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1 Academics courses
Online entrepreneurs can offer courses through educational platforms or independently on their own websites. The U.S. e-learning market has accelerated growth since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and is predicted to reach nearly $170 billion in 2030, according to a 2023 report by Renub Research
.
You might start your business by providing courses in traditional academics, offering online instruction in grade-level reading, math, science, history or standardized test preparation. You could even create a review course for parents helping teens with their algebra homework. If you’re creative, the possibilities are truly endless.
And academic courses don’t have to end at the high school or even college level. You can create an online course to share your love of political history, Buddhist theology or rocket science. If you’re interested in a particular subject, chances are someone else is, too.
2. Language courses
Currently, one-fifth of U.S. families speak one other language, apart from English — based on data from the Census Bureau
. And with more languages being spoken nationwide, the demand for online language learning courses is growing. The market is projected to increase by $26.33 billion from 2023 to 2030, according to a 2023 report from Verified Market Research
.
So whether you take to the online education space with expertise in English, or you harness your mastery of Swahili, there’s likely someone out there who wants to learn a language from you.
And if you speak one of the most in-demand languages, such as Mandarin, Spanish or Arabic, then online-based language courses could be one of your most profitable business ideas.
» MORE: Easy online business ideas you can start now
3. Business or marketing courses
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, participation in career-focused online courses has grown significantly, especially as more employees look to change jobs or work from home. For instance, education technology platform Udemy gained 10 million new global learners from 2022 to 2023, spanning 134 million course enrollments
.
Companies have expanded or launched new coverage for tuition reimbursement in recent years, meaning workers have money to spend on these types of classes. According to the Society for Human Resource Management’s 2023 Employee Benefits Survey, 48% of employers offer tuition assistance, 87% cover costs for professional memberships and 78% pay for employees’ certifications or recertifications
.
If you have career skills to share, you can start creating online courses with few initial costs. Popular course topics include bookkeeping, QuickBooks accounting software, WordPress web development, graphic design or even how to write a great cover letter or resume.
4. Personal wellness
Are you a therapist or counselor, a yoga instructor, a life coach or a longtime meditator? If you have a deep passion for personal wellness, you might be able to help others — while also earning a significant income.
For example, a report from the Yoga Alliance found 38.4 million Americans (11% of the population) practiced yoga in 2022; up 4.6% from 2016. These Americans spent over $21 billion on yoga in 2022 alone
. And a Grand View Research report predicts the North American yoga market to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 8.8% by 2030
.
Like many of the options on our list, as long as you have the knowledge, the costs to start a personal wellness business are low.
Every person has a desire to better themselves, and that’s what online courses are all about. If you have this expertise to share, you could turn your knowledge into a profitable business.
5 Courses in hobbies or interests
While many courses are designed to further an education or career prospects or to promote major life changes, you can just as easily design an online course around any hobby or interest.
Do you have a passion for calligraphy or craft brewing? Have you mastered a certain video game? You'd be surprised at the number of people willing to pay to learn about topics they're interested in. Some of the bestselling courses on the popular online learning platform Udemy include web development, digital marketing, ethical hacking, stock trading and WordPress — and they sell for up to $200 per class
.
Not sure how to start designing your own online course? Well, there are even online courses for creating your own online course. You can use one of these courses to propel your own online course business.
6. Bookkeeping and accounting
Accounting and bookkeeping are unavoidable requirements of business ownership. But for many entrepreneurs, money management is the most tedious part of owning a business; that's why some business owners choose accounting and bookkeeping services to outsource those tasks.
Whether you’re a certified public accountant or just a QuickBooks wizard, you might be the perfect candidate to launch your own bookkeeping business. With accounting firms seeing a growth rate of 9.1% in net revenue from 2021 to 2022 (up from a 4.2% growth rate in 2020), bookkeeping, accounting, tax preparation and payroll services have long been some of the most profitable businesses for entrepreneurs
.
