Is This the Easiest Way to Make Money Online in 2025? (Maybe...)

 ⚠️ Please note: This piece is human-written, intended for education, and could have affiliate links.

Want to make money online in 2025? It’s not as simple as just choosing any business, especially if you’re just starting out. Picking the wrong path could mean losing money and time.

This guide shows you the best and worst businesses to start in 2025, so you can focus on what actually works.

The best part? Some of these ideas don’t need fancy skills or tons of cash to begin. These are the businesses I’d choose if I were starting with nothing.

Image is generated by AI and edited by Author under Meduim rules.

Businesses to Think Twice About in 2025

Some popular business ideas aren’t great for beginners. These include:

• Digital Agencies: Running a digital agency.
• Real Estate Investing: Buying and selling properties.
• Stock Trading: Buying and selling stocks.
• Brick-and-Mortar Businesses: Cafes, shops, or restaurants.

Why are these risky for beginners? Let’s break it down:

Problem #1: They Cost a Lot to Start

Photo by Adam Nowakowski on Unsplash

Imagine you have a cool idea for a cafe. Before you even know if it’ll be popular, you might have to spend $100,000 or more just to open!

That’s super risky if you’ve never run a cafe before. Real estate and stock trading also need a lot of money upfront, and you could easily lose it if you don’t know what you’re doing.

Problem #2: They Need Lots of Special Skills

Photo by Sam McGhee on Unsplash

Let’s say you want to start a video content agency. To succeed, you need to be good at:

• Video editing
• Finding clients (lead generation)
• Marketing
• Setting up systems
• Managing a team

Many beginners try these businesses, lose money, and give up. They think they’re the problem, but it’s often the business that’s too hard for a newbie. Choosing a simpler business can lead to success much faster.

Beginner-Friendly Businesses: From Okay to Awesome

Let’s look at some businesses that are easier to start in 2025, ranked from good to the absolute best:

#1. Dropshipping: A Good (But Challenging) Start

Dropshipping is a retail model where an online store sells products without keeping them in stock. Instead, the store forwards customer orders to a supplier who ships the product directly to the customer. (Image edited by Author)

Dropshipping is when you sell products online without actually keeping them in stock. It’s a real opportunity, but it has some hurdles.

• The Good: It was my first business, and after some failures, I made $60,000 at 17! Someone else made over $500 million selling a product called the Oodie.
• The Challenges: You might need at least $300 to start, and possibly $3,000 − $5,000 if you use paid ads. It’s not just about building a website; you also need to handle:
• Inventory (even though you don’t stock it yourself)
• Customer service
• Marketing

Dropshipping is good if you’re ready to learn and okay with not making money right away.

#2. Freelancing: Get Paid for Your Skills

Freelancing is a way to work for clients on a project-by-project basis, rather than committing to full-time employment. Freelancers can work remotely, set their own hours, and choose their projects. (Image edited by Author)

Freelancing means offering your skills to others. This could be:

• Writing (copywriting)
• Video editing
• Programming
• Designing websites
• The Good: You only need one skill, and you can start earning in weeks. A friend of mine started freelance copywriting in 2021. Within two weeks, he made enough to cover his basic expenses while traveling in Europe!
• The Not-So-Good: You’re still trading time for money. You can only take on so many clients before you get tired. It’s great for starting out, but hard to make a huge income.

The BEST Businesses for Beginners in 2025

These next three businesses are low-cost, easy to start, and have unlimited income potential. You’re not trading time for money!

#3. Becoming a Content Creator: Share Your Passion

A content creator is someone who creates content for audiences, such as written, video, audio, or graphical content. Content creators can work for companies or create content for their own personal brands. (Image edited by Author)

Content creators make videos, posts, and other things online. This changed my life! In 2020, I went from jobs I hated to a $100,000-a-year business in just 12 months, just by teaching people how I made money online.

• The Good: Social media makes it easier than ever to build a business. Over 500 million people are making money from their passions online!
• The Challenge: Competition is growing. It’s still a great opportunity, but it won’t be as easy in the future. If you’ve been thinking about creating content, now is the time to start.

#4. Selling Your Own Digital Products: Teach What You Know

Digital products are goods that exist in a digital format, such as software, music, and online courses. They can be delivered to customers via download or email. (Image edited by Author)

This means selling things like:

• eBooks
• Mini-courses
• Paid online communities
• The Good: Once you have an audience, you don’t need to pay for ads! You can reach millions of people for free on platforms like TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram.
  Here how to get started:
• Pick a niche that solves a problem. People will pay to solve problems like losing weight, learning to cook, investing, or improving mental health.
• Build an audience on one platform. Focus on making viral content for one platform first.
• Create a product that solves your audience’s problem.

Someone named Chad made over $20,000 in his second month on YouTube with only 7,000 subscribers!

He made videos about making money and created a digital product. Ten months later, his channel made over $500,000.

#5. Affiliate Marketing (The Special Kind): The Fastest Path

Affiliate marketing is when someone earns a commission for promoting another company's products or services online. The affiliate acts as a marketer for the company, driving traffic to their website and earning a commission for each sale. (Image edited by Author)

This is a special type of affiliate marketing that:

• Doesn’t need any money to start.
• Doesn’t need any experience.
• Doesn’t need a big social media following.

Affiliate marketing is when you promote other people’s products and earn a commission. I genuinely believe it’s the fastest and easiest way for beginners to make money online.

Why it’s so good:

• No experience needed: Many of my students start with no experience and make money in weeks.
• Unlimited income: You can scale this business as high as you want. I’m making $50,000 a month with my affiliate marketing business, working just 2–3 hours a day.
• No big following needed: This special kind of affiliate marketing, called “faceless affiliate marketing,” doesn’t require a huge audience.

How This Affiliate Marketing Strategy Works

Photo by John Schnobrich on Unsplash

• Pick a niche you’re passionate about.
• Create a personal brand or online brand.
• Find high-paying affiliate links (that pay over $50 per referral).
• Create a website with a brand name, logo, and custom theme.
• Create content for social media platforms (TikTok, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube). You don’t have to show your face! AI tools can help you create content quickly.
• Create a blog to promote your affiliate links.
• Start an email newsletter.
• Run paid ads once you’re profitable.
• Hire freelancers and use AI tools to automate and scale your business.

Bottom line

Building online income is very possible, and picking right business model is crucial for that.