Seven ‘easy to start’ online business ideas for people with chronic illness this year
One of the many challenges that come with living with a chronic illness is getting or keeping a job, here are some business ideas for people living with chronic illness.
Being born with sickle cell disorder, I knew I was different from everybody else because I couldn’t do much of what my mates did. Sickle cell disorder does not like stress so as a child I could not partake in stressful activities like sports.
In 2016, I got diagnosed with avascular necrosis. A complication of sickle cell disorder.
With avascular necrosis, I was required to walk with an aid and that made me know what it feels like to be disabled and how difficult it is to secure a job with disability.
Many people living with chronic illness like sickle cell disorder face challenges with securing a job yet the bills does not stop and the need for money to manage their health is also there.
Do we just sit and do nothing about employment, poverty, and chronic illness? We can’t because there are always bills to settle.
I decided to help in my little way by sharing ways you can make money online here on my blog.
This will help warriors build stress free business and also make money.
Over my next few posts, I will be sharing money-making tips. If you have any questions or want to share your thoughts, please drop a comment and I will definitely respond to it whether in the comment or by creating a full post.
So let’s start this series with some easy to start online business ideas for people living with chronic illness.
At the end of this post, I will share with you, the online business I prefer the most and I think you should try.
You might ask yourself, why is starting an online business right for you?
What's in this post
Why is starting an online business is right for people with chronic illness?
1. Time freedom
Online business gives you the freedom to choose whenever you wish to work. You have time to rest and take care of yourself. This is one of the best advantages for me.
You would barely find any business that allows you to have time freedom as the business ideas I will share in this post.
2. Most online business are inexpensive to start or require no capital at all
Finding capital might be an issue, I’ve know. You don’t have to worry.
Some of the online businesses that I will share with you are completely free to start and the ones that are not free, require very little capital to start.
3. Can work anywhere Location freedom
Here is another favorite advantage. You can choose to work from anywhere in the world.
As long as you have internet and a laptop, you can work.
You can choose to work from your room, on a hospital bed (if you’re strong enough), on a beach, anywhere. That’s why it’s an online business.
4. Passive income potential
You want to make money while you sleep? Start an online business. Online business offers you opportunity to create passive income for yourself.
You have the opportunity to create lot of money as well.
5. Access to worldwide market
It’s the internet, there is no limit to how many people you can reach with your business.
Perhaps you have a physical product or business, you have access to the world. You can reach anyone with your product.
6. Can be automated hence it run 24/7
You don’t have to always be physically present to make your business run. You know those days when fatigue won’t let you get out of bed or days when the pain would take your sanity away or even days you just don’t feel like working.
Automation is there for you. You can automate your business and relax yourself.
7. Personal growth opportunities
Oh, my most favorite. Starting an online business gives you the opportunity to grow as a person. You keep learning new things and unlearning old things.
Now, let’s talk about the online business ideas for people living with chronic illness.
Seven ‘easy to start’ online business ideas for people living with chronic illness
1. Create digital products
It’s no brainer that creating a digital product is the first suggested online business idea for people living with chronic illness.
Digital products are by far the best way to make money online. It gives you the opportunity to make passive income and most importantly once you create one digital product, you can sell it over and over again.
All you need to create a digital product is the knowledge that transforms people’s lives. A knowledge that shows them how to move from where they are to where they want to be. The knowledge that helps them solve a problem.
That’s all you need.
And of course, your time to package it into a digital product.
I have written a full blog post on how to create digital products, read the post here.
However, here are some types of digital products that you can create.
- EBooks
An eBook is a book format that can be downloaded and read-only on computers or handheld devices. It is an example of a digital product and it is easy to create.
The eBook industry is projected to reach over £15m which is $21m by Statista.
It is a very booming industry that you can make money from. If you want to give people a step-by-step how-to guide, you might want to consider creating an eBook.
You can create your eBook using Microsoft Word, Canva, or any other eBook creator available.
- Online courses
The coronavirus has opened many eyes to the online space, people are now turning online for knowledge. Online courses are the new ways people learn.
Since almost everyone is turning online for knowledge, you can build on that.
Create an online course that helps people learn something. It could be a video course or an audio course.
There are plenty of platforms that can help you host your online courses, do a little research.
- Videos
Help people become better by making a tutorial video or teaching them something via video and sell it. Your video might be series of videos that helps them one video at a time or it could be one video that you sell over and over again.
You do not necessarily have to show your face but if you are comfortable with showing it, please do. It is important to make your videos valuable and transform lives. People pay for transformation.
- Audios
Perhaps you do not know that podcasts can be monetized. If talking is a strength for you, you can make audios and teach people something they want to learn.
I think I might try this soon.
- Membership sites
Whenever I talk about membership sites, one person always come into my mind. Mark Manson.
He has a blog where he writes mind-blowing articles about life, success, and other cool stuff. He makes some of his contents free and then there are some that are exclusive to members.
There are many membership sites online and you too can create such sites. People would pay as long as you have great content on it.
- Templates
In today’s world, people are looking for quick ways to do things. They want to spend the least possible amount of time on tasks.
So, if you can take your time to create templates that would help people achieve whatever they want, you are in business.
A template is a ready to use digital product that people download and all they have to do is edit it instead of creating something new from scratch.
You can create design templates, CV templates, or even Instagram post templates.
- Printables
Printables are downloadable materials that you can download and print yourself. Some people create printables to sell them.
You can design calendars, dairies, journals, planners, even quotes so that people can print them and use.
