How many times have you thought about giving up everything and turning that business idea into reality? Maybe your office job no longer satisfies you as before and you need new stimuli. Or, you want to regain control of your life and manage your schedule independently to pursue new hobbies and passions or have more free time to spend with your family.
Whatever your goal, if you are thinking of starting your own business and achieving the much desired financial freedom you will need a winning business idea to focus on: the good news is that today some of the best business ideas they do not require a large economic investment and have very low business risks. Some of these are perfect as a side business or second job, and don't involve the need to purchase initial inventory to sell with an online store.
Today we want to show you some new business ideas to earn online without investing large sums; of business ideas that require a minor focus on logistics, leaving room for the development of other aspects of the business.
These business ideas per open an innovative business they form a great starting point for new entrepreneurs or anyone with a busy schedule, providing the opportunity to start doing business at minimal cost.
Index
Ready to discover new successful ideas? Without further ado, here are some of the best business ideas to bet on to start your own business in 2022.
14 successful business ideas to focus on in 2022
- Sell in dropshipping
- Sell T-Shirts Online
- Publish a book
- Sell digital products
- Sell prints on demand
- Sell a service
- Sell DIY products
- Publish a podcast
- Open an agritourism
- Invest in real estate
- Lancia una subscription box
- Open a franchise business
- Start a 3D printing service
- Open a drone aerial photography business
1. Sell in dropshipping
One of the best business ideas to make money online without investing too much in terms of time and money is the dropshipping.
It is a type of ecommerce where goods are shipped to customers on your behalf directly from the supplier. You can focus solely on making sales; you don't need to manage the products yourself.
In short, dropshipping is a modern take on the classic business model of buying an item cheap and reselling it for a profit. Except, in this case, the supplier you buy from is also responsible for delivering the product to the end customer.
Ready to open your online store? Start your free trial with resources4gaming. No credit card needed.
How to make money with this business model? You can add products to your online store for dropshipping from different suppliers, sharing a single theme and belonging to a specific niche. For example, mats for yoga enthusiasts or bowls for dog owners. When the customer buys a product, the order is sent to the supplier, who fulfills it on your behalf. Customer service is still up to you.
There are both local and overseas suppliers you can cooperate with. The essential thing is that you can establish a relationship of trust with them, since the unreliability of the supplier can have negative repercussions on the image of your brand.
Since many of the products you can dropship are consumer goods without your branding on them, your business will compete with others through quality marketing and customer support. In other words, often it's all about knowing how to sell a product better than the competition.
That said, dropshipping is a low-cost business idea to test market suitability for a certain product; allows you to start with an activity without having to immediately bear the costs associated with the production of goods. Make sure you always order a product sample; this is to make sure that the dropshipping supplier is reliable and that the quality of the goods is up to your customers.
Additional Resources:
- Brief introductory guide to dropshipping in Italy
- Over 1000 free photos + 5 business ideas that can be implemented immediately
2. Sell T-Shirts Online
Among the effective business ideas to earn money online without investing too much, consider print-on-demand services.
They are another dropshipping model where inventory, shipping, and order fulfillment are outsourced to a third-party vendor. The difference from the previous idea is that here the focus is on customizing the products with an original design.
T-shirts, caps, phone cases, hoodies, skirts, tote bags and more become props for showcasing your creativity. You can come up with witty developer slogans or references to cat owners; wherever there's a niche community with passion and pride, there's a rich potential for ideas to open an innovative business like a t-shirt business.
Even if you're not a designer, you can find a designer to work with on freelance sites like Fiverr, Upwork, Dribble, or 99Designs.
You can use virtual mockups or t-shirt templates to create product images, so you don't have to spend on full photo shoots for each new design.
You can choose from several print-on-demand platforms, many of which can be integrated into your resources4gaming store for automated order fulfillment. However, to maximize the effectiveness of your business idea, be sure to always order a sample of the product (often offered at a discount) to ensure you are happy with the end result.
Additional Resources:
- Selling T-Shirts Online. The ultimate guide
- Printful (stampa on demand)
3. Publish a book
Even books are “products”, if you think about it. You could write a book to meet a particular market demand.
