, I personally prefer the “Choose a theme” method as I find it to be easier to quickly create a great-looking site. For that reason, I'll use that approach for the HubSpot Cafe website.

To begin, you‘ll choose the type of website that you’re creating — e.g., restaurant website, portfolio, event, blog, etc.

After that, you'll provide some additional details about your website, such as your business name and any Wix apps that you want to pre-install (e.g., the Restaurant Menus app).

You can then browse all of the templates that apply to your site. For my HubSpot Cafe website, I was able to find 30+ different templates for restaurant and cafe websites and I ended up choosing this nice, clean “Coffee Shop” template .

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How to grow your online business: Essential tools and integrations

PayPal Editorial Staff

June 18, 2024

There’s a reason why some e-commerce businesses thrive while others barely survive. The secret often lies in business owners’ ability to find and harness the right tools and integrations – whether checkout systems that let you accept payments online or comprehensive CRM solutions for managing customer relationships.

That said, not only can it be difficult to pinpoint what tools you need, but navigating the breadth of options is often overwhelming as well. Especially for new businesses with limited resources, there’s no clear blueprint on how to juggle between functionality, ease of use, and cost-effectiveness.

In this guide, we’ll explore some essential online business tools and integrations that can set you up for success.

Essential tools for online business growth

Running a successful online business requires more than just a good product – you need a robust set of tools that support various facets of operations. Here are some foundational tools that are essential for anyone looking to establish or expand their online presence:

• Website creation and management . A user-friendly website is the cornerstone of any online business. E-commerce platforms typically offer comprehensive tools for building and managing your site, including templates, customization options, and support for various integrations.
• Content management system (CMS) . Want to publish a blog or update your product pages? Choosing the right CMS is vital for content control and flexibility. It should facilitate easy updates and efficient management, helping you maintain a dynamic and engaging website that encourages visitors to return for more.
• Technical SEO . Mastering search engine optimization (SEO) is beneficialto landing your online store on the first page of Google. Technical SEO , in particular, focuses on detecting and resolving technical issues (such as broken links and slow loading times), optimizing site architecture, and enhancing mobile responsiveness .
• Local SEO . Local SEO , on the other hand, is all about capturing the attention of nearby customers. Tools like Google My Business make it effortless for customers to find and connect with you.
• Website security . Security tools provide malware removal, website firewalls, and SSL certificates to protect your site and customer data from breaches and other cyber threats.
• Customer relationships . Managing customer relationships effectively can lead to increased loyalty and sales. CRM systems integrate with your website to track interactions, manage leads, and personalize customer communications, fostering stronger relationships and better service.
• E-commerce marketing tools . With more e-commerce stores vying for shoppers’ attention than ever, effective marketing doesn’t just require creativity and strategy, but also better technology. Use e-commerce marketing tools to manage email campaigns, track ad performance, and segment audiences based on purchasing behavior. A comprehensive solution will also include features for retargeting ads, social media integration, and analytics to help you optimize your marketing efforts and increase ROI.

Building your online store: E-commerce tools

When venturing into the world of online sales, selecting a user-friendly e-commerce platform is often a major first step. While there are plenty of e-commerce platforms available, it's important to select one that aligns with your business needs.

Choose one that offers these key features:

• Simplified product uploads . A platform that streamlines the addition and modification of products can significantly cut down on your administrative workload.
• Generous customization options . Your platform should be a canvas for creativity, offering robust tools for you to customize your site in a way that reflects your brand identity and desired customer experience.
• Mobile responsiveness . With mobile commerce estimated to make up over 60% of all retail sales in 2024, 1 ensuring your platform performs flawlessly on smartphones and tablets shouldn’t be just an afterthought. 2 That said, manually resizing each element for smaller screens can be extremely time-consuming. Consider choosing an e-commerce platform for your online store creation that automatically adjusts your layout and content to fit different screen sizes.
• Secure and efficient payment processing . While many e-commerce platforms provide basic payment gateways, choosing one that integrates seamlessly with established Payment Service Providers (PSPs) like PayPal is key. This allows you to support more payment methods (including online banking, credit cards, digital wallets, and more) while assuring customers of their transaction security and flexibility.

Ultimately, these features not only make your website more accessible and appealing to shoppers but also streamline the management process for you as a business owner. The result? More sales, more satisfied customers, and more loyalty.

Marketing and automation tools

In the digital age, effective marketing is often synonymous with smart automation. After all, busy business owners and their marketing teams rarely have time to manually manage every nitty-gritty detail of their ongoing campaigns.

Automation is particularly relevant in two main areas: email marketing and social media scheduling. Email marketing automation allows you to send targeted campaigns that reach the right people with the right messages at the right time – without the need for constant manual intervention.

By automating this process, businesses can easily incorporate email marketing best practices , such as segmenting audiences, triggering based on behavior, and measuring responses to refine tactics. As a result, cart abandoners receive timely reminders with personalized incentives to complete their purchases, while frequent buyers are rewarded with exclusive offers through targeted appreciation emails.

Similarly, social media scheduling tools are critical for managing a brand's presence across various platforms. These tools allow businesses to plan and schedule posts in advance, so that their social media channels remain active even when direct manual posting isn't feasible.

Consistent posting helps maintain a brand’s visibility and keeps the audience engaged, fostering a strong brand-consumer relationship. It also frees up valuable time, allowing marketers to focus their efforts on strategy and content creation rather than the daily demands of posting at the perfect time.

Together, these automation tools enhance efficiency and empower businesses to execute a cohesive marketing strategy that nurtures leads, boosts engagement, and builds a lasting online presence.

Analytics and tracking tools

When it comes to running a successful online business, relying on your gut just doesn’t cut it anymore. Luckily, there are plenty of online business analytics tools designed to help you make informed, data-driven decisions. Their power lies in the wealth of data they collect about user interactions on your website, providing insights invisible to the naked eye.

Google Analytics, for example, allows businesses to track website traffic, traffic sources, engagement metrics, user behavior, and conversions. Use this information to understand how visitors interact with your site, what drives them, and where they may encounter issues. Then, armed with these insights, you can fine-tune different elements of your business, including:

• Optimizing marketing campaigns . Perhaps your Facebook ads are performing exceptionally well, but your email campaigns aren't converting as expected. Data analytics allows you to shift resources and strategies to maximize effectiveness.
• Improving website design and functionality . If the data reveals that users are abandoning their carts on the payment page, you can prioritize streamlining the checkout process to reduce potential friction points and increase conversions.
• Boosting sales . Insights into customer behavior and preferences can lead you to create targeted promotions and personalized shopping experiences, directly influencing your bottom line.

Learn more about PayPal analytics and reporting .

