Starting a business is a dream for many would-be entrepreneurs, promising financial security and independence. We’ve compiled a list of the best online small business ideas to assist you in starting your own online business and trying to gain the flexibility and freedom that comes with it. None of these online business ideas require a physical storefront, and some only require you to provide a service rather than a physical product.
Video Production Business
The initial investments in this biz are a basic lighting setup, wireless microphones, one to camera module (and lenses), and editing software such as Adobe Premiere or Final Cut Pro. To save money on the initial investment, look for the used versions of some of this equipment. To get started you can use online video maker tool like Pictory AI or few Vidnami alternatives to get started with videos.
You could offer to manage graduation and wedding videography as well as create video content for companies’ YouTube channels. While ones project options aren’t limited, specialising in a niche can help you stand out in a crowded market.
If your video shooting and editing skills aren’t quite up to standard, you might want to target smaller businesses that are more concerned with keeping down costs than with getting Hollywood quality. Nonetheless, I would make certain you have a firm grasp on some of the fundamentals. Even the most seasoned TV production crews seem to struggle with good lighting – and what a difference good lighting can make! Background music can also make a significant difference.
To get good references has first work to display on your website, do an outstanding job on your first assignments. What if you began before you got your first client? Showcase some of your personal videos, as long as they are suitable. Also, make a professional-looking short video to advertise your own services and use it as your calling card.
To attract customers, you’ll have to ramp up your digital marketing, just like the other businesses on this list. Because this is a competitive business, you’ll want to develop a specialisation and a unique twist to your business as you develop your business plan.
Coffee Shop/Tea Salon
A profitable and enjoyable business is a coffee shop or tea salon. However, given the current level of competition in this field, you should carefully consider this venture before getting started. Working hard and being nice to customers is not enough to ensure success.
In at least one important dimension, your coffee shop/tea salon must stand out so strongly from the competition that potential customers will walk right past it to patronise your establishment. Will you serve specialty coffee? Will you provide outstanding pastries? Will your interior design be especially welcoming? What is your strategy?
Then you’ll need a fantastic location. A great location isn’t always a cute little shop that’s vacant or a large space that can be had for a bargain. You need traffic in this business. Lots of people. Also desirable is foot traffic. Before you lease a space, I recommend that you personally go over there and count how many people pass by during key times of day.
Diesel Cafe in Somerville, Massachusetts, is one of the most successful independent coffee shops in the area. This large and busy coffee shop has an eclectic atmosphere that complements the hip/collegetown vibe.
They also have a good selection of food, such as avocado toast, bagels, sandwiches, salads, and smoothies. The nearby Dunkin Donuts and Starbucks, in my opinion, only get a fraction of the business that Diesel Cafe does.
eBay Selling Service/Trading Business
I’m obsessed with model trains, so I’m always looking for used items on eBay. I frequently purchase from eBay sellers who run their own businesses.
These eBay sellers photograph the items, create eBay listings, and coordinate packing and shipping. They may charge a commission or a flat fee to sellers. They have no inventory and no risk of items not selling because they only pay the seller after a sale is made. As a result, it’s a great, low-risk way to make money.
To get started selling on eBay, start by listing some of your own unwanted items. Expand to include family, friends, and friends of friends. Start promoting your service with digital marketing to expand further.
Trading, or buying and selling items, is a completely different eBay business. The key is to develop a niche, learn how to price things, and then buy cheap and sell at a fair market price.
It may take some time to truly master a trading business. So, when you’re first starting out, be careful not to overpay or invest in products that don’t sell well. However, you can make a lot of money on eBay by trading items. For example, one of my friend’s sons made enough money trading items on eBay during high school to pay for his entire college tuition at Bentley College – a four-year private college with a hefty tuition!
Custom T-Shirt Business
Is it possible to make a decent living selling custom T-shirts? You certainly can! After college, a friend of mine, Jeff Jacober, started a custom T-shirt business. He made $20 million in sales per year. Then, when he turned 40, he sold the company and made enough money to buy a sailing yacht and cruise around the Caribbean for a year, as well as buy an aeroplane and invest in several new business ventures.
Custom T-shirts are ideal for selling online, but they can also be sold locally. Even if you plan to focus on your local market, you may want to save money on a storefront and try running your business from home at first. Local businesses, social groups, and sports teams could all be approached.
T-shirt printing can be learned in minutes. I know because I used to print T-shirts for my softball team, The Dark Horses, when I was in college. If you’re feeling particularly lazy, you can even outsource the T-shirt printing and concentrate solely on sales and customer service. However, I recommend that you spend some time learning how to print them yourself.
You could, of course, sell your own designs instead of doing custom T-shirts. This is a riskier strategy, but the rewards are enormous! I met the Jacobs brothers, Bert and John, who started the Life Is Good T-shirt company with $78 and 48 T-shirts.
They had trouble selling their T-shirts on college campuses at first. To save money, they lived in their van. They eventually settled on the name “Life Is Good” and have since grown their business to over $100 million in annual sales.
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3 Comments
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