658: 10 Small Business Ideas So You Can Work From Home

0:01Today's episode is sponsored in part by Revolve and Spectrum. Revolve is my all-time favorite place to shop for my dream wardrobe. Head to revolve.com forward slash gold digger to shop my favorites and get 15 % off your first order with the code gold digger. Spectrum business keeps your business connected with reliable service you can count on. Visit spectrum.com forward slash free for life to learn how you can get business internet free forever. As always, you can find all of our amazing deals in the show notes. Now let's get into it. okay I have been on this ruthless pursuit to purge any clothes that I'm not actually wearing like if I haven't reached for it in months it's gotta go I am trying to be really intentional about what I bring into my closet right now which means I am only buying pieces that I know I will actually wear and use revolve just gets it though I'm literally wearing my brown autri sneakers from there right now and my new suede purse it fits my laptop in it so it's basically a fancy shoulder bag that works for everything.

1:02I love finding pieces like that. Things that look good, but also work hard for my actual life. Their holiday shop is live right now with all the good stuff. Sparkly party dresses, cozy sets, cute gifts, everything you need for whatever is on your calendar. And it's all in one place, which makes shopping feel way less overwhelming. Whether it's a weekend away, a big night out, or a holiday party, your dream wardrobe is just one click away. Head to revolve.com forward slash gold digger shop my edit and take 15 % off your first order with the code gold digger fast two-day shipping easy returns it's literally the only place you need to shop from that's revolve.com forward slash gold digger to shop my favorites and get 15 % off your first order with the code gold digger offer available for a limited time so happy shopping are you introverted are you extroverted are you good at time management are you organized Are you good with boundaries?

1:57Like all of these things will play a key role in if working from home is conducive to the type of life you want. Hey, my name is Jenna Kutcher and I am obsessed with all things business, marketing numbers, and helping you to navigate both the messy and the magical seasons of this thing called life. I'm a small town mama who took a$300 camera, grew a successful photo biz, and now I work from home and run a seven figure online business. I teach you the tried and true secrets to building a career you adore. Shy away from the real talk? No way. Money, hardship, growth, loss, and marketing are all topics we discuss here.

2:33Think of this as your one-stop shop for happy hour with a gal pal mixed with business school. Pull up a seat, make sure you're cozy, and get ready to be challenged and encouraged while you learn. This is the Gold Digger Podcast. I can close my eyes and transport in time to the first Monday that I woke up. no windowless office, no corporate job, no boss and realizing, oh my gosh, I now work from home. It was this undercurrent of absolute excitement coupled with fear of like, now what? And who's going to tell me what to do? And when do I eat my lunch? What does that even look like? But I can tell you without hesitation that over the last decade, every single day, I've had these moments where I am just so grateful that I get to work from home and even more so now as a mom.

3:24The flexibility and the freedom of working from home is undeniable, but it also presents some interesting challenges. Wanting to work from home is nothing new. However, studies show that the pandemic increased the desire, especially in women, to continue to do work that they can do from home or to find work that they can do from home. According to a survey conducted Directed by FlexJobs and Mental Health America in 2021, 40 % of women who were working remotely due to the pandemic reported that they were interested in continuing to work remotely full-time in the future, and 35 % were interested in a hybrid work arrangement.

4:02It's proof that women really do have this strong desire to work from home and to figure out how that can work. But that leads us to the question, is working from home really the dream? Is it all that it's cracked up to be? is working and living and parenting and coupling in the same space good for us? Another survey conducted by McKinsey and Company in 2020 found that women were more likely than men to have transitioned to remote work during the pandemic, with 27 % of women working remotely compared to only 19 % of men. Overall, all of this data, it shows us that many women have been working from home during the pandemic and are interested in doing it.

