Ideas for Small Online Business

A few billions of people worldwide are now using the internet and that number continues to grow by the second. Online spending is rapidly increasing. The field of online shopping offers lucrative returns not only for large corporations, but for many types of small businesses as well.

• Read more: How to Make Money Online

If you are thinking of starting a small online business, there are countless options to choose from. Below are a few authentic ideas that can turn into a successful small online business.

1. Freelance Writer – Bloggers, magazines, newspapers and others-alike are constantly searching for good content for their audiences. You do not have to be a college graduate to become a freelance writer. As long as you can write grammatically correct, helpful, interesting content, you can sell your services. By providing well-written content to paying companies, you can build a lucrative small online business.

• Read more: How to Succeed as a Freelancer

2. Proofreading Services – Many businesses will gladly pay for proofread all their documents. Some people miss their own mistakes so they need a fresh pair of eyes to find their errors. You can be those eyes! You can also add editing to your services as well. Once you find the mistakes, you can then get paid to correct them. Professional proofreaders and editors either charge by the word, page, hour or project. You should set a minimum price for small jobs. There are already established online hubs for freelance services and you can join as many as you can find.

3. eBooks – Selling digital products of all kinds can be a very lucrative business. eBooks have exploded in popularity over the last few years. Digital store websites, such as Amazon and Audible, will rather easily take your orders and deliver them automatically worldwide. With ebooks, there is no need to continually restock on products, monitor inventories and deliveries. One ebook sells many times over. This can be a 100% successful small online business, providing can write.

4. Unique Products – If you are creative and hardworking enough to have invented your own unique product, then selling it online could be the catalyst to your success. You can develop your own online store or you can sell your product via online marketplaces such as Amazon. Using such sites might be a good starting point, but be sure to look into developing your own online store.

5. Virtual Assistant – A virtual assistant is a professional who provides administrative, creative and/or technical help to another business. The skills of such individual are usually widespread and similar to an office manager. A virtual assistant can perform many duties including managing appointments, setting up meetings, customer spreadsheets, billing, newsletters, customer inquiries, etc. The list is virtually endless!

6. Online Event Planner – Start your own online event planning business by helping other businesses plan and promote their online events. These events could include webinars, online classes, online networking events, online fundraising, etc.

• Read more: How to Start a Small Business as an Event Planner

7. Website/Graphic Designer – Designing websites and/or graphics can be a lucrative career, but you must be skilled in the appropriate programs. Be sure you know the ins and outs of web and/or graphic design before jumping into this business.

8. Freelance Researcher – Many businesses need information, facts, statistics, etc. but are unable to do all the time-consuming research themselves. Offer your services at a good price. Take the time to find all the facts needed. Present them in a professional manner and build a reputation as a good solid researcher.

There are many ways to earn a living online, but be sure to do your research on each one you are considering. Take the time to make a business plan and know what you are getting into.

• Read more: Five Good Books on Starting Business

Building a business, regardless online or offline, always requires a great deal of commitment, work and time. Keep this in mind as you are starting and building your small online business.

You may feel frustrated at times, overwhelmed and feel like quitting, but you must turn those feelings into determination and commit to becoming a success!