You want to be your own boss, but you’re not sure what self-employed jobs are out there- well, have we got you covered!
We happen to know a thing or 2 about quitting your job and being your boss after all.
Starting a business is one of the best ways to be your own and achieve financial freedom and independence.
However, it’s also one of the hardest things most people do in their life. It takes courage, discipline, resilience, and self-belief to transform business ideas into reality.
Plus, there are so many options out there it can be hard to tell which business opportunity is right for you!
We’ve created this list of the best self-employed jobs so you can choose the right business idea for you.
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Quick Picks
Before we get into our full list, I’m sure you busy people want to know the best options we think are out there!
Here are our quick picks for the best self-employed jobs this year:
- Highest Paying – Proofreading or Bookkeeping pays upwards of $50 per hour and is super flexible.
- Best App – Survey Junkie helps you make easy money on your own terms when you need it the most.
- Best Website – FlexJobs has a variety of flexible work-from-home jobs to choose from if you want to become a self-employed individual.
- Most Flexible – Virtual Assistant work-from-home jobs are extremely flexible and use the skills and experience you already have.
- Most Scalable – Start your own money-making blog and set you and your family up for a great financial future.
29 Best Self-Employed Jobs
We are like poster adults that demonstrate there are great side hustles out there where you are the boss!
Not only that, each of these self-employed side hustles can turn into full-time careers working from home.
You can start working alone quickly and easily this year, so let’s talk about the best self-employed jobs you can start:
1. Blogging
Did you know you could make 6 figures a year with a successful blog?
If you’re a writer, blogging is a great way to make an income online. Anyone with a computer, an internet connection, and a unique idea can start a blog.
These blogging resources can help you become a successful blogger. If you put in the effort and time required to create your own business, blogging can be a lucrative way to make an income.
Stupid Simple SEO will teach you how to rank your article on the first page of Google so you can get more traffic. Once you grow your audience, you can earn an income through advertising and sponsorships.
Start creating your blog with help from our Blog Boot Camp
2. Proofreading
Proofreading is the perfect self-employed job for anybody who notices the finer details and can point out mistakes when they’re reading.
You can get paid by clients to review their documents, blog articles, social posts, and more for inaccuracies and grammatical errors before they publish.
You don’t need any degrees or even much experience to be a successful proofreader, and you can check your skills with a few proofreading tests. Even entry-level jobs can earn you $30+ an hour!
Not sure how to get started? Check out the FREE Proofread Anywhere workshop to get the inside skinny on starting your proofreading business today.
3. Real Estate Investing
Real estate investing is a great way for your assets to earn you money while you sleep, instead of having to go to a job every day. It’s one of the best investments you can make to increase your financial wealth!
Many people believe that real estate investing means you need to have $200K to buy a house and rent it out, keep up the maintenance, and all that stuff.
But real estate today is way more than that~
Real estate investing sometimes requires significant capital to get started, but there are many investment apps that sell fractional shares of properties for as little as $10!
But if you’re a beginner real estate investor, Roofstock is a great way to get started in fractional shares and invest a little at a time.
4. Social Media Manager
If you’re an Instagram or Facebook enthusiast with a knack for engaging audiences, then you can offer your services by running brand accounts as a social media manager for $20 an hour.
Self-employed social media managers are responsible for creating strategies to grow a company’s audience on various platforms to sell their products and services.
Most managers also monitor the results of ad campaigns to see how many clicks or conversions each campaign has generated.
There’s no specific education needed for this job, but having a degree in marketing will improve your job prospects.
You can find part-time side hustle jobs or full-time social media jobs on FlexJobs.
5. Project Management Services
If you have excellent project management skills, management self-employed jobs may be your best bet.
You could sell your skills as a high-end service for small businesses, large national companies, and startups.
A project manager is responsible for overseeing all operations of a given project. This includes hiring vendors, negotiating contracts, setting timelines and deadlines, and managing expenses.
The average salary for a project manager is $95,000, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
No specific education is needed for this job, but most employers prefer project managers who have a degree in business management or a related field.
6. Freelance Writing
If you’re a good writer, you can be self-employed as a freelance writer for online businesses. Freelance writers create written content for blogs, websites, magazines, and other publications.
To start your own freelance writing business, you’ll need a good portfolio. You can get started by doing entry-level freelance writing jobs and begin building an audience around your work.
