In today’s digital world, creating an automated online business has become a dream come true for many entrepreneurs. The allure of earning passive income and achieving a hands-off approach to running a business is a powerful motivator for those looking to achieve financial freedom. Automated online businesses use technology, systems, and tools to minimize human effort, allowing entrepreneurs to focus on growth, strategy, and scaling while the systems manage the day-to-day operations.
In this blog post, we’ll explore 10 examples of automated online businesses that you can start today, allowing you to leverage automation and achieve success with minimal intervention.
1. E-Commerce Stores: Dropshipping & Print on Demand
E-commerce has exploded in popularity, and two of the most automated models in this space are dropshipping and print on demand.
Dropshipping is a retail fulfillment method where the store owner doesn’t keep products in stock. Instead, when a customer orders a product, the store owner purchases it from a third party (usually a supplier or manufacturer) who ships it directly to the customer. This allows you to run an online store without worrying about inventory, packing, or shipping. The entire process—from order placement to shipping—can be fully automated using platforms like Shopify, Oberlo, and Spocket. These tools integrate with suppliers, sync inventory levels, and handle fulfillment with minimal effort from the business owner.
Print on Demand (POD) is another e-commerce model that requires no inventory or upfront costs. It involves selling custom-designed products (like t-shirts, mugs, phone cases, and more) through an online store. When a customer places an order, the POD provider prints the design on the product and ships it to the customer. Automation tools such as Printful, Printify, and Spring (formerly TeeSpring) handle production and fulfillment, while platforms like Shopify or Etsy automate the sales process.
Both dropshipping and POD businesses allow entrepreneurs to focus on marketing and customer acquisition, while the operations are handled by automated systems.
2. Affiliate Marketing Websites
Affiliate marketing is one of the simplest and most scalable automated online business models. Essentially, you promote other companies’ products or services on your website, blog, or social media, and earn a commission when someone makes a purchase using your affiliate link.
Setting up an affiliate marketing business involves building a website or blog around a niche, producing content, and placing affiliate links within your content. For example, if you’re running a fitness blog, you can include affiliate links to workout equipment or supplements that you recommend.
With the right automation tools in place, the process can be hands-off. WordPress plugins like ThirstyAffiliates automate the management of affiliate links, while platforms like Amazon Associates or ClickBank provide tools to track commissions and payments. Once your content is created and posted, it can continuously generate affiliate income as long as people keep clicking on your links.
The key to success with affiliate marketing is creating valuable content that attracts traffic and earns conversions. Tools like email marketing automation (using platforms like Mailchimp or Kit, formerly ConvertKit) can help you further engage your audience and drive sales.
3. Subscription Box Services
Subscription box businesses have gained immense popularity over the years. This business model involves curating a collection of niche products that are delivered to customers on a regular basis (weekly, monthly, or quarterly).
What makes subscription box services automated is the recurring nature of the business. Once you have established a customer base and set up an automated payment system, the bulk of the business runs on autopilot. Platforms like Cratejoy and Shopify allow you to automate order management, payments, and shipments, while third-party logistics companies (like ShipBob) handle the physical packaging and delivery.
In addition to the physical aspects, automated email marketing can help keep your subscribers engaged and informed about upcoming boxes, promotions, and product highlights. Subscription box services offer the added benefit of recurring revenue, which can be incredibly lucrative when done right.
4. Online Courses or Membership Sites
If you have expertise in a particular field, creating an online course or membership site is a fantastic way to build an automated business. With the rise of e-learning, the demand for online education has never been higher.
Platforms like Teachable, Thinkific, and Kajabi allow you to create, market, and sell online courses with ease. You can upload video lessons, quizzes, and other content, and set up automated email sequences that guide students through the course material.
Membership sites follow a similar model, offering ongoing access to premium content for a monthly or yearly fee. Whether you offer a one-time course or a subscription-based membership site, these businesses run on automation. The key is to create valuable content and marketing systems (e.g., automated sales funnels, email campaigns) that drive sales while the platform takes care of delivery and customer management.
