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17 Great Online and Offline Business Ideas For Beginners in 2023
Choosing to go into business for yourself can change your life in countless ways. Whether you’re looking to supplement your income, quit your 9-5 job, or achieve financial freedom, there’s a wealth of business ideas for beginners that you can pursue.
While starting a business may seem daunting, the rise of the digital age has made it easier than ever to get your foot in the door. And if you’re not technologically inclined, there are offline business ideas that have stood the test of time.
These 17 business ideas are perfect for beginners, requiring minimal investment and offering the potential for great returns. So read on, get inspired, and take the first steps towards starting your own successful venture.
Top Online Business Ideas For Beginners
Here are the best business ideas for beginners who want to be able to run their newly established asset online:
1. Blog (Or Make Videos) About Something You Have Expertise In
Blogging is a great way to share your knowledge and passion with the world while also making money. It’s simple to set up a blog using platforms like WordPress or Squarespace, and you can monetize it through various means, such as advertising, sponsored content, and affiliate marketing.
If you want to go a step further, you can also create video content on platforms like YouTube and monetize it through ads and sponsorships.
From coming up with faceless YouTube video ideas to starting a personal vlog, the possibilities are endless.
To decide on the best niche for you, consider the following:
- What topics are you knowledgeable about?
- What do you enjoy talking or writing about?
- Is there a market for this content?
Choose a niche that you’re passionate about and create valuable, engaging content to attract an audience and generate income.
Then, it’s time to learn the nuts and bolts of the craft, and there are plenty of blogging resources and YouTube resources to get your great business ideas off the ground.
2. Become an Affiliate Marketer
Affiliate marketing involves promoting other people’s products and earning a commission for each sale made through your unique referral link.
There are many paths you can take to become an affiliate marketer, including:
- Joining Affiliate Programs: Join programs like Amazon Associates, Clickbank, or Commission Junction to find products to promote.
- Creating a Review Website: Build a website where you review and recommend products in your niche.
- Utilizing Social Media: Use platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter to promote affiliate links.
- Writing Product Reviews and Guides: Write helpful blog posts or reviews of products with your unique referral link.
Affiliate marketing is a great way to make passive income and can be combined with other online businesses for even more success.
If you want to start an affiliate blog, The Authority Site System is a great all-inclusive program that teaches you how to create a website, optimize it for search engines, and monetize it with affiliate marketing.
3. Teach a Course Online
Platforms like Teachable make it simple to design, market, and sell your online courses on a global scale. It’s one of the best business ideas for beginners who have learned skills in the professional world that others could benefit from learning.
To get started building an online course, follow these steps:
- Identify a topic that’s in demand or solves an issue for your target audience.
- Structure your course content effectively.
- Use various channels, such as social media and email marketing, to promote your course.
Online teaching is a very lucrative business opportunity if you have a skill that others are looking to learn. You can create courses in anything from photography and cooking to marketing or coding.
With the right marketing strategy, you could earn a significant income from this business idea.
4. Sell Products Online With Print-On-Demand Companies
Starting your own small business doesn’t have to be complex. Print-on-demand services like Printful make it easy to sell custom-designed goods, from t-shirts to phone cases, without any inventory hassles.
When you work with print-on-demand companies, your products are printed, checked for quality, and shipped from the service’s facilities.
You can use online marketplaces like Etsy for handmade items or Amazon FBA for physical products. For a more proprietary option, you could set up your own Shopify online store.
This is a perfect small business idea for graphic designers who can translate their skills into merchandise a target market will want to buy.
If you start with a solid business plan, this business is scalable as well, since you’re outsourcing production and shipping.
5. Write and Publish Books Through Kindle
Looking for a great business idea that combines creative writing and entrepreneurship? Consider self-publishing through Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), a popular online money-making method.
Here’s how to start:
- Find Your Niche: Choose a genre or topic you’re passionate about.
- Outline Your Idea: Create a detailed outline to guide your writing process.
- Write The Book: Dedicate regular time to writing, focusing on content over perfection.
- Edit And Revise: Refine your work post-draft, considering external feedback.
