What is a Solopreneur? There's a lot of confusion surrounding the term "Solopreneur." Many people believe that it is just another word for entrepreneur, but this is not the case. Solopreneurs operate their businesses in a very different way than entrepreneurs do. In this blog post, we will define what a solopreneur is and explain the structure of a one-person business. We will also provide tips on how to get started!
A Home Based Business Solopreneur is an individual who is fully set-up to own, operate, and run a full-time one-person business from home around your lifestyle. Here are 68 one-person businesses that you never have to leave home to start.
Here's a fun fact, 50% of all businesses in the United States are now Home-Based Businesses. There are a number of reasons for this trend. Home-Based Businesses are often much cheaper to start and operate than traditional businesses. They offer greater flexibility and convenience for Solopreneurs who want to integrate work and family responsibilities. Home-Based Businesses are also more likely to be started by women than men. In addition, the information and construction industries are far more likely to be home-based businesses than other industries. Given all of these factors, it is not surprising that home-based businesses are on the rise in the United States. Let's explore how to tap into Solopreneurship for yourself.
What's The Difference Between
Solopreneur & Entrepreneur
Solopreneur versus Entrepreneur
The biggest difference between a solopreneur and entrepreneur is that Solopreneurs don't have any employees, while entrepreneurs typically do. Solopreneurs are also usually more hands-on in their businesses than entrepreneurs are.
This means that they are more involved in the day-to-day operations of their businesses. Because of this, Solopreneurs often have a better grassroot understanding of their businesses than entrepreneurs do.
Finally, Solopreneurs are more likely to be working in their business full-time, while entrepreneurs typically have other sources of income.
Solopreneur versus Freelancer
A Solopreneur are different to a Freelancer - in a Freelancer is done as an outsource or project based work. It is true that Freelance work can be done by a Solopreneur, however, the top paid and more successful Solopreneur are often time built around a Personal Brand and most Freelancer are not.
Solopreneur versus Self-Employed
The key thing to remember is that Self-Employed is the Tax Status of a Solopreneur. All Solopreneur are self-employed but not all Self-Employed are Solopreneurs. For example you can be Self-Employed and take on the legal form of a Sole Proprietorship, Partnership, or Limited company.
Solopreneur versus Side Gig
The biggest and absolutely most important difference between a Solopreneur and a Side Gigger is this is the full-time career for a Solopreneur. Even though they don't have any employees there is no additional income made for any other source. A Side Gig, on the other hand, is typically a hobby done for fun or something done to make a extra cash on top of their full-time employment.
So now that we know the difference between a Solopreneur and Entrepreneur, Freelancer, Self-Employed and Side-Gigger let's explore the structure of a One Person Business.
How To Structure Your One Person Business
There are a 2 key directions at the very start you need to make in regards to the set-up and structure of your business. The first thing you need to establish is whether Yes- you wish to enterprise your business or No- I do not wish to enterprise your business.
For the fluidity of this post, I have selected not to take a deep dive into all the types of Business Enterprises. However, I will give a very brief overview, if you select to enterprise your business from the start.
Enterprising a business is a fancy way of saying Incorporating a business. The most common business structures for Solopreneurs are Sole Proprietorships, Partnerships, and Limited Liability Companies (LLCs). Each of these structures has its own advantages and disadvantages. You will need to choose the one that is best for your particular business. Once you have chosen your business structure, you will need to obtain the necessary licenses and permits, if required by your state for your particular type of business. This will also vary depending on your industry and location. You will need to open a business bank account and get insurance. This will help you protect your personal assets in case your business is sued.
Now if you elect not to enterprise your one person business at the start, then your structure is a bit different. When you are not enterprising your business the legal liability is placed on you as an individual. This can be a good or bad thing depending on how you look at it, and what type of business you wish to start from your home. Later in this article I will share a list of Home-Based Business and many of them do not require incorporation.
