The online business ideas that worked a few years ago aren’t necessarily the ones that can really make money today. So in this episode, I’m walking you through 12 specific online business ideas for 2027, each one backed by data that shows real and growing demand.

We’ll look at four categories: AI and tech services, health and wellness, family and life transitions, and hobby and skill-based memberships. For each idea, I’ll cover which business model fits best: services, high-ticket coaching or consulting, or mid-ticket digital products like courses and memberships. Even if none of these ideas is the perfect fit for you, they’ll get your wheels turning and show you exactly what kind of demand data to look for as you choose your own business idea.

Once you have your idea, my free private podcast, The $100K Method, will walk you through turning it into a steady stream of profit: https://www.gillianperkins.com/100k-method-signup

Free Resources to Grow Your Online Business:

The $100K Method (free private podcast): https://www.gillianperkins.com/100k-method-signup

Small Business 101 (free course): https://gillianperkins.com/free-training-small-business-101/

Work with Gillian Perkins:

Startup Society: https://startupsociety.com

$100K Mastermind: https://gillianperkins.com/100k-mastermind

Connect with Gillian:

Website: https://gillianperkins.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/gillianzperkins/

A bigger email list doesn't always mean a bigger income. Some creators earn over a million dollars a year from fewer than 5,000 subscribers.

This week I'm joined by Nathan Barry, the founder and CEO of Kit, who gets a behind-the-scenes look at what's working for over 100,000 creators every month. We talk about what actually drives revenue per subscriber, why selling your own products beats relying on sponsorships, and why making money is a skill you can learn. Then Nathan walks through exactly how to grow a targeted list from your very first subscriber, using the same approach he used for his own first book.

Turn your email list into thousands of dollars of revenue per month! Learn the strategy with my 10-episode podcast series, The $100K Method: https://www.gillianperkins.com/100k-method-signup

Plus, use my link to get a free Kit email marketing account to put what you learn into practice! https://partners.convertkit.com/ezf23916u2j7

In This Episode, I Cover:

• Why audience size and revenue are less connected than you'd expect
• How your niche and price point shape what each subscriber is worth
• Why your own products earn more than sponsorships and affiliate deals
• When to start offering recurring revenue products (and when not to)
• How to get your first subscribers and find out exactly what they want
• The algorithm trap that builds an audience that never buys

About Nathan Barry:

Pre-order The Ladders of Wealth: https://laddersofwealth.com

Kit: https://partners.convertkit.com/ezf23916u2j7

Free Resources to Grow Your Online Business:

Stuck at Zero podcast series: https://www.gillianperkins.com/stuck

$100K Method podcast series: https://www.gillianperkins.com/100k-method-signup

Small Business 101 (free course): https://gillianperkins.com/free-training-small-business-101/

Work with Gillian Perkins:

Startup Society: https://startupsociety.com

$100K Mastermind: https://gillianperkins.com/100k-mastermind

Connect with Gillian:

Website: https://gillianperkins.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/gillianzperkins/

If you had to start your business over with nothing, what would you do differently?

Over the years, I've started about a dozen businesses. A couple did really well, a few failed, and a few I simply walked away from. In this episode, I'm sharing exactly how I'd build my current business if I were starting from scratch, without the connections, money or tools I have today. You'll hear the 10 steps I'd take to get it off the ground, the mistakes I wouldn't repeat, and the four tools I'd invest in right from the start.

If you're ready to start your own online business and want a clear path to follow, check out my free Small Business 101 course here: https://gillianperkins.com/free-training-small-business-101/

In This Episode, I Cover:

• Why I'd start a YouTube channel before building a website or creating a product
• How I'd set up my email list and a simple email funnel before I had anything to sell
• What a minimum viable product is, and how to create one
• The exposure strategies that have worked best for me beyond YouTube
• The first two people I'd hire, and how much sooner I wish I'd hired one of them
• The four tools I'd invest in early, including the website platform I'd choose over WordPress

Free Resources to Grow Your Online Business:

Small Business 101 (free course): https://gillianperkins.com/free-training-small-business-101/

$100K Method (free audio course): https://www.gillianperkins.com/100k-method-signup

Early Access (Why Your Audience Isn't Growing): https://www.gillianperkins.com/early-access

Work with Gillian Perkins:

Startup Society: https://startupsociety.com

$100K Mastermind: https://gillianperkins.com/100k-mastermind

Connect with Gillian:

Website: https://gillianperkins.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/gillianzperkins/

The very first video I posted on my YouTube channel went viral. It wasn’t professionally shot, I was nervous on camera, and I filmed it in my living room with the camera on auto. So what made it take off?

