Published 9 Aug 2021
The Best Home Business Ideas: 30 Businesses You Can Start Today
Looking for home business ideas to get you started that will let you work from home? Here are 30 of the best home business opportunities in Australia for 2021.
After the challenges of the past year, remote work has become our new normal. And with huge industries like hospitality and retail shedding thousands of jobs, many face the daunting task of starting a new career — hopefully, one that is less vulnerable in the face of repeated lockdowns.
Starting a new business from home is a fantastic option, whether you’re looking for:
Get excited to learn new skills and make some money while becoming your own boss — with not much more than a business plan and a dash of entrepreneurship!
Here’s a list of the best home-based business ideas, grouped by interest, that you can start today.
Table of Contents
30 of the best home business ideas
If you’re ready to consider some ideas to help you become a business owner, you now have a choice! You can either read the list top to bottom or skip to the industry area that best suits you and your personality.
Jump to the ideas that will best suit if:
I want to help people
If you love to help others, especially by improving their mental, physical or emotional wellbeing. Caring home business ideas.
I like organising behind-the-scenes
If you enjoy being a part of the background operations in a business. Admin home business ideas.
I want to do something creative
If you’re looking for a career as well as a creative outlet, and you have an eye for designing, creating, and taking an idea through to production. Home business ideas for creatives.
I'm a big people-person
Best for you if you’re persuasive, and thrive in jobs involving lots of interacting with people. People-person home business ideas.
I like advising, teaching and sharing knowledge
Best for you if you enjoy reading and writing, you can teach, inform or offer your professional knowledge to others. Informative small business ideas.
I like working with technology
These online business ideas if you’re skilled in the use, design and administration of digital technology. Home business ideas in tech.
Caring home business ideas
Caring-orientated home business ideas suit people who ultimately want to help others. These businesses can provide that feeling of fulfilment you get when you know our work has helped someone else.
These home business ideas are people-focused. Hence, personal contact with clients and customers will be central to their success. Some businesses will do this through online video call programs, while others call for home visits.
Our top 5 caring business ideas
Pet grooming (or pet sitting and dog walking)
While pet sitting and dog walking involves much lower startup costs, the earning potential is also lower for pet sitters. On the other hand, you can make good cash as a groomer. Invite pet owners to drop off their furry friends to you or offer home visits. Remember that all grooming equipment will need to be supplied by your business. Get started with an animal care course.
Family daycare provider
Offer parents the opportunity to place their kids in a safe, homely environment while tackling other life responsibilities. Please note that your home must meet the Australian government’s Family Daycare Requirements and Regulations to operate as a legal daycare provider, and you’ll need a Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care.
Naturopathy service
Provide clients with the guidance, education and services required to achieve overall wellbeing. A home-run naturopath business will most likely need a mix of online and in-person contact. You may need to offer home visits to perform alternative therapies, coupled with virtual check-ins and education sessions. Find naturopath training.
Massage therapy
De-stress, de-knot and help the wellbeing of your clients. You can either set up an at-home studio or run a mobile service and perform home-visits. Find a massage course.
Online counselling service
This business idea relies heavily on good computer skills to conduct most of your work over the phone or video chat programs. Offer the same supportive experience as an in-person counsellor, while allowing your clients to stay in the comfort of their own home. Get trained in counselling.
Admin home business ideas
If your motto is ‘the devil is in the detail’, these ideas will be a great fit. These home business ideas involve ensuring the background operations run flawlessly.
Many of these admin businesses require you to register as a ‘sole trader’ (or freelancer) and allow you to offer your services remotely, to other companies. The perk is that they can be incredibly low-cost to run.
Our top 5 admin-based business ideas
Virtual Assistant (VA) service
Complete administrative tasks for other businesses or professional individuals, such as emails, scheduling meetings, and digital filing. This business requires you to be tech-confident!
Bookkeeping service
Offer bookkeeping or accounting services to businesses or individuals from the comfort of your own home. Once again, confidence with the relevant software required for these professions is necessary. Luckily, there are plenty of flexible online bookkeeping courses.
Florist
Create, design, package and deliver stunning blooms to your clients from your at-home florist. This business idea requires you to have a supporting website or social media presence to connect with customers.
Travel agency
Help your clients design, book and logistically organise their dream holidays by offering an online service. This business requires you to be tech-savvy in your customer communication and researching skills. Check out travel & tourism courses.
Website management or administration
Update and maintain the back and front end of business’ websites from your home computer! All you need is backend access to the relevant platforms to help others keep their online presence in tip-top shape.
Airbnb hosting
Though not as lucrative as it was pre-pandemic, Airbnb hosting can be a relatively easy way to generate income if you’re lucky enough to have a spare room in your home, and you live somewhere close to popular travel destinations. Once you’ve decorated the room in an attractive way, you’ll just need to keep up with communications and house cleaning. Some hosts contract a house cleaning service to make life easier.
Creative home business ideas
If you’re looking for an opportunity to let your creative flair shine while making an income, a home-based creative business is just the thing for you. Creative home businesses usually involve setting up an eCommerce shop (online store) to sell your products; or creating an excellent portfolio of your work to impress potential clients. Most often, you will work as a sole-trader.
