We’re so fortunate to live in an era where starting a business is no longer a tedious process that requires lawyers and endless paperwork. All you need is an excellent idea, and you’re all set to launch your one-man show.
Thanks to the internet, you can easily obtain any information you need about the line of work you’re getting into.
For instance, if you want to start a web design agency, but have no experience in the field, you can sign up for an online course to sharpen your skills. Once you feel confident in your ability to build websites, then you can then use freelancing websites like Upwork to find clients.
In this article, we shall be discussing 25 one-person business ideas and side hustles you can start with little or no capital.
25 Profitable One-Man Businesses you can Start with Little or No Capital
1. Affiliate marketing
Affiliate marketing is one of the most profitable online businesses. It simply entails signing up on affiliate networks like CJ Affiliate, Clickbank, and Amazon, finding various products to promote, and then recommending them to people in your social network.
Whenever somebody buys something through your link, you get paid a small commission from the sale.
The entry barrier to affiliate marketing is very low. All you need to have is an audience that you can promote the products to, whether that’s on social media, YouTube, or a blog.
2. Dropshipping
Dropshipping is another popular one-man business with huge profit potential. This is how it works in a nutshell.
You create an e-commerce store on Shopify (or a similar platform), and then fill it up with various products. You don’t need to keep an inventory of any of the products you’re selling, your only job will be to advertise them.
Whenever you get an order, you then use the money to buy the item from a cheap supplier like AliExpress, and then have it shipped to the buyer while keeping the profit margin.
3. Print-on-demand
Print-on-demand businesses also leverage the dropshipping idea in the sense that you’ll not be keeping an inventory of the items you’re selling.
This idea is perfect for creative people who know how to use design tools such as Photoshop and Canva.
If you happen to be such a person, you can create various designs for things such as t-shirts, sweaters, mugs, notepads, phone cases, etc., and then advertise them through your website and social media.
Whenever somebody places an order, you simply forward it to a printing service like Printify to fulfill it on your behalf. They’ll handle everything, from printing to packaging and even delivery.
It’s such a great one-man business idea because it’s easily scalable and you can target customers in multiple locations without worrying about logistics.
4. Graphic design
If you’re well versed with Photoshop, you can start a graphic design business and find clients through freelancing platforms like Upwork and Fiverr.
You can also create a website and then spend some money on PPC ads to drive traffic to it. It’s the perfect one-person business idea. Check out our guide on how to find graphic design clients.
5. Web design
You don’t need to be a coder with years of experience to become a website designer. Tools like WordPress and Wix have simplified the process of building an entire website from scratch, now almost anyone can do it with just a little bit of practice.
You can become a freelance web designer and target clients on freelancing platforms, social media, and also via your own website. The key is marketing in order to get your name out there. The web design industry is very competitive.
But the great news is that websites will always be in demand given the number of new businesses popping up every day.
6. Virtual assistance
Virtual assistants are people who help busy individuals with administrative tasks over the internet. If you’re fast at typing and have some experience with Microsoft office tools like Word, Excel, and Powerpoint, then this might be the perfect business idea for you.
Some examples of tasks virtual assistants can be expected to do include data entry, responding to emails, booking appointments, etc.
7. Real estate crowdfunding
Crowdfunding is a great way to get into real estate investing on a budget. Platforms like RealtyMogul and EquityMultiple connect small-scale investors with real estate companies raising money for their projects.
In exchange for their investment, investors get some stake in the project or a portion of the income it generates. EquityMultiple allows you to start investing with as little as $5,000.
8. Invest in small businesses
If P2P lending is just too risky for you, you can instead invest your money in small businesses in exchange for a small portion of their earnings every month.
Mainvest is a great platform to find businesses to invest in with as little as $100. The returns can be as high as 25%. If you have interest in a more specific niche, such wines and spirits, you can find investment opportunities through Vint. The opportunities are endless if you just do a bit of research on the internet.
9. Start a blog
This is another great one-person business idea that can help you generate passive income through the internet. If you’re good at writing and don’t mind spending lots of time researching topics, then you should seriously consider starting a blog.
Depending on how much time you have on your hands, you can aim to publish just 1-2 articles in a week. Over time as your audience grows, you’ll start making money through ads as well as by promoting affiliate products.
10. Publish e-books
This is another business idea for people that love writing. Self-publishing has been made very easy thanks to Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing.
Although Amazon takes a small cut out of your sales, it gives you access to millions of its users, which helps reduce the amount of time you’ll have to spend marketing.
You can publish an e-book on almost any topic you’re knowledgeable on. Check out Amazon’s best-seller section to get some ideas.
If you’re not keen on doing all the work researching and writing an entire book, you can instead use the services of a ghostwriter (like many authors do nowadays).
