讓您開始在互聯網上賺錢的在線商業理念

您是否知道，如果經濟上可行，75% 的美國人寧願專注於他們熱衷的工作或職業，但實際上只有 37% 的人開始了副業？ 該信息來自最近的一項全國民意調查，數字驚人。 為了幫助揭開開展副業的過程及其所需的工作量，我們收集了這些現在可以實際開始的高質量電子商務在線業務想法。

開展副業是開始電子商務的最佳方式之一，因為與僅僅辭掉日常工作來追求自己的激情相比，這是一種風險較低的選擇，但它仍然是您可以隨著時間的推移而成長和擴展的東西。 如果您是 75% 的美國人中的一員，他們更願意從事他們熱衷的工作或職業，但您不確定如何實現這一目標，那麼這份在線商業創意綜述應該可以幫助您開始右腳。

因此，在開始副業時，需要考慮一些重要的難題。 因為這不是你的主要工作，所以不能佔用你所有的時間； 您仍然需要時間和精力來成功完成您的日常工作，因此在涉及您的副業時，您可能需要專注於自動化和生產力策略。 這裡有一些事情需要考慮：

• 自動化：自動化是副業最好的朋友。 這意味著您可以在沒有那麼多輸入的情況下產生更多的輸出，這樣您就可以獲得所需的結果，而無需為達到目標而做所有工作。 尋找所有可能的方法來自動化您的副業，以便在您無法開展業務時可以在後台運行。
• 商店管理：您的商店需要低維護才能管理，這樣當您有時間專注於您的副業時，您就不會將所有有限的時間都花在後端運營上。 考慮在 Shopify 或 BigCommerce 等託管電子商務平台上設置您的商店，以便為您處理複雜且耗時的商店管理任務。
• 訂單管理：您的副業的訂單管理也需要低維護，因為同樣，當您有其他任務要做時，您不希望將所有空閒時間都花在完成訂單上。 想一想如何創建一個真正高效的訂單揀选和包裝流程，讓履單變得輕而易舉，或者找到一個您可以與之合作的履約倉庫來為您處理流程。
• 商務成本：由於你身邊是幹什麼的，顧名思義-副業-你應該專注於運行其結構盡量緊湊，所以它不會吃起來的資源，你必須資助它，這樣你就可以最大限度地利用您的利潤率賺取潛力。 為了幫助降低您的業務運營成本，請查看這篇文章。
• 生產力：您將不得不盡可能多地將時間用於您的副業，以便幫助促進這一點，使用正確的應用程序可以使一切變得不同。 不要對應用程序過於痴迷，但使用生產力應用程序或專為電子商務和創業設計的應用程序可以幫助您在可用的時間內經營最好的副業。
• 可擴展性：副業並不總是必須擴展，它們可以在整個生命週期中保持副業，但是，如果您想圍繞自己的熱情建立職業生涯，並且發展副業是實現這一目標的方法，那麼擴展您可能對您的操作感興趣。 我們建議先開始，然後再考慮擴展。 雖然為您的企業的未來進行規劃並立即做出有助於以後提高其價值的決策很重要，但有時對未來考慮得太遠可能會導致您根本無法開展副業。 現在就開始——從小處著手，逐步擴大規模。 按照您自己的步調，一天一天地做您的副業。 畢竟，通過在正常工作之外經營副業，您可以奢侈地不將所有壓力都放在副業上以提供您的生活方式，因此您可以自由地以您認為合適的速度發展它.

準備好開始自己的電子商務業務了嗎？ 查看這些電子商務在線商業理念，朝著正確的方向前進！

在線商業理念#1：產品策劃

以產品管理為中心的最易於管理的副業類型之一。 這是最好的在線商業創意之一，因為您可以通過使您的商店成為您想要的任何東西來真正定制它以適應您自己的興趣和專業領域。

通過開展產品策劃業務，您的主要目的是在特定市場或利基市場上磨練並策劃一系列滿足該受眾需求的產品。 找到一個利基並堅持下去對於這類副業來說非常重要，所以如果你選擇走這條路，我們建議你對你的利基進行一些紮實的研究，並查看我們的 500 個利基文檔等目錄，以找到完美的領域關注的興趣。

一旦你縮小了你的利基，是時候策劃一系列產品在你的商店中銷售了。 您可以通過多種不同的方式來處理這部分副業：您可以製造自己選擇的產品，從其他品牌批發，從現有公司為它們貼上私人標籤，從直銷供應商處直接運送，甚至從附屬網絡列出它們. 產品策劃方面的業務有很大的靈活性，但請記住，這裡的主要優勢是專注於商店的策劃方面。

此類副業的競爭優勢來自於為購物者提供精簡的商品選擇，因此請充分利用它。 花時間採購和列出高質量的商品，而不是大量的商品，這不僅可以節省您的時間，而且對訪問者也更具吸引力。

以下是您可以開始的一些產品策劃在線商業理念：

• 古董、藝術品、收藏品和復古物品：這些類型的產品基本上是產品管理商店的完美搭配，因為任何給定的物品通常只有一個或很少的庫存單位 (SKU)，這不足以庫存整個商店，但非常適合策劃商店的前提。
• 服裝：隨著快時尚品牌從一家商店到另一家商店都擁有相同的服裝庫存，就消費者的服裝選擇而言，原創性和排他性是一種日益增長的趨勢。 建立一個完整的副業，圍繞著策劃適合特定利基的服裝項目，這絕對與現代購物者相關。
• 配件：同樣，為特定的利基市場挑選一系列配件在當今的電子商務行業中佔有一席之地。
• 美容和個人護理產品：這種類型的產品管理商店可以主要專注於與特定利基相關的洗浴用品或美容產品。
• 數字商品：這是一個不斷增長的市場，行業內的產品數量逐年增加，為小眾受眾策劃一系列數字產品可能對消費者有所幫助。
• 服務：同樣，幫助消費者與提供他們正在尋找的服務的其他人建立聯繫也已成為一個不斷增長的市場。

