There are numerous online businesses for nurse entrepreneurs to make money, improve healthcare, and make nurses’ lives easier.
It includes designing print-on-demand clothing, selling physical/digital products, blogging/affiliate marketing, social media marketing, and creating online courses.
This article covers various ways to make money online by selling products and services to nursing/medical students and healthcare workers.
Notably, many of these low-cost strategies allow you to start a business quickly with a few hundred dollars.
However, you must develop business skills, including designing, marketing, and selling, to be highly successful.
Every journey starts with a single step, so hopefully, you stick with it to become a successful and inspired nurse entrepreneur.
1. Clothing | Print on Demand
Print-on-demand clothing is one of the trendiest online businesses for nurse entrepreneurs to design and sell fashionable apparel.
Nurses can quickly set up websites and sell products for less than $200.
For instance, Canva allows users to quickly create a broad assortment of print-on-demand designs.
Users then upload those designs to Printify or Printful and place them on various products like shirts, sweaters, bottoms, or shoes.
Finally, websites like Etsy and Shopify allow users to open online stores cheaply to sell their products.
As a nurse entrepreneur, you’re responsible for designing and marketing your clothing/apparel through social media and your website.
You’ll also manage customer service if you haven’t hired a customer service representative.
However, the print-on-demand service and Shopify/Etsy handle printing and shipping clothing, managing transitions, and hosting.
You don’t even have to pay for products until a buyer orders your designs.
As a result, you don’t have to worry about high upfront costs or housing products in a warehouse.
Print on demand is a great online business for nurse entrepreneurs on a tight budget for designing clothing.
If it doesn’t work the first time, keep trying until you find winning designs and a successful marketing strategy.
Print on demand is wildly popular, and you can be successful with enough training, education, and strategy.
Below is a list of popular print-on-demand clothing/apparel you can create.
Popular Print on Demand Clothing:
- T-shirts
- Tank tops
- Long sleeve
- Sweaters
- Bottoms
- Socks
- Hats
- Hoodies
- Sportswear
- Skirts & dresses
- Shoes
Consider funny, meaningful, or entertaining phrases or designs when creating print-on-demand clothing.
Then construct those designs on Canva to make them beautiful and upload them to Printify or Printful to be printed.
Finally, connect the print-on-demand service to your website (Etsy, Shopify, Amazon, etc.) and market your shop to an audience interested in your products.
It takes time to develop your design and marketing skills.
However, it’s well worth the journey when you start making money and realize you’ve put smiles on many faces.
Finally, I’ve included print-on-demand resources for nurse entrepreneurs to learn more about designing and selling clothing.
Print on Demand Resources:
- Shopify.com
- Printify.com
- Printful.com
- Canva.com
- Placeit.net
- Etsy.com
2. Design and Sell Physical/Digital Products
Designing and selling physical and digital products online is quite popular.
It’s similar to creating and marketing print-on-demand clothing.
However, physical/digital products are more diverse and unique, allowing nurse entrepreneurs to be more creative and sell products that serve various needs.
For instance, you can sell education-based products like notebooks, medical clipboards, reference material, study guides, flashcards, anatomical models, and mobile applications.
They’re great for college students and healthcare professionals who want to improve their education.
Study guides and books are also a great way to share your knowledge and create original educational resources for students.
Besides that, you can create entertaining products like phone cases, tumblers, blankets, work/tote bags, and jewelry.
Not only are these great gifts for nurses and healthcare workers, but they’re also fashionable items for those who enjoy aesthetically pleasing designs.
Finally, you can digitally sell educational books, study guides, audiobooks, reference material, and medical applications.
Because these products are digital, you don’t have to worry about physical products, managing inventory, or shipping.
The customer downloads the products and receives them immediately.
Best of all, digital products keep costs extremely low, and managing returns is significantly easier.
Below is a list of popular physical/digital products sold by nurse entrepreneurs.
Popular Physical/Digital Products
- Educational books/Study guides
- Reference material
- Medical clipboards
- Anatomy coloring books (digital & physical)
- Anatomical models
- Medical applications (iPad & smartphones)
- Phone cases
- Notebook covers
- Flashcards (digital & physical)
- Tumblers
- Blankets
- Tote/work bags
- Name badge holders
- Custom Footwear
- Jewelry
- Stickers
- Stethoscope cases
Amazon and Etsy are excellent resources for finding nurse products to design and sell.
Moreover, you can sell your products on those platforms if you want a pre-established audience.
Some people do exceptionally well with Amazon and Etsy.
However, many entrepreneurs also create stores on Shopify to have more creative freedom and control.
Platforms like Printify and Printful provide numerous print-on-demand services for some of the products mentioned previously.
For instance, these services allow nurse entrepreneurs to create and sell tumblers, tote bags, stickers, phone cases, and other products.
Alternatively, you can design and sell handmade creations like jewelry, self-authored digital books, and various sewn products.
Whether you focus on fashionable clothing or practical products for school/work, the services mentioned earlier provide a ton of value.
3. Blogging | Affiliate Marketing
Numerous blogs help nursing/medical students and healthcare workers succeed, look their best, and remain motivated in hard times.
These blogs provide tons of valuable information through text, images, and videos to educate professionals in various ways.
For instance, some blogs focus on helping nurses get into nursing school or providing resources for challenging positions.
Other blogs/websites educate medical professionals about working in popular non-bedside nursing careers.
It includes professionals like legal nurse consulting, psychiatric mental health, forensics, cosmetic injection nursing, and entrepreneurship.
Some blogs also recommend products from companies they know, like, and trust to make nurses’/medical workers’ lives easier.