4:42But we can talk about this topic and the ways that you could make this happen for yourself and ignore the fact that there are also challenges associated with remote work that need to be addressed. So in today's episode, let's talk about the benefits and the downsides of working from home as women. And I will also go over what I think are the 10 best ways that you can create a job or start a business that allows for you to work from home. And I'll guide you through the steps of how to exactly do that. Are you ready to dive in? Let's go. Let me introduce you to a podcast you're going to love. It's called The Shine Online, and it's hosted by a former Gold Digger guest, Natasha Samuel, and brought to you by the HubSpot Podcast Network, the audio destination for business professionals.

5:29Natasha interviews the brightest entrepreneurs to bring you no fluff advice, honest discussions about the mental health and lifestyle aspect of entrepreneurship and actionable strategies and success stories of those who have mastered the art of shining online. Natasha just covered this topic I think you'd love to hear about. She talks about when you're ready to hire a social media manager and when you're not. Because hiring a social media manager isn't going to fix your social media problem if you're not ready and willing to show up and do the work too. Listen to The Shine Online wherever you get your podcasts.

6:05Okay. So, I mean, one of the benefits of working from home is obviously you can work in your PJs. As I record this, I actually got jeans on today, which I'm very proud of myself for, but I am cozied up in a blanket. I've got some coffee. I usually have music playing. I can set the environment. There's no awful fluorescent lights, but for real, the benefits of working from home for women are a lot. The biggest ones that I can think of are greater flexibility. It is amazing when we can have more control over our schedules, which can also be wildly beneficial for mothers who have to balance work and family responsibilities.

6:41You can have reduced commuting time. I don't know about you. When I worked at my first corporate job, I was driving an hour each way. That was two hours in the car each day. And so I love that you do not have to have that commuting time, that expense, and that added stress. It can also increase your productivity. So many women actually find that they are more productive when working from home due to fewer distractions and interruptions. I think that women can innately kind of set an environment that's conducive to getting stuff done. And I know for me too, when I became a mom, I could knock out so much work during a nap window that maybe previously would have taken me more hours.

7:19Working from home also can give you a cost savings. So it can help you save on expenses such as transportation, work clothes, eating out. And it can also promote a lifestyle of improved work-life balance. This is a tricky one, but it is possible. Working from home can provide women with more time to pursue hobbies, spend time with your family and friends, and take care of themselves. Again, something a lot of us are working on. So what are the downsides? Well, isolation. Let's talk about it. I think a lot of us that work from home are lonely. We can often feel disconnected and isolated. I know this has been a trend of mine throughout my entrepreneurial journey, and it definitely is seasonal.

7:59I shared earlier this year how one of my big goals is to be super, super intentional with relationships and friendships because I can go days without seeing people and just working from home. And I love it. It doesn't make me stir crazy at all, but isolation can be a detriment. Lack of structure can also be a struggle. A lot of us have jobs that allow us to work from anywhere on our laptop, which also means we can work any time. I know that oftentimes I'll just crack open my laptop to quick look at something or to send that email. And having that lack of structure can often lead to unbalanced work hours and burnout.

8:34You can also have a lot of distractions at home. Before I recorded this, I was making my cup of coffee and noticed that there were dishes in the sink. And so you can start to notice things like, you know, your kids, pets, household chores, and it can really pull you out of your productive work. There's also this blurring of work and personal life that happens and it can be really hard to separate those two. It can be really tricky for me for many years. Basically up until this point, I didn't have a dedicated office space and so I would work from the couch, from my bed, basically anywhere in my home.

9:07And it was really hard for me to shut my brain off because I had blurred those lines. Working from home can limit your career advancement opportunities. Something that women who work from home may miss out on are opportunities for career advancement and networking that can come with a traditional office setting. So if advancing your career is something that you really want, you have to be so intentional about how you are networking and getting in front of the right people that can have the invitations that can get you to that next step. Obviously, it's super important for you to weigh the benefits and the downsides of working from home when considering, is this really the right choice and the right experience and environment for you.

