#bagel shop business plan template

[jessica-larson]

Indulge in triumph with our Bagel Shop Plan—an irresistible recipe for success, blending authentic bagels and unparalleled delight. Redefine the bagel experience with a plan as captivating as our mouthwatering creations! 🥯✨

[fiti-vation]

Hi! Do you have any tips on eating on a college dorm/meal plan? I’ve found myself having a lot more veggies by having salads at night, but I stopped eating fruit and usually resort to a green smoothie for breakfast and have junk food or starve during lunchtime. I also binge on chips a lot more! Thank you!

Hey there, let me start by apologizing for the super late reply. That said, before answering your question, I just wanted to let you know to always check the FAQ section of my blog or search for hashtags in the search area of my blog. Although I like to take the time to answer queries, as mentioned previously I stopped responding to questions that I have already answered.

As a university student myself, I understand the challenges of healthy eating, especially if you are on a tight budget, so over the years I have published many articles on healthy eating while at uni. If you type in recipes, healthy eating, healthy meals, nutrition or anything around those lines in the search box of my blog, many posts will come up. Here are a few examples:

 30 Ways to stay fit & healthy when you get to college 

 Smart way to eat at uni 

 33 things to eat when you have no food at home

 Easy bento box lunch for work and school 

25 15-min healthy dinner 

 30 low-calorie snacks 

5 ingredients sheet pan dinners 

 7 high protein breakfasts that aren’t eggs

 10 insanely yummy and healthy 2-ingredients recipes

 5 ways to turn Naan into dinner

 Breakfast, lunch and dinner 

 7 fast fillings for hot tacos

 16 lunchbox ideas that aren’t sandwiches

 5 simple snack boxes for busy people

 10 vegetarian lunch ideas

10 no-fridge lunchbox ideas

 10 sweet and savoury morning oatmeal

 5 bistro box lunch ideas

13 healthy lunches that aren’t salad

 Superfood breakfast

10 easy way to stuff a pita pocket 

 10 sandwich free lunches

 A month worth of school snacks

 4 yummy ways to set up your breakfast bagel

Pasta salad lunchbox

In terms of advices, I would recommend picking a day during the week specifically for meal prepping. I prefer Sunday. Of course, meal prepping isn’t for everyone, so you can always write down meal ideas for each day of the week. You can print meal plans calendars from various online templates and search easy meal prep ideas on Pinterest. Although I like to think of myself as very resourceful, I must say that I came across some very easy meal ideas on Pinterest that I had never thought of before.

Other tips:

If you live on res and don’t have access to a kitchen in your dorm, I’d recommend you make friends that have kitchens. I’m not kidding! I bet if you made a few extra goodies for them, they wouldn’t mind. You should also check out some microwave-only meals. Buzzfeed has an awesome list here.

If you can have a mini fridge in your dorm or room (if you share a fridge with lots of people in a house) DO IT. Best investment ever. You can grab one for under $60 on Amazon here.

You can do a lot with just a crock pot or Instant pot. If you don’t have access to a stove or oven, this would be an excellent investment too. Here’s a cheap crock pot (slow cooker) on Amazon. How easy would it be to throw in a bunch of ingredients and let it cook while you study or chill with friends?

Try some no-cook meals. Delish has an amazing list here! You can make these on the cheap without a kitchen.

If you use Chrome or Firefox as web browsers, you can create a cooking folder and whenever you come across great recipes save them in that folder. In a way you’ll have a lil digital cookbook.

And lastly, when you go grocery shopping here are THREE RULES FOR CHEAPER GROCERIES:

Go dry. You’ll save by choosing dry beans, rice, polenta, quinoa, and other grains — make a bunch and use it for multiple meals.

Go big. You may pay more up front for a larger container of oatmeal (store brand, natch), but the cost per ounce will be lower.

Go frozen. Not only are frozen veggies, meat, and fish perfectly healthy, but you also don’t run the risk of having them go bad.

On that note, I hope this was helpful and although I’m late I’d like to wish you success this semester. Also, finals are approaching, so best of luck.

Love Stephie 🤗

[brittanyinterviews]

Brenda Ton, Homecook

Brenda Ton, Homecook

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This interview was conducted via Google Hangouts on May 15, 2020.

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Brittany: Can you tell me a bit about yourself? 

Brenda: I was born and raised in the Bay Area in the city called Hayward, which is also where I grew up. I've never left the Bay Area and have no desire to because I love it here so much. My heritage background is Vietnamese and I am the first generation born here in the US. I grew up in an average sized family and am one of five kids. I'm currently living in San Pablo with my husband Patrick and our two rescue dogs. Professionally, I am a digital marketer and have my own consulting business. However, I spend most of my time thinking about food and what I'm going to cook next because food is my creative outlet and how I express myself. 

My love for cooking stems from my mom. She cooked for us every single day and made everything from scratch. Food is a big part of the Vietnamese culture. Feelings and emotions were never big in my family and oftentimes they were suppressed. We were never the type of family that hugged, but we were the family who could eat. So, love was always expressed through my mom's cooking, and was how my family bonded. I was actually the kid who hated to cook or help out in the kitchen, but I sucked it up and did it because I wanted to help out my mom. And looking back, I have very fond memories of that. It wasn't until ten years ago that I met Patrick, my husband now, that I really started to enjoy the art of cooking.  

Brittany: It sounds like your family laid the foundation for your love of food and then you really got into cooking with Patrick. I'm wondering if you can describe your first food memory.

Brenda: When I was a kid, my parents would drag me to San Jose to go grocery shopping. Some might think that's crazy to drive over an hour to San Jose from Hayward just to shop for groceries. But back then in the early ‘90s, that was the only city you could go to in order to find the necessary ingredients to make Vietnamese food. So, we did that every single week to get the freshest vegetables, butchered meats, and bread. My favorite memory is picking up a fresh French baguette, being the first to break the bread, and enjoy it during the car ride along our many Vietnamese food stops. From this day, I still make the occasional trip down to San Jose and still stop by the places my parents took me, which are mostly all still in business.

Brittany: Delicious Vietnamese food and San Jose are synonymous in my mind. Moving forward in time a bit, what was your original motivation in starting your food blog and associated Instagram? 

Brenda: I started my food blog (which no longer exists) and my Instagram to really just document my food experiences and share that experience with others. It was like a personal food diary. I was always the person people came to for recommendations on where and what to eat, so it was originally focused mostly on food that I ate at restaurants. But over the last few years, it evolved away from restaurants and turned into a platform where I share my cooking journey and my favorite things to eat, and any personal stories or memories associated with that. 

Steamed Silken Tofu

Brittany: It seems like you experiment with making food across a wide variety of cuisines. Upon a cursory glance at your Instagram, I see homemade bagels with lox, Hakka-style soft tofu, Oxtail quesabirrias, and a Japanese katsu sandwich. How do you approach making food from a new culture?

Brenda: I'm often driven by my own curiosity and love being introduced to new food cultures and flavors that I'm not familiar with. I spend the majority of my free time reading recipes and learning about different foods from all over the world. I read recipes like it's a menu at a restaurant. I approach choosing what I cook based on how much desire I have to want to eat that specific thing. Instead of thinking, "What should I cook?," I think, "What do I want to eat?" This mindset lets me go out of my comfort zone for that reward of tasting something new. I put in that effort because it's worth it to me. 

Oxtail Quesabirrias

Brittany: What ingredients do you get the most excited about? Have you ever met an ingredient you didn't get along with?

Brenda: I get really excited about working with freshly harvested, caught, or butchered ingredients. For people that follow me, it's no secret that I'm in love with live sea urchin from [Stephanie Mutz] @seastephaniefish. When a product is that beautiful, the creativity in my cooking just flows naturally to me: from live uni in its own shell still moving or using uni for handrolls, risotto, or tostadas. I love working with ingredients that can stand and shine on its own; something you can just eat straight up without needing anything else.

As for ingredients that I don't get along with... there's actually nothing that comes to mind. But I'll let you know if something does come to mind for that. I think there is a use for most ingredients and using each one to its strengths.

Uni Risotto

Brittany: How has living in the Bay Area influenced your cooking?