Cookbooks, picture books, comics, photo books, art books, or novels… If you have the knowledge and creativity, there are a variety of original books that you can market and turn into successful ideas.
On-demand publishing is a relatively safe option to test the waters and start self-publishing your book. This solution leaves the control over the quality and appearance of the book in your hands.
Blurb is a popular platform for supporting business ideas of this kind; allows you to create, order and distribute your books as digital and physical products. Alternatively, you can self-publish your digital book with services like Amazon's KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing).
Launching a book can be a great way to monetize your blog, whether you have one or are looking to get started.
Additional Resources:
- Content marketing: 11 simple ideas that can be implemented immediately
- Books for Successful Entrepreneurs: Top 20 Must-Read Books
4. Sell digital products
Among the new trendy business ideas, creating courses or digital products to earn online without investing upfront is a very popular option.
Digital products like music, courses, and templates stand out from all the other business ideas on this list. In fact, these are intangible products. There are no recurring manufacturing or shipping costs to worry about, so profit margins can remain high.
The secret lies in identifying what could be a good digital product. What digital product is useful enough that people are willing to pay to download it?
The answers range from original instrumental tracks to selling photos that can be licensed to other creators, to information products and templates that help users improve their skills in certain areas.
If you have a talent that can translate into a digital product, consider turning it into a new source of income.
resources4gaming offers a free digital download app that allows you to sell digital products in your store as easily as you would sell physical products.
Additional Resources:
- 10 things to sell on resources4gaming (other than physical products)
- 6 ideas to start selling digital products
5. Sell prints on demand
Do you already have a group of loyal followers and are you, for example, cartoonist or urban photographer? Then you are in a particularly good position to try out this business idea.
Ready to open your online store? Start your free trial with resources4gaming. No credit card needed.
Depending on which printer you work with, you can turn your work into products like posters, framed artwork, and even greeting cards. There are plenty of digital templates and mockup generators like Place.it that you can use to showcase your products without having to print and photograph every single item.
Additional Resources:
- How to Sell Art Online: The Ultimate Guide
- Print on Demand: Another way to do low-risk dropshipping
- How to promote your art online: channels, strategies and advice
6. Sell a service
For those who provide services, "time" represents the inventory and also the major investment. You have a limited number of hours in your day. If your skills are in quite demand, you can easily set up and run a business that sells services.
Writers, designers, developers, photographers, house cleaners, fitness instructors and other categories can build a business around their skillset and become successful business ideas.
Not only that, but they can extend their business to any of the other business ideas we've listed, to create an additional income stream.
You can use resources4gaming's BookThatApp or Book an Appointment apps to allow customers to easily schedule sessions, consultations or lessons with you, through your store.
Additionally, you can offer your services through a freelance marketplace like Upwork or Fiverr to increase your chances of being found by potential clients who need your skills.
Additional Resources:
- 10 things to sell on resources4gaming (other than physical products)
- Save time: 10 essential tricks for merchants
- Complete guide to sell photos online
7. Sell DIY products
Are you passionate about handicrafts? Learn how to turn this hobby into a money-making business idea.
If you choose to sell handcrafted products online, you will be able to create custom products after receiving orders and thus avoid managing an inventory. To live up to customer expectations, let your customers know in advance that all products are made-to-order and require a longer than average lead time.
8. Post a podcast
In Italy the interest in podcasts is always higher: according to the latest statistics, they are around 14 million Italians who listened to a podcast last year.
That's why publishing a podcast is one of those business ideas to be taken seriously: it's an excellent business idea that requires a low initial investment (mostly a quality microphone) and allows you to create a community to monetize later with podcast advertising , affiliate marketing or incentivizing listeners to support you via Patreon or crowdfunding platforms.
To promote your podcast, try collaborating with prominent personalities and interviewing them during the podcast. Also, encourage listeners to leave feedback and share the podcast with family and friends.
9. Open an agritourism
Do you love nature and meeting new people? Opening a farm could be one of the best business ideas for you!
