12+ Easy DIY Home-Based Business Ideas That Work Great (For 2022)

After the need to work from home for most of the last two years, more and more people are thinking about finding home-based businesses that work and making this a permanent choice. 

The numbers are staggering. According to Pew Research, some 54% of Americans would rather work from home after the pandemic ends. According to NBC News a new poll shows that 97% of Black people dread the return to the office. 

As the great resignation, or as some like to think of it, “the great recalibration”, takes hold, it’s a good idea to consider careers you can do from the comfort of your home. In this guide, I’ll present some easy home business ideas for you to think about. 

12+ Easy DIY Work From Home Ideas

Ready to get started with our work at home business ideas?

We’ve covered some of these ideas before in our earlier article on 20 Low Cost Small Business Ideas With High Profit Potential for 2022. In this article, we’re going to take a deeper look at what you can earn, and share examples of success.

Let’s dive in! 

1. Freelance Writer/Content Creator/Blogger

If you’ve got some writing skill, then one of the best home based business ideas is to become a freelance writer or blogger. You can start with just a laptop and a solid internet connection, then get to work finding writing gigs. Some freelancers start out writing for clients.

Options for finding these include:

• creating a profile on a gig site
• even better, launching your own website and promoting your services
• growing your blog into a business by blogging about what you know best, and adding on products and services as you see the need

ZipRecruiter suggests that on average, freelance writers in the US can make more than $60,000 a year. Many of the most successful freelance writers make more. According to Create and Go, some of the bloggers who grew their blogs into businesses now make six figures and more a year. 

2. Freelance Graphic Designer

If you’re good with Photoshop, Illustrator and other graphic design tools, becoming a freelance graphic designer is a great home based business idea.

As with freelance writing, you’ll need a computer and internet access to start, but you’ll also need access to the right software. Don’t worry if you’re on a budget; there are also plenty of free alternatives to Photoshop and other essential design programs. 

This home-based business idea can help you cover your bills, with an average annual salary of $55,600+ according to ZipRecruiter. That’s just the start. LogosByNick combined freelancing with courses and recurring income streams to make more than six figures a year.

3. Freelance Web Designer/Developer/Coder

Know your way around WordPress, HTML, Raspberry Pi, or other software for creating websites? With hundreds of thousands of websites launched every day, there’s plenty of work to go round with this easy home business idea. Brush up your web design skills and hang out your virtual shingle as a web developer, designer or coder to get started. 

Coders average $45,000+ a year, according to ZipRecruiter, while web developers can earn even more, at $75,000+ a year. But the sky’s the limit: the self-taught coder at No CS Degree was making a six-figure salary as a software engineer within three years of their first lesson. 

You can also make a living from home by designing graphics and templates for the web. There’s a great selection from Envato Elements, where you get unlimited downloads for one low monthly price. And, if you prefer a one-off, you can check out the graphics and templates available from GraphicRiver.

4. Course Creator

Got knowledge or skills you’re willing and able to pass on to others? This is an easy DIY work from home idea. It takes a little more preparation as you’ll need to plan out your course. And many of the course delivery platforms help you out by guiding you through the creation process.

Teaching online has been a valued skill for quite a while, and even more since the pandemic. ZipRecruiter puts the average annual salary at $66,400+, and some earn much more, with the top earners pulling in six figures. One example of this is Paul Thomson, who turned tech help for students into multiple courses.

5. Dropshipping

Some work from home ideas don’t need you to do much. With dropshipping, you can buy items from an ecommerce retailer, and customer orders without holding any stock, and make money in the process.

If you choose the right products, dropshipping is a pretty simple way to start your own ecommerce business. But because it’s so popular profit margins are low, as Nerdwallet points out. 

ZipRecruiter estimates the average annual pay for this home based business idea at $46,000+. There are dozens of people who have succeeded in earning six and seven figures, such as Maria Jones, who made $1,000 a day. 

6. Virtual Assistant

When you’re looking for home based businesses that work, think about the skills you’ve got. If you’re good with office software, excel at admin tasks, and enjoy variety, consider becoming a virtual assistant.

Once again, it’s a matter of:

• signing up with the right online platforms
• creating your own website
• marketing the heck out of your new business to get clients

According to ZipRecruiter, you can earn, on average, $67,000+ a year, from the comfort of your home. Kayla Sloan managed to earn $10,000 a month by identifying ideal clients and delivering excellent service. Now Kayla teaches others to do the same.

