10 Best Online Business Ideas for South Africans

10 Best Online Business Ideas for South Africans

If you have been searching tirelessly for online business ideas from home in South Africa, then you’ve ended up at the right place. 

In this post, we will provide you with some great business ideas you can do online with little to no capital needed to get started. 

We’ll also hand out some handy tips for creating a business online.

Now let's begin!

Best Online Business Ideas You Can Do from Home

1. Create and Sell Online Courses

If you’re an expert in a particular area and love teaching. You can create a course about it and sell it on marketplaces like Gumroad or platforms like Udemy, or Skillshare.

This is great if you’ve mastered a certain skill and are looking to share your insights with people starting in your field.

The best part is you get to set your prices for each course so you have full control over pricing.

To gain customers you can market your courses on Social media or your website. 

2. Craft Handmade Art to Sell

Good at using your hands and love arts? Then this online business idea is perfect for you. Craft and sell your goods online to customers in South Africa, and even abroad once you’re fully stable. People love good ornaments made with love.

You can create items like:

• Wall art e.g paintings

• Jewelry

• Tote bags

• Scented Candles

• Keychains

• Handmade soaps and bath bombs

• Picture frames

You can sell your handicrafts on Handmade Hub, Mokisi, Shopify, or on your website.

Start small and see what works and what doesn’t. Market your crafts on social media platforms like Instagram and Pinterest to attract customers and make a profit.

3. Develop Apps 

People love downloading and using apps. So if you’re tech savvy you should build mobile apps that’ll have value and will appeal to users.

For example, you can develop Apps for Hotels, approach hotel managers on Linkedin, and pitch your idea to them. 

With apps, you can make money through:

• Affiliate links

• In-app Advertising

• Sponsorships

• In-app purchases

To design your app, you can make use of free app builders like Google Appsheet, Glide, and Zoho Creator.

You can browse around the web to find a builder that suits your needs and skill set.

4. Launch a Podcast Channel

Launching a podcast in South Africa is easy. All you have to do is decide on your niche, and what you want to talk about on your show. After that, you pick a name for a podcast. Once you’ve done that you can select the format of your podcast channel.

Will it be a solo show, will you interview other people, have group sessions, etc, things like that? 

To run a podcast channel you’ll need the following equipment:

• Good microphone

• Headphones

• Recording and editing software

With a podcast channel, you can earn through paid subscriptions, sponsorships, and by selling physical products.

To gain followers or listeners, promoting your podcast on social media is the way to go.  

Another method is to make your podcast syndicated so that platforms like Apple Store, Spotify, Overcast, etc can distribute your segments on their platforms.

5. Print on Demand Business

Another one on our list of online business ideas is print-on-demand. How does this one work? If you have amazing graphic design skills then you use those arts to sell items like T-shirts, hoodies, mugs, stickers, socks, etc. 

But here’s the thing, none of these items will be in your possession! 

Confused? Let me clear it up for you. When you run a print-on-demand business, you’ll create cool designs, place them on mock items, and then platforms like Amazon Merch on Demand will print and ship that item for you. This can only happen once there is a sale.

So, if no one buys anything from your online store, then nothing is made. That’s why it’s called print on demand. Items are only printed out when someone wants them. 

To come up with design ideas you can view boards on Pinterest for inspiration. But do not copy as that is a crime and some drawings are copyright-protected. 

Not artistic but want to give this a try? 

Then you can hire a graphic designer on Fivver, Upwork, or 99Designs to do all that creative work for you. 

Once you have the mock-ups ready you can remote your stuff on marketplaces like eBay and Esty. Or even e-commerce platforms such as Woocommerce and Shopify.

6. Personalized Gifts

People love gifts. Better yet, they adore their names. So selling items with people's names is another small online business you can attempt from home.  

Create gift baskets with personalized products and sell them on your website, or promote them on visual platforms like Instagram and TikTok.

This may be a bit costly to start, however personalized items are in demand. 

All you have to do is pick your niche or area of specialization and take it from there.

7. Sell Crochet Items Online

Our fourth to last suggestion on this list of online business ideas is selling crochet items. Crochet items are on the rise and everyone’s trying to get their hands on these items.

If you’re an expert at using yarn and needle sticks. You should consider making and selling crochet items such as:

• Blankets

• Tops

• Dresses

• Socks

• Gloves

• Phone cases

And sell them on Etsy, Ko-fi, Ribblr, or on your social media platforms.

8. Start a Consultancy Business 

Ever been called a know-it-all? Then is your chance to earn from your knowledge. Get paid to give useful and helpful advice to businesses to better their sales and boost profits from the comfort of your own home.

To become an online consultant you need to:

• Choose an area you’re a subject matter in

• Get certified as this will make you stand out and gain customers' trust

• Create a website displaying your consultancy services

• Look for clients and approach them through cold emails or direct messages on LinkedIn. 

9. Sell Books on Amazon KDP

If you love sharing your insights then this will be great for you. Just like with Print on Demand, when you craft books to sell on Amazon KDP.Amazon KDP will distribute your book for you at a low cost.

You can create low-content books for kids or adults such as coloring books or activity books using:

• ChatGPT - to generate ideas

• Canva - for creating book covers and inner pages

• Image AI generators like Leonardo AI for image-based worksheets

Since there are many of these low-content books on the market. Make sure you do your research thoroughly to design better and useful books for your customers. Take them to plan and execute each book.

Once the books are published on Amazon KDP you can promote them on social media.

10. Sell Homemade Perfumes

Everyone loves scents. That's a given. So if you’re gifted at knowing how to make perfumes. You can make a few bottles and sell them to people online. 

If you’re interested in starting this small business but aren’t sure how to make a perfume at home.

You can watch a couple of beginner videos on YouTube to gain the skills and knowledge. From there onwards you can get started.

Top Tips for Starting a Small Business Online

Starting a business is not easy, nor is maintaining one. As such, we will give you some tips you can try out to make your process as smooth as possible.

1. Go over your idea a few times and assess it thoroughly before going ahead with it

2. Do your market research

3. Create a business plan

4. Decide on a name

5. Go through all the legalities

6. Build a website and optimize it for SEO (Search Engine Optimization.)

7. Have a premarketing plan and promote your business before the official launch to get the word out 

Conclusion

Starting an online business is a great idea to show off your talents and make a profit. But before you can begin, it’s best to market research and cross out all your i’s and t’s.

All the best with your new business.