Financial management and accounting tools

Financial management is a pillar of successful business operations, and accounting tools play a pivotal role in achieving this efficiency. These tools help streamline a myriad of accounting tasks, from daily entries to comprehensive financial reporting, allowing businesses to maintain accurate records with less effort.

Most accounting software will offer features that significantly ease the financial management process, including:

• Automated invoicing . Generating invoices manually can be a massive time suck. Automated systems can produce and send invoices with a few clicks, ensuring timely billing and reducing human error.
• Expense tracking . Nobody wants to get lost in a sea of receipts. Expense tracking software automatically records and categorizes expenses, making it easier to monitor spending, identify tax-deductible expenses, and maintain healthy cash flow.
• Tax preparation . If you think that filing taxes on a personal level is daunting, handling business taxes is on another level. Accounting software simplifies this process by organizing financial data in a way that's ready for tax filing, reducing the chances of errors and ensuring compliance with tax laws.

Accounting software integration with other business systems further enhances the functionality and reach of these tools. By integrating your accounting software with systems like CRM, ERP, or e-commerce platforms, you unlock a holistic view of your business finances, streamline data management, and improve overall operational efficiency.

While researching accounting software, you’ll likely come across traditional on-premise vs. cloud-based options. While on-premise software can offer a sense of control, cloud-based software enhances accessibility, allowing business owners and financial managers to access financial data from anywhere, at any time, using any device. This flexibility is vital for making timely business decisions. Moreover, cloud-based software typically provides robust data security measures to protect customers’ sensitive information from unauthorized access and data breaches.

Finding the right partners

Strategic partnerships are a game-changer for how to grow your online business. By aligning with the right partners, businesses can enhance their offerings, extend their reach, and improve customer satisfaction.

For online businesses, potential partners can include a variety of entities tailored to bolster business operations. Some common online business partnerships include:

• Payment processing providers . Partners like PayPal facilitate smooth financial transactions, helping with security and trust. Their extensive integration capabilities with popular e-commerce platforms make them a valuable ally for online businesses hoping to streamline their operations and boost customer convenience. PayPal seller protection  also means merchants can confidently handle disputes and chargebacks, reducing the financial risks associated with running an online business.
• Marketing agencies . Marketing can be a full-time job by itself. Rather than trying to DIY your marketing efforts, consider partnering with a seasoned agency to amplify your brand's presence and attract more customers through strategic campaigns. These experts use their knowledge of current trends and digital tools to craft campaigns that resonate with your target audience.
• Logistics firms . There’s nothing more frustrating than products stuck in limbo, delayed due to errors in customs paperwork, or damaged in transit. That’s why it can be valuable to partner with reliable logistics firms that specialize in the complexities of distribution and supply chain management. With their help, online businesses can ensure timely deliveries and reduce operational headaches, thereby enhancing customer satisfaction and trust.
• Technology providers . From cloud services to advanced cybersecurity measures, technology providers improve your business infrastructure’s robustness, scalability, and security.

When selecting an e-commerce platform, the key is to find one that not only offers essential services but also provides a full suite of integrated business solutions. In this area, PayPal is renowned for its robust capabilities in handling business transactions securely.

By integrating PayPal tools into your store, you provide a trusted payment method that enhances the customer experience – all while paving the way for possible growth and profitability.

Frequently asked questions

What are the biggest challenges for online businesses.

Navigating intense competition and maintaining a strong digital presence are significant challenges for online businesses. Other hurdles include handling customer service, ensuring website security, and effectively using digital marketing to drive traffic and conversions.

What are the essential tools to start an online business?

Key tools include a reliable e-commerce platform, payment processing solutions like PayPal, SEO tools for visibility, and CRM software for managing customer relationships. Additionally, analytics tools like Google Analytics are helpful for tracking performance and making data-driven decisions.

How to choose the right e-commerce platform for an online store?

When choosing an e-commerce platform, consider factors like customization capabilities, ease of use, integration options, and the ability to scale as your business grows. It should support your product types and offer robust customer service and security features as well.

How to find strategic partners for an online business?

Identify potential partners who complement your business strengths and can help reach new markets. Evaluate their reputation, compatibility with your business goals, and the added value they bring. Prioritize partners who enhance your operational capabilities and share similar values and customer focus.

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ONLINE MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

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The GMAT or GRE is not required for admission, making it even easier to take your next giant leap.   Learn more about our admission requirements .

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Earn your MBA 100% online from the Mitchell E. Daniels, Jr. School of Business at Purdue University, a leading STEM institution recognized for the persistent pursuit of innovation and excellence in business and technology.

Get ready to make your mark. Prepare for your next career success — online, on your terms.

Top 10 Most Innovative School

U.S. News & World Report named Purdue among the most innovative institutions in the nation for improvements in curriculum, faculty, students and technology. 1

#9 Best Online MBA in North America

In 2024, the Purdue Daniels school was ranked as one of the best online MBA programs in North America by CEO Magazine 2

Ranked and Respected

Earn a data- and technology-driven MBA from Purdue, a top 10 public university in the U.S. Purdue is also ranked #7 for Best Value, delivering both quality and affordability. 3

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Purdue is ranked in the top 20 for most graduates working at leading Fortune 500 companies. 4 Join our international network of 600K+ alumni making an impact.

About the Purdue Online MBA

Develop the analytical, strategic and problem-solving expertise you need to lead teams and organizations. Learn how dynamic global environments are transforming modern business, and gain the management skills to tackle new challenges, drive change and inspire others. You'll experience an AACSB-accredited, quant-based curriculum that empowers you to ask the right questions while turning data into knowledge.

The Purdue Online MBA Offers:

• Balance: While you can complete your courses online when it’s convenient for you, our program provides 1-on-1 support from staff and faculty who host virtual sessions and office hours.
• Community: Learn from our esteemed faculty in a connected, collaborative online environment, where you still get the full, immersive Purdue student experience. Join Purdue’s worldwide network of students from 135+ countries.
• Growth and Support:  Work closely with a certified Executive Coach from the Career Services Office who provides specialized support in achieving your career goals. You’ll also enjoy 1-on-1 guidance from a Student Success Coach who’s dedicated to your educational and career advancement.

Tuition and Fees

$60,000.00 tuition for Indiana residents, including fees 5

$62,102.40 tuition for non-Indiana residents, including fees 5

$1,000 nonrefundable deposit required 6

Tuition Reductions

Purdue offers tuition reductions and scholarships for the Daniels School Online MBA to select individuals, ensuring that career advancement and personal growth are even more within reach.

For more information, please contact us at [email protected] or 877-491-0224 .

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Apply by: August 1

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Purdue News, Information and Highlights

Stay up-to-date on all that’s happening at Purdue University.

