24 Business Ideas to Make Money in 2024

It’s an exciting time to be in business. The shift in perspective towards “shopping small” and “shopping local” with small businesses has really resulted in some wonderful community support. It’s a great time to start and run your own business from just about anywhere. I’ve compiled 24 business ideas for 2024 to help inspire you to plan ahead to create your remote work, online business, or dream to stay at home more while making money. It is my hope that you’ll find your spark of inspiration and begin pursuing your flexible small business goals.

I started my first remote business in 2009 and sold it in 2012 when I decided to move to New York City. I started my next one, and I’ve now been working online and traveling since 2016, working remotely from New York. Then, I was inspired to start writing yearly blog posts about working online when I started this website in 2021. Since then, every year, I’ve created a new “work online” blog post with some of the hottest current work online ideas and a few not-so-common ones. I decided to put together this list of lesser-known ideas because I figure you have all seen enough Shopify business, dropshipping, and online survey blog posts. I hope one of these business ideas resonates enough with you to inspire the next amazing move in your life.

24 Business Ideas to Make Money in 2024

1. AI-Assisted Content Creation Services

AI platforms are popping up everywhere. You can create a platform to integrate content creation applications or do some research and find a few that work well together, then promote them for commission. You can also work as a consultant to help content creators combine AI-generated content with human creativity for businesses. You can teach them prompts to produce high-quality articles, blog posts, and marketing materials. AI isn’t replacing human work, yet. It’s improving our workflow and helping us delegate tasks to increase efficiency. Helping others figure out how to do less to create more is a great business opportunity, while early adopters are still figuring out how to best utilize AI tools.

2. Sustainable E-commerce Consulting

Help e-commerce businesses reduce their carbon footprint by advising them on sustainable practices, from eco-friendly packaging to renewable energy sources. There is a lot you can do to promote sustainability, and there are often grants, NGO money, and government money to help you get started. You can reach out to some of the bigger names in sustainability and ask them to help point you in the right direction. They will be happy to help since you are offering to help them with their cause.

3. Virtual Reality Tourism

The World Economic Forum recently mentioned virtual reality tourism, and most of us who love to travel were appalled, but after giving it some thought, a lightbulb went on. I saw some posts by content creators who travel to really remote places or places closed off for tourism due to environmental impact. They make beautiful videos, and it got me thinking. You could create a portal to the road-less-traveled by partnering with other creators and creating virtual reality experiences for travelers. Offer an immersive tour and cultural experience through the eyes of the traveler or influencer who is physically there. Partner with travel influencers and expeditioners. Make videos that offer a virtual tour of places that aren’t possible to visit or are challenging to get to. Then, offer the service as a subscription or a one-time trip. You can make T-shirts, keychains, or other merchandise and donate a percentage of the profits to organizations that maintain the ecosystem of the place they toured. You can have the local authorities create a wall there and put everyone’s name who joined the cause as a virtual tourist. There are so many ideas! People will love it.

4. Remote Wellness Coaching

Provide personalized wellness coaching services supporting mental health, fitness, and nutrition to individuals and employees working remotely. Use programs like Skool to teach your own courses and utilize social media to find clients. I met a woman early in 2023 who coaches digital nomads on healthy eating while on the road, and healthy lifestyle practices. She is a psychologist and nutritionist and uses neuroscience programs to educate her users in an online course dedicated to helping them figure out their thinking behind overeating and comfort eating. She really narrowed down what she’s doing so that she knows exactly who her clients are and where to find them. She hops all over the world, attending digital nomad events, and has grown her social media following substantially since I started following her back in May.

5. AI-Powered Personalized Shopping

You can integrate software with AI algorithms to curate personalized shopping experiences, increasing customer satisfaction and sales for e-commerce businesses. Also, this integrated software can be used for users looking to streamline their own shopping process. There are a lot more stylists popping up on social media, and this sort of program can help them put together their clients’ wardrobes and help them find missing pieces. There is a great need for capsule wardrobes and reducing waste from excess shopping. Help users spend less on clothing and find items they will love to use over and over again.