To put this business idea into practice, a certain investment is needed: if you don't already have it, you will have to find a suitable structure, renovate it to welcome guests and pamper them during their stay, but the gratification and economic return can be very high. To get your first customers, list your property on platforms like AirBnb: later, as the business grows, you can expand your brand with a personalized website, offer ancillary experiences and sell local products to increase turnover.
10. Invest in real estate
Among the business ideas to focus on, investing in real estate requires a greater investment but can guarantee an important return and a constant passive income.
Here are some business ideas to earn by investing in real estate:
- Buy a house, renovate it according to the most modern standards (comfort, energy efficiency, design, etc.) and resell it at a higher price;
- Buying properties to rent;
- Purchase building land to be resold to developers.
- Buy boxes or car garages (much in demand in big cities) and resell them or rent them out to motorists.
As we have said, among the business ideas on this list, investing in real estate requires a certain investment and in-depth knowledge of the market where you invest, as well as bureaucracy and legislative constraints. In many cases, being supported by a professional could save you time and money to maximize the investment deriving from this business idea.
11. Lancia una subscription box
Here is one of the new business ideas that have successfully established themselves in recent years: subscription boxes!
What is it about? Subscription boxes are thematic boxes that include various products: ranging from kits for preparing healthy homemade food to boxes of fitness or make-up products. The peculiarity of this business idea is that it allows you to create a recurring income and forecast cash flow to continue improving your subscription box and impressing customers.
According to some statistics, subscription boxes have a profit margin of 40-60%: this is why launching a subscription box continues to be one of the best business ideas to focus on when starting your own business.
12. Open a franchise business
Would you like to open your own business but don't feel like starting from scratch? In this case, franchising could be the perfect solution for you.
Opening a franchise is one of those business ideas that never go out of style: for an initial investment, franchising allows you to open a new business by associating yourself with an already established brand. In this way, you will have access to the products, customer base, know-how and operating method of an existing brand to minimize the risks of opening a business from scratch. And to attract customers to the store? In this case, an optimized local SEO strategy and guerrilla marketing tactics are great places to start.
Of course, franchising also has its downsides: the initial investment is very variable (ranging from a few hundred euros for lesser-known brands to hundreds of thousands of euros for international brands) and you'll have to get used to managing a business following the guidelines already defined, but if you are looking for a proven business idea, franchising is excellent for starting your entrepreneurial journey.
13. Start a 3D printing service
The printing of 3D products is one of the most innovative services on which to focus when launching an entrepreneurial project: among the new business ideas from America, this type of commercial activity is not yet widespread in Italy.
To start a 3D printing service, the initial investment requires the purchase of a 3D printer - starting from a few hundred euros for entry level models up to tens of thousands of euros for the more advanced models - and activities of marketing. Your target customers could be companies that need small plastic parts or prototypes for startups engaged in product development.
Among the suggested business ideas, starting a 3D printing service requires a certain technical knowledge of 3D development machinery and software: to learn the basics, we advise you to follow one of the many free online courses available on the subject.
14. Open a drone aerial photography business
Are you creative and video editing is your forte? Here's a great business idea for you: open a drone aerial photography business.
To recap, here are the best business ideas to invest in in 2022:
- Vendere in dropshipping
- Selling T-Shirts Online
- To publish a book
- Sell digital products
- Sell prints on demand
- Selling a service
- Selling DIY products
- Publish a podcast
- Open a farm
- Invest in real estate
- Launch a subscription box
- Open a franchise business
- Start a 3D printing service
- Open a drone aerial photography business
3 tips for choosing a business idea
The business ideas we have talked about are easy to manage logistically, but not necessarily easy to manage successfully. There are at least 3 things you should keep in mind when considering your options, no matter what business you decide to pursue.
1. Focus on a niche you facilitate in marketing
As with any business, marketing is the key to success. It's not enough to know that your products have market demand; you need to figure out how to reach the audience most likely to buy them. You need to get the right visitors to discover your products.
Fortunately, marketing is much easier when you target a specific audience or category of users. For example, vegans, board game lovers, photographers in your city. You can produce social media content that is relevant to these people or serve targeted ads based on their interests. Taking a similar approach also helps you design a cohesive brand, because you'll have a better idea of exactly who your audience is.
