10 Genius Online Small Business Ideas to Start from Home

Thousands of businesses have had to close this year, either temporarily or permanently. If you’re in this camp, you may be wondering what to do next. 

While a pandemic is nothing to celebrate, like every crisis, there are opportunities out there if you know where to look. Take the market for PPE—it’s expected to hit $9 billion by 2027. Other industries are forecasting explosive growth too. 

Want to tap into the opportunities? You’re in the right spot. Below, you’ll find 10 online small business ideas you can start now plus a few ways to get going. Even better? Our community of 5 million experts weigh in on the choices. 

The best business to start during these times is a home-based business.

Bob Risler from Bob Risler Marketing points out. Couldn’t agree more, Bob. Let’s go.

What is the best online business to start in 2020? 

Before we jump into the small business ideas list, you might be wondering if it even makes sense to start something new in 2020. After all, it’s a shaky time to kickstart a new venture. 

But actually, a crisis might be the perfect time to start a business. In fact, some of the biggest companies we know today came about in tough economic times, reports the NYTimes. As in Disney, Microsoft, Slack, and Uber, just to name a few.

Here’s why: 1. Less competition and 2. new customer needs, says Rashmi Menon, a budding entrepreneur at the University of Michigan’s Zell Lurie Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies, in the NYTimes piece.

“...whatever changes we face, positive or negative, bring up new customer needs. And customer needs are at the core of any business.” 

The key is to be strategic about your industry and your operations so you set yourself up for success. And that’s why online businesses are the way to go.  

Jeffrey DeSocio of AIMC Business Solutions suggests:

Start an online business and focus on a diverse set of products or services that people need no matter the economic state we're in.

 Great advice, Jeffrey.

Now that we know it’s possible to start a new gig, the question is what industry to go after and how to actually start an online business from home.

10 Online Small Business Ideas You Can Start from Home

Here are some easy ideas based on where the markets are headed now and our members’ insight. Bonus? A lot of these take advantage of skills you already have, which means you can start setting up your successful home business today.

1. Freelance writer or content marketer

What you’ll do:
If you’re a good writer who’s created online content for your own or others’ businesses before, it might be time to turn it into a lucrative gig. Businesses need writers for everything from blogs and white papers to emails and landing pages.

Why this is a great business to start now:

• Pre-crisis, about 60 percent of businesses used content marketing to help them find new customers. 
• The content marketing market is anticipated to grow by $269 billion by 2024, thanks in part to the pandemic.

In short, businesses need people who can write good content, and that demand is increasing. You can be at the center of it.

How to get started:

1. Review your writing including blog posts, social media outreach, community engagement, emails, ads, website copy, and so on.
   
2. Compile all of your best samples into an online portfolio using a free service like Journo Portfolio or Wordpress.
   
3. Create a profile on freelance sites like Upwork, Fiverr, and freelancer.com. Depending on the platform, you can apply for available jobs and get going.
   
4. Reach out to your network to see if they have opportunities for you or if they know someone who does. And don’t forget to connect on Alignable. After all, word-of-mouth referrals are important in every business.

“The more visible a business is online, the more potential customers [they’ll] reach. And that is the value of great content marketing,” says Dusan Agbaba, CEO & Owner Komdigit Agency.

2. Online music tutor 

What you’ll do:
If you made your living as a musician pre-crisis, you’re dealing with canceled performances and little business. But you can use those skills to teach instead. Not a professional before? Turn your hobby into a profitable business. 

Why this is a great business to start now:

• Professional musicians turned to teaching when the crisis hit, and for good reason: People have time on their hands and a desire to create.
• Music to Your Home, a service in NYC and online, reported a 20% increase in online lessons compared to last year.
• The demand for music teachers is expected to go up by as much as 8% within the next couple of years.

How to get started:

1. Professional musicians: Head over to Maestro Match and fill out an application to start teaching now. 
2. If you’re new, try uploading a few videos to YouTube and advertising a more complete course on your website. 
3. Reach out to your local school district to see if they can help you connect with students.
4. Check out this guide on how to start a music tutoring business from home.

“With technology like Zoom, Piano Marvel, video lessons, Marco Polo, etc., my students are actually progressing faster and having more fun! It's a great time for music education despite all of the crazy, difficult things going on.” says Michelle Robinson of Michelle Robinson Piano Lessons

3. SEO Consultant 

What you’ll do:
This profitable home business idea is all about helping clients get new customers, revenue, and visibility via ranking on the search engines. If you have search engine optimization (SEO) experience and results to back it up, give SEO consulting a go.

Why this is a great business to start now:

• Businesses are relying on digital marketing to get through the crisis, and organic traffic pays off big time.
• 76% of small business owners are investing in SEO, social, and other digital tactics since the start of the pandemic.
• SEO is cheaper than PPC marketing, which might make businesses more likely to try it.

How to get started:

1. Get your portfolio and resume in top shape: Focus on results. Highlight things like ranking for competitive terms, generating leads, increasing organic traffic, and bumping revenue.
2. Consider starting an SEO blog to showcase your industry knowledge and to test tactics.
3. Use your network: With so many types of businesses moving online, opportunities are everywhere. See who needs help in your network.
4. Check out this complete checklist to starting an SEO business for more info. 

“Services like SEO are in high demand as merchants move more products, services, and reputations online by refreshing pages, updating functionality, and linking with social media,” says John Marshall of Beyond Business Solutions Payroll & Payments.

4. Business Consultant

What you’ll do:
If you’ve run your own successful small business, you probably know some tricks of the trade that can help others. Consulting lets you use your skills to help other businesses set a plan, devise strategies, develop skills, and grow.

Why this is a great business to start now:

• Businesses have to pivot to keep up with the pandemic, which means they need help with business strategy and new skills. 
• If you have experience taking businesses online, you’ll be in demand—online sales are up 55% from January to June compared to the same period last year.
• Before the pandemic, business consulting was expected to grow 2.2% from 2011-2023.

How to get started:

1. Figure out your niche: Are you skilled at business development for retail stores? Or maybe B2B online services is more your thing? Whatever it is, get specific about where you can best use your skills.
2. Look for opportunities in industries that are growing in today’s economy.
3. Check out this guide on how to start a consulting business for more ideas.

5. Social Media Marketer 

What you’ll do:
If you’ve run successful social media campaigns for your business or even your own personal brand, you could jump into the world of social media marketing. You’ll build followings, brand recognition, leads, and loyalty—all from the comfort of your home.

Why this is a great business to start now:

• The need for social media consultants has been rising over the past few years—but with COVID, it’s spiking even more. 
• Social media spending grew from 13.3% in February to almost a quarter of budgets in June, suggesting that businesses are relying on social more than ever.

How to get started:

1. Prep your stats: Get ready to show potential clients results of your social efforts either personally or professionally. Provide data on your following, how it’s grown, what revenue you’ve generated, most popular and engaging posts, and more. 
2. Polish up your social: Make sure your own presence shows just how much you can do. 
3. Study up on new platforms and techniques.
4. Take a look at this guide on how to start a social media consulting business for 6 steps to get you off the ground.
   
   

6. Web Designer 

What you’ll do:
There’s no better time than now to take advantage of your web design skills. You can use them to create top-notch online experiences for any business—large or small. 

Why this is a great business to start now:

• More businesses than ever are jumping online, due to the pandemic. In fact, a quarter of small businesses reported upticks in their use of online platforms the last week of August.
• The web design industry is expected to grow 8 percent from 2019-2029.

How to get started:

1. Be prepared to show your work: Whether you have a huge portfolio of clients or you’re just getting started, gather up examples of what you can do so new customers get a sense of your style.
2. Make sure your own site is top-notch: Your site is a sample of your work, so go all out with user experience and design elements. Don’t have one yet? That’s okay—GoDaddy is offering free websites for all small businesses. Take advantage now.
3. Dig into this guide for more on setting up your web design business. 

“Clients want to be ready not only to capture the business they lost, but also to improve their business. They realize that better websites and better online marketing is important,” says Stan Lieberman from Stan’s Web Design.

7. Pet products or services

What you’ll do:
You got us—this isn’t one specific idea as much as it is jumping on a trending industry. Regardless, digging into the pet industry, whether that’s designing products to make pets happier or helping folks connect with vets online, is a smart move. 

Why this is a great business to start now:

• Pet business is booming: Many shelters are out of animals completely. 
• In LA, pet adoptions from shelters are up 70%. In New York, there are ten times as many adoptions as usual. 
• The pet care market is experiencing massive growth with an expected value of $202.6 billion by 2025.

How to get started:

1. Figure out where the need is. The US Pet Market Outlook 2020-2021 highlights some smart areas to tap into, like televet services and online shopping options.
2. Build a compassionate brand: People love their pets, so the brands they purchase from should, too. 
3. Check out this guide for more about starting a pet business.

“I have been busier than ever with the pandemic puppy explosion! My puppy socialization classes are always full, and my private in-home puppy training is so busy that I hired a trainer to help me,” says Cheryl Kocher from Raising the Bar Dog Training.

8. Tutoring 

What you’ll do:
If you have an education degree or experience in the teaching field, it’s a great time to use those skills to become a tutor. You can help students of any age succeed in their classes—from music to math and more.

Why this is a great business to start now:

• Because so many schools are online now, parents are looking to supplement their kids’ learning with private help.
• Care.com reported a 92% uptick in people hiring tutors or caregivers in July alone.
• The industry is growing: It’s expected to increase by $7.37 billion by 2023. 

How to get started:

1. Figure out what subject matter you have the most experience in. The more knowledge you have on the topic, the better. You can even set up online courses to showcase your skills.
2. Try signing up to consult with a service like Brainfuse or Chegg to dip your toes in.
3. Learn all about your options in this guide to setting up an online tutoring business
   

9. Video Production

What you’ll do:
Have experience making videos with high production value? Now’s the time to use them to help companies market their services and products to an online audience. 

Why this is a great business to start now:

• Video marketing was booming before the pandemic. An estimated 82% of online content will be video by 2022.
• The video industry is expected to grow 18% by 2028.
• Two-thirds of businesses have communicated via video since COVID hit.

How to get started: 

1. Keep your Vimeo or YouTube channel updated with samples of your work. They essentially act as your resume.
2. Make sure you have the right tools to edit professionally. 
3. Get going in less than 24 hours with this guide
   

10. Online Recruiter 

What you’ll do:
Businesses need help hiring online—that’s where you’ll come in. You can vet new talent and fill open roles for companies around the country.

Why this is a great business to start now:

• Because of the huge shift to digital, the online recruitment industry is expected to increase by $3.52 billion between 2020-2024. 
• A lot of companies don’t know how to hire online or have never done it before. They’ll need help finding the right candidates for their roles.

How to get started:

1. Figure out if you want to go solo or try your hand with an agency. Rocket Recruiter and Zip Recruiter both have services to hire recruiters.
2. Keep up with your networking, as finding candidates is easier when your personal connections are wide-reaching. Make sure to connect with people on Alignable to expand your network.
3. Dig into the details using this guide to being an online recruiter.
   

Turn a setback into a comeback

We hope this list of the best online small business ideas gives you a little inspiration to start something new—and a little hope that you can find opportunities in tough times.

If you’re not sure what direction to go, ask a question to our members. With millions of members in every industry, you’re bound to get top-notch insight from people who’ve been there. 

What do you think? In your opinion, what is the best home business to start in 2020? Share your ideas for successful online businesses in the comments.

For more ways to keep your business thriving or operate a new one, take a look at these posts:

• How to Quickly Ramp Up Online Sales for Your Business
• 6 Insider Strategies to Evolve Your Marketing in a Digital World
• What 5 Businesses are Doing to Create New Revenue Streams