要啟動並運行產品管理業務，您必須採取的後續步驟是採購產品，然後開設商店來銷售它們。 您從何處採購產品將完全取決於您想要運營的商業模式類型（製造、批發、直銷或自有品牌）以及您想要賺取收入的方式（通過佣金/附屬鏈接或通過產品銷售） ）。

如果您想從供應商處採購產品，請查看供應商目錄，例如我們的製造商目錄、服裝製造商目錄、批發供應商目錄、直銷供應商目錄或自有品牌製造商目錄，如果您想通過附屬鏈接賺取佣金，請查看附屬網絡，例如我們在最佳聯盟計劃文章中提到的那些。

接下來，策劃一系列產品並將它們列在由 Shopify 或 BigCommerce 等電子商務平台託管的您自己的電子商務商店中。 您將能夠在遇到新產品時輕鬆列出它們，並在產品售罄時將其刪除。 它們都是靈活的構建平台，為您提供了創建您想要創建的確切類型的策劃站點的工具。

在線商業理念#2：創建在線市場

您現在可以開始的在線商業創意列表中的下一個是在線市場。 這種類型的副業可能需要更多的努力才能啟動，但是一旦您運行它，它就可以相當自主地運行，並且您只需很少的投入，如果您設計它運行的話。

正如我們在如何開始在線市場文章中所討論的，在線市場是多個商家可以向客戶銷售商品或服務的電子商務商店。 您可以將自己的在線市場設置為副業，讓商家能夠通過您的市場進行銷售，這樣您就不必擔心採購、添加和銷售自己的產品。

在線市場通常專注於為有需求的市場提供特定類型的產品或服務，因此同樣，在啟動自己的在線市場時，專注於利基市場也非常重要。

在線市場示例：

• 亞馬遜：最初是一個在線書商市場
• Etsy：個人銷售自製產品的在線市場
• AirBnb：供房主出租房產的在線市場
• TaskRabbit：一個將自由職業者與當地需求相匹配的在線市場
• 創意市場：為企業和創意銷售數字資產的在線市場

如您所見，這些在線市場中的每一個都提供有需求的產品或服務，並且只專注於該細分市場。 我們建議，如果您決定將在線市場作為副業開辦，您會找到一個真正需要某種產品或服務的利基市場，同時也是其他人能夠向您提供產品或服務的方式。在線市場。 只有當一大群人可以為供應做出貢獻時，在線市場才有效，因此在創建自己的在線市場時請記住這一點。

因此，建立在線市場可能具有挑戰性，因為您不僅需要協調商店面向客戶的方面，還需要協調面向供應商的方面。 這意味著您將獲得雙倍的投入和雙倍的支持，以保持工作順暢。 然而，運行在線市場的許多方面都可以自動化，因此雖然初始設置可能需要更多的努力，但它也可能提供高投資回報。

您必須認真考慮運營在線市場的另一個方面是您計劃如何將其貨幣化。 您可以選擇多種不同的途徑，例如基於佣金的商業模式、會員/訂閱費商業模式、上市費用商業模式和免費增值商業模式——我們在如何開始在線市場文章。

要啟動您自己的在線市場，請找到您想要服務的利基市場，通過 Sharetribe 等平台建立您的市場，並定義您的貨幣化策略。 查看上面鏈接的如何啟動在線市場文章以獲取更多說明和信息。

在線商業理念#3：開一家直銷店

作為目前最受歡迎的副業類型之一，直銷店是一項非常容易開始的電子商務業務。 如果您正在尋找進入電子商務世界的低風險且易於進入的點，直銷是一個很好的起點。

直銷業務是一種有吸引力的商業模式，因為您作為商家可以開設自己的在線商店，而無需預先購買任何庫存，也無需處理運輸或履行過程的任何方面。 通過代發貨，您可以與代表您運送和履行客戶訂單的合規供應商合作，讓包裹看起來像是直接來自您。

由於無需預先購買庫存、在您自己的倉庫中進行管理、挑选和包裝訂單並將它們運送給您的客戶，您可以節省大量時間和金錢，您可以將這些時間和金錢花在其他業務上。 這些任務外包給供應商，供應商代表您完成這些任務，讓您的客戶覺得流程無縫。

開設直銷店是最重要的在線商業創意之一，因為您不必擔心商店的許多方面！ 這意味著它將佔用您更少的時間，這是有利的，因為當您有空閒時間時，您將忙於工作，並且大部分業務運營將外包和自動化。

但是，Dropshipping 確實有一些缺點，我們在 Dropshipping 101：什麼是 Dropshipping 文章中對此進行了深入討論。 主要是，您缺乏品牌控制，因為另一家供應商將製造您的產品並將其運送給您的客戶，並且因為該另一家供應商代表您處理流程的許多方面，您的利潤較小，從而降低了您的盈利潛力。 雖然這些對於副業來說可能不是很大的缺點，但它們可能會影響您的業務未來的可擴展性。

