9 Online Business Ideas To Be a Successful Entrepreneur

If you are looking for online business ideas to have your own company and become your own boss, you may surprise yourself with the thousands of options you have. But, this is a competitive market.

Starting an online business may be easier than you think, but the key is knowing how to make your business thrive and stand out among others in the market industry of your choice. The good news is it takes much less initial investment to create your online business than if you were to open a physical store, for example. 

5 Tips to Start a Successful Online Business#

1. Make a Business Plan#

Instead of taking action as you go, when you have a business plan and dedicate yourself to its creation, it's easier to set efficient strategies since the goals, target audience, and niche market are well-defined. 

The business plan has to be complete, addressing the multiple aspects that are required to maintain and develop your online business idea. Make a list of the things you don't know about, such as taxes, supply chain, and warehouse issues to research each one and include in the plan. 

To begin writing, you can answer basic questions: what type of products do you plan to sell (physical, digital, or services)? Who is your customer? Also list the resources that you are going to need, including financial, physical, and human. How much capital do you need to launch your business? 

Think about the future, make data-based projections, and set a list of short and long-term goals. Set milestones and key performance indicators, which are essential to know how to evaluate your business and your team's progress. 

Check if you include all of these points in your business plan:

• Company overview
• Products you are going to sell
• Where you are going to sell your products
• Target audience
• Product sources
• Market analysis
• Logistics 
• Marketing plan
• Financial plan
• Goals

2. Know Who Your Target Audience Is#

How are you going to know what are the best marketing strategies to be applied for your online business, if you don't have information about your target audience's behavior? Without knowing them deeply, you won't have enough information to guide your actions. 

When you understand your potential customers, your marketing and sales strategies are much more likely to succeed. You can offer what your audience wants, communicate to them using the channels that they prefer, show how your products help to solve their demands and provide content they find valuable. 

It can even help you to select the products at your store because you will be able to identify your customer demands better. Try to answer the following questions:

• Where is your target audience located?
• What is their age range?
• How often do they buy online?
• Where do they buy on the internet?
• What are their pain points?
• How do your products offer a solution to them?

This data already enables you to create persona profiles, which can be described as fictional characters that contain the main characteristics of your audience.  When your marketing team draws the actions to promote your business, they can do that according to the persona profiles, to be more accurate and get the desired results.

3. Develop Marketing Strategies#

Conquering visibility is essential to promote your business and reach potential customers, therefore, you should start planning marketing strategies as soon as you begin developing your idea.

Based on your target audience profile, define which social media network you are going to use, create your company's profile or page, and create a schedule to post regularly. Social media are valuable assets to engage with leads and customers. You can promote brand awareness, display your products, sell, and get to know more about your audience. 

Use PPC (pay-per-click) campaigns on social media and other websites, and configure them to appear only to the people who have your customer's profile, Enjoy your website features as well to create content marketing strategies, for instance, by adding a blog section, and writing articles to different stages of the buyer's journey.

Research relevant keywords to your market niche, and develop articles focusing on them, can help you appear on the first search result page at Google, conquer visibility organically, and grow in credibility and authority in your area. 

4. Provide Excellent Customer Experience#

Many times what differentiates a store from another isn't their products, which can be the same, but how you make your clients feel. Many of them are even willing to pay more if the service is worth it, as the Achieving Customer Amazement Survey Report, from 2021, showed. 52% of the interviewed consumers stated that they prioritize customer experience over price.

By offering seamless customer service, you can conquer loyal customers, and establish your brand on the market. Pay attention to your website quality, does it facilitate navigation? Can products be easily found?  How long does it take for each page to load? All of this can affect the customer's decision to make a purchase or not. 

Features such as live chat, customer reviews, and FAQ help the customer to have a better experience because you are giving them tools to make the best choice. Be careful to create a system where your leads and clients don't have to wait too long to have a response when they send a message. 

5. Keep Track of KPIs#

The key performance indicators that you have established on your business plan must be watched closely. By keeping track of them, you will be able to identify which strategies aren't working as they should, and quickly change. 

Even when you have everything planned out, it's only when the plans are put into action that you can actually see if they will provide the expected results. It's possible to reduce the risk of error, but no business is risk-free. Be prepared for it.

The advantage is that, by analyzing the KPIs, you have the opportunity to catch a problem in the beginning and alter the scenario. Your strategies are supposed to change along the way, learning to adapt is also part of the business development process.

The Benefits of Creating an Online Business#

It Doesn't Take Much Capital to Begin#

When the subject is online business ideas, one thing that attracts many entrepreneurs is the fact you can start without having much money. For example, if you are going to adopt the dropshipping model, the company you partner with is going to be responsible for storing, packing, and delivering the products.

Imagine if you decide to have a physical bookstore. You need to rent a place, hire salespeople, have storage, hire people to take care of the storage, and the expenses go on. Many of them can be reduced when your business is online

Lower Maintenance Costs#

Keeping a physical store or an office entails many costs, including rent, wi-fi connection, energy, office, and cleaning supplies, and much more. Depending on the online business type you choose, you can run everything from your house and reduce those expenses by more than half, which increases your profit. In the long run, you may need to have a pitch ready for investors. There are a number of great pitch deck examples out there to familiarize yourself with.

