Kick-Ass Business Ideas to Start at Home

If you are a stay-at-home parent, need an extra source of income, or want to be your boss! You must have thought of starting a business at home. That’s because it allows you to work at your own pace and can save you a lot of expenses.

Fortunately, there are several home-based business ideas to start at home. however, you might be confused about which one to consider. Some ideas might even look more profitable than others.

Therefore, in this article, we will be discussing the top 40 most lucrative business ideas to start from the comfort of your home.

What do the stats say about home-based businesses?

We’ve gathered these stats to give a perspective about how most business ideas at home can succeed!

According to The US small business administration, among 32.5 million businesses in the United States, there are 19 million businesses that are home-based. This makes up about 50% of the total amount of businesses.

The following are interesting statistics about home-based companies in the United States:

• Most home-based business ideas start with less than $10,000. According to the US Small Business Administration, home-based franchises cost about $2000 to $5000. Therefore, you do not need to break the bank before starting a business in the comfort of your home.
• Women in the United States are twice more likely to own home-based businesses. According to a home-based business survey, about 64% of home-based business owners in the U.S were women.
• 69% of startups started as home-based businesses! Whereas, about 59% continue operating from home even after years of growth. According to the 2012 Global Entrepreneurship Monitor report… more than half of U.S entrepreneurs work from home long after their businesses are up and running.
• About 60% of home-based businesses are “nonemployer” businesses, based on the US Small Business Administration Office of Advocacy. Therefore, there is a higher chance that you might not need to employ labor when choosing a business that you can start from home.
• According to the US Small Business Administration, only 20% of home-based businesses fail, as reported by NYSED. This is contrary to the popular belief that new businesses have a high failure rate. Therefore, you can rest assured that whatever business you can start from home has an 80% success rate.
• There are several lucrative businesses you can start from home that can make you a lot of money. About $427 billion is made by home-based businesses in the United States every year, according to Business For Home.

Top 40 business ideas to start at home

The following are the top 39 business ideas at home.

Drop shipping

Drop shipping is a form of e-commerce business that does not require sellers to purchase or keep the stock they sell at hand. With drop shipping, you can post products of your choice on your online store and wait for orders.

Then, when you get orders, you pass them on to a third-party supplier who ships them directly to your customers.

Drop shipping is one of the business ideas at home that is very easy to start. It saves the cost of product inventories and storage space for products.

According to Forbes Advisor, you can create a drop shipping business from home for as little as $100. While profits may differ according to the products and your supplier, you can make up to $100,000 in your first year. This makes it one of the best business ideas at home.

Home baking

If you love baking delicious treats at every chance you get. Then, a home baking business may be a very good business to start from home. As a home baker, you can turn your passion into a source of income by selling cakes and desserts.

You can sell your products for birthday parties, weddings, and other events. Or you can sell them to local stores, restaurants, and even online through delivery services.

You have to consider your target market and the type of food products you will be selling. If you have been baking before starting a home baking business, you might already have all the necessary equipment, thereby saving costs.

Your home baking business does not need a lot of money to be successful. And you can earn as much as $1000 every month by baking from home.

Web design & web development

Web design and web development both involve the creation of websites. However, there are a few differences between them.

For instance, a web designer is a graphic artist who is in charge of creating a website’s layout, usability, and visual look. Whereas, A web developer is someone who creates and maintains the foundation of a website.

Simply, web designers deal with how users interact & use the website. However, web developers deal with the hidden structure or framework of a website.

In this technological age, almost every business needs a website. Therefore, it is possible to get a job as a web designer/developer. You can get gigs from friends, family, and local businesses around you.

Or you can offer your services on freelancing platforms such as Upwork. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the hourly rate for a web designer/developer is $37.12.

Photography

If you have a flair for photography! You should consider venturing into the professional photography business. There are different types of photography, from portrait and headshots to photojournalism photography.

As a hobbyist and beginner in photography, you can start by shooting weddings, birthday parties, etc. Or You can learn from professional photographers and develop your skills to take on bigger gigs from referrals.

If you do not have a lot of capital to work with, a home-based photography business may not be suitable for you.

As a photographer, you need to invest in equipment such as a camera, lenses, light, editing software, and a computer. It is estimate that you need about $8,000 to $15,000 to get your photography business up and running.

However, you can get an average ROI of about $38,950 annually.

Babysitting

With about 85.8% of babysitters being women, the babysitting business is more suitable for women at home. You should consider this if you love kids and enjoy spending a lot of time with them.

Many parents would pay to ensure that their kids are in good hands while away. Therefore, babysitting them is one of the most lucrative women’s home business ideas.