Once you have an article or blog post to showcase, you can expand the types of projects that you take on and earn more cash.
Learn how to grow your income with the Freelance Write From Home course.
Want to earn more as a writer and work quicker? Write and optimize your content faster than ever with Jasper and SurferSEO.
7. Affiliate Marketing
Did you know that you can make an income by directing people to a product and getting a commission from each sale?
Affiliate marketing is an online business model that’s perfect for self-employment. You can advertise products through various social networks, website ads, and email marketing, for example.
The great thing about affiliate marketing is that you’re not limited to promoting just one product or line of products.
Since the program structure varies from company to company, some affiliates focus on multiple niche markets while others promote one specific product or brand.
You can learn to become an affiliate marketer with Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing.
8. Life Coach
Some people are natural-born helpers. If you want to provide people with the support they need, becoming a life coach may be the perfect stay-at-home job path for you.
A life coach helps their clients identify areas in their personal life that they’d like to improve and then provides them with strategies to help them achieve their goals.
Clients might seek advice on relationships, new jobs, and personal development, for example.
There’s no specific education that you need to become a life coach, but having a degree in psychology can give you an edge when it comes to getting hired.
9. Graphic Design/Artist
If you’re good at creating logos, websites, media content, and more, you could offer your skills to local or national businesses as a graphic designer or artist.
Graphic design involves creating images that convey ideas and messages through text, images, symbols, or other visual elements.
You could be a self-employed independent contractor for a corporation instead of a typical employee.
Selling your services on gig websites like Fiverr will provide you the luxury of choosing the jobs you want to work on from an endless number of clients.
The average salary for a graphic designer is $50,000 per year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
10. E-Commerce
A smart way to get into self-employment is to start selling things online- and you have a lot of options for things to make and sell!
E-commerce stores can be found selling a wide range of products, from clothing and jewelry to home goods and accessories.
Some online sellers only sell digital items such as eBooks, music downloads, web hosting services, and computer software.
Many people prefer shopping online over driving to the store. This makes selling items online profitable and possible on a national scale.
If you’re interested in creating your own e-commerce website, Shopify is one of the best sites to use to build an online store. Or, you can list your homemade or vintage items on Etsy.
11. Career Coach
Some people are ready to make a career change, but they don’t know how to do it. As a career coach, you can provide the advice and encouragement that people need to land the perfect job.
A career coach helps clients identify what they want from their jobs by exploring their values, interests, personality type, and skills.
The coach then helps the client develop a plan to achieve their goals and find jobs that align with their interests.
They might also figure out how their clients’ skills are related to their interests in order to find the ideal job for them.
Since you’re self-employed and your own boss, you’ll need to build your business and find clients online, and I found these jobs were mainly on social media.
12. Event Planner
Do you love planning events for friends and family? If you enjoy taking care of small details and adding a personal touch, then this could be one of the right self-employed jobs for you.
As an event planner, your job is to handle all of the logistics involved in putting together social events. You might need to coordinate with others on items such as entertainment, venues, catering, invitations, and decorations.
Event planners work with both private companies and individuals to plan conferences, weddings, parties, concerts, festivals, fundraisers, weddings, and other local events.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average salary for an event planner is $50,000 per year, and you don’t even need a high school diploma to land jobs.
13. Child Care Provider
Self-employed jobs taking care of kids can be hard but so worthwhile and decently paid.
If you’re passionate about working with children, then starting your own childcare center could be the perfect option for self-employment.
You’ll be able to help working parents while they go to their jobs and still take care of your little ones.
Whether you want to start a daycare in your home or open up a local facility, watching children for other parents is a profitable and rewarding self-employed job.
The hours are favorable since you will only watch the kids while their parents are at their jobs.
Since children require care year-round, you’ll always have opportunities for getting new clients. This can be an excellent opportunity for mothers who want to work from home while taking care of their kids.
14. Business Consultant
If you want to pursue self-employment and help others succeed with their own business, business consulting is a great option!
Do you have a deep understanding of a specific industry? If so, then becoming a self-employed business consultant might be the ideal opportunity for you to take control of your career as an independent contractor.
As a business consultant, you’ll advise companies on how they can improve their business strategies and achieve their goals to make more money. You’ll also help them solve problems that are facing their company.
