Creating a freelance business from home is one of the most popular ways to build a profitable side income that offers the freedom and flexibility to work around your schedule.
Being a freelance business owner means you have the freedom to earn an income from anywhere. Whether working from home, in coffee shops, or in a coworking space, there’s almost nothing holding you back. Are you ready for the best freelance job ideas for every skill set?
If you’re looking for an effective way to supplement your income, take control of your schedule or start an online business as a full-time gig, a freelancing career offers many opportunities.
Freelance Job Ideas for Every Skill Set
There are numerous freelance job ideas available depending on the skills you have, Desire2Earn’s Top 10 list is a good place to get started.
1) Graphic Design Business
If you have an eye for graphic design and enjoy creating digital art, starting a graphic design business might be the best freelance business idea for you.
Graphic designers are in charge of designing digital artwork including company logos, brochures, posters, banners magazines, ad creatives, and more.
Many graphic designers work as freelancers, providing brands with artistic concepts for advertisements, brochures, and other marketing materials.
By offering creative services to clients looking to promote their products or services, you can build a steady stream of recurring income as a freelance graphic designer.
What skills do I need?
Graphic designers specialize in using color, contrast, space, and other aesthetic elements to create eye-catching visuals. Thus, besides your own innate creative juices, you need to know how to work some popular graphic design tools such as Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, etc.
You can take free design classes on Skillshare (30 days trial) or find an extensive Photoshop design course on Udemy and commit to it. While taking these courses, follow along and complete all the design projects, adding your own twists so you can use them in your portfolio.
Once you complete these courses and master the necessary skills, create a beautiful design portfolio, sign up with freelance websites, and start looking for clients. Do that, and you’d have officially launched your graphic design business
2) Content Writing Business
Areas of expertise: Blogs, articles, marketing copy, technical documents
Average pay: $20/hour
Skills needed: Writing ability, SEO knowledge, familiarity with content management systems
Content writing is one of the most popular freelance business ideas. It’s perfect if you’ve got a way with words and want to spend your time writing things people want to read.
As a niche freelance writer, you’ll be able to write on a variety of topics and take on projects that suit your interests and expertise.
How to get started
If you are already a proficient writer, say you’ve been writing SEO blog posts for your blog that do rank well, you might not have to undergo training before getting started. However, if you are completely new to freelance writing, then take time to learn how to write for the web.
Here is a short content writing course you can take for free on Skillshare using our link for 30 days trial. Hands-on writing will help you:
- Write more effectively and productively
- Understand what it takes to become a great writer
- How to write engaging content
- Writing unique content
- Using power words in your writing
- SEO tools
- Boosting your productivity with writing tools amongst others/
In under 3 hours, you can go from being a complete novice to knowing a thing or two about writing for the web.
3) Freelance Copywriting Business
A freelance copywriting business is an on-demand service. Businesses and individuals will pay a freelance copywriter handsomely to create effective, engaging content for a variety of uses. Depending on your experience and knowledge, you can offer a variety of services through your freelance business, commanding better rates.
Some copywriter services you can offer clients include:
- Sales copy
- Email copy
- Social media copy
- Ad copy
Copywriting is more demanding than just whipping out a short 500-word article on a topic that has been covered a thousand and one times before. You need to take the time to understand your client’s markets, and their ideal customer and analyze their current content strategy.
This info will then help you to carefully choose words that speak to their heart and soul.
That said, brainstorming sales copy, catchy phrases, and even marketing angles, has been quite easier with the advent of AI copywriting tools like Jasper and CopyAI.
For just under $50 a month, you will be able to generate unlimited copy using CopyAI. This increases your earning potential as a freelance copywriter since you are able to complete projects faster so you can take in more.
Learning Copywriting
This short Skillshare course will help you get started with the business of copy
This copywriting course covers topics that help you speak your customer’s language, understand your audience, write with clarity, create persuasive headlines, and more.
4) WordPress Web Development Business
To start a freelance web development business, you need to know your niche. Look at what’s hot in the web development industry and find an idea that you can execute well.
The competition is stiff, so choosing your market and specialization is key.