The good news is you have total control over your business. The bad news can be if something goes wrong in your business you and your personal assets can be at risk. I myself, have started several Solopreneur businesses and often time because of the style of business I started, I did not need to take on the additional financial expenses that comes with creating an enterprise. Later I with back in incorporated, not at the start, which can also be an option.
Structure For The One Person Business Who Is Not Enterprising
To help you facilitate in creating this simplistic structure plan, the set-up begins with your Daily Productivity Activities. And this should be structured in two parts. The In the Bubble Daily Activities and Out of the Bubble Daily Activities.
As a Home-Based Business Solopreneur, Time Management is often the number one problem, so the first thing you have to do is make your work-life really simple and structured to combat this issue.
I created the In The Bubble and Out Of The Bubble structure system to keep me focused, productive, and most of all profitable.
- In The Bubble Activities are about creating consistent Daily Action Plans on your Primary Social Media Platform. Places like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or LinkedIn for example. All of these platforms have internal search engine capabilities. If you search for a topic on one platform it can't bring up results from another social platform. This is why you should only spend about 30% of your work time here. The structure plan should consist of making engaging post that lead your Core Audience into a buying relationship with you.
- Out of The Bubble Activities are the primary area of focus for a Solopreneur. It is a long term consistent Daily Action Plans and where 70% of your work time should be. Your main goals and activities should all be focused OUTSIDE the Bubble on Platforms like Google, YouTube, and Pinterest. Out of the Bubble daily action plans are ways to get notice in Search Engines when your Core Customer are looking to purchase.
- A Website or Web Presences is a MUST. And I am very aware that this might be a very controversial statement. But I stand by it and here is why. As a Solopreneur time is not your friend. It often times is the weight around your neck. So you have to create something that brings you leverage and allows you to be competitive. You have to look at it as a Cloning Investment. I currently use Thrive Themes Suites. I use it because it is an affordable option, (about a dollar a day), that has a lot of growth potential. I can use it for the next 10-15 years or more without having to change. It has everything under one umbrella for instant: WordPress Website Builder, Landing Pages and Funnels. Quiz Builder, Online Course Builder, Testimonial Collection & Management System, Thousands of Lead Form Templates, and a bunch more.
- Shopping Cart or some form of currency exchange window that you can use to take money. Remember you are a full-time business now and not a side gig or hobby so selecting the write shopping cart is important because you want people to shop at their convenience and not yours. The big question I ask myself is am I set-up that my customers can shop at 3am in the morning if they so wanting to, without me being around to facilitate the transaction.
- Analytics Tracking is critical to understanding what you are doing well and where you need to make adjustments. I suggest using Google Analytics because it is free and has a lot of features that will help Solopreneurs.
- Value Offer Campaigns or Landing Page are what turns a hobby dabbling in business to becoming a full-time Solopreneur. These types of campaigns and landing page create Leverage and Scale. How, because without it you will constantly be having to reach out to customer and potential customer to see what there needs are and if they are ready to purchase. With a Value Offer Campaign people will give you there name, email, phone number, and other information in exchange for a piece of information they find valuable.
- Email Marketing Service Provider will store all your contact information and help you keep track of what offer they have responded too, when the last time you contacted them was, and other valuable information. It allows you to set-up pre-written emails that go out over a period of time to warm up a cold prospects and turn them into a hot buyer. I suggest Aweber or Get Response, because they are affordable and have a lot of features to help you maximize your marketing efforts. I started with Aweber in 2009 and still us it to the very day. If you don't have a Email Marketing Service Provider then you can check them out when you have a moment.
As your business expands and grows you might find it necessary to add more structure systems. And that alright to do so. These are all designed to get your Home Based Business up and running on a solid foundation. Next, let's look at different types of solopreneur careers that are perfect to start solely from home.
Different Types Of Solopreneur Careers
There are a vast array of careers for a Solopreneur. There a jobs like Pet Walker, Mobile Car Repair Service and Plumber. Which all could be considered jobs for Solopreneurs. However. I would like to focus on Home-Based Business Solopreneurs careers or a business run from home. This list is of 68 career options for Solopreneurs that you don't have to leave you home to start. Most have very little start up capital, if any at all.