要開始代銷，您需要找到合適的代銷產品和合適的供應商來採購代銷產品。 然後，您可以設置您的商店並開始向客戶銷售。

要查找直銷產品創意，請查看我們關於 75 種按需印刷產品創意的文章，要查找直銷供應商，請查看我們的優質直銷供應商目錄。 如果您正在使用 Shopify 設置直銷商店並希望將您的供應商直接集成到您的商店，以最大限度地自動化流程，我們甚至策劃了 Top 10 Best Shopify Dropshipping 應用程序列表。 我們推薦的一些頂級直銷供應商包括 Printful、Gooten、Modalyst 和 Spocket——所有這些供應商都擁有可以直接連接到 Shopify 商店的 Shopify 直銷應用。

如果您正在尋找副業，您可以輕鬆快速地開始，而不會影響產品質量，那麼請考慮開始直銷副業。

在線業務理念#4：尋找在線業務進行銷售

這可能是我想到的一種不太傳統的副業類型，但是，尋找在線業務出售可能是此列表中最好的在線業務創意之一。

當您搜索待售的在線業務時，您可以找到您正在尋找的確切規模和您願意承諾的階段的確切商店，以便您可以建立您正在尋找的確切類型的副業操作。 通過購買已經啟動並運行的業務，您可以跳過啟動在線業務的耗時的形成階段，直接進入運營部分。 對於想要經營在線業務但花費更少時間完全從頭開始的人來說，這是一個理想的選擇。

然而，這種副業理念並非沒有其自身的一系列缺點，因此，如果您認為自己感興趣的是購買在線業務以進行銷售，請記住這些：

• 您可能需要花費大量時間來尋找適合您的業務。 您可以在 Shopify Exchange 等市場中搜索以找到適合您的業務，但是，您可能無法立即找到所需的內容。
• 並非所有待售企業都是副業規模的企業。 如果您正在尋找可以在業餘時間真正開展的副業，請確保在進一步追求之前徹底評估承諾水平。
• 在購買待售企業時，您可能沒有多少自由來使該企業成為您想要的樣子。 由於企業已經圍繞它建立了品牌、供應商關係和客戶關係，因此可能無法改變企業的某些方面，而不會疏遠以前從該在線企業購物的人。

如果您正在尋找已經完成大部分艱苦工作的在線商業創意，並且您可以直接進入並開始運行該節目，那麼購買待售業務可能是您的最佳選擇。 有關如何查找待售在線業務以及如何為您找到合適的業務的信息，請查看這篇文章。

在線商業理念#5：創建一個附屬電子商務商店

這是另一個低維護的副業理念，對於不想處理任何庫存和不想實際將產品運送給客戶的人來說，這是一個很好的選擇。

通過開展附屬業務，您將通過向您的受眾推薦產品或服務來賺取收入，並且您將通過促成的每筆銷售賺取佣金。 這樣，您只需向您的受眾推薦產品，他們就會從公司的網站上購買這些產品，您實際上不必在您的商店中銷售任何產品。

附屬副業可以通過多種不同的方式運營：您可以開設自己的附屬電子商務商店，為您的訪問者提供一系列可供瀏覽的產品，或者您可以發送專注於利基主題的電子郵件通訊，並通過使用推薦相關產品會員鏈接，或者您甚至可以將會員鏈接添加到您的博客、YouTube 頻道、播客或 Instagram，以通過您通過這些頻道提出的推薦賺取收入。

無論您打算如何運營您的聯盟電子商務商店，您都必須註冊聯盟計劃和網絡，這樣您才能開始通過推薦的建議賺取收入。 查看我們關於 100 多個電子商務企業家最佳聯盟計劃的文章，以找到適合您的利基和市場的聯盟計劃。

要將聯盟營銷作為副業賺取收入，您必須建立社交媒體關注者或網站訪問者的受眾群體，以便從您促成的銷售佣金中賺取大量收入。 建立這種受眾可能需要一些時間，但這與為新的電子商務商店建立任何類型的受眾所需的時間沒有什麼不同。 從小處著手，逐步建立您的受眾群體。

在線商業理念#6：創建數字產品

對於想要將自己的產品實際出售給客戶而無需創建實體產品然後必須將其運送給客戶的人來說，創建數字產品是最好的在線商業創意之一。

銷售數字產品可能是一項非常理想的副業，因為您只需創建產品的一個版本，然後就可以一次又一次地向您的受眾銷售它。 與實體產品不同，您不必為購買它的每個客戶創建單獨的項目，因此您無需採購和存儲庫存，也無需擔心產品破損或損壞、缺貨或產品丟失運輸過程。 數字產品管理起來更容易、更快捷，一個數字產品文件可以發送給無數客戶。

作為副業，這很有效，因為這意味著您的數字產品業務比實體產品業務通常需要更少的注意力，如果您花在副業上的時間非常有限，這將是一個不錯的選擇。

以下是您可以開始的一些數字產品在線商業創意：

預設

隨著過濾器在 Instagram 等社交媒體平台上越來越受歡迎，銷售過濾器預設是目前流行的數字產品。 由於能夠改變照片中的顏色、色調和漸變，預設很容易創建並且通常以捆綁銷售。 預設是自定義創建的，通常用於 Adob​​e Photoshop 或 Lightroom 等軟件。 有關如何創建和銷售您自己的預設的信息，請查看 Skillshare 的操作視頻。

電子書

作為副業，編寫電子書既有吸引力又有利可圖。 這主要取決於您定期寫作的能力和願望，即使是少量寫作，例如每天 300-400 字。 編寫市場上流行的信息和教育電子書，或編寫您熱衷的主題，不僅可以帶來經濟上的回報，而且也很充實。 如果您更喜歡創作和講故事的創意類型，那麼寫小說對您來說可能是一個不錯的選擇。

