5 Online Business Ideas

If you’re anything like I was, you have been searching for different ways to start an online business and break free of the 9 to 5 grind to live a lifestyle that allows you to be more present with your family while still bringing home the bacon, whether that be working from home or having the freedom to travel the world knowing that all your business needs to survive is a laptop and an internet connection!

Well, the good news is that in today’s digital world there are plenty of ways to achieve this and plenty of information and resources out there to help you achieve it. Once we break the mindset of the traditional 9 to 5 brick and mortar business model and understand where we are in the evolution of society and technology, we can begin to see the very real possibilities the internet age has brought us.

There are many reasons why someone would want to look at starting their own online business instead of the more traditional ways. For me, as mentioned above, the motive behind this was trying to find a way I could still earn an income working from home that would allow me to spend more quality time with my young family and live a lifestyle where I was around to spend those precious moments with my young son instead of being stuck in an office and commuting 2 hours a day.

Other motives can include:

Whatever your motive is, here are 5 modern and popular online business.

We all have skills and abilities that we might not consider to be anything special and some we do, but to someone else, even the skills we have that we take for granted may be of use. In fact, someone else may even be prepared to pay you in exchange for your skills or knowledge on a one-off basis. This is basically what freelancing is, taking odd jobs that you can pick and choose yourself. There are various sites out there these days that act as a hub for this kind of thing such as, , the aptly named Freelancer, and the very popular Upwork.

Be aware though that on these sites you need to bid for the jobs available, but the lowest bid definitely does not always win. A major factor in a successful bid is how you present yourself in your profile, past recommendations will also help as you build momentum.

Ah, my personal favourite, Affiliate Marketing is the modern digital version of the timeless business model of getting paid a commission for selling other peoples products. It gives you a platform to recommend the products you use yourself and that you truly believe in to deliver value. Affiliate Marketing can be a very rewarding and fulfilling way to get paid, knowing that the products you recommend are in line with your core values and interests.

To become effective in this business model you need to learn the skill of marketing online itself. There are various search engines and social media platforms around today where you can place ads. This is a lot easier said than done as each platform will have its own tricks and compliance rules you will need to learn so sticking with one platform until you get good at it is a smart idea. The skill of marketing online is an extremely transferable skill that will also benefit you in the business models listed below. There are many sites and people out there that can help teach you this skill but make sure you always do your due diligence and research before choosing any one person or group.

Dropshipping is where you list and sell products through your online store while never actually needing to hold any stock of the item what so ever. Ever heard of Aliexpress? It’s not just a great marketplace to buy many products at a very cheap price but it can also act as a connection between you and a supplier who will ship the item directly to the buyer for you as the orders come in leaving you to collect the mark-up you have put on the item as profit. To make it even easier, there are websites out there now like Shopify that help you to create your online store and Oberlo that plugs into your Shopify storefront and acts as a bridge to your Aliexpress suppliers.

About the only downside to dropshipping is the typical 2 or 3 week delivery times it takes for the item to be shipped from China to wherever in the world the customer is but as long as you make your customers aware of this then it shouldn’t be a problem.

Now if the downside to the above was the long delivery times then this option solves that problem while also capitalising on Amazons well known fast delivery. The “FBA” in Amazon FBA stands for “Fulfillment By Amazon”. What this means is that while also leveraging Amazons existing website, trust and customer base as your storefront, you use Amazons warehouses called “fulfilment centres” to store your pre-purchased stock which will also be packaged and shipped for you per order without you ever physically having to see the product.

While this definitely solves the problem of longer than typical delivery times it also has a few downsides (if it can be called that) such as needing the initial capital to pre-order stock and fulfilment and storage fees charged by Amazon but, it will definitely get you right out there in front of the potential customer so it’s all a trade-off.

Blogging is not something that will generate an income for you quickly as it takes time to build up the momentum of trust and to get ranked high enough in the search engines for people to actually find you but, it is a great way for people with very little capital to get starting on something that will, with enough persistence and nourishment can pay dividends in the future.

It works by creating your own website with an application such as WordPress (don’t worry, it’s very easy these days), choosing your niche or area of expertise and creating consistent and valuable blog posts, ideally a couple of times a week. With enough persistence, you will draw enough organic traffic (which means traffic that was not paid for via ads) to your website where you can then begin to monetise your blog by showing ads and product reviews. It also fits hand-in-hand with Affiliate Marketing.

Well, there you go, 5 different ways you can start your online business today by leveraging the digital world. No matter which path you choose to go down you will always achieve your goals faster by leveraging a mentor or community that can help show you the ropes, answer questions and get you where you want to be more quickly and efficiently.

It really has never been easier than right now to start an online business and create the lifestyle that you desire. As society progresses forward, we will see more and more digital entrepreneurs turning their dreams into reality while also doing something they are truly passionate about.

Want to know more? These videos I’m sending you will expand on two of the popular business models mentioned above and give you are real sneak peak into their structure and how you can start your own online business today!