In the News

• Purdue Recognized as a Top Producer of Fulbright U.S. Scholars
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• Former World Bank President to Join Purdue University and Its Daniels School of Business
• Purdue University Receives $100 Million Commitment from Lilly Endowment
• Excellence in Economics: Three Daniels School Faculty Among Exeter Prize Finalists
• Purdue Offers Online MBAs in These 4 High-Demand, High-Paying Industries

Information and Events

• Learn More About the Mitchell E. Daniels School of Business
• Access the Purdue Business Journal
• Check out Daniels School of Business Events

About the Mitchell E. Daniels, Jr. School of Business

Part of a leading stem university.

Purdue’s Mitchell E. Daniels, Jr. School of Business is part of one of the world’s preeminent engineering, science and technology universities. Our graduates are immediately prepared to contribute and possess the leadership skills to advance their careers, initiate progress and innovation in their fields, and build a better world.

Respected Internationally

The Mitchell E. Daniels, Jr. School of Business' faculty , staff, students and alumni push the boundaries of knowledge and together solve the world’s most complex problems every day.

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For the second year in a row, Purdue was named as one of Fast Company’s “Brands That Matter,” a list honoring organizations for cultural relevance, social impact and clear, authentic communication. Purdue is proud to be the sole university and one of only 13 two-time honorees to join internationally recognized brands like Nike, Salesforce.org, Fender and other influential organizations who made the 2022 list. Come experience the Boilermaker brand of business !

What Our Students Say

"My Online MBA classes have immediately paid off in my day-to-day. It's been awesome to see things I learn in my coursework get put to use at work."

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"The Online MBA program offers group work in almost every course, which is where you get the opportunity to learn from your peers and learn about other roles or business industries that are out there."

Amanda Farrer Purdue University Online MBA Graduate, 2022

"What stood out to me about the program was the flexibility. I was working in a position where I was traveling a lot, and since the program is online, I could study from anywhere in the world."

Christian Coakley Purdue University Online MBA Student, 2023

Application Requirements

To be eligible for admission to this program, the following are recommended:

• At least 24 months of work experience
• The equivalent of a U.S. four-year bachelor’s degree
• A minimum GPA of 3.0

Application review emphasizes your work experience, prior undergraduate academic record and professional training. To be considered for the Purdue Online MBA program, you may be asked to complete an interview with the program manager, and you will be required to submit all the items below:

• Academic Statement of Purpose introducing yourself to the Admissions Committee ( view full details )
• Two letters of recommendation
• Personal History Statement ( view full details )
• Professional resume with education, work experience and training
• Official transcripts for every higher education institution attended. Please note: All transcripts and/or academic documents uploaded by the applicant to the online application system are considered unofficial. Please order your transcripts to be sent directly from your institution to the Purdue University Graduate School at [email protected] .
• Interview feedback

The Online MBA is a rigorous program that requires quantitative aptitude. The Daniels School's online programs admissions team will look for evidence of this in your application via previous coursework. If you feel that you do not have sufficient evidence in your previous coursework to demonstrate this aptitude, you may want to consider submitting a GMAT or GRE score to enhance your application. The GMAT or GRE is not required for admission to the online MBA.

Online Application

When completing your application for the Purdue master of business administration online program, select the following:

• Graduate major: Management (MBA)
• An area of interest
• Degree objective: Master of Business Administration (MBA)
• Course delivery method: Distance (online or off-campus location)
• Fall 2024 Term: August 19, 2024 (application deadline – August 1, 2024)
• Spring 2025 Term: January 13, 2025 (application deadline – December 1, 2024)

Transcript Information

• All applicants must upload to the online application transcript(s) and/or academic document(s) for every institution of higher education attended. If a transcript and diploma/degree certificate is not in English, an English translation (certified by the college or university that issued it) must be uploaded.
• The uploaded transcript and/or academic document must be from the official version of the document. An official transcript bears the original signature of the registrar and/or the original seal of the issuing institution.
• If personal identifying information such as a student identification number or Social Security number appear on the document, REMOVE THIS INFORMATION from your electronic version of your document or mark out the information in black ink before scanning your document.

All transcripts and/or academic documents uploaded by the applicant to the online application system are considered unofficial. Please order your transcripts to be sent directly from your institution to the Purdue University Graduate School at [email protected] . The Purdue University Graduate School reserves the right to require official transcripts and/or academic documents at any time during the admissions process.

Letters of Recommendation

• Two online recommendations are required for your application to be received. No more than two recommendations are needed.
• Recommendations will only be accepted through the online application (no paper recommendations will be accepted).
• We strongly urge (but do not require) that one recommendation be from your direct supervisor.
• Recommendations from friends, family members, acquaintances and other sources unable to evaluate professional or academic qualifications for MBA study are not acceptable.
• We require that recommenders submit the recommendations online (instructions to do so are provided within the online application).

Please note that we will not receive your application until at least two registered recommenders have submitted recommendations through the online application.

Required Essays

Academic statement of purpose (2-pages max).

The Academic Statement of Purpose is an opportunity for you to introduce yourself to the Admissions Committee. In your statement, you should share information about your academic background and training, academic objectives and interests, and why you are a good match for the program to which you are applying.

View more information about the application statement .

Personal History Statement

Your Personal History Statement helps reviewers learn more about you and your potential as a graduate student. Your statement may include relevant information about your leadership roles, community services projects, participation in diverse teams, as well as any barriers you’ve had to overcome to attend graduate school.

View details about the personal history requirements .

Personalize Your Degree Plan

It's Your MBA on Your Terms

Design your own plan of study to fit your individual needs and goals. Graduate in as few as two years, or lighten your course load and take more time. For busy adults balancing work and school, it’s important to be able to slow down when you need to — or speed up when life allows.

You can also customize your MBA by choosing from a wide range of courses that best align to your career plans. Want to further hone your expertise? Add a specialization in one of ten high-demand areas, such as Business Analytics, Machine Learning and AI, and Digital Marketing & Analytics.

Additional Daniels School Master’s Programs

Whether you are an experienced working professional or looking to launch your career, Daniels offers a variety of graduate business options designed to suit your background and goals:

• Master of Business Programs
• Online Programs
• Specialized Master's Programs
• Certificate and Professional Development Programs

As Few as 2 Years

Program Length

3 Times a Year

Start Dates

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Learning Format

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Notes and conditions - please read.