5. Digital Product Sales: E-books, Templates, and Software
Selling digital products is one of the most straightforward and automated ways to run an online business. E-books, digital planners, templates, photography, music, and software are just a few examples of products that you can create once and sell indefinitely.
The beauty of digital products is that after the initial creation, there’s little to no involvement needed from the business owner. Tools like Gumroad, Etsy, or Shopify allow you to set up an online store, automate payment processing, and instantly deliver products to customers. This allows you to earn income while doing little to no ongoing work.
For software products, you can offer a SaaS (Software as a Service) model, where customers pay for access to your software on a subscription basis. With a SaaS product, most of the work is automated, from billing and customer support to software updates and deployment.
6. Software as a Service (SaaS)
SaaS is one of the most profitable and scalable automated business models you can pursue. With SaaS, you develop a software product that people pay to use, often on a recurring basis. Examples of successful SaaS businesses include Dropbox, Zoom, and Shopify itself.
Once you’ve developed the software (or outsourced development), you can automate user sign-ups, payments, billing, updates, and customer support. Tools like Stripe and PayPal handle payment processing, while email automation tools like Mailchimp or Kit (formerly ConvertKit) can manage customer communication.
The key to success in SaaS is identifying a pain point that your software can solve and offering it as a subscription-based service. This recurring revenue model can scale exponentially if your product becomes indispensable to your users.
7. Ad Revenue Websites: Blogging or YouTube Channels
Creating a blog or YouTube channel that generates income through ads is another excellent example of an automated online business. With this model, you create content that attracts traffic and run ads on the platform (e.g., Google AdSense for blogs or YouTube Partner Program for video creators).
The automation comes in because once the content is created and posted, it can continue to generate income without ongoing effort. With a well-established blog or YouTube channel, you can set up systems for content creation, posting, and monetization.
As your audience grows, you can further automate the process with email marketing and content scheduling. Both blogging and YouTube allow you to focus on content creation and let the platforms manage the distribution and monetization of ads.
8. Real Estate Investment Platforms
Investing in real estate can be a lucrative business, but traditionally, it requires substantial capital and effort. However, automated real estate investment platforms allow individuals to invest in real estate properties online with little to no involvement from the investor.
Companies like Fundrise or RealtyMogul allow users to invest in real estate projects and collect dividends from property income with minimal intervention. These platforms automate the investment process, including onboarding, payments, and reporting, making it easier for everyday investors to gain exposure to real estate markets.
For those who want to scale a real estate investment business, automated platforms provide a simple way to diversify investments and earn passive income.
9. Automated Content Creation and Curation
With the rise of AI tools, content creation has become increasingly automated. You can use tools like Jasper or Lately.ai to generate blog posts, social media content, and email newsletters on autopilot. These tools use AI to write content based on specific inputs and can be programmed to match your brand’s tone and voice.
In addition to content creation, platforms like Buffer or Hootsuite allow you to automate the scheduling and posting of content across various social media platforms. By leveraging these automation tools, you can run a content-driven business without the need for constant manual effort.
10. Online Advertising Agencies
Online advertising is crucial for businesses looking to scale, and running an automated advertising agency is a viable business model. By offering services to create and manage advertising campaigns (e.g., Facebook ads, Google ads), you can set up automated ad management systems using tools like AdEspresso or WordStream.
Automation allows you to manage multiple campaigns for different clients at once, optimizing ad spend, analyzing performance, and adjusting strategies—all with minimal manual input. With the right systems in place, this model allows you to scale quickly and handle a large number of clients with ease.
Conclusion
Automating an online business offers a path to greater freedom, scalability, and passive income. Whether you’re interested in running an e-commerce store, creating online courses, or investing in real estate, automation tools can help you minimize day-to-day management and focus on growing your business.
The key to success lies in choosing a business model that fits your skills, interests, and target market. Once you’ve selected a model, implement the right tools to automate as many processes as possible. With persistence, creativity, and strategic automation, you can build a business that thrives with minimal manual intervention, allowing you to enjoy the freedom that comes with it.