There are different state laws guiding the nanny business. So check to ensure you are operating under the permit of the law. The babysitting business requires little to no startup cost.

And the amount you can make depends on your location, the number of kids, and other factors. The average hourly rate for babysitters in the United States is $19.14 per hour.

Blogging

Another lucrative business idea at home is blogging. It doesn’t matter if you’re a mom, student, or a stay home-dad! This idea will suit you as long as you can write good content.

After all, Blogging involves writing content to be published on a website known as a blog. Then, if the content on your blog attracts traffic, you can monetize this through ads, affiliate marketing, and partnerships.

As reported by AHRefs, 77% of internet users read blogs. Therefore, your blog will attract loads of traffic if it is filled with quality content.

The blogging business requires low startup capital, mainly used for purchasing a domain name and hosting. The ROI from a monetized blog varies and can run into millions of dollars yearly.

Graphics design

If you are artistic and love to communicate through designs & illustration! Then, you should consider graphic design. This business involves creating visual content to pass a message across.

You do not necessarily need to have a degree in graphics design before setting up your business at home. Still, you might need proper training to improve your skills & chances of success.

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 254,100 jobs for graphics designers in 2020. And 1 in 5 graphics designers had a job in 2021.

Generally, you require low startup capital for your graphic design business. The median annual ROI in 2021 was $50,710, according to the US BLS.

Etsy marketing

About 79% of Etsy sellers identify as women. Therefore, an Etsy marketing business is lucrative for women at home. Etsy is an American e-commerce company that focuses on the sales of handmade or vintage items and craft supplies.

If you have homemade crafts or like making handmade products, Etsy is a great home business idea you might want to check out. 

With Etsy, you do not have to stress selling your craft and handmade products. All you have to do is set up an online shop and start selling your baskets, custom jewelry, etc.

Your annual ROI on Etsy depends on the type of products you sell, demand, and some other factors. However, you can make around $5000 to $50,000 in your first year.

Petsitting

This one is for animal lovers! If you find caring for animals easy or fulfilling! Why not start a petsitting business? All you need is to take care of pets while their owners go to work or travel.

Most pet owners would pay good money to ensure their furry friends are in safe hands. Thus, this business should be relatively easy if you have a passion for animals.

You can start your pet sitting business by looking after the pets of your friends and family. Or, you can inform veterinarians and other pet service providers about your pet sitting business. This might help you get clients and referrals.

According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, there are about 76,811,305 dogs alone in the United States. You can make an average hourly rate of $13.88 as a pet sitter

Dog walking business

Walking dogs help to provide them with physical exercise, mental stimulation, and opportunities for socialization. However, many dog owners might be too busy to take their dogs on walks.

Therefore, if you are a canine lover, this is a great business idea home for you. You can get customers for your business by using social media ads, handing out flyers and posters… or through referrals from friends and family.

You can start your dog walking business with as little as one dog and grow over time. Walking dogs is a good way to exercise yourself while earning. A dog walking business requires less than $2,000 startup capital. You can make an average hourly rate of $15.13 to $21.77 as a dog walker in the United States.

Subscription box

In case, you like the business idea of selling products at home, consider starting a subscription box business. If you don’t know what this is?

A subscription box is a box that contains a group of physical products under a common niche. And it is delivered to subscribers (customers) on a recurring schedule.

There are several products you could decide to sell in a subscription box, including beauty products, clothes, food, toys, etc.

The cost of startup capital for a subscription box business depends on the products you choose to sell. In 2020, consumers of the food subscription box spent about $75 monthly, according to Statista.

The amount of money you make depends on how many subscribers you get and how well you retain them. The good thing is you can always make sales and gain more customers every month.

Makeup artist

If you are skilled in the art of beautifying faces! Makeup artistry is one of the most lucrative women’s home business ideas.

According to the Makeup Artist demographics and statistics in the US, about 88.2% of makeup artists are female.

While many makeup artists are formally trained, you can learn from other professionals or through YouTube tutorials.

Startup costs are low as you can set your makeup artist business at less than $2,000. And you can get referrals from friends and family or use social media to gain clients.

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the hourly wage for makeup artists was $64.78 in 2021.

Small-scale farming

starting a home-based small-scale farming business is possible if you have a big backyard with extra space. There are a lot of profitable small farm ideas.

However, always check your local laws to ensure that you have every license to operate. You can decide to plant food crops or herbs or start a tree nursery.

Also, you can rear livestock such as chickens for their eggs and meat or bees for their honey.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, small-scale farming businesses produce a third of the world’s food.

So, you can make money from selling your farm produce!