1 Innovative Institutions: Source: U.S. News & World Report, on the internet at https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/national-universities/innovative

2 #9 Best Online MBA in North America: Source: https://ceo-mag.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2024-Global-MBA-Rankings-All-Categories-.pdf

3 Top 10 Public University: The Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education, on the internet at https://www.timeshighereducation.com/student/best-universities/best-public-universities-united-states ; #7 for Value: The Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education, on the internet at https://www.wsj.com/articles/college-rankings-list-2022-11632246093

4 Graduates at Fortune 500 Companies: Source: Forbes, on the internet at https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaeltnietzel/2021/09/04/the-universities-with-the-most-graduates-working-at-top-fortune-500-companies/

5 Tuition rate includes fees. Tuition and fees are subject to increase based on approval by the Purdue University Board of Trustees. Financial aid is available to those who qualify.

6 Deposit is applied toward the first semester's tuition upon enrollment.

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• Best Business Plan Software

10 Best Business Plan Software In 2024

Updated: May 3, 2024, 5:15pm

Writing a business plan not only helps you stay on track as you start a new business but it can also help you secure funding. You can create one from scratch with a simple template, but business plan software often has features to make it easier, more nuanced and overall better. It could even make the difference between bringing investors on board and going it alone. So, Forbes Advisor found the best business plan software that has the features you need at an affordable price.

• Best Project Management Software
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• Best Task Management Software
• Best Kanban Software

The Best Business Plan Software of 2024

Forbes advisor ratings, methodology, how to choose a business plan software, benefits of business plan software, frequently asked questions (faqs), next up in business.

Featured Partners

From $8 monthly per user

Zoom, LinkedIn, Adobe, Salesforce and more

On monday.com's Website

Yes, for one user and two editors

$9 per user per month

Google Drive, Slack, Tableau, Miro, Zapier and more

On Smartsheet's Website

Yes, for unlimited members

$7 per month

Slack, Microsoft Outlook, HubSpot, Salesforce, Timely, Google Drive and more

On ClickUp's Website

• Wrike: Best overall
• Smartsheet: Best for goal management
• LivePlan: Best for financial forecasting
• Aha!: Best for roadmapping
• Bizplan: Best for beginners
• IdeaBuddy: Best for ideation
• iPlanner: Best for no-frills business planning
• Enloop: Best for automatic business plan creation
• AchieveIt: Best for consultant groups
• Business Sorter: Best for teams

Best Overall

Starting price

Free; $9.80 per user

Team messaging

Roadmapping

Wrike is a project management (PM) tool that works well as business plan software because it gives you tools to help you gather and compare your data. Wrike makes it easy to start your business plan with its collaboration tools, business plan templates , drag-and-drop interface and goal management features. Another benefit of using Wrike to build your plan is that you see your ideas and goals from multiple views: Gantt chart, calendar or board views.

There are a few reasons why it’s a good idea to use Wrike for your business plan. First, you can map out exactly what your business goals are in a project, invite teammates to collaborate and message business partners to discuss everything. Plus, you can export your data when you’re ready to put all the details into a presentation to hand over to potential investors.

Wrike offers a free plan that’s good for putting your vision down in task and project form, but you may want to upgrade to a paid plan to invite collaborators, get custom workflows and add more views and automations. Paid plan pricing ranges from $9.80 per user, per month, to $24.80 per user, per month, both billed annually.

Learn more: Read our full Wrike review .

Who should use it:

Wrike makes it easy for any new business owner to create a business plan and collaborate with others on the financial and operational goals. Plus, it provides value after you finalize your business plan because it’s a good pick for a PM tool.

• Roadmapping ability
• Multiple views (Gantt, calendar and board)
• Business plan templates included
• Goal management via projects and tasks
• Free plan available
• Affordable plans
• No pitching tools
• No financial tools

Best for Goal Management

$7 per user, per month

(billed annually)

(added cost)

Using PM software like Smartsheet is a good idea for starting a business plan because it includes all the tools you need to collaborate and plan across multiple teams or stakeholders. It’s especially good for real-time goal management. Get your ideas in place, go over market and competitive research from other teammates and finalize everything together.

Smartsheet won’t help you write your business plan, but it does give you a place to compile all the data and then you can use one of its free business plan templates. As you figure out your milestones, you can invite an unlimited number of viewers to see how it’s going. The only downsides are that Smartsheet doesn’t have a native messaging app (you’ll have to use an integration), only commenting allowed and there’s no free plan.

Paid plans from Smartsheet cost $7 per user, per month, or $25 per user, per month (billed annually for both). The low-priced Pro plan limits you to 10 editors, but the Business plan allows unlimited editors (but it also has a three-user minimum).

Learn more: Read our full Smartsheet review .

Smartsheet lets you make changes in real time, so it’s a good option for those who are just starting to piece together a plan and looking for a way to manage ideas and goals before finalizing a business plan.

• Discounts for nonprofits available
• Automations on every plan
• Popular integrations allowed on low-tier plan
• 30-day free trial
• No free plan
• Only 10 viewers allowed on low-tier plan
• Three-user minimum on Business plan

Best for Financial Forecasting

$15 per month

One of the strongest cases for using LivePlan to create your business plan is its financial forecasting. It isn’t just a single feature, rather it’s a tool that lets you turn your balance sheet and cash flow statements into charts, graphs and what-if situations to help you show possible investors the best- and worst-case scenarios for your business.

There are two plans available: Standard or Premium (there is no free plan). The low-priced plan, which costs $15 per month (billed annually), doesn’t limit your contributors or guests and includes instructions to help you complete a business plan. It even includes the financial forecasting features and more than 500 sample plans to get you started.

The Premium plan costs $30 per month (billed annually), but it’s full-featured. You get a milestone planner and industry benchmark data, which can save you research time. Another timesaver: At this plan level, you can integrate QuickBooks or Xero to add your financial data seamlessly.

LivePlan is business plan software that includes prompts and accounting software integrations, making it great for new business owners that want easy financial forecasting.

• Unlimited guests and contributors
• Export finished business plan as PowerPoint presentation
• Includes step-by-step instructions with prompts
• 35-day money-back guarantee
• No free trial

Best for Roadmapping

$59 per user, per month

Every business plan starts with strategy and Aha! makes it easier to map out what you plan to do to get from point A to point Z. Aha! is primarily roadmapping software that product teams use to plan features, products or bug fixes. Any business in any industry can use it to shape ideas and strategy into plans and milestones.

Much like product development, business plans have phases and Aha! is ideal for the first few phases of business planning. Although you won’t find a scorecard feature with Aha! Roadmaps, you can score and prioritize your business vision and goals. Finally, you can present your plan to viewers (stakeholders) before you create your official business plan and secure funding.

There are three plans from which you can choose: Premium at $59 per user, per month; Enterprise at $99 per user, per month; and Enterprise+ at $149 per user, per month, all billed annually. The only reasons to upgrade to either Enterprise plan is if you want to add on automation, development tools and custom worksheets and tables.