- Design Your Book Cover: Create an engaging cover, hiring a graphic design freelancer if needed.
- Publish Your Book: Use KDP to publish your eBook and paperback.
- Promote Your Book: Leverage marketing strategies to reach readers.
6. Become a Virtual Assistant
Want a successful business where you help others from the comfort of your home? Consider becoming a virtual assistant – one of the best small business ideas for those eager to work remotely. Here’s how:
- Identify Your Skills: What can you offer? This could include email and social media management, customer service, and more.
- Promote Yourself: Build an online presence via a website or social media to attract potential clients.
- Find Your Clients: Target small business owners, entrepreneurs, and solopreneurs who need your services.
- Set Your Rates: Determine your pricing based on your experience and industry standards.
Virtual assistant work is a great bridge to a consulting business or even an agency with time, patience, and improvement as you gain experience and confidence.
Here’s some info on the best virtual assistant jobs for beginners and where to find them.
7. Break Into Freelance Writing
Freelance writing is a good business idea because there are so many ways to monetize writing, from starting a resume writing business to submitting articles to publications.
Here’s how to launch your freelance writing business:
- Showcase Your Work: Create a portfolio on your website or social media to attract potential clients.
- Find Your Niche: Specialize in topics or industries you’re passionate about.
- Connect with Others: Network with local businesses and fellow writers to find opportunities.
- Pitch Your Ideas: Approach websites, magazines, and companies within your niche with your article ideas.
With patience, quality work, and solid connections, you can turn freelance writing into a profitable career.
It’s one of the best business ideas for beginners who want to work for themselves but don’t want the chore of setting up an entire blog and directing traffic to it.
Check out our article on the best sites for freelance writers to find gigs.
8. Start Buying and Selling Stuff Online
Buying and selling products is an excellent way to make money online with a bit of an initial investment, whether you’re using marketplaces like eBay or creating your own e-commerce store.
To get started:
- Choose Your Market: Identify the best-selling products in a specific niche.
- Identify Suppliers: Research manufacturers and wholesalers that can supply your desired products at competitive prices.
- Set Up Your Store: Create an online store on platforms like Shopify, or use a marketplace like Amazon or Etsy.
- Promote Your Products: Use social media and email marketing to reach potential customers.
This is one of our favorite small business ideas that can be profitable with the right research, marketing strategies, and sourcing processes. Start small and reinvest profits for growth opportunities in the future.
9. Start an Audiobook Narration Business
If you love reading and have a great voice, an audiobook narration business may be the right small business idea for you.
Here’s how:
- Invest in Equipment: Get a good microphone, headphones, and audio-editing software.
- Hone Your Skills: Practice reading aloud to perfect your delivery.
- Choose Your Genre: Find which book genres you enjoy narrating.
- Connect with Production Companies: Approach platforms like ACX, Findaway Voices, or Author’s Republic.
- Promote Your Services: Use social media and freelance platforms for marketing.
This great business idea could evolve into a full-time venture with the right connections and portfolio.
And consider learning how to make money on Audible for an easy way to get started.
10. Work as a Bookkeeper
Bookkeeping is a lucrative business idea if you’re good with numbers. Here’s how beginners get started in this field:
- Gain Experience: Work for a local accountant or bookkeeping firm to enhance your skills.
- Promote Yourself: Use a website, social media, and business cards to draw in clients.
- Set Your Rates: Price your services based on industry standards and what you offer.
- Invest in Software: Use accounting software for efficient management of business finances.
- Deliver Quality Service: Provide superb customer service and accurate reports.
This business idea allows you to manage personal and business finances from home, offering a unique niche opportunity. Here’s more info on starting your bookkeeping business.
11. Start a Social Media Management Business
Looking for a flexible, high-demand online business idea? Consider becoming a social media manager. Here’s your game plan:
- Showcase Your Skills: Create and maintain your own social media accounts to display your expertise.
- Promote Your Services: Use your social media presence to advertise your social media management services.
- Find Clients: Network on platforms like LinkedIn or reach out directly to small business owners.
As a social media manager, you’ll help businesses grow their brand by managing their social media marketing. With the increasing importance of social media in business and digital marketing, your services will be in high demand.