Brenda: I am very fortunate to be living in the Bay Area. It has exposed me to a melting pot of cultures and that's the reason why I can never leave this place. We are spoiled to have access to nearly every type of ingredient to make any type of food. Just a few miles away from us is my favorite grocery store Las Montañas that sells the most amazing flour and corn tortillas, fresh masa, salsa of nearly every kind. A city away from us in Berkeley is Tokyo Fish Market and Yaoya-san, where we get all our fresh Japan-imported fish and koshihikari rice. Those are just two examples of many. Depending on what type of food I'm making, there's a special grocery store I go to just to procure the ingredients I need. 

Brittany: Where are some of your favorite places to eat in the Bay Area?

Brenda: That's a hard one to narrow down. I have a huge list depending on where I'm at and what I'm craving, which I'm happy to share with anyone. If we were hanging out and you asked me to take you around, we'd go to San Jose and hit up the following spots: 1) Huong Lan: The best banh mi deli spot. I've been going here since I was a kid. 2) Hue Restaurant: My favorite restaurant for food from Hue / Central Vietnam. Tapioca dumplings and turmeric noodles. 3) Thanh Son Hien Khanh: Vietnamese sticky rice and dessert heaven.

Brittany: Now I’m craving sticky rice. In normal times, you've done quite a bit of traveling—to Japan and Mexico, for instance—and you consume a lot of local favorites. How do you know what to eat? Do you research and prepare ahead of time or figure it out once you've arrived?

Brenda: It depends on the place we travel. I am an INTJ, so when I can, I plan everything out months in advance before a trip. I do a lot of reading and research and put all my plans in a custom Excel template that lists out exactly where we're going to eat for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert / snacks in between for each day based on where we'll be. Now that's easy for a place like Japan or Italy, where it's mostly restaurant establishments. I usually refer to local review sites.

But for a place like Mexico or Vietnam where the food scene takes place on the streets, it's all based on the senses. It's less about where you want to eat and more about what you want to eat. If there's a crowd and the food looks good, and it smells good, then I'm eating there. This is actually my favorite way to experience the local food scene. Oftentimes, I'll also ask friends who have travelled to the countries I'm going to for recommendations.

Brittany: A lot of people, myself included, are cooking and baking a lot more than usual. Has being in quarantine affected your cooking or baking?

Brenda: Thankfully, our lifestyle hasn’t been impacted much from quarantine. As people who cook every single day, we've always had a full fridge, freezer, and pantry stocked with all our essentials. Patrick works in produce, so we're grateful to be able to get fresh vegetables every day to cook with and also to provide for our families. The one area where I'm seeing the biggest change for us is putting in more effort to make things completely from scratch, like making banh mi bread or bagels. It's an important time to keep social distance and not go out unless it's absolutely necessary, so we are doing our best to work with what we have at home and be creative with it to fulfill any of our food cravings. I really do miss seeing my family and enjoying my mom's cooking. This time has made me realize how much I've taken for granted. I have been learning how to cook a lot of Vietnamese food more recently to fill in the void, and comfort me during this time.

Brittany: What can we look forward to seeing from you in the future?

Brenda: I am working on launching a YouTube channel to inspire and help people build confidence to cook in the kitchen. In the meantime, you can expect to go down memory lane with me and see more of my Vietnamese cooking over the next several weeks on IG.

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Photos provided by Brenda Ton.

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Special thanks to Brenda for discussing her cooking with us. You can follow her on Instagram.

[onlinemarketinghelp]

The Ultimate List of The Most Popular Online Business Ideas http://bit.ly/2InEVNO

It seems that there’s no shortage of great online business ideas. According to hostingfacts.com, there are 966 million websites in the world today and WordPress alone is responsible for over 76.5 million blogs.

Although there’s no one accurate figure, some studies suggest that over 100 million freelancers around the world are successfully running small online businesses from their homes.  

The perks of being your own boss seem so great that many are willing to quit their stable jobs to embark on this entrepreneurial journey to start making your own money

So if you’re quietly contemplating the idea of starting something of your own, here’s a list of the most popular online business ideas that are within the reach of almost anyone who’s willing to take the plunge. From social media manager, to public speaking coach, to interior design consultant the options are endless.

This monster list of 53 internet business ideas below is awesome, but you may also be interested in watching our new video “10 Online Business Ideas to Make You Money.”

Best Online Business Ideas You Can Start Tomorrow

Here is the list of the top 53 online business ideas to get you started instantly. If you are looking for online business ideas for 2019 this is the only list you will need.

Best Online Business Ideas

1. Relationship Coach

Some people just seem to intuitively know more than others – they don’t get involved in destructive relationships or suffer from loss of self-knowledge. If you can relate to that description and feel your relationships have been fairly happy and stable, then maybe you’re one of them. You’ll need to invest in relevant workshops and books, get knowledgeable and certified before you can start coaching others, but it’s a fascinating business idea that will reward you both financially and morally.

Relationship Coach Sam Owen

2. Interior Design Consultants

Do you like finding interesting ways to decorate and want to share those ideas with others? Do you sift through magazines, clipping images, sorting them into make-believe rooms in your scrapbook wanting desperately to see these rooms for real? Become an interior design consultant and have people send you pictures, ideas, and dimensions to their rooms for you to decorate digitally for them. You can use the likes of a VR tool to pick furniture from real stores and choose a color scheme that suits the owner. The sky’s the limit with this role and creativity is in full flow.

3. Travel Consultant 

Do you spend more time packing and unpacking your luggage than most of the people you know? Then you might be onto something! Travelling is one of the greatest passions of this age – the crazier and more nomadic, the better! If you have a knack for organizing memorable, authentic trips and enjoy the process of creating exciting day-to-day plans, why not do it for money? Become a travel consultant to help adventure-seekers plan their unforgettable holidays from A to Z and enjoy every second of your working day.

4. Nutritionist

The trend of healthy eating is here to say. Yet with so much contradictory advice online about what is good for us and what is not, more and more people turn to professional nutritionists for specialist tips and guidance. You can easily find free online courses to learn the fundamentals of this profession and start offering personalized nutrition plans online.

5. Yoga Instructor

Selling yoga classes online is a great source of income. There are hundreds of sites like Reflexion Yoga or Yogaia that offer these services but they all have one thing in common – the classes are taught by pros. To capitalize on this huge trend you’ll either have to team up with a great yoga teacher or be one yourself.

yogaia.com – live online yoga classes that fit around your life.

6. Public Speaking Coach

Naturally, the next one on the list is coaching people how to deliver great speeches. Public speaking is the number one fear on most people’s list – some fear it more than death! This skill can prove to be handy in many areas – from pitching to investors, to delivering key messages at global conferences. If you’re a natural on stage, help entrepreneurs rediscover their in-born ability to communicate by selling effective presentation templates and online coaching classes.

7. Business Consultant

Running a business consulting company is a great option for those who’ve been involved in the process of building a business before. Whether you’ve gained your experience through working with a number of different startups or learned the secrets of business management in a more corporate environment, helping other entrepreneurs achieve great results can include everything from business planning and forecasting to liaising with banks and institutions.

8. Accountant

Pick your niche (tax accounting, personal finance, bookkeeping, financial reports, etc.) and establish a good online presence by creating and promoting your website. Most of the solo traders and small businesses look for professional help with their accounts, so this is a huge area for potential work.

9. Investment Advisor

A lot of people with middle-class income would like to create a robust investment portfolio to secure a financially stable future but simply have no clue where to start. If you have professional experience as an investment analyst or do a lot of investment yourself, then offering investment advice for middle-class investors is a natural move for you.

10. Dating Coach

Online and mobile dating are booming. Thousands of people around the world are looking for love online and, unfortunately, many are unsuccessful in their quest. As a dating coach, you’d be responsible for helping your clients to organize and prepare for a perfect date, to refine their flirting skills and to advise on the do’s and don’ts of a dating life.

Johnny Cassel Dating Advice

Most Popular Online Service-Based Businesses

1. Wedding Planner

If spending hours pinning images of gorgeous table arrangements and bouquets ideas on Pinterest is your definition of a perfect job, then you will make an exceptional wedding planner. Sharp project management skills and an eye for detail are pretty much the most important requirements for this job – no fancy diplomas to stop you from breaking into this industry! You can sell your consulting services, wedding decorations, game packages, personalized gifts – the list of possibilities is endless (well, almost).

