Even in 2023, there are countless exciting business ideas. While choice is always a good thing, this makes it difficult to filter out the really promising start-up ideas. Jumping on a new trend can sometimes be risky - but also very lucrative.
You'll find that many of the business ideas on this list have gained popularity recently. Others have been popular for longer, making them more competitive but less risky. However, with all of the business ideas listed below, you will be able to make money, whether as a side hustle or as a potential full-time business.
Don't feel like reading the whole article? Then here is a selection of our favourite business ideas with a lot of potential.
Dropshipping
Print on Demand
Virtual assistant
Instagram advice
Video production
Copywriting
The best business ideas for 2023
Have you been toying with the idea of self-employment for a while, but haven't been able to find the right business idea yet? Then our list will give you plenty of inspiration. Let's jump right in and take a look at the most promising business ideas for 2023.
1. dropshipping
Want to sell products online but don't have the budget to buy inventory and store it yourself? Then dropshipping could be just the thing for you. Dropshipping is an e-commerce business model that doesn't require you to manage physical products. All you have to do is set up an online shop and work with suppliers who are ready to process, pack and ship orders to your customers.
Plus, you don't have to spend a lot of time researching products. Because with dropshipping apps like DSers, you can easily find great products to sell. So if you're looking for easy online business ideas, dropshipping could be a good option for you.
One of the reasons why the model is so popular with many people is the fact that you don't have to keep inventory on hand. However, if inventory storage is not an issue for you, then you could also source your products directly from wholesalers or a wholesale marketplace. This could be a useful addition to dropshipping if you already know what you want to sell.
2. print-on-demand
If you are looking for new business ideas, print on demand could be your recipe for success. In this model, you sell your own designs on items such as mobile phone cases, mugs and t-shirts, but you're not responsible for printing and shipping. Instead, you work with print on demand providers who print your design on the product. They even package and ship it to your customers, so you don't have to worry about logistics.
Plus, you only pay when you've sold the products yourself. One of the quickest ways to get started is to create a Shopify shop and install a print-on-demand app like Printify or Shirtigo. In terms of marketing, working with influencers is an effective way to engage your audience.
3. digital event management
Another good business idea is to start a digital event planning agency. In this business, you will plan and organise digital events such as webinars and online conferences for different companies and analyse them afterwards. In the wake of the pandemic, these digital formats have become more and more common, which is unlikely to change anytime soon. So the need is great.
You earn your money here by charging an hourly fee for your service, generating sponsorship money and other things. If you've always enjoyed organising events but have never been able to make the step to a real business, this could be the perfect way to get started.
4. trade NFTs
NFTs (Non Fungible Tokens) is the latest hype from the cryptocurrency realm. Roughly speaking, these are unique pieces of digital art that are stored on the blockchain. Trading NFTs has now found its way into the mainstream. For example, celebrities such as professional basketball player Steph Curry and Eminem have purchased special NFTs worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.
You don't have to spend that kind of money, though. Research new projects that have not yet been launched. Familiarise yourself with the team and the roadmap, and get into the Telegram and Discord communities to get a better feel. Then, with a bit of luck, you can buy cheap NFTs and sell them later for a hefty profit. However, always remember to research thoroughly before buying and only invest as much as you can lose.
5. author for Amazon Kindle
Can you use your writing skills to make money even while you sleep? You definitely can, thanks to Amazon Kindle Publishing.
Here's how it works: You write a book and upload it to Amazon Kindle Publishing. Amazon's review team then reviews the book. Once it's approved, it's published on Amazon and readers can buy your book. Each time your book sells, you earn revenue, with Amazon keeping a percentage as commission. So if you do it right, publishing on Amazon Kindle can be a source of passive income. It's also scalable.
6. drone photography
The demand for aerial photography has grown to unprecedented heights in the last decade. If you're good with a drone, or at least can learn it quickly, a drone photography business isn't a bad business idea.
Fortunately, a good drone is not expensive. Good drones can be bought for under 1,000 euros. Which ones are suitable for such a business? Real estate developers and agents, wedding couples, hotels and resorts, film and music producers and many more. For your marketing, you should start with an appealing website that presents some of your projects or at least appealing photos. This will give potential clients an idea of the quality of your work.
7. affiliate marketing
Affiliate marketing is when one person promotes a product that another merchant sells. Using advertising, social media, blogging and more, an affiliate marketer can attract new customers to their landing page. When they then click on a link to buy a product, they are directed to the merchant's shop to complete the purchase process.
These links are tracked so that it can be transparently traced to which affiliate partner the purchase should be assigned. The affiliate then receives a corresponding sales commission. Affiliate marketing is one of the business ideas with which money can be earned online completely independently of previous professional experience.
Reading tip: Affiliate marketing as a business idea: everything you need to know to get started
8. website theme developer
Website theme development is certainly one of the newer business ideas. If you have good programming skills and are particularly good at front-end development, you can use your skills by creating website themes and selling them online. For example, you can create themes for WordPress and sell them on the Themeforest platform. Another extremely lucrative alternative is to create themes as a Shopify partner. Shopify runs its own theme store where you can submit your themes and sell them after approval. This way, you'll earn an ongoing income and can build up a passive income.
9. catering from home
If you have a knack for cooking and consider it a creative outlet, you could supplement your income with a home-based catering business. The initial investment depends a lot on how big you want your setup to be. For example, if you start with smaller events that you can cater on your own, your business can start with manageable expenses. Most home-based caterers start by creating their own website or getting involved in platforms where cooking enthusiasts can make some money from their passion.