Startup costs for a small-scale farming business vary according to the type of crops you plant or livestock you rear. Averagely, you can make as much as $20,000 annually, farming on one-tenth of an acre of land.

Landscaping

The landscaping business is one of the most profitable home business ideas. It involves constructing, installing, and maintaining lawns, shrubs, yards, gardens, patios… or other outdoor areas for people who need such services.

As a beginner, you can start with simpler tasks as you do not have to offer every landscaping service. You could get your landscaping business up and running by providing lawn mowing services. And you can offer additional services as you grow.

The startup cost of a simple landscaping system such as lawn mowing is relatively low. As you expand, the capital might become a bit high; however, you would have made enough profits.

According to Statista, each household spends $503 on average on lawn care and gardening activities alone. You can record a median hourly wage and annual wage of $16.55 and $34,430, according to BLS.

Seasonal operator

Similar to landscaping, you can start a seasonal operator business. However, as its name implies, you can only get jobs during particular seasons of the year.

Therefore, if you are looking for a men’s home business idea that you can run part-time, consider the seasonal operator business. Examples are snow shoveling during winter and beach gear haulage during summer.

The startup cost of the seasonal operator business depends on the job you decide to do.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the hourly wage of seasonal operators was about $17.05 in 2021.

Social media marketing

If you have a large social media audience and know your way around various social media apps. Then, social media marketing is a very lucrative business you can start from home.

This job involves using social media platforms to promote products and services to a larger audience. Every business that wants to be successful knows the power of marketing.

Thus, jobs are readily available for social media marketers.

With a huge social media audience, you can promote various products and services for companies and make a lot of money.

Approximately $153 billion was directed toward internet ads in 2021 in the United States. The median annual wage for advertisers and marketers in 2021 was $127,150.

Virtual assistant

the virtual assistant business is one of the easiest business ideas at home.

All you need is a good mastery of computer applications such as word, Excel, and PowerPoint presentations. As a virtual assistant, you’ll carry out little tasks your clients do not have time to do.

Thanks to this, you’ll have flexible working hours.

According to Entrepreneur media, virtual assistants can save a business up to 78% in operating costs.

The virtual assistant industry is growing fast, and startup costs are low. However, it might be a little competitive. Therefore, you must make sure to sharpen your skills.

The average hourly wage for a virtual assistant in the United States is $22.01 per hour.

Personal fitness trainer

If you are a bodybuilder or love working out, you can turn this passion into a business at home. To attract clients, your body shape should reflect the services you offer.

Your job is to evaluate the fitness level and physice of your clients and help them use gym equipment properly. You will also deal with creating personalized exercise programs, among other things.

There are over 131,181 personal fitness trainers in the U.S, and 63.3% of them are men.

Therefore, if you have been searching for profitable men’s home business ideas, you should consider this. Based on the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the annual wage of a personal fitness trainer was $40,700 in 2021.

Handy-person

Another lucrative home business idea is the handyperson business. If you find repairing damaged things around the house easy, This business idea can work for you. There is a lot of work to be done as a handyperson ranging from fixing a broken window pane (carpentry) to fixing someone’s leaking sink (plumbing).

According to Zippia, there are over 91,120 handyperson services in the U.S, 93.4% of the people offering such services being men. The handy-person business can be profitable as you can make $44,920 per year.

Airbnb hosting

The Airbnb hosting business is a good way to make money from your home while being away from home. If you have free space in your house, you can make a lot of money by starting an Airbnb hosting business.

The startup cost of an Airbnb business is very low because you are making money off an existing asset. You must take nice, high-quality pictures of your property and list them online with reasonable pricing.

The laws guiding an Airbnb business vary from city to city. Therefore, ensure that you fully understand the rules that apply to your city and type of property. The ROI of an Airbnb hosting business varies depending on how much the size of your property, state, and location.

Freelance writing

If you are a skilled writer, you can start a freelance writing business and earn money from the comfort of your home. Freelance writing involves performing writing jobs for people in need of writing services for a fee.

There are different aspects of freelance writing in which you can specialize, including technical writing, blog writing, resume writing, SEO writing, etc. You need strong research skills to write like a professional in whatever niche is assigned to you.

The startup costs for a freelance writing business are low, and this majorly consists of a computer you probably already have.

Your wages as a freelance writer depend on your niche, among other factors. However, according to Payscale, the hourly wage for freelance writers generally is $24.64 per hour.

Local tour guide

If there are tourist attractions in your city, you can make money by creating a local tour guide business. Tourists would need help getting around your city as they are unfamiliar with the area. This way you can offer your tour guide services in exchange for money. You can also create physical or virtual maps to sell to tourists.

