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Ever wanted to start your own business but don’t have a lot of capital?
In this article, we’ll address exactly that! We will talk about the different businesses that you can start with little to no startup costs.
These business ideas are perfect for someone who is looking to start their own business but doesn’t have a lot of capital to start with.
Most would-be successful entrepreneurs give up their entrepreneurial dreams because they don’t have the necessary startup capital to start a small business.
Fortunately, there are many businesses that you can start without needing a lot of capital.
Below is a list of businesses with little to no startup costs that you can start depending on your background, skills, and preference:
Table of Contents
Virtual Freelancer
You can start as a virtual freelancer by offering services that you can fulfill digitally. Services such as writing, programming, web design, graphic design, administrative support, and customer service are examples of work that you can do from home as a freelancer.
If you’re looking to work as a home-based freelancer, you can sign-up as a service provider with the following service marketplaces:
I have written an in-depth guide on how you can start a successful freelance business here.
Local Freelancer
Some services, however, you have to deliver in person, which means you can’t work as an online-only freelancer but either way, you can make a lot of money as a self-employed freelancer offering local services especially if you have trade skills like landscaping, cleaning, roofing, pet-sitting, babysitting, wedding photographer, singer, events organizer, etc.
As a local freelancer, you can offer in-person services to businesses, homeowners, or end consumers.
In most cases, you will need a vehicle and some basic equipment but aside from that, you don’t have any other startup costs for this business idea.
You can start promoting your local freelance services on the following websites:
Local businesses in your area are also a great source for getting clients. Ask them if they need any help or service that you can offer and see what happens!
Some local businesses may not have the time, funds, or staff to do certain tasks so when they hear there’s someone who will take care of it at a reasonable price with no hassle whatsoever, most businesses jump on the deal without hesitating.
If you’re looking to start a small business with low startup costs and you can offer services but require a physical presence then you can start as a local freelancer.
As a freelancer, you can do business under your own name. You don’t need to register as a business at the start but if you’re offering services like renovations, electrical, plumbing, or handyman services, it’s a good idea to check certification, registration, and liability requirements in your local.
Starting as a freelancer, you can later expand your business into a real small business with its own name (brand) and turn it into an enterprise that you can make a full-time income for yourself, and your employees.
Become an Online Tutor
If you’re an expert in a certain field of work, one way to start your own business is by becoming an online tutor.
You can offer lessons or even classes through video streaming and other interactive mediums.
The internet has made teaching easy for anyone who knows what he’s doing as long as they have the necessary skills and training courses that are needed to teach their chosen subject matter.
This business idea requires some experience but it doesn’t require any startup capital at all because most teachers find clients on sites like Tutors, TutorMe, and Cambly.
You will need a computer so be sure to include this cost in your calculation. Other equipment you might need include a microphone and a webcam or screen recording software if needed.
Ecommerce
A lot of businesses today are going digital in order to reach more customers with less cost than putting up traditional brick and mortar stores by using e-commerce sites like Amazon, eBay, Etsy among others where they can sell their products online without having to invest a lot of money in renting, buying or renovating a physical store.
Another way to build an e-commerce business is by launching your own e-commerce store by using e-commerce platforms like Shopify and/or WooCommerce.
If you’re looking into starting your own online store today then there’s no shortage of ways that you can get started: You could start by building an E-Commerce Website from scratch or hire someone else who has the technical skillset needed for it; You could also purchase an existing online store and use it as is or build upon the foundation.
Pet Sitting / Daycare
Love Pets? Then why not start a pet sitting or daycare business?
Pet businesses are very popular right now because more people love their pets than ever before.
Start by creating an account on Care.com and get started with listings of all the pets you’re willing to take care of in your area!
If you happen to have a property that’s big enough for small animals like rabbits, guinea pigs, or hamsters – then consider starting a pet daycare where parents can drop off their kids’ furry friends while they’re at work or school so they don’t worry about them being home alone during the day.
You’ll need some basic supplies but it’s still one way to make money without any startup costs as you can start this business idea right from the comforts of your own home.
Canvas Painting
If you’re an artist, one way you can start a business with little to no startup costs is by starting your own Canvas Painting business.
You can start this business idea from the comfort of your home and earn a living with almost zero capital.
All you need are some canvases, paints, brushes plus other supplies like easels if necessary and you’re good to go.
From there on out all you’ll have to do is market yourself online and offline with flyers/ads in order to let people know that they can hire an artist for their paintings.
You can offer family portrait oil painting services for families who want something different from the common photo family portraits. You can offer the classic live painting service where you paint them while they make their pose, and watch the painting come to life or you can paint their existing portraits for a lesser fee.
As a canvas painter, you can offer a lot of painting-related services, heck you can even host live painting classes for kids and adults who want to learn the craft.
One of my LinkedIn connections creates renditions of popular painting with a twist. She doesn’t copy the painting, instead, she uses the original painting and comes up with a weird, funny, and out-of-this-world version.
If you’re curious, here’s one example, and a link to her LinkedIn profile, should you wish to buy one for yourself.
Minecraft Marketplace Creator
Love playing Minecraft? If you have some technical skills, you can actually build a business around this passion by joining the Minecraft partner program as a Minecraft Marketplace Creator.
Minecraft marketplace creators can become a part of the game by uploading their custom-made merchandise to the in-game store. The partner program is only accessible to people who have become a member of Mojang, but this process is free. Although there are some technical limitations because Minecraft was not built for those purposes, creating an account and listing your items is quick and easy on the new site. This gives players the ability to become their own “shopkeepers” without having to worry about shipping or customer service. As a Minecraft partner, you’ll have access to other creators’ creations as well as Mojang’s own exclusive goods with the sale price. It’s a great opportunity to become a real part of the Minecraft community.
A few other benefits are that you don’t have to worry about costs because there is no startup fee for becoming an official partner with Mojang. At this time they do not take any percentage from your profits either, so it’s up to you what price point and markup you want to put on each item in order to generate revenue. The best thing is that as long as there is demand for items, players will always be able to find them at their fingertips through Minecraft Marketplace Creator!
Start a Podcast
We all have our own unique talent and skills, I, for instance, am quite comfortable with producing written words, but not very good with the spoken language, and I’m quite shy talking in front of a camera, well, at least for now.
If you have specialized knowledge and you feel that you’re somewhat of a subject matter expert, then you can start a podcast for free. All you need is a microphone, some basic recording software like Audacity or GarageBand, and then promote your podcast on social media.
If they are interested in the topic that you’re discussing in your podcast, people will begin to become regular listeners. And if they become loyal followers of your show, then it could turn into money for you because many podcasts offer premium content as well as advertisements from companies trying to reach their target audience.
You can also monetize by selling advertising space on your website through Google AdSense and other similar websites which allow ads from different advertisers who want to target certain audiences with commercial messages related to products or services relevant to what’s being discussed in each episode.
Many podcasters do this so that even when they have a low listener base, they still make money.
If you become an expert in your field and share your knowledge with others on a regular basis through this medium then it could be possible to become financially stable by doing something that’s not too stressful or time-consuming.
In other words, it can become more of a lifestyle rather than just another job for many people who are looking to live their lives without having to take on the responsibilities typically associated with traditional employment.
To sum up my point; podcasting is free but it has potential as one way of making extra income from home while also building relationships with listeners and readers who may purchase future products related to what we’re discussing at any given time.
Junk Removal Services
There’s a hoarding problem in North America, and people are more than willing to pay junk removal specialists to help them get rid of their junk.
Most people have more stuff than money, stuff they don’t actually need, which takes most of the spaces in their extra rooms, basements, or garages.
You can start a junk removal business with a pickup truck (or a utility trailer) and some strong arms. You can buy a used decent pickup truck for around $5,000.00, fill it up with gas, and you’re off to the races.
In my area, most guys charge an average of $100 per truckload; 5 jobs a day could easily gross to $500 a day. Of course, this will vary by location, but more and more people tend to pile up stuff that they don’t really need, and before they know it they have to hire someone like you to help them get rid of their junk.
Junk removal businesses have become extremely popular with the rise of “The Minimalist” movement. Simplicity is an attractive selling point and businesses like Junk King are making a lot of money by simplifying your life for you.
Junk removal is a straightforward business idea, your job is to pick up and get rid of other people’s junk for a fee.
Start a Food Truck Business
There are many food truck businesses that have popped up in recent years because food trucks now offer food lovers a chance to start their business without spending all of the money it would take for them to open up a full-scale restaurant.
As a food truck business owner, you’ll be able to serve various locations without having to put up multiple brick-and-mortar branches – you just drive to your next location. Food trucks have a more mobile approach to food sales than traditional restaurants which means that you can cover food events, offer catering services, and set up food trucks in high-traffic areas.
