The 8 digital nomad business ideas in 2024 are:
- Local lead generation
- Freelance writing and content creation
- Digital marketing consulting
- Course creation and online education
- Influencer marketing
- Social media management
- Digital product sales
- Virtual assistance
Many individuals are venturing into digital nomad businesses because of their flexibility. You can earn money while going to different places. According to Pumble, 18% of digital nomads are freelancers, while 16% are startup founders. Digital nomadism became popular in the 21st century. This is because of the rise of remote work setups and technology. It paved the way for aspiring entrepreneurs to establish a location-independent business.
A digital nomad is a person who works or runs a business while traveling. Most of them live in countries with a lower cost of living. This allows them to earn money in a stronger currency. All they need is a laptop and an internet connection. Statista reveals that digital nomads prefer countries like the US, Spain, and Thailand.
Benny Lewis is the founder of the "Fluent in 3 Months" method. He makes money as a digital nomad by offering language learning resources. His website provides language courses, books, articles, and more. Benny helps people learn new languages while sustaining his nomadic lifestyle.
According to Forbes, the digital nomad community experienced a 131% growth from 2019 to 2022. This business model gained more traction during the COVID-19 pandemic. It offered more benefits than working full-time. The advantages of a digital nomad business are:
You can make money as a digital nomad, given you have the knowledge, skills, and networks. Some people start their business while working at a regular job. Others rely on their savings to kick-start their online business. Citizen Remote states that digital nomads earn $50,000 to $123,000 yearly on average. Some popular digital nomad businesses include blogging, e-commerce, and YouTube channel monetization.
These Reddit users reveal making $4,000 to over $8,000 monthly as digital nomads. They also live in Asia to cut back on living costs.
Digital nomad businesses are profitable because of their scalability. You can grow your business by creating more products or services. Plus, some models generate recurring revenue like the one I'm doing now. I've been making a 5-figure passive income monthly for over 10 years.
However, it's important to learn about each business model and its revenue potential. Today, we'll explore the top 8 digital nomad business ideas in 2024. We'll also dive into their income range and real-life success stories.
1. Local Lead Generation ($500 to $2,000 per site)
Local lead gen is a business model that involves forwarding potential customers to local businesses. It is popular among digital nomads because of its geographical benefit. When you travel to other countries, you get to know what local services are in demand. This helps you choose the right market with high revenue potential. Plus, you can run your local lead gen business from any country.
Exploding Topics reveals that 97% of customers ignore cold marketing initiatives. Most businesses rely on local lead gen websites and services to secure customers. This online business model generates $500 to $2,000 per site monthly. The more sites you create, the higher your potential income will be. Some individuals even earn over $50,000 per month. To start a local lead generation digital nomad business:
One of our students quit his job after a year of doing local lead generation. Zack grew his monthly recurring income from $0 to $6,125. Many digital nomads follow this trend. They establish a profitable side hustle first before quitting their full-time job.
2. Freelance Writing and Content Creation ($4,000 to $5,000 monthly)
Freelance writing and content creation entails making content for various projects. Some digital nomads prefer this online business because of its diverse income streams. Copywriting, technical writing, and ghostwriting are the most popular services in this market. Most freelance writers set their own schedules and are output-based. This benefits digital nomads because of their lax lifestyle.
Content Marketing Institute states that around 84% of businesses outsource their content creation. Many digital nomads take advantage of this demand. This model offers $4,000 to $5,000 in monthly income on average. According to Jasper, most freelance writers earn $15 to $16 per hour. To start a freelance writing and content creation digital nomad business:
This Redditor mentions spending three months reading marketing and writing materials. By then, he made the same amount of income from his part-time job. After six months of grinding, he moved to Southeast Asia as a digital nomad. He recommends writing a good proposal and copy to land long-term clients.
3. Digital Marketing Consulting ($3,250 to $10,300 monthly)
Digital marketing consulting is a growing business niche for digital nomads. It offers competitive rates and high market demand. Plus, you get to choose the clients you work with. You can scale your potential earnings by taking on more business consultancy deals. Some famous services include conversion rate optimization, email marketing, and SEO.
According to Plerdy, businesses allot 72% of their marketing budget to digital marketing. Brands globally will need experts who are knowledgeable in formulating impactful strategies. Digital marketing consultancy businesses generate $7,560 in average revenue per month. Entry-level consultants make around $3,700 monthly. Tenured ones earn around $10,200 per month. To start a digital marketing consulting digital nomad business:
This Reddit user is a digital marketing consulting nomad from Australia. He's traveled to Spain, Thailand, the U.S., and France. He has specialized in SEO and search engine marketing services for over 15 years. This Redditor recommends taking on clients from companies you've worked with before. It also helps to create passive income from ads and affiliate websites.
4. Course Creation and Online Education ($1,000 to $10,000 monthly)
Course creation and online coaching are gaining popularity among many digital nomads. It's because it provides opportunities to resell courses repeatedly. This creates recurring passive income. Digital nomads can also create communities and promote their services wherever they visit. Some of them even develop unique perspectives and skills during their travels. The most in-demand course creation niches are personal development, entrepreneurship, and digital marketing.
