Veterans often look at the unemployment numbers and labour market they face and feel dismayed. They think about what is required just to be noticed in today’s job market, including experience and education, and wince. Many people, however, make a living selling products and services online without actually producing anything themselves.
Most of these business ventures rely on marketing and require some digital skills in order to get them off the ground but, done right and invested with enough time and a little bit of money, these entrepreneurial efforts can turn into profitable long-term projects. With that in mind, below are three such online business ideas for vets, what they involve and how to approach them.
Table of Contents
Dropshipping
Dropshipping is a method of order fulfilment that allows businesses to send items without having to keep an inventory. As a drop shipper, you advertise and sell the product, and when a purchase is made, that order is passed onto a third-party supplier, who then sends the item to the customer. Dropshipping can be a great online business to start as a veteran because of its low start-up costs, scalability, location flexibility and time-saving.
Profitable drop shipping niches include health and personal care, office products, home and bedroom, gaming, camera and phone accessories, wardrobe and accessories, tools and home improvement and various others. With some time and perseverance, dropshipping can become a nice side hustle and potentially even a full-time job.
Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing is similar to drop shipping in that you are not actually selling a product that you physically own or hold, but rather marketing and selling on behalf of someone else. Amazon has the largest and most widely used affiliate program, but there are myriad affiliate program alternatives and marketing opportunities out there. The way it works is, you build a website and then offer the products you are interested in selling as an affiliate.
Typically your website is built around a particular niche (e.g., camping gear or gaming equipment), and you then write keyword-optimized ranking articles that explain the products and link to the website they are sold from. If someone purchases a product through your affiliate link, you get a share of the same.
YouTube Channel
Many veterans also choose to start YouTube channels following their discharge from the military and find great success this way. Veteran YouTube channels can be centred around mental health, tips and advice for veterans trying to find jobs, or reviewing things like tactical and outdoor gear. YouTube channels can be monetized through advertising as well as affiliate links to the products you are reviewing that you feature in the video descriptions.
Conclusion
Many veterans leave the military and are immediately dismayed by the labour market they face. Others return to home towns that are far from major economic centres, and therefore job opportunities, and struggle to find meaningful employment. The internet provides a workaround for those vets struggling to land a job or those who would rather try their hand at running their own business. Keep the above three online business ideas in mind, and what starts out as a side hustle could eventually morph into a full-time, well-paying online venture.
About Carson Derrow