9:47I was recently doing some job interviews and one of the top applicants that I was interviewing, she was explaining her current position. And I could just hear the joy in her voice when she talked about being in the office and the energy of the office and being around people. And I was like, you know, I have a question for you. Like, is working from home the right fit for you? Because I can hear how energetically driven you are by these experiences that you have. And it really reminded me that while this is the best fit and opportunity for me, it might not be the best thing for other people. And so it is really important that you look at your own tendencies, your own desires.

10:27Are you introverted? Are you extroverted? Are you good at time management? Are you organized? Are you good with boundaries? Like all of these things will play a key role in if working from home is conducive to the type of life you want and if it is the right fit for you. So I was brainstorming and I wanted to come up with 10 different options that I think are incredible ways that you can create a business that allows you to work from home or become a contractor that gives you that same opportunity. And I also wanted to preface this list because as I was coming up with it, I want to just quick acknowledge that there are people that go to school and college and take continued education to do these roles.

11:09And so I do not want to belittle the fact that there are people out there who have studied and gotten degrees in order to do these jobs. But I also want to share these ideas because I think that it can provide this inspiration that might really inspire you to consider how you could create your own business or start working from home. And so when I was thinking about this, I wanted to remind everyone listening that there is a gamut of experience, of costs, of salaries out there. There are people who are learning and self-taught. There are people who have master's degrees. And while there is a gamut of experience out there, I don't want that to deter you from getting started.

11:51So here, what I think are the 10 best options that could allow you to work from home. Number one, becoming a virtual assistant. So as a virtual assistant, you provide administrative and technical assistance to businesses and entrepreneurs. This job can include tasks like email management, scheduling appointments, social media management, bookkeeping. If you want to make a good VA, as we like to call them, you have to be an excellent communicator. The job usually involves working remotely, hence the virtual. And so clear and concise communication is absolutely crucial in ensuring that you are following instructions, you are meeting deadlines, you are coming to the boss or the person that you are reporting to with any concerns or questions.

12:34You're addressing things promptly. You also want to have very strong organizational skills. You want to be organized, being able to manage multiple tasks and priorities simultaneously. You should also be really good at prioritizing what your workload is and meeting deadlines. So you want to think about like, are these gifts you have? Because I have had virtual assistants who are absolutely incredible. In fact, one of my team members, Steph, has been with me, I think, seven years. And she is incredible. And she's more organized than I am. She handles my schedule. When I did my book launch, she helped me book almost 90 interviews.

13:12And she is good at the areas that I am not good at. And what's incredible is in seven years of Steph working for me, I don't think I've gotten a single complaint. And so she is really, really methodical, organized. She's also good at tech. So as a virtual assistant, you might have to work with various tools or softwares or platforms. Tech might be something that you want to explore in terms of that. So virtual assistant, option number one. Option number two is this, online tutoring, teaching, or coaching. You could use your expertise or your experience on a particular subject and teach people online.

13:47There are so many different platforms out there. There's Kajabi, Thinkific, Teachable. They're all incredible for online teaching. We personally use Kajabi. Now, I love, I love, love, love online teaching and learning. We have had over, get this number, 124 ,000 students in my free and paid online courses. And I love the fact that you can teach online from the comfort of your home and you can impact people's lives through what you know. A lot of times we forget that we have transferable skills that we can share online. So is there a way that you can take your expertise and teach it or take a part of your process and share it.

14:25Think about how, like, for example, if you're in the service industry and you're serving one-to-one, what are ways that you could potentially create something that could serve many? I remember when I first started diving into this education space, I was doing mentor sessions. So people would come to my little apartment. I would teach them about how I had grown my photography business. And I recognized very quickly that I was saying the same things over and over and over again. And people had the same questions in that one-on-one experience. I realized, okay, wait, I can create something that can reach more photographers.

