Are you ready to trade your 9-5 for a lifestyle business?
Then you’ve come to the right place.
Today, I’ll show you exactly how to start a lifestyle business that lets you quit your job for good and create a more flexible and fulfilling life.
Plus, I’ll even give you some lifestyle business ideas!
Ready to get started?
Let’s go!
Biggest takeaways:
- A lifestyle business can help you build the type of life YOU want to live (including the freedom, flexibility, and impact that you want)
- Choose the right business model to start a lifestyle business – one that offers you the type of life you want (coaching, consulting, and freelancing are such businesses)
- Identify what existing skills you can use to find a niche and start your business
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6-Figure Coaching Business so you can achieve more freedom!
What is a lifestyle business?
A lifestyle business is built around your passions and generates enough income to support the lifestyle you want to live rather than the typical 9-5 lifestyle.
In other words: A lifestyle business lets you earn money while living a life you love.
What that life looks like is different for everyone.
Some people focus on creating a lifestyle business that gives them greater flexibility or work-life balance.
For example, I launched my lifestyle business because I wanted to have more time for spending time with my family.
And because they’re becoming increasingly online-based, a lifestyle business can definitely give you those things.
Here are a few examples of a lifestyle business:
- Coaching
- Blogging
- Content creation
- Course creation
- Freelancing
So how exactly does a lifestyle business compare to other types of businesses? I’ll tell you in the next section, so keep reading!
What is the difference between a lifestyle business and other types of businesses?
A lifestyle business might sound like a small business or startup, but there are some key differences.
For example, a lifestyle business:
- Doesn’t rely on investors
- Has low startup costs
- Can be built while working a full-time job (like a side hustle)
- Isn’t location-dependent, which means you can work from anywhere
On the other hand, small businesses and startups have high startup costs: Owners spend an average of $40,000 in the first year alone!
Plus, small businesses and startups can’t be built while you’re working a full-time job the way a lifestyle business can.
They require a lot of time and effort on your part – 53% of founders work at least 60 hours a week to get their businesses off the ground.
Let’s take a look at some of the other differences between a lifestyle business, a small business, and a startup:
| Lifestyle Business | Small Business | Startup | |
| Investors | No | Sometimes | Yes |
| Costs | Low | High | High |
| Earning potential | High | High | High |
| Time commitment | Low | High | High |
| Side hustle potential | Yes | Sometimes | No |
| Location-dependent | No | Yes | Sometimes |
| Scalable | Sometimes | Yes | Yes |
| Employees | No | Yes | Yes |
Keep reading to learn about the benefits of running a lifestyle business.
What are the benefits of starting a lifestyle business?
There are several benefits of starting a lifestyle business.
Let’s take a closer look at each one.
- Fulfillment: A lifestyle business allows you to infuse your work with your personal mission, interests, and passions, which creates a more purpose-driven lifestyle.
- Freedom and flexibility: Creating a lifestyle business means leaving your 9-5 schedule behind and creating one that works for you.
- Ownership and autonomy: You get to take greater ownership of your own life when running a lifestyle business. When you’re behind the wheel, you can make business decisions and set your own goals – which is something that employees don’t get to experience. Plus, when you get to shape a business around what you want, you feel a deeper sense of ownership over your work and its impact on your clients’ lives.
- Lower startup costs: One of the best things about a lifestyle business is that it doesn’t cost much to start. In fact, some low-cost lifestyle business ideas can cost $1,000 or less to launch. And you can do it while working a full-time job. That’s something I’ve done!
Have I convinced you to start a lifestyle business yet?
I’ll share the best lifestyle business ideas next, so keep reading.
10 best lifestyle business ideas to try
The best thing about a lifestyle business is that there’s one for any passion you have, from writing and photography to working out and creating content.
Let’s take a look at the best lifestyle business ideas:
1. Coaching
Becoming a coach is one of my favorite lifestyle business ideas.