6. Online Skill-Sharing Marketplace

Partner with technology platforms to promote and sell packages of software solutions via your own online marketplace to people who want to monetize their skills by offering online courses, coaching, or workshops in various fields. Create partner packages or bundles so that users can purchase all they need to run their digital business. There are so many companies offering the same web applications. Figure out which companies do it the best and then put different services together with those companies. Discuss integration for bundles that you will offer on your site and get paid for the customers you sign up. Ask them for a percentage of the monthly cost, then attract users to your site with valuable recommendations and use cases. Once you have a few use cases, you can ask those users to give feedback and testimonials on your website.

7. Elderly Tech Support

Offer tech support and digital literacy classes tailored to senior citizens, bridging the digital divide and helping them stay connected. You can gear programs to Boomers who want to learn more. Teach them how to edit pictures of their grandchildren and post them on social media in a way that’s safe. Help them set up safety measures on their social media accounts, like making their account private and enabling two-factor authentication. Teach them about digital security. You can use library or community center conference room spaces to start out and petition the local community for funds to get the business started. Then, charge higher amounts for more specialized courses that you can offer on your digital platform. You can even host your own fundraising events or apply for funding from local government grants to help the elderly avoid online and phone scams. Scamming the elderly is a multi-billion-dollar industry. Cut those losses and help your local community by educating seniors on how to stay vigilant.

8. Sustainable Home Improvement

You can specialize in eco-friendly home renovation services, focusing on energy-efficient upgrades, sustainable materials, and green building and recycling practices. Partner with local companies who meet these standards and apply for grant money from governments to get your start-up off the ground. There are a lot of things you can do with this idea. If your area is anything like mine, workers in all fields have been swamped these past three years. Getting anyone to come to work has been tough! You can work with the local community to get apprentices to do jobs they are qualified to do and offer events and programs to teach apprentices the value of recycling materials and creating new builds for the long term. There are a lot of challenges, but if you have a passion for the environment, better home improvement, and sustainable building for generations to come, not just a few years, then this could be a great option for you.

9. AI-Driven Recruitment

You don’t have to develop your own platform; there are several solutions already available, so you can utilize some of the systems that work now and use them for recruiting. Make what exists better, or you can develop a new platform that covers everything human resources will be looking for. This is a great time to get into this field because companies are having trouble keeping up with hiring. Perfect timing.

10. Remote Team Building Workshops

Organize virtual team-building activities and workshops for remote teams to improve collaboration and boost morale. Promote remote work and help freelancers feel part of a team. There can also be activities created and run for brick-and-mortar companies remotely from where you are, such as scavenger hunts.

11. Sustainable Fashion Marketplace

Create an online marketplace for sustainable and ethical fashion brands, connecting eco-conscious consumers with responsible fashion choices. This can be done as a blog with a directory, and you can use affiliate marketing to make money from brands and brand deals to earn a nice income.

12. Digital Privacy Consulting

Help individuals and businesses protect their online privacy by offering consulting services on cybersecurity and data protection. You can work with your local community or online communities to host security events. Romance scams, phone, and e-mail scams are multi-billion-dollar industries, so there are great opportunities to make money helping others learn what they need to know to protect themselves.

13. Language Translation

If you have fluency in other languages, you can provide language translation services that offer real-time, accurate translations across multiple languages. Legal and technical fields are the top industries in which to make money in translation services. We have a lot of posts about starting a translation business on this website. For instance, What Makes a Good Translator.

14. Remote Office Setup Services

Assisting individuals and companies in setting up efficient home offices and offering equipment recommendations and ergonomic solutions can be a great help. You can use affiliate links from the internet, phone services, printer services, furniture, and software providers to make money with your website.

15. Smart Home Integration

Specialize in integrating and automating smart home devices for homeowners, enhancing convenience and energy efficiency. You can also start a section of your business to train new users or even have a separate business that trains homeowners about security and makes sure they have all the proper passwords set up. Security is really important within your home. Let’s remember those old stories of children talking to strangers via the baby monitor or home applications being accessed from outside the home to invade people’s privacy by watching them in their own homes. We live in the era of brilliant hackers and technological scams, so homeowners need to understand security.

16. Virtual Event Planning

Plan and coordinate virtual events, conferences, and trade shows for businesses looking to engage with remote audiences. Podcast management and even business events need organized event planners.