The startup costs for a local tour guide business are relatively low. According to Entrepreneur, you can start a local tour guide business for less than $1000 and get a massive ROI annually.

The median hourly wage and annual wage of local tour guides in 2021 were $14.32 and $29,780. This is according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Tutoring

If you have a teaching flair and love being around kids, you should consider starting a tutoring business. In case, you possess advanced tutoring skills, you can teach at different levels.

Tutoring can help kids to prepare for major exams and also augment the knowledge they have gained from school. You can tutor online, in your home, at your client’s home, or at the local library.

The tutoring business requires little to no capital, especially if your students are kids and teens because they will bring their materials from school.

According to the United States Bureau of Labour statistics, you can earn a median hourly wage of $17.53 and a median annual wage of $36,470 as a tutor.

Car detailing

Cars require maintenance to keep them in good condition all the time. Cleaning the car is a maintenance measure too. However, not all car owners have the time for that.

If you are one of the people who cannot stand the sight of a dirty car, you should consider starting a car detailing business at home. Car detailing involves cosmetic maintenance measures to ensure that a car is in its best possible condition.

A car detailing business requires very little to no capital and no technical knowledge.

You can either allow your clients to come to your house to have their car detailed, or you charge them more to go to theirs. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, you can make an annual wage of $29,280.

House cleaning

A thorough cleaning of the house is a task that takes a lot of time. And some people cannot afford to do it themselves. However, if you are comfortable with cleaning, you can start a house cleaning business.

Since this is not everybody’s favorite job, you are sure to get clients. But keep in mind! This is a hard task because you might have to clean out years of trash from a client’s house.

You can earn a lot of money cleaning houses and even offices. The startup costs of a house cleaning business are relatively low as you can get your business up and running with less than $1,000.

You can make a wage of $28,780 from your house cleaning business.

Affiliate marketing

If you have a website that gets a considerable amount of traffic, starting an affiliate marketing business is a good choice. Affiliate marketing involves promoting products and services on your website.

Then, once a purchase is made through your link, you get a commission. Therefore, it is one of the best business ideas at home to generate passive income.

The affiliate marketing business requires little to no capital, especially if you already have a website. All you have to do is place your unique links to promote products. The average annual salary for affiliate marketers is $52,130, according to Shopify.

Foreign language tutor

If you know how to speak any foreign language fluently and you can teach others, you can become a language instructor at home. If you are a native speaker, or you have a degree in a foreign language that people find attractive and are willing to learn!

Then, you can make money by teaching them from the comfort of your home. You can either invite students to your home or work in theirs. Otherwise, you can teach them online.

There are over 39,133 foreign language tutors employed in the United States. The startup costs for a foreign language tutor business are very low. The median annual wage of a foreign language tutor is $77,030.

Music tutor

This is among the best business ideas at home for music lovers! If you know how to play musical instruments, you can start a music lessons business by teaching others.

While some people learn how to play musical instruments through formal education, some are self-taught. Others have to learn from other professionals.

It takes months or years to master a musical instrument. therefore, the music tutor business is sustainable.

The music tutor business requires very little to no cost because you probably already own the necessary instruments. Music time studio reports show that about 52% of US households have at least one person who plays a musical instrument.

The average hourly wage for a music tutor in the United States is about $26.77 per hour.

Transcription

If you have an impeccable command of English grammar and are a fast typist, you will do well by starting a transcription business at home. Transcriptionists convert audio recordings into written documents. Most transcriptionists do not require formal certification.

This makes such a business easy to start.

There are over 51,176 transcriptionists in the United States who have been employed. The annual wage for medical transcriptionists is $30,100, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Rental business

If you have a considerable amount of startup capital, you can start a rental business at home. The rental business will always continue to exist because some equipment is very expensive while others are not always needed.

There are a lot of things that can be leased, including recreational vehicles, medical equipment, office furniture, etc.

If you do not have the equipment you intend to rent out already, your startup costs may be very high. You can cut these costs by purchasing second-hand equipment that is still in a good condition.

As of 2020, the United States was the largest equipment rental market. And the industry was valued at $48.5 billion, according to Statista. Your ROI on a rental business depends on the type of equipment you lease.

Proofreading

Do you have an eye for detail? Do grammar mistakes make you feel uneasy? If you answered yes to any of these questions! You should start a proofreading business.

Proofreading ensures that a document is void of grammatical, typographical, and compositional errors. Proofreaders are important, and almost everyone uses them.

The proofreading business requires very little to no startup cost. According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average annual wage for a proofreader is $43,490.

