100 Business Ideas for You to Become Your Own Boss

For most of us nine-to-fivers, the idea of working for ourselves is a dreamy one indeed. Who doesn’t want to be one’s own boss, and to have a few employees to boss around instead? Okay, just kidding. But the idea of working and earning for yourself, doing what you’ve always dreamed to do, and not having to the toe the line to another’s whims and fancies in what we all secretly fantasize about – especially on the days we hate our jobs. And frankly, with a little planning and some hard work, your business ideas can indeed germinate into full-fledged businesses indeed.

Choosing The Right Business Ideas For You

Frankly, there’s so much you can do when it comes to running your own business in this ever-expanding world. That said, many entrepreneurs would advocate that you start a “side business” while you are still working a full-time job so as to not put a drain on your finances. Also, businesses take time to grow so putting your eggs in just the business basket may not yield you the desired results. While a full-time job and a side business may be difficult to run and demand plenty sacrifices, remember that it can be done. Here are some points to remember.

• Divert your hobbies into business ideas: Our professional qualifications need not define us – business ideas can come from our hobbies too.
• Use all available resources: What you have with you can often be turned into business ideas. Brainstorm and use your earthly possessions to help make you a business owner.
• Use your profession to augment your earnings: Sometimes the easiest business ideas come from what you already do.

