21 Businesses You Can Run From a Laptop

The internet has opened up a world of opportunities for the entrepreneur-at-heart.
We’re about to look at 21 businesses that you can start today and efficiently run with just a laptop and an internet connection.
Development / Programming
Web developers are programmers who specializes in, or are specifically engaged in, the development of World Wide Web applications, or distributed network applications that are run over HTTP from a web server to web browsers.
Web Programming
#1 Web Developer
There are over 30 million small businesses  (estimately)in the Nigeria and Ad-ology found that most of these of small businesses don’t have a website.
#2 Mobile App Developer
There were 140 billion mobile apps downloaded to smartphones in 2014. By 2016, the International Telecommunication Union reports that there will be more than 2 billion smartphones in the world and we have every reason to believe the number of mobile apps downloaded annually will increase.
#3 Blog Maintenance Provider
As tracked by BlogPulse, there were 126 million blogs on the internet in 2010 and most of them suck.
Most bloggers think they just have to write, post, and auto-tweet. So if you know how to properly publish a WordPress blog post, you can offer this as a service to serious bloggers.
Graphic Design
Graphic designers create visual concepts, by hand or using computer software, to communicate ideas that inspire, inform, or captivate consumers.
#4 Logo Designer
Since there are 29.6 million small businesses in the US alone, that’s 29.6 million potential logo customers. But most of them already have logos… But very few of them have good logos.
#5 Web Designer
According to Pingdom, there are 234 million websites on the net. Like small business logos, most of these websites look terrible. And even the good ones, know the value of continually improving the design.
#6 Book Cover Designer
Right now, there are over 32 million books on Amazon and every one of them has a book cover. According to UNESCO, over 1 million books are published per year. This doesn’t even include eBooks.
#7 Mobile App Designer
Much like mobile app developers, there’s plenty of need for mobile app designers. Companies usually contract out to both developers and designers separately to create the app.
#8 Computer-Aided Designer
CAD drawings are typically 3D mockups and virtual prototypes that companies create prior to manufacturing a product. Pretty much every product design starts as a CAD drawing.
#9 Web Theme Designer
According to WordPress.com, there are over 75 million WordPress sites and about half of them are self-hosted. This means, WordPress alone has about 37 million sites that need themes.
#10 Videographer
Last year Organizational housewares e-tailer StacksAndStacks.com reported visitors were 144% more likely to purchase after seeing a product video than those who didn’t. Website owners realize that video converts higher than any other form of content, so they’re starting to contract out for that work.
Writing
Writing jobs in select niches might be difficult to find on your own, but Online Writing Jobs takes the reins, marketing your name to companies that need an expert.
#11 Author
According to Authors Guild, a successful fiction book sells 5,000 copies and a successful nonfiction book sells 7,500 copies. Also, Jenkins Group (a premier publishing firm) reports that 70% of books published don’t make a profit. Don’t let these stats discourage you, but it’s hard to make a living as an author.
#12 Editor
Part of the reason books usually don’t earn back their investment is because they have to pay for an editor. You’ll likely earn more as an editor than an author.
There are currently more than 2,000 content editor jobs available on linkedin alone.
#13 Copywriter
With 126 million blogs, there are 126 million websites that constantly need content. If you’re a good writer and knowledgeable about a niche topic, reach out to the top bloggers in that niche and ask if they’ll pay you to write for them.
These 200 top blogs accept guest authors – and many of them pay for content.
#14 Transcription
According to Worldwide Freelance, some industry estimates suggest that up to 50% of all non-fiction books are ghostwritten. Often, these books start as audio recordings and the ghostwriter transcribes and spruces up the content. This is just one way to make money as a transcriber.
#15 Translation
English is the universal language of business, but there are roughly 6,500 other languages in the world. Books, websites, manuals, etc. all need to be translated to other languages.
Google also offers a free translation service if you’re in a hurry.
#16 Blogger
Much like authors, few bloggers make a living strictly from blogging. To attract advertisers, you typically need a couple thousand unique visitors per day. Think of a blog as a platform to attract other business opportunities.
Internet Marketing
Internet marketers utilize advertising and various marketing strategies leveraging the Web and email to drive direct sales via electronic commerce, in addition to sales leads from Web sites or emails.
#17 Search Engine Optimization
234 million websites compete to rise to the top of search engines. If you know how to optimize websites, you can help website owners save a lot of money on internet advertising.
#18 Search Engine Marketer
The other side of search engines is paid search. It’s not unusual for internet marketers to have $500,000 per month budgets for PPC (pay-per-click) and CPM (cost-per-thousand-impressions) advertising.
Find customers through paid channel advertising.
#19 Social Media Manager
You probably know enough about social media right now to start your own side business! A service that helps people set up their Facebook, Twitter, and Google Plus profiles and begin to create authentic interaction is completely legitimate.
#20 Email Marketing Manager
Michael always tells you that the money is in the list, but it takes a lot or work to maintain that list. If you offer to create and automate the email newsletters, it’ll take a lot of pressure off their backs.
#21 Affiliate Marketer
To date, ClickBank alone has paid out more than $2 billion to affiliate marketers. Affiliate marketing is another way to make a living as a blogger and it’s the primary way that Michael makes money.