Top Offline Business Ideas for Beginners
Looking for small business ideas that let you be your own boss without being online all the time? Here are some of the best offline business ideas for beginners to consider:
12. Offer Tutoring Services
Tutoring is one of the best small business ideas for academics who want to share their knowledge with others. Tutoring is commonly practiced in two ways:
- Offline Tutoring: Offer private or group tutoring services in person.
- Online Tutoring: Use platforms like Skype or Zoom to offer virtual tutoring sessions.
You can even tutor offline but create online courses to scale your business and reach more students. It’s a great hybrid model with a lot of flexibility. It’s an especially great side hustle for teachers.
13. Start a Dog Walking Business
Are you an animal lover seeking the best small business ideas? Here’s how to start a dog-walking business:
- Get Experience: Volunteer at a local animal shelter and help out with friends’ pets before you execute your small business idea. Ask them for references.
- Establish Your Brand: Develop a logo, website, and social media presence to advertise your services.
- Market Your Business: Utilize flyers, word-of-mouth, and social media to attract clients to your own business.
Consider expanding into other small business ideas by offering grooming or training services.
With pet ownership on the rise, this business idea could be your ticket to owning a profitable and enjoyable venture.
You can find more info on how to start a dog-walking business in this step-by-step guide.
14. Start a Catering or Meal Prep Business
Those with a passion for cooking and meal planning may consider starting a catering business or meal prep business. This small business idea allows you to:
- Work alongside an event planning business to curate meals for groups
- Cater out of a food truck business
- Host exclusive dinner parties
- Prepare meal plans for families
- Cater to specialized dietary needs
With busy lifestyles and the increasing popularity of meal prep and catering services, this small business idea has a lot of potential for growth.
Start small with 1 or 2 clients and expand your base over time, hiring support or a consulting business to help scale. Here are some great catering business name ideas to give you inspiration for your branding.
15. Get Started with Airbnb
Starting a bed and breakfast business is one of the best business ideas for beginners who have spare space in their homes. And Airbnb makes it easy for you to find customers with a mere internet connection.
You can rent out a room, an entire home, or even offer unique experiences to travelers. You’ll need to make a few adjustments to your rental space:
- Decorating: Make the space comfortable and stylish for guests.
- Setting Up Amenities: Add essentials like Wi-Fi, toiletries, and kitchen supplies.
- Managing Bookings: Keep your calendar updated and communicate with guests to ensure a smooth stay.
If you don’t have your space, consider looking into Airbnb arbitrage. This hands-off method is great for creating a successful business that creates passive income. Check out this Airbnb Course to learn how.
16. Try Purchasing a Vending Machine
Did you know that Warren Buffet’s first small business idea that took off was a vending machine venture? It’s a great alternative to a real estate business model while allowing you to generate passive income in other business locations.
Here’s how to start a vending machine business:
- Research Locations: Find high-traffic areas such as malls, offices, and schools where vending machines are in demand and negotiate a space with a property manager.
- Invest in Machines: Purchase or lease vending machines that suit your niche (e.g., snacks, drinks, coffee).
- Manage Stock: Keep track of inventory and restock regularly.
Vending machines may require some initial investment upfront but can be a low-maintenance and profitable business. Check out our article on how to start a vending machine business for a full guide to getting started.
17. Offer Repair and Maintenence Services
Got handyman skills and considering a lucrative business venture? Start a repair and maintenance service.
- Find Your Niche: Provide plumbing, a landscaping business, property manager, electrical, appliance repair, or general handyman services.
- Connect With Suppliers: Build relationships with local suppliers for discounts on supplies.
- Promote Your Business: Use word-of-mouth, flyers, and social media to advertise.
This is one of the business models that allow you to be your own boss, set your own hours, and use your excellent customer service skills. Take a look at our full article on how to start a handyman business for all the info you need.
With constant demand from homeowners and businesses, this could be your ticket to a steady income stream.
The Bottom Line: 17 Online and Offline Business Ideas For Beginners
There are many business ideas for beginners to consider, and it’s important to choose one that aligns with your interests and skills. It takes hard work, dedication, and some risk-taking to start a successful endeavor.
