35 Profitable (and Fun) Home Business Ideas You Can Start Today

30 of the best home business ideas

• I want to help people

  If you love to help others, especially by improving their mental, physical or emotional wellbeing. Caring home business ideas.

• I like organising behind-the-scenes

  If you enjoy being a part of the background operations in a business. Admin home business ideas.

• I want to do something creative

  If you’re looking for a career as well as a creative outlet, and you have an eye for designing, creating, and taking an idea through to production. Home business ideas for creatives.

• I'm a big people-person

  Best for you if you’re persuasive, and thrive in jobs involving lots of interacting with people. People-person home business ideas.

• I like advising, teaching and sharing knowledge

  Best for you if you enjoy reading and writing, you can teach, inform or offer your professional knowledge to others. Informative small business ideas.

• I like working with technology

  These online business ideas if you’re skilled in the use, design and administration of digital technology. Home business ideas in tech.

Home business ideas that help people (or animals)

• Pet grooming (or pet sitting and dog walking)

  While pet sitting and dog walking involves much lower startup costs, the earning potential is also lower for pet sitters. On the other hand, you can make good cash as a groomer. Invite pet owners to drop off their furry friends to you or offer home visits. Remember that all grooming equipment will need to be supplied by your business. Get started with an animal care course.

• Family daycare provider

  Offer parents the opportunity to place their kids in a safe, homely environment while tackling other life responsibilities. Please note that your home must meet the Australian government’s Family Daycare Requirements and Regulations to operate as a legal daycare provider, and you’ll need a Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care.

• Naturopathy service

  Provide clients with the guidance, education and services required to achieve overall wellbeing. A home-run naturopath business will most likely need a mix of online and in-person contact. You may need to offer home visits to perform alternative therapies, coupled with virtual check-ins and education sessions. Find naturopath training.

• Massage therapy

  De-stress, de-knot and help the wellbeing of your clients. You can either set up an at-home studio or run a mobile service and perform home-visits. Find a massage course.

• Online counselling service

  This business idea relies heavily on good computer skills to conduct most of your work over the phone or video chat programs. Offer the same supportive experience as an in-person counsellor, while allowing your clients to stay in the comfort of their own home. Get trained in counselling.

After the Pandemic, Your Small Business Idea is Still Worth it —
Here’s Why

Admin home business ideas

• Virtual Assistant (VA) service

  Complete administrative tasks for other businesses or professional individuals, such as emails, scheduling meetings, and digital filing. This business requires you to be tech-confident!

• Bookkeeping service

  Offer bookkeeping or accounting services to businesses or individuals from the comfort of your own home. Once again, confidence in the relevant software required for these professions is necessary. Luckily, there are plenty of flexible online bookkeeping courses.

• Florist

  Create, design, package and deliver stunning blooms to your clients from your at-home florist. This business idea requires you to have a supporting website or social media presence to connect with customers.

• Travel agency

  Help your clients design, book and organise their dream holidays by offering an online service. This business requires you to be tech-savvy in your customer communication and researching skills. Check out travel & tourism courses.

• Website management or administration

  Update and maintain the back and front end of business websites from your home computer! All you need is backend access to the relevant platforms to help others keep their online presence in tip-top shape. To get your first experience, you can always volunteer your time to a nonprofit or community organisation.

• Airbnb hosting

  Are you lucky enough to have a spare room in your home and live somewhere close to popular travel destinations? Airbnb hosting can be a relatively easy way to generate income. Once you’ve decorated the room attractively, you’ll just need to keep up with communications and house cleaning. Some hosts contract a house cleaning service to make life easier.

• Dropshipping

  Sell goods online, like t-shirts or home decor, without a storefront or inventory by working with a supplier who will dispatch individual items to order. You can even use print on-demand services to add custom prints or logos before they ship. Using Amazon or eBay is common, and digital marketing skills will benefit you.

Make Money with Drop Servicing: How To Get Started

Creative home business ideas

• Sell your crafts on Etsy, Shopify or social media

  Design, create, sell, package, and send handmade goods — like ceramics, jewellery, soaps or candles — all from your living room. You choose the design, the price, and how much you sell. Etsy and eBay have long been mainstays for crafty sellers. However, you may actually have more luck reaching people on Instagram, and you can now sell directly from your page. For some crafting inspiration, check out Maker's Market.

• Multimedia design service

  Design and create workable products within your speciality for other businesses. Multimedia designers work with videography, animation, social media and illustration. Explore courses in digital media.

• Photography business

  Start your home photography studio and attract your type of client as a freelance photographer! To make this work, you’ll need a high level of skill behind the camera and some business savvy. Remember to create an eye-catching portfolio to show potential clients. Read more about professional photography careers here.

