Building an online business from home can open a door to greater flexibility, extra income, or even a brand new career path. Whether you want a side hustle or a full-time gig, working online is one of the most effective ways to achieve success. I started freelancing almost 30 years ago when my children were little, and it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.
Let’s think about some common questions and then see how to get started. I’ll tell you a little about my website, introduce you to online business, and suggest a solution that has helped me maintain my own online presence.
- What is Home Business Haven?
- How Much Can You Really Make Doing Business Online?
- How to Get Started
- What to Expect
- Your Online Success Starts Now
What is Home Business Haven?
I’ve been a freelancer since the 1990’s, and I’ve learned a few things about working from home. I started this website in September 2025 to help other people get started at a home-based online business, and because I’ve found myself needing to pivot in my own career.
If you’re reading in 2025 or early 2026, you can see that I’m in the process of getting the website on its feet: building the sections and setting up my information so that you can find everything and decide if having a website is the right thing for you to do.
A haven is a place of opportunities and protection, someplace you can feel safe and find resources that you need. This is my goal for Home Business Haven.
How Much Can You Really Make?
The income you can generate running an online business from home really depends on your approach, your niche, and how much effort you put in. You don’t need a totally new idea. If you’re an expert in your current field, you can build an online business in that sector.
Here’s an example to help you picture the possibilities:
- Affiliate Marketing Website: An affiliate marketer recommends products through a blog, social media, or videos, and earns commissions when people buy through their links at no extra cost to the buyer. Imagine you build a website reviewing home office gadgets. If you earn $40 in commission per sale and make two or three sales a day, you could earn over $2400 every month. That’s more than $28,000 a year.
- Freelance Services: Freelancers are independent contractors who offer a service. You could write social media posts, teach a skill or a language, or design logos. Let’s say you $200 per project and complete two projects each week: you would earn $1600 a month. Freelancers can also post reviews that are pertinent to their sector and earn affiliate commissions, or monetize with ads, sponsorships, or their own products.
The big takeaway: it’s possible to earn a small side income, or much more, depending on how far you want to take it. It all comes down to your focus, drive, and willingness to keep learning.
How to Get Started
Every online business needs a website. That’s where customers can find you. Starting a website is surprisingly cheap and easy. Here’s how you do it:
- Pick a Niche: Focus on a specific topic you care about or have experience with. Your niche is your universe: it should be big enough that other people will be interested in it, but tailored to your own expertise. And you should be passionate about helping people. It could be anything from time management tips to pet supplies or fitness for busy parents.
- Set Up Your Website: I use Wealthy Affiliate for my websites. A Starter membership is free and will allow you to see if online business is right for you. You can build your own WordPress site on a free domain to start with, and then buy your own domain (which costs about $23 per year). It’s beginner-friendly, so you won’t need any special computer tech skills, and the community is devoted to helping each other succeed. If you have questions, all you have to do is ask. And I’ll be your coach. Check out the About Me page to know more.
- Create Content and Promote Your Business: You’ll learn how to write effective blog posts and product reviews, and make videos and downloadable digital products if you want. There are also specialized communities that help with SEO, PPC, and ways to monetize your website.
It takes time to learn how to build a website and develop an online business, so Wealthy Affiliate includes training for everything you’ll need. Each step you take builds momentum that can lead to an income-generating website.
What to Expect
Your results depend pretty heavily on what you put in and how willing you are to stick with it. This is not a “get rich quick” scheme! Right after you sign up, you will be learning a lot about the Wealthy Affiliate platform and about WordPress. Be patient and work steadily. Consistency is the name of the game.
As your online coach, I’ll answer your questions and help you stay motivated. You can explore the communities inside the WA platform to learn about specific areas when you need them: choose from WordPress and Web Hosting, different social media platforms, Artificial Intelligence, or one of the specialized marketing communities. Invest the time, and you’ll learn a new skill that can make things smoother and help you avoid a lot of rookie mistakes.
You’ll be encouraged to learn to use AI, but not to let it do everything for you. The world needs your authentic voice!
One of your first tasks will be to set realistic goals so you can track your progress. Decide how much money you want to aim for, and how many hours you want to dedicate to your new business or side hustle. Then, celebrate every milestone, no matter how small — it keeps your energy up for the long haul.
Your Online Success Starts Now
If you’ve read this far, then working flexible hours from your kitchen table probably sounds appealing. There’s never been a better time to start an online business than right now, and effective tools are available and easy to use. To get you started, the Wealthy Affiliate Starter account is free and no credit card is required to sign up.
This is an example of affiliate marketing in action. When you sign up, you won’t pay anything, but I will receive $1 from Wealthy Affiliate. You can test drive the platform, ask all the questions you like, and start building your own website. And you become a WA affiliate! If you discover that managing your own website isn’t what you want to do, then you can cancel your account, no questions asked.
However, if you like it and want to continue, you have a new industry at your fingertips. Wealthy Affiliate offers two membership tiers: the free Starter tier that I’ve told you about, and a comprehensive paid tier ($99 monthly or $588 yearly) that will let you grow your business as you learn at your own pace. No hidden courses or other upsells. I built my first website in 2018, and I couldn’t have done it without the support I found at WA.
Remember, nearly everyone starts small; what matters is that you take action. There’s plenty of room to make mistakes and adjust as you go. I’d like to help you, both here at Home Business Haven and at Wealthy Affiliate.