2. Party/Corporate Events Planner

Event planning is a bit like wedding planning, just on steroids. The scope of this idea is so large that it includes everything from cheesy stag and hen do parties to sophisticated product launches. Again, the entry barriers are rather low, but a flush work portfolio and a few glowing testimonials are something you need to consider to get a good head start in this field.

3. Get Baking!

From freshly baked butter croissants to colorful macaroons and pillow-soft morning bagels – the world of the great bake-off is a rich and ever-growing place. The beautiful thing about the online world is that a great passion can be turned into a great business almost overnight.

Tasty Bakery

4. Foreign Language Teacher

Everyone knows that the quickest way to learn a new language is to mingle with native speakers. If you were lucky enough to be born in an English, French, Spanish (insert any of the world’s main languages) speaking country, then missing out on the opportunity to cash in on the skills you take for granted is exactly that – missing out! Use online communication tools, such as Skype or Google Hangouts, to connect with learners and leverage your privileges. Time is money, so package your hours into teaching sessions and you’re good to go.

5. Kickstarter/Indiegogo Advisor

Grabbing the attention of curious browsers on the most popular crowdsourcing platforms like Kickstarter and Indiegogo is a tough job. If you’re inventive and know how to tap into human emotion, then this is a niche worth exploring. Many aspiring entrepreneurs look for personalized advice to carry their campaigns to the finish line, so try offering action-oriented eBooks or online courses targeted at this particular audience.

6. SEO Expert

One of the online world’s hottest professions at the moment, this business is a gold mine for the tech-savvy entrepreneurs. While everyone’s slightly obsessed with getting their sites SEO optimized, not many people can actually wrap their heads around this topic. If you decide to go into this field, you can think about offering link building, content creation, on-page SEO optimization, and similar one-off packages.

7. Selling Online Courses

Derek Halpern has built a really strong personal brand. He’s the founder of a software and business training company called Social Triggers and makes a LOT of money teaching people how to sell what they know best. And what he knows best is how to sell. If you’ve got some serious expertise, start making money out of it by selling online courses or simply teaching online.

Derek Halpern, Social Triggers

8. Mystery Shopper

Okay, it can be rather difficult to make a living solely from this but it’s a great place to start if you’re planning to build your own mystery shoppers’ army. Customer experience is one of the biggest obsessions of online and offline retailers, so there’s great potential here! Take a look at some of the existing platforms like Mystery Shopper and Secret Shopping.

9. Selling Professional Photos

The number of websites and blogs operating online demand a constant stream of high-quality, beautiful photographs that can help businesses attract and convert more customers. If you are a photographer who likes to try new things, supplying professional photos to businesses in this capacity can be a the most popular business idea for you. You can scale easily by setting up a stock photo library. This is a great business idea as it targets virtually every industry regardless of a company’s size. Check out sites like SmugMug, Photoshelter and iStockPhoto for more information.

10. Bug Testing

Bug testing is a service that no software company can ignore. If you can build a platform to crowdsource expert skills and resources to tackle this area, then you have solid chances of turning a profit. To learn more about this model, look into BugFinders and CrowdSourceTesting.

11. Video Producer

YouTube is the third largest site in the world, so there’s no surprise that video is becoming one of the main communication mediums for businesses of all types and sizes. If you have video filming or editing knowledge, it won’t take you long to build your clientele. Everything from video production workshops and video editing services to soundtrack libraries and DIY tutorials can appeal to the business world. Producing a video might be one of the most attractive online business ideas with lots of creativity and challenges.

12. Graphic Designer

Graphic designers are always in demand from small businesses to large multinationals. Starting a graphic design business can allow you to tap into this online business opportunity. Showcasing your experience with your past portfolio can help you gain customers without aggressive outreach.

13. Website Developer

In the same vein as an app developer, website development is in constant demand as businesses are always trying to upgrade and improve their websites to get more sales. This means that you can work on new and existing websites concurrently, and get to try new things all the time. If being constantly challenged is what you are looking for, a business venture into website development is the online business idea for you.

14. App Development

If you are an app developer with amazing skills why not try your hand at an internet business in app development. Apps are an amazing lucrative market so it is not surprising that more and more companies are investing in them. This means that there is a rising need for app developers to create their applications. Being an app developer is a great online business opportunity as you can work on vastly different applications on a daily basis.

15. Theme Designer

Just like a website developer, a theme designer is working with websites but in a different way. Choosing theme designer as your online business idea means building new website themes for business to use for their website. This could mean researching popular themes, identifying their pain points, and creating a theme that solves these pain points while remaining true to the popularity of the previous theme. If you are an expert in a certain industry, creating themes for this industry could see you reap much success.

Most Profitable People Based Businesses

1. Translator

If you are gifted with a more than one language but have no interest in teaching others, try translating. Many companies need their website and collateral translated when they move into a different market. You can help them achieve it, while also keeping active in more than one language. Keep in mind the most common way of billing is cost per word so price wise to make smart money from this great online business idea.

2. Social Media Manager

Social media is an integral part of any business but it’s time-consuming and ever-changing – so really quite difficult to keep up with and, more importantly, capitalize on. Many business owners are willing to outsource this time-intensive task, so it’s a great opportunity for social media fanatics. Bundle together a few interesting offers, such as “Startup social media kit” or “Small Business Social Media Starter Kit” that encompass everything from social media graphics to analytics reports and the seamless experience will bring you more clients than you expect.

Aggressive Growth Marketing

3. Remote Customer Service Agent

If you enjoy helping people but don’t want to be stuck in a call center or office all day, become a remote customer service agent and help people from the comfort of your own home. Choose between helping people via chat, email, phone, video, or other ways and save the day for people every day. This may not make you your first million, but it feels great to help people.

4. Virtual Assistant

Similar to a remote customer service agent you can do a role that would traditionally be done in an office but you can do it at home. A virtual assistant can mean anything from a data entry person to a researcher so don’t limit yourself with this role, be open to try new things and uncover new skills while getting paid.

5. Makeup Artist

Lots of successful makeup artists started their career on YouTube. All you need is a strong portfolio and a professional-looking website to get this gig going. Offer a couple of free makeup sessions to build your reputation and use content marketing to spread the word online. When you feel that you’ve got enough momentum going, start selling makeup tutorials, makeup products, and personalized tips.

6. Music Teacher

Can you play a musical instrument? Chances are someone is looking for a teacher right now. You can build a subscription-based online business or use your website to generate leads and teach via Skype or in person. Browse GuitarTricks and JustinGuitar for some inspiration.

7. Personal Trainer

Kayla Itsines is probably one of the best success stories of this industry. She’s built a whole Kayla Fitness empire and grown her services from simply writing personal training plans to selling official fitness apps and books. You can jumpstart your career by offering free taster video classes and personal tips on your website and harvesting social media sites like Instagram and Facebook to promote your services.

Personal Trainer Kayla Itsines

8. Remote Sales Team

As more and more companies take on the lean, mean approach to business, outsourcing cold calling and telesales functions becomes a sort of standard in the startup and small business environment. Whether you want to sell highly-targeted sales pitches or customer data, such as phone numbers and email addresses, the potential is vast.

9. Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing is where a person promotes a product that another merchant sells. Using advertising, social media, blogging and more, an affiliate marketer can attract customers to their landing page. When customers click a link to buy the product they will then be brought to the merchant’s store to buy the product. As an internet business idea, this is great for another no matter their previous experience.

10. Lead Generation Service Provider

Most businesses are chasing conversions and looking for ways to increase conversion rates. This means investing in sales activities like lead generation that could be time-consuming. Because of this many companies outsource this to a lead generation service provider. If you are good on the phone and enjoy researching and doing outreach to strangers then this is your calling!