For example, if you are passionate about WordPress, the first thing you should do is learn about it. You could get started by reading up on the various blogs’ themes and plugins. By doing this, you will understand what makes WordPress special and how it differs from other CMSs like Joomla or Drupal.
You don’t need to know how to code to build beautiful WordPress websites. There are several page builders and WordPress themes that help you achieve any design need with the help of drag-and-drop visual editors.
Once you have enough experience with WordPress, it is time to start learning a bit of code. Learn HTML (HyperText Markup Language) to know how web pages are set up structurally. This would help you better understand the nuts and bolts of coding: how things work together and why they look the way they do.
Next, move on to CSS to beautify your designs. The ability to write clean code is vital for both web development and software development roles.
With these two skills and the help of a page builder plugin like Elementor, you can start a successful web development business.
For more advanced websites, you will need to learn other programming languages like Javascript and PHP. This would help you better understand the nuts and bolts of coding: how things work together and why they look the way they do.
5) Freelance Blogging
Freelance blogging is another of the many freelance job ideas that many writers use to make money. It means getting paid to blog for others. Depending on how you look at it, it could be similar to content writing.
As a blogger, you need to have a portfolio of your previous work to present to prospective clients. Your client list is also very important because it can show either that you have worked with big names in the industry or that you are well-regarded by your peers.
You can find freelance blogging jobs on various freelance websites like Upwork, and Fiverr, or job boards like Flexjobs and ProBlogger, etc.
The amount of money that a blogger makes per article ranges from $100-$500.
Also, if you have put up a blog, then maybe companies would like to advertise on it and then they will pay accordingly based on their requirements.
Freelance blogging could also branch out to include services such as blog management, which tend to pay more and provide a more reliable income stream for freelancers.
Tips for Freelance Blogging Business:
- Build an authoritative blog on your freelance niche: This will serve as a portfolio
- In your blog, include all the articles you’ve featured in
- Start outreaching out to potential clients: Most of the clients who need your services don’t know you exist. Make your cold outreach an opportunity to offer them something they couldn’t resist. Don’t pitch an article, try an experience.
6) Social Media Management
Social media management is one of the most sought-after freelance services. If you need proof, just look at the growth in the number of social media tools and apps on the market.
Nearly every company that has a website today also has a Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn account.
Unlike other freelance work ideas where most projects are one off-task, eg article writing, social media management is often an ongoing job spanning months and even years.
This means that to start a social media management business, you only need 3 or so clients to get started, which isn’t hard to achieve if you put in the effort. Yeah sure, you might need to send 100 emails for your first month, but those 3 clients, if they commit to 6 months in freelance work, buddy, you’re in business!
Again, AI tools have made the work of social media managers super easy. Think of the entire process as:
- Finding Social media management classes on Skillshare to upskill and stay on top of the new social media strategies across platforms
- Using Jasper AI to brainstorm social media content
- Using JasperAI or CopyAI to generate social copy
- Creating social creatives using Canva
- Planning and scheduling clients’ work to all social media platforms using an intuitive scheduler like Publer.
Wait, did I mention that an AI email assistant like Writecream could help you generate super personalized cold email intros from just web or LinkedIn profile addresses? Those first 100 cold outreaches might happen after all.
Is Social Media Management Business Right for You?
Before you leap into social media management, take an honest assessment of your skillset to see if this profession is right for you. Here are some questions to help guide your thought process:
- Do you understand how social media works and what it can do for companies?
- Are you able to stay on top of constantly changing trends in social media?
- Do you know how to get results from your work?
If you answered “yes” to all three questions, then go ahead and pursue this business idea! If not, no worries—there are plenty of other freelance ideas on our list where your skills will be better suited!
7) Freelance Community Management
Community management is a great job for freelancers with strong communication skills.
What is community management, exactly?
It’s the process of influencing and encouraging people to engage in the online communities they’re members of. You might be managing a Facebook group, a LinkedIn group, a Twitter Space, or an online forum, helping to facilitate conversations and make sure that members are following the guidelines.
Great candidates will have experience with sites like Reddit and other similar platforms. Strong writing skills are also vital—you need to be able to communicate clearly through text, and you might have to create content for the platform you’re managing as well.