• Freelance writing

  Make an enjoyable living as a creative copywriter and content writer. You’ll work on writing projects with in-house marketers and other small businesses, crafting impactful writing that conveys a specific message.

• Freelance writing

  Make an enjoyable living as a creative copywriter and content writer. You’ll work on writing projects with in-house marketers and other small businesses, crafting impactful writing that conveys a specific message.

• Freelance graphic design

  Freelance graphic designers often work on multiple jobs simultaneously. You will need an eye-catching portfolio to attract potential clients and a computer with all the relevant programs required to get the job done. If you’re a beginner, might want to get started with small jobs on platforms like Fiverr and Upwork. Find the right design course to get started.

• Social media manager

  Help small businesses thrive by steering their social media so they can connect with the right audience. You could spend your time develop influencer campaigns, create content and report on performance. Compare your study options for social media marketing courses.

6 Things Small Business Owners Wish They’d Known

People-person home business ideas

• Boutique real estate agency

  As a licensed real estate agent, you can register your home-run boutique real estate agency as a sole proprietorship. Complete all the administrative duties from the comfort of your home office, while travelling to meet clients at locations as you see fit. Find a real estate course.

• Recruitment consultation service

  Help companies find suitable candidates for their vacancies as a short-term contracted recruitment consultant. Just follow the company’s brief and get researching!

• Online personal training

  Give your clients the power of fitness anytime, anywhere as an online personal trainer. Provide video call consultations, video exercise sessions, and programs all from your computer or phone. Read more about setting up an online personal training business.

• Freelance online sales representative (IT enterprise software)

  Work for several businesses as a freelancing sales representative. Answer customer questions online and via the phone to better help everyone understand the provided product or service.

Best knowledge-based small business ideas

• Online teaching or tutoring

  Support people through their education journey from kids through to adults. Choose your speciality and get teaching. Find education courses.

• Affiliate marketing

  Help businesses raise awareness to boost product sales by generating more web traffic. This one’s a great one to start small (you could even use a credit card for the low upfront costs) and scale up by reinvesting the profit. Digital marketing skills are essential for this type of business. Read more about affiliate marketing.

• Content marketing management

  Content marketing is in high demand, yet many businesses find it hard to pull off. Help drive business’ content marketing efforts, which usually include running a blog, but may also encompass social media or email. You can work solo or bring on multiple freelance writers to head specific content creation that you oversee for your clients Explore marketing short courses.

• Translation agency

  Have a knack for languages? Become a translator for companies and individuals who need help deciphering important documents or communicating with important clients in languages other than English.

• Business consultancy

  Provide your expert advice in your areas of expertise to businesses small and large. Contracts can be short and long term.

• Transcription agency

  Aid companies (usually in the legal or medical field) clearly and accurately transcribe important videos, recordings and live events for their records and future use.

• Host a podcast

  Share your thoughts online, interview interesting people in your space, and add to the conversation on a topic you care about. Earn money through fan support on Patreon.

• Create online courses

  In almost every field, from professional-level skills to hobbies, people want to learn online from an expert — could that be you? If you’ve got the know-how, it’s easier than ever to turn it into an online course. Many platforms and companies are designed to help you do just that, like Skillshare or Podia.

Tech home business ideas

• Computer programming business

  Write and test code for your clients to ensure their applications and software run optimally. Knowledge of numerous coding languages is imperative. Get started with a programming course.

• Website design service

  Combine web and graphic design to create an on-brand, user-friendly product for your client. Functionality and aesthetics are central to a successful job as a web designer. Some web designers find success working with specific WordPress templates. Find a web design course.

• SEO specialty agency

  Take the hard work out of showing up in search engines for businesses of all sizes. Increase your clients’ web ranking, functionality and traffic by improving their SEO tactics.

• Data entry specialist (sole trader)

  Organise, clear and shift companies’ paper data to a usable digital source. Knowledge of numbers and digital tools are imperative for starting this service. Read more about affiliate marketing here.

• UI/UX design service

  Work with companies and businesses to perfect the user interface of their digital presence, whether that be in app development, websites, or software. Customer interactivity and user- satisfaction are essential for modern companies to stay ahead of the curve, and your service helps them do this.

Why is a home-based business a good move?

• Be your own boss

  You set your hours, business structure, and workload so work-life balance can be a priority again.

• Save money

  Minimal to no travel expenses or time wasted commuting to and from an office, and potentially less need for expensive childcare.

• Do it your way

  You can be as creative as you’d like in your approach to your work. You will attract customers that suit your methods.

• Lower overheads

  Startup costs are often much lower, allowing you to build a profitable business sooner without having to recoup a lot of money. You won’t need a storefront — just somewhere quiet to work in your own house.

• Affordable marketing

  Marketing doesn’t have to be expensive, either. Your primary marketing channels will be word-of-mouth and referrals, and intelligent use of online platforms.

How do I start a home business?