11. Become an Influencer

An influencer is someone with a large follower base on social media who is seen as an expert in a particular area, like makeup or fitness. These people keep busy by posting regularly about their lives and promote products which they feel are good to possess. Sarah Phillips is a world-renowned food and nutrition influencer who posts about food creations she has made to her 10.9k (and growing) following. What is great about this internet business idea is that you can get paid to promote a business to your following, similar to affiliate marketing. Influencer marketing is a huge online business trend right now that you can capitalize on. Try your hand at Vlogging and starting a Podcast which are under-utilized channels of communication for influencers right now.

Online Business Opportunity Ideas

1. Handmade Goods Shop

It can take you less than a day to build a storefront to showcase your work and connect with customers on platforms like Amazon and Etsy. If you’re into crafts and DIY, it’s definitely a viable business option to consider.

2. Become a Private Chef

If cooking is one of your personal passions, there are dozens of opportunities to turn it into a decent business venture. You can start by setting up a catering website, experimenting with pop-up food stalls and local food markets, or joining platforms that encourage cooking enthusiasts to squeeze some money out of their passion. And if you’re not camera-shy, you can teach people how to cook special meals by selling online classes.

3. Dropshipping

Dropshipping is the easiest option to start an ecommerce business without having to buy any products in advance. Sell a variety of products to customers across the world, while setting your own process, building and promoting your own brand, all without needing to invest in warehousing or manufacturing costs. You don’t need to pay for inventory until it’s sold to an actual customer. Check out our guide to mastering dropshipping to learn more about this great business opportunity.

4. Fresh Produce Delivery

Organic, fresh food is somewhat of a modern craze. Fruit and vegetable deliveries, local farm boxes, and freshly-made goodies from local producers can help you kick off a business that not only encourages a healthier lifestyle but also supports the local economy.

5. Open a T-Shirt Online Shop

Platforms like Spreadshirt and Shopify have made it insanely simple to start an online t-shirt business for anyone with a speck of imagination and an eye for design. But it doesn’t need to be an online t-shirt shop you set up you can start an ecommerce shop selling anything.

TruffleShuffle

6. Natural & Organic Beauty Shop

Online shoppers are getting more and more conscientious about their choices, and especially so when it comes to beauty products. Running a beauty shop that’s built on strong ethos and values that resonate with nature and animal lovers is one of the hottest online business ideas right now. Tropic Skin Care seems to be doing a great job connecting with these shoppers.

7. Women Sportswear

With LuluLemon spearheading the way, online sportswear shops for women are quickly climbing to the top of the most popular online business ideas amongst ecommerce entrepreneurs. Since yoga pants are clearly here to stay, it’s safe to say that the athleisure trend is one of the best and, perhaps, the least explored niches in ecommerce right now.

8. 3D-Printed Products

One of the biggest technological breakthroughs of this age, 3D printing is dictating a new strategy in the ecommerce world. Some of the best selling 3D-printed products include jewelry, home accessories, bicycle parts, tech accessories and more. For some beautiful examples check out 3DigitalCooks, and DanitPeleg.

9. Ethical Fashion Brand

One thing is clear – clothes and accessories will always be one of the super-profitable online business ideas for an ecommerce site. However, with so many boutiques and brands already online, rising above the noise is extremely difficult. Yet, one promising idea that savvy entrepreneurs have probably already noticed is the booming trend of “ethical fashion”. Brands, such as Pachacuti, People Tree, Sea Salt, and Matt & Nat have successfully crafted their brands around the concept of organic, ethical production of fashion items and are riding the trend to the top of the strongest brands list.

10. Mystery Objects Shop

If you have an eye for quirky stuff, maybe running a mystery object shop could help you combine the thirst for curious things with a steady source of income.

Muddy Creatures are nailing the concept of a surprise purchase that taps into the explorer instinct many of us possess. There’s no exact science or skill fueling this business idea – let your imagination go wild…

Muddy Creatures

Successful Online Business Ideas

1. Online Researcher

Although it sounds like a too-good-to-be-true idea, some people are successfully earning a living off their skill to find information online. From data research for infographics to market research for budding startups, talented researchers know that you can put a price tag on knowledge.

2. Proofreader

If, on the other hand, you love reading but not so much writing, becoming a proofreader could be your calling. Have other people send you their manuscripts for books, research papers, or whatever else you are interested in reading about, and give them honest feedback before they publish their works of art. This job requires attention to detail and expertise in the area to ensure that everything is ready to print.

3. CV Writing

Banging out a winning CV is a mission impossible for many. If you’re good with words and know how to highlight people’s best qualities, CV writing could be a pretty sweet place to start a business. Additionally, you can sell slick CV templates that will help job hunters to get noticed faster and yield better results.

4. Speechwriting

Giving speeches is a terrifying experience. Giving bad speeches… Well, no one wants to be in that situation. Wordsmiths have a hugely valuable skill to win people over using nothing else but the power of well-strung sentences. If you can write, cash in on this skill by crafting speeches that make birthdays, weddings, award ceremonies, or political debates a more memorable experience.

5. Self-Published Author

If you have the next Harry Potter manuscript sitting in your drawer and the publishing industry hasn’t been kind to you, try self-publishing. Using tools like Amazon’s direct publishing or working with dedicated consultants like I_Am, you not only get the satisfaction of pushing your work out there but also retain 100% of your royalties! Don’t think you can write a good novel? Then stick to what you know – self-help is a money-making genre!

6. Ghostwriter

If writing is your thing but you are lacking a topic to write about become a ghostwriter for someone else. If normally requires you to write about someone or something in a lot of detail. It can take time and much research to finish this type of project so be sure to have a few months free to give to it.

7. Content Curation

The German Economist Schumpeter once said that there are “no original ideas”, only new combinations of old ones. Curation of curiosity-fueling content is an intriguing and little-known business model. One of the best success stories out there is Brainpickings – a platform that describes itself as “an inventory of cross-disciplinary interestingness, spanning art, science, design, history, philosophy, and more”. The subscription-based model and successful utilization of affiliate links have turned the blog into a self-sustaining business.

Brainpickings.com – An inventory of the meaningful life.

How to Start an Online Business

Starting an online business, no matter how small you aim to have it can take time and money. It can also involve legal research and some accounting knowledge so you may find there is some upskilling involved in many different areas. Have no fear though because once you get the wheels moving on your adventure starting an online business will be fun and motivating. As a great source of income, online business opportunities are abundant as you don’t need to be located next to a customer in order to provide the goods or services to them.

The most important first step in how to start an online business is to:

Decide Your Business

This is the most important step as without it you don’t have a business. Check out our above list of the most popular online business ideas and choose which one suits you best.

Research Your Industry

Get to know what your industry is like. Maybe there is a pricing structure most of your competitor follow that will be good for you. Or maybe once you discover your competitors you will decide that your industry is over-saturated and you need to change your business idea slightly to compete.

Create Your Brand

With every good business comes a good brand and if you figure this out at the start you can become a more successful online business in the beginning. This includes having an amazing website, and social media (if your customers are there), killer logo creation, engaging in some PR, and some more outreach and marketing activities.

Begin Getting Customers

The final step to starting an online business is actually getting your first customer. You cannot have the best online business without having great customers behind you. This involves discovering how to get in front of your audience, sending out the right message to entice customers, and devising a pricing structure that works for the majority of customers to effectively give customers what they need.

Conclusion

Online business ideas are endless and all-inclusive. Most office-based jobs can now be done online through freelancing or remote working. The beauty of technology means that profitable online businesses will keep growing and growing, making the world a truly global marketplace. If you are considering moving away from the traditional career path and want to start your own business, read through our list of business ideas a few times and contemplate the many ways you can start a successful online business today.

Want to Learn More?

Free Business Name Generator

The One-Product Business: This Entrepreneur’s Simple Formula for Success

Business Ideas That Will Make You Money

What Should You Sell Online

Is there anything else you’d like to know more about and wish was included in this article? Let us know in the comments below!

The post The Ultimate List of The Most Popular Online Business Ideas appeared first on Oberlo.

from Oberlo

It seems that there’s no shortage of great online business ideas. According to hostingfacts.com, there are 966 million websites in the world today and WordPress alone is responsible for over 76.5 million blogs.

Although there’s no one accurate figure, some studies suggest that over 100 million freelancers around the world are successfully running small online businesses from their homes.  

