In a world where time is increasingly valuable, passive income has become an attractive option, especially for young adults looking to diversify their earnings. One of the most appealing avenues to achieve this is through businesses that run themselves. These “hands-off” business models operate with minimal day-to-day involvement, allowing you to earn consistently without active management.
In this guide, we’ll explore the types of businesses that can generate passive income and require little maintenance.
“Businesses that run themselves” are designed to generate revenue with limited daily input. This approach is appealing to people who want to supplement their income without a significant time commitment. The idea is to leverage automation, outsourcing, or low-maintenance systems to keep operations smooth while you focus on other priorities.
These businesses are especially beneficial for:
Passive income is money earned with little or no active effort once the initial setup is complete. Unlike traditional jobs, where income is directly tied to the hours you work, passive income streams allow you to generate money even when you’re not actively involved. These income sources often come from investments, rental properties, or businesses designed to operate autonomously.
Passive income can create financial stability and freedom by enabling you to earn passive income over time. Whether through rental payments, automated sales, or ad revenue, the potential for steady income without active involvement is what makes passive income so desirable.
Online businesses are increasingly popular due to their flexibility, scalability, and global reach. These types of businesses are particularly appealing to individuals seeking passive income or side hustles.
By leveraging automation, outsourcing, or hands-off models, online businesses can generate revenue with minimal daily involvement. Let’s explore some of the most popular online business ideas that can run with little ongoing effort.
Affiliate marketing involves promoting products or services and earning a commission for each sale made through your unique link. Successful affiliate marketers, like Pat Flynn and Michelle Schroeder-Gardner have built substantial income by promoting products that resonate with their audience. To succeed, choose high-quality products in a niche you’re passionate about.
How it works:
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Beginner Tips:
Start with affiliate programs related to your interests, such as Amazon Associates or niche-specific programs.
Focus on creating valuable, authentic content that genuinely helps your audience and naturally incorporates the products you promote.
Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) allows you to sell products while Amazon handles storage, packing, and shipping. It’s a great option if you want to avoid managing inventory. This business model enables you to source products at a low cost, ship them to Amazon’s fulfillment centers, and earn profit without needing physical storage.
How it works:
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Beginner Tips:
Start small and focus on a specific product niche that has demand but limited competition.
Use Amazon’s tools to analyze pricing, customer reviews, and competition to make informed decisions about which products to sell.
Dropshipping is a business model that allows you to earn a steady income and sell products online, and you don’t even have to own the products physically.
A dropshipping business, one of the businesses that run themselves, is a steady income stream that requires little effort on your part. This model is popular because it requires minimal upfront investment and no warehousing.
A customer orders from you, you contact the supplier of the product (local businesses or larger companies), they ship it from their storage facility, and both you and the supplier make money!
How do you make money selling someone else’s products? You market the products, and for that, you get to add a profit margin to the original cost of each product. After a successful sale, you earn the difference between the original price and the price with the profit margin.
How it works:
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Beginner Tips:
Use platforms like Shopify or WooCommerce to set up your online store.
Work with trusted suppliers, as customer satisfaction is key to building a successful dropshipping business.
Nowadays, it’s quite common for people of various age become YouTube creators. What’s great about this kind of side hustle is that a YouTube channel requires as much effort as you’re willing to put in.
In 2022, the average YouTuber made around $1,154 weekly and around $4,616 monthly. That’s more than some people make in a month at their full-time jobs!
Create video content, monetize it through ads, and earn money based on views. Successful channels generate income through ads, sponsorships, and memberships. By consistently creating valuable content, you can build a loyal audience that generates passive income as your videos attract more viewers over time.
Create an account, choose what videos you’ll create, and start filming! From makeup tutorials to personal finance advice, all your interests are welcome on YouTube. The sooner you start, the sooner your YouTube channel will take off!
How it works:
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Beginner Tips:
Pick a niche you’re passionate about (fitness, gaming, finance, cooking, etc.).
Focus on high-quality, engaging content that’s both entertaining and informative. Use SEO strategies for titles and descriptions to ensure your videos are discoverable.
A brick-and-mortar can be a successful business, but it doesn’t run itself. If you want to own a store that brings you passive income, an online store for digital products is the right solution!
An online business requires minimal effort, most of which is to create your own website and perform upkeep to ensure it keeps running smoothly.
Trying to decide what to sell? Numerous online businesses offer digital products, ranging from music, and art, online courses, stock photos or videos, software, online plug-ins, video games, online books, and more. Digital products have a high profit margin and, once created, require minimal upkeep.
