A lot has changed in the last few years. We’ve faced a worldwide pandemic which caused a major shift to remote work and a more home-centered existence. We’ve also seen worldwide supply chain issues and an economy that is a bit haywire because of it. For the budding entrepreneur, however, nothing has really changed: it is always just a matter of identifying opportunities, leveraging resources, and applying whatever skills are at hand.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at some great online business opportunities in 2023 that mesh with marketplace opportunities, are inexpensive to start up, and may require skills you already have. In most cases, all you need is a good website and some old-fashioned gumption.
1. Influencer
This is a legitimate, viable, and often lucrative career path for those who have a knack with social media and content creation. Influencers make money in a variety of ways including sponsorships, affiliate commissions, and online ad revenue. Having a good website and keen understanding of web marketing are the keys to financial success here. We even wrote a blog about Influencer Marketing earlier this year!
2. E-commerce – Handmade Items and Crafts
Selling products online may seem impossible with the 800-pound gorilla (Amazon) in the room, but there are incredible opportunities out there – including selling on Amazon. Our pick for the easiest to get started, however, is in selling handmade items and crafts. Start out on platforms like Etsy or eBay, but work on having your own website to build brand recognition and keep ownership and control over your destiny.
3. Customer Service/Tech Support
Few jobs are geared for remote online work as much as customer service and tech support. The key here is to make it a business rather than a job. Setting up a website to sell your services as an individual professional or agency is the key to making the jump.
4. Virtual Assistant
With so much of our lives taking place online, a virtual assistant can be a great asset to a person or business in need. Virtual assistants are often freelancers who work part time or temporary positions, so having a website and online presence is the key to growing your virtual assistant business.
5. Online Fitness and Health
There are always opportunities in the health and fitness industries – the stumbling block is competition. The key to success here is finding a niche or putting a unique spin on an aspect of fitness or health. Branding is key in not only establishing a footing, but achieving long term success.
6. Tutoring/Coaching
Tutoring and coaching have always been a great online business, but with so much of our lives becoming virtual, there has never been a better time to start a business in these fields. If you love working with people and have expertise in a subject, are fluent in a language, or have had some life experiences that could bring value to people’s lives, this may be the path for you!
7. E-commerce – Digital Products
Unlike selling physical goods like the aforementioned handmade goods and crafts that you either have to buy or make individually, selling digital products offers nearly unlimited profit possibility since you only have to make the product once. Examples of digital products are ebooks, images, sound effects, music, and patterns for clothing, crafts, and 3-D printing. The key to long term success is branding!
8. Writing Services
Online writing is an incredibly diverse topic, including freelance writing, editing, ghost writing, technical writing, and blogging. The critical point here is that good writers are always in demand no matter what the specific type of writing. The key to success is building a name for yourself and having a solid website to promote yourself from.
9. E-commerce – Reselling
Unlike the above, this entails buying items, then reselling them for a higher price. This works best with either bulk items that you’ve gotten a deal on, or one-of-a-kind items that a buyer could never find their own. If you have a flair at finding good deals or recognizing rare and valuable objects at your local thrift store, then this may be a viable business option for you!
10. E-commerce – Drop Shipping
Yes, yet another E-commerce business opportunity! What sets drop shipping apart is that you don’t actually ever handle the goods nor do you have to invest money to buy inventory. You are basically selling goods for an importer or manufacturer and they ship the goods to the buyer when the transaction is complete. While this can be very lucrative, the key to success is avoiding scams and doing your due diligence.
Hopefully, one or more of the above ideas have stirred your enthusiasm. In practically all the options above, we strongly recommend branding yourself right away and having a solid website that you can drive traffic to – even if you are selling on another platform. The reason is simple – you want to have ownership and control over your business at all times. Online platforms change their fee schedule and terms of service constantly, so driving business to your own website ensures you have a degree of immunity from this.
If you need help with a website or a marketing plan for your new small business, please give us a call at (941) 548-9950 or fill out our webform. We are your Tech Partner!
