22 Business Ideas For Introverts: Great Ways to Earn Being Self-Employed

Entrepreneurship is not just limited to those who are outgoing and love being around lots of other people. There are a ton of great business ideas for introverts who are looking for a way to make money without having to deal with people. 

If you're not the outgoing type or suffer from social anxiety, the idea of jumping into the service sector could be exceptionally daunting. Luckily, you don't have to grit your teeth and get out there just because you want to make some money. The good news is that we've made a comprehensive list of the best business ideas for introverts so you can start your own business and earn in ways that you're comfortable. 

Best Businesses For Introverts

If the thought of negotiating with customers all day long makes your palms sweat, don't worry.

Some of the most successful entrepreneurs in the world actually identify as introverts. Basically, this means that they struggle with having to deal with face-to-face interactions on a daily basis. Most introverts feel like they are socially awkward or simply have a hard time summoning the energy it takes to interact with people every day. 

Yet, successful business owners know that personality types don't need to get in the way of scratching that entrepreneurial itch. There are plenty of introverted entrepreneurs that have found creative ways of earning money and enjoy working alone (and there are even great jobs for introverts that can help you test the waters). 

For the most part, introverts thrive when they can work alone or with limited interaction. With that in mind, let's take a closer look at some of the best business ideas for introverts so you can get started on your own business plan and start bringing in extra cash.

Niche Sites

Building niche sites can be a great low cost business idea.

For one, you don't need to invest money to get started. For another, you get to limit the actual social interaction involved. Plus, at the end of it you've got a source of passive income or a web asset to sell later on. 

Decide on a niche that you enjoy (if possible think of something that you already have extensive knowledge on). Then, create your own blog, monetize with ads and affiliate marketing, and work on growing it.

We've got a great article on how to look at blogging as a full time business to help you understand how you can turn it into your day job.

Reselling Sneakers

Reselling shoes might sound odd, but it's a form of online arbitrage that offers some fantastic opportunities. 

It's all about buying low and then selling for a higher price. This is a great option for introverts that are already well versed in the world of collectible sneakers. Having some knowledge about what you might be able to push for a higher profit means you'll be able to hit the ground running when it's time to start selling. 

You'll want to think about the best platforms to sell online and how to find clients, but the most important thing is having an eye for the right item.

The great thing about reselling sneakers is you don't need any kind of formal education to get started. Plus, you can run everything from the comfort of your home, the dream of introverted entrepreneurs everywhere. 

Reselling Concert Tickets

A lot of the best business ideas for introverts revolve around selling or reselling things online. This is because the Internet acts as a nice buffer between having to actually interact with people directly.  For most introverts, online interaction is a lot less taxing than face-to-face.

Flipping tickets is a profitable way to connect fans with tickets they couldn't get otherwise. 

The benefit is that you get to make a nice profit on the side. 

Fans get what they want, events venues don't get embarrassed by empty seats, and you have a business that is 100% done online. 

Junk Removal Business

Working from home doesn't necessarily have to mean working from home. Lots of introverted entrepreneurs still like to get outside or do something physical. 

If that's the case then you might find you're well suited to something like removals. It's the type of business that works well if you are comfortable with at least a little bit of conversation. Many introverts find they still need some social interaction but like to be able to control and limit that if they need to. 

To find clients, you can start in a specific area (ideally close to home), and as you connect with more people you can grow and start catering to other areas too.

Whether in cities or rural areas, this is a service that is always in need. The client talks to you about what they need, you settle on price and service, and then you're left alone to load the truck. 

It's profitable but straightforward work that's very helpful.

Writing Service

You don't have to have a bachelor's degree in English to be a good writer (and languages in general are one of the most useless degrees). If you're passionate about writing, or even just a strong typist, there are actually lots of low cost business ideas you can try out.

To build a successful business as a writer all you really need is a good internet connection and a working computer. From there, the world is your oyster.

We already talked about starting your own niche website or blog, but if that's not your thing you can make money writing content for other people. 

Depending on what you're looking for, you can work on content mills like Textbroker or work for a handful of sites regularly as a freelancer. 

Ultimately, writing is one of the best business opportunities for an introverted entrepreneur. There are lots of different avenues you can explore like transcription services or a data entry business, all of which you can take on without worrying about your social anxiety.

Editing Services

Another brilliant business idea if you want to be involved in the writing world but don't want to do the actual writing, is getting into editing.

