16 online business ideas you can start with a laptop
- 1.Start your own clothing line
- 2.Launch a dropshipping store
- 3.Sell your art online
- 4.Become a freelance writer, designer or developer
- 5.Teach an online course
- 6.Flip your thrift store finds
- 7.Publish your own book
- 8.Start a blog
- 9.Become a virtual assistant
- 10.Try your hand at being an influencer
- 11.Build apps and websites
- 12.Launch a podcast
- 13.Sign up for affiliate marketing
- 14.Curate subscription boxes
- 15.Develop a niche product
- 16.Create handmade goods
- 1. Start your own clothing line
If you have some designs in mind and a little bit of time on your hands, you can get your clothing company off the ground.
If you already own a Shopify store, you can set up your own clothing line using Oberlo, Printify, Printful, or a similar product sourcing app. Each automatically links your store to apparel printers and clothing manufacturers. They also handle every step of the retail fulfillment process for you, giving you the freedom to design and ship a wide range of pieces right out of the gate.
Why start a clothing line?
- There's nothing more satisfying than creating products that people will use every day.
- As soon as you build your Shopify store, you’ll be able to sell online instantly. Thanks to apps like Printify and Printful, the process of designing and delivering your own custom-made clothing has been streamlined and simplified.
- You’ll love the feeling of seeing your designs come to life by transforming your creativity into something real and profitable.
We used Printful to create THINK PUP, an apparel store for dog owners, and ended up making over $1,200 in just three weeks. With some time and research, you could be well on your way to building a successful t-shirt company, too.
We’ve curated some handy resources that will help grow your apparel business at every stage, from crafting your brand’s story to promoting your products with influencer marketing :
2. Launch a dropshipping store
You don't need a warehouse full of inventory to run your own business. Dropshipping is a great way to start a business on a budget. You can hit the ground running by sourcing a pre-existing product from a supplier and having them take care of things like packaging and fulfillment.
This process lets you skip over a lot of obstacles that might be standing in the way of you starting your own business. More importantly, a dropshipping business eliminates the risk of finding out there’s no market for your product after placing a huge order with a manufacturer or supplier.
Why choose dropshipping?
- You don’t need to stock products in a physical location, meaning that your cash flow won’t get tied up in inventory. There’s less of an upfront cash risk.
- Whenever a purchase is made, you place an order with a third party and they handle the rest of the process for you. Since you don’t have to deal with things like tracking inventory or mailing packages, dropshipping eliminates a lot of potential headaches for budding entrepreneurs.
- No warehouse means you can run your business from anywhere. Whether it’s your living room or the café down the street, you decide where you want to work from.
If you’re interested in dropshipping, read our Ultimate Guide to Dropshipping to help you get started.
If you don’t have any online shop ideas, here are some strategies for narrowing down the perfect product:
- Find products to sell on Oberlo
- Read our guide Find a Product to Sell: 12 Strategies for Finding Your First Profitable Product
- Check out 10 Print-On-Demand Companies for Dropshipping Your Own Custom Products
- Check out our list of Trending Products to Sell in 2020
- Find out how we made more than $2,000 in five weeks with imported gaming glasses
3. Sell your art online
Whether you’re a painter, photographer, or musician, there are plenty of ways to start an online store and turn your latest masterpiece into a source of revenue with a beautifully designed ecommerce website.
If painting or photography is your forte, you can sell your work as prints, canvases, and framed posters using Printify or Printful. This is a fantastic way to turn your art into something tangible that people can take home and integrate into their space. Is music your thing? You can sell your beats, songs, samples, and more as digital downloads.
Just take a look at The Drum Broker, the largest online drum sample business in the world. It created a successful and sustainable business model with the help of apps like FetchApp and ShipStation.
Why sell your art?
- You’ll be part of people’s lives by getting your work into customers’ homes and headphones.
- You’ll create a platform for showcasing your work by setting up shop online store.
- As an artist, creating art isn’t just a hobby—it’s a way of life. This is your chance to turn your passion into an income stream and potentially do what you love for a living.
Ready to bring your art shop ideas to life? Get started with these resources:

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