7. Transcriptionist

Another at home business idea worth thinking about is becoming a transcriptionist. That means transcribing audio or video files and creating a clean text file with the content.

The work can be varied, or you can specialize in a particular area, such as becoming a medical transcriptionist. To succeed at this, you’ll need keen ears and a great command of the language you’re transcribing.

ZipRecruiter says that on average transcriptionists earn $58,400+ a year. But the owner of Mom Money Map made more than $100,000 a year, before switching to teaching others how to succeed in this career.

8. Video Editor

Some work from home ideas require technical skills. Working as a video editor is one of those. You’ll need to know at least one piece of video editing software inside out, and to be comfortable with cutting and splicing clips to achieve the right effect.

You may also specialize in a particular type of video, like explainer videos for business, short films, documentaries, or more. You’ll also need a high spec computer and plenty of storage to handle those huge video files.

ZipRecruiter puts the average annual salary for video editors at $47,000. According to student personal finance site, Salarship, many make much more.

9. Social Media Manager

According to the DataReportal site, there are 4.2 billion social media users globally. And businesses want to reach them.

So, if you’re looking for work at home business ideas, consider becoming a social media manager. Digital Marketing Institute points out that this job requires you to:

• strategize
• create and schedule social media content
• foster engagement
• track analytics
• and more

ZipRecruiter reckons you can earn $50,000 a year on average. But HootSuite says expert social media managers can earn as much as $250 an hour, so there’s lots of potential to make six-figure income.

10. Affiliate Marketer

In some ways, affiliate marketing is one of the easiest DIY work from home ideas. It involves promoting products and services and earning a referral fee for doing so. But don’t be fooled by the apparent simplicity of this idea. The most successful affiliate marketers work hard to build consistent and recurring income by creating promotional content and paying attention to marketing.

ZipRecruiter says affiliate marketers earn $154,000 on average a year. When you read affiliate marketing success stories, it’s clear that if you put in the work, the sky’s the limit. The affiliate marketing sites listed on Larry Ludwig’s site eventually sold for seven figures!

11. Print on Demand

Print on demand is another home based business that works. In essence, you set up your own ecommerce store, designing and selling products without having to hold any stock. These ship to customers when they order.

Some popular print on demand products are t-shirts, mugs, bags, and hats.

ZipRecruiter puts average annual pay for this at $56,700 a month. But, Mike Pasley made $700,000 in the first year as a print on demand entrepreneur, so don’t be afraid to dream big!

12. Handmade Product Sales

If you’re a creative type, and love crafting, then one of the best DIY work from home ideas for you may be selling handmade products online. All you’ve got to do is make your products, take great pictures, write appealing descriptions, then add those to your online store.

Etsy is one of the best known platforms for this, but there are many others, too. There’s no salary range for this home based business idea. Several people have made six figures. Sara Millis describes the process on her blog. 

13. Bonus: Dog Walker

Here’s one more easy home business idea: walk dogs for a living. Though you’ve got to leave home to do it, it’s still a home based business.

Some people get started by word of mouth marketing – telling other people that they’re running a dog walking business and handing out business cards and flyers. It’s also easy to promote this business via a website and social media profile.

ZipRecruiter puts the annual salary for this at just over $29,000. But Kristin Morrison made more than $1 million before selling the dog walking business, which Kristin started at home.

Learn More About Home Based Businesses

Are you interested in learning more about home businesses or about the Great Resignation? Explore these articles:

• 
  Job Search
  When Is It Time to Leave a Job? (How to Know When to Move On)
  Daniel Strongin

• 
  Freelance
  How to Turn Small Projects Into Long Term Work
  Celine (CX) Roque

• 
  Business Plans
  Is It Time to Start Your Own Business? 25 Revealing Questions
  Marc Schenker

Choose Your Home Based Career Today!

Starting a home based business can help you quit your day job, avoid the hassles of office life, and get the flexibility you need. Whichever home based idea you choose, know that you’re going to have to put in the work to make it successful.

Remember that for some of the design businesses, you can get unlimited downloads from Envato Elements to create design assets. There are also plenty of graphics available for one off use from GraphicRiver. Get started on one of these home business ideas today!