Types Of Legitimate Online Businesses (11) - Creating A Business From Unusual Ideas

We’ve discussed the more conventional means of starting an online business. There are some unconventional means as well that should be looked at. 

By unconventional, we mean those ideas that people came up and were laughed at by others. Those people than took those ideas to the top and made a huge living from them. 

Here are some of those ideas that people thought would never get off the ground:

Selling old seminars- One guy made a nice living by finding and selling old seminars that originally sold for thousands of dollars.

Domain names- Someone came up with the idea that they could sell a service of naming domain names for other people. Sounds crazy, but the business took off for them. Turns out quite a few people needed that service.

Selling used engagement jewelry- This idea reportedly came from someone who broke off their engagement, got the ring back but found they couldn’t return it for full value. They started a site for other people in the same boat to sell their jewelry and earn back what they paid for it or as close to it as possible.

Selling butterflies for a living- Yes, it’s possible or at least that what one person found out when someone bet him that he couldn’t sell them. He not only won that bet, but made a huge business from that one little idea.

There are tons more ideas that people have come up and made them work as an online business, so check your memory banks and see if there’s one idea hiding there that no one would believe could work. It just might prove them wrong…

Types Of Legitimate Online Businesses (10) - Make Money With Desktop Publishing

If you’re a creative person and can use a computer well, consider an online business with desktop publishing. This is where you create documents, flyers, brochures, calendars, and advertisements.

All these types of documents are created using a program or two from your computer, so having expensive machinery to create them will not be needed. 

There are a lot of people looking for these creative pages for all kinds of uses and don’t know how to create one themselves. 

If you have some knowledge in this area, you could use it to make money providing them with these creations.

What skills are helpful?

The ability to make your way around a computer and use various types of software programs are some skills you should have. You don’t have to be an artist to be in this business, because everything is done using the computer.

What Tools are needed?

Besides a computer, you should have the following equipment:

1. Desktop publishing software

2. Photo editing software

3. Laser or Color Printer

4. Scanner

5. High Quality printer paper

Make sure you know how to use all the features of your equipment well so you can provide the best quality service for your clients.

How to get started?

You should obtain all the necessary equipment to run your business. Decide on a niche to target your marketing efforts to and then create a website to reflect that niche. 

Your website should provide potential clients with samples of your work to show your expertise in this field. You could also brush up on your skills by reading any tutorials or guides about the desktop publishing field.

Desktop Publishing can be a very rewarding business for anyone to undertake who loves to achieve creations to make anyone envious. 

If you are one of those people and you want something that will provide flexibility, this is the business you should check into.

Types Of Legitimate Online Businesses (9) - Make Money in the Genealogy Business

This is a perfect business opportunity for those who love to research and love to learn about our ancestors. 

Genealogists make a living by creating family trees for other people who don’t have the time or the patience to do it themselves.

Almost everyone likes to know where they came from and what their ancestors did that might have made a mark on the world. 

You can cash into their curiosities by doing the research for them and providing them with their family heritage.

What skills would be helpful?

Excellent research skills and organization skills will be of high priority. 

These skills are what genealogy is all about. You will need to know where and how to research each family’s heritage and be able to place all the information in an easy to understand format for your clients.

What Tools would be needed?

You would need a computer with a reliable internet connection. You should subscribe to some of the best genealogy websites available to use for your research. 

You should also invest in some guides or attend some classes to learn some tips and tricks on researching family trees.

A website would be needed to run your business from. Clients will need to know how you perform you work as well as how much you charge. 

Provide some samples if possible to show clients how thorough your work is.

How to get started?

Get all your supplies brought together and find genealogy websites to subscribe to. 

Create a website to sell your service from and then start marketing your business to get clients to your site.

Utilize your internet resources for your research as well as local libraries, courthouses and historical societies. 

You may need to interview people to access some information, so you may need to look into a phone to use.

Create your family tree document that will hold all the family heritage information or use software programs that provide that for you.

If you love to research and are interested in historical documents, then you should be considering this type of business. 

Meet the demands that people have to find out their family history and make money doing  something you love to do.

Types Of Legitimate Online Businesses (8) - Making Money Coaching Others

A coach is one who takes their know-how in a particular craft and sharing it with others who want to be successful in that field as well. 

Coaches can be experts in anything from writing to marketing to business itself.

If you have good knowledge or experience in a particular area you can become a coach quite easily and make money doing it. 

There are many coaches who help others in web design, graphic design and even in the coaching field as well.

A coach would offer tips and techniques to newbies within that field and answer questions throughout their learning process.

What skills are helpful?

The most important skill you should have for this type of business is the ability to be a good listener. You should also have great patience for your clients.

Those who hire you to coach them want you to listen to their bad experiences and help guide them out of the muck they find themselves in no matter how strange they may sound. 

To build rapport and credibility in this business, you should know your field well.

If you’ve never designed a website before, then being a web designing coach would not be a good idea, because your lack of experience will be spotted right away and trust will be lost.

What Tools will be needed?

You should have the following in this kind of business:

1. Computer

2. E-Mail program

3. Website

4. Informative content for your site

5. Shopping cart feature for your site to handle payments

6. Telephone dedicated for business purposes

Most of your conversations with clients will probably be through your e-mail programs, but some people may be more comfortable being able to talk to you on a more one on one basis, so a phone should be included in your list of tools.

How to get started?

Plan your business out. What service will you be offering that you have knowledge in? Get some articles and other written content created to place on a website to help build credibility and expert status for your business.

Explain on your site how your service works and how much your rate will be. Show some testimonials from others who have used your services before and were pleased with the results. 

Make your site easily navigated so others won’t get lost trying to find information about your coaching business.

Market your coaching business to get clients to come to you. Plan the goals that the client wants to achieve by using you and discuss how those goals will be obtained. 

Listen to their problems and questions and provide insightful answers and support to keep them moving forward to their goals.

Coaches are well sought after online for those who have good knowledge or experience in a certain area. Use what you know about a topic and provide a coaching service to others to help them become an expert like you in the same field.