But the rewards of being your boss and creating something from scratch make it all worth it in the end. Explore different business ideas, do market research, create a solid business plan, and put in the effort to make it a success.
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A Buddy’s Franchise is Built for Success in a Recession Resistant Industry
For decades, Buddy’s has built its business in a recession resistant and essential industry that keeps growing. Since 1961, Buddy’s has worked every day to provide rent to own furniture, appliances and electronics that you can own Faster For Less. Today, Buddy’s operates over 300 Franchise and corporate locations nationwide.
3 Benefits of owning a Buddy’s Home Furnishings franchise:
- Established brand with over 60 years of industry presence.
- Recurring revenue model from rent-to-own services.
- Comprehensive support including training, marketing, and financing.
Buddy’s Home Furnishings franchises offer an opportunity for entrepreneurs to operate businesses providing rent-to-own home furnishings, electronics, and appliances. With over 338 locations, Buddy’s has a proven business model benefitting from decades of brand recognition and a robust rent-to-own market. Click Here to to learn more about Buddy’s Home Furnishings.
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Key Facts:
- Minimum Initial Investment: $375,650 – $797,540
- Initial Franchise Fee: $39,900
- Liquid Capital Required: $200,000
- Net Worth Required: $750,000
- Veteran Incentives: 20% off the franchise fee.
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How Small and Medium Businesses Can Help Their Communities by Innovating with Cloud Technology
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
The term small and medium businesses (SMBs) belies the sizable contribution these organizations make to economies and employment markets. According to the World Economic Forum, “Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which represent around 90% of all firms globally, provide roughly 70% of all employment and, by some estimates, contribute to up to 70% of global GDP.” They are also embedded in their communities, delivering innovative products and services that play a crucial role in accelerating economic development.
However, doing all of this while remaining competitive requires SMBs to perform a fine balancing act between three key goals. They must accelerate speed to market for their products and services, they must build customer trust and at the same time, they must work to reduce costs. So, how are these small but mighty SMBs doing it? And — more importantly — how can they make it easier and do it better? The answer, supported by a recent report from Accenture, lies in adopting cloud services and technologies.
Related: 4 Reasons Business Leaders Need to Accelerate Cloud Adoption
Leveraging cloud tools to unlock billions in benefits
The report estimates that by 2030, cloud-enabled SMBs in healthcare, education and agriculture will have unlocked $161 billion in productivity gains. These cloud-enabled SMBs will support 95.8 million jobs, equivalent to 8% of the total employment on average across the 12 countries studied. Meanwhile, SMBs in these sectors in the U.S. stand to gain a predicted $79.8 billion, a 26% increase in current productivity benefits. Within cloud computing, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) are expected to have the most significant effect: 78% of businesses surveyed identified these technologies as the most significant in creating societal impacts in 2030.
Many businesses have already migrated services and computing to the cloud. Approximately 63% of all U.S. businesses (and 44% globally) now utilize cloud technology. Most of these will be large enterprises with the digital savvy and resources to make the move. This means there are many SMBs that are, therefore, missing out. First, on being able to achieve that fine balancing act between the three key goals. Second, on the opportunity to build on current achievements and continue to spearhead positive change across communities and economies.
By utilizing on-demand services and products, SMBs will gain access to the kind of tools and approaches historically restricted to large enterprises. This means they can capitalize on emerging trends by being first to market with new products (addressing key goal number one). They can also deliver secure, high-quality products and services, protect customer data and provide reliable customer support to help build customer trust (addressing key goal number two). Finally, as a result of introducing more efficient processes and better resource allocation and supply chain management, they can streamline operations and ensure they’re financially resilient (key goal number three).