This means you can command a high salary because you are helping business owners fix problems.
15. Food Delivery
If you love driving, then a gig economy job delivering food from local restaurants can be a great way to put your car to work.
As a food driver, you’ll technically be self-employed and get money to deliver prepared foods from local establishments directly to customers’ homes or businesses.
You simply use an app to get paid and pick your schedule and pickups, so you can work whatever hours you want, and you get to work alone.
There are plenty of apps you can use to become a food delivery driver. Become a DoorDash, Postmates, or Uber Eats driver and start delivering food today.
There are some other food delivery services you can pick from, and not just for delivering. Instacart, a grocery delivery service, lets you make your own schedule by shopping for other people’s groceries or delivering them.
Want a side-by-side comparison of some of your options? Check out some of our review articles below:
If you don’t want to drive around food, some people looking for self-employed jobs will become food service managers.
You could start your own restaurant or food truck or start catering events to get food to people.
Food service managers will spend more money upfront starting these businesses, but the profit is all yours at the end of the day!
16. Ride Sharing
Another self-employed job in the gig economy that’s trending is ride-share driving. This job allows you to set your own hours and make extra money by bringing people to their destinations.
There are a few national companies like Uber that allow people to work as a driver, so this can be a great business idea for someone who enjoys driving.
You can work as much or as little as you want, which is why it’s a top pick for money-making ideas. If you enjoy meeting new people and chatting with others, this could be the perfect gig for you.
17. Bookkeeping
Do you have a knack for keeping organized spreadsheets and records? If so, then becoming a bookkeeper might be a good self-employed job for you.
As a self-employed bookkeeper, you’ll be an accountant for companies, individuals, or even other freelancers. Bookkeeping is a low-cost small business to start because all you need is a computer.
The average salary for a bookkeeper is $45,000, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, so it’s certainly worth giving a shot toward self-employment.
The FREE Bookkeeper Launch classes show you how to start a profitable online bookkeeping business.
18. Rent Your Rooms
Today, many homeowners are leasing out their spare rooms or homes to travelers. Think about how much you could put towards your mortgage by getting paid for the extra space in your home.
Airbnb is a great home-sharing site to help you advertise your space to potential guests. They advertise on a national level, so your listing is more likely to be seen by travelers. R
All you need to do is create a professional-looking listing with photos and a description of your home.
Renting rooms is an easy way to start being self-employed without worrying about having a high school diploma or job experience!
19. Investor
If you have money to invest in real estate, perhaps you should start investing to earn passive income in other ways.
Here are a few of our favorite investing apps:
- If you’re new to investing, Robinhood lets you trade without spending a dime on fees.
- Webull is also great for young investors with its easy-to-use trading platform.
- Betterment, with its automated investing feature, is great for long-term wealth creation.
- If you already know about the stock market, M1 Finance lets you choose your investments since you are in complete control of everything.
This can be a really rewarding type of self-employment!
20. Car Maintenance/Mechanic
For those who enjoy working with their hands, becoming a car mechanic might be the ideal way to become self-employed.
If you know your way around an engine and can repair a lot of problems, then this could be a great recession-proof small business to start.
As a mechanic, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, you can expect to make a salary of $46,000 per year as your own boss.
You can use online forums to find local jobs or post flyers in your neighborhood and create a successful online presence to market your great skills.
21. Real Estate Agent
You can also be self-employed as a real estate agent and be your own boss with a few qualifications.
Real estate agents help people find homes that fit their needs and budget and make home buying possible.
They can also help list homes for sale and get them sold!
You can create social media profiles and connect with clients there, but you must have a real estate license to launch your business.
Self-employment as a real estate agent can seem harder when you aren’t with an agency, but your networking can help you find potential clients.
22. Developer
If you have computer skills and want to be self-employed, consider becoming a professional developer.
This is a perfect job if you want to work from home and can help create and maintain software systems for businesses that need help with websites.
To get started with web design, you’ll want to learn HTML, CSS, Javascript, JQuery, Bootstrap, etc. You can then create your own personal website or a portfolio showing your work.
Once you’ve built a portfolio and skills, then you can start looking for freelance or contract work to do in order to grow your client base.