1. Blogger- If you like to write and have a lot of knowledge on a subject, then blogging could be a terrific option. Less than $200 to start and you can easily monetize your blog through many affiliate programs.
2. E-Commerce- To keep it very simple, e-commerce really is just buying goods and selling them on an online store. E-Commerce has a large growth potential, B2C, B2B, C2C, C2B. You get to decide your glass ceiling.
3. Social Media Manager- Are you good at networking and organizing? If so, then Social Media Manager could be right for you. This career is all about creating Campaigns on Social Media to bring attention and followers to a business.
4. A Naturalist Instructor is someone who educations the public of creating and keeping a safe healthy environment. You can create a naturalist blog, teach online classes or even go into the community or peoples home.
5. Fact Checker- We all know the internet is full of fake news. That's where you come in, as a Fact Checker and Data Researcher, it would be your responsibility to check the accuracy of news stories and information data.
6. Affiliate Marketer- This is a popular way to make money online. An Affiliate Marketer gets paid a commission for every sale you generate off other peoples product or service. You just have to find and audience you would want to buy.
7. Website Designer- Do you have an eye for design? If so, then you could create stunning websites from the comfort of your home and get paid handsomely for it. Start with an industry you know well to attract customers.
8. Video Editor- With the rise of Social Media sites like YouTube, businesses are always in search of a good Video Editor. If you have experience and know your way around video editing software, then this could be a great Solopreneur business for you.
9. Online Tutoring- Solopreneurs can make a great living by becoming an Online Tutor. You could teach anything from English to Math, AC Repair to Plumber. As long as you are knowledgeable in the subject you wish to teach..
10. Vocal Teacher- Have you ever dreamed of being a singing star? Well, you can help others achieve their dreams by becoming a Vocal Teacher. You could teach people of all ages from the comfort of your home.
11. Travel Planner- Love to travel? Why not get paid to do what you love by becoming a Travel Planner. You could work with individuals, groups or even businesses to help plan their travel arrangements.
12. Medical Transcriptionist- If you are good at typing, then you could become a Medical Transcriptionist. You listen to doctors or medical professional recordings and then convert those recordings into written reports. It pays about $30-40K annually.
13. Remote Travel Consultant- Career salary is $43k-$62k. As a RTC you will assist clients who are on vacation, groups trips, business trips with accommodations such as reservations to fine dining, day cruises, short excursions, and car rental services. Modern day Concierge Service.
14. Content Creator- A Content Creator is responsible for the development and management of online content. This could include video, blogs, social media posts, etc. If you have a flair for writing, then this could be the Solopreneur business for you.
15. Selling Blogs- Have you ever thought about selling your blog? If so, then you could become a Solopreneur by selling blogs. You could either sell pre-made blogs or create custom blogs for people. A single good content written can sell for 150K.
16. E-Book Creator- If you have a knack for writing, then you could become an E-Book Creator. You could write about anything from cooking to gardening and sell your books online. I make a huge income just off e-books.
17. Wood Craft Designer- I have a friend who uses his talents for woodworking to create beautiful custom gifts for wedding party gifts, fraternity and sorority gifts. He even create a wonderful motto wood cutting board for me which I love.
18. Florist- Now this one is near and dear to my heart. I converted a section of my garage into a flower shop. I purchased a small display cooler and a desk. My shop is online based only and I did Local SEO for advertisement and get about 7 orders a day, which brings about 10k in monthly revenue.
19. Specialty Chef- Did you know that you could cook specialty dishes from your home and sell breakfast, lunch or dinner on places like Uber Eats, Door Dash? Just select a restaurant made, create a simple 2 or 3 item menu, set prices and time of services and you are not in business.
20. Video Content Creator- This is a great Solopreneur business for those who are creative and have a passion for video. You could create videos for businesses, products, or even individual people. People can capture video content and send it to you or you could use shock video and piece a story together.