Launch Your Business Faster#

Before opening a physical store, for example, you probably will have to reform the entire place of your choice to add your brand's identity and adapt it according to your needs. A reform along with the necessary paperwork takes a long time, while a website can be created within a day. 

9 Online Business Ideas for 2023#

1 - Sell Clothes Online#

An interesting and pertinent online business idea is selling clothes online, this is a wide market that offers you multiple options. You can have your own fashion line, and create exclusive pieces to be only sold on your ecommerce website.

Another alternative is to be a reseller. In this case, you can buy clothes from other partner brands and make them available in your online store. This way, you don't need to worry about the manufacturing process. 

You can also have a clothes business based on the dropshipping model. You are going to select the partners that will be responsible for storing, packaging, and delivering the clothes, while you are in charge of the marketing and customer support part. 

2 - Sell Your Artwork Online#

If you are an artist, such as a painter, or an illustrator, you can commercialize your products online. There are specialized marketplaces for art, or you can build your own website. It's also possible to sell digital artwork like illustrations. It depends on what you are an expert at.

But first, analyze what materials you need to make your products and how long it takes to manufacture each item. It's important to know this to determine an exact delivery time, and also 

 calculate the costs to put the price correctly.

Build a strong brand identity that your target audience can relate to. Make your artwork stand out by showing it's a handmade item, a unique piece. You may even explain the concept behind it.  

3- Teach an Online Course#

Have you ever taken an online course? There are several teaching platforms where you find courses about the most different topics. For example, cooking classes, digital marketing, coding, writing, and so on. 

If you are an expert in your area and you want to share your knowledge and make money with that, you may find this possibility interesting. First, you need to plan the course, build a script for each class, and define an evaluation system. This will be simpler if you already are a teacher.

You can record the classes at home or rent a studio for that. The most important is counting on a camera that records video in high-quality resolution and a good microphone. Choose a space with good lighting as well, the natural one is the best. 

Then, choose the platforms where you will sell your course. You may create your own website and sell the course there too. Remember the importance of marketing, and don't forget to promote your course on social media.

4- Become a Digital Influencer#

Digital influencer has become a career, you just need to open TikTok or Instagram to see people with millions of followers sharing their lives daily. It's a type of business that for many may seem easy, but it isn't so simple. 

You need to choose a niche, for example, if you want to be a reference in the world of online games or if you want to talk about fashion. There are influencers who specialize in nutrition, pet care, cars, and makeup, and the list keeps growing. 

You may choose a broad subject to get more followers, but your competition will be bigger. On the other hand, if you focus on a specific niche you may have fewer followers, but loyal ones and work in the sector of micro-influencers, for instance. 

A digital influencer's work consists mostly of building a relationship with their followers, who value this person's opinion for multiple reasons. Brands want to associate with digital influencers because they know the value they know there is a high return on investment (ROI). 

However, to become a digital influencer it may take time. You need to be persistent and post high-quality content on your social media every day. 

5- Build Apps and Websites#

Do you know how to code and build websites and apps? If so, that's an online business idea for you. You can create your own website and sell your services on it. Add a portfolio and show your previous experiences, create a page for people to get in contact with you, and an "about me" page, as well, to speak more about yourself. 

Many people have ideas for apps and websites, but they lack the skills to make them by themselves, which is a market opportunity. To stand out in this niche, you must show the quality of your work, for example with customer reviews, the portfolio, and by using social media platforms to show what you do.

6- Become a Translator#

Do you speak more than one language? Working as a translator may be an option for online business for you. There are many options such as translating academic papers, books, and articles and writing subtitles for movies and series.

It's possible to sell your work on specialized marketplaces or have a website of your own and promote your work through it. With your website, you can highlight previous experiences, and make it easier for potential clients to get in contact with you. 

7- Start a Dropshipping Business#

When it comes to online business ideas, the dropshipping business model is suitable for people who don't have much money to start a new business. This is because you can choose one or more suppliers that will be in charge of storing, packing, and shipping the product, and you can concentrate on sales and marketing to ensure the online store will have good visibility.

You can choose the types of products you wish to sell, as there are suppliers from different sectors. Besides, you won't have

 to spend money on packages or manufacturing. 

8- Become an Online Fitness Trainer#

If you are a personal trainer, a physical education teacher, or an athlete, you may consider giving online fitness classes. You can create a set of exercises and modules that people will have access to if they subscribe to your services. 

Another option is to livestream the classes, so people can work out from their homes with the help of a professional. You may add other services such as a personal set of exercises for each person, or partner up with a nutritionist who will create a diet based on individual needs.

9 - Sell Household Items for Winter#

During winter there is a considerable demand for essential items that will help people to prepare their homes to face the colder days of the year. You can commercialize a variety of products like blankets, ice scrapers, and hardwood heat logs.

For example, Lekto is a company that sells wood fuels. To promote their business they created a blog where they publish educational content such as this piece talking about the best firewood to burn in the UK, which compares different types of products for that region.

Regardless of the type of bussiness you want to have, it's worth considering to create a blog for your ecommerce and generating organic traffic by targeting relevant keywords for your market."

Choose the Best Online Business Idea for You#

Now that you have seen several online business ideas, analyze which one matches your skills and interests. After that, it's time to make a business plan to understand what you need to put the idea into action. Remember that a successful business takes persistence, patience, and the ability to learn from your mistakes.