The perks of being your own boss seem so great that many are willing to quit their stable jobs to embark on this entrepreneurial journey to start making your own money

So if you’re quietly contemplating the idea of starting something of your own, here’s a list of the most popular online business ideas that are within the reach of almost anyone who’s willing to take the plunge. From social media manager, to public speaking coach, to interior design consultant the options are endless.

This monster list of 53 internet business ideas below is awesome, but you may also be interested in watching our new video “10 Online Business Ideas to Make You Money.”

Best Online Business Ideas You Can Start Tomorrow

Here is the list of the top 53 online business ideas to get you started instantly. If you are looking for online business ideas for 2019 this is the only list you will need.

Best Online Business Ideas

1. Relationship Coach

Some people just seem to intuitively know more than others – they don’t get involved in destructive relationships or suffer from loss of self-knowledge. If you can relate to that description and feel your relationships have been fairly happy and stable, then maybe you’re one of them. You’ll need to invest in relevant workshops and books, get knowledgeable and certified before you can start coaching others, but it’s a fascinating business idea that will reward you both financially and morally.

Relationship Coach Sam Owen

2. Interior Design Consultants

Do you like finding interesting ways to decorate and want to share those ideas with others? Do you sift through magazines, clipping images, sorting them into make-believe rooms in your scrapbook wanting desperately to see these rooms for real? Become an interior design consultant and have people send you pictures, ideas, and dimensions to their rooms for you to decorate digitally for them. You can use the likes of a VR tool to pick furniture from real stores and choose a color scheme that suits the owner. The sky’s the limit with this role and creativity is in full flow.

3. Travel Consultant 

Do you spend more time packing and unpacking your luggage than most of the people you know? Then you might be onto something! Travelling is one of the greatest passions of this age – the crazier and more nomadic, the better! If you have a knack for organizing memorable, authentic trips and enjoy the process of creating exciting day-to-day plans, why not do it for money? Become a travel consultant to help adventure-seekers plan their unforgettable holidays from A to Z and enjoy every second of your working day.

4. Nutritionist

The trend of healthy eating is here to say. Yet with so much contradictory advice online about what is good for us and what is not, more and more people turn to professional nutritionists for specialist tips and guidance. You can easily find free online courses to learn the fundamentals of this profession and start offering personalized nutrition plans online.

5. Yoga Instructor

Selling yoga classes online is a great source of income. There are hundreds of sites like Reflexion Yoga or Yogaia that offer these services but they all have one thing in common – the classes are taught by pros. To capitalize on this huge trend you’ll either have to team up with a great yoga teacher or be one yourself.

yogaia.com – live online yoga classes that fit around your life.

6. Public Speaking Coach

Naturally, the next one on the list is coaching people how to deliver great speeches. Public speaking is the number one fear on most people’s list – some fear it more than death! This skill can prove to be handy in many areas – from pitching to investors, to delivering key messages at global conferences. If you’re a natural on stage, help entrepreneurs rediscover their in-born ability to communicate by selling effective presentation templates and online coaching classes.

7. Business Consultant

Running a business consulting company is a great option for those who’ve been involved in the process of building a business before. Whether you’ve gained your experience through working with a number of different startups or learned the secrets of business management in a more corporate environment, helping other entrepreneurs achieve great results can include everything from business planning and forecasting to liaising with banks and institutions.

8. Accountant

Pick your niche (tax accounting, personal finance, bookkeeping, financial reports, etc.) and establish a good online presence by creating and promoting your website. Most of the solo traders and small businesses look for professional help with their accounts, so this is a huge area for potential work.

9. Investment Advisor

A lot of people with middle-class income would like to create a robust investment portfolio to secure a financially stable future but simply have no clue where to start. If you have professional experience as an investment analyst or do a lot of investment yourself, then offering investment advice for middle-class investors is a natural move for you.

10. Dating Coach

Online and mobile dating are booming. Thousands of people around the world are looking for love online and, unfortunately, many are unsuccessful in their quest. As a dating coach, you’d be responsible for helping your clients to organize and prepare for a perfect date, to refine their flirting skills and to advise on the do’s and don’ts of a dating life.

Johnny Cassel Dating Advice

Most Popular Online Service-Based Businesses

1. Wedding Planner

If spending hours pinning images of gorgeous table arrangements and bouquets ideas on Pinterest is your definition of a perfect job, then you will make an exceptional wedding planner. Sharp project management skills and an eye for detail are pretty much the most important requirements for this job – no fancy diplomas to stop you from breaking into this industry! You can sell your consulting services, wedding decorations, game packages, personalized gifts – the list of possibilities is endless (well, almost).

2. Party/Corporate Events Planner

Event planning is a bit like wedding planning, just on steroids. The scope of this idea is so large that it includes everything from cheesy stag and hen do parties to sophisticated product launches. Again, the entry barriers are rather low, but a flush work portfolio and a few glowing testimonials are something you need to consider to get a good head start in this field.

3. Get Baking!

From freshly baked butter croissants to colorful macaroons and pillow-soft morning bagels – the world of the great bake-off is a rich and ever-growing place. The beautiful thing about the online world is that a great passion can be turned into a great business almost overnight.

Tasty Bakery

4. Foreign Language Teacher

Everyone knows that the quickest way to learn a new language is to mingle with native speakers. If you were lucky enough to be born in an English, French, Spanish (insert any of the world’s main languages) speaking country, then missing out on the opportunity to cash in on the skills you take for granted is exactly that – missing out! Use online communication tools, such as Skype or Google Hangouts, to connect with learners and leverage your privileges. Time is money, so package your hours into teaching sessions and you’re good to go.

5. Kickstarter/Indiegogo Advisor

Grabbing the attention of curious browsers on the most popular crowdsourcing platforms like Kickstarter and Indiegogo is a tough job. If you’re inventive and know how to tap into human emotion, then this is a niche worth exploring. Many aspiring entrepreneurs look for personalized advice to carry their campaigns to the finish line, so try offering action-oriented eBooks or online courses targeted at this particular audience.

6. SEO Expert

One of the online world’s hottest professions at the moment, this business is a gold mine for the tech-savvy entrepreneurs. While everyone’s slightly obsessed with getting their sites SEO optimized, not many people can actually wrap their heads around this topic. If you decide to go into this field, you can think about offering link building, content creation, on-page SEO optimization, and similar one-off packages.

7. Selling Online Courses

Derek Halpern has built a really strong personal brand. He’s the founder of a software and business training company called Social Triggers and makes a LOT of money teaching people how to sell what they know best. And what he knows best is how to sell. If you’ve got some serious expertise, start making money out of it by selling online courses or simply teaching online.

Derek Halpern, Social Triggers

8. Mystery Shopper

Okay, it can be rather difficult to make a living solely from this but it’s a great place to start if you’re planning to build your own mystery shoppers’ army. Customer experience is one of the biggest obsessions of online and offline retailers, so there’s great potential here! Take a look at some of the existing platforms like Mystery Shopper and Secret Shopping.

9. Selling Professional Photos

The number of websites and blogs operating online demand a constant stream of high-quality, beautiful photographs that can help businesses attract and convert more customers. If you are a photographer who likes to try new things, supplying professional photos to businesses in this capacity can be a the most popular business idea for you. You can scale easily by setting up a stock photo library. This is a great business idea as it targets virtually every industry regardless of a company’s size. Check out sites like SmugMug, Photoshelter and iStockPhoto for more information.

10. Bug Testing

Bug testing is a service that no software company can ignore. If you can build a platform to crowdsource expert skills and resources to tackle this area, then you have solid chances of turning a profit. To learn more about this model, look into BugFinders and CrowdSourceTesting.

11. Video Producer

YouTube is the third largest site in the world, so there’s no surprise that video is becoming one of the main communication mediums for businesses of all types and sizes. If you have video filming or editing knowledge, it won’t take you long to build your clientele. Everything from video production workshops and video editing services to soundtrack libraries and DIY tutorials can appeal to the business world. Producing a video might be one of the most attractive online business ideas with lots of creativity and challenges.

12. Graphic Designer

Graphic designers are always in demand from small businesses to large multinationals. Starting a graphic design business can allow you to tap into this online business opportunity. Showcasing your experience with your past portfolio can help you gain customers without aggressive outreach.