21. Home Clothing Retailer- eBay, Etsy, Posh Mart, are few place a Home Clothing Retailer could really make it big. You could be a one stop shop for all the latest fashion trends. Or create a custom shop for maternity wear, baby clothes, swim suit or plus size fashions. No inventory required - just drop ship right to your customers.
22. Import/Export Business- My friends from Italy have connections to Olive Oil. So they have a multi million dollar Import/Export Business. If you have connections out of the country to specialty items that are high valued like leather, jewelry, heavy machinery, get started today.
23. Jewelry Designer- Have you ever thought about starting your own jewelry design business? You could create custom pieces or design a new line. You could make one of a kind pieces that speak to a specific groups of people (church groups, causes, or sororities) and sell your creations online or even at craft fairs.
24. Swimming Instructor- I have a friend who got tried of renting a lane from other public pools. So she bought an above ground pool and put it in her backyard. She added a heating system and shade covering so she could teach year round. I Love This Idea.
25. Custom T-Shirt Designer- Have you ever seen those kiosk at the local shopping mall selling custom T-Shirts? You could be a custom t-shirt designer for around $800 investment. You could purchase a vinyl portable press machine for about $550 and use the other funds for extra part. Then reach out to find your first customers.
26. Art Teacher- Solopreneurs could create an art studio in their home and offer classes to kids or adults. You could get a group of friends together, create a couples night and serve wine and charcuterie board treats.
27. Artist- Solopreneurs could create artwork from their home studio and sell it online or in local shops. You could do commissioned pieces or offer prints of your originals. Create paintings, sketches, pottery, and more.
28. Online Fitness Coach- Create a workout plan, healthy eating guide and be an online fitness coach. You could post your tips and tricks on social media, start a blog or create a YouTube channel. You could even offer one on one coaching through Skype or FaceTime.
29. Nutritionist- Solopreneurs could create a nutrition business from home. You could offer meal planning, cooking lessons, grocery store tours and more. You could even create a line of health supplements or healthy snacks.
30. Life Coach- This is a very trending career choice these days. Being a Life Coach means you get to help people through some of the hardest times in their lives. You could offer one on one coaching, group coaching, or even create an online course.
31. Therapist- As a Home Based Solopreneurs could offer therapy services from their home office. You could treat patients with anxiety, depression, addiction, and more. It's important to be licensed and have the proper training for this career option.
32. Massage Therapist- I use to get some of the best massages I have ever had in my life from a Home Massage Therapist. She created a Zen Space in a spare bedroom. Added mode lighting and music. As well as the properly tables and she had a wonderful business. Who doesn't like a great massage?
33. Animal Treat Cook- Do you love your pets and want them safe and healthy? Create healthy pet treats from your home oven. You could even create a pet bakery and offer custom cakes for special occasions. Sell them to other dog lover at the dog parks and attach your business cards for reorders.
34. Senior Daycare- Create a home daycare for seniors. This is a great business for those who enjoy work with the elderly. Families could drop off there elderly parents to your Senior Daycare Center where you could offer activities, outings, meals, companionship during the day. As an added bonus you could even offer transportation to medical appointments. Then they can be pick-up at the end of the day by their families.
35. Home Daycare- Create a home daycare for children. Families could drop off their kids to your Home Daycare Center where you could offer education, physical activities, meals, during the day. Then parents can be pick-up the kids at the end of the day.
36. College Consultant- Solopreneurs could create a business from home helping high school students with the college application process. You could offer SAT/ACT test prep, help with college essays, and more. You could even offer guidance on what classes to take in high school to prepare for their chosen college major. As an added bonus you could offer guidance on scholarships and financial aid.
37. Acting Coach- You could create an online business teaching people how to act. You could create YouTube videos, write a blog or even offer one on one coaching through Skype or FaceTime. You could even create a space in your home for improv workshops or stage make-up.
38. Virtual Assistant- Create a business from home providing administrative support to clients. You could manage social media accounts, do customer service, answer emails, schedule appointments, and more. You could even offer your services to Solopreneurs who need help with the day-to-day tasks of running their business.