If you can work independently but still feel motivated when interacting with others, this could be a perfect freelance business idea for you. You’ll be making anywhere from $10-$30 per hour depending on your skill level and demand.
That said, there are some challenges associated with freelance community management too: if you’re not careful, it can become overwhelming as online interactions increase over time (especially if you’re managing multiple communities).
8) Virtual Assistance
The best part about freelancing is that you can make money off of your skills, using the Internet as your office. If you’ve got a computer and an Internet connection, you can work from anywhere in the world.
Offering virtual assistance to online businesses is one of the most popular freelance ideas for beginners because it’s such an easy way to get started.
Virtual assistance covers a wide range of services including:
- scheduling appointments,
- email management, and
- travel planning (just to name a few examples).
It may seem like VAing is strictly for those with personal assistant-level skills but the truth is that just about anyone who has a steady hand and pays attention to detail can be successful in this freelance area.
Just like any other freelance business idea, you need to niche down. Package your skills together and identify yourself as one of these 21 types of virtual assistants. Once you’ve identified your niche, landing clients will be a lot easier, as you’ll know whom to approach and what to say.
Popular types of VAs are:
- Pinterest virtual assistants
- General VAs/ administrative assistants
- Project management assistant
- Sales administrative assistant
- Real Estate assistant etc.
9) Pinterest Management
If you’re a Pinterest addict, consider using your skill to help other small businesses gain exposure. Pinterest can be intimidating for small businesses that are already overwhelmed with managing their operations and marketing.
Becoming a Pinterest virtual assistant can be an excellent side hustle or even a full-time job. Your responsibilities would include:
- Determining how to position the company on Pinterest based on its target audience, brand voice, and marketing priorities
- Completing keyword research (both for the company and its competitors) to identify high-volume words that should be included in pin descriptions. A tool like PinInspector comes in handy. (Get LTD)
- Creating a cohesive pin design strategy that fits with the client’s brand guidelines
- Ensuring pins have engaging titles as well as properly-optimized descriptions and hashtags so they’re searchable on Pinterest
- Setting up relevant boards (with appropriate board covers)
- Creating weekly content schedules including repins of other people’s content plus new pins created by editing existing images or creating them from scratch
10) Transcription Services
Transcription is a popular freelance service as it’s a non-technical project that doesn’t require much investment to get started. However, it does require high accuracy and swiftness on the provider side as transcription jobs usually have strict deadlines.
For this particular skill set, you should have good typing speed and hearing skills. If you are going to provide transcription services for the first time, we recommend getting started with general transcription services since they don’t require any prior experience or training. From there, you can always choose to specialize in areas of your interest whether that be medical or legal transcription later on.
To start providing transcription services, sign up with a freelancing website like Flexjobs (recommended) or Fiverr where you can find many potential clients online who need these services. We also recommend signing up for transcription websites like
Ready to Start a Transcription Work From Home Business?
Here’s a short class to get you started
- Transcription and Captioning Masterclass | Master Video Captions and Subtitles: Complete overview to mastering transcription and captioning jobs
11) Freelance Bookkeeping Business
Accounting and bookkeeping are essential for any business. Unfortunately, many small business owners continue to struggle with the day-to-day tasks of keeping their financials organized. Even worse, these tasks take time away from the core activities revolving around growing their businesses.
As a result, there’s a huge demand for freelance online bookkeepers who want to lend their expertise on a part-time basis. If you’ve got experience in this arena, then this is definitely one of the best work-from-home ideas to start working on.
Here are some reasons why starting your own freelance bookkeeping business is a great idea:
- People need bookkeeping services but don’t necessarily need or want a full-time team member
- The level of demand for accounting services tends to be quite inelastic
- Providing accounting services can be very profitable
How to get started as a freelance bookkeeper
There are several programs you can take that teach you the ropes. With a good bookkeeping program like 6 Figure Bookkeeping Business, you don’t need to have prior bookkeeping experience.
12) Freelance Proofreading
Proofreading is a great freelance business idea for anyone who has an eye for detail. Proofreaders check written work to make sure that it is error-free and ready for publication or distribution.