1. Sell DIY art: Art or beauty is pretty subjective but if you can make reasonably pretty stuff, there’ll always be buyers for it.
2. Sell impressions: If you have always been able to copy painting, hue for hue, offer people impressionist art.
3. Create handmade jewelry: Your talent can earn you plenty.
4. Run a pet hotel: The open space of your large home can easily be converted into a pet care facility for travelling pet owners.
5. Become an art coach: People want to be artistic – so charge them to teach them the skills you have.
6. Sell tailor-made cakes: Fancy yourself a chef? Well, use your talents to bring joy into birthdays by making made to order cakes, and earn money doing it!
7. Sell cookies: If your live around young millennials who stay away from home, your home-made cookie selling business ideas may find many takers
8. Offer cooking classes: Put your kitchen skills to good use and teach people to be better cooks.
9. Offer a homemade packed lunch service: Far too many Americans are headed towards being obese – offer a healthy packed lunch service that gives them taste but saves the calories.
10. Start a catering business: Your small kitchen and individual skills can turn into catering business ideas.
11. Beer brewery: Tipples always remain great business ideas so if you know a thing or two about brewing amazing beers – there’ll always be parties to cater to.
12. Freelance as a graphic designer: If you love to play around with logos and designs, people would love to pay for that.
13. Become a wedding photographer: If people love your couple clicks, start freelancing as a low-cost wedding photographer and slowly build-up prices and clientele.
14. Offer child photography services: Being good with kids is an added advantage for a business like this, and everyone loves happy pics of their kids.
15. Become an online photography coach: Your serious camera skills can earn you some serious money.
16. Become a handyman: Know your plumbing or electronics? Become a part-time handyman.
17. Become a niche travel agent: Niche travel always works better than generalized ones. So how about you offer something that’s close to your heart and helps people have better travel experiences?
18. Become a freelance writer: Your writing skills can become a good side business for you.
19. Offer ghostwriting services: The best of companies needs good writers to sounds the best they can be – that could be you.
20. Write for greeting cards: If your witty one-liners have been a hit, write them for greeting card companies and turn your humor into business ideas.
21. Design Tees: Your one-liners can also be turned into awesome t-shirts.
22. Write erotica: There’s nothing like fetish erotic writing to make you money on the side, and have fun along the way!
23. Become an eBook writer: Beauty tips or yoga tips, kiddie stories or erotic tales – there’s always room for another eBook.
24. Embroider custom gifts: Nothing conveys love more than a custom, handmade gift so put your needlework skills to good use.
25. Offer astrology skills: Start your own astrology website if you know all about stars and signs – and people may just flock to your excellent predictions.
26. Become a happiness consultant: Vastushastra or Feng Shui – if you know your home science, run a consultation service.
27. Start a dance class: Online or studio, your excellent dancing skills can do more than just impress.
28. Do portraits: If you are an excellent sketcher, offer people an online portrait service.
29. Make and sell seasonal decorations: Spread Christmas cheer by turning your famous homemade ornaments into business ideas.
30. Become a voice-over artist: If public speaking and a great voice talent is your thing, moonlight as a voice-over artist on the side.
31. Become a pet-toy seller: Known how to make great pet toys? Sell them online
32. Become a toy maker: Your homemade toys may have been great gifts – now is the time to turn them into business ideas.
33. Tailor some business ideas: Love clothes and stitching? Then think about a part-time tailoring, refurbishing or alteration chop shop.
34. Offer customizable art: Sometimes people want art to best reflect their life – offer them custom painting s or sculptures at reasonable costs.
35. Make custom furniture: You furniture-making hobby can become part-time business ideas.
36. Teach some tunes: If notes are your key, let them flow into business ideas and teach some music – instrument or otherwise.
37. Become a dating consultant: So if love to set people up, and are successful at it – you can turn your skills into business ideas.
38. Start a niche blog: Your hobby ideas can become business ideas with a blog, that you can monetize later.
39. Run a motel: Have a largish house with far too many rooms? Convert a floor or two into a B&B.
40. Become a dog walker: If you tend to be an early riser, use that time to become a dog walker for your neighborhood – get paid to take in the fresh air as well.
41. Offer babysitting services: If your job allows flexible hours, or is more of a work from home variety – babysit to increase your income in your free time.
42. Sell hand-painted clothes: Plain tees can look amazing when hand-painted – offer people wearable art – each clothing customized to their taste, a unique piece indeed.
43. Start a pet spa: A license, some equipment and plenty of pet love is all you need to start this rather money-making venture.
44. Become a caregiver: Plenty of experience and know-how in caring for the elderly – become a part time caregiver to augment your income.
45. Join online gigs: Places like Fiverr give you an opportunity to earn money from what you are good at, and sell your customized gigs.
46. Rent your car: If you have a vehicle you no longer need, rent it out to Turo or a similar taxi service and let the car make you bucks.
47. Start an auto-service garage: Have a state of the art garage? Convert it into an auto service, or paint shop.
48. Start a nursery: A large backyard can actually be converted into a nursery, or even a garden center of sorts.
49. Start a tuck shop: Have realty that sits on a hiking trail? Convert it into a tuck or goods shop and make some money off it.
50. Rent out extra properties: Left with a realty legacy of sorts? Rent or sublet these properties and let them make money for you.
51. Become a property manager: If you have experience managing your own properties, you can do this for others as well.
