11 Easy Online Business Ideas to Make Money From Home in 2024

In 2024, all you need to launch a successful business is an original idea, a stable internet connection, and potentially a free website builder.

It’s also possible to very effectively promote yourself entirely through social media, especially when you’re just starting out, so don’t think you have to be especially tech-savvy to make money online.

In fact, some of the biggest businesses known to man were born in bedrooms, garages, and basements – including Amazon, Apple and Facebook to name just a few. Carving out your niche is less straightforward, though, especially as increasingly low barriers to entry drives up the competition across industries.

Whether you’re aiming to be the next tech titan or are just happy with a lucrative side hustle, there are lots of viable ideas to get started with that require minimal start-up costs and equipment. From dropshipping to custom GPT creations, we outline 11 easy online business ideas that can be launched from the convenience of your home and represent proven ways to make money online.

Read on for some entrepreneurial inspiration, and for tips on being your own boss.

The Best Online Business Ideas to Make Money at Home

There’s no shortage of ways to make money from home in 2024, as long as you’re willing to put in the graft. Here are some creative business ideas made possible by the internet, and online tools like ChatGPT:

Affiliate marketing
Make an online course
Dropshipping
Write a blog
Sell goods online
Start a Print-on-demand business
Sell an online service
Create and sell an NFT
Create a YouTube channel
Make a custom GPT
Create an eBook with ChatGPT

1. Affiliate marketing

Pros: Zero start-up costs
Cons: Requires an online following
Earning potential: $100 to $500 a month (as a beginner)

Affiliate marketing is a type of marketing where companies compensate individuals for promoting links to certain goods or services. Affiliate marketers receive a percentage of the sales or tragic generated through their efforts, so the bigger audience you already have, the bigger your earning potential.

There are a number of ways to cash in from affiliate marketing, from posting on social media to writing blog posts. One of the best things about affiliate marketing is that it doesn’t require any start-up costs, making it one of the most affordable ways to generate passive income.

2. Make an online course

Pros: Easy to set up
Cons: Need to market it yourself
Earning potential: $100 to $1,000 a month (as a beginner)

If you’ve got specific knowledge or a skill you think would benefit others, why not make and sell an online course? This is especially true if you’re clued up on new and emerging technologies, as spiking demand for online AI training courses shows.

Selling a course is a cost-effective and scalable way to make a steady income while sharing content you’re passionate about. It’s super easy to get started as well with web builder software like Squarespace and Hostinger.

However, there are some drawbacks to monetizing your knowledge. Just like with affiliate marketing, it is easier to make money with an established audience, so if you don’t have a large follower base, or aren’t prepared to market your course, this may not be the best business idea for you.

3. Dropshipping

Pros: Requires no start-up inventory
Cons: Its competetive
Earning potential: $1,000 to $3,000 in the first year

You’ve probably seen enough YouTube ads by now to know what drop shipping is. But if not, dropshipping is a low-risk business model that lets you sell products to customers without incurring wholesale running costs. Unlike with brick-and-mortar and traditional ecommerce, you don’t have to purchase a product unless you’ve already made a sale, reducing financial risks associated with surplus stock.

Dropshipping is a great option for entrepreneurial spirits with little funds available to invest in inventory. However, the world of dropshipping is extremely competitive, and profit margins are a lot lower than with traditional retail.

4. Write a blog

Pros: Allows for creative freedom
Cons: Can take time to build an audience
Earning potential: $70 to $100 a month (as a beginner)

If you’re a budding wordsmith, or are simply passionate about a certain subject, writing and monetizing a blog could be a good way to earn money on the side. After you’ve carved out your niche and put pen to paper, you’ll need to build a loyal online audience. Once you’ve amassed a decent amount of followers, you’re able to monetize your blog across various channels, including through sponsored posts, product sales, or third-party ads.

The great thing about blogging is you have the freedom to write about anything you care about. It’s also a natural way to foster and connect with an online community of like-minded people.

5. Sell goods online

Pros: Can set own profit margins
Cons: Requires start-up inventory
Earning potential: Up to $10,000 per month

If you’re crafty, or have got an eye for second-hand goods, selling items online can be a decent money-maker. Selling products of your choice allows you to set your own profit margins, and market them to your liking. Lots of ecommerce platforms like Etsy, eBay, and Depop let you retail goods for free too, but they do charge a fraction of each sale.