In this episode, I’m taking you behind the scenes of how that video went from a handful of views a day to hundreds of thousands of views, why it took months

before it finally caught on, and the three things you need to do if you want your own videos to be much more likely to go viral. Viral videos aren’t just a nice bonus on YouTube. They’re one of the biggest drivers of channel growth, and the process behind them is simpler than most people think.

If you want to learn how to get views on YouTube even when you’re starting with zero subscribers, check out my free YouTube growth strategy class here: https://creatorfasttrack.com/workshop-registration

In This Episode, I Cover:

• Why viral videos are essential for growing a YouTube channel, not just nice to have
• How YouTube tests a brand new channel’s videos with small audiences before pushing them out widely
• Why you shouldn't give up on a video that doesn’t take off right away
• The two types of research that helped me find video ideas I knew would perform well
• The free tools I use for keyword research
• How to create a thumbnail and title that are clear, eye-catching, and a little bit intriguing

Free Resources to Grow Your Online Business:

YouTube Growth Strategy Class: https://creatorfasttrack.com/workshop-registration

The $100K Method (free private podcast): https://www.gillianperkins.com/100k-method-signup

Small Business 101 (free course): https://gillianperkins.com/free-training-small-business-101/

Work with Gillian Perkins:

Startup Society: https://startupsociety.com

$100K Mastermind: https://gillianperkins.com/100k-mastermind

Connect with Gillian:

Website: https://gillianperkins.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/gillianzperkins/

What happens when you get everything you worked for and it still isn't enough? That's exactly where this week's guest, Sam Vander Wielen, found herself. Sam spent years building a career as an attorney, only to discover that the title, the salary, and the respect that were supposed to make her happy left her miserable instead. So she walked away and built a business from scratch — one that's since made over $10 million from a single digital product. In this episode, Sam and I dig into what she calls "the happiness trap": the belief that once a certain thing happens, we'll finally feel happy, worthy, or at peace. We talk about why that belief rarely holds up, even when the thing you were chasing actually comes true, and what to do instead if you're waiting for "someday" to start feeling better about your life.

If this conversation has you thinking about finally starting the business you've been sitting on, my free Small Business 101 course walks you through exactly how to get started: https://gillianperkins.com/free-training-small-business-101/

In This Episode, I Cover:

• What the "happiness trap" is, and why almost all of us fall into it without realizing it
• Sam's story of chasing a law career for the status and security, only to find it made her miserable
• Why even wild success in her own business didn't automatically deliver the happiness she expected
• The reason we tend to revert to the same baseline of happiness no matter how much our circumstances change
• How negativity bias explains why one nasty comment can undo ninety-nine kind ones
• The "arrival fallacy," and how it can trap you twice — once chasing a career, then again chasing the business meant to replace it
• Sam's practical steps for building happiness now instead of waiting for "someday," including her "five-second rule" for trying new hobbies
• Why Sam believes it isn't your job's — or your business's — job to make you happy
• Her advice for anyone sitting on a business idea right now, and how to find out if people actually want it before you build it

Connect with Sam Vander Wielen:

When I Start My Business, I'll Be Happy: https://www.samvanderwielen.com/book/

On Your Terms: https://www.samvanderwielen.com/podcast/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/samvanderwielen/

Free live class (her last one of 2026, Monday, October 19) on how to start an online business legally, plus what's changing with AI disclosure policies and ADA website lawsuits — sign up for free access and the replay here: https://samvanderwielen.samcart.com/referral/oct-live/rOhbxf8KbgOnMbqq

Free Resources to Grow Your Online Business:

$100K Method (free audio course): https://www.gillianperkins.com/100k-method-signup

Small Business 101 (free course): https://gillianperkins.com/free-training-small-business-101/

Work with Gillian Perkins:

Startup Society: https://startupsociety.com

$100K Mastermind: https://gillianperkins.com/100k-mastermind

Connect with Gillian:

Website: https://gillianperkins.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/gillianzperkins/

I used to believe raising my price would scare buyers off. Then I tried raising them, and... my conversion rate went from 6% to 13%!