如果我們分析亞馬遜上電子書的受歡迎程度，就會發現小說比非小說更暢銷：亞馬遜上多達三分之二的電子書是小說，而只有 30% 是非小說。 所以，如果你認為寫小說是你可以做的事情，你需要決定你有興趣寫作的小說類型，並找到一種方法來讓自己與競爭對手區分開來。 有一件事是肯定的——因為小說很受歡迎，你會有很多競爭對手，所以你需要一個獨特的想法和偉大的營銷在它寫成和出版後。

非小說的競爭力不如小說，主要由獨立和中小型出版商製作。 平均而言，它們的長度比小說短； 非小說類電子書的平均字數在 15,000 到 40,000 之間。 由於在線發布電子書的最佳地點是 Amazon Kindle 商店，您可以訪問它並研究每個類別中最受歡迎的類別和最受歡迎的電子書。 例如，一些非小說類最飽和的主題是“操作方法”書籍，例如如何在線賺錢、如何學習演奏樂器等。 自助書籍、烹飪書和健康生活方式指南也做得很好。

如果您想在最受歡迎的自助出版商網站（亞馬遜的 Kindle 商店）上出版圖書，這裡有您需要完成的流程的分步說明。

決定一個更廣泛的主題
首先，您需要為您的電子書決定一個更廣泛的主題，無論您決定使用小說還是非小說。 小說的例子可以是科幻小說、犯罪小說或懸疑小說。 對於非小說類書籍，您可以選擇食譜、自助書籍或任何其他信息和/或教育書籍。

研究和頭腦風暴主題和標題
第二步是進行研究和集思廣益的部分，目的是找到要寫的確切內容，然後創建完美的標題。 例如，如果你決定寫一本自助書，你可以寫很多主題，比如時間管理或如何管理壓力和焦慮。 如果你決定寫一本教育書籍，你可以為孩子寫一本初學者編程指南，或者一本關於健康飲食習慣的書——幾乎所有的東西都介於兩者之間。

書名非常重要，尤其是非小說類書籍。 它需要關鍵字豐富，以便人們可以通過搜索欄找到您，但它也應該聽起來自然並且對讀者來說很有希望。

寫出你的初稿
完成前兩個步驟後，接下來您需要開始寫作。 你可以決定每天寫特定數量的單詞，或者每天留出一定的時間來寫。 這完全取決於你有多少空閒時間，你想多快完成你的書，以及你的書應該多長時間。

校對和編輯
完成初稿後，您需要校對幾次，看看一切是否正確。 然後，您將對其進行編輯或重寫某些部分，以便完成並準備發布。 您甚至可以聘請專業編輯來幫助您或將其提供給朋友以獲得誠實的意見。

設計封面和套裝定價
這是最簡單和倒數第二個步驟。 雖然它可能是最簡單的，但它對於您的書的成功非常重要：創建封面並決定電子書的價格。

您可以在免費或付費的照片編輯器中自行創建封面，但您也可以聘請自由平面設計師來幫助您創建精美且具有專業外觀的封面。 封面完成後，您所需要做的就是為這本書定價（電子書通常從 0.99 美元到 4.99 美元不等）並出版。

發布
至於出版，亞馬遜的 Kindle Direct Publishing 頁面提供了簡單而全面的說明，可以引導您逐步完成出版電子書和獲得付款的過程。

圖庫攝影

如果你有一台好的數碼單反相機，並且對拍出好照片有敏銳的眼光，你應該考慮把股票攝影作為副業。 即使您在拍攝高質量照片方面沒有太多經驗，您也可以使用 Google 可以找到的所有教學文章、視頻教程和大量資源，一次一步地輕鬆自學。

如果您知道自己在做什麼以及市場上最需要什麼，那麼成為一名股票攝影師可能是一項很好的投資。 拍攝和編輯照片後，您可以在許多網站上的任何一個網站上出售它們以獲取庫存照片，例如 Shutterstock、Unsplash 或 iStockPhoto。

這些是您需要採取的步驟才能成功地成為股票攝影市場的一部分。

選擇一個主題
如果您是攝影初學者，這是最重要的一步。 為什麼，你可能想知道？ 好吧，如果您拍攝照片的利基市場競爭激烈或需求量不大，您的照片將不會被看到或下載——這意味著沒有利潤。 您需要在最流行的庫存照片網站上進行研究並閱讀許多文章，以便您真正了解庫存攝影市場的實際需求。

看看搜索次數最多的關鍵字、下載次數最多的照片，不要忘記像廣告商一樣思考。 許多使用庫存照片的人都是廣告商，他們將它們用於宣傳冊、海報和其他廣告和宣傳材料，因此請了解您的未來客戶，以便為他們提供所需的東西。

請記住，這是一個競爭激烈的空間，因此如果您想成功，請查看您的照片是否可以在某種程度上與競爭對手的照片區分開來。

攝影與編輯
第二步是隨身攜帶您的相機，盡可能多地拍攝，選擇最好的照片，並在需要時進行編輯。 拍照時，盡量讓它們變得專業。 在圖庫攝影中，圖像的大小及其質量非常重要。 您必須使用數碼單反相機，最好配備優質鏡頭，才能拍出高分辨率照片。

如果您沒有必要的知識和經驗，請先進行研究。 花一些時間報名參加攝影課程或查看一些在線攝影教程。

優化您的照片
在最終發布您拍攝的照片之前的最後一部分是給每張照片一個好名字、描述，當然還有關鍵詞。 優化您的照片將使它們在圖庫攝影網站中更易於搜索，所以不要錯過這一關鍵步驟。

