10 Location Independent Business Ideas

Running a location independent business offers you a work-life balance – and a lifestyle – unmatched by anything else – especially the life-deferred 9-to-5 (more likely 6-to-9 to many entrepreneurs, a.k.a. working 15 hours a day, often 7 days a week with no vacation!)

Essentially, there is NO business that can’t be transformed into location independent business. However, there are obviously some business ideas that are easier to turn into reality than the rest. If you planning to start a business right now, it’s a perfect time for you to plan for your business to be location-independent-enabled.

This article will shed some lights into the location independence possibilities offered by certain type of businesses, allowing you to manage your business whenever you want, wherever you are.

10 business ideas you can run anytime, anywhere

Typically web-based and requiring you to own a mobile device and have access to the Internet, here are 10 location independent business ideas for you:

1. Online Tutoring business

Either as a self-employed business owner or running a business employing online tutors, you can easily establish an online tutoring business. Typically language tutoring, you can hire local people to teach online students their language. Things are typically done online via Skype – so you can virtually “bring” your business with you traveling the world, if you want.

2. Blogging as a business

Blogging should be fun. But if you can take that a step further, you can run your blog as a business: You can sell your own services/products via your blog, make money from advertising, selling affiliate products and more. If you are a passionate digital nomad traveling to many places, you can start a travel blog and generate revenue. In fact, you can blog about anything – just make sure that you are passionate (and knowledgeable) about the topics.

3. Graphic and Web design/development business

If you have an eye for design, you can offer your graphic and/or web design services to clients worldwide while, perhaps, sipping a martini in a resort or learning Thai boxing (just like Tim Ferriss did.) The choice is yours – literally! If you are also a skilled programmer or know a good programmer to partner with, you can branch out to offering website development to clients.

4. Internet marketing business

As long as the Internet exists, Internet marketing will always be on demand, despite the competition. You can establish an Internet marketing agency helping clients’ business to gain visibility on the Internet – you can offer social media marketing, link building, article marketing, ad brokerage and many other Internet-based services.

5. Virtual assistant business

Typically self-employed, you can help clients with everything they need in getting their job done. You can help them with their schedules, answering calls for them, do research and even write reports for them. Yes, you can help your clients while enjoying the beach in Bali. Now that’s what I call work-life balance!

6. Social media management business

Are you living on Facebook and Twitter longer than you live in the real world? You can start this business easily: Managing social media campaigns for clients. You can offer services to help your clients engage fans and followers, as well as acquiring new ones. Social media is being touted as something that could beat search engines in term of getting people to visit clients’ websites and – eventually – buy their products and services – so this is the business of the future… and you can run it in location independent manner, too!

7. Copywriting and article writing business

Loves writing? You can turn your passion into a real location independent business: Creating sales copies, writing website content, writing articles/blog posts, etc. – all can be done while you are living 1000 miles away from your hometown – a laptop/tablet and an Internet connection are all what you need to serve clients with outstanding writing quality!

8. Consulting business

Are you an IT pro, lawyer, architect, etc.? You can leave everything behind and embark on an adventure – and put your expertise to use by establishing a consulting business. Consulting can be done via email, Skype, video chat, etc. – tech is literally at your fingertip!

9. Outsourcing business

Also my personal favorite, establishing an outsourcing business means you are bridging between service providers and clients. When you stay over a period of time in a region, you will most likely to meet with local people, including local business people. If you are currently living in an English-speaking country, like the Philippines and India, you can start a business and hire local people to help you establish an outsourcing business, and market to clients in the US, UK or other lucrative markets.

10. Software/app development business

If you are an avid programmer, you can build business apps for your clients anywhere you want. As your service is in demand – thanks to data explosion (the big data trends,) cloud computing technology and mobile tech trends – I’m in doubt that you will experience project shortage.

Bonus idea: Travel agency business

If you are a proper digital nomad who has traveled to many places in the world, you can start a travel agency business. You have the local knowledge, as well as available travel deals. Alternatively, you could partner with sites like Agoda.com and Apartments.com to offer accommodation deals and make hefty commissions.

So, how about you? Any location independent business ideas to share?

Image by Jerry Bunkers / Flickr

Tags: business ideas, location independent business

About the Author

Ivan Widjaya A mobile entrepreneur who loves to work anytime, anywhere he wants. He runs several popular business blogs, make money online and live a geoarbitrage lifestyle. He typically works at home and travel with his family when he wants to, often without his business.