Freelance proofreaders make an average of $36,259 a year in the U.S., according to PayScale.
What does a proofreader do?
- Check for spelling errors
- Make sure that sentence structure, grammar, and punctuation are correct
- Ensure that there are no inconsistencies with capitalization, numerals, or hyphens
- Fact check key points to ensure they are accurate
How to become a proofreader:
You can become a proficient proofreader within 3 months without having to take a 4 year English Major degree.
Instead, you might consider taking some courses online through Coursera or Udemy to boost your knowledge base and give yourself a leg up on the competition…
The Best Proofreading Program
If you want to fast-track your proofreading journey, then I recommend investing in the Proofread Anywhere programs, as they are quite extensive. At the end of the program, you will have everything you need to start and run a proofreading business from home.
13) Translation Services
A growing number of companies are looking to expand their reach into new markets overseas — but they face the problem of language barriers. If you’re fluent in another language, you can leverage your skills by offering translation services.
The translation is also a good career choice for multilingual millennials who want to work from home.
Even though translation is a lucrative field, it’s not for everyone. It can be hard to get started because you do need to be proficient in the two language combinations.
Sure, there are many tools to help you, but without comprehending the language you are translating into, you are likely to, you’re likely to submit less than perfect work, resulting in the loss of valuable clients, not to mention the damage to your brand.
The good news is, that if you are proficient in more than one language, then making money as a freelance translator shouldn’t be that hard. Most popular freelance marketplaces have freelance jobs that you can apply for, or even do cold emailing to prospects who might be interested in your services.
There are also freelance marketplaces specifically designed to offer translation services. One such platform is Gengo, which is free and has regular work for translators.
14) Podcast Production Services
The first step to becoming a podcast producer is to make sure it’s a good fit for you. You don’t need any prior experience, but it helps if:
- You have an interest in audio production, radio journalism, or broadcasting
- You are fairly tech-savvy and know how to use digital audiovisual gear (cameras, sound equipment, computers)
- You like working with people from all walks of life—you’ll likely be meeting with clients from all kinds of industries throughout your career!
As a freelance podcast producer, you will help your clients throughout the podcasting processes, including recording, editing, creative design, and podcast publishing.
15) Voice Over Services
If you have a great voice, and strong communication skills, and are interested in starting a freelance business, then becoming a voice-over artist may be perfect for you.
To get started as a voice-over professional, you need the right equipment, know how much to charge, and find clients who are willing to pay for your services.
Voice-overs can be used for anything from YouTube videos to movie trailers. As more businesses and individuals seek out the best ways to promote their projects online, there is a growing demand for professionals who provide voice-over services, so demand shouldn’t be a problem.
16) Freelance Photography
If you have a passion for photography, you can turn that into an income stream in several ways. The first is to shoot photos for others. This can include weddings, families, pets, events, and more.
You’ll need the following:
- A good camera
- Basic knowledge of photo editing software
- An eye for composition and light
- A tripod to steady your shots
You should also learn how to price your services and get good reviews so your business grows.
17) SEO Services
Search engine optimization (SEO) is a huge industry. If you have experience with SEO, you can use those skills to help businesses and entrepreneurs increase the amount of traffic they receive from search engines like Google, Bing, Yahoo, and more.
There are many technical areas that go into SEO including keyword research, content writing, and link building (off-page SEO.) If you’ve worked in any of these areas as an employee or freelance contractor, it’s likely that you already have enough experience to start up your own offering.
Your time is valuable so focus on what you do best instead of learning new skills. Outsource the things that aren’t your strong suit to another freelancer or virtual assistant.
18) Video Editing Services
Video editing is another great freelance option for people who have an affinity for technology. You need to know what you’re doing, though.
To edit videos professionally, you need to know how to work at least one robust video editing software. These are some of the top video editing software programs on the market: Final Cut Pro, iMovie, Adobe Premiere Elements, PowerDirector 365, and Camtasia
If you’re not sure how to get started with your video editing business, create a website or portfolio of your work first. Then advertise yourself as a video editor on social media and even post your services in local Facebook groups.
