7 Online businesses to try in 2019

Having an online business is quite possibly one of the greatest ways to make a living. The laptop lifestyle allows you to create an income with just a computer and a phone, and is a freedom like none other. It’s a ton of work, don’t get me wrong, but you get to forgo a commute, office politics, showers…

When you have a work from home job, you’ll certainly put in more hours than you’d ever imagine, but the ability to work from your home office, kitchen table, coffee shop, local library, etc., is what attracts most people to the laptop lifestyle. If you are still trying to find that online business idea, maybe to supplement your income or get you fully out of your 9-5, here are a few to consider.

Digital Traffic Manager

Digital marketing is a lot bigger than just social media. Brands are looking for quality traffic, awareness and exposure. While that includes social media, it also includes guest blogging, press, content creation and the like. This takes a lot of skill and organization to manage it all and that’s why companies are looking for help. If you are savvy, you can create a strategic plan to drive traffic to someone’s website beyond just SEO.

eCommerce Store
Having an eCommerce store has become easier thanks to drop shipping and it’s big business. (Psst… Wayfair is a drop shipping website and they are killing it.) Platforms like Shopify, Oberlo and AliExpress make setting up your online store a breeze. The key then is to drive a lot of traffic to your website and optimize for conversion.

Website Creation
With platforms like WordPress, SquareSpace, Shopify, etc., creating a website is easier than ever if you have a little tech savvy. You don’t have to know how to code in order to learn one of these platforms and set up websites for companies. Creating a website for a business is really selling time. It’s not anything that they can’t do themselves, but most lack the time to learn. Get good at a couple of these platforms and sell speedy websites.

Ghostwriter
Content marketing is really important to most online businesses and the creation of that content can be daunting. If you have some background in SEO and are able to write smart, compelling articles – companies will pay. Most content writers charge 10 cents per word, so a 3000 word article would garner you $300. Get a few clients and write a few articles a week and you’ve got a sweet little hustle.

eBook Author
Do you like to write? Self publishing can be a very successful venture if you are disciplined to pump out a lot of content. James Scott Bell writes a ton of fiction books, but also a ton of books about how to write fiction books. Not only is he making a living on writing books, but also how to write books. You most likely have knowledge you can share – self publishing is a great way to make something once and get paid over and over again.

Bookkeeping Service
If you are good with numbers, you are my hero. A lot of business owners hate this part of their business and love to pass it to someone who loves it. If you are great with numbers and super organized, you should have no problem finding clients.

Online Workshops/Classes 
Online courses are fabulous, but online workshops are getting really popular. Access to you for a block of time is really valuable to a workshop attendee. Neville Medora, founder of Kopywriting Kourse, does this a lot to better serve his students and make a great profit. Offering a specific time to be online forces people to actually show up and take in what you’re teaching as opposed to an evergreen course that can be taken at any time.

It’s important to note that none of these online businesses will work without customers – you must learn how to market your online business, become a student of marketing and brand yourself.