Bookkeeping

If you have a knack for organizing things, the virtual bookkeeping business might be very suitable for you. As a bookkeeper, you are tasked with the responsibility of recording financial transactions and preparing financial statements monthly. You must be computer literate to work as a virtual bookkeeper.

The bookkeeping business does not require a lot of startup capital. According to BLS, the median annual wage of a bookkeeper in the United States in 2021 was $45,560.

Voiceover artist

One of the easiest businesses to start t is becoming a voiceover artist. Voiceover artists act in animes, cartoons, video games, TV commercials, etc. That could be you if you have a nice voice.

While in business as a voiceover artiste, you can also take other jobs because of the flexible nature of the job. All you have to do as a voiceover artiste is record and send it to your client.

The startup costs of a voiceover artiste business are low as your voice is the major equipment here. However, you may need to purchase recording equipment. According to Indeed, the average base hourly rate of a voiceover artiste is $30.74.

Vending machine

A lucrative business guaranteed to make you passive income is the vending machine business. A vending machine dispenses small items such as foods and drinks in exchange for a coin, bill, or token.

By owning a vending machine, you do not have to worry about renting a space or where your customers will come from. All you have to do is get the permission of local business owners in your preferred location to install your vending machine in their establishment.

The global vending machine market size is expected to reach $25.25 billion in 2027 based on Allied market research. According to Forbes Advisor, this can be purchased for about $2,000 to $3,000. Depending on what you sell, a single vending machine can make you up to $8,000 in a year.

Interior decoration

Everybody loves a beautiful home/office/facility. However, not everyone knows how to go about it. Well, If you can transform a property by decorating rooms and uniquely arranging furniture! You might consider starting an interior decoration business.

To get started, you can take beautiful pictures of your amazing transformations and post them online to attract clients. Also, you can offer your services to a few friends and family for free to add to your portfolio and attract referrals.

The startup cost for your interior decoration business can range anywhere from $500 to thousands of dollars, depending on your operating scale.

According to Statista, the worldwide interior design market was valued at $121 million. You can earn an average hourly wage of $27.43 per hour as an interior designer.

Translation

Similar to the foreign language tutor business is the language translation business. If you are bilingual or multilingual… you can start a language translation business offering your services to people.

The startup cost of a language translation business is relatively low. As of 2020, there were 56,920 language translators in the United States, according to Statista. You can earn as much as $49,110 per year as a language translator.

Life coaching

Sometimes, motivation and someone to believe in them is all some people need to succeed. If you have life experience and always try to see and bring out the best in people, you should consider starting a life coaching business.

Fortunately, you do not need formal training or certification to be a life coach. However, you can undergo certification programs to gain the trust of your clients.

You can make money through coaching sessions, webinars, blogs, podcasts, etc. The startup cost of a life coaching business is minimal, and you can operate from home.

According to the International Coaching Federation, 99% of people are satisfied with their experiences with a life coach. You can earn anywhere between $37,550 to $98,190 per year as a life coach.

Online courses making

Selling courses online is a great business idea at home that is guaranteed to make you money.

To start an online courses business, you have to decide what niche you are going into and who your target audience are. You can put up your course for sale on free platforms such as Udemy.

The startup cost of an online course business varies according to the materials involved in creating the course. According to Forbes, the online education market will be valued at $350 billion by 2025.

The revenue you can earn from your online course varies. However, you can make up to $50,000 monthly depending on sales.

Thrift store flipping

The thrift store/flea market is a goldmine if you know your way around. There are products in the thrift store or flea market that are sold for ridiculous prices.

However, when sold on e-commerce stores such as eBay, they can fetch good money.

The startup cost of a thrift store flipping business is low. You can start with as low as $20-$50. There is no limit to the amount you can earn monthly by flipping thrift items.

Print-on-demand (POD)

If you love to sell trendy merchandise, but do not have enough capital… starting a print-on-demand business can save you the cost of handling production and shipping.

A print-on-demand business is similar to drop shipping. It involves sending your products to a third-party supplier like Merch by Amazon and Printify, which customizes your apparel, footwear, and accessories.

You do not have to worry about anything. That’s because your third-party supplier handles the production, shipping, and returns of your merchandise.

According to Printify, you need no up-front investment for your print-on-demand business. You only pay for a product after it has been sold. There is no limit to what you can make from a print-on-demand business. It all depends on your target market and product demand.

Wrapping up

We hope this article about business ideas at home has answered your call! If you find the right business idea for you, we wish you the best of luck! In case, you’re looking for more inspiration & business tips, check our other articles.