743 Business Ideas You Can Start From Home in Australia

733 ideas

Working from home keeps overheads low, but the right idea depends on your space, skills and household. This page lists 743 home-based ideas.

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Rows of plain and printed paper bags stacked on supplier shelves.

Online paper bag supplier

Sell plain and printed paper bags online to local shops, cafes and event organisers, shipped from a supplier or your spare room.

A$1k-5k
Side hustle
From home

Custom printed paper bags for local businesses

Supply branded paper bags to shops, restaurants and events, with your own design service and printing arranged through a partner.

A$2k-10k
Part-time
From home

Group of dogs playing together in a bright indoor daycare room.

Home-based dog day care

Look after a small group of dogs in your home and secure backyard while their owners are at work.

A$1.5k-6k
Part-time
From home

A large white marquee tent being set up on a grassy lawn for an outdoor event.

Weekend marquee hire for backyard parties

Hire out a few pop-up and frame marquees for backyard parties, markets and school fairs, mostly on weekends.

A$2k-8k
Side hustle
From home

Technician replacing a cracked phone screen at a repair bench.

Home-based screen repair with drop-off or post

Repair phone, tablet and laptop screens from a home workbench, with local drop-off or mail-in jobs.

A$800-3k
Side hustle
From home

Jeweller at a shop counter showing rings and watches to a customer.

Home-based online jeweller

Sell jewellery online and at markets, with custom orders, repairs and engraving by appointment from home.

A$2k-10k
Side hustle
From home

A carer sitting in a home and relaxing with a cat on her lap.

Home-based cat boarding

Look after other people's cats in a calm spare room at your home while their owners are away.

A$500-3k
Side hustle
From home

A transcriptionist wearing headphones typing clinical notes at a computer.

Home-based medical transcriptionist

Type up doctors' dictation and clinical notes into accurate letters and reports from your home office.

A$600-3k
Side hustle
From home

Rows of tables and chairs set up in an event hall for a function.

Small-scale catering equipment hire from home

Hire out urns, chafing dishes, tables and chairs to party hosts and caterers from a garage or shed.

A$2k-10k
Side hustle
From home

Pupils learning instruments together in a bright music school classroom.

Home music studio teaching one instrument

Teach piano, guitar or singing to local students from a spare room at home.

A$300-2.5k
Side hustle
From home

Care worker assisting an older person at home with a warm smile.

Small home care business with a team of carers

Run a local home care service, matching a small team of trained carers with older clients and their families.

A$8k-40k
Full-time
From home

Editor working on video timeline across two monitors in an editing suite.

Freelance video editor for local businesses

Turn raw footage into polished promo, social and training videos for local businesses and creators from home.

A$500-4k
Side hustle
From home

Large sacks of coffee beans stacked in a wholesale storage warehouse.

Coffee wholesale reseller

Buy roasted beans in bulk from a roaster and supply local cafés, offices and shops.

A$1.5k-7k
Side hustle
From home

A craftsperson repairing a leather bag at a workbench with tools.

Home leather repair workshop

Fix bags, jackets and shoes from a home workshop, with customers dropping off or posting items.

A$1.5k-7k
Side hustle
From home

Tidy furnished apartment bedroom ready for holidaymakers arriving for a short stay.

Holiday stay in your granny flat or spare unit

Furnish a self-contained unit at your property and rent it to holidaymakers by the night.

A$3k-15k
Side hustle
From home

Workers assembling a new play structure in a school playground.

Playground equipment reseller (subcontracted install)

Quote and sell play equipment to schools, councils and nurseries, and hire a local crew to install it.

A$2k-10k
Part-time
From home

A make-up artist applying foundation to a model's face before a photoshoot.

Home studio make-up artist

Welcome clients to a small studio space at home for make-up, lessons and photoshoot prep.

A$600-3k
Side hustle
From home

Group of skiers with instructor gathered on a snowy mountain slope.

Social ski and snowboard trip club

Run a membership club that organises group snow trips, discounted passes and social nights for people in your city.

A$500-2.5k
Side hustle
From home

Small glass bottles of homeopathic remedies and a dropper on a wooden table.

Homeopathy practice from a home or shared room

See clients one-on-one for homeopathic consultations in a spare room or a room hired by the hour at a local wellness centre.

A$1.5k-6k
Side hustle
From home

Set of silver car hub caps and wheel trims displayed on shelves in a parts store.

Local hub cap and wheel trim trade supplier

Keep popular hub caps and wheel trims in your garage and supply local garages and body shops fast.

A$2k-10k
Side hustle
From home

A worker operating a lathe to shape a metal part in a machine shop.

Home workshop machining for repairs and prototypes

Use a small bench lathe and mill in your shed to make repair parts and prototypes on the side.

A$6k-30k
Side hustle
From home

A shop assistant weighs gold jewellery on digital scales at a counter.

Online mail-in gold buyer

Buy gold and silver by post: customers send items, you test, weigh, offer and pay by bank transfer.

A$3k-15k
Side hustle
From home

A craftsman shaping a metal bracket at a bench in a small workshop.

Home workshop metal repairs and small jobs

Repair and make small metal items like brackets, trailer fittings and garden pieces from your own shed or garage.

A$1.5k-7k
Side hustle
From home

A craftsman shaping a copper vessel with hammer and anvil in a workshop.

Home copper studio: homewares and repairs

Hand-make copper homewares and repair cookware and garden pieces from a garage or shed.

A$1.5k-8k
Side hustle
From home

About these ideas

Some are desk-based, like a freelance controls and PLC programmer or a media advice consultancy on retainer. Others need a spare room, garage or shed, such as a home workshop instrument repairer or a home chinese bakery with pre-orders. Start by working out how much room you have for tools or stock, and whether deliveries, noise or customers visiting will suit your street and neighbours. Then check what your local council, lease or strata rules allow, and whether any licences, food registrations or insurance apply. Pick an idea that matches skills you already have, and test it with a few paying customers before spending much.

More ideas

Questions

Do I need council approval to run a business from home in Australia?

It depends on your council and the type of business. Check your local planning rules for home businesses, and look at any rental lease or strata by-laws. Noise, customer visits, signage and deliveries are common things to ask about.

Can I make food at home to sell?

Possibly, but check first. Food businesses usually need to register with their local council and follow state food safety rules. Ask about kitchen requirements, labelling, and any training or food safety supervisor needs before you take orders.

What should I check before choosing a home-based business?

Look at your available space, start-up costs, and whether you can find customers without a shopfront. Also check insurance, tax and ABN registration, and whether your home and internet suit the work. Consider speaking with an accountant.