16 Best Online Business Ideas To Start And Grow In 2025

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An online business includes goods and services sold through e-commerce stores or websites. It’s a lucrative venture – in 2025, retail e-commerce sales will increase to $4.3 trillion worldwide. Online businesses offer flexibility, global reach, and lower overhead compared to brick-and-mortar businesses, making them an attractive option for many entrepreneurs.

In this guide, we’ll review 16 ideas for online businesses, how to choose and launch each venture, and how much you can earn.

1. Open an ecommerce store to start a business online

Estimated income: From a few hundred to several thousand dollars monthly.
Requirements: Basic marketing knowledge, supplier relationships.

You can sell products directly to your customers via an e-commerce store. It’s a great side hustle that can bring passive income once you set up an online store.

To get started:

Choose your niche: Conduct market research and identify a market with high demand and low competition. Additionally, focus on niche markets to cater to a specific customer demand.
Select a platform: Decide between Shopify for a hosted solution and use their template designs to set up your store. Alternatively, choose WooCommerce as a WordPress plugin if you already have an ecommerce website.
Source products: Choose reliable suppliers that offer excellent customer service.
Design your store: Create compelling product pages with high-quality images and descriptions.
Market your store: Utilize social media marketing, email marketing, and SEO to attract customers.

Also, you should consider a business model called dropshipping, where you don’t need to hold any inventory. Your supplier takes care of warehouses, shipping, and other nuances of inventory management.

Your role is solely to sell the products and market your brand. This option is suitable for people who don’t want to take on huge risks or pay large upfront costs when starting a business.

2. Launch a print-on-demand brand

Estimated Income: Variable; typically hundreds to several thousand dollars monthly.
Requirements: Basic design skills or outsourcing, consistent product promotion.

Print-on-demand (POD) services allow you to sell custom-designed products without holding inventory. Some of the most popular POD services, like Printful and Gelato, integrate with your e-commerce platform so that you can easily set up a successful business.

Firstly, create unique designs for popular items like t-shirts, mugs, or tote bags. You should choose a target audience, e.g., stay-at-home moms who love home cooking, and bachelors who need fun gear for their party. It’ll be easier to design your items for a specific target audience. Alternatively, you can hire affordable designers to do it for you.

Secondly, you need to integrate a POD service with your online store. Lastly, focus on promoting your online business on social media or hire influencers to sell your items to their audience.

3. Offer freelance services to become your own boss

Estimated Income: $500–$5,000+ monthly, scaling with experience.
Requirements: Strong skill set, reliable communication, and time management.

Freelancing allows you to monetize your skills in areas like writing, graphic design, or programming. Use platforms such as Upwork and Fiverr to become a freelancer and land clients. Alternatively, you can use your network and reach out directly to businesses.

If you want to land clients, you should focus on:

Building a strong portfolio: Showcase your work, like copywriting, bookkeeping, or marketing, with prominent examples or past work.
Set competitive rates: Research market rates to price your services appropriately.
Market yourself: Utilize social media and networking to find clients. Always communicate effectively and highlight the quality of your work.

4. Become an affiliate marketer

Estimated Income: A few hundred to several thousand dollars monthly.
Requirements: Content creation, traffic building, and patience to grow an audience.

Affiliate marketing involves promoting other companies' products and earning a commission for each sale made through your referral. Brands will give you a unique code or link that you must include in your content to generate commissions.

You should choose a niche and build an onlinepresence. For example, share your personal glowup journey, teach cooking recipes, or film how you play video games. It’s crucial to build authority within your niche to get people to trust you and purchase from you.

To get started with an affiliate side hustle, join affiliate programs related to your niche. You can find them on brands’ websites, so pick a brand that you genuinely like. Once you get your affiliate code, create content to drive conversions. Some people claim to earn about $2,500 per month passively, so it can generate long-term income for you.

You should consider search engine optimization, email marketing, and transparent product reviews to get more traffic and build trust among your audience. Once people trust you, they’ll be more likely to buy from you. Keep your viewers in the loop with regular content uploads and include your affiliate links in every post.

5. Develop and sell digital products on your business website

Estimated Income: A few hundred to six figures yearly.
Requirements: Expertise in a topic and time to create high-quality materials.

A great online business idea is selling digital products like ebooks, online courses, or software. It can generate passive income and be a low-effort side hustle.

You should:

Identify a niche: Find a topic with demand and limited competition.
Create the product: Develop high-quality content that provides value.
Choose a platform: Use platforms like Teachable, Gumroad, or Sellfy to host your product.
Market your product: Run digital marketing campaigns using email marketing, social media, and SEO to reach your audience.

Another important part is pricing. Offer one-time fees or subscriptions, depending on your product. For example, software programs can have subscriptions, but ebooks should be a one-time purchase. However, you can upsell advanced content and charge more for upgraded features, longer ebooks, or in-depth courses.

6. Offer coaching and consulting as a small business idea

Estimated Income: $50–$300+ per hour.
Requirements: Specialized knowledge, strong communication skills, credibility markers.

If you have expertise in a particular field, open a coaching or consulting business to help other business owners in their journey. It’s among business ideas that allow you to earn money without investment – you’ll need your own website and a niche.

You should package expertise and offer specialized coaching or consulting services. For example, you can do life coaching, business strategy, or fitness consulting. It’ll depend on your skills and knowledge.