For the most part, becoming an editor will require a bit more experience and/or formal education but it can be a great path for someone with a keen eye for spelling, grammar, or formatting. 

Plus, many businesses contract editors to go over documents or reports before they go to print or get sent out. You could even look at starting your own company and encouraging other businesses to come to you. 

It's an excellent small business idea for introverts since most communication will be via email or social media DMs.

Graphic Design

Companies and websites need logos and other types of graphics. 

Graphic artwork is a skill a lot of people need. A good graphic design artist will have no problem finding clients in the business world.

It's a great way for a shy entrepreneur to start a business, as you can do it on platforms like Upwork or Fiverr (check out how Fiverr works). 

Alternatively, you can create a website that showcases some of your designs and start hauling in the clients that way. As far as business ideas for introverts go, becoming a graphic designer is pretty much guaranteed to mean the right environment for you. Stick your headphones on and start drawing, no need to chit chat!

Specialty Photography Business

School pictures or wedding photos might be a bit too socially intensive for introverts, but that doesn't mean you can't start a photography business.

There are HUGE markets for landscape photography, stock photography, nature prints, or professional photos for real estate on sale (good images can drastically affect sales price). 

The downside is that startup costs can be pretty steep since you'll need to invest in the appropriate gear, like a good camera, lens, bag, tripod, etc. However, once you invest the initial startup costs you won't have to pay for very much else as you build your business. 

Find a niche that lets you shoot to your heart's content. Sell photos on multiple platforms to increase your chances of building a successful photography business, and make sure you look into acquiring some marketing skills to really make the most of your growth potential (and you can get started brainstorming with these photography business name ideas). 

Another self employment option might be to start a photo editing business (check out these other great self employment ideas). Instead of taking the photos yourself people can pay you to retouch or alter their photos.

Coder/Programmer

Coding is in high demand. 

Everything online runs off code, which makes this a great startup opportunity if your tech savvy and know one or several languages. 

Customizing websites, creating WordPress plugins, creating software, customizing anything online, creating phone apps – this only scratches the surface of what programming covers. 

You can even create your own video games from scratch and sell them on Steam.

The best part is, that there are literally no startup costs to get into coding. As long as you have a computer you can hit the ground running.

Website Design

Many small businesses pay a lot of money for simple but effective web design and management. 

If you're talented at website design, you can start offering your services to local businesses with either inadequate or outdated websites. Believe it or not, some companies still don't even have a website!

Specialize in a narrow niche or offer general services. Either way, there are significant business opportunities out there. 

Social Media Consultant

At first glance working with social media might not seem like a great option for introverted entrepreneurs. Nevertheless, you'll find it's actually a good fit. 

Meeting in person versus socializing online are often two very different things to many introverts. So while going out after work sounds like a lot of work, spending hours interacting with people on social media actually sounds pretty great. 

This makes being a social media consultant a natural fit. Especially for remote work entrepreneurs who enjoy talking online.

One thing lots of small business owners are looking for is someone to manage their social media. To be successful in this role it's usually important to have some great marketing skills. However, as long as you can help push online sales you'll be good to go. 

Online Tutor

This work can vary based on your style of tutoring and how draining you find video chat. 

If that's not a big deal, there is a massive demand for online tutors. Plus, the startup costs for becoming a tutor are virtually nonexistent. 

Tutoring ranges from ESL classes with small children in other countries to helping college students in a subject you're an expert in, and they're not. The qualifications you need to be an online tutor vary significantly. It usually depends on the age and country you're teaching in. 

Eventually, you can use your experiences as an online tutor to create templates, lesson plans, or online courses for passive income. In time you might want to look at starting your own online courses business. 

Life Coach

Do you have a lot of life experience and insight into what makes some succeed or what exactly holds back others? 

Are you a great motivator or great at encouraging people? 

If you answered yes to either of those questions, you might want to look into life coach training and find out if you could become a life coach. 

Many introverts are very insightful and self introspective. This makes them more adept at helping others. More often than not, introverts give great advice. 

One thing about becoming a life coach is that it does require you to interact with other people. But introversion is on a scale and some introverted entrepreneurs are happy to have some interaction. In fact, some need it to feel fulfilled. 

The good news is that if you want to start a new business as a life coach you can be in control of how many clients you take on and who you take on. This means you get to be in charge of how social you need to be in your day and what kind of people you need to socialize with. 

