Editor’s note: This article was first published in May 2013, and the figures it cites for the start-ups, such as funding rounds and trading volumes, date from around that year; several have since closed, pivoted or been acquired, and Fab.com collapsed in 2015.
This 2013, my colleague Victoria Bernal is going to end up with a headache and I’m going to end up with blisters on my fingers, but most of you who are looking for an idea to start a business are going to find one. This time, our colleague has gathered 10 internet business ideas for anyone who wants to get into this profitable world, which is booming right now.
These projects are going full steam in the United States, and perhaps we can find a way to apply the same model in Spain or in whatever country you are reading from. (Read also: 5 innovative and profitable businesses from around the world)
1. The eBay of university lecture notes
A student entrepreneur has created Moolaguides.com, a website where any university student who missed a class or needs more information can buy notes. The person who uploads the notes gets paid too. It has been called the eBay of university notes, and the idea has met with both criticism and acceptance from lecturers, while the site has already traded notes worth 374,000 dollars.
2. Selling school and office supplies
A website selling all kinds of school and office supplies online shouldn’t be anything new, and you might think the idea faces plenty of competition. But Chalkfly.com has the backing of users and of the teaching community, because it gives part of its profits back to the education community. It hasn’t taken much effort for the company to reach agreements with parents’ associations and with the schools themselves.
3. A jewellery website that turns its users into mini-entrepreneurs
Chloeandisabel.com is a website that sells all kinds of jewellery and accessories. On top of that, the site has created a kind of referral programme in which users can earn commissions of up to 30% for selling its products. It is a profitable business: the company has raised more than 2 million euros in a first funding round.
4. Interior decoration and much more, bought entirely online
The website Fab.com started out offering only interior decoration products and now has all kinds of projects, objects, designs and new ideas that are refreshed every day, with discounts of up to 70% on online purchases. It has managed to raise 40 million in a funding round.
5. An events company for people organising informal parties
There are plenty of companies that organise all kinds of events, but if one day you suddenly feel like celebrating your birthday, or anything else on the spur of the moment, Venuebook.com helps you organise it quickly. Users go to the site and see all the partner venues, prices and so on, and if you’re short of time, you only need to get in touch with them and they will organise everything for you.
6. All kinds of teachers, in person
On Skillshare.com anyone can give private lessons or teach any skill they have. These aren’t online private lessons (which are also a good business idea): here, thanks to the variety of teachers who sign up to the site, you can learn anything from maths to belly dancing or traditional Japanese cooking. Let’s say it is a social network of teachers and students covering every possible subject, but at a local level, since the idea is to take the classes in person.
7. Selling handmade vintage accessories
The entrepreneur who founded Jojoandsofia.com started the business from home, making some handmade clothing accessories himself, and even a few garments, which he then put online and sold. Today the shop works with several designers and sells all kinds of handmade accessories (cufflinks, pendants, jewellery) as well as classic-style clothing. The shop’s hallmark is that its products are vintage.
8. A job site specialising in services
When there are real giants in job searching, the only way to innovate and win a slice of the market is to specialise in a specific sector. In the case of Shiftgig.com, the specialisation is the local service industry. In other words, if a restaurant is looking for a cook, or a bakery for a waiter, they only need to go to the website, where they will find a wide range of candidates with their references.
9. The parking problem, solved
We have suggested this business idea on other occasions, and Spothero.com has made it a reality in Chicago with an app that people who have a free garage space, whether for a few hours a day or for whole days, only need to sign up to. That way, if you travel to Chicago, you just open the app and you will find the free parking spaces closest to where you are heading.
10. The Groupon of sustainable businesses and consumers
As with earlier ideas, since it would be hard, off the bat, to take on giants the size of Groupon, Blissmo.com is a discount coupon company that only features sustainable businesses, so its users can get up to 70% off all kinds of eco-friendly products.
As we can see, there is still room to innovate on the internet.
Further reading
- 6 business ideas for young entrepreneurs
- 9 business ideas you can run from home without commercial premises
Featured image: © Vyacheslav Argenberg, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
