As a huge fan of the online business model, I am probably a little bit biased but in essence, there are many different kinds of business that would be perfect for a beginner just setting out.
Before we even begin to do that we need to ask in what way do we want the best business?
Which business is best for beginners? A blogging business is best for beginners because:
- Best profits – Brings in very large amounts of money
- Lowest startup costs – Set up for almost zero cost
- Easiest to run – You don’t need to study or master something
- Fastest growth – Popular and will quickly grow
- Least amount of work – Invest a few hours every week
If you are looking for a business and are new but you are not looking for something that ticks all of the boxes above then there are many you can choose from.
If, on the other hand, you are looking to keep risk and other unsavory factors to a minimum then an online blog can be the perfect option for you. Let’s have a look at the reasons why in a little more detail.
Best profits
One of the greatest things about blogging is scope. If you are a single person or a couple looking to set up a small business then this is ideal. It’s actually possible to generate an income of $50,000 per month or more with a single blog.
Unlike many businesses there are quite a lot of different ways you can monetize your blog, that is to generate an income from it. Advertising, promoting other people’s products or even your own products or services.
Scale is also another great factor. If you have a successful blog, making, let’s say $10,000 per month then there is absolutely nothing stopping you from creating another blog, or 2 more, or 10 more. If you are looking to have an income that will grow as much as you need or want it to then get blogging.
Once you have gotten your first blog off the ground there is no reason why you can’t then take your foot off the gas with your own writing efforts and start outsourcing the writing. You can train someone to write in your style and then you have freed up your time to do more important things.
Lowest startup costs
If you are looking to get a new start in your life with something rewarding like your own business then you often need to spend a lot of money on your startup costs.
Bloggers who begin their setup usually need to spend somewhere in the region of $20-$30 to get started. This is for hosting and a domain name. These are usually the only startup costs you cannot avoid at the beginning. Avoid using free options as you will not be anywhere nearly as successful as you would be with your own domain and hosting.
You also need access to a computer and an internet connection but even then if you don’t there are ways you can get online such as using an internet cafe or computer in a library. Even your mobile phone can be used with a speech-to-text program to save you trying to type hundreds of words on a tiny keyboard.
Ideally, you will have your own PC and internet connection, if you do and have a few spare dollars then this can also be a great boost for you.
Getting a nice theme for your blog so it looks nice and having a nice logo can also attract potential readers to your site and will also create some brand awareness for you too. You can get a theme and logo quite cheaply so it will not break the bank.
Easiest to run
Once you have done the basic steps of buying a domain name and hosting then you need to set up your site. If you are new to this there are many online tutorials showing you exactly what you need to do to make this happen.
Once that is done, it usually only takes an hour or so then you are set up. Most other businesses can take days, weeks, or even months to get ready. The only downside is that you will not make money from day one but it is possible to be making money in your first few months of writing.
Another great benefit of being easy and versatile is that it will always fit around your other commitments. You work full time, no problem, you can blog in the evenings, weekends, and even your lunch breaks. You are a full-time parent, no problem, blog when they are asleep or napping. You only have 2 hrs a week to spare, no problem, you can still grow it slowly.
Some businesses will need you to do some outreach and marketing to get your business recognized and used. For a blogger, this is done automatically by the search engines.
The only downside to this is that if your articles are of poor quality and are way too short then you will not rank highly enough to bring in lots of traffic.
The upside though, is that you can easily see what the competition is doing and do a better job yourself. Very few businesses will let you do that but in the blogging world you can see exactly what the other blogger has written so you know what you have to do to rank above them.
Fastest growth
If you do have more than a few hours a week and you have decided this is what you really want to do you can throw yourself into it in a big way. What can happen then is that you can see some pretty rapid growth.
It is possible to go from just beginning to a full-time income in as little as 6 months but I do stress this is unusual and is not guaranteed. I do, however, think that if you were to write an article a day for 6 months and then spend another 6 months promoting those articles you would be well on the way if not all the way to a full-time income.
Even if you are a bit slower and not so determined then an 18-24 month period can easily be achieved by writing 2-5 articles every week. It’s not a tremendous amount of work but it will begin to pay off if you write consistently and have a good amount of articles each of which has been well written and are informative.
Having a good brand, well-written content, and good social signals in the form of YouTube videos, Instagram and Pinterest will really accelerate your growth too if done correctly. Finding the best pictures to compliment your articles and uploading them to sharing sites will give you great exposure for a minimal amount of effort.
It’s important not to spend too much time building your social presence as you need to focus on content. Content is king and will always be the biggest factor in your success. To grow you need the best content first and foremost. The social building is great but must always take second place when it comes to writing.
Least amount of work
Blogging is one of the few businesses other than a pure investment that can generate a truly passive income. Passive income is income that comes in regardless of the amount of work you are putting in.
If you are a busy parent, working full time, or just want to relax then this is a great choice for you. Yes, you will need to put work in at the outset. Nothing in life is free right? But once the work is done it will continue to reward you month in month out. All without you needing to lift a finger.
A passive income is also great if you are wanting a business that is non geographically based. All you need is a laptop and an internet connection and you are set. Passive income lets you earn money while you are stuck at the airport, are flying, on the beach, and so on.
Passive income is also a great safety net for you too. For most jobs, the money stops when you stop, especially if you are unlucky enough to have an accident that stops you from working. A passive income will keep on coming in so you will not ever need to worry.
Retirement too can often result in a big loss of income when switching to a pension. Not so with a passive website income, it will keep going irrespective of your age.
Final thoughts
Blogging may not be for everyone it’s true, but it can be for most people. If you have any kind of interest or passion then you can easily turn it into a money-making blog with a bit of effort and creative thought.
With such low startup costs compared to other businesses blogging is actually cheaper than most hobbies and unlike most hobbies blogging can make you a great deal of money and give you freedom like you never imagined.
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