While profit may not be the only impetus for starting a business, it’s certainly among the deciding factors.
Whether or not a new business succeeds or fails depends on its ability to generate a profit. While we’d all love to run our dream business regardless of profit, someone has to pay the bills, and from experience, your partner gets a bit annoyed after a while if you keep handing her “I.O.U” coupons.
Building an audience/customer base, marketing, and developing a solid business plan are all important elements of the most successful business, and they all lead back to one place.
A profitable business.
Most Profitable Businesses to Start in 2024
2024 is looking to be a challenging year, and starting miksemar a business will require more flexibility due to economic uncertainties. But turning a profit is a lot easier when you’re starting with a profitable business model.
So, what are the most profitable businesses of 2024? Let’s take a look.
1. Ecommerce Business
Ecommerce, the blanket term referring to all businesses where products are bought and sold over the internet, is consistently ranked among the best and most profitable businesses to start.
Why? Because they’re easy to launch, don’t require the overhead cost of a brick-and-mortar footprint, and it gives you access to a geographically diverse customer base. With more than two billion ecommerce customers online, now is a great time to start your ecommerce store.
Map out your idea, plan how you are going to get the word out to the masses, and finally, turn that business idea into a profitable endeavor.
Want to learn how to start a profitable online store in 12 weeks or less? Check out the free course.
2. Dropshipping Business
Dropshipping has had a bad reputation over recent years, but when done effectively, it is still a very profitable business option.
Dropshipping is a subcategory of ecommerce that refers to businesses that sell products they don’t actually have on hand. Instead, the product is shipped directly from the vendor to the customer.
Dropshipping reduces your inventory costs and, as a result, increases your net income. And by 2028, the global dropshipping market is predicted to grow to by 20% annually through 2028.
Dropshipping is common in industries where customers expect a broad range of products that might be cost-prohibitive for a small business to keep on hand, like bookstores.
A lot of local bookstores, for example, might use dropshipping to ship directly from the publisher or a partner like bookshop.org. This allows them to offer a wider selection of books without having to contend with the challenges of storing one or 2 copies of a niche title on the off chance one customer might want it.
The most fruitful dropshipping ventures tend to be for niche products with a loyal following and minimal competition, so be sure to research before getting started.
Be wary of the risks of dropshipping, though, which include quality control, branding, and customer service.
3. Online Courses
Professionals are consistently looking for ways to sharpen their skills and advance their careers, providing a profitable business opportunity for savvy entrepreneurs who want to turn their expertise into passive income.
Courses that cover business finances and accounting, strategy, management, negotiation, sales/marketing training, and public speaking drive consistent demand. The course industry is only expected to grow, with the market expected to grow to $375B by 2026.
Want to get started? Watch our free training on starting your own profitable online course.
Online Marketing Course
The marketing landscape is changing due to rising social ad costs and generative AI, and many businesses and professionals are looking for guidance on how to adapt. Creating an online marketing course covering email marketing, social media management, SEO, or database marketing can generate a profit with minimal investment.
Language Course
Are you a multi-lingual entrepreneur? Consider creating a language course. The language-learning industry has continued to expand. To stand out from the competition, you want to identify your target market. Who is your ideal student?
Identifying your niche and narrowing your audience will drive higher conversion and increase profitability. Instead of offering “Beginning Spanish,” consider something more specialized like “7 Days to Business-Trip Spanish.”
Hobby Course
The final sector of the online course industry is hobby-related courses. Think: embroidery, woodworking, or singing. There has been a growing demand in recent years for these online courses due to the cost-effective pricing and convenience. The pandemic has increased demand here, too.
People who have transitioned to working from home now have more time to explore the topics that interest them. Others have taken stock of what matters to them and are finally gathering the courage to take a stab at beginner piano. As a result, launching a hobby-related course in 2024 is an exceedingly profitable business idea.
How to Make an Online Course That SELLS (at Least 100K/Month!)
4. Bookkeeping or Accounting Services for Gig Workers
Bookkeeping and accounting service businesses maintain consistent demand because everyone has to file taxes, and many either don’t want to or don’t know how to manage tax preparation. This is especially true due to the rise of gig economy workers and freelancers.
If you are the type of person who enjoys doing their own taxes, then congratulations, you are in the 0.076% (I know how much you love a cheeky percentage).
If you work in personal accounting, you’ll likely see a boom in the spring as individuals look for help filing their taxes, but there are greater profit opportunities in the small business space.
Your average small business owner doesn’t have the bandwidth or the expertise to manage the bookkeeping themselves, and they might not have the resources to hire an on-staff bookkeeper. With a net profit margin of 18.4% (oh, there I go again), accounting and bookkeeping services are some of the most profitable industries you can go into in 2024.
5. Graphic Design Business
There is consistently high demand for graphic design services because stellar graphic design can be a market differentiator. In the age of digital marketing and Instagram-friendly advertising, a company’s graphic design is arguably more important than it ever has been. How profitable your graphic design business is depends on how much labor you’re putting into the projects compared to how much you’re charging. On average, graphic designers can earn from $15 – $35 per hour, depending on their experience.
Thankfully, graphic designers can run highly profitable companies due to low overhead. But they can also fall victim to scope creep and other revenue-eating practices. To ensure maximum profitability, build your business model to target higher revenue/lower labor projects. You can avoid scope creep and other pitfalls with a clearly outlined consulting proposal. For tips on how to put together a winning consulting proposal, consult our guide.