As a bookkeeper, you can process invoices and payroll, compile expense reports and more. If you have a CPA license, you can help business owners file taxes, generate balance sheets and other accounting documents, as well as make professional recommendations about your client’s bottom line.
7. Consulting
If you’ve been in the business world for a long time, folks may be clamoring for your knowledge and expertise within your industry. Why not turn all that know-how into a new career as an independent consultant?
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, demand for consulting services is expected to increase, particularly among smaller companies that deal in specialized industries or business functions. Employment of management analysts, which includes consultants across different industries, is projected to grow 10% from 2022 to 2032 — faster than average for all occupations
.
As an independent consultant, you can be paid to speak at industry conferences or events, serve on a board of advisors for a fledgling business, or lend your expertise to shape the strategy of an existing business on a contract basis.
Whatever your skill set, starting a consulting business is a great way to make the income of your dreams while working on your own terms.
» MORE: 145 new service business ideas
8. IT support
Our reliance on technology makes IT support just as profitable a business idea as electronics repair and other tech businesses — especially considering employment of IT professionals is projected to grow 5% from 2022 to 2032, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics
. With an IT business, you can help customers when they have issues with their internet or computer software, as well as install security programs and network updates.
If technology comes easily to you — and you’re a relatively patient person — then the most profitable business for you might be hitting the road, at least in your neighborhood, with mobile IT support. You can offer a service to combat the chat or phone support typically offered by technology manufacturers, which often includes long wait times and leaves customers with unanswered questions.
All you need is time, transportation and your own know-how, so this low-overhead business model could be almost pure profit.
9. Graphic design
As the number of brands vying for consumers’ attention grows, a slick and polished image has become more important than ever for small businesses.
And although, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment for graphic designers is expected to grow only 3% from 2022 to 2032, there are opportunities out there, especially for graphic designers who are self-employed
. The BLS says most graphic designers are self-employed, compared to those that work for advertising services, publishing industries and similar employers.
Do you know your way around Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign? Have you taken a few design classes, and do you have an eye for good branding? Turn your skills into a business as a freelance graphic designer. You’ll have almost no overhead and can help small-business owners create awesome marketing graphics.
10. Social media management
These days, customers expect a business to have a strong social media presence and to be responsive to customer service issues on social media.
Although many small-business owners know they need to engage in social media marketing, few have the necessary time or expertise to manage all of their social media accounts.
If you’re fluent in Twitter, live your life on Facebook and have gotten every job you’ve ever had through LinkedIn, you might consider turning your social media expertise into your own solopreneur business venture — offering support to business owners who need help managing their brands' social media platforms.
As long as you have your own laptop, smartphone and social media accounts, there are few costs to getting started, and job growth in the industry is projected to increase 6% from 2022 to 2032 — faster than average for all other occupations
.
11. Marketing copywriter
If you’re particularly adept with words, you can use your talents to write copy for various companies’ marketing efforts. According to an Industry Research report, the global digital content creation market is expected to increase at a compound annual growth rate of 9.5% from 2023 to 2030
.
Whether you’re coining a catchy slogan or writing an in-depth description of a company’s offerings, if you’re doing it as an independent contractor, you’ll have very few startup costs. Once you get started and build relationships with clients, you’ll quickly be able to earn a profit for your services.
12. Virtual assistant services
With more employees working from home, and with teams spread out across different locations and time zones, businesses can benefit from an assistant who is just as flexible as they are. There's no longer the need to meet with a client every day in an office — you can work as an assistant from New York when your client lives in Florida.
According to ZipRecruiter, the average remote virtual assistant in the U.S. makes $50,749 a year
. As a virtual assistant, you can choose your clients and create your own schedule, managing emails, scheduling meetings, booking travel and completing other basic tasks to make your customers’ lives and businesses run more smoothly.
Plus, all you need is a laptop and an internet connection to start this busines
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