If you’re passionate about digital commerce, online commerce businesses that run themselves with minimal effort will bring you passive income for years to come!
How it works:
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Beginner Tips:
Use platforms like Gumroad, Etsy, or your own website to sell.
Focus on creating high-quality, in-demand products like budgeting planners, photography presets, or educational materials.
Are you a pro at knitting, cooking, or programming? Do you have a degree in Math, Biology, History, English, or any other subject? Put that knowledge to use by creating online courses!
Create an online course on platforms like Udemy, Teachable, or Skillshare. Once created, courses can sell passively to students worldwide, creating consistent income from new enrollments.
To get started, you’ll need to identify a niche or topic you know and are passionate about.
After you’ve chosen a topic for your online course, you can begin to categorize your knowledge and develop engaging content such as video lectures, quizzes, and informative PDF files.
Break down complex concepts into easy-to-understand knowledge bites and share your wisdom through online courses!
How it works:
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Beginner Tips:
Focus on topics you are passionate about and have expertise in.
Invest time in creating engaging video lectures and quizzes that offer valuable learning experiences.
If you’re a photographer, selling stock photos can be a lucrative passive income stream. Stock photography websites like Shutterstock, Adobe Stock, and iStock allow photographers to upload high-quality images that people can purchase for various uses, from business presentations to social media and website content.
Once your images are uploaded and approved, you’ll earn royalties each time someone downloads one of your photos. This model works well for photographers because, once uploaded, the images can generate income repeatedly over time.
How it works:
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Beginner Tips:
Focus on versatile subjects like landscapes, business settings, and lifestyle images.
Upload regularly to build a diverse portfolio and increase the chances of downloads.
Creating a mobile app is a potentially high-reward business model that, once launched, can yield passive income through ads, in-app purchases, or subscription fees. The process involves developing an app that provides utility, entertainment, or solves a common problem for users.
With successful monetization strategies, such as integrating ad networks like AdMob or AppLovin, app developers can earn ongoing revenue as users engage with the app. Popular categories include gaming, fitness, productivity, and finance, where user engagement can be high.
How it works:
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Beginner Tips:
Focus on a profitable niche like fitness or productivity.
Use ad networks like AdMob or AppLovin to monetize your app.
AI blogging uses advanced content generation tools, such as Jasper or Copy.ai, to create articles, blog posts, and other written content automatically. This model is ideal for entrepreneurs who want to scale content production without spending hours writing or hiring a team of writers.
Once the blog is set up with AI-driven tools, you can monetize through ads, affiliate marketing, or product sales, generating a steady stream of passive income as your content attracts traffic.
How it works:
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Beginner Tips:
Use AI tools like Jasper or Copy.ai for quick content generation.
Focus on SEO-friendly content to drive traffic.
Monetize with affiliate links and ads for added revenue.
With YouTube automation channels, you can create a steady stream of content without being involved in every upload. Automation tools allow you to schedule video releases, manage audience engagement, and optimize your channel for ad revenue.
This model is especially effective for channels with evergreen content, like tutorials, compilations, or reviews, where audience engagement continues long after each video is posted.
How it works:
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Beginner Tips:
Pick a niche with consistent demand like tech or lifestyle content.
Automate video posting with tools like TubeBuddy or Hootsuite.
Focus on SEO for video titles, descriptions, and tags to boost discoverability.
Monetize with ads and affiliate links for extra income.
Offline passive income businesses often require a higher initial investment but can yield consistent returns with relatively little ongoing maintenance. These businesses provide steady, reliable income streams and are perfect for those looking to generate revenue with minimal hands-on involvement.
Let’s take a closer look at some of the most popular offline businesses that can run themselves.
Owning a vending machine business or an ATM side hustle allows you to earn with minimal upkeep. These businesses thrive in high-traffic locations like schools, malls, airports, or corporate offices, where people are constantly looking for a quick snack or cash withdrawal.
With the right setup, your vending machines or ATMs can generate a steady cash flow with little to no daily involvement.
Pros:
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Beginner Tips:
Research popular locations: Look for high-traffic areas like malls, office buildings, schools, or gyms. The more people passing by, the better.
Start small: Begin with a single machine to gauge the demand and gradually expand.
Focus on high-margin items: Snacks, beverages, and phone accessories are great products for vending machines, offering a solid profit margin with high demand.