To start:

Define your services: Clearly outline what you offer, like fitness consulting or business strategy, and who you help.
Build credibility: Gather testimonials and case studies to showcase for potential customers.
Set up scheduling: Use tools like Calendly for appointments. Also, it’ll help you streamline work if you’re managing social media accounts for digital marketing.
Host sessions: Conduct sessions via platforms like Zoom or offer in-person services for a higher price.

7. Build a subscription or membership site

Estimated Income: Varies, but successful boxes can make $1,000–$10,000/month+
Requirements: Niche idea, sourcing products, and fulfillment setup.

Subscription and membership sites can range from snacks and cosmetics to niche hobbies. If you can curate exciting, themed experiences each month, you can build a loyal customer base based on your hobby.

Firstly, pick niches that align with your interests and are profitable business ideas. Anything from book clubs, gardening tips, and online courses for pet owners can make you money. Secondly, decide if you’ll offer services or products. If you choose to sell products, e.g., lunch boxes, you’ll need to source products and handle shipping.

Either way, you’ll earn recurring revenue from each member. Offer exclusive content, premium forums, or specialized resources for a monthly fee. It’ll allow you to diversify your earnings from your current subscriber base.

Also, build a professional website and use membership plugins, like MemberPress or Patreon, to set up subscriptions. Market your business on social media platforms and reach more potential clients with paid ads.

8. Create an app or software tool

Estimated income: Ranges from a few hundred to over $100,000 per month, depending on scale and audience size.
Requirements: Coding skills or hiring a development team, ongoing maintenance, and market validation.

App development can be a profitable online business idea with the growing demand for digital tools. You’ll need to brainstorm ideas for an app or software tool and validate them through user surveys, competitor analysis, and a minimum viable product (MVP).

Validation ensures you're solving a real problem before investing significant time and money. Simple landing pages, waiting lists, or early sign-up forms can also test interest for your target market.

Monetization options include:

One-time purchase: Suitable for standalone apps with fixed functionality.
In-app purchases: Ideal for mobile apps offering unlockable features or content.
SaaS subscriptions: A recurring revenue model for tools solving ongoing needs (e.g., analytics, productivity, design).

Iterative development helps to maintain relevance and user satisfaction. You can use low-code tools like Bubble or Outsystems if you don't have a technical background. Also, gather user feedback for future updates.

9. Monetize content with sponsorships and ad marketing strategy.

Estimated income: Starts small but can grow to several thousand dollars monthly with high traffic
Requirements: Niche content creation, consistent publishing, audience engagement

Earn ad revenue from your blog, YouTube channel, or podcast by posting regularly, gathering an engaged audience, and signing up for ad monetization or sponsorship programs. It can be a passive income source for doing what you love.

Start by selecting a focused niche. Pick something you're knowledgeable about and that has a clear audience, like personal finance, tech reviews, or sustainable living.

Build your platform using tools like WordPress for blogging, YouTube Studio for video, or Buzzsprout for podcasting. You need to maintain consistent and high-quality content for long-term success. Be transparent and provide valuable information to retain followers.

Once you begin growing traffic and subscribers, you can generate revenue through:

Ad networks: Start with Google AdSense and consider switching to higher-paying networks like Mediavine once you meet traffic thresholds.
Sponsored content: Partner with brands for paid product placements, reviews, or mentions.
Affiliate links: Promote relevant products and earn commissions from tracked referrals.

Estimated income: $1,000–$10,000+ monthly, depending on client base and services offered.
Requirements: Social media expertise, organizational skills, content planning, basic analytics.

Businesses see the value in digital marketing, with ad spending growing each year to billions of dollars. You can monetize your knowledge and start a social media management agency to help small businesses create a strong social media presence for increased sales.

Core responsibilities include:

Creating content (posts, visuals, captions).
Scheduling and publishing using tools like Later or Hootsuite.
Running ad campaigns and monitoring performance.
Reporting key metrics and refining strategies.

Agencies can charge clients via monthly retainers or structured packages, e.g., basic content uploads or full-service management, including paid ads and analytics. If you’re looking to scale your own business, consider hiring freelancers to support design, copywriting, or community engagement.

Also, offer unique engagement platforms to your client, like JumpTask for business. Offer microtask-driven engagement such as real post interactions, community growth, and increased reach through verified task performers.

This improves your clients' visibility and social proof without relying solely on paid ads. Get in touch with JumpTask or related platforms to discuss partnerships.

Help your clients grow smarter

Add JumpTask to your toolkit and offer microtask-powered engagement that boosts visibility and social proof.

FAQs

Some business ideas with low startup costs include selling digital products like ebooks or digital art, dropshipping, freelance work, and coaching. You’ll need your computer and a strong skillset to get started, but you won’t spend additional money on inventory or expensive gear.

It depends on what products or services you sell and your niche. Some people start earning from the first week. Others need months to break even and even longer to earn profits. It’s crucial to outline a business plan and focus on profitable small business ideas.

Yes, you’ll need some technical skills to start your brand. For example, you’ll need to set up your online store or create content to attract clients, so you must be tech-savvy and creative to do it. Alternatively, outsource freelancers to help you with such tasks.

Yes. However, ensure smooth operations for each online business by reviewing cash flows, inventory, marketing materials, and more. Carefully plan your time to manage your workload and avoid burnout or potential losses.

Gabriele Zundaite

Digital Marketing Manager

Meet Gabriele, a marketing specialist focused on digital growth and social media. As a Digital Marketing Manager at JumpTask, she helps others discover new ways to earn online by turning creative ideas into real results. With a degree in Marketing Management and a background in growth marketing and community building, Gabriele shares clear, practical advice for anyone ready to start earning or grow their online presence.