House Cleaning Services

House cleaning services are always in demand. 

Line up some clients, set a schedule, and let your mind wander or put on some podcasts while you go through the cleaning task. 

More often than not house cleaners come in while the homeowners are out working for the day. On occasion you'll have a client that is in while you need to get the job done but you don't need to be prepared for much more than some casual chit chat either before or after you finish. 

Plus, no technical skills are needed to be a house cleaner. Initial startup costs might be a hundred dollars or so to get all of your supplies. However, you'll be able to use the same gear for multiple gigs which means you can start earning a profit pretty quickly. 

Etsy Store

Are you the creative type who would rather stay at home and make some crafts? Especially as opposed to going out to the bar with co-workers? 

An Etsy store lets you monetize your handmade items whether you love to quilt, sew, make jewelry, hand weave baskets, or do thousands of other various crafts, (and there are also great Etsy alternatives). 

Etsy is the go-to online market for creative handcrafts. They handle processing payments, so you can just focus on crafts.

Handcrafted Jewelry

A handcrafted jewelry business is another low-cost business for introverts (and our guide on how to start a jewelry business can help you get off the ground).

You might work with silver, carve small stone, or design with wood. 

There are many ways to create unique and beautiful jewelry items that stand out and sell well on platforms like Etsy.

Other than Etsy, you can build your own ecommerce store or test selling on Amazon and eBay. 

Maybe even prepare that outgoing side of you once or twice a year for a local flea market, online flea market, or craft fair .

App Development

Apps didn't go away after bursting onto the scene around 2010.

If anything, the demand has only grown as smartphones are with us everywhere, and tablets have also moved to app-style programming to allow people to customize their online experience. 

If you learn how to create an app and have a decent idea or have many ideas and the money to hire app developers, this could be a very lucrative potential business for you.

Software Development

Why not create an actual software product? 

This can be done from the coding perspective, but someone with a great idea often hires capable coders and programmers to make their idea into a working piece of software (Long Tail Pro is just one example of this).

The startup costs can be a bit intensive up-front, but you work online with one or a couple of programmers to create a working piece of software that you then can sell.

Rental Properties

Rental properties can be a solid source of income, and this can come in different forms. 

You might buy existing properties or purchase land. Develop the latter with rental cabins or create AirBnB properties for couples looking to visit family in town.

As an introverted business owner, you would be responsible for landlord-type duties. Or you can hire a manager to cut out even that part.

Woodworking

There's just something special about good woodworking. 

This goes whether it's handmade furniture, carefully crafted decorative designs, or something in between. 

Good woodworking is as much art as precision, and if you have talent, you can make a pretty penny off the sales. If you're a woodworking hobbyist, it might be time to consider starting your own woodworking business.

There's a small amount of time talking with customers and receiving payments (unless all your sales are online). Other than that, you can really take advantage of the solitude that woodworking allows. 

Translation Services

Translation services are not the same as working as a translator. 

While translation services might not be one of the business ideas that jump to mind when you think ‘introvert-friendly,' there is a very high demand to translate books, documents, and other texts. 

You don't need to be an extrovert to translate these types of things. You can be the introverted translator who moves text and language accurately from one document to another.

Professional Flipper

Retail arbitrage is a massive business. 

Search through sales and clearance racks to buy low, and then go online and sell high. In reality, you can flip any and everything so long as it's something people really want.

You can also specialize in finding undervalued things you know a lot about:

• antique books
• furniture
• old cars

Spend a small amount of money fixing things up and then sell the improved version to make money.

Businesses For Introverts

These are 22 business ideas for introverts to help you get started. 

One of them might be the perfect fit for you, or at least get the wheels turning. Many of these are even qualify as low-cost business ideas because you can begin with little to no startup capital. 

A successful entrepreneur isn't defined by one personality type. It's all about getting an idea and doing the work. There are many business ideas for introverts that involve working online or delivering services from a distance. 

If you're more the blue-collar type, there are plenty of business ideas for introverts that require only minimal in-person contact with a customer before getting to work.

In other words, you have plenty of options. 

This list is a great place to find your ideal introvert-friendly job. Alternatively, use it as inspiration to figure out an idea of your own.

So what are your favorite business ideas for introverts? Which of these started the gears in your mind spinning? Let us know!