Why do I love it so much?
Because you get to use your skills to help people reach their goals in something you’re passionate about.
And there’s a coaching niche for anything you love, including:
- Family coaching
- Life coaching
- Business coaching
- Health coaching
- Spirituality coaching
Take Anna, for example.
Her passion for helping others succeed in their careers inspired her to become a career and executive coach.
Want to learn more about coaching?
I’ll show you how to launch a coaching business on the side in just a few hours a week in this video:
2. Consulting
If you’re interested in showing businesses exactly how to reach their goals, consulting might be the lifestyle business for you.
You just need experience in the field you’re consulting on.
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6-Figure Coaching Business so you can achieve more freedom!
For example, in my first online business, I consulted for small business owners using the digital advertising skills I’d acquired at my 9-5 job.
But you can be a consultant in several industries, not just business.
That includes:
- HR
- Sales
- Construction
- PR
- Career
My client Mara is a law school consultant. And she helps students create powerful applications to get them into their dream schools.
Is there a field you could consult on? If so, that could be the lifestyle business for you.
3. Online course creator
Chances are, you’re passionate about something you’re good at.
And if you can teach other people to do it, you can package that knowledge and sell it in an evergreen online course!
I’ve seen online courses for everything, including relationships, cooking, and even designing small spaces – which makes course creation a true lifestyle business.
Take Jasmine, for instance.
She uses her experience in the animation industry and sells courses that teach people to become 3D artists.
Even better, courses are highly scalable and, once complete, are a great way to establish passive income.
On average, longer courses are priced anywhere from $1,000 to $3,000.
You just need the right idea, which I’ll help you find in this guide.
4. Subscriptions
If you have very specific knowledge, you might want to consider building a lifestyle business with a subscription model.
In a subscription model, you share your knowledge for a membership fee.
There are a few ways to do it:
- Physical newsletter
- Password-protect WordPress site
- Facebook group
However, getting customers to fork out on membership fees can be challenging, so try to tailor your products or services so customers can see that it’s really worth their while.
5. Blogging
Blogging is one of the most low-cost lifestyle business ideas out there.
You just need an internet connection, domain name, and web hosting service.
But competition is steep – there are 600 million blogs worldwide and 32 million bloggers in America alone.
So, while you can blog about any of your passions, you need a really unique selling point.
Here are some blog ideas to get you started.
6. Virtual assistant
Becoming a virtual assistant is a great lifestyle business idea if you’re interested in helping online businesses with marketing, email management, or other administrative tasks.
There’s also a huge demand for virtual assistants – two-thirds of business owners have hired one in the last three years.
A great place to search for virtual assistant jobs is Upwork. There, you’ll find more than 145,000 clients!
7. Freelance writing
Freelance writing is a great lifestyle business option for anyone with writing experience, an internet connection, and a computer.
Every industry needs content – which is why it can be so lucrative.
Freelance writers can work on things like:
- Copywriting
- SEO writing
- Content writing
- Ghostwriting
- Resume writing
On average, freelance writers make over $65,000 per year, but you can always make more depending on your niche and the number of projects you take on.
Thousands of jobs are posted across online job boards, but I recommend joining Upwork to find writing opportunites.
Get the Ultimate Guide
for building a
6-Figure Coaching Business so you can achieve more freedom!
8. Content creator
We’ve talked about blogging, but content creation is another lifestyle business that works around your schedule.
A content creator can help business owners with their content strategy, ensuring they attract the right audience and achieve business goals.
In this kind of role, content creators produce blog posts, videos, social media posts, and more for their clients.
Alternatively…
You can produce content for your own social media platforms and make money through ads and brand partnerships!
9. Fitness instructor
If fitness is a big part of your life, why not turn it into a lifestyle business?
As a fitness instructor, you’ll help clients reach their health goals by teaching proper exercise form and creating effective workout plans.