The cost to start a food truck business varies depending on what you are looking for and how much money you already have saved up.
If you don’t have a lot of capital, otherwise, you wouldn’t read this article, you could probably start with a food cart instead of a truck or you can check out Craigslist, Kijiji, or the Facebook marketplace to score a used food truck that you could get for less.
Aside from business, sanitary, and city permits, the bulk of your capital is really in purchasing your truck (or cart). You can purchase a brand new food truck for around $30,000.00, which you may be able to finance depending on your location.
You might think starting a food truck business doesn’t qualify as a low-cost startup business but it’s definitely cheaper than starting a full-pledge restaurant.
In my area, the average cost for a commercial kitchen construction is $50,000.00. When ordering a food truck from China, however, you have to make sure that it adheres to your local safety and fire regulations.
Buy and Sell Old Furniture
You may have heard the saying, “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” This couldn’t be more true for the business of buying and selling old furniture.
There are many types of furniture that can be bought and sold. Generally, the most popular items to buy and sell are antique wooden chairs (of course), but other pieces like dressers, tables, grandfather clocks, or anything made from wood will do just fine.
To find these upcycled treasures you don’t even need to go down into an expensive antique store for a high-end shopping spree; with as little as $50 in your pocket you can head on over to your local auction house, garage sales, and your local classified websites!
Not sure if you can build a real business out of flipping furniture? One way to find out is to buy a few items at an auction, then resell them on a classified ad website, the Facebook marketplace, or in your local antique shop.
Host Webinars
A webinar is a live event that’s delivered over the internet to an audience. It can be used as a way for businesses, brands, or individuals to share their expertise in front of a large number of people at once without any travel required.
To host your own webinar, you’ll need some type of audio and video equipment such as microphones, cameras, projectors, and screens amongst other necessary materials which do come with upfront costs if you don’t already have them.
You do not require much after this point so it may just be worth investing in these tools since they are reusable resources that will last more than one year.
There are many ways to monetize a webinar – either by charging your audience directly or through sponsorships.
You can charge your customers for the live event itself but if you don’t want to do this, then you could always offer one of these other options:
Offer an online course with additional content that was not shared in the free webinar or offer a free webinar then offer premium features with additional content or live office hours.
For businesses, it’s a great way to bring in new customers and for individual speakers or experts, it can be an opportunity to share their knowledge with the world.
Include an upsell page to your site or landing pages that ask for an email address and is delivered straight away after the event finishes
Start a Print on Demand Business
You can start a print-on-demand business with very little capital. The only money you’ll need is the cost of a domain name, a hosting provider, or a Shopify subscription which will cost a total of $100.
This type of low-cost business idea is perfect for anyone who wants to start their own business but doesn’t have a lot of money to invest.
Print-on-demand businesses allow businesses to print their product only when the customer orders from them. This is a great idea for businesses that sell things like t-shirts, coffee mugs, and other products of this nature since you can’t order just one or two items at a time without spending too much money on inventory.
The easiest way to start a print-on-demand business is by joining online print service providers like Printful and Printify.
You can then launch your own e-commerce store with Shopify for as little as $25 a month, which is nothing compared to renting a local storefront.
Your next challenge, of course, is to attract traffic to your print-on-demand store.
There are two ways on how you can do this. If you want immediate traffic, you can invest in paid ads like Facebook advertising but as a backup plan, also make it a point to invest in content production to attract free organic traffic to your print-on-demand store.
Build and Sell Courses
Are you an expert at something? You might not think you are, but believe it or not, many people are experts at something that others are eager to learn and pay for.
Here’s a way on how you can turn your knowledge into a course that not only makes you money but teaches others what you know.
You can create and sell courses in any field: cooking, design, business negotiation skills, or dog training tips, the list is endless!
Perhaps, the first step is in determining the skills that you’re good at, then you can publish your course(s) on a platform like Udemy or Skillshare – both of which allow businesses to get started for free with no upfront costs.
The great thing about building courses is that you can earn passive income from your courses. You build once but you can make money over and over again from one single product, which anyone anywhere in the world can access online.
Selling online courses is an excellent business idea to start when you don’t have a lot of capital to invest. It’s free to open a Udemy instructor account, create and upload your courses, the way they make money is to charge you a commission each time a student enrolls in your course.
So, if you have the skill, and you can invest some time creating your course, you can build a lucrative online business out of selling digital courses.
Going forward, you can build a website to promote your courses and sell them through sites such as Udemy, Skillshare, Teachable, or any other online learning platform.
Course creators will generally only spend around $500 on marketing, landing pages, and funnels (optional but important) but you can get started for free by only leveraging the traffic of ready-to-buy students on these learning platforms.
This type of low-cost business is perfect for individuals that want to start their own business but don’t have much money available at first.
To boost your course sales, you could advertise with Facebook ads (or any other social media outlet) while making videos related to the topic to attract more outside traffic to your course.
In most instances, you only need access to a computer (or a laptop), camera, or a cellphone to get started with course creation. You’ll also need video recording and screen capturing software Screencast-O-Matic, Loom, and video editing software like Adobe Premiere Pro CC; and tools like Camtasia Studio which allow businesses to create videos without needing any expensive camera gear.
As long as you have an idea about the topic you want to be teaching then this will not cost much at all!
You can even take it one step further by giving away portions of your courses for free in order to attract more customers who may end up purchasing full versions later down the line when they’re ready.
Blogging Business
Starting your own blog might seem daunting at first but it doesn’t take much to get up and running with the tools available today. You just need an internet connection (or phone signal) to set up shop online and start posting content in as little as 15 minutes, according to Forbes Magazine.
That said, starting a blog is the easy part, making it profitable is another story. A blog is a business like any other and you’ll need to invest in blog marketing, SEO, social media optimization, content creation strategies, and more.
Far from what you may have heard so far, blogging isn’t a get-rich-quick scheme, and no one got rich from a blog in 90 days. Depending on your niche, it may take at least 2-years to replace your full-time income with a blog.
Most blogs don’t make money, that’s because most bloggers are hobby bloggers, the blog at their convenience and use the blog to just put their ideas out there.
If you’re starting a blog as a business, you will approach your blogging differently, you’ll have to blog even if you don’t feel like it. Even when your blog isn’t making any money yet.
The best way to start a blog is to start it as a hobby blog but work on it like you’re already getting paid to write because, expecting to make money from a blog too early will only disappoint you, so write without expecting any profits, and keep writing.
For a blog to be profitable, it needs traffic, lots of traffic, so you can’t expect to make money from your blog in 6 months, and perhaps, not even a year. You just have to keep on publishing and without much expectation.
When you build your traffic to a point where you have hundreds of thousands of visitors per month, then you can call it a real business!
Buy and Sell Domain Names
You can build a business out of buying and selling domain names. This is a low-risk business that doesn’t require any physical inventory.
Like any other online business, buying and selling domain names may not make you money right away. Actually, it isn’t as lucrative as it was before as most domain names are already taken but there’s a way to hi-jack registered domain names. You just have to be careful with trademarked names as you may get in trouble with the law.
If you’re good at coming up with brandable names, you can start registering these domain names and market them for sale to other businesses.
You can also buy registered domains at places like Flippa, hold them to build domain authority then resell at a higher price.
The upside to buying domains is that you can buy them for as low as $0.99 if they’re not trademarked, which makes this a business anyone with some money in their bank account could start without any worries of losing a lot of cash upfront. You just need good businesses skills and time to market your products aggressively online so people will know the name belongs to you!
Write and Sell Books Online
You can make a full-time living selling ebooks and audiobooks online.
You can create your own books from scratch, which takes some time, patience, and a lot of writing skills. An easier route is to have someone else ghost-write your book and focus on marketing instead. While most published authors will cringe at this idea, this can help you put out a lot of titles in as little time as possible.
As you may know, most authors struggle financially, so don’t expect to make a full-time living out of one to two published titles.
The internet has made it so easy for anyone to become a self-published author. No longer do you have to get approval from publishing houses to publish a book under your name. You just publish your book yourself on platforms like Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing then you can make your books available in print, audio, and Kindle form.
Amazon makes it easy for you to publish your book and sell copies in exchange for a cut of each sale, typically around 70%. You don’t have to worry about inventory or shipping costs because Amazon handles everything. Authors can also use Amazon Marketing Services if they want to boost their marketing efforts so more people know about their books.
You’re only responsible for writing one good title at a time but with all these resources available, chances are that many authors would join forces by co-writing together on an idea or project while leveraging off of each other’s strengths and experience levels.
Self-Employed Virtual Assistant
Small business owners and self-employed professionals are a busy bunch. If you’re good with computers and have excellent administrative and organizational skills, you can help other entrepreneurs manage their day-to-day activities, set appointments, and organize their calendars by offering your services as a virtual assistant.
