10 remote business ideas for 2025

  (photo credit: INGIMAGE)
(photo credit: INGIMAGE)

With very few people willing to go back to working 9 to 5 from an office downtown, remote businesses are booming. Along with it, we see a rise in small entrepreneurship.

According to Harvard Business Review, in October 2023, Americans filed 59% more new business applications than in pre-pandemic years. Let’s check the most successful IT business ideas that will be worth the effort in years to come.

Starting an Affiliate Marketing Site

The most common and profitable home based business is to run an affiliate site. Once entrepreneurs learn how to buy a domain name easily, everything else is just rinse and repeat, as the same methodology can be used in any industry.

After the domain is ready, a simple and clean website full of product reviews and affiliate links is all it takes. Each time someone clicks the link to purchase the product, the site owner gets paid. 

Dropshipping Home Based Business

Dropshipping is an entrepreneurship project idea that is conquering the world, especially Asia. Instead of storing and selling items, the company is an intermediary between the customer and the vendor. 

It is a neat way to take advantage of the ever-shifting trends from social media. Although making money on markups sounds like a solid plan, it is important to understand that selling high-quality products is a must to stand out in the crowd. 

After all, the dropshipping market is expected to reach $301B in 2024, so the competition is tough. 

Become a Course Creator

This one might not be for everyone, but creating online courses can be a solid entrepreneurship project idea. It is ideal for those who have time and energy to share their skills. 

Previous experience in education is welcome, but not necessary, especially if the businessperson is already a professional in their domain. Courses can be on literally anything imaginable: from basics of HTML code to designing cosplay costumes. 

The best way to do this is to join already specialized course domains and platforms. 

Start a Career in Online Education 

For this one, a person will need certain credentials. Online education is experiencing a boom, but a CV that proves the expertise is a must. 

Also, it is important to understand that not every educator can charge the same. For example, online chess classes start at $5, and go all the way up to $250 per hour, depending on the teacher’s rankings on official FIDE ratings.  

A good strategy is to find a domain that is relevant to education to enhance your online presence. 

Expand into E-Publishing

The future of publishing is in electronic formats, such as e-books and e-magazines and all of them require either content or visuals. E-publishing might not be the best primary source of income, but it is a great home-based business that will add a little bit of extra to the budget. 

A simple cover for an e-book can cost up to $5,000, without spending extra time on research or fact-checking. For content, the prices go much lower and require more effort and expertise. 

Provide Voice Over

Every YouTube commercial, every jingle and every ad require a voiceover. Doing voice-over is one of the most successful IT business ideas, as it has a low initial cost. Additionally, it gives the entrepreneur freedom to create when they feel like it. 

The main issue with this type of business is that the market is already overly saturated. Most brands have their trusted voices they always go back to. 

According to some insiders, at least 30 to 40 people are auditioning for every single project that shows up online. 

Create Custom-Made Prints

You know what they say, nothing sells as much as babies and weddings. Consumers increasingly seek ways to express their individuality.

Custom-made prints allow them to personalize their living spaces, gifts, or clothing with designs that reflect their personality, interests, or memories.

With a little bit of skill and keeping up with trends, it is so easy to start a printing business. Machines such as Cricut provide endless possibilities and templates. 

Anyone with an eye for aesthetics can easily build upon the existing materials. Also, customers are often willing to pay a premium for personalized items. That enables higher profit margins compared to mass-produced products.

Become a Virtual Assistant

Being a virtual assistant is a way to have a career that is flexible, and allows expansion whenever needed. VAs have the freedom to work from any location with an internet connection and can juggle multiple clients at once. 

On top of that, there is no need for a specific degree. Being professional and reliable can take entrepreneurs very far in this industry.

The startup costs are minimal, as most people already have a computer and internet. Still, it is important to be willing to adjust to all the tools and charts different clients are using without losing track. 

Remote Customer Support

Live chat customer support is available on almost every website, but many people don’t know that agents work from all sorts of locations. This is a perfect side job and home based business for anyone who can handle a bit of frustration and can’t spare no more than a couple of hours per day. 

The main downside of this entrepreneurship project idea is that the market is already dominated by big names. They employ big teams and use technology such as Zendesk. Landing that first big client is much more challenging when one is working alone and on a tight schedule. 

Consider Influencer Marketing 

When starting a home based business based on influencing, it is important to think outside the box. Focus on small niches that can be very lucrative. 

There are so many beauty bloggers out there, so switching focus on mature skincare, antiques, the history of cars or other interesting filed can crack plenty of doors open. 

Entrepreneurs can also start marketing agencies that connect brands with influencers. Getting a cut from the deal is sometimes much more profitable than putting effort into becoming an influencer.

Try to find a new perspective and innovative way to make the most out of influencer trends.

This article was written in cooperation with Namecheap