13. Website Developer

In the same vein as an app developer, website development is in constant demand as businesses are always trying to upgrade and improve their websites to get more sales. This means that you can work on new and existing websites concurrently, and get to try new things all the time. If being constantly challenged is what you are looking for, a business venture into website development is the online business idea for you.

14. App Development

If you are an app developer with amazing skills why not try your hand at an internet business in app development. Apps are an amazing lucrative market so it is not surprising that more and more companies are investing in them. This means that there is a rising need for app developers to create their applications. Being an app developer is a great online business opportunity as you can work on vastly different applications on a daily basis.

15. Theme Designer

Just like a website developer, a theme designer is working with websites but in a different way. Choosing theme designer as your online business idea means building new website themes for business to use for their website. This could mean researching popular themes, identifying their pain points, and creating a theme that solves these pain points while remaining true to the popularity of the previous theme. If you are an expert in a certain industry, creating themes for this industry could see you reap much success.

Most Profitable People Based Businesses

1. Translator

If you are gifted with a more than one language but have no interest in teaching others, try translating. Many companies need their website and collateral translated when they move into a different market. You can help them achieve it, while also keeping active in more than one language. Keep in mind the most common way of billing is cost per word so price wise to make smart money from this great online business idea.

2. Social Media Manager

Social media is an integral part of any business but it’s time-consuming and ever-changing – so really quite difficult to keep up with and, more importantly, capitalize on. Many business owners are willing to outsource this time-intensive task, so it’s a great opportunity for social media fanatics. Bundle together a few interesting offers, such as “Startup social media kit” or “Small Business Social Media Starter Kit” that encompass everything from social media graphics to analytics reports and the seamless experience will bring you more clients than you expect.

Aggressive Growth Marketing

3. Remote Customer Service Agent

If you enjoy helping people but don’t want to be stuck in a call center or office all day, become a remote customer service agent and help people from the comfort of your own home. Choose between helping people via chat, email, phone, video, or other ways and save the day for people every day. This may not make you your first million, but it feels great to help people.

4. Virtual Assistant

Similar to a remote customer service agent you can do a role that would traditionally be done in an office but you can do it at home. A virtual assistant can mean anything from a data entry person to a researcher so don’t limit yourself with this role, be open to try new things and uncover new skills while getting paid.

5. Makeup Artist

Lots of successful makeup artists started their career on YouTube. All you need is a strong portfolio and a professional-looking website to get this gig going. Offer a couple of free makeup sessions to build your reputation and use content marketing to spread the word online. When you feel that you’ve got enough momentum going, start selling makeup tutorials, makeup products, and personalized tips.

6. Music Teacher

Can you play a musical instrument? Chances are someone is looking for a teacher right now. You can build a subscription-based online business or use your website to generate leads and teach via Skype or in person. Browse GuitarTricks and JustinGuitar for some inspiration.

7. Personal Trainer

Kayla Itsines is probably one of the best success stories of this industry. She’s built a whole Kayla Fitness empire and grown her services from simply writing personal training plans to selling official fitness apps and books. You can jumpstart your career by offering free taster video classes and personal tips on your website and harvesting social media sites like Instagram and Facebook to promote your services.

Personal Trainer Kayla Itsines

8. Remote Sales Team

As more and more companies take on the lean, mean approach to business, outsourcing cold calling and telesales functions becomes a sort of standard in the startup and small business environment. Whether you want to sell highly-targeted sales pitches or customer data, such as phone numbers and email addresses, the potential is vast.

9. Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing is where a person promotes a product that another merchant sells. Using advertising, social media, blogging and more, an affiliate marketer can attract customers to their landing page. When customers click a link to buy the product they will then be brought to the merchant’s store to buy the product. As an internet business idea, this is great for another no matter their previous experience.

10. Lead Generation Service Provider

Most businesses are chasing conversions and looking for ways to increase conversion rates. This means investing in sales activities like lead generation that could be time-consuming. Because of this many companies outsource this to a lead generation service provider. If you are good on the phone and enjoy researching and doing outreach to strangers then this is your calling!

11. Become an Influencer

An influencer is someone with a large follower base on social media who is seen as an expert in a particular area, like makeup or fitness. These people keep busy by posting regularly about their lives and promote products which they feel are good to possess. Sarah Phillips is a world-renowned food and nutrition influencer who posts about food creations she has made to her 10.9k (and growing) following. What is great about this internet business idea is that you can get paid to promote a business to your following, similar to affiliate marketing. Influencer marketing is a huge online business trend right now that you can capitalize on. Try your hand at Vlogging and starting a Podcast which are under-utilized channels of communication for influencers right now.

Online Business Opportunity Ideas

1. Handmade Goods Shop

It can take you less than a day to build a storefront to showcase your work and connect with customers on platforms like Amazon and Etsy. If you’re into crafts and DIY, it’s definitely a viable business option to consider.

2. Become a Private Chef

If cooking is one of your personal passions, there are dozens of opportunities to turn it into a decent business venture. You can start by setting up a catering website, experimenting with pop-up food stalls and local food markets, or joining platforms that encourage cooking enthusiasts to squeeze some money out of their passion. And if you’re not camera-shy, you can teach people how to cook special meals by selling online classes.

3. Dropshipping

Dropshipping is the easiest option to start an ecommerce business without having to buy any products in advance. Sell a variety of products to customers across the world, while setting your own process, building and promoting your own brand, all without needing to invest in warehousing or manufacturing costs. You don’t need to pay for inventory until it’s sold to an actual customer. Check out our guide to mastering dropshipping to learn more about this great business opportunity.

4. Fresh Produce Delivery

Organic, fresh food is somewhat of a modern craze. Fruit and vegetable deliveries, local farm boxes, and freshly-made goodies from local producers can help you kick off a business that not only encourages a healthier lifestyle but also supports the local economy.

5. Open a T-Shirt Online Shop

Platforms like Spreadshirt and Shopify have made it insanely simple to start an online t-shirt business for anyone with a speck of imagination and an eye for design. But it doesn’t need to be an online t-shirt shop you set up you can start an ecommerce shop selling anything.

TruffleShuffle

6. Natural & Organic Beauty Shop

Online shoppers are getting more and more conscientious about their choices, and especially so when it comes to beauty products. Running a beauty shop that’s built on strong ethos and values that resonate with nature and animal lovers is one of the hottest online business ideas right now. Tropic Skin Care seems to be doing a great job connecting with these shoppers.

7. Women Sportswear

With LuluLemon spearheading the way, online sportswear shops for women are quickly climbing to the top of the most popular online business ideas amongst ecommerce entrepreneurs. Since yoga pants are clearly here to stay, it’s safe to say that the athleisure trend is one of the best and, perhaps, the least explored niches in ecommerce right now.

8. 3D-Printed Products

One of the biggest technological breakthroughs of this age, 3D printing is dictating a new strategy in the ecommerce world. Some of the best selling 3D-printed products include jewelry, home accessories, bicycle parts, tech accessories and more. For some beautiful examples check out 3DigitalCooks, and DanitPeleg.

9. Ethical Fashion Brand

One thing is clear – clothes and accessories will always be one of the super-profitable online business ideas for an ecommerce site. However, with so many boutiques and brands already online, rising above the noise is extremely difficult. Yet, one promising idea that savvy entrepreneurs have probably already noticed is the booming trend of “ethical fashion”. Brands, such as Pachacuti, People Tree, Sea Salt, and Matt & Nat have successfully crafted their brands around the concept of organic, ethical production of fashion items and are riding the trend to the top of the strongest brands list.

10. Mystery Objects Shop

If you have an eye for quirky stuff, maybe running a mystery object shop could help you combine the thirst for curious things with a steady source of income.

Muddy Creatures are nailing the concept of a surprise purchase that taps into the explorer instinct many of us possess. There’s no exact science or skill fueling this business idea – let your imagination go wild…

Muddy Creatures

Successful Online Business Ideas

1. Online Researcher

Although it sounds like a too-good-to-be-true idea, some people are successfully earning a living off their skill to find information online. From data research for infographics to market research for budding startups, talented researchers know that you can put a price tag on knowledge.