You can be anywhere and have clients from anywhere in the world. As a virtual assistant, you will provide services such as data entry, digital marketing and social media management, and any other digitally deliverable service that your client(s) may need.
On-Demand (Or Scheduled) Personal Chef Service
Love cooking? You can take full advantage of this opportunity if you’re a certified chef as most people love the idea of being served 5-star quality meals right at the comforts of their homes, at least once in a while, at parties or special occasions.
A personal chef service is a perfect opportunity for people who are passionate about cooking and also have the skills to provide top-notch gastronomical delights.
You can offer services at any day of the week, with flexible hours based on your client’s schedule. You may need to invest in some equipment but you don’t really need an office space or a restaurant facility because all orders will be made from scratch before delivery on a commercial kitchen (which you can rent on a per hour basis) on your clients’ homes!
As this falls under the commercial food preparation category, you have to check with your local government what the restrictions and regulations are as well as any license(s), and insurance that you may require.
Event Planning Services
Planning parties is one of the most rewarding career paths because it allows you to help create and capture memories that will last a lifetime for your customers.
Many event planners find their own business idea by working as a wedding or party coordinator on weekends and traditional jobs during the week. Without much investment, an aspiring business owner can start out with friends’ events to gain professional experience before building up momentum in these highly sought-after positions.
There are a lot of things to consider when starting an event planning business. To help you figure out how to start your business, I wanted to share a few key pieces that were vital to me when I was researching and starting a successful event business!
Without much investment, an aspiring business owner can start out with friends’ events to gain professional experience before building up momentum in the event planning industry.
You know you’re the person for this type of business if you’re the go-to person for parties and events.
Most of the time you don’t realize this but how many times did you help your friends and relatives coordinate their events? If this is you, continue volunteering your party organizing skills and start documenting to build your portfolio, and start asking for referrals.
Personal Shopper
One of the challenges most seniors experience today is going out to shop for groceries and other household essentials.
Personal shoppers can provide shopping lists of groceries, help them find what they need on those lists, and then check out all their purchases at the end of each visit.
Personal shoppers may be compensated with a flat fee, per hour or by the number of items purchased.
Many seniors find that this service is worth its weight in gold as it has been a relief to them from one more responsibility of their life.
Personal shoppers are an asset for our aging population and can provide much-needed assistance to those who need it most.
You can offer your personal shopping services within your immediate neighborhood or community.
It also requires little startup costs as all you need at the start is a vehicle to help you with going to and from stores and delivering your clients’ purchases.
Social Media Specialist
Are you naturally “social”?
Well, that may not be enough to build a solid business from but if you know social media marketing or would like to study and practice it, you can build a social media marketing business.
As a social media marketing specialist, you will be able to create personalized social media marketing plans for businesses, teach businesses how they can use it as an effective way of advertising and promotion.
Social media is a vast field that requires much knowledge or study in order to get the maximum results from your business venture so make sure this is something you are passionate about before beginning.
It’s also important for businesses to have some sort of online following before hiring someone like yourself because the more followers these businesses already have, the easier it’ll be for them to increase their customer base with your help!
Writer for Hire (If you're a Passionate Writer)
If you love writing, the fastest way to make money from your writing skill is by offering writing services for businesses.
The most popular types of businesses for which people offer their writing services are blogs, books, magazines, and newspapers.
As a writer for hire you would be required to create content that will suit the businesses needs in terms of style, tone or message-which is what makes this endeavor so fulfilling because it doesn’t matter if you’re an accomplished novelist or someone who has been wanting to write but never found time-you can start making money from your writing skill today!
Most businesses nowadays try to take advantage of SEO and content marketing, they understand that to organically appear on search engine searches when a potential customer searches for their products or services, they have to serve related content. As such, there’s a high demand for quality content writers.
On average, you can charge businesses anywhere from $0.03 to $0.10 per word depending on your skill level.
Offer Online Paid Advertising Services
As an online paid advertising specialist, you can help local businesses in your area get more customers through social media and paid search advertising.
If you’re tech-savvy, you can easily learn Facebook and Google Adwords, keep in mind though that you have to master this craft before you start offering your services to make it a point that you can really help your clients land more customers.
Most local business owners aren’t web-savvy and are already spending on old forms of advertising. If you can show them that they can have a higher ROI with digital advertising, it’s much easier to switch their advertising dollars into your management and get paid handsomely.
Advertising on Facebook is one of the necessary evils for any local business, but small businesses often don’t have the time to learn how. This is where you come in! If you have the time to learn social media advertising, you can offer Facebook advertising to local businesses and get paid for your services.
Bookkeeping Services
Do you have a knack for numbers and enjoy working with businesses?
If you’re detail-oriented, you can launch your own bookkeeping business! Yup, and as opposed to popular belief, bookkeeping businesses are usually not complicated, and nope, you don’t have to get a CPA designation.
This goes without saying, of course, that you should know what you’re doing. You can take a bookkeeping and payroll course at a college or online.
If you already have a computer, well, you’re in business… hmm, not quite, you also have to invest in bookkeeping software. Quickbooks is the widely-used bookkeeping software in the world.
Work toward gaining 10 retainer clients, at an average retainer fee of $250 a month per client. You’re already looking at $2,500.00 a month of income offering bookkeeping services for small businesses and self-employed professionals.
Short Term Rental
You can build a short-term rental business by renting out an extra room or two in your home.
If you don’t have a home and you only need one room for yourself, partner or family, you can rent a 3-4 room apartment and rent out the rest of the rooms on sites like Airbnb, HomeAway, and VRBO.
You can also partner up with a friend to buy an apartment and share it while renting out the other rooms as short-term rentals.
Another way to get started is by buying a multi-family property, live on one unit, and rent out the rest. In most instances, you only need to come up with a 5% downpayment to take control of the property especially if you’re going to live in one of the units.
The beauty of short-term rentals is that you don’t have to deal with the headaches of maintaining long-term tenants.
Project Management Business
You can also start a project management business as a side gig.
If you have enough capital to buy and maintain an office, go ahead and do it but if not, all you need is your laptop for this type of business.
The beauty of project management businesses is that they’re basically high-tech businesses with low overhead costs.
Small Business Consulting
Small business consulting businesses are businesses that offer consulting services to businesses of all sizes.
The beauty of starting a small business consulting is that you can start with zero upfront cost and work your way up!
You can also provide an advisory service, like giving companies advice on how to stay afloat in today’s tough economic times or advise businesses owners who are struggling to make ends meet. You don’t need clients at first – go out there and get some by cold-calling businesses until someone says yes!
If you do it right the first time, they’ll come back for more 🙂
Transcription Business
Transcriptionists convert recorded material into written form and are needed in many industries including medical transcription, legal transcription, or general recording for businesses like meeting notes. All you need is to have decent typing skills – which we hope you do!
If you’re starting out as a newbie and don’t feel confident with just the basic computer keyboarding skills (which most people can use), then learn how to type by taking free online lessons at sites like Teachable Typing Academy on YouTube.
Medical Billing Service
A medical billing service business is a business that provides billing and collection services to healthcare providers.
In order for this type of business to work well, you’ll need a couple of employees (or an intern) who will be working on making phone calls and sending out invoices/statements all day long! It’s also better if the person handling accounts receivable has medical knowledge.
Since there are so many people without health insurance these days, it should make it easier for your company to collect money owed faster – which means more clients in the future as your reputation grows 🙂
Start a Music School or Become a Music Teacher
You can open a music school or mobile music teaching business to teach music that is in demand.
The beauty of this type of business is that you don’t need an office and all you’ll have to do is rent a room or space for your students once or twice a week.
You can also look into teaching music online or publishing music courses like Udemy, Skillshare, Coursera.
Selling courses, lets you earn passive income from your music teaching passion.
Sell Stuff on eBay
eBay is one of the most popular sites for online sellers. With a little bit of upfront work, it’s easy to set up an account and begin selling your items.
eBay businesses can be as simple or complex as you want them to be and they are easily scalable – meaning that the small investment in time now will result in more sales later on!
For instance, if you’re looking for something with less effort involved but still produce income, try flipping thrift store clothes at pawn shops. You’ll spend hours per day sorting through clothing racks searching for not-so-worn items which run around 50 cents apiece. This is both a fun activity and a profitable one too! Think about it: If everything goes right then over the course of three months (a conservative estimate) you could have made about $1000.
If you’re looking for something a little more complicated to start with, consider the idea of making and selling your own T-shirts on eBay! You’ll need an account through RedBubble which can be set up in no time at all. Once it’s established then you just upload your designs onto their site as well as create listings that will sell them directly on eBay, meaning less work for yourself but still producing great profits! With this business model there is also room for growth; once you’ve built your customer base then maybe move into wholesale or even better – have someone else do the printing while you focus on design and marketing!
