With more people looking to expand their careers in the post-pandemic world, becoming a woman entrepreneur is one way to do it.
Maybe we’re done working a traditional 9-to-5 job, or we want to do more work aligned with our values and passions. Whatever the reason is, putting up a business to pursue our desires is a worthwhile investment for our future.
But while kicking things off from scratch sound like an exciting plan, it can be overwhelming to decide what type of business to launch. With that, here’s a list of 6 business ideas we can explore and start right at home.
6 Home Business Ideas to Consider Starting Today
1. Online Coach, Consultant, or Educator
Whether it be how to effectively do business, speak in another language, earn significant returns trading stocks, or get great deals on real estate, knowledge is valuable. And it’s satisfying to share what we know with others. So, why not become a coach, consultant, or educator?
As a consultant or coach, sharing what we know with others could be a good business and fill us with a sense of fulfillment. For instance, a financial consultant can consider mentoring people on how to invest wisely, while digital marketing experts can help businesses choose the next best marketing move for their strategy.
Thanks to the internet, we can launch a coaching or consulting business entirely online through video calls. What’s more, we can tap into international clients since there are no geographic limitations. Pro tip: Create a social media page to promote this new venture and reach out to clients.
On the other hand, setting up tutoring services for subject matter experts or educators is another opportunity to share your knowledge.
If one-on-one sessions would require too much time, we can look into creating online courses students can go through at their own pace. We can also promote these many times over. Though it will demand a more considerable upfront investment of time and effort to produce, it’s a great way to teach people passively once a course is published online.
2. Reselling or Dropshipping Business
All of us have surely encountered products abroad that made us go, “I wish they sold this where I live!” With reselling or dropshipping, this can be the solution to that.
The difference between reselling and dropshipping is that, with dropshipping, there’s no need to have the products at home with you; the supplier takes care of that. Our main responsibility will be marketing the products and doing customer service.
That’s essentially it. With a business model this simple, it’s no wonder that dropshipping is set to rocket up to an almost $500 billion industry by 2026.
With reselling, on the other hand, resellers have to buy—usually in bulk orders—the products first (at low prices, ideally), then sell them at a higher price.
While both business ideas rely on the supplier, it’s more apparent with dropshipping. At least with reselling, we can test the products first, ensure their quality, and inspect it for and defects. If the supplier doesn’t follow through with dropshipping, customer service could get hectic.
To succeed as a reseller or dropshipper, we can join Facebook market groups to promote the products or create social media accounts to upload photos for marketing. Other great places to sell the products include Shopify and Oberlo.
3. Content Creator or Online Marketer
HubSpot found that 66% of marketers are expected to increase their content marketing budget for 2022. That could be enough to tell us that creating content for brands and becoming a digital marketer can be a lucrative business idea when done right.
We can experiment with content creation (i.e., blog posts, social media content, email campaigns, etc.) for our own business or brand. For example, for those who’ve thought about getting into real estate or are already active brokers, creating online content can help establish our credibility and authority.
Some of the blog content ideas to experiment with include writing about the trends in our field or an infographic article that provides valuable and useful information for our target audience. In addition, TikTok is rising as a leading social media platform where we can share some behind-the-scenes clips from our daily life as entrepreneurs, attracting loyal followers.
Publishing content positions us as industry experts and builds our credibility, which can only be good for the business.
The catch here is that building an audience could take time. It will also require creating content consistently. Dedicating time and effort to growing our digital presence through content or becoming a creator or marketer for other businesses can eventually become an excellent source of income.
4. Creative Services
For the creatives out there that are into photography, videography, graphic design, illustration, or writing, this one should get those creative juices flowing. There are online marketplaces that let creatives offer services to others. Besides that, we can also use our own platforms (e.g., website, social media, etc.) to share our portfolio and promote our services.
Of course, referrals and word-of-mouth marketing are still valuable to any business, especially for those of us starting out. Whenever possible, take commissions from family and friends to be the photographer or videographer for one of their events. Offering writing or graphic design services online through Fiverr, Upwork, or Freelancer works, too!
Another home business idea for creatives is creating digital, downloadable products to sell online, such as stock photos, design templates, templates for digital planners, thank-you cards, or helpful writing guides. Some of the great places to consider selling digital products are Gumroad, Etsy, and Creativemarket.
5. Sell Physical Products
For those who’d rather express their creativity by making physical things, consider building a business around creating custom, handmade products.
Custom earrings or necklaces, print-on-demand shirts, or candles—whatever we enjoy making, we can try selling! Places like Shopee or Lazada are user-friendly e-commerce sites to market and sell custom products.
Bakers and master chefs in the kitchen can also jump-start a pastry or food business at home. We saw people sell various types of food online amid the pandemic. That isn’t a coincidence. Research found that thousands of people rode this trend during the pandemic; food industry revenue even tripled in 2020.
Selling custom products could become pretty demanding, though. It might mean taking the weekends to work or waking up earlier to create products to sell. If this isn’t going to be a problem, it can be a great business opportunity. We can start small, selling to our neighbors and friends, then slowly branch out and find more customers through social media.
6. Home-Based Web Developer
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics found the demand for web developers will only keep growing within the decade. The tech industry at the moment has been valued at over a trillion dollars. With the pandemic causing more companies to shift to digital, these statistics aren’t surprising.
With demand soaring, some of us with relevant experience can expect to work with high-paying clients worldwide as home-based web developers.
Not everyone can be a whiz when it comes to coding and building websites, so this is likely to benefit women in tech with built-up knowledge in the field over the years. Home-based web devs can find freelancing projects through online freelancing websites such as Upwork or Freelancer.
For professionals who want to venture into this field, browse through Udemy or Coursera for web development courses and other related topics to beef up your skills.
How to Get Started
Research, Research, Research
Starting a business can be thrilling and utterly nerve-wracking. That’s why it’s crucial to research as much as possible about our target market and when creating our business plan before launch. When we do our research first, it helps us set more realistic expectations.
Reading articles about your preferred business and asking someone who either works in the industry or our fellow women entrepreneurs can help us get a feel of what we are in for. Once we get a clearer image of what things are like in the business we’re interested in, that could be the time we can start setting things in motion.
Create an Environment for Productivity
It could get hard working from home with distractions all around you (your bed might have never looked so soft). That’s why it’s essential to set up a good home office for productivity space. Although you might still be at home, dedicating an office space and keeping it tidy can motivate you to get to work.
Before You Go
There are a few more things to remember before starting a business.
While, on the surface, these businesses operate differently, a few common threads run through all of them.
The first is that it will feel unconventional. The income might fluctuate; it may look different each time. And we might work more hours than we’re used to. That’s why it’s vital to set realistic expectations for ourselves and stick to actionable goals.
The flip side to becoming an entrepreneur is that we get to work anytime, anywhere, and we’ll be working on something we truly believe in.
About the Author
Rose is a licensed real estate broker and the co-founder of RE/MAX Gold Philippines, a real estate company in the Philippines. Acting and real estate have always been her passions since childhood. She confidently helps close record-breaking deals for residential and commercial buyers while leading her team to success.
