Has working from home changed your attitude towards your job?  For many, the absence of the social element of the workplace has made us think about how much (or little) we actually enjoy what we do for a living.  

Have you realised that you don’t actually like your job, now that you’re working from home? 
If so, what could you do instead? Maybe you feel that it’s high time for a change … 

Here are 22 work from home ideas you could consider, that could help you to start a business from home.
 

Tech-savvy home-based business ideas

If you have the necessary skills, you can start your own IT business from home.

     1. Design and create websites - be sure to make your own website as easy to navigate and as attractive as the ones your clients will want. 
     2. Develop an app - do you have an idea for an app that doesn’t yet exist? Or think you can make one that’s better than the competition already out there? You can make some serious money from developing a popular app.
     3. Create software - design, build and test software for use in business or for individuals, and either sell it or monetise it yourself.
     4, Become a graphic designer - freelance graphic design work is always in demand.
     5. Work as a social media manager - there are still plenty of businesses out there that don’t understand how to use social media to boost their online presence. If you know your way around social media and can help to drive traffic to a business with a few well-placed, well-timed tweets or posts, you can make a living out of it!
 

Creative work from home ideas

If you have a hobby or interest, or have simply always wanted to use your natural creativity at work, these ideas might be for you.

     6. Turn your hobby into your business - is there a craft you’re good at? Perhaps you’re amazing at woodwork, knitting, decoupage or model making. Create innovative, personalised products and sell them on sites like Etsy or eBay.
     7. Voice acting - if you have a lovely or unusual voice, you could use it to make adverts or voice-overs.
     8. Sell your cooking creations - if you’re a brilliant baker or are good at creating healthy, home-cooked food, you could sell your wares to people who don’t have the time or skill to make their own. There are certain hygiene standards to be met and steps you need to take before starting up, which can be found here.
 

Specialist home-based business

Turn an existing qualification or work history into a business you can do from home

     9. Bookkeeping - if you’re good at maths and are familiar with filing tax assessments, you could be exactly what local small businesses need. If you’ve got patience, time and an eye for detail you could make a decent living out of sorting out someone else’s accounts.
     10. Teach an online course - online courses have become more in demand since people started spending more time at home. Popular courses include fitness, crafting, programming, nutrition, baking and cooking, languages and beauty tips, but if you have any kind of skill or interest that you’d like to share with others (for a fee!) then this might be a great way to earn a living. 
     11. Translator - if you’re fluent in another language, you can easily set up a business as a translator. You could specialise in translating technical documents such as manuals, or subtitles for TV.
     12. Will writing - you’ll need professional indemnity insurance in place, but you don’t need any formal qualifications to be a will writer. You can get training from the Society of Will Writers or the Institute of Professional Will Writers if you want to start a will writing business from home.
 

Customer facing work from home ideas

Working from home doesn’t have to mean working alone…

     13. Become a virtual assistant - diary management, dealing with emails, organising travel arrangements and running a diary/calendar can lighten the workload of executives in a number of professions. You can work from home, taking calls and doing everything online rather than sitting at a desk in someone else’s office.
     14. Become an online tutor - do you have a qualification in English, Maths or another subject? Are you a musician and want to teach others how to learn to play? Since the pandemic, parents are turning increasingly to online tutors to help their children catch up on the missed work and skills, and many adults who are working from home now have the time to learn new skills since they don’t have to commute! 
     15. Become a childcare provider - you can become a registered childminder and take care of younger or older children during the day or before and after school (see here for details of how to register).
     16. Offer a dog walking service - lots of people bought dogs during lockdown and now that they have to go out to work again they need those dogs to be walked during the day. You could also offer holiday care and feeding services.
     17. Become a dog groomer - there are no qualifications or entry requirements strictly needed for this business, but if you take dog grooming courses you’ll gain more trust from potential clients who’ll want to be sure you know what you’re doing. Find details of how to set up a dog grooming business here.
 

Freelance work from home ideas 

     18. Freelance customer service - there are plenty of websites out there on which you can advertise your services and search for freelance customer services posts if you’re customer-focussed and have excellent communication skills.
     19. Captions - transcribe dialogue and background sounds on a range of audio tracks, from YouTube videos to documentaries. Start as a freelancer and build up a regular base of clients so that you can turn your skill into a business you can do from home.
     20. Audio transcriber - as long as you have a laptop with decent speakers (or good headphones), you can do freelance work as an audio transcriber, turning audio into text.
 

Online retail businesses you can run from home

     21. E-commerce - you can buy products in bulk and sell them on for a profit, or market and sell your own products online. With so many platforms out there, you can sell your stock or products easily. As an online retailer, you won’t need a physical shop to pay rent on, or insure, though you might eventually need somewhere to store your stock if you run out of room at home. A self storage unit can solve that issue; you’ll have somewhere safe and dry to keep your products and be able to access them whenever you need, avoiding any delays to shipping them to your customers.
     22. If space at home is an issue, there are a number of businesses you could run with the help of a self storage unit. For instance, if you want to sell personalised or hand-printed t-shirts, you could set up your equipment in your unit, create your designs and send them directly from the self storage store. 

If you want to start a business from home, there are a few things you need to consider when setting everything up, including the start-up and running costs, and the nature and format of your business. 

With a solid idea of what business you’d like to run from home, and a good understanding of what you’ll need to make it work, you’ll have a job you love - and you’ll never have to work a day in your life!  If you are finding yourself in need of additional storage space for your growing business do not hesitate to contact us.  We have over 127 storage facilities in the UK so there is bound to be one near you.