14:57I don't have to leave my house. They can get the same content and get their questions answered and I can serve them well. So before you write up this idea, I dare you, if you are thinking, I don't have anything that I could teach online, hop on over to Google or Pinterest and type in a keyword that sums up what you do or what you know, and then type in the words online course or tutoring or coaching and see what comes up. I bet you that there are already people out there who know what you know who are taking advantage of this online education world. And in doing so, they are likely working from home.

15:30Next step is freelance writing. So if you have a talent for writing, you can absolutely offer your services as a freelance writer. You could write for blogs or magazines or businesses that need content for their websites. The first step to becoming a freelance writer is to hone in your craft of writing. You want to develop your voice, your skill, and define what niche or what area you want to serve with your writing. What I encourage you to do, if you want to become a writer, you need to write daily. You have to focus on building your writing skills and your understanding of strong writing. You also want to create a portfolio of writing samples that demonstrate your writing abilities.

16:09I would definitely, and I'll talk about this one in just a little bit, but I would definitely recommend starting your own blog and start sharing your writing in the places that you likely already have a presence. Even on places like Facebook, or Instagram, or LinkedIn. It's really wild. My writer for my team, Brooklyn, joined the team about four years ago. She actually applied for the podcast producer position. And we often laugh now. She would have been awful at that job. That was not her skill set. That would not have served her or her beautiful brain. But I will never forget on her LinkedIn profile when she applied for the job, she had all of these, you know, the regular stuff that talked about her past experience.

16:48And then she had this line that says, can change a tire in a snowstorm. And I remember that that stood out to me and I laughed. And there was just these interesting ways that she used words, even in her resume that got me to thinking. And Brooklyn had never been like a specific copywriter before, but I'd witnessed her words in action. And so even though she'd applied for an entirely different job, I saw something within her that I was like, Hey, have you ever thought about writing content? She's now been with me for four years. She has worked on so many different projects across the brand. She is a Swiss army knife when it comes to writing.

17:21And it took her a little while for her to say like, I am a writer, but she has honed in on her craft in a way that is just absolutely incredible. And so if you want to become a writer, you absolutely just have to do one thing to get started. And that's right. Number four is being a graphic designer or a graphic creator. If you have any experience in graphic design, you can offer your services to people who need logos, social media graphics, or other design work. And again, I'm cautious here because a lot of people go to school to learn graphic design. Becoming a graphic designer, it requires this combination of creative skills and technical skills and business acumen.

18:01But here are some steps that you can take if designing graphics is something that you would love to do. So first, you need to study and learn the basics of graphic design. I'm talking about color theory, typography, composition, layout. There are so many amazing resources online. There are tutorials and courses that can help you learn and hone these skills. And then you want to really develop your software skills. There are so many different places that designers work, whether it's Adobe or Photoshop. Another great place to start is Canva. I am not a designer, but I can do some mean things in Canva.

18:36It is free to use. And it also has a lot of templates that you can study and learn from. I actually have converted some of my actual design friends to Canva converts because I love it and how you can build templates and different things that you can create once and use many times. What I want for you to do is to focus on building your portfolio. There is an episode way at the beginning of this show with an amazing designer, Laura Joseph. I will never forget what she said, but I remember she tells a story in that episode where she was not booking the type of work that she wanted. She was a wedding invitation designer at the time.

19:13And so instead of complaining or continuing to book jobs that she didn't love, what she did is she crafted imaginary dream clients in her mind and designed invitation suites based off of these imaginary people. She created a Hogwarts themed wedding invitation and just did some of the work that she had dreamed of doing. And so what I would encourage you to do as you build your portfolio is to think about what kind of work do I want to do more of? How can I get started? How can I learn it? How can I hone that craft in? And how can I design work that I already love so that I can book more work just like that?