23. Virtual Assistant
If you’re organized and good at typing, becoming a virtual assistant could be the ideal self-employed job for you. Virtual assistants help other people or businesses with their day-to-day tasks.
Scheduling appointments, managing email, and making travel arrangements are among the things that you can do as a virtual assistant.
Being self-employed as a VA means you can choose your hours and manage your time however works best for you.
There’s no investment to start this type of business since all you need is a computer.
Learn how to start your own Virtual Assistant business today with this FREE VA training.
24. Eldercare
Eldercare services are a booming market at the moment and could be your shot at being your own boss without much formal education.
This means that there’s a lot of need for healthcare providers who can help seniors live their day-to-day lives with ease.
You’ll be helping the elderly do everyday tasks like cooking and cleaning if they can no longer do these things themselves.
Sometimes, it’s as simple as sitting down and reading to them or playing card games with them- what fun self-employment!
This job can be a mix of care and companionship for people who are on their own.
With a job like this, you can make a difference in someone’s life, which makes this one of the best jobs that give back.
25. Flea Marketing Flipping
For those who have a knack for finding treasures, flea market flipping can be a great way to earn money and become self-employed.
You’ll find treasures at flea markets, thrift stores, garage sales, sale events, and even on the side of the road. Then you can turn around and resell what you found for a profit on eBay or Craigslist.
The great thing about this is that you get to choose your own hours and have fun searching for treasure to sell, which won’t even feel like a job! It’s also a low-cost business to start.
Flea Market Flipping is a free item-flipping workshop to learn how to make money with this self-employment idea.
26. Video Production/YouTube Streaming
Video production and YouTube streaming are among the best self-employed jobs that make you an influencer.
For you to start making money, all you have to do is generate new, engaging content that people will want to share with their friends. The content that is most popular on YouTube are how-to videos and talking head videos.
This idea also allows you to have a flexible schedule since you only have to create a video when you feel like making one.
We launched our YouTube channel a while ago, and it takes time and dedication to make videos and get views.
We took the course Mastering YouTube to improve how we create videos and reach our audience, and it really helped!
The course helped us make better videos and connect with more people, earning us thousands per month from YouTube videos.
27. Computer Repair
Do you know how to fix computers? If so, computer repair may be the job that will get you into self-employment this year!
You can easily be self-employed from home and work on people’s computers, though some people start a storefront for fixing electronics.
There are many people who have issues with their computers. Some just want to upgrade their laptops, while others have missing parts that need replacing.
Whatever the issue is, there are plenty of people who can’t fix their computers by themselves and could use your skills to help them out.
28. Resume Writing
Besides freelance writing, there are other jobs where you get paid to write.
Writing resumes is one of the best self-employed jobs if you have good writing skills and want to help people find employment.
Many people can’t write great resumes on their own. They don’t know what to include, how to format it, or where to even start.
Resume creation is also great for college students looking to help their fellow students get hired at a company.
If you’re good at crafting resumes, cover letters, and LinkedIn profiles, then this may be what you want to look into.
29. Tutor
Did you ever help someone in class learn something from class or help your siblings get caught up on their schoolwork?
Well, being a tutor would be a great opportunity for you to be self-employed as your own boss!
You can tutor in any subject you are good at and make $20 an hour on average. Virtual tutoring gives you the most flexibility and has very little business costs for your service.
You can look for jobs posted online, create a social media presence to reach more people and build up your clients by starting close to home- with your friends and family.
We used BookNook to tutor in English, and it was a rewarding experience and a great job to do from home.
Final Thoughts
These are some of the best self-employed jobs for people who want to start their own businesses and become an independent contractor.
Many options for self-employment are low-cost and are related to your own skills!
What you’re good at, you might be able to do as a successful career and be your own boss.
Whether you like working with kids, fixing computers, making YouTube videos, flipping flea market finds for a profit, or starting freelance writing, there’s a self-employed job idea here for everyone!
Even if you don’t have a Bachelor’s degree or a high school diploma, you can still create a profitable business this year.
We hope this article helped provide insight into what kinds of jobs are out there so that you can pursue your goal of becoming self-employed.
If you want to start a business, pick the business idea that matches up best with your skills and interests, and sign up with apps like Steady to start finding clients today.
Earn more money on your terms when you need it most. Steady members can make an extra $5,500 in average yearly income!