52. Become a virtual assistant: If you are great at time management and organizational skills, offer your services as a virtual assistant.
53. Play the stock market: Have money to spares? The share market can generate many business ideas – start small though.
54. Consult for local business: Moving from a bog city to a small one – people would be eager to pay you bucks for any specific expertise or know-how you might have.
55. Teach, what you no longer do: Have any old skill that never got used professionally? Offer coaching/teaching for the same and utilize what you know.
56. Become a party planner: If your parties are always the talk of the town, become an official events or party planner.
57. Become a wedding planner: Successfully planned all the weddings in your family? Take it to the next level by freelancing as one.
58. Clean-up services: Inherited a junk yard? Or really large trucks? Become a clean-up crew.
59. Mobile laundry services: A decent pick-up or van is all you need to become a mobile laundry service – just tie up with the local laundry for a cut, and all you need to do is the pick-up and the drop.
60. Rent your vehicle as a billboard: A garishly painted and branded car may call for sacrifice, but will pay the rent.
61. Become a human billboard: Extreme yes, but if you are cool with being one, there’s plenty of money to be raked.
62. Become a model: Print ads are always looking for that different face, or that beautiful body part. See if you can land a gig.
63. Offer translation services: Your multilingual skills can finally come in handy.
64. Fill out online surveys: Not too much to be earned but hey if you are free, might as well make some money.
65. Become a fitness coach: Be it personalized at the gym you hit, or an online one, your fitness skills can be converted to effective business ideas.
66. Become a marathon mentor: Marathons are in, and if you are a regular at them, you can mentor other people to win them too.
67. Turn your home gym into a limited membership gym: If your fitness quest has left you with a home gym, convert it into a limited membership gym and let that equipment earn you money.
68. Become a fitness equipment seller: A small space in your home can be converted into fitness / sports equipment shop made all the more popular with your knowledge.
69. Offer online classes: All that yoga can make you an excellent online instructor.
70. Run a fitness studio: Yoga, barre or Pilates – you could offer weekly classes in all that you are good at.
71. Become a morning coach: Your morning run can be converted into business ideas – simply get hired as a morning run coach and help people achieve their physical goals.
72. Officiate games: Your passion for a game can help you become an officiator for local contests and earn you money as well.
73. Coach a local team: Played in the big leagues? Become a part-time coach for your local team and earn money while you are at it.
74. Become a helper: Websites like TaskRabbit let you earn while running errands for others.
75. Drive for Uber: Free weekends can be utilized by driving for well-paying taxi services like Uber.
76. Buy & Sell: Your penchant for digging treasures out of junk can make you a successful seller on sites like eBay.
77. Become a tax consultant: Your tax knowledge can helps so many people file and save on their taxes.
78. Coach on the side: Good with computers? Or numbers? Or anything? Become a subject-specific online coach for the same.
79. Become a copywriter: If you are a great writer, launch a website offering copywriting skills to help brands build up their paraphernalia.
80. Become an affiliate sales marketer: If you already have a heavy-traffic blog, all you need to do is join up an affiliate sales and marketing program to further monetize it.
81. Become a licensed product distributor: Not instant sales no but licensing a foreign product for sale domestically can lead to big bucks down the line.
82. Freelance editor: Already a writer? Use your proof-reading and editing skills to help people become better writers too.
83. Become a start-up consultant: Your experience in launching start-ups can be turned into business ideas – offer consultancy services around the same.
84. Become a freelance software developer: You IT skills can help you run a cool side business.
85. Become a website designer: Put those coding skills to use and freelance as a web designer.
86. Become a web/app developer: Even more killer coding skills can be used to make apps and even more complicated websites.
87. Become a real-estate consultant: Realty may have stung you when the market when down but with everything on the rebound, your skills can be put to good business ideas.
88. Offer computer literacy: Not everyone knows their way around computers so if you have the knowledge and the teaching skills – you got a business.
89. Open a computer repair shop: If you know your computers, turn what you know into business ideas.
90. Start a home cleaning business: Your housekeeping skills can come in handy to start something like this.
91. Analyze data: Your data analysis skills can earn you some serious money on the side.
92. Refurbish electronics: Start a seconds’ electronic store – buy stuff that’s been junked, refurbish and sell it for a neat profit.
93. Become a counselor: If talking people into better lives is your forte; become an online counselor on the side.
94. Offer online consultancy: A medical degree or an advocates license – your profession can help you become an online consultant for many a website.
95. Interior design consultant: Your eye for beautiful houses may just land you gig as an interior design consultant, all you have to do is advice.
96. Travel consultant: Again, your experience as a traveler or even in a travel agency means you can become an independent travel consultant.
97. Social media manager: With so much happening on the online front, become a social media manager for someone on the side and put your skills to good use.
98. Teach English, remotely: The world goes around with English so if you have native knowledge, become an online tutor.
99. Become a college essay writer: If you are a writer and have a way with words, there are plenty websites looking for creative college essays
100. Do what you love: Finally, anything that you would love to do, or have been wanting to do, or are really good at – can be turned into business ideas. A little research, some hard work and plenty perseverance is key.