10 Lucrative Ways To Be Your Own Boss

1. Event Promoter

Average Pay: $20,000 – $200,000

Events are becoming a new marketing tactic for businesses and you can make a pretty penny by helping business owners plan them. Events can also include festivals, bar mitzvahs, weddings, and other personal soirees for which people are prepared to shell out the big bucks.

For large, expensive events, an event promoter is needed to plan the event, work with the talent, and market the event effectively. You don’t need a degree to become an event promoter, but until you get a great reputation, you won’t make those six figures. Once you’re skilled, however, you could make great money and work totally on your own schedule.

2. Interior Designer

Average Pay: $42,000

If you want to work for yourself and make great money, a career in interior designing could be for you. If you want to combine your career with art, you can enjoy the creative side of your business while earning a good yearly wage. You’ll need a college degree to work as an interior designer, but if you start your own business, you get to be your own boss—and you get to work inside some fabulous homes and offices!

3. Personal Trainer

Average Pay: $36,000

If you love the idea of helping people get healthy, a career as a personal trainer could be right up your alley. A personal trainer doesn’t need a college degree, although they do need some form of training in fitness, and many prefer to get further education in nutrition or exercise science.

As a personal trainer, you could start your own gym, meet clients at your home, or help them train at the park or other public areas. You’d get to be your own boss – and you’d stay in pretty good shape as a bonus.

4. Makeup Artist

Average Pay: $66,000

You don’t need a college degree to become a makeup artist; you just have to be really good at what you do. If you love the idea of doing makeup for clients, then being a self-employed makeup artist might be perfect for you.

It’s a high paying gig, and if you’re skilled, you can make good money. If a makeup artist can work their way up into celebrity circles, their pay is even higher.

5. Administrative Assistant

Average Pay: $15,000 – $62,000

The internet is providing a host of new job opportunities. One of the best is administrative assistant work. An administrative assistant can work from home, with multiple different clients or a single business. The pay scale is all over the map; however, after a few years in the business, you could be making an excellent salary.

6. Caterer

Average Pay: $18,000 – $42,000

If you love to cook and have a knack for organizing events, being a self-employed caterer could be the job of your dreams. You can focus on catering small events, such as quaint dinners inside a client’s home, or you can go all-out and become a caterer who specializes in 500-attendee weddings or galas. Either way, you’ll get to present beautiful food and be your own boss.

7. Graphic Designer

Average Pay: $42,000

In order to be a graphic designer, you’ll need training in graphic design and certain programs such as InDesign and Illustrator, but not necessarily a college degree. While you might not make the salary listed above without a college degree, you can nevertheless start your graphic designer career from scratch.

You can freelance for businesses, sell your designs online or contract your services to a company. Graphic design is a great way to combine a passion for art with a lucrative career.

8. Life Coach

Average Pay: $62,000

Life coaches are like uncertified therapists: they help people unlock their true potential and transform their lives. They might do anything from fitness training to home design suggestions, but everything is geared at helping clients become their best selves. While life coaches can make a lot of money, they have to work hard at advertising and finding clients to pull it off.

9. Accountant

Pay: $65,000

As long as there is money and taxes, accountants will always be in high demand. While you could work for plenty of businesses with a degree in accounting, you can also start your own firm and work from home or a small office. You’d be helping clients with tax preparation, business accounting, and more. This is a high-paying and satisfying career for those who love to crunch numbers and have great attention to detail.

10. Real Estate Agent

Average Pay: $46,000

If you love the idea of finding and selling houses for clients, then being a real estate agent is the career you should consider. To become a real estate agent, you have to take a pre-licensing course and pass the licensing test. Once you’re certified, you have to market effectively and earn new clients, which means you need to be a go-getter and not afraid to hear the word “no.” Real estate agents get to set their own hours and be their own boss, so if you’re looking for independence and flexibility, you’re looking in the right place.

In this day and age, there are more ways than ever to make money being an independent contractor. Simply explore you passions and find a way to turn your strengths into money in the bank.