17. Online Political Consulting

Offer digital campaign strategy and social media management services to political candidates and advocacy groups. 2024 is a presidential election year. We have been seeing trends change year after year, and politicians are relying more and more on social media. If you’re interested in politics and social media, it’s a perfect time to get started.

18. AI-Generated Artwork Sales

Collaborate with AI programs to generate unique artwork and sell them as digital collectibles or prints. Additionally, you could teach others by writing an e-book on how to train AI and use prompts so regular users can create their own artwork. There is a lot that can be done in this burgeoning space and so many opportunities to create new business models, whether you’re techy, creative, business savvy, or all three.

19. Remote Legal Services

If you have a background in law, you can provide legal consultations and services online, specializing in areas like intellectual property, contract law, and digital privacy. You can create a website where you summarize Terms and Conditions and translate legal jargon to everyday language to get readers’ attention and help users be more informed. There are some social media influencers doing educational videos about how to get what you need from companies when their employees fail to provide promised services. Airlines, manufacturers, whatever it is, most employees don’t know the terms and conditions, and their customers don’t either. Knowing what to do with a broken pair of Nikes or a canceled flight is a great help.

20. AI-Enhanced Customer Support

Develop AI chatbots and virtual assistants to streamline customer support for businesses, improving response times and efficiency. If you have a customer support background, AI chatbots can be a very lucrative opportunity.

21. Urban Farming and Sustainable Agriculture

Start an urban farming venture focused on cultivating fresh produce, herbs, or microgreens in urban environments. Emphasize sustainability by using vertical farming techniques, hydroponics, or aquaponics. You can sell your produce to local restaurants, farmers’ markets, or directly to consumers, contributing to food security and environmental sustainability. Farmbot has a product that, for a price, will do most of the work for you.

22. Social Media Publicist

Social media will continue to grow, and social media personalities and influencers need professionals who can help them make the right decisions about their brand. If you have experience as a publicist or in traditional public relations, maybe this is your year to go on your own, virtually.

23. Cleaning Services

Cleaning businesses are doing great! You can create a business that’s focused on serving the Boomers and the Silent Generation. Gear your business as you like with options like cleaning services for busy grandparents or cleaning services for the mobility-impaired. You can offer monthly subscriptions for as many times as they need and sell bundles of cleaning supplies with Amazon Affiliates. You can do cleaning videos on Pinterest, Instagram, and TikTok to attract customers. Cleaning services are always needed. You can even focus on real estate businesses for cleaning before and after open houses. There are so many opportunities.

24. Rental Services

It’s no surprise to anyone that the cost of living has gone up way too much these past three years. It’s getting out of hand for regular everyday expenses. You can offer rental services for pretty much anything you’re interested in. Party inflatables, inflatables for car dealerships, e-bikes, power tools, cleaning machines, power washers, and industrial washing machines can be rented by laundromats during busy periods or while they wait for the new one to be shipped. There are so many options. Look around your local community and see what’s missing in rental options so that people do not need to buy specialty items they only use once in a while. Sure, folks can go to Home Depot and get a steam cleaner rental and some power tools, but if you can offer things with more personable customer service, customize packages, and provide more options to create value and help others, you can make this work well. You can offer delivery and provide training on how to use the items. Figure out what works for you and your community.

These business ideas cater to various niches and capitalize on the increasing digitalization of the economy, providing solutions that address emerging needs and challenges going forward. Success in these ventures will depend on a combination of innovation, adaptability, and understanding of the evolving market trends. It can seem overwhelming, but when you hone in on one that appeals to you and figure out the details, it all gets easier.

In fact, the more you learn, the more you figure it out, the less you have to do, so get started now. Whatever sparks your interest, if you feel drawn to it, do a lot of research and spend time finding and interviewing other people doing it. Ask them how they like it, ask about the challenges, and what they wish could be better. If you see it’s a viable option for you, and you’re ready to work hard to create your own business, then go for it. I hope you have a smooth transition into building your new dream business.

Subscribe for more business posts, and come back for more in 2024. This year, I’ll be creating a program to help others put their business ideas together, create, and thrive. Be the first to know about this course by following me on social media, and stay tuned for when that comes out. Have a wonderful day.