您可以通過在我們提到的網站上出售您的庫存照片以及將它們直接出售給企業（如果您決定創建自己的網站在其中發布您拍攝的所有內容）來使這項副業盈利。

字體

字體是一種重要的數字資產，可以以多種不同的方式使用，無論是用於徽標、品牌、網站、產品、數字媒體、紙質媒體等，還有整個世界的字體愛好者欣賞排版藝術。 要了解有關字體的更多信息並在在線數字市場上銷售它們，請查看 Creative Market、1001 Free Fonts、Adobe Typekit、Font Fabric 和 MyFonts。

模板

徽標模​​板、名片模板、小冊子模板、網站設計模板、電子郵件通訊模板、演示文稿模板和社交媒體模板都是可以追求的在線商業理念。 如此多的人購買數字模板，以便他們可以創建自定義數字資產，而無需與昂貴的專業設計師合作，因此市場上對這些數字產品的需求很大。

在在線銷售您的數字產品時，請考慮在您自己的電子商務商店或通過 Creative Market 等在線數字產品市場進行銷售。 Creative Market 專門銷售所有不同類型的數字產品，他們為他們的網站吸引了大量流量，這意味著您可以更多地關注自己的產品。 要了解有關創意市場及其提供的功能和服務的更多信息，請查看我們的創意市場評論。

在線商業理念#7：自製產品

這可能是最基礎的在線商業理念之一，但自製產品經受住了時間的考驗。 這是一種非常有吸引力的副業，因為它易於訪問，易於管理，並且通常可以圍繞個人愛好或技能建立。

要圍繞您可以在家製作的產品開展副業，首先要考慮您的能力以及您的目標客戶細分市場。 這將幫助您縮小要銷售的產品類型以及建立業務的可行性。

然而，當涉及到以自製產品為基礎開展副業時，請考慮到競爭相當激烈，因為這是一種易於開展的業務類型，而且擴大自製產品的生產規模可能很難縮小如果對您的產品的需求增加，則該生產線。

Here are some online business ideas of products you can make at home:

• Bath Bombs
• Solid Cologne/Perfume
• Beard Oil
• Body Lotion
• 肥皂
• Exfoliating Scrubs
• Hair Products
• 腰帶
• Bow Ties
• Pocket Squares
• 圍巾
• Headbands
• 襪子
• Enamel Pins
• 手包
• Hats & Beanies
• 手袋
• 手機殼
• 珠寶
• Greeting Cards
• Knitting
• Crocheting
• Posters, Art & Canvas Prints
• Terrariums
• 蠟燭
• 馬克杯
• 枕頭
• Beach Blankets
• 綁腿
• T卹
• Dresses & Skirts
• 連帽衫

For further explanations about how to make these types of products and how to start a side business around them, check out our articles on 30+ Products You Can Make Yourself & Sell From Home and How to Start 11 Different Types of Ecommerce Businesses.

Online Business Ideas #8: Work as an Influencer

We'll start off this section by saying this isn't one of those online business ideas that's just easy to jump into, as it typically takes a lot of work to grow your social media accounts to influencer status. However, it is important to note that not all influencers have hundreds of thousands or even millions of followers and, in fact, micro-influencers are a very important part of the influencer ecosystem as well.

Micro-influencers are generally understood to be known as influencers on social media platform who have a relatively modest number of followers (think anywhere from 5,000 to 50,000 followers) but whose followers are highly engaged. This means that for every photo or video they post, their followers are watching and listening to their recommendations and they trust the content that the influencer puts out there.

If you want to start working as an influencer as a side business, understand that it takes an enormous amount of time and consistency in order to grow an engaged following, but if you set your sights on becoming a micro-influencer rather than a full-blown influencer, this becomes a more achievable goal as it pertains to being a side business.

Micro-influencers are also important because not all brands can work with the top influencers in every niche. Influencers cost money to work with, as their work needs to be compensated, and high-value influencers can charge hefty fees ranging anywhere from tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars per post. Micro-influencers, on the other hand, generally don't charge nearly as much because they have a smaller number of followers, so they're more accessible to small-to-medium sized brands.

This means that as a micro-influencer, you'll have paid work opportunities with brands just like high-ranking influencers do, so you won't be missing out on that type of revenue stream. If you choose to work as an influencer, remember that you have several different ways to diversify your revenue streams, such as through partnerships with brands, affiliate links, Adsense revenue, advertising revenue, and by selling your own products. When working as an influencer as a side business, dipping into each of these distinct revenue pools can help you make the most of the work you do and it can present more revenue earning opportunities.

To learn more about what influencers do and how to start a side business around it, read on.

What Influencers Do

Influencers are individuals with a large following online who are known for their expertise in a specific field or industry. They are loved for their honesty and openness, or for simply for being regular people, unlike celebrities whose lifestyles may seem unrelatable to the general population. Influencers have increased their numbers in the past few years, mostly because being an influencer is both profitable and a great home-based small business idea. This is especially true for micro-influencers.

If you think you have the qualities that people like when it comes to influencers and are interested and informed in some field or industry – you can become an influencer yourself.
Let's see what steps you'll need to take in order to achieve this.

Find Your Niche
The first step to becoming an influencer is to find your niche, or a topic which you're capable of writing articles, recording videos, and/or creating content about. Depending on your interests, hobbies, or education, you can choose one of the many niches out there.

The field or specific niche you choose for yourself should also depend on your love and passion for that particular topic. This is essential since you should create new content regularly and be up-to-date with the new information in that field or industry.

Choose your Social Media Platforms
The second step is to decide what your main social media channels are going to be. There are many platforms where you can establish a presence but if you choose all the popular ones, you may have a hard time keeping up with and engaging your followers.

That's why you should choose two or three social media channels — the most popular ones being Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, Tumblr, and more. The ones you choose depend on where your target audience mostly hangs out, so do your research and choose accordingly.

