ONLINE BUSINESS IDEAS YOU CAN START ON THE SIDE

Bored sitting at home in this lockdown ? Have fewer working hours in the office due to the pandemic? Bored watching series?

Wanting to do something productive all this while? COVID-19 can stop you from going outside but don’t let it stop you from making the most out of these times.

You can make this time not only productive but could generate some extra income too; all you need is a PC or a laptop with an internet connection.

Here are 9 online business ideas that could help you earn some extra income and of course help, you learn something new.

BLOGGING

The first term that comes into people’s minds when they think of an online business is blogging. Love travelling?

Are you a great cook? Do you have a great fashion sense? If the answer to any of the questions like these is yes, then blogging can be your forte.

Own a website, create and publish original content. As your number of readers increases, your online generated income also goes up.

Not just that, get a number of sponsorships and collaborations from reputed brands. You can later expand it into any other venture like e-commerce or maybe affi liate marketing.

You could use apps like Wordpress, bloglovin’, Tumblr etc as they can be easily set up, does not require coding skills, easy to use and thus beginner friendly.

PRESENTATION DESIGNER

Ever thought designing a presentation could generate income? Simple yet the most difficult task is to design a presentation with attractive graphics, readable text and a trending design.

Have a passion for slideshow designing? Knows how to work on keynote and PowerPoint?

A presentation designer works with a business and designs a presentation emphasizing the product while keeping the audience engaged.

The best part? No investment is needed! All you need is a laptop and your presentation skills of course.

Make your profile on several job finder apps such as LinkedIn, Internshala, let’s intern etc and post your resumes and work sample so that your professional identity gets online visibility and you could get hired quickly.

PROOFREADING

Have a great command of English but don’t have a degree? Don’t worry! We’ve got you covered. A lot of content is on the internet today, but everyone’s in a haste today.

A proofreader checks the fi nal content thoroughly just before it gets published.

Minor details like correcting punctuations, grammatical errors, misspelt words and even the appropriate line spacing is done by the proofreader.

ONLINE NEWS CORRESPONDENT

If you spend hours watching the news and are always updated about what’s happening around you, the above designation could be yours.

You don’t need a degree to be an online news correspondent, A lot of companies like The huff and others are recruiting people for local coverages.

You could also be simply hired for writing your opinions or interviewing people.

SELL HANDMADE PRODUCTS

If you're creative and have a major interest in creating craft related products, you can put a price tag on this hobby of yours.

Today, people love buying handmade products as they are either organic, free of chemicals or hold traditional value.

So if you can do embroidery, hand weave, wood paint, make soaps, scented candles etc, don't miss this opportunity as it can fetch money.

MONETISE YOUR ART

Is your graphic designing game strong? Profi cient in using adobe illustrator and adobe photoshop? Commercialise your designs and start earning.

Start designing t-shirts, mugs, hoodies, caps, posters, bags, shoes etc and you could generate a lot of money.

Worried about the printing process and shipment or delivery hassles? Websites like overprints and Shopify take care of the printing and shipping process; all you need is a design.

Tip - keep up with the trends and colour schemes. Also don’t forget to keep your humour subtle, if any.

AFFILIATE MARKETING

If you don’t have the finance for a startup but have the marketing communication skills, affi liate marketing is for you.

You can get paid just for promoting what you like. Affi liate marketing is when you promote a product of a specific company and each time anyone buys that product with your referral code, you earn a commission.

Once everything is set up, start sharing and posting about the benefi ts of the product or how good is it, giving it a personal touch.

ONLINE COURSES

Have a lot of knowledge in a fi eld? Love helping people? What if I say you could help people and yet earn money?

Yes, with online teaching it’s possible. Build an online course or workshops in the field of your expertise and get started.

It could be a short digital media course, baking workshops or even a graphic designing course.

With zero investment, you could gain a lot of benefits apart from earning income. It could include building contacts or simply the satisfaction of helping someone.

STOCK PHOTOGRAPHY

Are you the one who is always seen clicking pictures in the family?

Do your friends compliment you on your photography skills?

If yes, you can sell your images online and get paid every time someone licenses an image that you've created and uploaded.

With everything shifting to digital media today, the demand for professional and unique images continue to rise rapidly.

It could also help you build your portfolio. You can sell your images to several stock photography companies like istockphoto and Shutterstock.