Looking for the best home business ideas in South Africa? Would you like to work from home in South Africa and make a living? You might not have the skills or experience necessary to do so.
But there are plenty of other business ideas out there that don’t require any formal qualifications! In this blog post, we will discuss some of the best home businesses ideas in South Africa.
Table of Contents
1). Build Passive Income with a Blog
Blogging is a great way to earn some passive income in South Africa.
If you are wondering, “what’s passive income?” It means that once your blog starts making money, there isn’t much more work for you as the blogger.
People read and share articles on the internet all day long- passively earning you some cash!
You can even build up an audience first before monetizing it if you don’t want to go straight into self-promotion right away.
Bloggers often make money by selling ad space on their site or charging monthly fees (called sponsorships) from businesses who want exposure to their readership base.
2). Become a Virtual Assistant
This is another one of the best home business ideas in South Africa. Virtual assistants are basically work-from-home personal organizers.
You can help people out with their daily errands, like booking travel plans or coordinating meetings and appointments, but you can do it online!
Virtual assistant companies typically pair up busy professionals (like business owners) with virtual assistants who have similar skill sets to match the client’s needs.
If this sounds like an interesting job for you, check out some of these top VA company websites that offer remote jobs.
You will need a computer and internet connection as well as reliable skills in using Microsoft Office programs if you want to become a virtual assistant.
The great thing about being a virtual assistant is that most employers are open to hiring newbies so don’t be afraid to apply even if you’re just starting out.
3). Become an Online Freelance Writer
Do you have a way with words?
There are plenty of websites out there that need quality writers like yourself to help them achieve their writing goals.
For example, if you love the arts and crafts or home décor industry, check out eHow!
They pay $20-40 per article depending on how much research is required for your topic.
If you are more into fashion and beauty topics (like me), then look no further than The Fashion Spot.
This site pays up to $100 for articles that discuss current trends in both fashion and beauty.
You can also consider becoming an online writer at Textbroker where they’ll assign work based on your preferences –you won’t be paid as high as what the companies mentioned above offer but it’s better than nothing.
If you are interested in submitting guest posts to popular blogs then check out these top sites that accept submissions.
Remember though, the key to getting paid as an online writer is not just by hitting up all of the websites offering writing jobs but rather finding one or two companies and sticking with them so your work can really benefit their company’s bottom line.
There are plenty more freelance opportunities available for writers who don’t mind working on a per-piece basis.
Check out Elance, Odesk, WriterAccess, or Textbroker if you’d like to find even more remote writing gigs!
Freelancing in South Africa is one of the best home business ideas in South Africa.
4). Start an Online Store
If writing isn’t your cup of tea then why not try selling things online instead?
If you have a passion for fashion, home décor items, or beauty products and services then starting an online store in South Africa might be the perfect business idea for you.
The first thing to do is register a domain name (it’s basically a website address) that matches up with what product(s) or service(s) you’re going to sell on your site.
Next, you will need to find out where these companies actually manufacture their goods so you can import them from abroad or at least connect with someone who does wholesale purchasing in bulk from those places.
You will also want to create connections with other stores that carry similar products as this way they’ll become your buyers and you’ll get the chance to earn a commission on every sale which can be pretty great!
Online stores in South Africa are definitely not “get rich quick schemes” but if you work hard at them, they will eventually pay off.
Make sure that your site is up-to-date with professional photos of your products (take pictures yourself or hire someone for $50) and include detailed descriptions about what makes each product special (you don’t want customers feeling like they wasted their money).
Also, make sure you are charging competitive prices since some online shoppers tend to always look out for sales and coupon codes before making purchase decisions.
If you need help in this area then check out my eCommerce article here.
5). Start a print-on-demand business
This is another one of the best home business ideas in South Africa. Have you ever heard of CafePress? It’s an online store that offers personalized products like mugs, magnets, clothing, and more.
If creating your own inventory sounds too stressful then why not try a print-on-demand business instead?
You can simply design unique images or designs on websites such as Zazzle, Spreadshirt, or RedBubble.
They’ll take care of the printing and shipping for you so all you have to do is sit back and watch them bring in money 24/hrs a day!
As with starting any type of business though, it takes time before things really start paying off but if done right these sites will eventually become reliable sources of income once people begin recognizing your name.
6). Teach online classes
If you’re a teacher then this is one of the most in-demand home business ideas that can help your income grow while letting you work in the comfort of your own place.
All it takes to get started teaching online classes is having high-speed internet access and being very passionate about a particular topic (can be anything from art, cooking, gardening, or even how to repair cars).
In order for students to register for your class(es), they will have to visit Udemy, Skillshare, or Teachable which are all good platforms where teachers can upload their courses and earn money every month just by helping people learn something new.
Once set up with an account, each company will offer detailed instructions on what types of courses must be submitted along with payment rates.
Don’t forget to check out Udemy Coupon Codes for discounts on all courses!
Tutoring is one of the most profitable home business ideas in South Africa.
7). Purchase an existing eCommerce business
If you want to try something new but don’t know where to start, then why not consider purchasing an existing eCommerce business in South Africa?
It definitely takes some time and effort before such a venture can be profitable though so make sure that you research the industry thoroughly in order to find out if it’s really worth your money.
Once done with this step, check out Empire Flippers, BizQuest, or Go Big Network which are all websites where people list their online businesses for sale at affordable prices.
Another option is buying from eBay but I would only recommend trying that method after first using one of the above-mentioned companies since they tend to offer more protection against scams (plus they review each listing by hand).
All sites also provide helpful educational material on how to manage your acquisitions.
Wrapping up the best home business ideas in South Africa
There are many more home business ideas that can be done from the comfort of your own place but these six mentioned above were some of the most popular ones I found online.
Remember, if you are starting a side hustle then make sure it’s something you’ll enjoy since otherwise, it will feel like too much hard work and before you know it, motivation will start dwindling down…which obviously means less money in your pocket at the end of each month which is definitely not what we want!
There are plenty of other ways to earn extra income from home in South Africa without having to go into debt though.
As such, just keep this list handy next time one pops up in conversation with someone who’d want to access home business ideas in South Africa.