Google Trends reports a 20% surge in searches for "online courses" from January 2022 to mid-2024. Many individuals, businesspersons, and companies are seeking digital courses. StreamingVideoProvider reveals that course creators make between $1,000 and $10,000 monthly. Beginners earn around $5,000 to $25,000 yearly. Established ones make $100,000 to over $1 million per year. To start a course creation and online education digital nomad business:
Louise Moyse, also known as Digital Nomad Girl, is a Udemy Instructor. She teaches revenue generation, course creation, and passive side hustles. Louise earned around $30,000 during her first two years in Udemy. Now, she has over 40 courses on different topics.
5. Influencer Marketing ($2,900 to $8,300 monthly)
Influencer marketing is a digital nomad business that involves creating social content. This model helps brands improve their online presence, engagement, and sales. Many digital nomads choose this because of its flexibility. They can do other online businesses while promoting brands. Moreover, they can use their daily travel experiences to create engaging content. Nomad influencers monetize their content through sponsorships, ads, or affiliate products.
A Linqia study found that 36% of brands rely more on influencer content than in-house content. That's why 22.4% of companies allocate 10%-20% of their marketing budget to influencer marketing (Statista). According to HypeAuditor, digital nomads in this market make $2,900 to $8,300 monthly on average. This also depends on the content type, platform, and number of followers. To start an influencer marketing digital nomad business:
Matthew Kepnes, known as Nomadic Matt, is one of the highest-paid travel bloggers in the world. He makes around $600,000 to $4.5 million yearly. His income streams include brand partnerships, travel media school, affiliate marketing, and more. Matthew is also the author of the best-selling books How to Travel the World on $50 a Day and Ten Years a Nomad: A Traveler's Journey Home.
6. Social Media Management ($2,900 to $6,600 monthly)
Many digital nomads venture into social media management because of its surging demand. You only need basic digital skills to start this business model. This includes graphic design, content creation, and post management. Plus, you can schedule and batch posts to free up more work time. Use automation tools like Hootsuite, Buffer, and Sprout Social.
DataReportal states that 94.5% of internet users globally use social media platforms. This is also the reason almost 94% of businesses maximize social media marketing (BusinessDasher). As per Brandwatch, social media management nomads earn around $2,900 to $6,600 monthly. This can go as high as $250,000 yearly for more experienced ones. To start a social media management digital nomad business:
This Redditor makes $65,000 to $82,000 per year by offering social media management services. He only works around 15 to 20 hours weekly. He does this while being a digital nomad and traveling the world.
7. Digital Product Sales ($800 to $14,000 monthly)
Selling digital products is popular among digital nomads because of its scalability. You can start with a single product and expand to other digital goods like:
Digital nomads like this business model because it requires no inventory. Plus, they don't spend on overhead costs like rent, warehousing, and many more. They just need reliable technologies, processes, and networks. For example, many e-book creators use AI to generate outlines or even entire sections. Most of them use tools like ChatGPT, Lumen5, and Copy.ai.
According to Tidio, the digital shopper population increased by 40% in the last five years. This means that there is a market for digital products globally. The income from digital goods varies. It depends on factors like product type, quality, popularity, and more. Whop reveals that digital nomads earn $800 to $14,000 monthly on average selling digital goods. To start a digital product sales business:
This Reddit user mentions selling e-books as a digital nomad. It took him three months to build a 4-figure passive income. Even with slow e-book sales, he makes around $3,500 monthly. He also suggests starting with in-demand genres like erotica and romance.
8. Virtual Assistance ($2,400 to $4,500 monthly)
Virtual assistance services are popular among digital nomads due to the increasing client base. Business owners are seeking skilled digital assistants. This business model offers remote work opportunities and flexible schedules. Plus, digital nomads have various service options they can provide. Some examples include email management, document creation, and calendar organization.
Statista reveals that around 70% of companies globally are maximizing virtual assistance services. They help businesses streamline daily operations while cutting overhead costs. According to Zippia, digital nomads who offer VA services make around $2,400 to $4,500 monthly. They earn $39,915 yearly on average. To start a virtual assistance digital nomad business:
Clare is a digital nomad who sells her virtual assistance services. She made $3,000 in her first month. Now, she caters to multiple clients while traveling with her fiancé and running her own travel blog.
Why Choose Local Lead Generation as Your Digital Nomad Business in 2024
Local lead generation is the most profitable, scalable, and sustainable digital nomad business in 2024. You can grow your monthly income by creating more niche sites. Plus, businesses pay to acquire potential customers. Other digital nomad businesses are also lucrative. They only require a laptop and an internet connection. However, the high demand for these services leads to market saturation. Starting from scratch takes a lot of time and effort.
It is worth becoming a digital nomad if you choose the right business model. Local lead generation helps you create a passive income stream that is more stable. Since it's localized, you get less competition than in global markets. You can also target different niches and multiple locations at the same time. Each website takes only 4 to 10 hours to build.
I've tried different remote business ideas in the last 10 years. But, only local lead generation fulfilled my financial and personal goals. This business model entails choosing local services and creating microsites for each one. Then, rank these sites on search engines like Google through organic marketing. Once your websites top in the SERPs, you get unlimited free leads. Sell these to local businesses and earn 85% to 95% profit margins. Each local lead gen site drives $500 to $2,000 in passive income monthly.
