Three Rewarding Online Business Ideas to Explore
Last year, I was working in one of the best manufacturing firms in my state. Things were going really well. I was finally climbing the corporate ladder and thinking about starting a restaurant to boost my income. Then the Covid-19 pandemic happened. Our organization was shut down, and things went south pretty quickly.
My unpaid bills started piling up, and it hit me that if I didn’t look for ways to earn a living, I would soon be buried in debt. That’s when I began looking for online businesses I could establish to get by. Nevertheless, I realized one thing while exploring various business ideas– online businesses encounter a lot of negative reviews, and their names are liable to be soiled at all times by competitors. Hence, budding entrepreneurs should keep the number of a reputation management firm handy for google image removal and negative reviews disposal. At least, I am about to do that!
Anyway, since I have the assistance of an expert by my side, I could luckily transform my life. Here are the three profitable ideas that I explored to bear fruitful results.
1. Blogging
In 2019, GrowthBadger disclosed that there were over 600 million blogs worldwide. The number has probably gone up by now, and it’s partly because blogging is rewarding. To make money from this online business idea, I had to start a blog. The process is straightforward. The steps I followed were:
- I selected a topic/ niche for my blog
- Chose the blogging platform to use (WordPress)
- Hired quality web hosting services
- Configured my blog
- Customized the blog by picking a theme, logo, structure, and color
- Started creating posts
It took around three and a half hours to set up my blog, of course it was just a rough template of a website that I want to build on. Perhaps in the future, if my blog platform manages to gain a little more exposure I’ll be in touch with companies similar to the likes of Logo+ or other web design agencies that can create a professional looking website as a home for my blog. One of the things I didn’t know is that it would take me some time to start earning cash, and I had to monetize my website for it to happen. Some of the ways I used to do that include pay-per-click advertising and selling eBooks and ad spaces. I also learned all I could about search engine optimization (SEO) to optimize my blog to increase traffic.
All the effort was worth it because nine months after I started my blog, I was making about $620 monthly.
2. Freelance Copywriting
Copywriting is one of the most profitable online businesses today. According to Freelancing Hacks, freelance copywriters make more than $250 hourly. As a beginner, I didn’t know how to become a copywriter, but I’m glad Google and YouTube exist. After a few days of endless research, I understood what I had to do.
I learned how to create copy to encourage people to take action or market my clients’ products and services. This meant mastering the art of producing ads, writing top-notch blog content, emails, and sales pages. To become a successful freelance copywriter, I also had to improve my research and writing skills. I wanted to give my clients the best content to help grow their businesses.
3. Freelance Graphic Designing
Graphic designing was one of my hobbies after high school, but I never thought it would help me pay my bills one day. It entails using graphics, images, and typography to communicate various ideas or information to my clients’ customers. Most of the well-paying projects I have worked on include developing company letterheads and logos, postcards, and brochures. Some clients have also hired me to design their web pages and create content for their social media pages.
Many businesses these days choose to outsource their design work to external services, as it saves them the cost of maintaining a team full-time. This is why there’s been an increase in expert Web Design and SEO services in Red Deer (and elsewhere), as there’s a high demand for these kinds of services.
One of the challenges I faced, and continue to, is competition. Most graphic designers have already dealt with this. Brandon Gaille revealed that the high competition in the graphic design industry has forced many designers to offer complimentary marketing and graphic design classes.
To edge out most of my competitors, I made sure that I offered the best graphic designing services. I also used my blog to market my work and convince prospective clients to be on my team. It would be deceitful to say that it’s easy. Even so, consistency and confidence got me several high-paying clients.
Before I started these online businesses, I only heard of people who made a living online. I never knew that it was possible and even more rewarding than my previous manufacturing company job. Believing in myself helped me a lot. When it came to pitching to great potential clients, I realized that confidence worked like a charm.
Of course, for my blogging, copywriting, and graphic designing businesses to thrive, I had to invest countless hours working from home, by myself with no schedule. A little patience was also handy because I didn’t make much money at the beginning. My bank balance only started blooming after a few months.