You don’t have to work in a gym or have a certification to do it, either (though a certification is helpful).
Many fitness instructors train their clients remotely, which I’ll teach you to do in this guide.
10. Photographer
This is a great lifestyle business for anyone with a creative eye or passion for capturing special moments.
All you need is a camera and a profitable niche, like portrait, newborn, or wedding photography.
The best part?
You can do it in your spare time, which means you can build this lifestyle business around your current lifestyle.
Ready to start your lifestyle business but aren’t sure where to start?
I’ll tell you how to do it in the next section, so keep reading!
How to start a successful lifestyle business from scratch
Now you have some lifestyle business ideas, let’s get into how you start one.
You can build a six-figure lifestyle business, even without business experience!
1. Find a business idea
As you’ve just seen, there are many lifestyle business ideas out there.
You just have to find the one you’re most knowledgeable and passionate about. And then it’s time to productize it.
I’ll show you how in this video:
Coaching and consulting are the best lifestyle business ideas, but they’re not the only ones.
Come up with yours by asking yourself questions around your likes and dislikes, problems you can solve, and so on.
Action steps:
✅ Identify skills you already have and that are in demand
✅ Narrow down your list to one idea you want to explore
2. Identify your niche
A lifestyle business needs a niche.
Who can benefit from your services? Whose problems can you solve? That’s your niche.
I’ll show you how to find yours in this video:
But you’ll have to do some market research to figure out if it’s profitable.
Market research helps you:
- Figure out if your idea is profitable
- Understand the market
- Get to know your audience
- Learn what works
It sounds daunting, but it’s as simple as reading online forums, getting involved on social media, and connecting with your network.
Action steps:
✅ Find your audience of potential clients who are able and willing to pay for your services
✅ Understand who your potential clients are by talking to them
3. Set up your business
One of the most important parts of starting a lifestyle business is checking everything on your business checklist.
That starts with deciding whether to operate as a limited liability company (LLC) or sole proprietorship.
I recommend choosing the easiest business structure – you can always change it later!
Learn more about business structures here.
Then, look into registering your business name with the state and local government.
You might not have to if you use your name for the business, but you’ll need to check.
Depending on your niche, you might also need a license or certification.
Finally, some entrepreneurs create a business plan for their lifestyle business.
It’s not necessary, but if you want to create one, keep it simple – a one-page plan works just fine.
Get the Ultimate Guide
for building a
6-Figure Coaching Business so you can achieve more freedom!
Action steps:
✅ Research local business regulations to understand what steps you need to take to set up your business
✅ Choose a business structure
4. Get your first client
Knowing where to find your first paying client is the most important part of starting your lifestyle business.
But…
Don’t focus on future clients yet.
Instead, think about getting the next one and focus only on the tasks that will help you do it.
Otherwise, you’ll sabotage yourself!
Hear more in this video:
With that covered, here’s where to find your first lifestyle business client.
Your network: Don’t be afraid to ask your personal and professional networks if anyone could use your services.
Social media: Figure out which social media networks your ideal clients spend time on and get active on them.
But don’t try to sell your service right away – instead, focus on building relationships and establishing yourself as a trusted source.
Relevant publications: Getting involved with podcasts, blogs, and websites that your audience interacts with is a great way to promote your lifestyle business.
Hear more in this video:
Action steps:
✅ Publish a quick note on a social platform like LinkedIn to let your network know about your new business
✅ Send an email to people in your network who might be interested in your services and let them personally know about your new business
What’s next?
There you have it!
A complete guide to launching a lifestyle business, plus the best lifestyle business ideas.
Are you ready to trade your 9-5 job for a lifestyle business that’s fulfilling, flexible, and, most importantly, FUN?
I’ll teach you how to do it, step-by-step, in my free business blueprint:
Want to Build a 6-Figure Coaching Business So You Can Achieve More Freedom?
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Read more:
How to Start and Run a One-Person Business