39. Local Guide- Do you know your city well? You could create a business from home providing tours of your city. You could take people to all the local hot spots, the best restaurants, and more. You could even offer themed tours like a ghost tour or a pub crawl.
40. Recruiter- From home you could create a business finding top talent for companies. You could use your network to find the best candidates for open positions. You could even offer outplacement services to help people who have been laid off find new jobs or services for people who want to change their careers.
41. App Designer- If you have a computer science degree, this is a perfect home-based business for you. With the rise in popularity of smartphones, there is a need for more apps. You could create apps for businesses to help then connect with their customers or even create new games.
42. Airbnb- Now a days you don't have to own a property to create a Airbnb Home Based Business. You can use an Airbnb Arbitrage System where you rent a property to sublet. You can also simply start by renting out a room in your house or even an RV. You could offer your guests a place to stay and even include breakfast or other amenities.
43. Business Coach- If you have experience in the corporate world or understand any business very well. Then you could offer your services to help other businesses with marketing, and business growth strategies. Share the knowledge you have gained for your experiences.
44. Podcast- How do you start your own Podcast and make money from it? You could create a podcast from home and offer your listeners valuable content. It could be anything from business tips, to relationship advice, or even Solopreneur lifestyle tips. You can get paid through subscriptions for exclusive content, affiliate sales, sponsorships, product sales, or direct sales from supportive fans.
45. Online Yoga- You could create a business from home teaching people yoga online. Create YouTube videos, write a blog, or even offer one on one coaching through Skype or FaceTime. You could even create a space in your home for yoga workshops. Create special classes just for pregnant moms, seniors, people with high blood pressure, or diabetics. It's a great way to create community.
46. Graphic Designer- Use your creativity to create a business from home as a graphic designer. You could design logos, websites, social media posts, or even create marketing materials. Think out of the box and create a space in your home for graphic design workshops.
47. Hair Stylist- 30 year ago my next door neighborhood converted her garage to a hair studio and she has made herself a very successful career from home doing what she loves. Today there are much more options as a hair stylist. You can find opportunities to work from home as an independent contractor for other salons, do in-home hair styling for clients.
48. Pet Groomer- Convert a back patio, garage, or spare room into a pet grooming salon. This can be a terrific choice for those who love animals. As an added bonus if you have the yard space, create a pet friendly environment for fitness. By having obstacles, hoops, ladders and a ton of fun games for animals.
49. Custom Gift Baskets- Who doesn't love receiving a great gift basket? This is why this business model is a fantastic option for a home business. Your customer base is endless: weddings, corporate businesses, schools, Mother's day, Valentine's day, Christmas, birth of baby's and so much more.
50. Community Gardener- I have a cousin who owns a house on a great piece of land. So he decided to create a community garden and grow all kinds of fruits and vegetable. Then he created a membership co-op style business where people of the neighborhood would pay an annual fee to pick up their bags of fruits, herbs and vegetables bi-weekly.
51. Publicist- Home businesses can create a niche for themselves by becoming a publicist for small business or entrepreneurs. You could help with branding, marketing and getting the business more well known in the community.
52. Bed & Breakfast- When I leaved in Europe I helped start one of these and it was awesome. If you have an extra room or two in your house, you could turn it into a bed and breakfast. This is perfect for people who love to meet new people as they travel. Offering a theme style B&B is a great way to attract specific customers to you. For example, a Cooking Class B&B, Wine Tasting B&B, Fishing Lovers B&B.
53. Wedding & Party Gifts- There is big money in wedding and party gifts. People are prepared to buy and pay extra for that special something. Having a gift business for kids of different ages, over the hill party gift, gifts for the full wedding party, state or city themed gifts are all very specific niches you could build a home business around.
54. Knitting and Quilting Parties- These parties and trending and popping right now. People are looking for different way to entertain themselves and what a way to do it. You could have a knitting party, quilting party and even a needlepoint gathering for birthdays, sorority parties, showers, seniors parties and more.