Also, you can easily find one-off projects on websites like Upwork and Fiverr
19) Online Consulting Business
An online consultant business is where you provide your expertise to businesses remotely. These companies pay you a consultation fee to tap into your knowledge and help them navigate through various hurdles.
The most common areas of specialization include digital marketing, SEO, Branding, Business, Content Strategy, and Design Thinking, amongst others.
How to get started as a freelance consultant
You will need a system or software to help you deliver your services and connect with potential clients.
Some tools you may consider include:
- A website builder (WordPress + Elementor),
- Project management software (such as Asana),
- A CRM like HoneyBook or Bonsai
- Zoom or StreamYard for virtual meetings and
- VoIP phone systems
How to find clients and generate leads
There are many ways for you to find clients and generate leads for your freelance consulting business. You can sign up at freelancing platforms like Upwork, Fiverr, or PeoplePerHour where potential clients are looking for consultants with specific skills like yours.
You can also create a professional Facebook page where you post relevant content on an area of expertise and then use Facebook ads to target potential customers.
20) Online Tutoring Services
If you’re looking to work with students as a freelance tutor, there are plenty of resources available to help you get started. There are 3rd party platforms such as Outschool and VIPKid that can help you find clients if you aren’t sure where to begin, and these platforms also provide payment processing and communications tools so that both parties can easily get in touch.
There are certain skillsets required for tutoring:
- The most important skill is patience. Your clients may have had bad experiences with other tutors or teachers who were unable to meet their learning needs and found the experience frustrating, so your ability to work at a steady pace to ensure they stay on track will be critical.
- You’ll also need strong verbal communication skills—tutoring, particularly for younger students, will often require back-and-forth conversation as part of the learning process.
Besides these, you obviously need to know your subject really well and be creative on how to deliver your lessons.
As far as equipment goes, all you really need is a webcam and microphone (or headset) and an internet connection, but it might be helpful for your business if you have a laptop instead of working from your desktop computer since it’s more convenient if you want to do virtual sessions from different locations.
Working as a freelance tutor has its benefits in terms of flexibility—you can work any hours that suit your schedule—as well as the opportunity for additional income; many people choose to pursue tutoring once they’ve successfully established themselves within another career path or job role!
21) Data Analysis
Data analysis is the process of using data to gain insight into a business and make better decisions. These decisions can apply to hiring, marketing, and product development.
There are many types of data analysis including descriptive and predictive. Start with descriptive analysis if you’re just getting started in data analytics.
To launch a successful freelance data analysis business, you need to know how to leverage some great tools such as Google BigQuery to help you process data faster.
The skills necessary to succeed in data analytics include statistics, problem-solving, communication, and visualization. To learn more about these soft skills, check out this Udemy course on Soft Skills: The 11 Essential Career Soft Skills, or read our blog post on soft skills here.
Some employers might want someone with experience using specific software like Microsoft Excel or Tableau Desktop Pro for Business, so look into taking courses for these programs as well depending on your employer’s preferences. Once you have a strong understanding of how each program works, make sure to add them to your LinkedIn profile!
22) Offline Freelance Services
If you enjoy working with people and have a passion for your neighborhood or city, then you might be interested in pursuing one of the following offline freelance service business ideas:
- Laundry Service – If you don’t mind getting your hands wet, you might want to consider starting a laundry service. You can either provide services to clients who come to your home or deliver services on-site at the client’s location. Read more about how to start a laundry service.
- Cooking Service – For those who love their kitchen, starting a cooking service is for you! You can provide coaching, classes, and catering options. Read more about how to start a cooking service.
- Interior Design – If you like making things look nice and are good at it, interior design may be the freelancing business idea that’s right for you. Read more about how to start an interior design business.
- Communications – Whether it’s public relations work or emceeing that interests you, communications is another area that has many opportunities when it comes to offline freelance businesses.
Conclusion
As you can see, there are a lot of freelance job ideas available to you. You may wish to pursue one niche that you’re passionate about or dabble in multiple areas.
The beauty of the work-at-home lifestyle is that you get to be in control. If you’d like to start growing your business today, don’t forget to check out our post on how to start a freelance writing business with no experience!