Introverts are often seen as shy and introspective people. They are often misunderstood because of their quiet nature. But they can also be very observant, have a deep understanding of the human psyche, and have great ideas for businesses.
“Without great solitude no serious work is possible.”
Pablo Picasso
In this article, I will talk about 12 low-cost business ideas for introverts. I am introverted myself and have tested several of these business ideas myself (marked 🌟) so I know they have potential. (I’ve also shared the lessons I learned to help you. Keep a look out for the highlighted boxes!
What Kind of Business is Best Fit for Introverts?
Introverts do better in businesses where:
Introverts should avoid businesses where:
Because Introverts prefer solitude, they are likely to excel at tasks that require intense focus. Moreover, it is often difficult for introverts to be assertive. So you might want to do something which will require you to manage a large team.
If you have to sell anything to customers directly, it will also exhaust you as an introvert.
Taking these into account, I personally think online businesses or solo small businesses are best suited for introverts.
An online business is a great option for introverts as most communication can be done through text and on your own time. You can also do networking online and use intermediary platforms to sell services or products. Online businesses are also easy to scale with tech and can be run as solo shows.
Here are my top online business ideas for introverts.
1. Sell Personalized Jewelry 🌟
I wanted to start the list with a non-obvious idea – selling personalized jewelry.
Before you roll your eyes, thinking “Hey Nav, you can’t seriously expect me to start a jewelry business online!” Listen to what I have to say.
I am not talking about luxury gold necklaces.
I am talking about beautiful handmade necklaces, pendants, and keychains. Wrapped in pretty boxes and shipped with personal messages.
These are the kind of thoughtful gifts that are within most people’s budgets and do really well around festivals and special days (like mother’s day).
The best part? You do not have to make the actual jewelry yourself. You can use a Print On Demand service called Shine On. Their talented artists create these pieces by hand, in their US factory.
You won’t find this idea listed on many (if any) other websites because simply not many people know about this. But it has extremely high-profit margins (per unit sold).
This means two things for you – if you get into this now, there is potential to earn well without much competition.
2. Dropshipping
Dropshipping is a business model where a customer orders on your website and a third-party service ships the product directly to them.
You do not have to maintain any inventory of products yourself at any point. You only have to create an online store where customers can place orders. Third parties will fulfill these orders.
You can use Shopify to create a dropshipping store. It also allows you to directly integrate with a third-party supplier. You do not have to talk to a real person at any time. Everything happens from your Shopify dashboard. Orders come in, you approve them, and make a payment to your supplier app (from Shopify itself). The supplier fulfills the order.
Hottest dropshipping items right now:
You can hunt for profitable dropshipping products at sites like Alibaba, Tiktok, and Instagram. Also, keep an eye on Google trends to capitalize on hot trends.Here, again the bulk of your investment will go towards advertising online.
3. Print On Demand 🌟
Print On Demand is like dropshipping but for clothes, pillows, carpets, cups, etc. Print on Demand websites allow you to upload designs or art that they will print on their products like cups, wall art, t-shirts, etc, and ship to your customers. Nothing is printed until an order is placed. That’s why it is called Print on Demand.
You can make a design in Canva and upload it to sites like Red Bubble. Both are completely free.
You can also use Printful (a POD service) which integrates with Shopify stores (paid).
If someone likes a product with your design and places an order, you will receive the profit margin in your account.
Best selling Print On Demand products:
If you sell on Redbubble or Teespring, you only need to upload the design on their site. There are no hosting or store opening costs involved. They take a commission from each sale. That’s it.Cost: $0
4. Selling Art Online 🌟
Introverts spend a lot of time by themselves in calm places. Is it a surprise that most of them have a creative streak?
Do you like making art as a way to wind down? Why not put it on Etsy or Amazon?
You can try selling:
It does expose your art to potential trolls but with comment moderation, you can control what to see. Besides, 99% of the comments are always supportive. You can choose to focus on your fans!
You can run ads on Instagram. But, the strategy I used was to simply upload my artwork on a page and build an organic following. You earn money through art commissions. There are also websites where you can upload your art and people can buy printed versions of your art (like Print-on-demand).
5. Online Bakery
During the pandemic, a lot of businesses moved online. Bakeries were one of them. Starting an online Bakery can be quite profitable because you can sell to customers all over the country. You don’t have to be limited to your town or city.
(I did freelance writing for one such online business, during the pandemic. They were making $2000-$3000/month selling cookies and cakes!)
Here are a few tips to succeed as an online baker:
Baked items which have good margins:
6. Blogging 🌟
This is the path I am following. Although my primary goal is to talk about things that excite me, blogging can be a good way to make a decent income online. If you establish yourself as an authority in your niche, you can make some really good money.
How can you make money blogging?
Some famous bloggers have shared income reports with millions of dollars yearly in revenue. Subtract the hosting costs and content writing costs (most big blogs have a team of writers), you will be left with incredible profit margins!
But it is better to keep expectations realistic. Median income from blogging is typically in the range of $1000-5,000 monthly for small blogs (roughly 10k visitors per month). It is highly dependent on the niche you choose.
However, once you rank on Google’s first page for any topic and start getting traffic, it is pretty much exponential growth from there on. $10k has the potential to become $100k monthly if you get the niche right.
Unique niche Ideas with good earning potential and low competition:
You really have to be patient with this and choose the right niche before you see profits. The upside is that the investment required is equivalent to a few Starbucks. A 200-300% return on average is a pretty good deal. Compare that to real estate!
7. Copywriting Agency
Do you love writing? Are you blessed with empathy? (Most introverts are!) You can identify customers’ pain points and write stellar sales copy for products that solve those problems.