10. virtual assistant
One of the most promising business ideas is to offer virtual assistant services. Whether it's a large company or a solopreneur, they all need help managing their day-to-day business. If you're an organisational talent, you can use your skills to make their lives a little easier. In this role, you'll be paid for the time and effort you put into answering emails, scheduling meetings and other administrative tasks.
You can get your first clients by setting up a profile on websites like Upwork, Freelancer.de or Fernarbeit.net. The need for reliable virtual assistants is growing, which is why this approach is one of the more risk-free business ideas. It is also perfect that in this case you can take the step into self-employment without equity capital.
11. buying and selling websites
Buying and selling websites is one of the new business ideas with which you can effectively earn money on the side. This involves buying a website that is already up and running, improving its design and content, and then selling it for a profit.
There are a number of places where you can buy and sell websites to make a profit. For example, Shopify's "Exchange" marketplace lets you buy e-commerce websites that you can optimise through content marketing, SEO and other tactics. Once your website generates more revenue than it did when you bought it, you can put it up for sale again on the marketplace.
12. personal shopper
Do you often get praised for your fashion sense? Are you someone friends and family come to for advice on clothes and fashion? Personal shopping is a business idea that builds on these skills. Personal shoppers find clothes for customers who struggle to find their own personal style.
Their tasks include assessing their customers' wardrobes, visiting websites and choosing the right items for them. Meanwhile, there are countless online boutiques where you can find all kinds of clothes. So you don't necessarily have to shop offline to get started with this business idea.
Plus, you don't need any special certification or degree to become a personal shopper. If you are looking for new business ideas with no start-up capital or at least very little investment, personal shopping could be the ideal way to go.
13. online tutoring
If you are an expert in German, maths or any other subject, you can start your own small business in online tutoring. An essential requirement is a bachelor's degree in the subject you want to teach. You can find clients for your tutoring services on websites like Easy Tutor, Tutoria or Superprof.
You can offer your lessons via Skype or Zoom and interact with your students. This makes online tutoring a very easy online business idea to implement.
14. greeting cards
Greeting cards are always trendy. So if you have a good eye for design or like to showcase your artwork on physical items, this can be one of the best creative business ideas for you.
Before you can start looking for customers, you need to have a few designs ready. Tools like Photoshop and Canva make it easy to create custom card designs. You'll also need to stock up on the materials (ink, paper, etc.) needed to create greeting cards.
If you want to keep costs down, you should buy your supplies from a wholesaler. Once you have all the materials, you can start generating income by marketing your business on Facebook, Etsy and other similar platforms.
15. texting
Almost every business with an online presence needs help creating content for product pages, blogs and other marketing materials. This could make setting up a copywriting agency a profitable business idea for you.
Again, popular websites for finding your first clients are Upwork, Freelancer.de, Twago or Textbroker. You can also join special content marketing groups on Facebook to promote your business to a wider audience.
There are many ways you can make a good impression on your clients, for example by offering keyword optimisation or custom graphics as part of your services.
16. WordPress support
A lot of websites are hosted on WordPress, so the need for expert support is correspondingly high. So if you're familiar with the intricacies of this platform, you have several ways to make money. For example, you can help your clients fix their CSS, find security holes and implement certain features.
Of course, you can start by using the services of a platform like Upwork to get your first clients. However, we recommend that you create your own website and use it to present your services. This way you can avoid high commissions and build long-term relationships with your clients.
17. career advice
With rising unemployment and a saturated job market, there is no shortage of people who need help finding a job. If you have a knack for helping your friends and family find suitable employment, you can probably help others too.
For example, you could start a business in career counselling. In this role, you would help others find more clarity about their career path, identify opportunities in the job market and prepare them for interviews. You can find your clients on Facebook or Xing groups or target your audience directly with your own website.
The best thing about this business idea is that you can already earn good money with four to five coaching sessions a month. You can also expand your offer to include group coaching, which makes it even more effective. If you're looking for ideas for a lucrative side hustle that won't take up too much of your time, career coaching could be the right option for you.
18. email marketing
Are you good at writing emails? Can you create subject lines that people can't help but click? If so, you could try your hand at being an entrepreneur and start your own email marketing business. Companies that need help with their email marketing strategy can be found on Upwork, Freelancermap or Twago.
But traditional cold calling can also be a way to go. Once you've proven your skills and delivered real results, clients will be eager to use your services. Plus points if you can also help them build their email list. Start-up costs include investing in email marketing tools that will automate many of your marketing tasks.
19. website tester
Did you know that brands with an online presence hire people to gather feedback on their websites? This feedback allows them to fix problems that their developers may not have identified.
If you want to take this business idea to the next level, you can hire people on a freelance basis and start your own website testing company. During the projects, your employees are given a series of questions to answer as they move through a company's website.
Through video, they share their thoughts on the current user experience and how the website could be improved. You can find projects through websites like UserTesting, Ferpection and TryMyUI.
20. search engine optimisation (SEO)
Do you have experience in generating backlinks and improving the search engine visibility of a website? If yes, then there is an opportunity for you to earn money with your skills. Website owners all over the world need the services of SEO experts, so opening a business in this field could prove to be a lucrative decision.
When looking for clients, you should first identify your target audience, gain experience and build your portfolio. Then, when you present your success stories and your SEO techniques are effective, you won't have to wait long for client requests.
| 
