20 Ideas for Your First Online Side Business

Who doesn’t enjoy some extra income? Online business ideas in India can prove challenging, but it will also give you the chance to try several strategies to make good money. The online venture you wish to launch will depend on individual skill, requirement, the amount of money you need, and how quickly you can cope with the challenges, thereby succeeding in the venture.

Work Extra To Earn Extra – Online Side Business Ideas

It may surprise you to learn that a lot of full-time employees also work part-time and conduct freelance jobs to have extra money for emergencies, leisure, and contentment.

Online side businesses help in cost savings, increased professionalism, less paper waste, and greater income.

Primary online business ideas in India help aspirants gain access to the global market. In addition to that, it will keep you afloat amid a rigid work culture.

Easy online business ideas in India include the following.

1. Become a Seller on Amazon

One of the possible ways to earn extra cash is by selling products on Amazon. You can sell online and make cash by listing furniture, collectibles, household appliances, jewellery, cosmetics, or hardware, which is merely collecting dust in your house. The benefits include effortless shipping and logistics, quick delivery and customer service, besides the extra income.

2. Grow Your Wings as a Freelancer

Slowly and steadily, the world of business will shift to the new normal—the freelance market. It is a vast area and involves a pool of talented people who earn up to 20 lakhs per annum. The rates depend on the industry and location. If you are good at writing, photography, designs, gaming, poetry, makeup, you can simply become a freelance artist and explore opportunities.

3. Start a Clothing Line

If you are fond of fashion or textile designing and have extra time, start your clothing company. It would be a bonus if you already own a Shopify store to set up your clothing line using the product sourcing app Oberlo. You do not have to take care of the selling process. The product sourcing applications take complete control of the retail fulfillment process, while you focus on designing a wide range of apparel.

4. Dropshipping Store

Digitise your warehouse, and start a dropshipping business. In today’s world, dropshipping is the cheapest form of owning a warehouse and an easy e-commerce business idea. Simply source a pre-existing product from a supplier and sell it directly to the customer. As a result, you will not go through the hassle of handling products directly.

5. Become an Online Tutor

Tutoring is a great way to earn some extra money and is widely considered among small business ideas. There is no bar for individuals to enroll in a course and start studying, and you can tap into this. If you are proficient in certain subjects, sign up with online tutoring portals on the internet and get yourself an additional business.

6. Start your cabs with Ola and Uber

Starting a business with Ola and Uber as a delivery partner can be fascinating. Quick and easy transportation is much needed in the fast paced world we live today. An average of 8 to 10 trips a day can fetch anywhere up to INR 15000 a month. Consider the amount as the profit. Your earnings will go way beyond that above limit.

7. Use Gazelle To Recycle Smartphones

If you are looking to sell your used smartphones without much hassle, Gazelle is a smooth transaction platform and a smart online business idea. For example, if you have an old iPhone or a Samsung smartphone, you can advertise this for sale on the platform.

8. Self-Publish an Ebook

If reports are to be believed, every book sold derives up to 75% royalty. All you need is creative writing skills and a little know-how of the internet. These days, you don’t have to hire a publisher to get your manuscript edited. If you are a blogger, ebooks are a great way to reach a wider audience while making a considerable amount of money.

9. Sell Your Art Online

If you have been doing photography for a long time now, and your beautiful photographs are trapped inside your laptop, it’s high time for you to sell online and make some quick money. The internet has plenty of options to guide you in starting an online store to turn your hobby into selling masterpieces. You can also create a portfolio and pitch to companies for photography assignments.

10. Product Photography

It is a great side business idea to start in India, while continuing your day job. However, you may need some investment to gather the photography equipment. It is considered fairly expensive, with returns that are worth the investment.

11. Handmade Product Business

Handmade goods, be it linen, soap, cosmetic, has a different set of a fan base. There exists huge income potential with handmade products. Turn your craftsmanship into a money-making business with the use of the internet.

12. Teach an Online Course

One of the low business investment ideas to generate a passive income mode is teaching an online course. Put in some labour to create a video walkthrough. Explain the subject you are familiar with. Promote it on your website.

13. Start Your Blog

Blogging has come a long way from being a virtual journal to becoming a monetisation tool. Bloggers have witnessed the changing trend way better than anyone in the market. You can make money with sponsored posts or by selling your products through affiliate marketing, courses, and e-books, or by hosting third-party advertisements.

14. Become A Delivery Driver

The idea of being a delivery driver or logistics partner is not entirely online. You need to operate physically, most of your orders will be placed and transacted digitally via an application. Qualified drivers can take foods and other products from shops and deliver them to the customer’s doorstep. You and the team get the liberty to opt for a flexible delivery schedule.

15. Web Designer

Most organisations look for individuals who can design a lucrative, SEO-optimised website to rank higher on Google search results. You can create websites for people and bring buyers and sellers together on a single platform. You can charge a subscription or a transaction fee.

16. Virtual Assistant

Get your organisation skills into a business and make a handsome income. If you love to work behind the scenes, you can be the perfect candidate to start a virtual assistant business. As a virtual assistant, you will help entrepreneurs and business executives in their personal and professional lives. The duties may range from marketing tips to financial assistance.

17. Social Media Influencer

It is common to find people posting pictures with new clothes and new products, quoting a brand name in the caption and sharing coupons for discounts. Well, they are social media influencers who have enough followers to lure a brand and give them products and conduct direct marketing. Brands offer products so that influencers can use them, create promotional video content and convince customers into making a purchase decision.

18. Podcast

If you are good at speaking and have great oration skills, podcasts can be a great income source. Podcasts are one of the greatest online business ideas, given that it is considered informational and a fun way to learn. All you need is recording software and a good microphone.

You can pair up podcasts with an existing business to generate new leads. It will help create sponsorships and partnerships that may do well in the long run.

19. Consultation Business

If you are good at advising people about business growth, revenue, financial planning, etc., you can earn a great amount every hour, as much as INR 15000 to INR 17000, depending upon the industry and skill set.

20. Affiliate Marketer

An affiliate marketer’s average income can be expected to be anywhere between Rs. 21,000 to Rs. 50,000 a day. The income depends upon the program and the product niche. As an affiliate marketer, you would need excellent content marketing skills to create a website that ranks on Google’s first page.

Conclusion

Pick any of the above ideas that suits your skills and interest. Make the right decision, lookout for the  investment and expected outcome. Before diving right into the business, evaluate your available time, resources at your disposal, and ensure to have the willingness to continue.

Also Read:

1) What Are Some High-Return Business Ideas For Bihar?
2) What are some ideas for a small business For Pune?
3) 20+ Extremely Profitable Business Ideas You Should Check Out!
4) OkStaff: Benefits, Better Staff Management & More!

FAQ

Q. Is an online side business profitable?

Ans. Yes, you need to be consistent. Online side businesses such as affiliate marketing, dropshipping, editing and proofreading.

Q. How successful is an online side business?

Ans. Quite. To make it a success, you need to be consistent and true to your profession. Online side businesses do not bring success overnight.

Q. Can I start a business without a website?

Ans. Ideally, you can. But to have a powerful success ratio, an online presence through a website is mandatory.