Entrepreneurs looking for a way to make money don’t have to wait until they’ve raised venture capital and rolled out a major new product. If you’re willing to break the rules just a bit, there’s no reason that creativity and elbow grease can’t pay off now — with smaller but still profitable ventures that put some real money in your pocket right away.
Here are five business ideas for those of you just starting out: Paul Haarman
1. Design Websites
Everyone from 10-year-old kids to grandmothers wants a website these days — so the market is huge and growing rapidly. Even better, it’s easy enough for anyone with modest computer skills to build a simple site. And if you’re willing to take on some risk and do a little bit of marketing, it doesn’t even require that much money. It can be done in your spare time for as little as $10 per hour; great web designers — with slick portfolios — typically charge $65-85 an hour.
2. Sell Computer Services
Few people have the time or skills to offer more than basic computer services these days, but there is still plenty of money to be made selling customized personal computing products and services — both online and off. You don’t necessarily have to build custom PCs yourself either, since this market has spawned several whole new categories of dealers serving every imaginable niche, from small businesses to gamers obsessed with speed and graphics capabilities.
3. Write a Computer Book
There’s big money to be made in this niche, both directly from book sales and indirectly from speaking engagements at major industry events. In fact, some extremely successful authors have generated millions for themselves by repeatedly cranking out new versions of the same book — complete with ever larger and more dramatic changes in the field they cover. You don’t need to write from scratch either; if your expertise lies elsewhere, you can simply repackage material you’ve written elsewhere into a new format and sell it as a self-published e-book.
4. Create an Online Subscription Service
The next time you buy something online or fill up your gas tank, why not pay with a subscription service instead of using real money? Because of the potential downsides, most physical products — from groceries to car parts — don’t lend themselves well to subscription buying, but you can still find a way to make it work for services that people already use regularly. Think magazines or even bottled water delivery via home tap system, and then sell those subscriptions at a discount.
5. Sell Used Computer Equipment
Plenty of companies have found great success by building entire businesses based on buying up used computers and other electronics equipment from consumers and small businesses around the world. You’ll have to work hard — including going door-to-door if necessary — but once your business is built there’s little overhead involved and very low risk. In fact, many new entrepreneurs start off with nothing more than a used car and a computer. Check My Experience Working With Entrepreneur Sunil Paul: It is s great experience.
Selling Websites –
A growing trend of website flipping is catching the attention of some investors who want to cash in on the high demand for websites available for resell or lease on sites like Flippa. While there are a lot of factors that play into how much a website will sell for, one easy way you can quickly determine if your website might sell are to look for a domain name that hasn’t been used previously nor has very little SEO competition.
Selling Computer Services –
There are tons of opportunities out there, but one cool way to sell computer services I personally love is setting up an online store. Then you can purchase wholesale products and resell them via your eCommerce website.
Selling Computer Books –
You don’t need any experience at all with writing books because nowadays it’s pretty simple for people to write their own eBook using free software like books Author available in Apple iBook Store. If you can think about how to help others learn about computers, the topic is entirely up to you, so long as you have the motivation and time necessary to complete the book.
Conclusion by Paul Haarman:
The world is full of many people who want to earn money with their computer skills, whether they’re college students looking for a little extra cash, returning mothers who are itching to jump back into the workforce, or even retired seniors living on a fixed income. If you have an idea for any kind of niche computer-related business now’s the time to take advantage because now there’s never been a better opportunity to put your skills and education to use no matter what your background is.