For the sake of this article small business means working more for yourself rather than a company like an employee would or for several clients/companies like a freelancer would.
Here are work from home ideas that with a little elbow grease, can turn into a small business.
Bookkeeper
My very first real job was a bookkeeper. I loved it and kept the job for seven years. I just recently discovered that it's possible to start a from-home bookkeeping business.
In fact, work from home bookkeepers earn an average of $40,000/year!
If you're good with numbers and have organizational skills this could be an amazing opportunity. If you're not sure how to get started I highly recommend taking Ben Robinson's free email course on getting started as a work from home bookkeeper.
Author
If you love to write there's never been a better time to make money off of your skills. There are tons of platforms where you can upload and sell your books online as eBooks. There are also several places where you can order your own print books if you're more interested in selling in that capacity.
A little word of warning though. there's much more to successfully selling a book than writing it and uploading it. You will have to market your book and also learn what criteria will boost you to the top of the lists in your genre.
If you're interested in publishing a book of your own, you can sell eBooks on:
Blogger
It can be hard to believe but with blogging anything truly is possible but success only comes after a lot of hard work and a lot of time. (It took me around 3 years to consistently earn more than $4,000 per month blogging.)
If you need money fast blogging isn't the career for you. You shouldn't expect to make any money blogging until you're about a year in. However, blogging is something you can easily incorporate in your life with just a few hours per week and could make a nice side job for you.
SPECIAL OFFER: Start a professional blog for only $12 for your first year. Find out how here.
If you need more guidance feel free to sign up for my free 7 Day Blog Biz Start-Up Challenge by entering your email in the box below.
Online Reseller
If you have a good eye for a bargain you can make a ton of money by reselling items. Keep in mind these don't have to be just your items. Instead you can look for deals at yard sales, sales at retail outlets, or even consider getting your own private label products made.
One of the best pieces of information I've seen on reselling items came in the form of a podcast from Chris Guthrie. I'd highly recommend you listen to this if you're just getting started. How Brian Leyde Profits over $100,000+ a Month Selling Physical Items on Amazon
From my research Amazon seems to be the most popular place to sell items with eBay coming in second place.
Direct Sales
If you're a good sales person, like hosting parties, and can find a product you love then direct sales could be a good fit for you. Some direct sales companies will allow you to market their products online and through catalogs. Other companies prefer you have one on one sessions with potential customers and also throw house parties.
There are tons of options when it comes to direct sales. It's important that you take the time to weed through opportunities and find the one that's most likely to be successful.
Some of the more popular direct sales companies are:
To be successful with direct sales you're going to need to interact with a lot of people. Keep that in mind as you're looking for work from home job opportunities.