Create Content Strategy & Publish It
The third step is to create your content strategy and publish your content. Depending on the social media networks you've chosen, you will create the appropriate type of content that's mostly popular with your target audience.

If you use Instagram, your strategy might be to create and publish 2 to 4 images every day, if you decide to go with YouTube you can record videos and publish them weekly or even daily, and so on. When you have enough followers, you can start publishing sponsored photos or videos. Be sure to publish them after a couple of regular posts, so that you can earn money without overcrowding your followers with ads or sponsored stories.

Engage & Grow
The fourth and last step is to engage with your followers and grow your channel/profile. Make sure to reply to comments, ask your followers questions, and even create some contests.

Want to know more about growing your influencer side-business on Instagram by acquiring more followers? Check out our Advanced Instagram Marketing Tactics to Get a Ton of Followers article and you'll learn how to get the most out of your Instagram account.

寫博客

Are you passionate about a certain topic that you want to write about? Is it useful for a certain audience? Do you have great writing skills and if not, are you willing to improve them? If the answer to these questions is yes – blogging is definitely a side business idea worth considering.

Still a viable source of income, blogging is the type of side hustle that's easy to start now more than ever. With so many guides, tutorials, online classes, and vlogs on how to start blogging nowadays, you can easily familiarize yourself with all the technicalities and strategies necessary to start, grow, and profit. What's more, blogging is a home-based online business you can start with little to no money, so all you really need is the desire, a computer or a laptop, and an internet connection.

Blogging is a great way for you to express your thoughts, knowledge, and creativity while producing content that's in some way useful to your audience. In time, as you grow your audience, you can earn and make a profit in various ways — from ads to affiliate links, and more!

Want to start a blog? Here's briefly what you'll need to do first, just so you know what you'll be getting yourself into.

Find Your Niche
Finding your niche means choosing a topic (or topics) to write about, but it's much more than that — it's what will define your blog and decide what's going to be its main focus of interest.

Of course, your blog can be about more than one topic – your travels, your career, parenting, personal development, and so on. However, creating niche content means finding your target audience more easily, acquiring loyal readers and a growing audience and, most importantly, monetizing your blog more efficiently via AdSense or affiliate links.

Niche blogs also do better in search engines like Google and help you carve out your place as a knowledgeable person in that particular field, so make sure the niche you choose is something you're really interested in and passionate about.

Choose a Blogging Platform & a Hosting Provider
After choosing your niche, the next thing you need to cross off your list is creating a name for your blog and choosing an available domain. Both should be short and memorable with keywords that represent your niche and tell readers what your blog is all about.

Next comes choosing a blogging platform. This is the place where you'll create, design, and publish your content. Don't worry, the blogging platforms out there are mainly easy to use and don't require prior knowledge. WordPress is the most popular one at the moment, both for beginners and experts.

When that's out of the way you need a hosting provider. This is the platform that'll host your blog on the internet, meaning it'll keep all your files secure and will give readers access to your blog. For this, we recommend Kinsta as it's one of the most high-quality hosting service providers on the market.

Create a Content Strategy
Creating a content strategy is not simply just about writing quality content, but much more than that. You need to define your goal for the blog and really know your target audience in order to understand what type of content they find most interesting and useful.

According to this, you then need to set aside a few topics you want to write about and use all the help you can get. See what your target audience likes online and do keyword research accordingly. You can use keyword research tools like KWFinder to generate more ideas, visit similar blogs for more inspiration, brainstorm with friends and, of course, write everything down. This way you'll have a more clear idea on what to write about and if you're ever stuck or lacking inspiration you can simply go back to the list and check out your content ideas.

Publish and Promote Your Posts
Once you start publishing your blog posts you need to promote them in order to drive traffic. Doing this via social media is the best way to do it. Since you know your niche and your target audience, see what social media platforms your readers mostly use and focus on one or mostly on two in the beginning. Other platforms you could use for promotion would be forums where your target audience is most active, message boards, even guest posts for other blogs in your niche, and so on.

Instagram

One of the top influencer platforms is Instagram, so if you're starting a side business as a social media influencer, consider using Instagram as one of your main platforms. Not only can you interact with and engage a massive audience of people but you can partner with brands and promote affiliate links to help earn revenue.

To grow as a social media influencer on Instagram, you'll have to organically grow your following by posting interesting and engaging content. The more consistently you post, the better, as more eyes will be drawn to your content more regularly.

You'll be able to start earning revenue as soon as you amass an engaged Instagram following which can generally start at around 5,000 – 10,000 followers. From here, you can join affiliate networks to work with brands, you can promote affiliate links in your Instagram Stories, you can post ads in your Instagram posts and you can promote your own website and products to your audience as you go.

To get started, simply start posting content consistently! Do some research on how to post engaging content, look to other influencers to see what they post and how they interact with their audience and begin to interact with other accounts on the platform by liking and commenting their posts to help your account gain more exposure.

Podcasting

Having your own podcast can be a great side business idea while working full time that can be started entirely from your home or office. If you already have an audience somewhere — like from a social media profile, a blog, or a YouTube channel — you have a big head start. If you start a podcast in a niche that's your expertise or one that you have knowledge in, then you'll probably have people in mind who can be guests on your show. This, too, is an advantage and can help you to speed up the process of building your audience.

Most podcasters have guests who are influencers in some field that their podcast show is about. Because of that, they have an audience who is interested in that specific field or niche and the sponsors are easier to be found considering their advertisement would be closely related to the topics of discussion.

That being said, your main focus, in the beginning, should be gathering an audience that is interested in your podcast, looking for guests, and coming up with topics of discussion. When you have a large enough audience, more influential people will be interested to be guest on your podcast show and that's when you'll get serious and bigger sponsors to work with you.

