The economic climate today, combined with the growing influence of the internet on so many industries and markets, leads more and more people to rethink their career choices. The web offers numerous business opportunities that just did not exist in the offline era.

If you want to add some extra income to your household or if you’re thinking about starting a new business venture, there are many options online that can help you achieve your goal. For example, here are 10 business ideas that you can set up easily – all you need is time, a small budget and high speed internet.

If you’re interested in more online business opportunities, check out the first blog post we published on this topic.

eBooks

Trying to convince a publishing company to publish and distribute your work is next to impossible if you’re just starting out. A much cheaper and more direct way to circulate your writing is by publishing Ebooks, or electronic copies of your works accessible for immediate download to a broad audience. This means of lightening fast distribution and cutting out the publisher middle man also translates into more money paid per book to you.

BTW, here are some great tips for writing successful eBooks.

Fashion Blogging

If you have a flair for chic and tweet often about what’s hot and what’s not, then you most definitely need your own fashion blog; A hugely popular way to get known in the fashion industry and consequently invited to fashion shows and meet amazing designers, plus score awesome swag. Several top bloggers have even launched a celebrity stylist career from such humble beginnings.

Ruffle at The Bar is a fashion blog that does it with style:

eCommerce

Today, setting up an online shop is so simple and consumer demand for product online is higher than ever. Whether you own a chain of brick and mortar shops or have some boxes of stuff in your garage you’d like to peddle, if you’ve got right goods to sell, then the ecommerce advantage for you is clear. Sell any products directly to your customers on a website and you eliminate all of the bricks and mortar costs of a regular shop thereby increasing your profit margin. Top selling items online include books, women’s apparel, health and cosmetics items, music and flowers.

Check out Dylaniumknits to see how a great online shop looks and feels:

Consulting

Whatever your expertise, consulting is the best way to capitalize on knowing more than anyone else on a particular subject. The advantage of online consulting is that quite often much of the work can be done at your convenience from anywhere in the world.

Give potential clients access to specific know-how by offering up to date content that shows you’re on top of the game. Make sure your website includes any published works, speeches and videos you may have. Networking with others in your field frequently will help establish you as an expert and eventually provide a long list of satisfied customers.

Life Coaching Online

Life Coaching is an extremely high-demand modern profession that people are in search of online. There are no concrete credentials needed for this line of work. There is a constantly growing market of people in need of inspiration, and if you are a good listener and a great communicator who can help others build goals to reach their dreams, then this is your calling.

Run Tam has online and offline coaching activities:

Internet-Based Research

Anyone can do it, but some people do it better and faster than others. Internet-based research works like this: Many companies require extensive research before each business move they make. These companies then contact professional researchers that are commissioned to provide various kinds of information (stats, popular mindset, historical data, reviews, etc.). This work can be tedious at times and requires a great attention to details. It’s also very flexible in terms of working hours, plus you can find yourself researching a topic that you’re very interested in.

Green Products and Services

Finding a green alternative to anything is always more likely online. This means that if you offer a green product or service such as eco-friendly cleaning products, a green cleaning service, green construction, green transportation service or even green consulting then your online presence is crucial because 99% of people searching for businesses offering green alternatives find them online, that’s where they are!

Check out Farmhouse 17 for some organic inspiration:

Affiliate Marketing

This is one of the most successful business opportunities born out of the internet. Affiliates are people who run blogs or websites and offer companies ad spots. If the ads on their sites generate profit to the company (i.e. someone clicked on the ad and proceeded to purchase something), they get a commission. The hardest part is to build a website that has enough traffic and enough clicks, but if you put some time and effort into creating original content and promoting your site, you’ll get there eventually.

We also has an affiliate program that you should check out. Here’s more info on how to become a Wix affiliate.

Resume Writing/Translations

If you have ability in either of these skills in today’s shifting work market, then you are in constant demand. With the growing number of layoffs and career changes, your Inbox will be full of requests from people in need of your services. If you can organize a pool of writers of varying mother tongues, then add translation services to your own resume and added value to your biz.

Freya R. Morgan created an online business card for his writing service:

Create a Niche Community

Many people have a popular hobby that others are interested in, so why not leverage this into a business opportunity? You can create an online community around your topic of interest and offer services or products to its members. For example, one ski enthusiast founded this community site, which provides helpful information for ski fans and also offers seasonal excursions to places with the best snow.