Many people want to start their own business, whether it’s for financial freedom, to follow their passion, or they simply want to be their own boss. There are hundreds of benefits to starting your own business.
And here’s the good news: There are many easy (and profitable) businesses you can start.
If you’ve always wanted to start a business but aren’t sure what it should be, start with one of these easy business ideas.
Easy Online Businesses
Looking for easy yet profitable small business ideas? Here are some online businesses you can start as a solo entrepreneur with nothing but your laptop.
#1: Freelance Business
By 2027, freelancers will make up over 50% of the US workforce, according to data from Statista.
Get ahead of the pack by starting your freelance business in 2024.
Freelancing is a type of self-employment where you provide services to clients on a project, hourly, or contract basis. Freelancing gives you the independence of a business owner because you get to set your prices and hours and choose which clients you want to work with.
While there are many in-demand freelance skills like graphic design, copywriting, and social media management, you can offer any service you want. You can build a successful freelance business if you market yourself to the right clients.
Easily build out your freelance business website with Durable today!
#2: Virtual Assistant
Do you have excellent organization and communication skills? Consider becoming a virtual assistant.
Being a virtual assistant is a great business idea for anyone who can multitask, keep themselves (and their clients) organized, and likes working on different types of projects daily.
Set up a professional website and dedicated social accounts so clients can find you and learn how you can assist them.
#3: Consultant
If you have specific industry expertise, consider starting a consulting business. Consultants advise clients on high-level strategies, processes, or solutions to improve their business.
Credibility and specialization are essential for a consultant. Set up a website highlighting your career achievements, resume, and expertise. To get your first clients, turn to your network to get connected to the right people.
#4: Coaching
If you like the idea of working with clients one-on-one, consider coaching.
This can be a profitable one-person business as there aren’t many costs involved with starting or running the business. According to the 2023 ICF Global Coaching Study, the average annual revenue for a coach in North America is $67,800.
Life coaching isn’t the only coaching option. You could also be a business coach, wellness coach, career coach, or even an executive coach.
#5: Blogger
Whether you want to be a food blogger, travel blogger, or share personal finance tips, a blog is a great outlet. Choose a topic you’re passionate about, then start writing and sharing.
A few ways to monetize your blog include affiliate marketing and partnering with relevant brands to create sponsored posts. However, if you want to turn your blog into a business, you need to generate decent traffic. While it takes time to generate traffic to your website, the more blog posts you write, the better chance you’ll have at capturing search traffic.
A good way to speed up the content creation process? Embrace AI. Use a tool like Durable’s AI Blog Builder to generate dozens of blog posts to have an active blog up and generating traffic within minutes.
Home-based Businesses
Here’s a list of businesses you can start from the comfort of your home.
#1: Pet-sitting or Dog-walking
Are you a dog lover? If you’re experienced with animals, you can easily start a pet-related business like pet-sitting or dog-walking.
Building trust with dog owners is the key to starting a dog-sitting or walking business. People love their dogs, so they need to know you’re someone they can trust with their furry companions.
Start by offering to watch your friend or neighbor’s dog, then grow your clientele through word of mouth. Don’t forget to collect testimonials for your dog-walking website to demonstrate your credibility and expertise.
#2: Sell Handmade Items
If there’s a certain craft you like to make in your free time, why not try your hand at selling it? Maybe you love to quilt, or you enjoy making beaded necklaces. Whatever craft or handmade item you’re skilled at creating, you can quickly start selling on a marketplace like Etsy or by sharing your creations on Instagram and TikTok.
Don’t forget to come up with a catchy name for your business!
#3: Home Bakery
Do you love to bake? An easy home business you can start today is a bakery. From vegan cupcakes to giant cookies to decorative cakes, there’s a variety of baked goods that customers crave. As long as you put your own creative spin on it, you can turn your baking hobby into a business.
#4: Cooking Classes
Cooking is an essential life skill. In fact, 39% of millennials wish they’d learned to cook in school. If you have experience in the kitchen, whether professionally or as a passion, you can start a business teaching cooking classes.
If you want to keep your business local, you can invite students into your kitchen for an intimate cooking class. Or, if you want to reach a wider audience, you can teach online with live or pre-recorded classes.
Check out how Jessica Dennis used Durable to help skyrocket her business, Little Cooks Clubs.
#5: Sell Used Goods
According to ThredUps’s 2024 Resale Report, the global secondhand apparel market is growing three times faster than the overall apparel market. As more people are drawn towards secondhand shopping, now is a great time to get into the business of selling used goods.
Start by cleaning out your closet to find items to sell. After you’ve priced each item, use a marketplace like Mercari, Poshmark, or eBay to start selling. The more you sell, the more you’ll understand what customers want, and you can carve out a niche for yourself within the secondhand market.
Service-based Businesses
If you like to help people and prefer to work with your hands, service businesses may be a good avenue for you. People will always be in the market for things like gardening, cleaning, and personal training, making for an ideal company if you can offer those services.
#1: Cleaning Services
People are busy, and sometimes, cleaning the house is on the back burner. If you can take a load off by helping people keep their spaces tidy, start a professional cleaning services business.
Whether you clean clients’ homes and offices yourself or hire a team to help, you'll need a professional website for your cleaning business to attract clients and let them know about your services.
#2: Tutoring
If you have a teaching background or are an expert on a subject like math, science, or reading, consider starting a tutoring business.
To start a successful tutoring business, decide which subjects or grade levels to focus on. You’ll also need to set up a website for your tutoring business that demonstrates your expertise, credibility, and the results you’ve helped students achieve.
#3: Personal Training
Do you have a fitness background or a personal training certification? Start a personal training business.
To attract clients for your personal training business, focus on a certain aspect of personal training, such as weightlifting. You can also focus on a target market, such as people who are beginners in the gym. Having a niche can help you stand out among other personal trainers.
#4: Event Planning
From weddings to baby showers to business conferences, there are many types of events that people need help planning. If you have experience coordinating events on a large or small scale, put those skills to use by starting a business as an event planner.
#5: Landscaping
Every homeowner wants their house to have curb appeal. That’s where a landscaper comes in.
Whether you want to focus on landscape design, gardening, or lawn care, there will always be demand for landscaping businesses.
As you design your landscaping website to attract clients, remember to include a gallery of beautiful yards you’ve worked on to show off your skills. With Durable, you can import your photo gallery with a click of a button.
#6: Bookkeeping
Another easy small business idea is bookkeeping. Depending on where you live, you may need to be a certified public accountant (CPA) to start a bookkeeping business.
However, if you have an accounting or tax preparation background, you can help clients with their accounting software, manage expense reports, and file taxes.
There are plenty of small business ideas out there, but the best business for you is one you’re passionate about.
Figure out what you have experience with, what the demand is like, and who your customers are, and you can start a business in just a few steps in 2024.
Ready to start one of these easy business ideas? Build your business website in one click with Durable’s AI Website Builder.