Our top 6 creative business ideas
Handmade crafting business
Design, create, sell, package and send your handmade goods to your clients from your dream home office. You choose the design, the price, and how much you sell. Etsy and eBay have long been mainstays for crafty sellers. You may actually have more luck reaching people on Instagram, however, and you now have the ability to sell directly from your page. Check out Maker’s Market for some crafting inspiration.
Multimedia design service
Design and create workable products within your speciality for other businesses. Multimedia designers work with videography, animation, social media and illustration. Sharpen your skills in digital media.
Photography business
Start your home photography studio and attract your type of client as a freelance photographer! To make this work, you’ll need a high level of skill behind the camera and some business savvy. Remember to create an eye-catching portfolio to show potential clients. Read more about professional photography careers here.
Blogging
Start writing about the things you’re passionate about and create a blog, website or online presence that fulfils you! As you attract more web traffic, you can start to charge a fee for subscribers to access your work. Or collect advertising revenue from brands that align with your ‘blogger brand.’
Freelance writing
Make an enjoyable living as a creative copywriter and content writer. You’ll work on writing projects with in-house marketers and other small businesses, crafting impactful writing that conveys a specific message.
Freelance graphic design
Freelance graphic designers often work on multiple jobs simultaneously. You will need an eye-catching portfolio to attract potential clients and a computer with all the relevant programs required to get the job done. Find the right design course to get started.
People-person home business ideas
If you thrive in people-facing roles and have a knack for connecting with others, these business ideas are for you. Many businesses that fall under this category are sales-oriented and require significant interpersonal interaction with clients and customers. These businesses require a good knowledge of virtual communication methods.
Our top 5 people-person business ideas
Boutique real estate agency
As a licensed real estate agent, you can register your home-run boutique real estate agency as a sole proprietorship. Complete all the administrative duties from the comfort of your home office, while travelling to meet clients at locations as you see fit. Find a real estate course.
Recruitment consultation service
Help companies find suitable candidates for their vacancies as a short-term contracted recruitment consultant. Just follow the company’s brief and get researching!
Online personal training
Give your clients the power of fitness anytime, anywhere as an online personal trainer. Provide video call consultations, video exercise sessions, and programs all from your computer or phone. Read more about setting up an online personal training business.
Affiliate marketing service
Help businesses raise awareness to boost product sales by generating more web traffic. Digital marketing skills are essential for this type of business. Read more about affiliate marketing here.
Freelance online sales representative (IT enterprise software)
Work for several businesses as a freelancing sales representative. Answer customer questions online and via the phone to better help everyone understand the provided product or service.
Dropshipping
Sell goods online without a storefront or even an inventory, by working with a supplier who will dispatch individual items to order. Using Amazon or eBay is common, and digital marketing skills will be beneficial. Learn more about dropshipping and drop servicing.
Informative business ideas
These ideas will be a great fit if you enjoy teaching, educating or guiding others in specialist areas. These businesses aim to help others via more practical skill-based means. They can offer both virtual and in-person contact, depending on what you enjoy.
Our top 5 informative business ideas
Online teaching or tutoring
Support people through their education journey from kids through to adults. Choose your speciality and get teaching. Find education courses.
Content marketing management
Take accountability for business’ content strategies for their branding. You can work solo, or bring on multiple freelance writers to head specific content creation that you ultimately oversee for your clients. Explore marketing short courses.
Translation agency
Have a knack for languages? Become a translator for companies and individuals who need help deciphering important documents or communicating with important clients.
Business consultancy
Provide your expert advice in your areas of expertise to businesses small and large. Contracts can be short and long term.
Transcription agency
Aid companies (usually in the legal or medical field) clearly and accurately transcribe important videos, recordings and live events for their records and future use.
Technology home business ideas
These online business ideas are for those already skilled or looking to become skilled in anything computer technical. Often, technology businesses aim to provide tech support and services to other companies. Get your start by becoming a freelance service provider, often providing service to multiple clients simultaneously.
Our top 5 tech business ideas
Computer programming business
Write and test code for your clients to ensure their applications and software run optimally. Knowledge of numerous coding languages is imperative. Get started with a programming course.
Web development service
Combine web and graphic design to create an on-brand, user-friendly product for your client. Functionality and aesthetics are central to a successful job done as a web developer. Find a web development course.
SEO specialty agency
Increase your clients’ web ranking, functionality and traffic by improving their SEO tactics.
Data entry specialist (sole trader)
Organise, clear and shift companies’ paper data to a usable digital source. Knowledge of numbers and digital tools are imperative for starting this service. Read more about affiliate marketing here.
UI/UX design service
Work with companies and businesses to perfect the user interface of their digital presence. Customer interactivity and user- satisfaction are essential for modern companies to stay ahead of the curve, and your service helps them do this.
Why is a home-based business a good move?
Running your own business from home is cheap, and the start-up is easy. For most home-run businesses, the most important considerations are a good Wifi connection and self-discipline.
Most of these ideas are online businesses, so some tech knowledge is highly recommended. Here are some major pros to starting the next chapter of your professional life from home:
Read next: 7 Steps to Starting a Business From Home
Starting your own business is more achievable than ever in 2021. From choosing a business model to creating get word-of-mouth marketing and referrals, here’s how to take an idea you’re passionate about and turn it into a successful business.
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