Online business is no longer a thing of the past or something that is out of reach for most. It’s THE most popular form of business these days, both because it’s usually fairly cheap to get going and because the internet is where people hang out, shop, and look for info.
In years past, you had to set up a brick and mortar store for most of these businesses, where you had to pay rent, employees, for storage, inventory, etc. While you still will have to pay for some of these things in online business, it’s gotten so easy to set up shop quickly, efficiently, and get started making money.
For many people that are looking to make extra cash, or even start a whole new career, you’d be a fool not to investigate the possibilities of online business. They are endless.
Here are a few of some of the most popular.
- Dropship business– Much can be said about the dropship business and all that it has to offer. You pick products from a distributor, such as AliExpress.com, SaleHoo.com, or Doba.com. You set up your own website, with your own prices for the products and drive traffic to it. Once a client places an order, you place the order with the drop shipper and they ship the product to the customer. Big advantages- you set the margins for profit, and have more control. Biggest Disadvantages- you are customer service for the product, you must set up your own website, must pay for all your own advertising.
- Affiliate Marketing– Affiliate marketing is very comparable to drop shipping, with a few key exceptions. The affiliate company, say Amazon.com, set the price, and you receive a commission for what is sold. This can be only a small fraction of the item cost. Biggest Advantage- no need for full site, you can direct to Amazon from landing pages, no customer service for the product. Biggest Disadvantage- small margins, you direct the customer to their site, so no idea about customer redirection.
- MLM jobs– Multi-Level Marketing jobs have been around forever! Pyramid schemes were very similar, although MLM jobs are completely legal. And there’s plenty of money to be made. Think haircare (Monat), skincare (Usana), cleaning (Melaleuca), weight loss (Isagenix). Many of them do have a startup cost, but most, if not all, do not require you to carry inventory. You make a portion of your sales, and then of your downline (those you sign up who end up selling), it can be quite lucrative, especially if you get in early. Biggest advantage- low startup, usually no inventory Biggest disadvantage- people can get irritated with constant marketing, and usually sales will fall off with time
- Blogging– My personal fave of the list has to be blogging! Nowhere else can you start a million dollar company with just your computer and ideas. It’s so great and so much fun. Oh, and TON of work. It’s not quick money, it takes time and dedication. But if you have something you know a lot about, are good at, or even something you want to learn about, you can blog. There’s plenty of great classes, (link to starting a blog), and great info all over the internet on how to start.
- Youtube Video– This is something that has always intrigued me. These people, lots of them are kids, that have super successful Youtube channels and are making tons of money. But how? Well, a few different ways. Most are making some sort of money selling, services/products. But there’s also money to be made with youtube advertising. While, like blogging, it can take a while, if you’re diligent and enjoy being in front of the camera, it’s a great option.
- Webinar/Ebooks/Classes– I love this idea, because basically it takes your skills, knowledge, puts it into a form that can be monetized and then sells it to those that are interested. What this does take is technical knowledge though. You must learn how to produce an ebook or a webinar, or put together online classes. But never fear, there are resources, (include link), to teach you. Take all that knowledge in your head and make some cash!
- Develop An App– I don’t personally know much about developing an app, but I do know about web design. Apps are clearly technical in nature, but they also take time and money to promote. This isn’t for the faint of heart, it takes dedication and know-how.
- Buy and flip domains– I have always thought this seemed like such a strange job, but you know what, it isn’t! Domain squatters have taken to buying domains, sitting on them, and then selling them to users or on auctions to new users. I didn’t figure you could make much money doing this, till I did some freelance work for a farm who was using the .org of their name. They really wanted to do a redesign of the site and acquire the .com of their name, which someone was squatting on. The domain was listed with a company that I contacted. On first glance, they quoted me $900 for the name! Yikes!!! We eventually settled on a price, (roughly half), and we were on our way. So they did have fees, like the yearly hosting fee, and they had to pay a commission, but they made some good cash, doing nothing but sitting and waiting. Pretty smart if you ask me!
- Sell on eBay– Selling on eBay is a time trusted way to make extra cash. You can sell virtually anything you can think of on eBay. Set up a store, list your items for sale, collect the money, and ship them out! My own mother has sold stuff on eBay for close to 20 years. She often would buy stuff at garage sales, Goodwills, anywhere she could find them. She usually made, as just a side job an additional $1000-$2000 year. It is a labor-intensive job, requiring a lot of time to take pics, list, and ship, but there’s money to be made. Especially if you find a niche.
- Virtual Assistant– This is a wonderful job for all those that have any skills whatsoever!! Truthfully though, if you can work on a computer and have some skills, whether it’s clerical, design, technical, sales, you name it, you can find work. People everywhere are looking for help. VA has become so popular because they are easier and cheaper to hire than another employee. Try out sites like Fiverr, Upwork, and TasksEveryDay for more info.
Never let it be said that if you have a dream, you can’t find a way to achieve it. For many of us, making a living online can seem like a, just a dream. But the reality is, it’s a profitable, fun way to make money. It takes time, patience, and skill, but it can be done. There is a plethora of information out there, including tutorials, training, and guidance. So don’t be afraid. Jump in and take the plunge, it could change your life!