These blogs may recommend clothing/scrubs, medical tools, work-related products, educational resources, and various services.
In turn, companies pay blog/website owners a commission for promoting and selling their products.
Affiliate marketing is a reciprocal business where bloggers review and recommend products to help their audience/readers.
Accordingly, companies provide commissions for bloggers/website marketing and sales.
The larger the audience, the more opportunities there are to make money.
Providing recommendations is beneficial because readers discover valuable products/services and avoid ones that don’t serve their needs.
It also helps blogs/websites offer highly beneficial products/services they can’t create or don’t have the budget to develop.
Nevertheless, carefully research the products/services you recommend because your audience trusts your judgment.
Popular Affiliate Marketing Companies
- Amazon Associates
- ShareASale
- Awin
- CJ Affiliate
- Rakuten Marketing
- ClickBank
Many affiliate marketing companies provide partnerships for blogs/websites that focus on money, entertainment, and education.
Accordingly, you can research popular blogs/websites in your niche to determine the products/services they recommend.
It helps you find suitable affiliate partners and decide what to promote to help your audience achieve their goals.
Finally, some blogs focus on advertising as an alternative to or in addition to affiliate marketing.
Websites with decent traffic easily make hundreds or thousands of dollars a month by providing advertising space on their blog.
However, it’s vital to find ideal advertising platforms like Mediavine or Adthrive because they work with fantastic premium partners.
They also provide valuable resources to help bloggers/website owners become more successful and earn more money.
How to Start a Blog
Creating a blog is quite simple and can be done quickly.
However, it requires a lot of patience and learning to be successful.
You must find a topic and dedicate yourself to developing a comprehensive resource for those you want to help, educate or entertain.
You must also learn about SEO, content writing, affiliate marketing, and keyword research.
How to Start a Blog walks you through setting up your website in four easy steps and includes a visual guide to simplify the process.
It’s just a starter’s guide, but it provides valuable information to help you get online quickly.
Once you’ve established your blog, I recommend the following resources and learning about the skills you must develop.
Resources for Starting a Blog
- 10 Incredible reasons to become a nurse blogger
- How to pick a theme for your blog
- Business Ideas for Nurse Entrepreneurs
4. Social Media Influencer
Social media influencers earn money by growing a dedicated audience of followers and selling products/services to them.
Some influencers design and sell clothing, physical products, artwork, and various services.
However, other social media influencers earn money using affiliate marketing by promoting products from other companies.
Product promotion/marketing includes wearing fashionable clothing, recommending health supplements, or sharing products/gadgets.
There are many other products/services promoted on social media accounts.
Notably, nurse entrepreneurs must develop their audience by frequently posting images and video that appeals to their followers.
Top earners make hundreds or even thousands of dollars from a single post.
However, social media is constantly evolving, and Media companies own these platforms.
As a result, you may not own the content you create, and you’re subject to the rules of those companies.
You risk termination if they decide your account doesn’t meet their guidelines.
Nevertheless, it’s a valuable income source for popular social media influencers, especially when combined with other income strategies.
Some influencers own websites/blogs and use social media for marketing products to counteract the risk.
It allows influencers to maintain creative freedom and feel more secure because social media shifts are less likely to affect the business.
I recommend building a website/blog and using social media to earn money.
That way, you can build an email list, create website fans, and have more security if something happens to your social media account.
A website/blog also provides more context and personalization because you own the website.
Popular Social Media Platforms
- Youtube
- Tiktok
Each platform provides unique benefits for social media influences to create images and videos.
However, using several platforms allows you to test various audiences to determine your most valuable social media accounts.
The best social media platform depends on your personality, marketing interests, and audience fit.
5. Online Course Development
Creating online courses is one of the most impactful online businesses for nurse entrepreneurs who love to educate and teach.
It allows them to help students and healthcare professionals develop their knowledge, skills, and capacities.
As a result, nurse entrepreneurs play a significant role in delivering valuable content that positively impacts individuals’ lives.
For instance, it allows nursing/medical students to learn more effectively and pass challenging classes more easily.
It also ensures students/professionals receive adequate training to provide exceptional patient care.
When developing courses, pick topics that fit your expertise and create videos, reference material, digital books, and educational resources.
You can sell various educational courses and promote them on online platforms like Linkshare, Coursera, or Teachable.
That way, you can quickly market your educational products without creating a website or building an audience.
These platforms already have dedicated audiences and a reputation that makes selling courses easier.
Moreover, some consumers feel more confident buying on a platform they know, like, and trust.
However, some nurse entrepreneurs establish their audiences, create membership sites, and sell courses through personal blogs/websites.
It allows them more flexibility in picking prices, constructing educational programs, and the website.
They also don’t compete directly with other courses and have more legal freedom over their content and how they distribute it.
Below I’ve included several popular online course platforms you can look at and review.
Popular Online Course Platforms
- Linkshare
- Coursera
- Teachable
- Thinkific
- Podia
- Self-owned membership site
There are numerous ways to build thriving online businesses for nurse entrepreneurs willing to hustle and develop their skills.
You don’t have to be a genius, spend years in business school or know everything to get started and eventually become successful.
However, you must take chances, make mistakes, and improve regularly.
Most importantly, having a growth mindset, constant learning, and not giving up is necessary skills nurse entrepreneurs must possess.
Consider following successful online entrepreneurs pursuing niches you are passionate about and learning from them.
Discover how they create content, develop ideas, and grow their audiences.
There are always new things to learn, and eventually, you’ll understand how to create a successful business that matches your interests and values.