Aha! Roadmaps is a great tool to help you strategize and get your ideas for your business in one place. You can use the presentation feature to share your business’s roadmap on your way to creating your finalized business plan.

• User-friendly interface
• Ability to score and prioritize ideas
• Share roadmaps with others
• Expensive for business plan creation
• Has a bit of a learning curve

Best for Beginners

$20.75 per month

Bizplan is specifically for business plan creation. It offers a guided walkthrough of each section you need for a complete business plan to use for funding or pitching to partners. Plug in the information, from your mission and goals to financial forecasts, and Bizplan will do the math and create the visual charts you need to get your point across.

Bizplan is very easy to use because it includes prompts and questions that take away the manual effort of figuring out what you need, so you can simply focus on providing the answers. When you’re satisfied you included all the data needed, you can invite stakeholders and consultants to look it over and add comments for approval or change requests. A unique feature of Bizplan is it gives you access to Fundable, a crowdfunding platform, on which you can share your business plan to try to generate funding.

Monthly pricing costs $29, but you can opt for annual pricing that averages to $20.75 per month. If you expect to need business plan software for much longer than a year, there’s a lifetime access option for $349 flat. All plans come with all features and access, including business courses, business planning tools and a route to investors.

If it’s your first time creating a business plan, Bizplan is a great choice to help guide you through all the sections you need to include in your plan for potential investors and partners.

• Monthly, annual and lifetime plans
• Unlimited business plans
• Unlimited collaborators
• Step-by-step instructions
• Modular, drag-and-drop interface
• Online business courses
• Access to Fundable
• Financial forecasting
• No roadmapping tools
• Lack of customization
• Only integrates with Xero

Best for Ideation

Free; $6 per month

IdeaBuddy is a basic business plan tool that lets you start for free, which is great for beginners who aren’t quite ready to create a plan. The idea plan feature is great because it lets you lay out your business plan on one page, giving you an overview. There are built-in sticky notes for brainstorming and custom templates to start you off with a bit of a guide (or just create your own).

Another great feature of IdeaBuddy is the whiteboard, which lets you drag and drop various elements, draw on it and collaborate with others to come up with your perfect business idea. That feature is locked behind the highest tier, so you’ll have to pay $22 per month (billed annually) to use it. However, that plan also gives you up to 10 collaborators and 10 ideas.

Other plans are more limiting: The free plan is for a solopreneur who has a single idea to work on and the Dreamer plan is $6 per month while the Founder plan is $12 per month, both billed annually. The Dreamer plan is also limited to one idea, but you get one collaborator while the Founder plan gives you up to three ideas and three collaborators. Plus, you’ll get access to the paid plans to export and share your plan with viewers.

IdeaBuddy is just what it sounds like: It’s best for ideation. You can create a full-fledged business plan, but this program is best suited for the very beginning stages of business creation.

• Free forever plan
• Affordable paid plans
• Monthly and annual billing options
• Easy to use
• Export to Word, Excel or as PDF
• Flexible whiteboard feature
• May be too basic for some users
• Doesn’t offer much guidance

Best for No-Frills Business Planning

$55 for one year

Business plan software doesn’t have to be fancy to be effective, and iPlanner certainly fits that bill. It’s been around since 2007 and it doesn’t appear to have updated its look or functions. The browser-based business planning software gives you a place to build out your business model and a business plan.

There are two different software options from iPlanner: Strategy Designer and Startup Framework. The Strategy Designer costs $59 for three plans, but it’s a one-time fee for the year. Choose it if you want a more condensed and no-frills kind of business plan. You can export it to Word or as a PDF.

The iPlanner Startup Framework is $55 per year, which gives you one plan to create. It’s similar to the Designer version, but you can create a business model, separate financials and build a team with various roles (view only, project owner or consultant).

iPlanner is best for those who have created a business plan before and don’t need hand-holding or fancy features.

• Business modeling option
• Samples on site for demoing
• Export to Word or as PDF
• No free plan or trial
• Not a lot of guidance
• Outdated interface

Best for Automatic Business Plan Creation

$11 per month

Enloop is a unique business plan app that generates a business plan for you based on information you provide. You can edit the text Enloop writes for you to make it more specific or change numbers in your financial forecasts as you see fit. Enloop offers a scorecard that updates as you change things, finish sections and make your business plan overall better.

Then Enloop compares your financial forecasts to industry standards, so you don’t have to do the research. The software shows you up to 16 ratios, such as sales, inventory and payables and then shows you what the average is for your industry as it compares to your financials. Enloop then gives you either a pass or fail so that you can modify your plan before you put anything into play.

Although Enloop doesn’t offer a free plan, there is a free trial for one week so you can see if it’s right for you. The Detailed plan costs $11 per month while the Performance plan is $24 per month, both billed annually. The biggest difference between the two plans is how many financial ratios Enloop analyzes: The Detailed plan only gets three ratios and Performance plan gets 16.

Enloop is best for those who have some experience creating business plans, not necessarily for those who are starting from scratch as there are no brainstorming or strategizing tools included. Use Enloop to create business plans quickly.

• Three business plans for each tier
• Generates a business plan automatically
• Compares your financials to industry standards
• Seven-day free trial available
• Scorecards indicate odds of success
• No messaging team members through app
• Not meant for strategizing

Best for Consultant Groups

$80 per, user per month

Not everyone wants to go it alone when creating business plans and consultants are often hired for industry expertise and business plan creation. AchieveIt offers generous plans that won’t limit the number of plans and projects you can create, so you can work on multiple business plans at one time.

Specifically, AchieveIt is planning software meant for medium to large teams to work on projects simultaneously. For business planning, it’s a great option for those strategizing and analyzing a variety of data points with multiple people—all of AchieveIt’s plans have a minimum requirement of 20 users.

Plans are pricey, especially when you consider the user minimum. Core, the lowest-priced plan, costs $80 per user, per month, and Plus is $90 per user, per month, both billed annually. So, it’s going to cost $1,600 per month, at least, which puts this software out of reach for most small businesses.

AchieveIt is a good choice for large businesses that need planning software and for business plan purposes, it makes most sense for established consultant groups.

• Unlimited plans and projects
• Collaboration tools
• Goal management
• 20-user minimum
• Pricier than most competitors
• Integrations at added cost

Best for Teams

Business sorter.

$10 per month

When you’re ready to craft your business plan, it can help immensely to have business planning software like Business Sorter. The cloud-based app makes it easy for you to start a plan and kicks off your business planning with a SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats). Then, you can follow a guide to build your plan with each section divided by areas. After which, you can choose cards to help steer you toward the right objectives and goals for your business.

