Maybe you can’t be the guy who creates the next Facebook. But you could easily have the power and the potential to launch a small business and exercise your latent entrepreneurship—and you might not even have to leave the house to do it.
The trick is to choose something that requires little or no start-up capital, and doesn’t require an office setting. Here are 10 great possibilities to get you started:
1. IT Consulting
This is a field in which long years of experience are not considered a boon. The youngest and the freshest, i.e. kids straight out of school, often have the sharpest take on the going trends and are up to speed on the newest technologies. You can start small by recommending your tech services to non-tech savvy pals and spreading your business by word of mouth. It won’t take long before you’ll feel confident advertising yourself as a consultant and starting to rake in the income.
2. Social Media Consulting
Believe it or not, there are still companies out there that don’t have a good social media presence or strategy. And if they do, they limit their exposure to more standard platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn. Use your millennial fluency with all things social media and advertise yourself as a resource to companies in need of a better online presence.
3. Graphic Design
Experience is always good, but you don’t need it to get your big break in design. All you need is talent, creativity, drive, and a really good portfolio. Also make sure your business cards and resume reflect your artistic talents and are both unique and well-designed.
4. Web Design
If you already have some website designing experience, you can easily keep working on your skills and start branching out to making websites for profit. This is one of those great careers where you can almost always wear your pajamas while you work.
5. Photography
Just like design, it’s not hard to get paid to take photographs provided you have the talent, creativity, and drive. We live in a world that relies on images for most levels of communication, and visual content is at a premium. If you’re good behind a lens, digital or analog, get your work out there and get paid.
6. Event Planning
If you have a great eye for detail, and are extremely organized, and you like to throw parties, then you might consider going into event planning. If you’re going out alone, you should make sure you have the proper certification in your area.
7. Personal training
You will need certification through a program like ACE, plus usually some CPR or AED training, but after acquiring all of that, personal training can be one of the most flexible fields around. If you’re a fitness buff, why not make money getting other people into shape as good as yours?
8. Cleaning Services
A cleaning business is great for quick cash with tons of flexibility. No office required, and most supplies can be purchased at the grocery store. Capitalize on people not wanting to do their own dirty work!
9. Freelance Make-up Artist
Start a business for yourself that’s all about the ladies. Start with YouTube video tutorials to show off your skills and build a following. Then start advertising yourself for special occasion make-up gigs and get people primped and ready for their biggest events.
10. Landscaping and/or Snow Removal
Either one is a seasonal business, but the two combined? That has the potential, with very low overhead, of making you some serious cash.
No matter which route you choose, it’s always important to get the necessary certification or insurance. But a little fresh thinking and some spark can set you up as a successful entrepreneur, right from the comfort of your own home.