2. Proofreader

If, on the other hand, you love reading but not so much writing, becoming a proofreader could be your calling. Have other people send you their manuscripts for books, research papers, or whatever else you are interested in reading about, and give them honest feedback before they publish their works of art. This job requires attention to detail and expertise in the area to ensure that everything is ready to print.

3. CV Writing

Banging out a winning CV is a mission impossible for many. If you’re good with words and know how to highlight people’s best qualities, CV writing could be a pretty sweet place to start a business. Additionally, you can sell slick CV templates that will help job hunters to get noticed faster and yield better results.

4. Speechwriting

Giving speeches is a terrifying experience. Giving bad speeches… Well, no one wants to be in that situation. Wordsmiths have a hugely valuable skill to win people over using nothing else but the power of well-strung sentences. If you can write, cash in on this skill by crafting speeches that make birthdays, weddings, award ceremonies, or political debates a more memorable experience.

5. Self-Published Author

If you have the next Harry Potter manuscript sitting in your drawer and the publishing industry hasn’t been kind to you, try self-publishing. Using tools like Amazon’s direct publishing or working with dedicated consultants like I_Am, you not only get the satisfaction of pushing your work out there but also retain 100% of your royalties! Don’t think you can write a good novel? Then stick to what you know – self-help is a money-making genre!

6. Ghostwriter

If writing is your thing but you are lacking a topic to write about become a ghostwriter for someone else. If normally requires you to write about someone or something in a lot of detail. It can take time and much research to finish this type of project so be sure to have a few months free to give to it.

7. Content Curation

The German Economist Schumpeter once said that there are “no original ideas”, only new combinations of old ones. Curation of curiosity-fueling content is an intriguing and little-known business model. One of the best success stories out there is Brainpickings – a platform that describes itself as “an inventory of cross-disciplinary interestingness, spanning art, science, design, history, philosophy, and more”. The subscription-based model and successful utilization of affiliate links have turned the blog into a self-sustaining business.

Brainpickings.com – An inventory of the meaningful life.

How to Start an Online Business

Starting an online business, no matter how small you aim to have it can take time and money. It can also involve legal research and some accounting knowledge so you may find there is some upskilling involved in many different areas. Have no fear though because once you get the wheels moving on your adventure starting an online business will be fun and motivating. As a great source of income, online business opportunities are abundant as you don’t need to be located next to a customer in order to provide the goods or services to them.

The most important first step in how to start an online business is to:

Decide Your Business

This is the most important step as without it you don’t have a business. Check out our above list of the most popular online business ideas and choose which one suits you best.

Research Your Industry

Get to know what your industry is like. Maybe there is a pricing structure most of your competitor follow that will be good for you. Or maybe once you discover your competitors you will decide that your industry is over-saturated and you need to change your business idea slightly to compete.

Create Your Brand

With every good business comes a good brand and if you figure this out at the start you can become a more successful online business in the beginning. This includes having an amazing website, and social media (if your customers are there), killer logo creation, engaging in some PR, and some more outreach and marketing activities.

Begin Getting Customers

The final step to starting an online business is actually getting your first customer. You cannot have the best online business without having great customers behind you. This involves discovering how to get in front of your audience, sending out the right message to entice customers, and devising a pricing structure that works for the majority of customers to effectively give customers what they need.

Conclusion

Online business ideas are endless and all-inclusive. Most office-based jobs can now be done online through freelancing or remote working. The beauty of technology means that profitable online businesses will keep growing and growing, making the world a truly global marketplace. If you are considering moving away from the traditional career path and want to start your own business, read through our list of business ideas a few times and contemplate the many ways you can start a successful online business today.

Want to Learn More?

Free Business Name Generator

The One-Product Business: This Entrepreneur’s Simple Formula for Success

Business Ideas That Will Make You Money

What Should You Sell Online

Is there anything else you’d like to know more about and wish was included in this article? Let us know in the comments below!

The post The Ultimate List of The Most Popular Online Business Ideas appeared first on Oberlo.

http://bit.ly/2PbwW89 April 10, 2019 at 06:29PM http://bit.ly/2D912US

[ageloire]

How to Create An Incredibly Well-Written Executive Summary [+ Example]

Whether you're an entrepreneur looking for investors for your small business, or the CEO of a large corporation, a business plan can help you succeed and is a critical component for long-term growth.

In fact, one study found companies that use business plans grow 30% faster than those that don't.

A business plan includes a company overview, your company's short-term and long-term goals, information on your product or service, sales targets, expense budgets, your marketing plan, and a list including each member of your management team.

While a thorough business plan is necessary, it's equally critical you provide readers with a short, attention-grabbing executive summary, as well. A CEO or investor might not have the interest or time to read your full business plan without first getting the general gist of your company or goals through a brief synopsis.

Essentially, an executive summary is the back cover of your book, convincing readers that it's worth their time to read the whole thing.

Executive Summary

An executive summary is a brief overview at the beginning of your business plan. It's a section that grabs the reader's attention, and summarizes critical information regarding your company overview and upcoming short-term and long-term goals. Ultimately, the executive summary is meant to inform readers of the most important information in your business plan, so they don't have to read it all and can get caught up quickly.

To write an impressive executive summary that effectively embodies all the important elements of your business plan, we've cultivated a list of necessary components for an executive summary, as well as an example to get you started.

What to Include in Your Executive Summary

Your business plan should convey your company's mission, your product, a plan for how you'll stand out from competitors, your financial projections, your company's short and long-term goals, your buyer persona, and your market fit.

To create a business plan, take a look at our business template.

An executive summary, then, should be a short, maximum two-page synopsis of the information provided in your business template.

Ultimately, an executive summary should provide a preview for investors or CEO's, so they know what to expect from the rest of your report. Your executive summary should include:

The name, location, and mission of your company

A description of your company, including management, advisors, and brief history

Your product or service, where your product fits in the market, and how your product differs from competitors in the industry

Financial considerations, start-up funding requirements, or the purpose behind your business plan -- mention what you hope the reader will help your company accomplish

To understand more tactically how an executive summary should look, take a look at the following example:

Executive Summary Example

Our Mission

Maria's Gluten Free Bagels offers delicious gluten-free bagels, along with various toppings, other gluten-free breakfast sandwich items, and coffee. The facility is entirely gluten-free. Our team expects to catch the interest of gluten-free, celiac, or health-conscious community members who are seeking an enjoyable cafe to socialize. Due to a lack of gluten-free bagel products in the food industry currently, we expect mild competition and are confident we will be able to build a strong market position. 

The Company and Management

Maria's Gluten Free Bagels was founded in 2010 by Maria Jones, who first began selling her gluten free bagels online from her home, using social media to spread the word. In 2012 she bought a retail location in Hamilton, Massachusetts, which now employs four full-time employees and six part-time employees. Prior to her Bagel Shop, Maria was a chef in New York and has extensive experience in the food industry.

Along with Maria Jones, Gluten Free Bagel Shop has a board of advisors. The advisors are:

Jeni King, partner at Winding Communications Ltd.

Henry Wilson, president of Blue Robin, LLP

Our Product

We offer gluten-free products ranging from bagels and cream cheese to blueberry muffins, coffee, and pastries. Our customers are health-conscious, community-oriented people who enjoy gluten-free products. We will create a welcoming, warm environment, with opportunities for open-mic nights, poetry readings, and other community functions. We will focus on creating an environment in which someone feels comfortable meeting a friend for lunch, or working remotely.

Our Competitive Advantages

While there are other coffee shops and cafes in the north shore region, there are none that offer purely gluten-free options. This restricts those suffering from gluten-free illnesses, or simply those with a gluten-free preference. This will be our primary selling-point. Additionally, our market research (see Section 3) has shown a demand for a community-oriented coffee and bagel shop in the town of Hamilton, MA.

Financial Considerations

Our sales projections for the first year are $400,000. We project a 15% growth rate over the next two years. By year three, we project 61% gross margins.

We will have four full-time employees. The salary for each employee will be $50,000.