If you want to really make sales with printables, you have to be able to create beautiful printables that would attract people.
2. Become a coach
Another good online business that you can start is to offer coaching services. Coaching is a very lucrative business and it opens door to other opportunities like speaking gigs.
A coach is someone that holds your hand and shows you how to move from a point A to B whether using their own experience or their knowledge.
So you do not need to be an expert to become a coach, as long as you can guide someone on how to achieve something that they want to achieve. There are many chronic illness coaches online helping people with chronic illness live better.
Maybe you have been able to solve a problem that have been affecting you, you can help other people going through that problem solve theirs and you get paid.
3. Become an affiliate Marketer
Have you ever recommended a product or service to someone and the person uses that product or service just because you recommended it?
Well, if yes, I bet you didn’t get paid for promoting that product.
In affiliate marketing, you get paid a certain commission whenever someone uses a product or service based on your recommendation.
There are many affiliate programs online, in fact almost every huge company have affiliate programs because they want to make more sales.
If you want to become an affiliate marketer,
Sign up for an affiliate program (could be Amazon, Clickbank, Bluehost, etc.)
After signing up, you would be given a link which is your affiliate link. This link is what you promote and when people buy anything using this link, you get a commission.
It’s that easy.
4. Become a freelancer
Freelancers are now in almost every industry. You can start a freelancing business and you do not even need a dim to get started.
Although there are freelancing sites that you can find jobs like Problogger, Freelancer, Fiverr, and Upwork you can as well connect directly to your client instead of using third parties like these sites.
One disadvantage of using third-party sites is that you have to pay them a commission after every completed job and that reduces your profit.
The good news is that you can do without them. You can do business directly with clients.
Here are some tips
- Identify your skill
- Identify who needs that skill
- Contact them directly (cold pitch), letting them know how you can help them
- Contact many more
- Be patient
5. Start a YouTube channel
You can also start a YouTube channel especially if you are comfortable in front of a camera. Even if you are not, you can learn. It’s all about self-awareness.
You can start a YouTube channel on any topic or niche. Just pick a topic, start making videos, and build an audience then look for ways to monetize. There are different ways to monetize on YouTube.
We might talk about YouTube later (if you want), for now let’s see another online business idea for people living with chronic illness.
6. Become a social media influencer
Social media influencing is now a career that you should try out if you love being on social media. Influencers are people like you and I. Nothing should stop you if you want to be one.
Here are some tips
- Pick a niche
If you want to be an influencer, you have to start with a niche. Something you want people to know you for. Your niche will determine the type of content that you will be putting out.
Don’t worry, you can start with any niche as long as you are passionate about it. There are influencers who are chronic illness influencers. I’ll list some of my Instagram favorite soon.
- Pick a platform
It is not nice for you to be active on every social media platform, it might wear you off quickly. So pick one or two platforms that you love and move to the next point.
- Start creating content
Start creating ‘interesting’ content around that niche. This will make people know you for that topic. Your content also is what will attract your audience (that is, people who are interested in your content).
- Be authentic
There is plenty of competition on social media, don’t try to compare yourself to someone else. Be authentic, and share your vulnerability. That way, people would love you for who are you.
- Stay consistent and be patient
I think consistency and patience are underrated. Social media influencing requires you to build an audience that trusts you so much and trust is built on consistency,
The more you show up, the more people see you and have you on their minds. Plus be patient, it doesn’t happen in a week or a month. Sometimes it takes years.
I know people will tell you that you can become an influencer in ten days or six months but I will tell you that every journey is different. You should enjoy the process of getting there more than getting there.
Forgive me, I love Instagram and I use it too much so,
Here are some Instagram chronic illness influencers that you might like to follow
I wrote a post on how to learn how to build a personal brand on Instagram, make sure to read it.
7. Become a blogger
The last online business idea for people living with a chronic illness is to start a blog.
A blog is like an online diary where you share whatever you wish using text, video, or audio. As a blogger, you are in control of your blog and you can post any type of content.
If you are ready to start a blog, read this post. I shared everything you need to know about starting a blog in it.
The most recommended online business idea for people living with chronic illness
You might have figured out the online business I would recommend but if you haven’t, it is creating a digital product.
Creating a digital product gives you the opportunity to create once and sell it multiple times. That is, you can create just one ebook and sell it as many times as you wish. The same thing goes for other digital products like videos, templates, and co.
All you need to do is figure out a problem and figure out the solution. The solution might be something you’ve read or something you have experienced yourself.
Package this solution into a digital product. It could be writing it out as a guide (eBook) or making a video demonstrating it or recording yourself, it could even be a blog like this where you give access to premium content for a price.
You don’t have to be an expert to solve a problem, we all have problems and we need solution to them. Another thing that is great about creating digital product is that you don’t have to spend a dime.
For instance, you can start an Instagram account that helps sickle cell warriors love themselves (you’re solving a problem). You create your digital product and then create free contents that would make your audience (sickle cell warriors) buy your digital product.
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Conclusion on online business ideas for people living with chronic illness
I believe online business is the best option to make money for people living with chronic illness especially if you live with sickle cell disorder which does not like stress.
You want a job less stressful but with lots of potential to make money.
I hope these online business ideas for people living with chronic illness would inspire you to start an online business. If you need help or have any questions, feel free to drop it in the comment section.
If not, then you should share this and wait for another part of the make money online series that I will write next week.
Say hi to me on Instagram and also join the ambitious warrior Facebook group.