Related: How to Revolutionize Your Supply Chain by Harnessing the Power of Smart Technologies
AI, ML and advanced adoption
The OECD’s definition of cloud adoption levels includes basic adoption, such as web-based email services or cloud-based storage solutions, and intermediate adoption, such as customer relationship management or enterprise resource planning tools. The average rate of basic adoption in the countries surveyed in Accenture’s report stands at 44%, and that of intermediate adoption hovers at 19%. There is clearly a large proportion of SMBs that are missing out, yet it’s in the adoption of advanced technologies that the greatest untapped gains lie. Within this third level of cloud adoption, the OECD includes the likes of AI and ML tailored for sophisticated tasks. The average advanced cloud adoption rate is currently 13%, yet 78% of respondents to the report identified AI and ML as the technologies that will have the most transformative impact on societies.
To realize that vision, this gap must be closed. As it becomes so, what can we expect to see and experience in critical sectors by 2030? In education, SMBs could help make learning more accessible and provide personalized content and individualized feedback to students. In healthcare, they could enable more medics to analyze results more accurately and synthesize high volumes of data for R&D: generative AI is expected to play a role in the development of up to 30% of all new drugs by 2025. In farming, we would see a greater uptake of AI and ML technologies for precision, data-driven agriculture, which uses fewer resources and yields greater results.
Reducing costs, enabling scalability and gaining expertise
This vision and the prospect of adopting cloud technologies will be significant for many SMBs that will understandably want to start small. Fortunately, the nature of the cloud supports this. Instead of investing heavily in new infrastructure, SMBs can use cloud services and virtualized resources on a pay-as-you-go model. Shifting from traditional fixed costs to a variable costs model means organizations only pay for what they use — which can be scaled up and down to meet demands – reducing running costs and freeing up capital. Starting small also means working with a cloud services provider that understands the needs of each SMB it works with and offers tailored support and training.
Of course, just because we start small doesn’t mean we can’t think big. In terms of migrating to new cloud technologies, SMBs should adopt a whole-of-business cloud migration strategy and draw on the knowledge and expertise of other organizations that have already made the move. For businesses operating in any market, these benefits will be attractive — especially to their bottom line. Finally, achieving this vision for 2030 can’t be attained without the buy-in of other markets and sectors of society. Moving towards this goal — and leveraging the cloud technologies required means continuing coordination between governments, educators and other industries.
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AT&T CEO Calls On Google, Meta, Apple To Pay For Subsidies
AT&T wants the seven biggest and most profitable tech companies, namely Apple, Amazon, Alphabet, Meta, Microsoft, Nvidia, and Tesla, to help subsidize Internet and telephone access in the U.S.
AT&T CEO John Stankey said on Monday at a telecoms forum that big tech companies should be required to contribute to the Universal Service Fund (USF), a federal program that spends $8 billion a year on phone, Internet, and other telecommunications services.
The fund supports lower-income customers, customers who live in rural areas, or those who reside in high-cost areas. It also brings internet and phone service to eligible schools and libraries.
“The seven largest and most profitable companies in the world built their franchises on the internet and the infrastructure we provide,” Stankey said, per a Reuters report.
“Why shouldn’t they participate in ensuring affordable and equitable access to the services of today that are just as indispensable as the phone lines of yesteryear?” he added.
John Stankey, AT&T CEO. Credit: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images
As a telecommunications company operating in the U.S., AT&T is required to contribute to the USF.
The fund takes a percentage of AT&T’s revenues, starting at 15.5%.
AT&T charges its customers a Universal Connectivity Charge based on the USF percentage — so at the end of the day, AT&T’s customers pay an additional cost that goes towards the fund.
“In the competitive industry we are in, we cannot afford to absorb the costs associated with the USF that have been imposed on AT&T,” a company webpage reads.
Related: AT&T CEO Reveals Cause of Mass Outage, Offers Account Credit
Stankey isn’t the only AT&T executive to recently call attention to the USF fee. Earlier this month, AT&T executive vice president of federal regulatory relations Rhonda Johnson wrote that the company’s USF contribution percentage was now 34.4% — and had remained at above 30% for the past four quarters.
Johnson wrote that Congress should expand the USF’s sources of funding to “tech companies – like Meta and Google – that utilize consumer broadband connections.”
These big tech companies have profited from having Americans online and should also contribute to a reformed fund, according to Johnson.
Related: AT&T Customer Data Leaked to ‘Dark Web,’ Millions Affected
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