Online business, discover the possibilities!
Nowadays, all you need is a laptop to start doing business. So what’s stopping you? You’ll find everything about online entrepreneurship here!
Online business is becoming increasingly popular these days, especially among the younger generation. It always used to be quite an undertaking to start your own business. There was a lot involved in starting your own business. You had to have money for investments, you needed space, customers were hard to find, etc. With the rise of the internet, business became more and more accessible. Nowadays you only need a laptop and an internet connection to start your own business.
What is online business?
Sometimes it feels like a vague concept, but simply put, online business is running an online business. Or a business that you can run pretty much entirely from your laptop. You’re not required to have fixed locations or supplies like traditional enterprise, which are often location bound. Something that often goes hand in hand with online business is the digital nomad existence. Digital nomads are online entrepreneurs who travel the world while running their own business. They only have their own laptop with them and often work from internet cafes and entrepreneurial hubs. The digital nomad is therefore the perfect example of an online entrepreneur.
Advantages of online entrepreneurship
Online entrepreneurship has a number of advantages compared to traditional entrepreneurship.
- The first advantage is of course that you don’t need large investments because you can do everything from your own laptop.
- One of the reasons often given by online entrepreneurs is the freedom you have. You can choose where you work. Some do this from home, but it can also be done from Bali or wherever you want.
- Another big advantage is flexibility. As your own boss you are not dependent on certain times. In addition, because you work from your laptop it is very easy to work for one or two hours if you have the time.
- It is easy to combine with a study or other work. Because of the freedom of location and the flexibility, online business is easier to combine. You can quickly do it alongside. Especially as a student this is ideal when you often have less rhythm in your daily life.
Starting your online business
Online entrepreneurship is easier than you think. It is not that you need to have a lot of knowledge or experience, or a large network of connections. A good idea or a certain skill is often enough. The hardest part is taking the first step. This does not apply to online entrepreneurship, but to anyone with the dream of starting their own business. Everyone has probably had an idea for their own business, only often nothing happens with it.
How often does it happen that people say about a successful startup “I thought of that a while ago”. Of course this will not always be true, but this is something that happens. What happens too often when people have a business idea is that they do nothing with it.
If you don’t want to be an entrepreneur this is of course fine, entrepreneurship is not for everyone. But also often enough it is someone who does want to be an entrepreneur who has a good idea, but ultimately does nothing with it. This is because the first real steps are not taken. The idea is often thought out further but ultimately no steps are taken, which is just a shame. Especially with online business, there are so many opportunities.
Online business examples
Dropshipping
A very popular way of online business is dropshipping. You sell products online through your own webshop without having your own stock. When the customer buys from you, you send the order to a supplier who sends the product directly to the customer.
Marketing agency
Another popular form of online business is starting your own marketing agency. Nowadays you have several forms of online marketing that you can practice. Think about SEO, SEA but of course also social media. With one of these skills you can quickly start your own agency.
Design or development agency
Nowadays there are many more opportunities than before to build websites and web shops. You don’t even have to be a real programmer anymore. With a lot of knowledge of a particular CMS like WordPress or Shopify, you can basically start already.
Developing apps
When you do have programming knowledge you can also choose to build applications. Again, you have several options. You can build an application from your own idea. The disadvantage is that you must have a good idea, the advantage is that you potentially can generate a lot of revenue. If you have more trouble coming up with ideas yourself, you can also hire a programmer or developer to build applications for others.
Working as a freelancer
As mentioned earlier, you can always be hired as a freelancer. For this you only need a certain skill, this can be anything. As a freelancer you can choose to do your own work, but you can also be hired by a company for a fixed number of hours per week. This can be useful if you find it difficult to bring in assignments for yourself.
