Make Money Entrepreneurship

Earn Extra Income With These 11 Small Business Ideas You can Start from Home

Start a new business and become your own boss from the comfort of your own home.

By Jenny Cohen

Edited by Rachel Siegel

Updated Dec. 17, 2024

If you feel stuck in a dead-end job and cannot see a way forward, it may be time to consider starting your own business.

Start-up costs, like renting and building out a space, can be a hurdle. But you can minimize your investment by starting a small business from your home.

If you want to become your own boss to make extra money, here are a few new career ideas to get you started.

Get paid up to $225 a month while watching viral videos

Instead of sitting around watching viral videos on YouTube, you could be getting paid actual cash taking surveys for InboxDollars instead.

It's simple. You sign up here and confirm your email. Then you watch videos and take surveys. Then you earn cash (yes, actual cash … not "points"). Log in during your spare time and see how you can earn up to an extra $225 every month.

BONUS: Free $5 when you sign up, confirm your email and phone.

Virtual assistant

A virtual assistant business may be a good idea if you have good administrative skills.

You can work with clients to answer emails, schedule meetings, book travel, or do other administrative duties for them from the comfort of your own home.

Depending on how much work you want to take on, you can set your own hours or work with multiple clients to make extra cash.

Who really has the cheapest auto insurance in your area? Check your zip code here.

Baker

Do friends and family request cakes and cookies from you for birthdays or celebrations? Make it into a business by baking tasty treats in your home.

You may want to consider the start-up costs, such as extra baking equipment, accessories, and ingredients to get your business started.

You’ll also want to set up a presence on social media to show off your products and get new customers.

Tutor

If you have a depth of knowledge in a specialized subject, you may be able to tutor students from your home as a small business.

You can set up space in your home to teach students or you can book time with video conferencing if you would prefer.

As a tutor, you’ll have to work afternoons, evenings, and weekends when students are available, but if you’re really good or can teach a specialized subject well, you may be able to charge more than the going rate.

Resolve $10,000 or more of your debt

Credit card debt is suffocating. It constantly weighs on your mind and controls every choice you make. You can end up emotionally and even physically drained from it. And even though you make regular payments, it feels like you can never make any progress because of the interest.

National Debt Relief could help you resolve your credit card debt with an affordable plan that works for you. Just tell them your situation, then find out your debt relief options.¹ <p>Clients who are able to stay with the program and get all their debt settled realize approximate savings of 46% before fees, or 25% including our fees, over 12 to 48 months. All claims are based on enrolled debts. Not all debts are eligible for enrollment. Not all clients complete our program for various reasons, including their ability to save sufficient funds. Estimates based on prior results, which will vary based on specific circumstances. We do not guarantee that your debts will be lowered by a specific amount or percentage or that you will be debt-free within a specific period of time. We do not assume consumer debt, make monthly payments to creditors or provide tax, bankruptcy, accounting or legal advice or credit repair services. Not available in all states. Please contact a tax professional to discuss tax consequences of settlement. Please consult with a bankruptcy attorney for more information on bankruptcy. Depending on your state, we may be available to recommend a local tax professional and/or bankruptcy attorney. Read and understand all program materials prior to enrollment, including potential adverse impact on credit rating.</p>

How to get National Debt Relief to help you resolve your debt: Sign up for a free debt assessment here. (Do not skip this step!) By signing up for a free assessment, National Debt Relief can assist you in settling your debt, but only if you schedule the assessment.

Try it

Doggy daycare

If you work from home and have a big space for dogs to run around in, you might want to consider creating a doggy daycare.

Depending on the size of your space, both inside and outside, you can take on as few or as many clients as you want.

You also could work on a daily basis or book dogs to stay during their owners’ vacations. But be sure to check on the zoning laws — and the neighbors — before you get started.

Send subscription boxes

You may have a background in retail or work in a specific category that makes you a great fit for subscription boxes.

You can advertise the boxes with a particular focus and cultivate specific products that would work well together in the boxes. Assemble them at home and ship them from your local post office or shipping office.

Writer for job seekers

If you have a background in human resources, writing and editing content for job seekers could be a great way to use your talents.

Perhaps you can also write and edit content for a client’s social media pages, such as information about their job history or posts on their LinkedIn feed, that will draw additional attention to their work.

Make Money: 8 things to do if you're barely scraping by financially

Airbnb management

Airbnb owners may want to hire management to make sure their properties are well taken care of.

You might be responsible for working on details for check-ins and check-outs as well as bookings for a property.

You could also be in charge of cleaning services or managing maintenance and repair services for properties – all from your own home.

Photography

Make your photography hobby into a job that you can do from your own home.

You might be able to set up a studio in your home for portraits or headshots for professionals. You can also take your photography on the road and set up appointments for families at specific locations for photos.

Then you can edit all your photos from your home.

Event planning

Help plan conferences, weddings, and special events right from your home.

You can book spaces, order decorations, find vendors, get caterers, and more while working with clients who hire you for different types of events.

Be aware that you may have to do some local traveling, such as visiting venues or attending events in person, but you can take on clients that work best with your schedule.

Earn cash back on everyday purchases with this rare account

Want to earn cash back on your everyday purchases without using a credit card? With the Discover^®️ Cashback Debit Checking account (member FDIC), you can earn 1% cash back on up to $3,000 in debit card purchases each month!² <p>See website for details.</p>

With no credit check to apply and no monthly fees to worry about, you can earn nearly passive income on purchases you’re making anyway — up to an extra $360 a year!

This rare checking account has other great perks too, like access to your paycheck up to 2 days early with Early Pay, no minimum deposit or monthly balance requirements, over 60K fee-free ATMs, and the ability to add cash to your account at Walmart stores nationwide.

Don’t leave money on the table — it only takes minutes to apply and it won’t impact your credit score.

Apply for a Discover Cashback Checking account today

Translator

If you are fluent in another language, becoming a translator may be a good work-from-home option.

You can work with clients like hospitals, schools, government agencies, and other organizations that may call you to help facilitate and translate conversations.

And by working at home, you can set your own hours for when you want to be on call and translate over the phone or through video conferencing instead of having to be there in person.

Home manager

As a home manager, you can help other people manage their homes from the comfort of your own home. Clients can hire you to do things like book maintenance appointments or get home repairs done.

You may also be responsible for hiring and managing services like landscapers or cleaners for your clients. Or, you could even limit your services to house-sitting and checking in on homes while the owners are away or on vacation.

Bottom line

Think about moving your job home to make extra money – and to try out being your own boss.

It’s also a good idea to do some market research before you start your new business to make sure there’s a market for what you want to offer.

If you can find a niche that suits your talents or works best in your space and within your hours, you may be surprised at the satisfaction of your potential success by going into business for yourself at home.

More from FinanceBuzz: