tierincome
Business model

Freelance / consulting business ideas

Solo expertise sold by the hour, day, or project. Ceiling is your time × rate.

Read the full guide: how the freelance / consulting model works →

Other business models

Subscription Marketplace Affiliate Agency Freelance Physical Digital Content Licensing Real estate Lending Trading Other

5 ideas

<$100 Other

Solo Consulting / Freelancing

The fastest active-income path on this site — and the one that funds every passive idea after it. Honest about being trade-time-for-money but compounds your network and skills.

Passivity
2/10
Time to first $
1-4 weeks
<$100 Other

Online tutoring (Preply, Outschool, iTalki, direct)

Teach a specific skill 1-on-1 or in small groups via online marketplaces or direct platforms. The only category on this site with effectively zero capital floor.

Passivity
1/10
Time to first $
1-4 weeks
<$100 Other

Twitter / LinkedIn ghostwriting for B2B founders

Write Twitter/X and LinkedIn content for B2B founders, executives, and operators. $3-15K/month per client; high-margin B2B service with capital floor near zero.

Passivity
2/10
Time to first $
2-6 weeks
$100–1K Other

Fractional executive — selling senior expertise part-time

Sell 5-15 hours/week of CTO / CMO / CFO / COO-level experience to multiple companies simultaneously. The highest-leverage online services category for senior operators.

Passivity
2/10
Time to first $
4-10 weeks
<$100 Other

eBook and book ghostwriting for executives and thought leaders

Write full-length books for executives and founders who want a published book as a brand asset. $20-100K per project; different unit economics from social-media ghostwriting.

Passivity
1/10
Time to first $
6-12 weeks