This episode breaks down what happened during our second $100K Mastermind launch. Second launches are usually the weakest, because they don't have the hype of a first launch or the momentum of the launches that come after - and I've definitely experienced that! But this one broke that pattern. In fact, it became my best launch to date, netting $164,464.40 in just two weeks! So, today, I'm excited to walk through exactly how we made it happen.

In This Episode, I Cover:

• Why raising my price increased my conversion rate instead of hurting it
• Why people tell you your product is "too expensive" (because that's rarely the real reason they don't buy)
• A simple addition to our offer that made it almost impossible to say no to
• Why I didn't send a single email to my full list for this launch
• The one number thing that separates webinars that convert from those that just falls flat
• What happened when we got 4,000 people registered for two webinars

FREE Resources to Grow Your Online Business:

The $100K Method (free audio course): https://www.gillianperkins.com/100k-method-signup

Small Business 101 (free course): https://gillianperkins.com/free-training-small-business-101/

Work with Gillian Perkins:

$100K Mastermind: https://gillianperkins.com/100k-mastermind

Startup Society: https://startupsociety.com

Connect with Gillian:

Website: https://gillianperkins.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gillianzperkins/

Screenshot this episode, share it to your Instagram Stories, and tag @gillianzperkins. I love seeing which lessons resonate most.

Until next week, stay focused and take action!

I put all my effort into building an amazing course and thought that alone would be enough. Well, it wasn't- and it cost me a year or two of spinning my wheels before anything sold.

In this episode, I'm breaking down everything I wish I knew before I ever tried to sell an online course. After almost ten years of doing this (eight of them actually profitable), I've learned the hard way what makes some courses actually sell while others just sit there. This one's for anyone who has an online course idea, is building one right now, or already has one that isn't converting the way they hoped.

In This Episode, I Cover:

• Why a great course is almost never enough to make it sell on its own
• The real reason people buy a course (and it's NOT the content inside it)
• Why cramming in more modules and bonuses usually backfires
• Why pricing based on your hours of video is quietly costing you money
• The uncomfortable truth about giving away your best material for free
• Why your first launch is guaranteed to teach you more than it earns you
• The one thing that can quietly wipe out your course business's profit margins

FREE Resources to Grow Your Online Business:

Free Audio Course ($100K Method): https://www.gillianperkins.com/100k-method-signup

Small Business 101 (Free Course): https://gillianperkins.com/free-training-small-business-101/

Work with Gillian Perkins:

$100K Mastermind: https://gillianperkins.com/100k-mastermind

Startup Society: https://startupsociety.com

Connect with Gillian:

Website: https://gillianperkins.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gillianzperkins/

Screenshot this episode, share it to your Instagram Stories, and tag @gillianzperkins — I love seeing which lessons resonate most.

Until next week — stay focused and take action.

In this episode, podcast coach and God-Led Business host Stefanie Gass joins me for an honest, unscripted conversation about the changes we've each made in our businesses over the last year - new platforms, overhauled teams, and product lines we simplified (or didn't, lol). If you're running an online business and wondering whether it's time to shake something up, this one is for you.

In This Episode, I Cover:

• Why Stefanie added YouTube after years of podcast-only growth, and what changed when she did
• The real reason we both overstaffed our teams, and how we knew it was time to cut
• Why offering a cheap "dip your toes in" option is quietly costing you sales
• What happened when Stefanie stopped niching down on a specific topic... and let faith lead her content instead
• The unstructured, no-slide format that still converts better than anything polished
• How to know when one product has earned the right to become your whole business

Stefanie's Free Podcast Bootcamp:

• 5-Day Profitable Podcast Bootcamp, free with code GILLIAN: https://stefaniegass.com/gifts
• Listen to God-Led Business: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/god-led-business-make-money-online-work-from-home-passive/id1437868374

Gillian's free $100K Method audio course:
https://www.gillianperkins.com/100k-method-signup

Connect with Gillian:

• Website: https://gillianperkins.com
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@gillianzperkins
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gillianzperkins/

Connect with Stefanie:

• Website: https://stefaniegass.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/stefaniegass

Screenshot this episode and share it to your Instagram Stories - tag @gillianzperkins so I can see it.

Until next week - stay focused and take action.