Do you dream of running your own business? Working your own hours and making your own rules? Many before you have been stuck in the same dream until they finally took a step forward and embraced the opportunities. You can launch a business online with almost no money; all it takes is a solid idea and perseverance.

Here are a few profitable online business ideas that might help you go from thinking to doing.

Start a dropshipping business

What’s that? Dropshipping is a retail fulfilment method that allows online store owners to sell products without actually stocking them themselves. They buy items individually from a wholesaler and get them shipped to the customer directly. It is a very attractive business idea mostly because it requires little to no initial investment, has very low overheads and is incredibly easy to kick off. The catch here is that the dropshipping idea has captured the imagination of thousands of entrepreneurs, so the market is rather crowded, which often means low margins. The most challenging part of starting a dropshipping business is finding a profitable business idea. Something that’s trendy, commands a reasonably high price and offers a high markup. Start from finding your niche if you get into dropshipping!

Blogging is still a seriously profitable business idea

The incredible appeal of blogging stems from the simplicity of starting a blog of your own, in a matter of minutes. All you need is an interesting (and popular) topic, some basic SEO knowledge and a smart monetization strategy. Plus, it doesn’t require any initial capital. However, unlike what many writing enthusiasts think, blogging isn’t always writing about your deepest passions. Sure, if you’re obsessed with behavioural economics or dropshipping, luck is on your side. But if you’re into fishing, making money from your blog could be a difficult hustle. The secret to succeeding is uncovering a juicy topic, doing your keyword research and doubling down on high-quality content creation.

The two biggest hurdles that bloggers must overcome is building an engaged readership and monetizing their content. It’s not easy, and it may take time, but it’s worth the struggle if you’re set on the idea of earning a living from blogging. There are quite a few tools that can help bloggers accelerate the growth of their site, such as BuzzSumo, and many others.

Turn your knowledge into money by teaching online

While it is still a lesser-known business idea, online teaching is profitable and easy to get into. You don’t need to hold a PhD from a top university to be able to share your knowledge with others.

Online learners are hungry for actionable, academically accessible lessons and tips that they could apply in their daily lives. Like with any other business venture though, market research plays a huge role in developing a successful teaching project. Start by talking to your friends or run contact forms to find out what topics could do well and pick the one that you find easiest to relate to and explore.

Start selling freelance packages

To successfully break into freelancing you must already be knowledgeable in the area where you want to sell your services. Whether you’re a designer, life coach, writer or food photographer, your skills can be bundled into unique packages and then sold online. For example, freelance marketplaces like PeoplePerHour and Fiverr have their own products designed to help freelancers sell fixed-price offers. PeoplePerHour allows its members to sell Hourlies, while Fiverr is known for its Gigs offers.

It must be said, though, that freelancing comes with its own perils. One of the biggest pains that freelancers identify is bookkeeping. If you decide to join the ranks of on-demand workers, make sure you pick out the right accounting software from day one to save yourself a headache when the tax year closes.

The opportunity of making money with Instagram

What has started as a simple picture-sharing app, has grown into one of the biggest social platforms with more than 700 million users. When it comes to earning money from Instagramming, the old “build a huge following and then run ads to sell products” strategy is still effective; it’s just a little tired. There are more ways to make money from Instagram.

Becoming a micro-influencer is one of the best options for making a profit. An Instagram micro-influencer is someone with at least 1,000 engaged followers (usually more) and a clear-cut passion for a certain topic – be it clean eating, parenting, exercising, fashion, or anything else. These power users build a niche following that shares their interest and naturally become a source of inspiration and advice. That’s when brands step in and offer to pay them for a mention or endorsement. The payments can start from as little as £50 per post, but as these power users’ influence continues to grow, the earnings will swell too.

Reaching a critical number of followers might seem rather difficult if you’re an Instagram beginner. That’s why it’s a good idea to harness the tools that maximise your chances of success. Some of the most notable ones include Takumi, Combin, and AutoHash, but take your time to research what’s available.

Explore the idea of drafting top-notch resumes and cover letters

Do you have a flair for writing? Can you turn a dry, factual CV into a compelling personal story? Then hundreds of job seekers will happily pay you for your services. Whether you decide to sell packages of pre-written cover letters and resume copy, or want to offer a bespoke service of tailored content, you will find your customers (or they will find you).

David The Fixer provides a great example of how you can put your writing skills to use to earn a living.