Start-up Financing Requirements

We are seeking to raise $125,000 in startup funds to finance year one. The owner has invested $50,000 to meet working capital requirements, and will use a loan of $100,000 to supplement the rest.

from Marketing https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/executive-summary-examples

[emarkly-blog]

What marketing strategies work for small businesses today? What are the best ways to get customers to know about your business, contact you, or make a purchase? Here are 24 marketing strategies that work for small businesses.

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Finding the right marketing strategies to use has always been a challenging task for small businesses. But the growing number of marketing channels available today make it even more difficult to find the best marketing strategies to build your business. The consumer who's searching the web for the best price on printing business cards may never see your ad in the local newspaper. The woman who gets a text message at 11:15 am from a nearby deli telling her that today's lunch special includes a free diet soda may never bother to look at the coupons your bagel shop mailed with a similar offer. The homeowner who needs a dishwasher repaired may look first at the classified ads in the local weekly newspaper. And, the middle school teacher who thinks her students and their parents spend too much of their waking hours using computers or other digital devices may never see the free sample ad you're running on Facebook.

So, what is the best way to promote your business today? Unfortunately, there's no one push-button marketing idea that will send a steady stream of customers to your door. Whether you sell products or services, you must use multiple marketing strategies to attract and keep customers.

The list below presents a variety of marketing strategies and ideas. Some of the ideas are pretty basic, but very often it's those all-important basic marketing strategies that businesses forget or ignore.

If you've been in business for a long time and haven't changed your marketing methods over the years, pay particular attention to the strategies that involve the Internet and digital marketing. No matter how your existing customers found you, businesses and consumers today regularly turn to digital media to gather information about their needs and research service providers before deciding which service provider they'll use. You want them to find your company.

1. Identify a target market. Create a profile of your ideal customer. What type of person buys this service most frequently today? Why do they need and strongly desire this service? What is their job function? If it's a consumer product, where do they live? How old are they? How much money to they earn? What other factors make them a likely customer? Where are they most likely to look for the service or hear about it? Who might they ask for a referral?

Once you answer those questions, ask yourself one more: "Where should I be networking or what should I be doing to make myself known to that potential customer or to people who give the prospect referrals." After you've answered the questions, act on them.

2. Promote what your customer wants to buy. Customers don't really want the service you perform. They want the solution to a problem or benefit your service provides. Think about it. A plumber's customers aren't really interested in plumbing. They want a leaky pipe fixed. A web developers' customers don't want a database or design. They want a website that will make them look good, get found in search engines, and help them get new customers. If you need help figuring out what your customers are really buying, ask them. Write down their answers and use Get better results from all the marketing you do by focusing on the specific problems your service solves or benefits it provides.

3. Make yourself a trusted resource to prospects and customers. People like to buy from people they know and trust. They also don't like to have anything "sold" to them. Become a trusted resource to your prospects by providing information that will help them make a good choice.

4. Make yourself a resource for the media. Members of the press are always looking for authoritative sources to quote. Keep in touch with local media through online and offline network groups and subscribe to HARO to receive inquiries from media who are looking for interview subjects for stories.

5. Set up professional profiles for yourself and/or your business on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Google Profiles (which also serves as your profile on Google+). Be sure each of your profiles has a link to your website. If you meet a prospect and they lose your business card, they might type your name into the search engine to try to find you. Having a profile on the biggest social media sites will allow them to find you and the link to your website.

6. Claim your place on Google Places. Google places listings aren't just for fast food establishments or retail stores. You can search for any type of service by location, and Google will show a list of companies that match the service you searched for in the location you specified. If you live in a big city, there's no guarantee your places profile will show up on that first page listing. But having a profile gives you an edge.

7. Look for social media discussions groups that attract your target customers. Depending what you sell, look for topic-specific groups and/or location-based discussion groups. Set aside a few minutes a day to read the conversations, and then join in when appropriate, making informative comments or posting useful resources. If you don't have time to do this, hire a freelancer or an employee help by scouting out conversations that you may want to participate in.

8. Write informative articles related to the service you provide. Put some of the articles on your own site, and distribute others to articles sites and to other sites that reach your audience and use contributors' articles. Be sure to include an "about the author" resources box with a link to your website. (For more tips on article marketing, read Article Marketing Do's and Don'ts.) The articles will help get yourself and your company known, and help establish your credibility.

9. Print up flyers or brochures and distribute them at membership groups you belong to, if allowed. You can get free templates from HP and Microsoft you can use to create your own. Print small quantities of flyers or product sheets yourself on a color printer. (Be sure to use good quality paper – something heavier than standard copier paper.) When you know you'll need a hundred or more copies at a time, compare the cost of having them printed to the cost of printing your own. Be sure to allow enough time to have the printing delivered to you.

10. Volunteer to speak at local business groups. Local business groups always need interesting speakers to attract members to meetings. Your talk should be about some area of your specialty, but should focus on the audience's informational needs and the problems they want to solve.

11. Submit proposals to speak at industry group conferences. If you don't have a lot of experience speaking, see if you can get on a panel, instead of giving a solo speech. Be sure to promote your participation in the panel before the event, and link to any videos or other after-event promo the conference planner has posted.

12. Refer business to other businesses in your networks. Giving referrals is as important a networking tool as getting them. People recommend people they like….and business people usually like other business people who send them business.

13. Tweet, mention and link to blog posts and social networking posts made by other individuals if what they've written something of interest to your audience. Besides providing good material for your followers, it's a good way to win social media friends, expand your network, and get your name and specialty known.

14. Build an email list and send informative mailings to it on a regular basis. Your mailing list should be made up of people who have asked to be on it. (Having a newsletter signup box on your web page is one good way to get people to "ask" to be on your mailing list.)

15. Join and participate in local business groups and try one or two leads groups as well. The best source of business for many small service businesses is referrals.

16. Stick with groups that attract the types of people you want as customers. Even when people don't really know you, you become a more trusted resource just by showing up.

17. Keep in touch with potential customers and existing customers with a postcard mailing. The person who doesn't have time to talk to you today, may need your services (or know someone else who does) a month or 6 months from now.

18. Ask for referrals. Besides asking existing clients if they know anyone else who can use your services, consider what other professionals you know who could refer business to you – and vice versa. If you're an electrician, talk to local builders and remodeling contractors, plumbers, and people who lay tile. If you are a graphic designer talk to web designers and ad agencies, about referring work.

19. Pick up the phone and call likely prospects. Cold calling is hard and you have to be able to deal with rejection. But it does work. If you are fearful about trying it, check out this article about making cold calls easier.

21. Don't be too quick to discourage tire kickers. It's hard to know where to draw the line with people who keep asking questions without any indication they plan to make a purchase, but sometimes those questions are used as much to size you or your business up as they are to gain information.

22. Have a website and publicize it. It amazes me, but there are still businesses that don't have a website. I was at a Chamber of Commerce meeting a few months ago and met someone who said he was a copywriter. I asked for a business card, and his card didn't include his website, so I asked for his website URL. Amazingly, the person who had just tried to convince me he could write copy for the web, didn't have a website.

No matter how much in-person networking you do or how much social media networking you do, you still need a website. Your prospects will want to see samples of your work, get more information about you, and if you're a consultant or other expert, they're probably going to want to read things you've written about your area of expertise. You can control what they see on your own website. You can't control what ads show up next to your posts or what the rules are on social media sites.

If you can't afford to pay a web developer, set up at least a simple website using free or low cost website hosting and design tools such as Weebly or GoDaddy. Once you have a website, be sure it's listed on all your sales literature, your business card, association member directories, and as many places as you can get listings.

23. Have a fully functioning website. Another circumstance I find amazing is the number of small businesses who join local business networking groups and have non-working websites listed in the group's membership directory. Occasionally it's because the directory listing was published with a typo in the domain name. But often, it appears the business that owned the domain name let it lapse – or never finished setting up the website. Don't let that happen to you. Be sure you register the domain name yourself (instead of letting the web developer do it), and be sure that you keep your credit card information up-to-date at the domain registrar. Double check your association directory listing after it's published to be sure there are no typos and the link works. Check each page on your site to be sure you didn't leave up any links going to blank pages or to "under construction pages."

24. Don't stop marketing. Once business starts coming in on a regular basis it's tempting to ease off on some of the marketing and networking you do. But that's a mistake. You need to market continually to keep business coming in regularly.