Art and Craft Business Ideas
An art and craft business is ideal for people who enjoy working with their hands and would like to sell their products at a high volume.
A simple Google search for businesses with little startup costs will show you that most of these businesses can be started anywhere, as long as space is available. This means you don’t need experience or lots of money to start your own art and craft business!
One way to save on startup expenses is by using recycled materials in the creation of your crafts. Searching online for ideas will allow you to find unique ways to recycle old items into beautiful new ones!
Another option when starting out is selling products wholesale instead of retail – this saves upfront cost which could be absorbed by low margins on sales (though make sure it’s legal first!).
Pricing your artwork and crafts is a delicate balance between how much it costs to make them, what people are willing to pay for them, and the amount of time you want to spend making items.
One way businesses with little startup cost can save money on packaging materials (and this has an added bonus!) is by using recycled paper in their shipping boxes.
Art & Craft Business Tips
- Use recycled materials when starting out – like old magazines or scrap wood! – Sell wholesale instead of retail if possible; low margins can cover up start-up expenses.
- Pricing is a delicate balance between how much it costs to make, what people are willing to pay for, and the amount of time you want to spend making items.
- Price wisely based on production costs and desired profit margin.
- Save money on packing supplies by recycling paper from office work at home or printing off the post office!
- Find unique ways to recycle old items into beautiful new ones for your craft projects.
- Selling craft supplies and materials, such as fabric or yarn.
- Creating your own paintings for sale in a gallery setting with an online presence to sell from home.
- Crafting jewelry and handmade accessories that can be sold on Etsy or at local art fairs.
Sell Your Craft on Etsy
Etsy is a marketplace where you can buy and sell handmade or vintage goods. With an Etsy account, sellers list items for sale online while buyers browse the site to find what they’re looking for.
Etsy charges listing fees of $0.20 per item so if your crafts are priced at $100, you’ll need to make up that cost with sales.
Unlike eBay, there’s no final value fee on top of the selling price when using Etsy; however, customers may have additional shipping costs depending on their location outside the US (for example: importing from China into Australia)
Data Entry Business
Data entry is a business that requires little startup cost and can be operated from a laptop or home office.
It is an entry-level job for businesses looking to hire at least one person with minimal experience in the field, though more skilled data inputters, like programmers or graphic designers, may also take on this work as secondary employment opportunities.
This type of business can provide steady income due to its relatively low turnover rate (compared to other jobs). Data entry businesses are often able to purchase prewritten software programs online for reasonable prices but will still need employees with basic computer skills who possess some knowledge of English grammar. Costs usually cover only the expenses associated with purchasing hardware and software licenses along with small amounts of electricity/utilities per month.
The low costs and low requirements make this type of business an excellent opportunity for anyone who wants to start a business with little overhead.
Ghost Writing
Ghostwriting is one of the businesses with little to no startup costs. This service is usually associated with writing books for celebrities or politicians, but there are other types of ghostwriting gigs as well. There’s academic ghostwriting which helps students get their papers done on time and without too much hassle; grant-funded research projects that provide free services such as editing manuscripts; and book proposal ghostwriters who offer a variety of work-related tasks.
This business idea requires only your skillset and a computer or desk space where you can write up proposals, edit drafts, etc. You also need some basic knowledge about publishing guidelines so people take your product seriously when you send it out into the world.
Ghostwriting businesses offer a service that’s valued, in-demand, and requires little startup capital. This is an excellent business idea for people who want to work remotely or have other commitments but still need to generate income without actually having any of their own time invested.
Online Book Publishing
An online Book publishing business is another business with little to no startup costs.
The best way to self-publish your book is to register with Amazon KDP. From there, you can publish your book for free and set the price.
Amazon lets you sign up as an independent publisher, which means that Amazon will act as the distributor of your book if they approve it. You’ll also need to complete tax documents to list your company with the IRS.
After you log into Amazon KDP, click on “Your Bookshelf” on the top of the screen. This will take you to a page where you will upload your manuscript; Amazon provides online help for this process if necessary. When Amazon finishes uploading your file, it will review it for plagiarism and other possible errors like grammar mistakes or formatting issues. If you make changes, upload your new manuscript to Amazon again and wait for the review process to begin once more.
Once everything is approved, go back into the “Your Bookshelf” tab; this time click on “Promote Your Book”. You’ll be presented with a page where you can create an author’s profile that includes your biography and a short bio. You can also add your website’s URL, Facebook author page, Twitter handle, Instagram account, or YouTube channel if you have one of these to promote yourself as an established writer.
Then go into the “Bookshelf” tab again; this time click on “Kindle eBook Pricing”. Underneath this title is a drop-down menu where you can select the price of your book. Amazon lets you choose between different prices for each region or let them set it based on their own algorithms which calculates what they think would be an appropriate sale price.
Once this is done, go to the “Rights and Pricing” tab; here you will see a list of countries where Amazon lets users sell eBooks. Each country has its own different price range so you’ll have to select the one that best applies to your book’s availability and content.
When everything is set, click on the “Save & Publish” button which will bring up a pop-up window asking about how many pages are in your manuscript; Amazon needs this information to make the book’s sales page.
Once everything is approved, your eBook will become available on Amazon and you’ll be able to start promoting it yourself or hire someone through Fiverr who can promote your work for you.
Proofreading Business
Proofreading businesses are businesses that take on the task of making sure any written texts (such as marketing materials, resumes, blog posts) are free from typos and grammatical errors.
Proofreading businesses can be started with minimal or no upfront costs if you outsource some tasks like the research phase to a virtual assistant. All that’s needed is a computer and internet connection for your own protection against identity theft and other cyber-crimes.
The easiest way to get clients in this business model is by using social media platforms such as Facebook groups, LinkedIn Groups, Twitter hashtags (#), etc., which will allow users to find your services based on their area of expertise in need of proofreaders at all levels: high school students looking to get their resume ready for college, businesses looking to create marketing materials that are error-free, and small businesses who need a second set of eyes on their blog post.
Your customer base will be diverse in this business model because there’s barely any competition!
Literary Editor
A literary editor is a person who makes sure that the language of an author or writer is correct and grammatical. A literary editor will also help authors clarify their meaning, make convincing arguments, and tell compelling stories.
A literary editor’s job can include helping with layout design for the book including fonts, margins, chapter headings, and subheadings; reviewing manuscripts to identify any problems in the grammar or writing style; suggesting revisions if necessary; formatting texts according to publisher requirements; preparing materials such as cover designs for submission to publishers.
Some businesses need heavy editing skills so it may be best not to pursue this career path unless you have those skills already. If you are good at grammar then this might be something worth considering!
In your heart as a writer, you might not want to admit it but being an editor is just about the best job in publishing. You get paid to read and give feedback on other people’s work; it doesn’t even matter if that work is good or bad! You’ll still be getting a paycheck at the end of every week. All you have to do is offer up some constructive criticism–and then make sure they stick with their revisions.
Local Print Shop Business
If you’re not too techy or you just want to keep things simple. You can start a local print shop business. In this type of business, you would simply print and copy documents for businesses in your local area. You can charge businesses per page or build a monthly fee into your service.
A local print shop business is ideal for anyone who wants to keep things simple and still make some extra cash on the side. This type of small business would require only minimal upfront costs because you’ll be using an already existing printer/copier machine, paper, ink, and other office supplies.
You can print business cards, flyers, brochures, pamphlets or even print off smaller things such as bookmarks. The possibilities are endless!
Local businesses should come flocking towards you once word gets out about your business and how affordable it is compared to the bigger businesses in town. With a lower overhead cost than most businesses of this kind, you’ll be able to charge businesses less money for your services, allowing you to stay competitive.
You don’t need any fancy equipment or super expensive software in order to get started either! If you already have most of the things listed here (printer, paper, ink), then you’re good to go! All businesses start somewhere; why not make it with something that is low-cost and easy to do.
Graphic Design Business
You don’t need a lot of money to start your own design-focused business. You probably already have many of the skills you need, and thanks to digital tools like Photoshop and Illustrator, you can get up and running in no time at all. As a designer, there are two primary ways that you can make money: freelance work or starting your own company (or both). The choice is yours.
If you already know how to design, then this could be a lucrative small business. You can make money either by working for businesses one-on-one or starting your own company and hiring others who also have graphic designing skills to work with you.
Sell Graphic Design Courses
You can also make money as a designer by teaching others what you know. Offer short online courses at sites like Udemy or Skillshare that teach people how to use Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign—or any design software package that you’re an expert in. These types of classes are typically offered over the course of three weeks with video lessons delivered each day, though some offer lifetime access if they think it will be worth more in the long run (which is entirely up to you).
