3 Up and Coming Ways to Make a Successful Online Business

Are you looking to take advantage of the global phenomenon that is online business? Looking to step in and start making yourself a livable wage through the world wide web? Today’s internet connected world has made it even easier for entrepreneurs to start businesses from the comfort of their own homes. Here are 4 new, up and coming ways you could start your own online business and turn yourself into a leader of this new global market.

1. Creating and Selling your Own WordPress Theme

Are you knowledgeable in HTML, CSS, and JavaScript? Do you have an eye for design and can make one of a kind sites? Then creating your own WordPress theme should be right up your alley and is a great way to generate a little extra passive income that can help your business grow. WordPress themes are the files that work to help create the look and functionality of the site and choosing a theme is important for any website owner. They want individuality, they want something striking that hasn’t been seen a thousand times over. So you’ll want to jump on this trend and create something stunning and unique. Of course, WordPress has certain standards which need to be maintained.

Your themes need to be coded using valid HTML and error-free PHP. Also, it needs to use clean CSS. This is important for both the functionality and overall look of your site. You want your site to be straightforward and easy to navigate. This way, it’s more likely that WordPress site owners will opt to purchase your site.

So, complete design isn’t really your thing? Are you not completely committed to the “creation” aspect? That doesn’t mean that selling your own theme is an out of commision idea. All WordPress.org themes are GPL licensed. This means you can legally take an already established and successful theme, change it in order to fit your ideals, rebrand it, and sell it as your own. You’ll still need to have a basic understanding of coding, but a good chunk of the work is already done for you, so if you’re not looking to create a whole template from scratch, this is a great way to go.

So you have your theme. It’s easy to use, unique, and visually stunning. Now, it’s time to get that theme on the market. One way to do this is by creating your own site and selling your theme there. In order to make this a successful endeavor, however, you’ll need to have a great sales plan in place. Once your site is up and running, promotion will be key. Have a nice social media following? Take advantage and start marketing to your followers. Create Instagram and Pinterest posts showing off your themes. Already have an established blog? Send out an email blast to your followers.

With this approach, the more themes you have available for purchase the better. Having a collection of themes will make your site seem more professional making site owners more likely to buy. Make sure you’re also readily available to clients. If they have questions regarding certain possible changes, you need to be able to ensure them of what you’re able to do in timely manner. At this point in the process, sales is your priority and good customer service still goes a long way online.

If you’re not looking to do all that self-promotion, another really great way to sell your theme is with already established online marketplaces. While you will need to pay a commision fee on sales, you’ll also be given exposure to millions of ready-to-buy clients from around the world in a matter of seconds. This will allow you to take a step back while the money is generated for you. Themeforest and Codester are both extremely popular sites where your theme will be able to reach millions of potential clients worldwide in a matter of minutes helping you to be on your way to great passive income.

2. Blogging

It may seem like blogging has already come and gone as a business possibility, but while it’s true there are multitudes of blog websites out there, they are still a great way to make a hefty income online, possibly now more than ever as online blogging influences are now considered the new “celebrity”. The key to a successful blog is to make sure you take advantage of your greatest resource; you. You need to learn how to market your individual voice to a large yet invested audience. So, how can you do this?

Find your niche. What is it that really interests you? Make sure your blog is a reflection of that intense admiration toward your topic in order to attract readers with the same interests who will not only follow your blog, but share it.

Once you’ve started to gain a following, to really turn your blog into an income resource you’ll need to monetize it. Luckily for you, there are multitudes of ways to do this from advertising, to affiliate marketing, and even to writing sponsored posts.

But here’s where things might get tricky. With all these new followers and potential earning means, how can you keep everything organized? One way is with LeadPages. This is an online tool that can help you collect and organize email subscribers while also providing you with things like templates for webinars or sales pages. LeadPages is really a must have tool for any blogger who’s just starting out. Once you have these revenue builders set up you’ll be able to make a continuous income from anywhere in the world.

3. Create and Sell Apps

Apps have become one of the biggest game changers in the modern world. By allowing consumers instant access to whatever company or business they need, apps have client relations the top priority for most businesses. But what about the business of apps themselves? A great way to break into this market is by designing and selling your own app on a world-wide scale. But in order to have your app be a success, you’ll need to first understand the marketplace. Do your research and find the best selling apps in your particular niche. Is your app similar to others in the popular lists? That’s a good thing. It means that there is a desire for this type of product.

Now you’ll need to turn all your knowledge into an actual viable product. One way to do this is through sites which sell both apple and android app templates. Once your design is done, you’ll also need to register as a developer for the platform of your choosing and find a programmer to help you actually build the app. Here, you’ll want to make sure you sign an NDA to protect yourself and your ideas.

Finally, it will be time to start coding. First, you’ll want to make sure the programmer you’ve hired can actually provide you with what you’re looking for, so asking him for milestones throughout the process is a good idea.

Once your app is delivered, it will be time to test. But you don’t want to be the only tester. Make sure you take advantage of not only friends and family, but also testing websites that will send a secure version of your app to their employees, letting them test the app for a small fee to check for bugs and glitches.

Now your app is finally ready, exactly how you’ve always imagined. At this point, you’ll need to send your app into the platform for review. The amount of time it takes to approve or reject your app will depend on how you’ve chosen to submit, either as a company or an individual. It may be good to keep in mind that submitting as an individual will give you faster approval times.

Once approved, it will now be up to you to market your app. Make sure to highlight key points that have popular followings in your marketing strategy. Also, take advantage of social media. Create Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest posts that will promote your app and it’s benefits. Already have a blog? Make sure you send out email blasts to your followers prompting them to not only check it out, but leave reviews. Making your app a global success will depend heavily on your ability to market it to the right consumers.

The idea of business has been completely turned on it’s head over the last decade as a direct result of the surge of online usage. By taking advantage of this current boom, you can place yourself in a leadership position for modern business moguls. These are just three possible ideas you can take to make your professional business dreams come true and promote yourself as an influencer and entrepreneur in this global online marketplace.