Additional Resources:
2. Price doesn't matter only in terms of profit
If you sell too cheaply, buyers may assume that your products are of low quality. After all, if you sell at too high prices, some customers may turn away. In short, you have to find the optimal price. Ideally, the price should also include the amounts needed to acquire customers and offer discounts, especially if you plan to advertise for a fee.
With many of the business ideas seen in this article, there is no need to ship products. However, if shipments are scheduled, you need to think about covering the related costs. Keep in mind your shipping costs and their variation in the different countries you are targeting.
Many online sellers try to build shipping costs into the sale price to offer free shipping or at least a reasonable flat rate. Others encourage shoppers to add more items to their carts through conditional free shipping (e.g., “free shipping on orders over $50”), to maximize profits.
Ultimately, you can make price adjustments and experiment with a variety of pricing strategies until you find one that works for you.
Additional Resources:
- Profit margin calculator
3. Try, learn and perfect as you go
The pursuit of perfection can be one of the biggest obstacles to getting a business up and running. Keep in mind that no choice is irreversible.
Products can be exchanged quite easily (especially if you're not stuck with the amount of stock you've already purchased). Your shop can be redesigned. Prices can be adjusted. You can switch to a better provider. And you can validate all of these decisions based on the dozens of signals you have at your disposal (traffic, time spent by users on your site, reviews, abandoned carts, etc.).
If your business idea doesn't work out as expected, think about how to fix it, rather than giving up.
By trying a different product or approach, there are aspects of your business that you can always salvage. The brand created by investing time and the followers obtained on social media or in your mailing list are resources that you can put to good use to launch one of the business ideas that we have suggested.
Additional Resources:
- Resources4gaming Reports and Stats: Basic Guide to Analyzing Them
- A/B Testing: Complete guide and expert advice from Google and HubSpot
In conclusion
By combining technology and innovative business ideas, it's easier than ever to build a business and start making sales.
With this method, you can test business ideas before investing. And you can create extra income with a side business without the inventory responsibilities that often come with running a business.
To sum up, here are the best business ideas for 2022:
- Vendere in dropshipping
- Selling T-Shirts Online
- To publish a book
- Sell digital products
- Sell prints on demand
- Selling a service
- Selling DIY products
- Publish a podcast
- Open a farm
- Invest in real estate
- Launch a subscription box
- Open a franchise business
- Start a 3D printing service
- Open a drone aerial photography business
The online business ideas above can be combined in a variety of ways to start a business that is uniquely yours. Now you just have to choose your favorite among the suggested business ideas and launch a successful entrepreneurial activity.
Ready to open your online store? Start your free trial with resources4gaming. No credit card needed.
to know more
Business ideas: frequently asked questions
How to get business ideas?
Here are three ways to come up with winning business ideas:
- Follow a passion and turn a hobby or recreational activity into a job.
- Analyze the market and trends to sell products that are still not widespread and fill a gap.
- Improve an existing market niche by offering better or more innovative products than the competition.
What activities to open in 2022?
Here are the best business ideas for 2022:
- Vendere in dropshipping
- Selling T-Shirts Online
- To publish a book
- Sell digital products
- Sell prints on demand
- Selling a service
- Selling DIY products
- Publish a podcast
- Open a farm
- Invest in real estate
- Launch a subscription box
- Open a franchise business
- Start a 3D printing service
- Open a drone aerial photography business
What can be opened with little money?
The best low cost business ideas are:
- Open a dropshipping business
- Selling T-Shirts Online
- To publish a book
- Sell digital products
- Sell prints on demand
- Offer a service
- Create DIY products to sell
Do you need a lot of money to open a business?
No, thanks to the potential of online commerce today, starting a business doesn't require a lot of money: some businesses can be started without spending anything, simple tricks are enough.
Notes on the author
Matthew Moroni
Localization expert and copywriter, Matteo Moroni is content manager for the resources4gaming Italian blog.
Subjects:
Entrepreneurship
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