Start a T-shirt Design Business
The t-shirt design industry can seem like a lot of competition but there’s definitely room for those who want to join in on the fun too. With free templates that allow anyone from beginners (with absolutely zero experience) all the way up through experts alike (those with years of designing knowledge under their belt
A t-shirt design business has no upfront expenses at all (since there’s an online generator) and since most shirts can be printed in less than one day, shipping time often isn’t much either. Plus free templates mean virtually anyone can create their own logo! With these things considered, it seems as though this could be the perfect first step towards starting your very own profitable business.
Clothing Design Business
Love designer clothing? Do you think you can come up with your own designs?
A clothing design business may be the perfect business for you.
Many businesses require a large upfront investment of capital to start but this is not always the case. A clothing line can provide people with an alternative to designer clothes and specialty stores, at reasonable prices without huge risk or costs associated with them.
All that’s really needed is some materials (fabrics and textiles) as well as skills in drawing, sketching, sewing, pattern-making/cutting, etc which are all things you should learn before investing any money into your new venture. You’ll also need startup tools like measuring tapes and dress forms so it pays off to do some research on what those items would typically go for online too!
A clothing design business will allow you to take something from the idea phase straight to the store shelves. You can also provide a personalized experience for those who are interested in your designs by connecting with them through social media and selling your clothes online directly!
Photo-Editing Business
A photo-editing business is an easy business to start and one with little investment, provided of course if you already have the necessary photo-editing skills. In order to get a photo-editing business up and running, you just need the following:
- computer,
- monitor,
- mouse,
- keyboard;
- art software like Photoshop or Gimp (free); scanner if needed for photography work;
- digital camera (optional)
The cost of all this equipment can be less than $500 – nothing compared to the return on your investment when you’re making thousands per month editing photos! Plus it’s an enjoyable way to make money so that time spent away from client jobs isn’t wasted time at home!
Many businesses claim that the average private photo editor makes $69,951 a year.
The reality is that this figure varies widely depending on what you charge and how much photography work you do or don’t take on as part of your business strategy.
Candle-Making Business
Candle-making businesses can be profitable with the right amount of time and effort put into it. To get started on a candle-making business, you will need some supplies such as wax, wicks, oils or fragrances, containers for candles (glassware or jars), tools like thermometers and molds/pans, packaging materials, labels for your products, and more.
A successful candle company also needs to have an idea about what its target customers are in order to effectively market their product because marketing costs money too! One thing that’s great about starting up a new candle company is that there really isn’t any startup cost involved at all which means you don’t have to worry about spending a lot of cash before you get your business off the ground!
Specialty Soap Making Business
You don’t have to invest much money at all in order to get started making soap. Of course, the more expensive ingredients are things like shea butter and glycerin that will add up over time, but then again those are just good for your skin anyway so if they do end up costing a little bit more, why not?
There’s no special equipment or machinery needed here–just some basic kitchen supplies. For instance: bowls, measuring spoons/cups (both liquid and dry), spatulas, cutting boards… And of course, you’ll need an oven or microwave-safe pan with lids for melting and mixing.
What about soap-making supplies?
You’ll need some soap-making ingredients – things like oils, butter, fragrances, waxes, or colorants… You may also want to think about buying a stockpot so that you can make larger batches of soap (and thus get more bang out of your buck).
Marriage and/or Relationship Counselling
If you have a background in psychology, you can consider a career as a Marriage Counsellor, Relationship Psychologist or Family Therapist.
Marriage counseling is for couples who are having problems with their relationship and need help to improve the way they communicate in order to reduce conflict.
A degree in Psychology will be enough qualifications for most businesses, but some institutions may require additional qualifications depending on how many contacts you have with clients.
The costs of starting this business can vary greatly depending on what type of facility you want (see below). It’s possible that your home will suffice if it has an office-like space where people can meet one another face-to-face and talk privately; make sure there is adequate lighting so sessions don’t go too late into the evening.
Life Coaching Business
Are you someone most of your friends and relatives go to for advice? Do you find yourself constantly telling friends and family what they should be doing with their lives? If so, then you might have a knack for life coaching.
-Starting up this business is relatively easy because there are no upfront costs other than the initial consultation fee of $250-$500. You can either offer in-person consultations or do it all online using Skype, FaceTime, etc.
You don’t need to go get any certifications as most businesses require; simply just start giving people advice! This idea would also work really well if you’re already an established therapist who wants to extend your services without buying another piece of property that sits empty half the time.
Start a Personal Concierge Business
A personal concierge business is a great business idea to start with little to no startup costs. A personal concierge will perform tasks such as picking up dry cleaning, grocery shopping, or providing transportation for medical appointments.
To get started: look into businesses that offer an app service like TaskRabbit and Thumbtack that are looking for more people in your area who can work on demand. You’ll be able to list yourself as available at any time of the day (or night) so businesses know they can call you when they need something done right away!
Another way is by cold calling business owners (or seniors) near you offering these services and asking if they need help with their personal day-to-day obligations.
Professional Home Organizer
Are you a passionate organizer? If you’re someone who hates clutter, and you’re the one person in your life who can’t stand to see things not put away and organized, then this might be the perfect business for you.
- No startup costs, since all you need is a home office or space of some kind.
- You’ll find that businesses like these thrive on word-of-mouth referrals and repeat customers because people will want an organizer they trust to come into their homes and help them out with organizing projects once a month, quarter, etc…
Depending on if you have experience as a professional organizer before starting up this type of venture, it’s also possible that businesses would pay someone like yourself for consultation work and other organizational services outside of just coming into their homes.
Home Daycare Business
Daycares are an evergreen, high-demand business in our part of the world, and one in which you can make a tidy profit.
Keep your daycare open from Monday to Friday, or limit it to mornings only, afternoons only, or evenings.
Marketing is important for businesses with low startup costs: use public advertising on bulletin boards at nearby businesses such as banks or grocery stores; contact the local media about your business (print publications often have classified ads that allow small businesses to advertise); post flyers around town offering free information sessions about starting a daycare business.
Check out the marketability of potential locations before settling into an area: look for businesses that might be able to help subsidize rent by renting space during off-hours and looking for neighborhoods where there are lots of young families.
You might also want to consider running your daycare out of someone’s home, which can be a low start-up cost and will allow you the most flexibility.
Provide flexible hours for parents: businesses with little startup costs often have lower turnover rates because employees are more committed when they feel valued.
Offer an affordable monthly rate that covers all expenses (rent, utilities, etc.), so parents don’t need to worry about paying extra charges such as child care tax credits or subsidies from the government in order to get their children enrolled at your daycare.
House-Sitting Business
House-sitting enables house owners to place their homes in good hands. Homeowners hire a sitter to care for their pets, water plants, and collect newspapers and mail while they’re away.
You can make between $25 to $50 per day depending on your location.
A house-sitting business is an excellent opportunity for people looking to start a small business with little startup cost. A house-sitting business will only require the time and effort of its owner, as well as some basic supplies (first aid kit, tools) that may or may not already be in their possession.
A person can create this type of business out of nothing by simply finding homeowners who need someone to watch over their property while they are away on vacation or other extended periods of time. The homeowner would pay for these services through check or PayPal at the agreed-upon rate per day.
Lawn Maintenance Business
I’m not the best person to maintain our lawn and I believe that I’m not the only one who needs a quality lawn maintenance professional to take care of my lawn for a fee. There are businesses that provide lawn maintenance, but these businesses will charge an hourly rate of anywhere between $25 to $60 per hour.
A lawn maintenance business is a year-round business because you can offer snow removal in the winter months too.
You can also start this type of business with very little startup costs because you don’t need any fancy equipment to get started, just a lawnmower, snowblower, and weed eater would be enough.
House Cleaning Business
Another business with little startup cost is a house cleaning business because the only things that you really need for it are cleaners and equipment such as mops, brooms, vacuum cleaners, etc. You will receive your income in proportion to how many hours or days that you work.
A house cleaning business is perfect for working parents. You don’t need any background in the industry and anyone can do it: all that’s required to start a house-cleaning business is some basic equipment and an ability to clean houses well.
Wedding Planner Business
A wedding planner business is another business with little startup cost which requires no formal schooling. It’s a one-person job, but you can hire assistants when required. You do need some knowledge about weddings to succeed in this industry and an ability to handle stress well because planning weddings is stressful work that will require nights of all-nighters.
You will be required to market your wedding planner business, which can get expensive if you don’t know how to do it well. You need a website and advertising in local newspapers or magazines is essential for businesses with little startup cost like this one. Wedding planners may also offer their services through word-of-mouth, so referrals from satisfied clients would be a great way to build your business media sites like Craigslist to advertise your service. This type of business is easy to start by just.