Selling goods online does require start-up investments though, specifically when it comes to purchasing materials and stock. This makes retailing goods unsuitable to individuals looking to get started for free. Alternatively, you could set up your own site using one of the best ecommerce website builders, which gives you full control of your startup’s finances.

6. Start a print-on-demand business

Pros: Minimal start-up costs
Cons: Low margins
Earning potential: Around $1,500 per month (as a beginner)

Print-on-demand (PoD) is an order fulfillment method where business owners print designs on products like clothing, accessories, and decor using third-party suppliers. Like dropshipping, you don’t need to purchase the stock until the order is received, eliminating the need for costly inventory management. It’s important to research market trends before launching a PoD business, however, as some niches – like sustainable fashion and athleisure – are more lucrative than others.

7. Sell an online service

Pros: Can utilize existing talents
Cons: Hard to build a client base
Earning potential: Anywhere from $15 to $100 an hour (as a beginner)

You don’t need to sell something tangible to run a successful business. Selling a service like consulting, life coaching or personal training is a great way to profit from existing skills and experience.

This business idea might be appealing to those who already work for a service provider for their 9-5, but are looking to subsidize their income by going freelance in their spare time. However, if you’re experienced enough, are willing to work hard to build a roster of clients, and receive a decent amount of positive testimonials, there’s ample potential to turn this business into a full-time gig.

Don’t have a big marketing budget? Leveraging free-cost marketing channels and networking in your industry are effective ways to spread the word cheaply, according to author and certified speaking coach Kevin Williams.

8. Create and sell NFTs

Pros: Allows you to profit from pre-existing content
Cons: Requires technical knowledge
Earning potential: Anywhere from $200 to $1 million

Another creative way to make money online in 2024 is by making, and selling an original non-fungible token (NFT). While the hype around NFTs has dyed down a little since the technology broke into the mainstream in 2021, they can still be a decent money-maker for those with some spare time and the right technical know-how.

Anyone can make an NFT, but to avoid copyright infringement it’s best to make one from an original asset. However, even if this isn’t possible, you can still generate a decent income from trading NFTs based on trends and popularity.

9. Create a YouTube channel

Pros: Good way to monetize your passion
Cons: Time and energy-intensive
Earning potential: $18 per 1,000 views

If you’ve always wanted to try your hand at vlogging or video editing, monetizing a YouTube channel is a good way to earn massive income and explore your passions at the same time. While it takes work to build a following, once you reach 1,000 subscribers you can launch YouTube ads on your channel, and make up to $0.5 to $2.5 per 1000 views with AdSence.

10. Make a custom GPT

Pros: Quick and easy to
Cons: Requires a paid ChatGPT plan
Earning potential: Up to $1000 a month

With the GPT store opening earlier this year, ChatGPT Premium and Enterprise users are now able to profit from their own custom GPTs. custom GPTs are customizable versions of ChatGPT that are tailored to a specific niche. From Christmas Card Maker’s to Simionizers, the limit really is your image, but as a general rule of thumb, the most successful GPTs will serve a unique use case and will be trained on richer data than similar competitors.

If you’re subscribed to ChatGPT Plus or Enterprise, creating a custom GPT couldn’t be easier too. All you need to do is name your GPT, add instructions and examples to the builder’s drop-down menu, test it, and you’re ready to go live.

11. Create an eBook with ChatGPT

Pros: No start-up costs
Cons: Very competitive field
Earning potential: Up to $2500 a week

You don’t need to be a trained author to write an eBook that sells; all you need is ChatGPT and some well-crafted prompts.

AI chatbots are content-creation machines, so it’s unsurprising so many people have begun using them to earn passively in 2024. The creation process is relatively straightforward too; all you need to do is come up with a niche or original idea – this could range from a mystery crime novel to a non-fiction book about botany – come up with a basic book structure (you can use ChatGPT for this too) and then write the book paragraph by paragraphs by feeding ChatGPT descriptive promotes.

After the book is complete, you can sell it directly through Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), and earn up to 70% from each book sale.