Find Your Niche
The first step, finding your niche, for many is the easiest step. If you have knowledge about a certain topic or a huge interest in some field that you'd like to improve your knowledge in, you already have your niche. Also, think about your target audience. Are there enough people interested to listen to discussions and interviews in your niche of choice? If the answer is yes, you're good to go.

Get Equipment & the Necessary Software
The next step is to get the right equipment and software for audio editing. When it comes to the equipment, you would need a microphone with an additional stand and a windscreen (or pop filter) which eliminates the sounds from blowing air into the microphone. A shock mount would also be useful to have since it can reduce the vibrations that the microphone picks up.

As for the software, you need it for your intro and outro as well as for some prerecorded ads from your sponsors. There are both free and paid alternatives, so editing your podcasts can cost you no money at all.

Invite a Guest and Prepare Your Show
The third step is to find and invite guests as well as to prepare the concept of each podcast. If you're a beginner, it's a good idea to find some competitors in your niche and see how they plan their podcasts for inspiration.

Record, Edit & Publish
The final step is to record your podcast episode, edit it (if needed) and publish it. You should already have a title for the show, description, and keywords so you're found more easily in search engines.

Learn more about how to start a podcast here and enjoy your podcasting journey!

YouTube

Successful YouTube video creators are the present-day celebrities in this digital era we live in, and some of them earn millions each month. That being said, you don't need to have millions of subscribers and be a popular YouTuber in order to earn money. In fact, what you actually need is a good idea, a good camera, a healthy dose of dedication, and a little bit of patience.

What makes YouTube a great side business idea while working full-time? 繼續閱讀。

First of all, it's an online, home-based business so you can work from the comfort of your own home whenever you want. Secondly, you can express your thoughts, knowledge, and creativity for the world to see. The best part about it, however, is that if you do it right it can really grow and even turn into a full-time job and a profitable business.

So, what type of video content is best for monetization nowadays? Let's give you some ideas so you can choose according to your passions and knowledge.

Before we start, bear in mind that whatever topic or niche you choose for your YouTube channel, it should be something that you care about and know about to some extent. Even if you're not that knowledgeable about it, you should at least have the desire to learn more as you make videos and grow your channel since your audience will trust you and learn from you. Having said this, let's briefly go over the type of video content that works today.

Makeup, Hair Care & Fashion
Makeup and other beauty regimens are some of the most popular topics on YouTube, especially among women. If you find yourself drawn to this niche, you can perform makeup tutorials, hair care and skincare tutorials, beauty product reviews, fashion videos, and much more. If your channel starts to grow, you can monetize it via brand sponsorships, affiliate marketing, and/or Adsense.

Cooking, Food & Nutrition
If you're a foodie who enjoys cooking, there are plenty of opportunities for a potentially successful YouTube channel. Cooking videos, or “What I Eat in a Day,” videos are a great idea if you have plenty of interesting or practical recipes to share so you can give your audience some ideas for their upcoming meals. Even if you don't like cooking but are nevertheless interested in food and nutrition, you can do informative videos on nutrition and different food diets. You can later earn via Adsense, affiliate marketing, and/or selling your own products if you decide to take that route.

Gaming
Do you know that some of the most popular YouTubers out there started out with gaming channels? Indeed, gamers still have a massive following so if you're into gaming, you can stream while playing some of the top video games, review your favorite games, talk about news from the industry, and so on. You can earn money via Adsense, affiliate marketing, and/or via third-party advertising networks for gaming channels.

Fitness & Yoga
YouTube has become one of the go-to places for workout inspiration. More and more people use this platform to get in shape whether it's through general fitness, weightlifting, yoga, pilates, and more.

So, if you're a fitness instructor or a self-taught enthusiast, why not share your passion and make some money on YouTube? You can target a specific fitness-focused audience and grow your channel by keeping your viewers motivated so they subscribe to your channel and visit it as often as you post content. Once you have enough subscribers, you can earn via Adsense, sponsorships, merchandise, and even affiliate marketing.

Digital Marketing
Since more and more people are starting online businesses or marketing their already existing businesses online, digital marketing is an essential skill to learn. This platform is a great place for learning digital marketing and that's exactly why YouTube channels based on this topic have a huge potential for growth.

You don't have to be an expert in digital marketing to create this type of channel. The only thing you actually need is an interest in this subject and willingness to learn more — along with some good research on what topics precisely interest people the most. When your channel starts to grow, you can earn via Adsense, affiliate marketing, or you can even offer one-on-one Skype sessions and turn this into a full-time business.

How-To Videos & Tutorials
If you have knowledge about a particular topic or you're passionate about something and are willing to learn more along the way, how-to videos and tutorials can be a great idea for your YouTube channel. In fact, how-to videos and tutorials can be a great idea if you don't feel comfortable being on camera yourself since you can always create screencast videos by recording your computer screen while showing your audience how to do certain things. Once your channel starts to grow you can earn via Adsense, affiliate marketing, sponsorships, and even one-on-one sessions.

Unboxing Videos & Product Reviews
Another really popular idea for a YouTube channel is filming unboxing videos where you unbox products and give your honest opinion about them. Before buying some products, many people consult online reviews and YouTube is one of the first places they go to.

Reviewing products where you simply talk about your experience with them is not only fun to do but this type of channel has a big potential for growth and once you have an audience, you can attract some really interesting sponsors. Many businesses want to get their products in front of as many people as they can, so you can later earn revenue via sponsorships, affiliate marketing, and of course, Adsense.