Start a Mobile Carwash Business
A mobile carwash business is one of my favorite small business ideas that anyone can start.
As a mobile carwash service provider, you’ll offer convenient services for people on the go, typically businesses and apartment complexes.
The best part is that you can do this business idea with very little to no startup costs! You’ll need a car (preferably not your personal vehicle), some water hoses and brushes, towels or drying clothes, soap/wax products, sponges or scrubbers if necessary, and a vacuum cleaner. These are all items that you may already be using in your everyday life so they won’t incur any additional cost.
To make it even more convenient for your customers, you can provide mobile car detailing services in addition to a simple wash and wax or even do the cleaning inside of their home.
This is an easy small business idea with very little startup costs!
Become a Mobile Mechanic
Do you love fixing cars but you don’ have the capital to rent a car shop? Instead of working for someone else as a mechanic, why not become a mobile mechanic?
A mobile mechanic is just like a normal mechanic, but they offer their services to businesses and residences. Though you’ll need your own tools, it’s an easy way for people without much capital to invest to get started in the repair business.
To get started, you can build your own repair kit with materials from the hardware store. It’ll cost about $150 but will have everything you need to get started. The kit should include a workbench, tools, oil, grease, hoses, and a compressor.
It’s also recommended that you take an automotive certification course, which can be easily found online. You may also want to invest in safety equipment such as eye protection and gloves.
How much can you make?
You can make anywhere between $40 to $500 per visit. Mobile businesses are usually booked with customers, so you won’t have trouble finding work! You may also want to offer additional services such as oil changes and inspections in order to increase your customer base.
Tire Repair Service
A tire repair service can be an add-on to an existing mechanic business but it can also be set up as a stand-alone service business. This is a business that does not require much capital to start and also doesn’t need any employees.
What's the cost?
The initial investment for this type of service can start as low as $600, but most businesses will invest at least $2000 in their equipment. A tire repair service should be able to pay off that investment within 12 months if they are doing over 15 repairs per day with an average price of each tire coming out to around $150-200.
Dog Walking Business
Start by researching businesses in your area that offer dog walking services and see what they are doing differently or better than you. You may want to consider starting with a service like Rover where there is no initial cost, unlike other businesses who charge fees upfront for the business license and insurance coverage.
You will also need to make sure that you have all of the appropriate licensing as well as liability insurance before offering this type of service as it can be dangerous work if not handled properly. In addition, you’ll need to research how much money businesses similar to yours are charging per walk so that you know a good price point for yourself which we recommend staying around $20-$30 per hour at first unless you find out from competitors that
Pet Grooming Business
You can start a pet grooming business right from the comfort of your own home. You will need to be licensed and have liability insurance coverage before you can start this type of business as well as a variety of tools for use in the grooming process, which often includes clippers, scissors, brushes, and combs.
Start by doing research on businesses that offer pet grooming services in your area so that you know what pricing is like locally. This way when customers come into your store they are happy with the prices because it’s something fair instead of overpriced compared to other businesses nearby.
You’ll also want to make sure that you do not groom any pets without proper licensing or certification first!
Become A Mobile Stylist
Mobile Stylist is a hair and beauty salon that comes to you! They come equipped with all the tools needed- from styling devices, hairdryers, shampoo bowls, and more. All of their stylists are licensed in both cosmetology as well as massage therapy so they can give your whole body some TLC while giving your locks a fresh new look.
For businesses on the go who want to stay looking sharp without missing out on social time with friends or family members Mobile Stylist offers convenient packages such as quick cuts for $25-$40+ depending on the length of the cut, color treatments for $65+, highlights starting at $100+, full scalp conditioning treatment for $150+.
Massage Therapist
You can offer massage therapy services as a registered massage therapist. To start this business, you will need to finish an accredited massage therapy program in most countries. This is the only way that businesses are legally allowed to offer massage services within states like California and Texas where these types of businesses require a license before they can perform their service for customers.
You’ll want to make sure that you do not practice massage therapy without proper licensing and insurance if you’re based in the US, Canada, or any other country that has strict regulations.
My massage therapist makes an average of $90,000.00 a year gross. If this is something you’ll like to take on as a career, getting certified as a registered massage therapist is certainly worth the effort.
Become A Yoga Instructor
You can build a self-employment business as a yoga instructor if you have a passion for teaching yoga and want to share your love of the practice.
You can build a self-employment business as a yoga instructor if you have a passion for teaching yoga and want to share your love of the practice. A big benefit is that there are no start-up costs with this profession! There may be some small licensing fees depending on what state or city you reside in, but it’s nothing compared to opening an actual studio space as most businesses require.
Another plus is that they offer group classes which means less time spent marketing because students will find their own way into the class through word-of-mouth about how great it was. You might also consider private lessons so clients know exactly who their instructor will be for each class, and can request classes outside of your regular schedule.
You’ll need to acquire a yoga certification which is usually done through an online course or in-person training with experienced instructors until you decide to take the next step into opening up your own studio space for even more profits!
Mobile Appliance Technician Business
Yes, you read that correctly. You can start your own business as a mobile technician without any startup costs at all!
Turn Your Car into an Enterprise: This is one of the businesses with little to no startup cost and it’s great because it requires no special training or certification upfront. All you need is a car and some knowledge about how cars work. From there, just set up shop on sites like Craigslist where people are always looking for repairs in their area-just make sure they’re legal ones! Remember to charge competitive rates though so you don’t get undercut by other repair shops nearby. And be honest if something needs immediate attention (which often happens).
If you go this route, I recommend purchasing a small toolkit. You can find them for $100 or less on Amazon.
Home Staging Business
A home staging business may not be the first thing that comes to mind when looking for businesses with little or no startup costs, but this niche can be a surprisingly lucrative opportunity.
Home staging is an industry that has been steadily gaining popularity in recent years.
According to Inc., “sales of professional services related to residential property have grown at a rate of about 11% annually.” The amount spent on these services by homeowners would also suggest the market is growing – according to Houzz’s 2017 Cost vs Value Report, the average homeowner spends $18,000 on their renovation project and pays 22% more than necessary due to poor planning and inaccurate budgeting. And finally, if you’re interested in starting your own home-based business, there are home staging businesses for sale on sites like HomeStaging.com, and the expert advice offered by House Beautiful suggests that home staging businesses can be started with as little as $500 in startup costs.
Local Courier Service
With a car, bike, or on foot you can start your own courier business delivering packages for people in your area.
The upside: there is really very little overhead because all you need is a mode of transportation and an iPhone app like Postmates so to speak up to clients as they request delivery services from their phone through the app.
The downside: when it comes to profit margins cabbies often take home less than minimum wage after expenses like gas, insurance, etc., which may discourage drivers who want more control over how much money they make each hour.
How To Get Started
In order to become a self-employed courier, you need to register with the city and state government so they can issue your permit. Next, get a vehicle like a car or a bike and purchase necessary items like an insurance for liability purposes in order to legally drive on public roads. Finally, market your business by knocking on doors asking businesses if anyone needs their deliveries taken care of.
Pool Cleaning Service
Pool cleaning businesses are a great business idea for people with little to no startup costs. You can find most of the tools you need at your local hardware store and some pool cleaners will even sell their equipment on consignment if you have trouble finding it elsewhere. The only initial investment needed would be purchasing a truck that is able to carry 500 pounds in weight, as well as acquiring liability insurance which should cost less than $100/year.
Facial Booth
A facial booth may not sound like an ideal option but they’re surprisingly affordable! All you need is a space to set up shop such as renting out unused retail space or setting up near places where foot traffic is high (such as college campuses). For just getting the booth up and running, you should budget about $700-$1000 to rent a space or purchase the equipment.
Dog Daycare
Dog daycare is another great business idea that doesn’t require much startup money due to all of the used supplies businesses typically have available for sale on sites like eBay. The only thing needed for this venture would be an enclosed area such as a garage where dogs can play and run around safely with proper ventilation.
The best way to get started in this business is by word of mouth so find a reputable pet store or dog groomer, and ask for referrals. You can also use sites like Dogvacay.com where businesses will list their services on the site for free!
Professional Moving Service
Professional moving services are businesses that need little to no startup cost. They can be started with a phone and supplies, which is all the company needs in order to operate. Moving businesses have great potential for growth as they don’t require any physical inventory or space – only what’s needed for the move itself! This makes it an ideal business if you’re on a tight budget and want something more reliable than being self-employed.
House Painting
You can start a house painting business with a small investment of around $500.