You won’t find roadmapping tools in Business Sorter, but the card system keeps you on track (and even gives you goals you may not have considered). As you prioritize goals, you’ll find steps you need to take that guide you to completing your business plan. Every plan allows multiple users, so you can collaborate on what takes precedence.

Plans start at $10 per month, billed annually, and allows you to have three users on board. For 10 users, the Medium plan costs $30 per month, billed annually, and if you need 30 users, the Large Team plan will run you $80 per month, billed annually. It’s one of the most affordable business planning apps for teams.

Although Business Sorter doesn’t offer a messaging tool, it’s still one of the best options for teams. You don’t have to pay per person, but you can add multiple people to the account to work on creating business plans.

• Easy-to-use business plan templates
• Free trial available
• Card system helps guide your goal setting
• Create up to 40 business plans
• Plans limit user count
• No messaging in app
• Very limited integrations

Forbes Advisor carefully considered a variety of software to choose the right business planning apps for this ranking. We compared features, ease of use, costs and collaboration. We ranked each company based on these factors using a 5-star rating system. The highest possible score is 5 out of 5 stars.

Here are the details of the factors we considered:

• Features: We looked at general and unique features of each app and gave more credit to software that provides better functionality for business planning.
• Cost: Regardless of your business size, cost is an important factor to consider when you’re adding new software to your tech stack. We awarded a higher score to those that offer free trials, free plans and affordable options.
• Ease of use: Programs that have a steep learning curve aren’t likely to be adopted by you or your team, so we chose software that’s user-friendly. Drag-and-drop interfaces or guidance through features and tools are helpful for any team.
• Customer reviews: An important factor for any software is how the general public views the program. We considered other ratings and studied the pros and cons listed by other users of the software to help us with our ranking.

Technically, you don’t need business plan software, but using it can make the entire experience easier and you’ll have better odds of creating a solid plan. You don’t even have to choose software made specifically for business planning—project management software is great for roadmapping and goal management. Aside from looking for software that includes financial forecasting, you’ll want collaboration tools, a user-friendly interface, affordable plans and ways to brainstorm or roadmap for your business idea.

One of the most important sections of any business plan is the financials. If you haven’t already done the research and calculations, look for a business plan app that automatically calculates these numbers for you.

Collaboration is also key if you’re working with a partner, team or consultants. At the very least, look for software that lets you invite viewers to see the work you’re doing, but the best business plan software lets users leave comments or work on a plan in real time simultaneously.

Ease of use is nearly as important as pricing. You’ll need software you and your team will use without spending too much downtime learning how to use it. It also makes no sense to choose a cost-prohibitive tool for creating a business plan—most of the software Forbes Advisor suggests is appropriate for small business budgets.

Finally, depending on the stage you’re in of business planning, you may want a tool that offers features that make it easy for you to create a roadmap for your business. If you’re in the early stages, these tools can help with brainstorming, prioritizing goals and managing your goals before you finalize your actual business plan.

Most business plan software helps guide you through the creation of a business plan with prompts, suggestions or tips. So, using business plan software is especially helpful for new business owners who don’t know all the sections to include to increase the odds of getting funding or luring a partner to join your operation.

Business plan software can also automate some processes, such as calculations of financials or comparisons of those finances with industry standards. Some business planning apps give you whiteboards or editable cards you can use for brainstorming. Other features may include scorecards to let you know if you’re on the right track or roadmapping tools to give you an overview of your business plan.

The biggest benefit of business plan software is that it helps you organize and prioritize all of your goals so you can more easily analyze and then compile the data you need to create your business plan. After that, you can create your plan from scratch or if you’re using business planning software made specifically for crafting plans, you can piece it all together and then export it as a PDF or to Microsoft Word.

Which business plan software is the best?

Forbes Advisor suggests Wrike, Smartsheet or LivePlan to help you write your business plan. Depending on the stage you’re in of business planning, one tool or another may be better for you.

How do I create my own business plan?

There are several steps you should follow to create a good business plan, but there are different types of plans you can create. Every business plan starts with a strong executive summary and includes your business goals and financial forecasting. Follow a guide on how to create a business plan to ensure you include all the sections needed.

What are the different types of business plans?

There are many types of business plans you can create and the one that makes the most sense for you depends on your situation. A standard business plan is meant for when you need to present to investors or a bank for financial help. A lean plan doesn’t include all the summaries and background information a standard plan does, so it’s more suitable for established business owners. There are also one-page business plans that are more like pitches. You may also run across operational, tactical, strategic and contingency business plans. We created a simple business plan template that you can use to get started when launching a side gig or small business.

Is business plan software secure?

As  with most types of software, the best business plan software programs offer many levels of security. When choosing this type of software, you want to look for security features that include multifactor authentication (MFA), intrusion detection, the monitoring of user activities, documentation that shows frequent security updates and patches, data encryption and privacy protection.

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Amy Nichol Smith spent more than 20 years working as a journalist for TV and newspapers before transitioning to software and hardware product reviews for consumers and small businesses. She has been featured in publications such as L.A. Times, Tom's Guide, Investopedia and various newspapers across the U.S.

MindViewers: Revolutionizing Online Engagement and Information Sharing

MindViewers, a cutting-edge digital platform, is redefining how people interact with news and information by offering innovative tools for commentary, voting, job search, and artisan finding. For more information, visit MindViewers.

London, United Kingdom - June 28, 2024 —

MindViewers, an innovative digital platform, is transforming the way people engage with news and information. Launched by Tormuto Technologies Ltd, MindViewers offers a unique space for users to share their thoughts on current news, participate in polls, find local artisans, search for jobs, and list properties. 

Comprehensive Features and Tools  

MindViewers provides an array of features designed to enhance user engagement: 

• News Commentary: Users can share their opinions on comments on current news today , fostering a vibrant community of informed individuals. 
• Free stories to read: MindViewers has a compendium of short stories to read online for free , from people's daily experiences or something interesting they witnessed. 
• Online Polls: A free online voting tool allows users to participate in and create polls, encouraging interactive discussions. 
• Job Search: MindViewers offers a platform to find jobs online free , connecting job seekers with potential employers. 
• Artisan Finder: Users can find local artisans, promoting small businesses and skilled professionals. 
• Property Listings: A dedicated property listing website helps users find and list real estate, making property searches more efficient. 

Innovative Digital Platform  

MindViewers leverages advanced technology to provide a seamless user experience. The platform's intuitive design ensures easy navigation, while its mobile optimization allows users to access features on the go. MindViewers' integration with social media enhances user interaction and broadens its reach. 