11. Start a YouTube channel
If you’re a charismatic person who’s comfortable in front of a camera, then starting a YouTube channel is definitely something worth considering.
As your audience grows, you’ll be able to make money through ads, sponsorships, affiliate marketing, and even by selling your own merchandise.
12. Start a podcast
If you love talking but don’t want to show your face on camera, a podcast is a great alternative to YouTube. Podcasts are fairly easy and cheap to produce. All you need to get started is a microphone, a laptop (or even a smartphone), and a hosting service.
You can produce the podcast from almost any location, whether that’s your bedroom or in a car. Just like with YouTube channels, once your audience grows, you’ll be able to make money through ads, sponsorships, and affiliate marketing.
13. Help small businesses generate leads
This is one of the best one-person side hustles. Nearly every small business could do with more customers. If you have some experience with digital marketing, or are willing to learn it, then you can make money by offering to help businesses generate more leads.
You could literally walk into any business that’s struggling and present to them your proposal, and they’ll most likely be interested. Your payment could be a commission or a fixed amount per lead generated.
14. Social media management
If you’re one of those people who spends a large chunk of your day on social media, then you’re qualified for this business.
Many companies have a hard time keeping up with social media. You can offer to manage their pages on all the major social networks, including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Social media managers are mostly responsible for creating and publishing fresh content, responding to messages, finding partnership opportunities, etc. It’s a fantastic one-man business that you can run remotely.
15. Monetize your social media pages
If you happen to have a large following on social media, you can make money by charging companies to promote their products to your followers.
Influencer networks like GRIN connect small influencers with brands that have ongoing marketing campaigns. You can sign up even if you just have less than 10,000 followers.
16. P2P lending
P2P lending allows people who aren’t qualified for traditional banking loans to borrow money at a higher interest rate. If you have some extra cash laying around, then this may be a good way to put it to work and earn passive income.
Although lending can be a very risky business, P2P lending apps like Prosper screen all borrowers and ensure that they meet certain criteria before they can become eligible. Prosper’s interest rates range from 6% to 35%, making it one of the best one man side hustles.
17. Create an online course
Many people have recently developed an appetite for learning new things (perhaps due to spending too much time stuck at home during lockdown).
You can create an online course based on almost anything you’re good at. That could be cooking, singing, art, playing the guitar, etc. Any useful skill you have can be turned into an online course through platforms like Teachable and Udemy.
It’s a great passive income idea because you’ll not spend any time actively teaching. Most of the work will go into creating and recording the course, but once you upload it online, students will be able to enroll without any further work from you.
18. Invest in dividend stocks
Most wealthy people’s investment portfolios have a number of dividend stocks in them. It’s the ultimate way to make passive income in the long term. Warren Buffet, one of the richest men in the world, would attest to that.
If you’re not familiar with the stock market, you can instead invest in a mutual fund or an index fund where a manager invests your money in a variety of high-yield stocks and bonds. That is a lot less risky than investing in just a single stock.
19. Consultation
If you have profound experience in a certain field, then you can become a consultant and charge people a fee to help solve their problems.
20. Rent out rooms in your home
This is another way to get into real estate on a budget. If you happen to have a spare room in your home, say you’re roommate traveled out for some time, then you can make money by renting it out through Airbnb.
21. Airbnb arbitrage
With the arbitrage model, rather than renting out rooms in your home, you instead rent an entire house in a popular neighborhood, furnish it, and then sublease the rooms on Airbnb.
Although it can be quite a costly business to start, you’ll likely make back your money in just a few months. The profit potential is just through the roof. You can also have multiple homes since it’s a relatively easy business to manage.
Just make sure that your landlord is aware of your intentions with their property to avoid any problems in the future. You can give them reassurance by mentioning that Airbnb provides insurance cover of up to $1 million for any damage caused by their renters. This is one of the most profitable one-man business ideas.
22. Rent out your car
If you have a car that you’re not using, you can make some quick cash by renting it out to other people through Turo.
23. Advertise on your car
Although this idea may not appeal to many people, it’s a fantastic one-person business that can generate passive income.
You can sign up on Wrapify or Carvertise to get linked with companies that have ongoing marketing campaigns in your region. Once your car gets admitted, it will then get wrapped in ad banners, and you’ll get paid according to the distance you cover during the campaign.
The only downside is that you’ll be forced to drive around in a moving billboard. But it may well be worth it. According to Carvertise, you can make up to $1,200 from just a single campaign.
24. Rent out your parking space
If you live in an area where parking is hard to come by, such as in a city center, you can make money by renting out your spot through Neighbor.
25. Rent out your tools
You can also make passive income by renting out cleaning and gardening tools such as lawn mowers, vacuum cleaners, and carpet cleaners through Neighbor.