This is an inexpensive business to start because you don’t have any expensive equipment or materials required for the job
You only need paint, brushes, rollers, and drop sheets in order to get started
Hours:
You can work full-time hours as long as your clients are not expecting everyday service. Most businesses will offer four days per week or five days if they know that their customers are available at these times. If not, you might want to stay away from this industry until you’re able – it’s hard enough running a business without complicated scheduling hassles!
Mobile Carwash
You can start a mobile carwash business with very little investment. You’ll need to invest in equipment such as buckets, soap, and rags but it won’t cost much more than $500 to get started. This is an attractive small business idea for individuals who enjoy working outside or are looking for something low-cost that still has a return on their time invested.
One of the best businesses you could ever own if your goal is simply to make money from home! It’s also great because there are no employees so all profit goes into your pocket not someone else’s like most businesses require.
The only issue will be competition but this isn’t too bad because they’re going after different clientele – some offer mechanical services, others offer convenience and a few businesses are mobile so they come to you.
A lot of these businesses will go in the same areas as well, but if you’re looking for something that’s highly scalable with little investment this is a good starting point.
Mobile Car Detailing Business
Starting a mobile car detailing business has little to no startup cost. All that is needed for this business are the supplies and equipment necessary to detail cars, which can be purchased new or used through online businesses such as eBay, Craigslist, Amazon Marketplace, or at auction sites like GovDeals.com. A floor jack will also come in handy when it comes time to change the oil on a customer’s vehicle. The most expensive part of starting this type of venture would probably be paying out-of-pocket for advertising; however, there could also be an opportunity with businesses that have high volume and get their vehicles detailed regularly (such as hotels) where they might offer one free month of service after every six months the company decides to work together.
A mobile car detailing business can be a great way to enter into the automotive industry without spending much in start-up funds, and with an interesting niche that is often overlooked.
Online Marketing Consultant
Online Marketing Consultant businesses are a great way to get started with little startup costs. There’s no need for inventory, and you can work from home or anywhere else that has internet access. You don’t even have to meet clients in person; everything is done via email, phone, Skype, etc., so there’s never any travel cost either!
You will want to invest some money into learning how to use the various marketing tools like Google Adwords ads but this investment pays off quickly as these types of businesses generally enjoy quick growth rates. And you won’t need much more than your laptop and an internet connection if you decide on this business idea.
Online Lead Generation Business
This is an example of a type of business that falls into the category. An online lead generation businesses are businesses where businesses pay to generate leads for their product or service, and you as the owner can make money off of these deals. You’ll need some capital upfront for this one; however, it’s typically not too expensive at about $500-$1000 in startup costs–often less if you have more time on your hands since this is usually done part-time from home.
The most popular way to do this would be through certain affiliate programs such as those offered by ClickBank (among others); all you really need is something like WordPress installed with an easy plug-in (such as the Leadpages plugin) which will help drive traffic to the businesses’ landing pages where they’ll hopefully make a purchase. This can be an easy way for people who are looking to get into internet marketing, or it could simply be something you do on your own time while still working full-time at whatever job you currently have.
The possibilities with this business idea really run the gamut, and businesses can offer a wide variety of different products or services. As long as you have some experience with internet marketing, know how to generate leads from search engines like Google, and enjoy working part-time on the side this could be a good fit for any number of people out there who want to start their own business but don’t have a lot of capital to use up.
Tutorial Business
One of the businesses that fall under this category is tutoring. There are many different areas you can tutor, and all it takes to get started on your own is a few years of expertise in an area (or just some knowledge) and finding students who need help with what you know. This is one of the businesses that can be done in person or online, depending on your location and comfort level with working remotely.
The most expensive part of starting a tutorial business would probably involve finding reputable websites to list yourself as an expert in your field; however, once this is done the rest should fall into place rather quickly and efficiently. This is a great business idea for anyone who has expertise in an area and would be willing to work with students on improving their skills as well.
Mobile Bartending Service
A mobile bartending service is a great idea for businesses without much startup costs. This business can be run with or without alcohol, depending on the desired audience and location. Customers will pay to have their drinks made in their home, at an outdoor event (like a pool party), or wherever they want! There are only two things needed: A high-quality blender and some basic bar tools like cocktail shakers, jiggers, stirring spoons, and strainers. The cost of renting these items will vary from city to city but should not exceed $50 per weekend rental package that includes all necessary glassware as well as mixers. If you live in a state where it’s legal to operate this type of company then your license could be as low as $125, which will cover the cost of your permit and all necessary fees.
Bike Rental Business
You can rent bikes in different cities. It is a very low startup cost and the supplies, such as helmets, are also cheap to buy or you can get them for free. This would be perfect for somebody looking to provide eco-friendly transportation services that have a little start-up cost with lots of profit potential.
If you look around your neighborhood, there might be areas that are often frequented by local or international tourists like parks and monuments. If you live in a tourist area, businesses such as bike rentals might do well because tourists who want to explore the neighborhood would likely take advantage of your services and pay for them instead of taking public transportation which may be difficult for those visiting from another country or state where they don’t know their way around yet.
Meal Prep and Delivery Service
This business idea is one of the businesses that fall under this category. A meal delivery service can be started for as little as $30 if you already have a car and kitchen supplies! This type of company would typically deliver lunches, dinners, or breakfast meals to customers who are interested in healthy alternatives but don’t have the time to cook for themselves. This business would be perfect if you know cooking or enjoy meal planning and delivery services yourself!
Your target market is working professionals who do not have time to cook for themselves and would appreciate a hot meal that they know is healthy delivered right at their office doors.
Selling Used Books Online
You can sell your used books online through websites such as Amazon or eBay. The startup costs are very low with this type of business, but the main cost you will incur is in purchasing the books to sell.
The startup costs for this business are virtually non-existent, but like most businesses, you will incur purchasing costs that can be very high if your inventory is limited or specific. However, you can also make a profit by selling used book buybacks online as well; which means once again the initial cost of getting started with this business can be very low.
Freelance Writing Agency
This is another example of businesses that fall under this category. With just a computer, internet connection, printer, scanner, cell phone (for clients), and some basic office supplies you can start a freelance writing agency today. You would then reach out to businesses that need content for their websites, print advertisements, or social media posts and offer your services as an experienced writer in SEO-friendly web copy (content), press releases, blog posts (for businesses who want them written during the weekend), product descriptions/reviews (if businesses sell their products online), and social media posts (businesses who want to update once daily or every few days).
Medical Transcriptionist Business
Like businesses that fall under this category, medical transcriptionists are in demand around the world. This is a great business idea if you have previous experience transcribing audio files for businesses, be they large or small businesses. If you decide to start this business idea, be sure to take proper safety precautions and make arrangements for things like backup care in case of an emergency!
The medical transcription business is very flexible and allows you to work anytime, anywhere with just a PC or laptop. You can choose your own hours of operation as well as the number of clients that will hire you at one time. The businesses listed below are businesses that need medical transcriptionists in order to keep things running smoothly!
Rent Out Your Space With Airbnb
Another example of businesses with little startup costs is renting out your home or spare room on airbnb.com. If you already have an extra space to rent out, then you can sign up with Airbnb, and offer bed and breakfast service right from the comforts of your home.
This is a great opportunity for anyone who loves to cook, wants to meet new people from all over the world, or just enjoys traveling.
Starting a business on Airbnb is perfect for those who don’t mind working with strangers and want to start businesses without breaking the bank! This one also falls under businesses that can be started quickly, which makes it even better because you won’t have to wait too long before getting paid!
Freelance Copywriting Business
A lot of business owners are interested in having ad and marketing copies written for their businesses, which means a freelance copywriting business is in high demand!
When starting a copywriting business, you should have some writing samples ready to show potential clients. If the client loves your work and decides they want to hire you, then you can begin working with them right away because there are no startup costs involved other than purchasing a laptop or desktop computer, and an internet connection, which you would probably have.
While businesses can hire copywriters from Freelance websites like Upwork and Fiverr, the best way to build your copywriting business is to have your own website and show your prospective clients how you put your skills into practice by publishing great quality copies on your website to get them hooked.
Rideshare Business
Rideshare businesses like Uber and Lyft are currently in their own category. This is because they provide a service that, while technically classified as transportation, does not actually produce any goods to sell either on the web or offline. However, if you have your driver’s license already, and have access to a reliable car, then you can start a rideshare business with little to no startup costs.
A rideshare business is simple to start, all you have to do is register with ridesharing companies like Uber, and Lyft, download the driver mobile apps, and go online whenever you’re available to drive customers to and from their destinations.
It’s like a taxicab business but you’re offering the convenience of a private car.