MindViewers stands out in the crowded digital landscape by offering a unique blend of features that cater to a diverse audience. Whether you're looking to voice your opinion on the latest news, engage in meaningful discussions through polls, find reliable artisans, explore job opportunities, or navigate the property market, MindViewers provides the tools you need. 

Building Trust and Community Engagement  

MindViewers is committed to providing a trustworthy space for users to engage with content. The platform emphasizes transparency, accuracy, and independence in its operations. Every piece of content undergoes rigorous fact-checking to ensure reliability and maintain user trust. 

“We believe in the power of community and the importance of informed discussions,” said Ibukun Oladipo, CEO of Tormuto Technologies Ltd. “MindViewers is designed to be a hub where users can engage with each other, share their insights, and access valuable resources. Our platform is built on the principles of trust and transparency, ensuring that users can rely on the information they find.” 

Quotes from the Team  

“MindViewers is more than just a digital platform,” said Ibukun Oladipo. “We aim to create an interactive community where users can engage with news, share their opinions, and access valuable resources. Our goal is to foster a space that encourages informed discussions and connects people with the tools they need.” 

Expanding Reach with Multilingual Support  

Recognizing the importance of inclusivity, MindViewers is expanding its reach with multilingual support. By offering content in multiple languages, the platform ensures that a broader audience can access and benefit from its features. This initiative aligns with MindViewers’ mission to be a global platform for news commentary and community engagement. 

About Tormuto Technologies Ltd  

Established in 2008, Tormuto Technologies is a leading software development and SAAS company based in Nigeria. Tormuto serves as a media parent company, encompassing MindViewers, Schoolviewers, CheapGlobalSMS, UnifiedPurse, and a network of other SAAS platforms. The company's commitment to innovation and excellence has positioned it as a significant player in the digital space. 

Tormuto's dedication to providing high-quality solutions and fostering a culture of integrity and transparency has earned it a reputation for reliability. As a forward-thinking company, Tormuto Technologies continues to explore new ways to enhance its platforms and deliver exceptional value to its users. 

Conclusion  

MindViewers is setting a new standard for online engagement and information sharing. By combining comprehensive features with cutting-edge technology, MindViewers is poised to become a leading platform for news commentary, polls, job searches, artisan finding, and property listings.  

About the company: Established in 2008, Tormuto Technologies is a leading software development and SAAS company based in Nigeria. Tormuto serves as a media parent company, encompassing MindViewers, Schoolviewers, CheapGlobalSMS, UnifiedPurse, and a network of other SAAS platforms. The company's commitment to innovation and excellence has positioned it as a significant player in the digital space.

Contact Info: Name: Ibukun Oladipo Email: Send Email Organization: MindViewers Website: https://mindviewers.com

Release ID: 89133987

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Verizon Frontline showcases advanced communications solutions at TechNet Cyber

BALTIMORE, Md. - Verizon Frontline will demonstrate a number of innovative solutions designed to deliver mission-critical communications capabilities to public safety, government and military agencies during AFCEA’s annual TechNet Cyber event.

Taking place June 25-27 at the Baltimore Convention Center, AFCEA TechNet Cyber brings together leaders from all areas of government to discuss the policy, strategic architecture, operations and command & control — along with the joint capabilities—needed to meet global security challenges and successfully operate in a digital environment.

“Verizon is proud to serve as a go-to digital transformation partner to the federal government and that includes Verizon Frontline’s advanced network and solutions for public safety, government and the Department of Defense,” said David Rouse, head of Verizon’s defense business. “We’re excited to showcase some of these solutions, including THOR, at this year’s conference.”

During the TechNet Cyber, Verizon Frontline will showcase its Tactical Humanitarian Operations Response (THOR) platform, an innovative deployable asset built to provide public sector partners - including the Department of Defense and first responders - with the full range of Verizon Frontline technology. With capabilities ranging from mobile, private 5G ultra wideband, to satellite, to commercial and onboard drone options, to the ability to be operated remotely from a tablet, THOR could be considered the multi-tool of Verizon Frontline assets.

Verizon Frontline is the advanced network and technology built for first responders – developed over three decades of partnership with public safety officials and agencies on the front lines – to meet their unique and evolving needs. For more information, visit our website .

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1. Create Your Custom Business Plan Online

   

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6. 7 Lucrative and Low-Cost Small Business Ideas to Start This Year

COMMENTS

1. 15 Online Business Ideas For 2024

   8. Freelance Writer/Editor. Offering your writing or editing services as a freelancer can be a fulfilling online business opportunity. This could involve writing articles, blog posts, web content ...

2. 25 Best Online Business Ideas for 2024

   Best online business ideas for 2024. Start your own clothing line. Launch a dropshipping business. Sell your art online. Become a freelance writer, designer, or developer. Teach an online course. Flip your thrift store finds. Publish your own book. Start a blog or a newsletter.

3. 41 Online Business Ideas You Can Start in 2024

   LinkedIn is a great place to get started with this type of online business idea, as many professionals look for career help on that platform. 33. Dropshipping. If you don't want the responsibility ...

4. Top 22 Online Business Ideas To Start In 2024

   Top 22 online business ideas in 2024. 01. Blogger. For writers and anyone with a passion or expertise to share, creating a blog might be the right fit. While the definition of what is a blog includes everything from travel journals to specialized industry ones, all blogs share some commonalities.

5. How to Start an Online Business Profitably From Home (2023 Guide)

   Why Start An Online Business From Home. Online businesses can be profitable with low startup costs. The ecommerce market is growing, especially due to COVID-19, offering many opportunities. Some of the richest people in the world got their start with online businesses. With the right business plan and commitment, you can reach customers worldwide.

6. How to Start an Online Business in 2024

   Step 2: Build a financial plan for your online business. Step 3: Create compelling product listings. Step 4: Market your product, drive traffic, and build brand awareness. Step 5: Optimize your online business and plan for growth. Aspiring entrepreneurs have looked for innovative ways to make money.

7. 26 best online business ideas for 2023

   1. Ecommerce: selling goods online. First, let's start with one of the more obvious online business ideas: selling your own products, art, food and crafts. If you have created a genius new product or you're a painter, fashion or jewellery designer, woodworker or even chef, you can easily sell what you make online.

8. 15 Online Business Ideas For 2024

   13. UGC Content Creator. 14. Online Cooking Classes. 15. Affiliate Marketing. E-commerce has seen impressive growth in recent years, e-commerce statistics show. Global retail sales made up nearly ...

9. 36 Online Business Ideas You Can Start in 2024

   Producing a video might be one of the most attractive online business ideas with lots of creativity and challenges. 8. Graphic Designer. Graphic designers are always in demand from small businesses to large multinationals. Starting a graphic design business can allow you to tap into this great opportunity.

