There may come a time when you’ve just had enough of working outside of the home. It may be due to the stress of a nine-to-five office job, dealing with unsympathetic bosses, the daily commute or just wanting to spend more time at home with the kids; no matter what the reason, online businesses are beginning to see a huge surge in popularity across the world.

Deciding what kind of online business to engage in can be somewhat tricky if you have always been in the same sector before starting out on your own. There are a multitude of different online businesses to choose from, but deciding which one you will go for should take careful deliberation and planning.

Writing:

Writing articles has become an increasingly popular method of earning money online. You can write on a variety of different topics in the comfort of your own home – you don’t even have to get out of your pajamas! Find a nice and quiet corner of a room in your home and type away to your heart’s content. There are many different websites which offer writing projects, such as Freelancer, and article directories such as Dragon Articles, which allow you to earn ad revenue on your articles. If you hold a university degree, you can make a lot of money helping write essays and theses. Travel writing is another popular choice.

Website Development:

If you are savvy with a computer, you could always go into developing websites. With so many people going into online business, website development is a big business itself. You may need to purchase certain software to help you create bigger and flashier websites, but you could charge a bundle for your time and expertise. If you are just starting out, good places to learn web design are Lynda and Codecademy.

Translation:

If you are lucky enough to know a second or even a third language, you could offer your services as a translator. There are numerous translation companies across the world looking for online translators. The office will send the documents to your email address; you translate them and send them back. Easy as that. You can charge either an hourly rate or per word.

Online Store:

With so many people preferring to shop online (no queues, no rushing around to find a parking spot and no incompetent or rude staff to deal with), an online store can be a lucrative business opportunity. Try to sell a unique range of items – you can choose from clothes, food, drink, music, DVDs – the possibilities are endless as are the potential profits. Some of the most popular places to check out are eBay, Etsy and Shopify.

These are just a few of the online businesses that are out there. However, before you hand in your resignation at your nine-to-five job, it is vital that you research your next chosen career. Working from home has its benefits, but it also has its cons.

Starting a new business involves a lot of research into businesses similar to the one you are thinking about going into, and a lot of time will be needed to help market your business. Remember to create a business plan – not only could this help you obtain funds to set up your business, but it could also help guide and remind you what you need to do and, once established several months later, help remind you of where you wanted to be.

Leaving the rat race behind and starting on your own road is something that many of us dream about doing. No matter what your reasons are for creating your own online business, you can achieve your goal with careful planning and research.