Welcome to HotJobsWeb, and a couple of the many 50 business ideas that I’ve tried have made me millions. Today, I’m going to share some of over 50 business ideas that I’ve tried and which three made the most money.
We’ll go through Amazon FBA, niche sites, flipping items online, faceless YouTube channels, Facebook pages and more. I’ve tried them all. And more importantly, you’ll learn why the act of trying dozens of different ideas can help you find big success.
I made my first $1 online way back in 2004 selling books and clothing on eBay. I thought buying used items at thrift stores and selling on eBay was going to make me rich. It didn’t.
I tried designing and selling water fountains. It failed. In fact, my handmade prototype with materials that I purchased at Home Depot never even worked. I almost started a swimming pool business, but my partners dropped out. Never mind. I quit.
In 2006, I launched my first blog in the finance space because I have a background in finance. I made my first Google AdSense money and affiliate sales from that website, but it was pretty much a failure—making less than $500 a year.
I tried starting a website like Cash Create where I would essentially pay people to do surveys or complete affiliate offers. Surprise! That idea failed too. But it did make a few hundred.
All of these ideas up to this point cost me less than $100 each or so to start. I was just trying random ideas that only required some hustle and minimal investment on my part. I was married with three small children under the age of five in 2008, so I didn’t have much time or money to invest. I was working full-time in banking and trying to hustle after the kids went to bed.
I tried creating an ebook for people with credit problems. And that failed. I spammed Yahoo Answers and forums to try and get people to come to my websites. That failed.
Between 2005 and 2009, I essentially tried a dozen different ideas. I felt like a failure. But what I didn’t realise was that I was setting the habit of pulling the trigger quickly when I had a new idea. Some people call this shiny object syndrome. But trying things quickly has become one of my greatest strengths.
Niche Sites: My First Big Win
Around 2009, I had a couple of small niche websites I had randomly tried to see if I could rank in Google for just one keyword. I bought keyword-rich domains and tried to rank for “worm farms” and “buffalo nickels” on two different sites.
Starting these two niche sites on a whim and with an investment of just my time writing articles, $10 for the domains, and $5 per month for hosting changed my life. These sites didn’t make me millions but made around $100/month each. That got the wheel spinning.
What if I tried to create a bunch of these small niche sites?
That’s what I did for the next two years. By 2011, I was making around $20,000/month from Google AdSense from these sites. So niche sites was my first big success from the 50 business ideas.
Longtail Pro: My Second Win
Now I had a small nest egg. I took about $2,500 and invested in a programmer to build a beta version of a keyword research tool. This became Longtail Pro. The early version was buggy, but people were buying.
I made my $2,500 back in two months after sharing it on the Warrior Forum and a small email list. Then I made a big investment—$155,000—and hired a new developer to really make Longtail Pro great.
I hustled for the next five years and was netting $50,000/month before I sold it for $1.8 million. That’s win number two.
Amazon FBA: The Pillow Flop That Didn’t Flop
I started selling Amazon FBA products. Several flopped. But eventually, I created and sold different types of pillows that were a big hit.
I sold that Amazon FBA pillow business for $425,000. That’s win number three in my list of 50 business ideas.
I also:
- Started a podcast (now making money passively).
- Tried Facebook pages (one makes $3,500/month).
- Tried a faceless YouTube channel (first one failed, second one gets 20k views/month).
- Created a WordPress plugin (Link Whisper, now a full-time business).
What’s The Lesson Here?
If you’re thinking of starting a business, just try it.
- Most businesses cost under $100 to test.
- Watch a few YouTube videos.
- Build a small version.
- Don’t wait for the perfect idea.
Trying fast beats researching forever.
I’ve never taken a course. No paid mentorship. I’m not even a software developer. My background is in banking.
If I can do this with three kids, no time, and zero tech skills—so can you.
FAQs
How can I choose the better business idea for me?
Try several. See which one sticks. The goal is to test quickly and cheaply.
Do I need to take a course to start?
Nope. Most of what you need is free on YouTube.
How much money do I need to get started?
Less than $100 in many cases.
What is the most profitable idea among your 50 business ideas?
Longtail Pro, which I sold for $1.8 million.
Is Amazon FBA still worth trying?
Yes, but be prepared to fail a few times before hitting it big.