A laundromat is another excellent offline passive income business. These businesses typically require minimal staff, as customers operate the machines themselves. Laundromats can run 24/7, providing consistent income with little daily involvement. The convenience and necessity of clean clothes ensure steady customer traffic, making laundromats a reliable investment.
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Location is key: Choose a location with high foot traffic, such as near residential areas, universities, or apartment complexes.
Automated payment systems: Use cashless or automated payment options to reduce the need for staff and ensure smooth operations.
Offer extra services: Vending machines for detergent, snacks, or even dry cleaning services can generate additional income.
Automated car washes allow customers to wash their vehicles without the need for staff. This car wash business is ideal for generating passive income, as it often operates with minimal intervention, especially when automated payment systems are in place. Self-service car washes can be a great investment in busy locations where car ownership is high.
Pros:
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Beginner Tips:
Choose busy locations: Locations near highways, malls, or busy residential areas are ideal for maximizing traffic.
Install automated payment systems: Offer cashless payment options and consider eco-friendly water recycling to minimize operational costs.
Storage units provide rental space for personal and business storage. With the rise of e-commerce and moving services, the demand for storage is increasing. Automated systems allow renters to access units independently, and with minimal maintenance, this business can generate consistent, long-term income.
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Beginner Tips:
Choose a prime location: Ensure the property is in a high-demand area, such as near major highways or residential neighborhoods.
Implement online payment systems: Enable online payments for convenience and to reduce in-person management requirements.
Owning parking spaces, especially in busy areas like city centers or event venues, can be an incredibly lucrative investment. Automated ticketing and payment systems reduce the need for on-site staff, allowing you to collect parking fees passively.
Pros:
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Beginner Tips:
Focus on prime locations: Look for areas with high foot traffic and consistent demand, such as near busy commercial districts or transportation hubs.
Offer monthly subscriptions: Consider offering monthly parking passes to ensure consistent income from regular customers.
Rental properties are one of the most well-established passive income businesses. Renting residential or commercial properties provides a steady income stream through rent payments. Property management services can help automate much of the day-to-day operations, making it a relatively hands-off investment.
Pros:
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Beginner Tips:
Location, location, location: Choose properties in areas with high demand, such as near universities, businesses, or tourist attractions.
Consider property management: Use property management companies to handle tenant relations, maintenance, and rent collection for a more hands-off approach.
Renting out items for parties and events—such as tents, chairs, tables, and bounce houses—is another great self-running business opportunity. Once the equipment is purchased, the business requires minimal effort to operate, as customers handle most of the setup and return.
Pros:
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Beginner Tips:
Start with popular items: Invest in high-demand rental equipment, like tables, chairs, and tents.
Focus on local events: Market your services to local event planners, schools, and community centers for more frequent rentals.
Print-on-demand is a business model where products like T-shirts, mugs, and posters are sold online without holding inventory. You only print and ship items as they are sold, reducing upfront costs and inventory management.
Pros:
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Beginner Tips:
Use platforms like Shopify or Etsy: These platforms allow you to set up an online store easily and integrate with print-on-demand services like Printful or Printify.
Focus on niche designs: Stand out by offering unique and trendy designs to attract a loyal customer base.
Ready to take control of your financial future? Starting a self-running business is easier than ever, thanks to online and offline opportunities. Explore various options, assess your skills, and start small. You can even pair your new business with passive income apps like Honeygain to increase your earnings.
Whether you choose any of the suggested online businesses, vending machines business, advertising a company on your car, or other businesses that run themselves, this is your chance to collect money without much effort!
While your business kicks off, consider adding an additional automated revenue layer through the Honeygain SDK. If you run a mobile app, desktop software, or digital platform, you can integrate the SDK to monetize user traffic in the background without disrupting user experience.
Here’s how it works – you integrate the Honeygain SDK into your product. With user consent, network traffic is securely routed for legitimate data use cases such as market research and web intelligence. In return, you generate recurring revenue based on usage. No inventory, no support overhead, no daily management – just an additional monetization stream that runs alongside your core business model.
A business that can run itself uses automation, delegated tasks, or low-maintenance systems to operate with minimal daily involvement from the owner while still generating consistent revenue.
You can reach $1000 per month through scalable models like affiliate marketing, digital products, rental income, or monetized apps, but it requires strong setup, traffic, and consistent optimization.
It’s commonly referred to as a self-running business, automated business, or passive income business. These models rely on systems rather than constant owner involvement.
Service-light or automated models such as digital products, affiliate websites, vending machines, or storage units are typically easier to manage once properly set up.