As one of the biggest business hubs in the world, Hong Kong attracts a lot of international companies and startups. In the last couple of years, we’ve also seen a rise in another type of business: the ones operating from home. With more activities taking place online and lesser desire to commute, many are starting to shift their business activity online. Hence, more people are getting into starting a home-based business in Hong Kong, and we are seeing a rise of home businesses. Imagine being your own boss, ditching the nine-to-five and setting your own hours - sounds like a pretty good deal to me!
Home-based business in Hong Kong: what you need to know
If you’re looking to start and grow a business from home, you need to be tech-savvy. This is non-negotiable, and the good thing is there are plenty of resources online for you to learn from.
Familiarize yourself with things like:
- Choosing a web hosting
- Selecting a domain name
- Setting up and creating a website
You would also want to look into the steps it takes to register your business in Hong Kong.
Owning a home-based business is a cheap and efficient way to earn an income on your own terms.
Nowadays, you don’t have to have a physical store or office to be a business owner. Having a great website works as a storefront, point of sales and customer service touchpoint all in one place. By employing the use of social media, you also get to save on traditional advertising and marketing costs. Most importantly, you don't need a lot of money to start a home-based business. As a new business, you have the flexibility to set up your home business in a way that you can manage and eventually scale.
And the best thing? You don’t even need any design or coding experience to start. Once you learn to automate most of your business processes online, you’ll free up time to focus on growing and scaling your home business.
Editor’s note: Building and designing your business’ website doesn’t have to be hard work - check out these e-store templates to kickstart the process right away!
4 home-based business ideas to get you started
If you want to make money from home but don't know which businesses to go for, here are 4 popular and great ideas that you can steal and claim as your own (we won’t tell anyone, promise!).
Sell your services online
Think of a skill that you’re good at - can you write or design? Perhaps you speak multiple languages and can translate documents, or have a keen eye for proofreading.
Selling services online are simpler to do than products, especially if you’re just starting out. What’s important is to have an online presence capable of marketing your skills. This comes in the form of a website or social media pages.
Service-based businesses depend on a lot of networking and referrals to get the customers rolling in but once you’ve proven your worth, satisfied clients will most likely become recurring clients (leading to recurring income, too!).
You only need a handful of loyal, happy clients to support your business while you work from home.
Today 80% of consumers trust online reviews just as much as personal recommendations. Just like how reviews for restaurants can influence your decision on where to eat for dinner, having social proof validating how awesome your service is will definitely sway a potential client to hire you!
Once you have some happy clients under your belt, get them to write you a testimonial or review that you can display on your website. You can also show social proof through case studies or showcasing the logos of past notable clients.
Teaching online
It’s the most noble profession in the world, and now you can be a teacher without even walking out your front door!
These days you can teach just about anything online - how to fix appliances, gardening masterclasses, makeup how-tos… the possibilities are endless. Teaching is definitely a great use of your skills to help others solve their problems and learn something new.
You don’t even need to see your students everyday. Instead of holding live classes, you can create a fully downloadable course with templates, video tutorials and printable worksheets. Setting up an automated email campaign also keeps your students engaged in between classes.
This is a great means of building passive income with a home-based business in Hong Kong. You get to sell the same class over and over again at no additional effort.
Pre-recorded material means more time creating new teaching content and marketing your service.
If you want to offer both live and pre-recorded sessions, you can also offer tiered packages to your teaching services with live one-on-one calls or classes included in the most profitable tier. Your time is money, after all!
Dropshipping
If you want to start selling products instead of services, there is a way to do it without having to worry about holding inventory or shipping logistics.
Dropshipping is a great way to start a business if you’re on a tiny budget. You create an online store, source an existing product from a third-party supplier who will then fulfill packaging and shipping on their end.
Your role in a dropshipping business is to find an audience to sell to and to provide impeccable customer service.
It’s a profitable business. You don’t manufacture the products or even buy them in advance. More importantly, you don’t run the risk of placing a huge order with a supplier and then finding out no one wants to buy your stuff.
You can find an exhaustive list of products from all over the world to start selling on your online store. Of course, the best place to start looking is right here in Hong Kong on AliBaba’s dropshipping platform.
Related: 5 Steps To Take Your E-Commerce Business To The Next Level
Print on demand
Similar to dropshipping, starting a print on demand business means you don’t pay for the product until you’ve actually sold it.
You get to customise products like t-shirts, baseball caps, posters and books. By only printing on demand, you forego the risks associated with holding inventory while still being able to make some money out of your creativity. Check out sites like Redbubble and Printify that fulfill print on demand order.
Printing on demand means you get to:
- Test out new designs to see which ones spike the most interest
- Create products customized for a niche (for example, for pet lovers or gamers)
- Sell your photography or designs online on different types of merchandise
Ready to start making money with a home-based business in Hong Kong?
Are you inspired by these new business ideas? With the internet at our fingertips, it's easier than ever to start a business online. Whether you're looking for a side hustle or full time income, there are plenty of opportunities out there that can get you started without breaking the bank!
Start by selling your skills or teaching online classes, try dropshipping or a print on demand business - all while reaching a larger audience of potential customers than anywhere else.
Ready to start? GoDaddy offers a Website Builder that’s super easy to use. There are plenty of customisable templates available so you can create a website just the way you want it, no technical expertise needed. Get your website built and your business is off to a good start!