55. Tax Preparation- This is a great option for people who want to help others and have a knowledge of tax law. Tax preparers work with individuals and businesses to complete their tax returns. You could start a home business doing taxes for people in your community or even work from home for a bigger tax preparation company.
56. TikTok Influencer- First you must reach the threshold of 10,000 followers, and have at least 100,000 video views in the last 30 days to apply for TikTok's Creator Fund. This doesn't pay all that much, but the big money is in the sponsorship and song promotion deals.
57. Furniture Flipper- This is a great way to make some extra money. You can find furniture at garage sales, flea markets and thrift stores and then refinish or repurpose them and sell them for a higher price. I've done this before and it works out fantastic. I have even found wonderful piece on the side of the curb and restore and sold it for hundreds of dollar.
58. YouTube Creator- First you must reach 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours in the past year. Once you reach that threshold, you can then apply to YouTube's Partner Program and start to monetize your channel. Then you can start making money from advertisement and YouTube Premium subscribers. You also tap into money from memberships and super chats.
59. Voice Over- Have you ever heard those annoying ads on the radio and wonder who gets paid to talk like that? Well, it's called voice-over work. You can get paid to be the voice for radio and TV commercials, movie trailers, video games, audio books and more. This is great for people who have some acting chops or are just naturally gifted with a great voice.
60. Instagram Influencer- There are two ways to make money on Instagram. You can either be an affiliate for brands, where you post a picture promoting their product and receive a commission for every sale you generate. Or, you can work with brands as an influencer, where you get paid to post pictures of their products, talk about them on your stories and feed, and generally just be a brand ambassador.
61. Language Translations- Do you know more than one language? If so, you could start a home business translating documents from one language to another. This is great for people who are multilingual or are looking to learn a new language.
62. Home Photographer- Everyone loves taking pictures, but not everyone is good at it. You could start a home business as a photographer and take pictures for people's birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, graduations, and more. You could also start a pet photography business and take pictures of people's pets. How about building a studio from a spare room in your house.
63. Cook Book Author- Have you ever thought about writing your own cookbook? You could start a home business writing and publishing cookbooks. This is great for people who love to cook and are looking for a way to share their recipes with the world. The opportunities are endless here because you could create cook books for different food groups like Italian, soul food, vegan, or grilling. See endless.
64. Senior Home Recruiter- There is a growing trend of seniors wanting to stay in their homes as they age. You could start a home business recruiting and placement agency that places seniors in home care positions. This is a great way to help people and make some extra money.
65. SEO Specialist- Search engine optimization is a process of making your website and content more visible in search engines like Google. You could start a home business as an SEO specialist and help businesses improve their ranking in search results. You can pick up clients anywhere in the world. Big or small.
66. Selling E-Commerce Sites- This is a great way to make money if you're good at web design and development. You can create e-commerce sites for businesses or individual who wish to start a business and sell the already up and running sites for big profits.
67. Podcast Editor- A podcast is a digital audio file made available on the Internet for downloading to a computer or mobile device, typically available as a series. As a podcast editor, you would be responsible for editing the audio files and making sure they are of high quality. This is a great way to make money if you are good with audio editing software.
68. Art Collector Consultant- Many people have art collections that they don't know what to do with. As an art collector consultant, you would help people appraise and sell their collections. This is a great way to make money if you are an art lover, have connections in the art world and have some knowledge of the art.
As you can see the opportunities are unlimited for Solopreneurs who wish to create a Home Based Business. What's most important is that you enjoy what you're doing to make money. Do some more research, make a business plan and give it a try. You may find that working from home is the best thing for you!
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Solopreneurship is not the same as entrepreneurship
- The structure of a one-person business is different from that of a larger company
- There are many ways to make money as a solopreneur
- Solopreneurship can be a great way to make money and have flexibility in your life.
Thanks for reading and best of luck in your Solopreneur Home Based Business venture! Leave me a comment below and let me know what are some other businesses a Solopreneur could start from home?
I'd love to hear your ideas!
Have a wonderful day!
