Do you dream of signing out of the daily grind to run your own business? Or do you merely dream of your own business as a means to gain control of your time? If you’re here, you probably know you want to start a business but would like a little guidance. Perhaps you need something manageable and small to use as a jumping-off point. Maybe a business idea you can implement immediately or something that will spark your own creativity. In this article, we’ll cover some ideas for a small business start-up. 

Online coaching 

Coaching can be for a variety of different areas. Life coaching, relationship advice, and business mentorship are all just some forms of coaching. Coaching is great if you want to leverage on experience that you have in your life that you think can be helpful to someone else. Online coaching is easy to start because the investment and costs are low. You may not need even a separate space to begin coaching and can speak to your clients from the comfort of your room. All you really need is a laptop and an Internet connection. 

Freelance creative work 

The most popular freelance work is creative work. Graphic design and writing are a few popular choices for a freelancer. Platforms like Fiverr and Upwork have helped many freelancers get started and transform their freelancing into a thriving business. If you have the chops, there are lots of opportunities to get paid for them. 

Photography or videography 

The equipment can be expensive, but often that’s what justifies what you charge to clients. Even if you are not an event photographer, product photography is still a big field. Videography of events and advertisements is a valuable skill. Start by conducting photo shoots and video shoots for friends and family, using the products as a reel or portfolio for your future work. 

Consultancy 

Have you built an enviable body of knowledge on a specific subject? Say, design, branding, finance, or social media? In that case, consultancy is the easiest small business to start. You can start doing consultancy alongside your day job. You can get even more niche than your image. For example, instead of being a human resources consultant, you can be a consultant specifically on hiring practices. 

Teaching 

Both in-person and online teaching are viable businesses where you can remain in control of your time and energy. It may seem like this is not the case, but people still love to learn and benefit from the physical presence of a teacher. For many people, they are willing to pay top dollar for a person to spend time with them over an online lesson. If you know how to play an instrument, paint, or draw, you can trust someone out there wants to learn it as well as you do. The bonus feature of being a teacher is that you get additional time to become an expert and practise your craft if you want to. 

Personal training and nutrition 

If you’ve got a passion for fitness and seeing people be healthy, you can start a personal training and nutrition business. You may need to invest in getting certified before you can start training people. As a personal trainer, you can be present with your clients in person or virtually. Online, you can benefit from more flexibility in structuring sessions. As a nutritionist, often you just need to schedule weekly or bi-weekly reviews with clients to weigh them or ask them about their progress. 

Virtual assistance 

Lots of companies want to outsource more of their business tasks to a cloud-based provider so that they can focus on their business activities. If you have worked in an office, the chances are that you have some administrative or office-related skill you can help people with. You can even be someone’s personal assistant – many high-powered executives require a personal assistant to keep track of their schedule and keep their lives as organised as possible. You could start a business around that and be a personal assistant to many busy individuals at a time. 

Get to work 

Starting a business is hard work, but many entrepreneurs will agree that the payoff of being your own boss is motivation enough. It is important that you consider protecting your business and yourself with the Professional Indemnity insurance*offers protection for businesses that provide specialist services or professional advice.  It is designed to respond to claims against your business for losses as a result of actual or alleged negligent acts or omissions in the provision of your professional service or advice.  PI insurance will also assist with the legal costs associated with responding to or managing claims which are covered by the policy. Check out BizCover for more information about different insurance options for your business. 

*As with any insurance, cover will be subject to the terms, conditions and exclusions contained in the policy wording. The information contained on this web page is general only and should not be relied upon as advice.