Copywriting is perfect for introverts because:
8. Ghostwriting Agency
Another business choice for those of us who love writing can be ghostwriting. Every business needs content but the founders might not have the time to produce it themselves. A lot of authors also need help with their books. You can provide such services if you don’t mind being anonymous.
On the plus side, the money is extremely lucrative. Ghostwriters can demand high prices as they are not being credited as authors anywhere.
You can do ghostwriting for:
9. Web Development 🌟
(I have done this. It has the quickest ROI and you can charge high rates like $50 per hour)
Every business is going online. In fact, you are reading an article about starting an online business. Why not start a business of taking others online?
Web development is a technical skill that requires self-study. Once you master it, you can create a portfolio of websites to show clients. Once you get a few clients, you can ask them to refer more people, thus bringing you business.
Admittedly, this involves talking to people 1-1 but it is still not very “sales” oriented. If you can make beautiful-looking websites, your portfolio is all you need. There is not much convincing left to do. If you do not like the approach of finding clients locally, run Google ads targeting brick-and-mortar businesses looking for a web presence.
You can also grow your business by learning:
A lot of businesses need these kinds of services which you can provide. Often the requirements are fixed and these tools have a standard way of doing things. Most communication can be done via e-mails.
10. Develop Mobile Apps
(White label apps i.e custom apps can sell for $70k-$100k)
Similar to website development, mobile apps can also have a high return on investment.
Firstly, you can create mobile apps for others. Almost every business needs one to grow. Here are a few potential businesses you can approach to get the initial clients:
Even if you score can one or two such clients, you will be set for several months. Moreover, like with web development, your code can be reused by you in several projects. So you don’t have to put in the same effort as you had to do at the start. Most clients will only need small cosmetic changes (a taxi cab service app in Montana is not going to be very different from the one in Brooklyn).
Good app development agencies are hard to find, so if you build a good reputation, money will keep rolling in!
11. Graphic Design Agency
If you are a highly visual person, you can do graphic designing for other companies. Good logos can be extremely valuable and with any creative work, there is no limit on how much you can charge.
Tips for getting started with graphic design:
12. Sell Online Courses
If you are good at something, why not teach it? Learners are increasingly preferring online courses to pick up in-demand skills and are ready to pay big sums for one on one tutoring. Classroom teaching might be on the decline but online teaching is a market ripe for taking.
Why teach online?
If you choose to sell online courses instead of teaching live, it can also become a great passive income stream. You do have to put in a lot of work and research in making the course but once it is finished you can reap the benefits for a long time.
What can you teach?
What Next?
I hope you found my list of unique business ideas for introverts useful and insightful. My final tip would be to thoroughly research your competition and how you can differentiate yourself before you start an online business. Remember, the more saturated a niche is, the more value you need to provide to differentiate yourself.
However, if you keep the customer’s needs above all else, you will find success in your ventures. As an introvert, capitalize on your strengths like empathy, focus, and creativity.
I wish fellow introverts all the best on their entrepreneurship journey.
FAQs
What business can I start with no experience?
Starting a business with no skills can be daunting, but there are many options available. One of the most popular is to become a virtual assistant (you will be able to work from home). This involves providing administrative and organizational services to clients remotely. You don’t need any special qualifications or experience to get started, just basic computer skills and an understanding of how to use the internet.
Another option is to become a freelance writer or editor. You can write articles for websites, magazines, or blogs, or even edit existing content for clients. Again, you don’t need any special qualifications or experience; all you need is good writing skills and the ability to research topics quickly and accurately.
If you have good listening skills and fast typing speed, you can start to provide transcription services. A lot of YouTubers need captioning for their videos which is accurate.
Finally, if you have some creative flair, you could consider starting your own online store selling handmade items such as jewelry or clothing. All you need is an eye for design and the ability to market your products effectively on social media platforms like Instagram or Pinterest. With no skills required, these are just a few of the many business opportunities available to those looking to start their own venture without any prior knowledge or experience.
Can introverts do well in business?
Yes, an introvert can be good at business. Introverts tend to be more analytical and detail-oriented, which can be beneficial in the business world. They are also often excellent problem solvers and can think of creative solutions to difficult problems. Additionally, introverts are often very independent and self-motivated, which is a great asset when it comes to running a successful business. They may not be as outgoing as extroverts, but they can still make strong connections with customers and colleagues through their thoughtful communication skills. With their focus on quality over quantity, introverts can make a positive impact on any business venture they choose to pursue.
Several introverts are billionaires. Businessmen like Larry Page, Warren Buffet, Bill Gates, and Mark Zuckerberg are popular examples. Introverts thrive in technical businesses where they can work behind the scenes.
Should an introvert start a business?
Starting a business can be a great way for an introvert to express their creativity and make money, but it can also be quite daunting. It takes a lot of hard work and dedication to get a business off the ground, and introverts may find that the process of networking and marketing their product or service is difficult. However, with careful planning and research into what kind of business would best suit their skillset, an introvert can find success in starting their own business. They should also consider taking advantage of online resources such as social media platforms to reach potential customers without having to leave the comfort of their own homes. With enough determination and perseverance, an introvert can make their dream of owning a successful business come true.
If you are passionate about a business idea, don’t give up on your dreams just because you are an introvert. You can find methods to balance networking and “extroverted activities” while taking time to recharge. If there are deeper issues of social anxiety, you could try therapy.
What are some offline business ideas for introverts?
You could open a print shop, florist shop, or an antique shop, etc. These are somewhat laid back and relaxing. An introverted businessman on Reddit shared that he has found good success with a parking lot litter cleanup business. He likes working in the peaceful morning hours.
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