10. How To Write A Business Plan (2024 Guide)

    Describe Your Services or Products. The business plan should have a section that explains the services or products that you're offering. This is the part where you can also describe how they fit ...

11. 24 of My Favorite Sample Business Plans & Examples For Your Inspiration

    8. Panda Doc's Free Business Plan Template. PandaDoc's free business plan template is one of the more detailed and fleshed-out sample business plans on this list. It describes what you should include in each section, so you don't have to come up with everything from scratch.

12. How to Come Up with an Innovative Business Idea

    1. Delivery Process. Your business idea doesn't have to be entirely new—it just has to fill a need. If you can identify a more convenient way of delivering an existing service, it could be an opportunity for your business. Uber is used as an example in Entrepreneurship Essentials.

13. The 7 Best Business Plan Examples (2024)

    Marketing plan: A strategic outline of how you plan to market and promote your business before, during, and after your company launches into the market. Logistics and operations plan: An explanation of the systems, processes, and tools that are needed to run your business in the background. Financial plan: A map of your short-term (and even ...

14. 10 Innovative Online Business Ideas for 2023

    StagePass, a platform for virtual concerts, reported a 300% increase in revenue in 2022, demonstrating the lucrative potential of online events. 6. Personalized Nutrition Plans: Nourishing the Digital Appetite. In the age of health-conscious living, personalised nutrition plans are a burgeoning niche.

15. Startup Business Plans 101: Your Path to Success

    Clarify the purpose of your business, your goals and how your startup is uniquely positioned to achieve them. Essential Information to Include. Include details such as your company's legal structure, location and a brief history of any founders or key personnel. Showcase Your Company's Unique Features.

16. 100 Best Online Business Ideas for Beginners

    An easy way to make money is to invest in online business ideas that are already profitable. Buy an existing website, hold onto it for a bit to build it up, and sell it for a profit once it has increased in value. Flippa is a leading marketplace to connect buyers and sellers. 34. Domain Flipper.

17. Create Your Custom Business Plan Online

    1. Create a free Venngage account using your email, Google or Facebook profiles. 2. Select the perfect business plan template from our library of professionally designed templates. 3. Use our online Business Plan Creator to add your information, data and more to your business plan template.

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    More Than A Business Plan Template Claim Your Business Plan. Plannit.ai is an AI-driven business planning platform that helps entrepreneurs, business owners, students and business consultants create professional business plans in minutes. Answer questions about your vision and generate a full professional business plan.

19. How to Write a Business Plan: Guide + Examples

    Most business plans also include financial forecasts for the future. These set sales goals, budget for expenses, and predict profits and cash flow. A good business plan is much more than just a document that you write once and forget about. It's also a guide that helps you outline and achieve your goals. After completing your plan, you can ...

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    A business plan is a written document defining how a start-up or another business will be created or how it will operate. Entrepreneurs and small-business owners usually develop a business plan to create a roadmap pertaining to the financial, operational, and marketing elements of their operations. These components are important to business ...

21. 70 Small Business Ideas for Anyone Who Wants to Run Their Own Business

    Remember, the goal is to start a business for cheap, and a certification can have a high ROI after you book your first few clients for garden design. 3. Travel Planner. The time of the travel agent might be passing, but people are still looking for those with a knack for more nontraditional travel coordination.

22. 5 Best Website Builders for Small Businesses

    Wix. HubSpot Content Hub. Squarespace. SpreadSimple. Now, let's take a detailed look at my picks for the five best website builders for small businesses. To give you a hands-on look at how each website builder works, I'll show you what it's like to build a website for my fictional "HubSpot Cafe" small business. 1.

23. Grow your online business: Tools, tips & integrations

    Strategic partnerships are a game-changer for how to grow your online business. By aligning with the right partners, businesses can enhance their offerings, extend their reach, and improve customer satisfaction. For online businesses, potential partners can include a variety of entities tailored to bolster business operations.

24. What Is Disruptive Innovation?

    Chaturvedi shared his list of the seven traits of a disrupter: 1. Entrepreneurial Mindset. Forbes describes an entrepreneurial mindset as "a way of thinking that enables you to seek out problems others have not solved, create potential solutions, overcome challenges, be decisive and accept responsibility for your outcomes.".

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    Purdue offers tuition reductions and scholarships for the Daniels School Online MBA to select individuals, ensuring that career advancement and personal growth are even more within reach. For more information, please contact us at [email protected] or 877-491-0224.

27. 10 Best Business Plan Software In 2024

    The Best Business Plan Software of 2024. Wrike: Best overall. Smartsheet: Best for goal management. LivePlan: Best for financial forecasting. Aha!: Best for roadmapping. Bizplan: Best for ...

28. Operational Plan 2024-25

    The Operational Plan 2024-25 is a key plan for Toowoomba Regional Council. The Operational Plan translates the commitments set out in the Corporate Plan 2024 - 2029 into annual actions, projects and services that Council will undertake within the current financial year. Council's Strategic and Performance Management Framework depicts the links between the Corporate Plan 2024-29 and ...

29. MindViewers: Revolutionizing Online Engagement and Information Sharing

    London, United Kingdom - June 28, 2024 —. MindViewers, an innovative digital platform, is transforming the way people engage with news and information. Launched by Tormuto Technologies Ltd ...

30. Verizon Frontline showcases advanced communications solutions at

    BALTIMORE, Md. - Verizon Frontline will demonstrate a number of innovative solutions designed to deliver mission-critical communications capabilities to public safety, government and military agencies during AFCEA's annual TechNet Cyber event. Taking place June 25-27 at the Baltimore Convention Center, AFCEA TechNet Cyber brings together leaders from all areas of government to discuss the ...

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Company	Company - Logo	Forbes Advisor Rating	Forbes Advisor Rating	Starting Price	Team messaging	Roadmapping	Learn More CTA text	Learn more CTA below text	LEARN MORE
Wrike		5.0		Free; $9.80 per user, per month	Yes	Yes		Read Forbes' Review
Smartsheet		5.0		$7 per user, per month (billed annually)	Yes (added cost)	Yes		On Smartsheet's Website
LivePlan		4.8		$15 per month (billed annually)	Yes	Yes
Aha!		4.3		$59 per user, per month (billed annually)	Yes (added cost)	Yes
Bizplan		4.0		$20.75 per month (billed annually)	Yes	No
IdeaBuddy		3.9		Free; $6 per month (billed annually)	No	No
iPlanner		3.8		$55 for one year	No	No
Enloop		3.5		$11 per month (billed annually)	No	Yes
AchieveIt		3.4		$80 per, user per month (billed annually)	No	No
Business Sorter		3.2		$10 per month (billed annually)	No	No