19:49AI is such a hot topic right now, but how can you really use it in your business in a way that moves the needle? What if AI could take over tedious tasks like pulling reports, rewriting blog posts, and trying to personalize countless prospecting emails? Well, introducing HubSpot's newest AI tools, Content Assistant and ChatSpot. Content Assistant uses the power of OpenAI's GPT-3 model to help you create content outlines, outreach emails, and even web page copy in just seconds. And in case that wasn't enough, they created ChatSpot, a conversational growth assistant that connects to your HubSpot CRM for unbeatable support.

20:30With chat-based commands, you can manage contacts, run reports, and even ask for status updates. The easy-to-use CRM just got even easier. Head to HubSpot.com slash artificial dash intelligence to get early access today.

20:49When we were young, we dreamed of castles and fairy tales. And as we grow up, those dreams might shift into building something real, like starting a business. You need a website, payment systems, a logo, and a way to reach customers. It can all be overwhelming and confusing, but thankfully, that's where today's sponsor, Shopify, comes in. Shopify powers millions of businesses around the world and 10 % of all U.S. e-commerce, from big brands to folks just getting started. They offer beautiful, ready-to-go website templates so you don't need design skills to look professional. Their AI tools help with product images, descriptions, discount codes, and more.

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21:57Can you believe that we're already wrapping up 2025? This year was packed with travel and so many new memories. One of my favorite moments was our team retreat in Arizona with the incredible women who helped me keep this business running. I also recently took the kids to Nashville during fall break and somewhere in between I squeezed in a trip to Puerto Rico with friends. We booked some of our most memorable stays this year on Airbnb. There's something special about finding a place that doesn't just look great in the photos, but actually feels welcoming the moment you walk in. That this feels right kind of feeling.

22:31If you've got trips coming up, whether it's a family vacation, a retreat, or a work trip, your house will probably be sitting empty while you're gone. Have you considered hosting your home on Airbnb and letting it work for you? It's a simple way to earn some extra income that can be put towards a future trip or home improvement projects. Your home might be worth more than you think. Find out how much at airbnb.com forward slash host. Number five is an e-commerce business. You can start an e-commerce business by selling products online. Starting a business like that from home can be a super rewarding way to earn a living, but I want to preface that this one requires some careful planning and execution.

23:13You have some options here. If you want to have an e-commerce business, you can either create your own products or you can source them from other vendors. I have heard a lot of stories about people who started their own e-com businesses by scouring clearance racks at popular retailers and finding items that were on sale at that store, but could sell for more money online. And they would basically flip these products to turn a profit. A lot of people have done that, but that doesn't have to be the way that you do that. There are so many different ways you can do this. One of my favorite episodes that we've had on the show is an interview with Alison J.

23:46Prince. She talks about how you can start an online shop and she shares her own story about selling these wooden blocks online and realizing that she had a viable business. She is the girl that teaches people how to start their own e-com businesses. And I've linked that episode in the show notes and the show description for you if that is something that is piquing your curiosity. Number six is becoming a customer service representative. A customer service representative provide support to customers via phone, email, or chat. And just like all the other examples, there's kind of a gamut of different ways that you could become a customer service representative.

24:23There are different types of jobs such as technical support or sales or billing. So you want to first just kind of identify what type of job you'd be interested in. And then again, this kind of goes back to the VA example. You want to have really good communication skills. You want to learn as much as you can about the industry or the business you are applying for. Recently, I was at an event for Amy Porterfield's book launch and I was sitting kind of back in the green room. And one of her team members, Josh, is her customer service guy. And I was sitting next to him and I was getting to watch him get live on Zoom and like serve her customers so well.

25:01He loved it. He loved being on video with them. He loved solving their problems. I like it was incredible just watching him work. There are people out there who this is their dream job is getting to help people solve people's problems and be there for them to help find a solution. If that is you, this could be an incredible job for you and a way that you could likely work from home. Number seven is a social media manager. You can manage social media accounts for businesses and individuals who need help in all the realms of social media, which honestly, I think there are so many people listening to this that they are like, I need this.