Ecommerce
If you already have a product or service and an ecommerce website, you can use YouTube to grow your business and utilize video content to your advantage. Just check out our article on How to Make Money on YouTube Through Ecommerce and see how you can use YouTube to help your business grow.

Online Business Ideas #9: Be a Remote Freelancer, Contractor or Employee

Working as a remote employee can be one of the best online business ideas because oftentimes the job positions aren't structured around being present during certain hours of the day so you can fit the job tasks around your schedule. This means you can earn money in your free time while learning skills in a relevant job or industry you might be interested in.

Remote ecommerce jobs are a great way to get your foot in the door if there's a particular ecommerce-related job you want to develop your skills in but need guidance or if you want to learn the tools of the trade from a specific mentor. Even taking on entry-level positions can offer a lot of insight and knowledge, so don't shy away from those if you're looking to take on a side job role.

These are some of the top marketplaces you can go to find freelance, contractor or employee work in the ecommerce industry:

• Jobspresso: Curated remote jobs in tech, marketing, customer support, development, writing & editing and more.
• Upwork: Freelance services in web development, mobile development, design, writing, administration support, customer service, marketing, accounting and more.
• Fiverr: Freelance services in graphics & design, digital marketing, writing & translation, video & animation, music & audio, programming & tech, business, and more.
• WeWorkRemotely: Remote jobs in business & management, programming, sales & marketing, customer support, finance & legal, copywriting, design and more.
• FlexJobs: Vetted remote, part-time, freelance and flexible jobs in various categories.
• Remote.co: Remote jobs for developers, customer service representatives, recruiters, designers, sales professionals, and more.
• WorkingNomads: Remote jobs for digital working nomads in categories such as development, management, marketing, design, sales, customer service, writing, consulting, finance, healthcare, legal, and more.
• JobRack: Find high-quality Eastern European developers, designers, project managers, content writers, administration support, sales & marketing representatives and more.
• StackOverflow: Remote jobs board for developers.
• Toptal: The freelance marketplace for high-quality and leading freelance talent.
• PeoplePerHour: Freelance services by the hour.
• iWriter: Online content and article writing service.
• Dribbble: Social network for creatives to show and tell, promote, discover, and explore designs.
• Behance: Showcase & discover creative work in the graphic design, photography & illustration fields.
• Freelancer: One of the largest freelance marketplaces online.

Although you can look for job roles on these marketplaces, if you're looking to start your own side business, you might be more inclined to work as a freelancer or contractor in order to make a name for yourself in your chosen industry. If you're looking for inspiration for the types of freelance or contract work you could do, check out the lists below to find an area that best suits your own skills and qualifications.

Types of Remote Writing, Copywriting & Editing Online Business Ideas

• Articles & Blog Posts
• Resumes & Cover Letters
• Product Descriptions
• Website Content
• Technical Writing
• Proofreading & Editing
• 翻譯
• Creative Writing
• Research & Summaries
• Sales Copy
• Press Releases
• Transcription
• Legal Writing
• Email Copy
• Business Names & Slogans

Types of Remote Social Media Online Business Ideas

• Social Media Marketing
• Social Media Ads
• Social Media Account Management
• Influencer Outreach
• 網紅營銷

Types of Remote Business Online Business Ideas

• Virtual Assistant
• Data Entry
• Market Research
• Business Plans
• Branding Services
• 演示文稿
• Public Relations Management
• Growth & Growth Hacking
• Contracts & Grants Analysts
• Payroll Support

Types of Remote Web & App Development Online Business Ideas

• WordPress Development
• Shopify Store Development
• Web Programming
• Mobile App Development
• Desktop App Development
• Data Analysis & Reports
• IT Support
• Chatbot Development
• User-Experience Testing

Types of Remote Marketing Online Business Ideas

• 搜索引擎優化
• 電子郵件營銷
• 內容營銷
• Video Marketing
• 網絡分析
• Local Listings
• 調查
• Domain Research
• Search & Display Marketing
• Ecommerce Marketing
• 網紅營銷
• 網絡流量
• Mobile Advertising
• Music Promotion
• 項目管理
• Campaign Management

Types of Remote Customer Service Online Business Ideas

• Email Support Management
• Phone Support
• Chatbot Support
• Social Media Listening & Message Support
• Cold Calling
• Customer Satisfaction Management
• Telemarketing

Types of Remote Graphics & Design Online Business Ideas

• Logos & Design
• Flyers & Brochure Design
• Shipping & Product Packaging Design
• 產品設計
• Illustration
• Book & Album Cover Design
• Business Cards & Stationery
• Presentation Design
• Infographic Design
• Cartoons & Comics
• Architecture & Floor Plans
• 3D Models & Product Design
• Photoshop Editing
• Banner Ads
• Social Media Designs
• Invitation Designs
• Computer Aided Design (CAD)

Types of Remote Video & Animation Online Business Ideas

• Whiteboard & Animated Explainers
• Intros & Outros
• Logo Animation
• Slideshow & Promotion Videos
• Live Action Explainers
• Short Video Ads
• Spokesperson Videos
• Video Editing
• Lyric & Music Videos
• Animated Characters & Modeling
• Product Photography
• Visual Effects

Types of Remote Music & Audio Online Business Ideas

• Voice Overs
• Mixing & Mastering
• Producing
• Composing
• Jingles & Drops
• Sound Effects

結論

As you embark on the journey of starting your own side business, remember to select the side hustle that fits within your skill set. This way the part time business of your choosing won't seem too hard and won't take all of your free time. After all, starting a new side business while working full-time can seem daunting but if you do it right you can earn some additional revenue on the side and maybe even turn it into a full-time business or career.