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Published 9 Aug 2023
35 Profitable (and Fun) Home Business Ideas You Can Start Today
Kristen Michaelides 
Looking for home business ideas that you can start today? Get inspired to launch your new business venture and be your own boss with one of these 35 profitable small business ideas.
Business opportunities are all around — whether you’re looking for a full-time or part-time job, to earn extra cash with a side hustle, or to become a fully-fledged entrepreneur. All you need is a great business idea, a business plan and a dash of entrepreneurship!
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.
Home business ideas that help people (or animals)
Caring-orientated home business ideas suit people who ultimately want to help others. These businesses can provide that feeling of fulfilment when you know our work has helped someone else.
These ideas are people-focused. Hence, personal contact with clients and customers will be central to doing good business. Some businesses will do this through online video call programs, while others call for home visits.
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.
After the Pandemic, Your Small Business Idea is Still Worth it —
Here’s Why
While it may feel as if starting a business in the wake of COVID-19 is risky, it could actually be an ideal time to launch your new venture. Research from Roy Morgan indicates that 52% of Australians prefer Australian-made products post-pandemic, and 90% say they are more likely to buy products made at home.
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 ideas 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.
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 in 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 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. To get your first experience, you can always volunteer your time to a nonprofit or community organisation.
Airbnb hosting
Are you lucky enough to have a spare room in your home and live somewhere close to popular travel destinations? Airbnb hosting can be a relatively easy way to generate income. Once you’ve decorated the room attractively, you’ll just need to keep up with communications and house cleaning. Some hosts contract a house cleaning service to make life easier.
Dropshipping
Sell goods online, like t-shirts or home decor, without a storefront or inventory by working with a supplier who will dispatch individual items to order. You can even use print on-demand services to add custom prints or logos before they ship. Using Amazon or eBay is common, and digital marketing skills will benefit you.
Make Money with Drop Servicing: How To Get Started
While dropshipping businesses (a business model in which the retailer does not have any goods in stock but transfers orders to a manufacturer or wholesaler) are all the rage at the moment, drop servicing is slowly starting to emerge as one of the best ways to make money online. So what’s all the fuss about?
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.
Sell your crafts on Etsy, Shopify or social media
Design, create, sell, package, and send handmade goods — like ceramics, jewellery, soaps or candles — all from your living room. You choose the design, the price, and how much you sell. Etsy and eBay have long been mainstays for crafty sellers. However, you may actually have more luck reaching people on Instagram, and you can now sell directly from your page. For some crafting inspiration, check out Maker's Market.
Multimedia design service
Design and create workable products within your speciality for other businesses. Multimedia designers work with videography, animation, social media and illustration. Explore courses 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.
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 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. If you’re a beginner, might want to get started with small jobs on platforms like Fiverr and Upwork. Find the right design course to get started.
Social media manager
Help small businesses thrive by steering their social media so they can connect with the right audience. You could spend your time develop influencer campaigns, create content and report on performance. Compare your study options for social media marketing courses.
6 Things Small Business Owners Wish They’d Known
Thinking about starting a business, but worried about making serious missteps? Learning from those who came before you is a great way to prepare for what’s to come. Find out what seasoned small business owners wish they’d known before starting, and make your own startup phase smoother.
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 under this category are sales-oriented and require significant interpersonal interaction with clients and customers. These businesses need a good knowledge of virtual communication methods.
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.
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.
Best knowledge-based small business ideas
These ideas will be a great fit if you enjoy analysing, researching, 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.
Online teaching or tutoring
Support people through their education journey from kids through to adults. Choose your speciality and get teaching. Find education courses.
Affiliate marketing
Help businesses raise awareness to boost product sales by generating more web traffic. This one’s a great one to start small (you could even use a credit card for the low upfront costs) and scale up by reinvesting the profit. Digital marketing skills are essential for this type of business. Read more about affiliate marketing.
Content marketing management
Content marketing is in high demand, yet many businesses find it hard to pull off. Help drive business’ content marketing efforts, which usually include running a blog, but may also encompass social media or email. You can work solo or bring on multiple freelance writers to head specific content creation that you 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 in languages other than English.
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.
Host a podcast
Share your thoughts online, interview interesting people in your space, and add to the conversation on a topic you care about. Earn money through fan support on Patreon.
Create online courses
In almost every field, from professional-level skills to hobbies, people want to learn online from an expert — could that be you? If you’ve got the know-how, it’s easier than ever to turn it into an online course. Many platforms and companies are designed to help you do just that, like Skillshare or Podia.
Tech home business ideas
These online business ideas are for those already skilled or looking to become skilled in anything computers or technical. Often, technology businesses aim to provide tech support and services to other companies. Get your start in this lucrative business by becoming a freelance service provider, often providing service to multiple clients simultaneously.
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.
Website design 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 as a web designer. Some web designers find success working with specific WordPress templates. Find a web design course.
SEO specialty agency
Take the hard work out of showing up in search engines for businesses of all sizes. 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, whether that be in app development, websites, or software. 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 startup is easy. For most home-run companies, the most important considerations are a good Wifi connection and self-discipline. They can also be fantastic for stay-at-home parents who need more flexibility than a part-time job can provide.
Most of these ideas are online businesses, so some tech knowledge is highly recommended. Here are some significant pros to starting the next chapter of your professional life from home:
Be your own boss
You set your hours, business structure, and workload so work-life balance can be a priority again.
Save money
Minimal to no travel expenses or time wasted commuting to and from an office, and potentially less need for expensive childcare.
Do it your way
You can be as creative as you’d like in your approach to your work. You will attract customers that suit your methods.
Lower overheads
Startup costs are often much lower, allowing you to build a profitable business sooner without having to recoup a lot of money. You won’t need a storefront — just somewhere quiet to work in your own house.
Affordable marketing
Marketing doesn’t have to be expensive, either. Your primary marketing channels will be word-of-mouth and referrals, and intelligent use of online platforms.
How do I start a home business?
Starting your own business is more achievable than ever. 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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Diploma of Nursing (SA Only) HLT54121
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in partnership with
Study Method Blended
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Job Outcomes Enrolled Nurse
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Certificate IV in Building and Construction (Building) (VIC Only) CPC40120
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Certificate IV in Plumbing and Services (VIC ONLY) CPC40920
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Certificate III in Individual Support (Ageing) CHC33021
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Study Method Blended, Online
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Diploma of Counselling CHC51015
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