Window Cleaning Service Business
When it comes to getting businesses started that require little startup costs, window cleaning services are among the easiest. Window cleaners don’t need much in the way of equipment and supplies because they work on such a small scale: all you really need is some soap/water (and cloths), a ladder, or scaffolding – and starting out as a one-person band will be a lot cheaper than partnering with someone who already owns their own business. A quick internet search reveals businesses charging anywhere from $25-$200 per job; though this may vary depending on location, experience level, overhead expenses like tools, etc., and what kind of service package you offer (e.g.: hourly rate vs set bid). One can always charge more if desired or work on a bidding system that’s similar to what businesses charge for other types of jobs, but at the very least this is a great starting point.
Mobile DJ Service
A mobile DJ service business is a good option for businesses with little to no startup costs. There are many businesses that could be started with little to no startup costs. Mobile DJ service is one of them. You can get started by simply purchasing or renting equipment, which you could get from family or friends. You would also need to invest in marketing so that your business gets recognized. You can do this by setting up a website or even through social media.
Professional Speaker
Being a professional speaker can be a lucrative career. There are many businesses that offer speaking engagements and the pay ranges from very little to no fees at all. The businesses may choose to have you sell your own products or give them their cut of the proceeds if they’re providing the audience. You can also offer to do speeches for free for businesses that are looking for built-in advertising, which is called “speaking trade”.
To break into this business, you’ll need to develop an unforgettable speech and make connections with businesses in your area that offer speaking engagements. You may need to move from town to town or from country to country if there are no opportunities in your location.
Interior Design Service
You can start your own interior design service by assessing the spaces in your home. What are some features that you like about the home? Is there anything you would change or improve on? You can also create an interior design portfolio for businesses and businesses themselves. Start networking with businesses in your area to see if they need any help with their space. After gaining experience, meet with businesses to discuss what they want in their space. By listening to their needs, providing detailed drawings of what they would like in their space, and presenting them with ideas for how to set up their space, you’ll be able to provide them with the best possible experience when it comes to redoing their space.
Home Renovations Business
There’s a saying that states, a skilled person will never go hungry.
If you’re skilled in the trades, this cannot be further than true, labor costs in the trade industry are crazy in our area, and there isn’t a shortage in demand too.
In other words, there’s always a need for quality home renovations professionals. That’s where you come in – with little to no startup costs and your skills as a handyman or carpenter, you can start this business right from the comfort of your own home.
As long as you have some basic home renovation tools, like drills, saws, etc., you can start up with little to no startup costs at all. You may even be able to get away with just your tools in some cases.
You can start this business by advertising in local newspapers, putting up flyers around the neighborhood, or even on community boards at businesses and libraries. This is a great way to build word-of-mouth marketing too – when you help out past clients with their home projects, they’ll often refer other people to you.
You can also find businesses that are struggling to keep up with demand or have no time, and then offer your services at a discounted rate. These businesses will love you for it because they don’t need to pay the full price of an employee either – plus, by working with them on projects in-house instead of hiring someone else, you’re saving them money.
Wedding Planning Business
You can start a wedding planning business with little to no startup costs. You can meet and network with future brides by setting up a website about your wedding planning services. You do not need to spend money on marketing, as word of mouth is the best way to advertise for businesses like these.
Starting with your own network, you can post a couple of pro-bono wedding planning services at no cost to your friends and relatives. You can use these events to build your portfolio, which you can post on your website, and social media pages.
Promoting a wedding planning business is quite easy since this type of business is virtual and can be easily promoted on social media platforms like Instagram, and Facebook.
Become an Insurance Broker
To become an insurance broker, you just need to have a license, which you can get through your state.
You can set up a website with your contact information and portfolio, which are easy to post on social media platforms. And since this is a virtual business with no physical office space requirements, there are no startup costs.
You can even start off by contacting your friends and family in the industry to ask them for any referrals for new clients. Then you can use these businesses to network with other businesses in the industry. Once you have enough businesses on your list, you will be able to make more sales by reaching out to businesses in the area that might benefit from your service.
If you’re reading this from Canada, we can help you get started in this career. Simply contact us here.
Start an Adult Day Care Center
An adult daycare center is a great opportunity for businesses that are looking to start up without much capital. The cost of equipment, supplies and other operational costs are minimal. There are also no startup costs involved with the location of your business, as it can be done from home or in an office space.
The best way to market your business is by using word-of-mouth recommendations. This can be done through social media pages, websites, flyers around town advertising the services you offer at your center, and more traditional avenues like word-of-mouth recommendations or print ads in local newspapers. The success of your business will rely on the number of referrals that you receive each year. Generally, businesses see between 30 to 40 referrals per year.
Starting an adult daycare center is a great way to take care of adults that need assistance during the daytime hours and give caregivers like grandparents, or family members some time off without worrying about the safety and security of their loved ones for even one minute.
This business can be run from home; however many businesses choose to rent commercial space.
Dropshipping Business
Dropshipping businesses provide a way for people to start a profitable business with minimal out-of-pocket costs. This means that businesses can get started without having to pay for inventory, storage, or shipping.
Successful businesses make money by collecting fees from the goods they sell and from the shipping charges they charge the suppliers who ship the goods.
The best way to start a dropshipping business is through Shopify, which is an out-of-the-box e-commerce store platform that helps you build your store without ever having to write a code or hiring a programmer which can cost thousands of dollars.
You will also need a domain name for your online store to get started on this journey.
While there’s slim profit with dropshipping (after advertising costs), you’re not necessarily spending on inventories you can’t move.
Dropshipping is also a great way of testing products you may want to brand down the road.
Social Media Consultant
It’s often best to build expertise in something particular rather than trying to be a generalist. For example, if you love beauty products, you could focus on that industry. You could then offer services like helping businesses navigate social media platforms or create content just for businesses in the beauty industry.
As a social media consultant, you could work for businesses that are looking to boost their social media presence or businesses that have a lot of competition in the industry.
You can take social media marketing courses online to improve your skills.
“Most businesses can’t afford a full-time social media marketer, so they often rely on the help of an agency,” says Jessica Lawlor for Search Engine Journal. “This opens doors to freelancers who want to work from home and set their own schedule.”
Sell Advertising Space
There are two general ways on how you can sell advertising space:
- Offline
- Online
Either way, your space should attract a lot of eyeballs in order for it to be worth your advertisers’ dollars.
If you don’t already have a high-traffic location offline, you can either rent one or start a website that could drive traffic. You can then place ads on your site and get paid monthly or on a per-click basis.
Personal Trainer
To become a personal trainer, one only needs the qualifications of certified personal trainers. Being certified, they can work in many different settings, including gyms and businesses. It is important to remember that there are online training programs that can help people obtain their certification with less than ten hours of training. Once the individual becomes certified, they must then complete the required number of hours for continuing education to maintain their status as an active personal trainer.
If you’re not sure if your procrastination is caused by a rational or irrational belief, keep working on changing your behaviors to see if there are any changes in your procrastination. Keep trying different things until you find something that works.
Catering Services Business
If you’re interested in starting the catering business, the first thing you need to do is have some experience cooking. You can do this by working at a restaurant or catering company for a few years. Another option is to cook for your friends during big events like weddings and family reunions.
Once you’ve gained enough experience, all you need to start up is a food truck which costs around $30,000 on average. If you want to start up without purchasing a food truck, be sure to find something that your customers want to buy–whether it’s Mexican food or bacon-wrapped hotdogs.
Website Design Business
A web design business is one of the businesses that can be started with very little cost. All you need is a computer, an internet connection, web design skills, and a web design software or platform.
You can offer web design services to local businesses and start generating income as soon as you land your first client.
As a web designer, you can charge per hour or set an initial project fee that covers the entire design process such as creating wireframes, designing mockups, coding websites using HTML/CSS and JavaScript (or framework like Bootstrap) to test compatibility with all browsers and devices, and uploading it to the web hosting service.
You can start your own website design business as a side hustle or turn it into a full-time job by building more websites for businesses in your local area or internationally if you can attract traffic to your web design business through blog, video content, or advertising.
Start a Computer Repair Business
If you have the know-how of computers, then businesses that can be started with little capital include being a computer repair person. You won’t even need to buy any new equipment for this business as most businesses would already have them in place and your customers may also provide old/broken hardware for free since they will be getting it fixed for free.
All you need is the equipment to get started and a place where you can work while having your customer’s hardware on standby. However, some businesses may also require specific training so ask around before starting one yourself.
Become an SEO Consultant
Search engine optimization (SEO) can be a great way to help businesses with little startup costs. The key is to make sure the website has keywords in strategic places, and that all pages on the site are optimized for search engines. Keywords should be used in the title tags, headings, and text content of your website.
SEO consultants find businesses that want to be found by search engines and get their website ranked. The only thing the contractor needs for this type of business is a computer with an internet connection on which SEO strategies are developed, along with some basic knowledge on how the world wide web works. This business does not require any sort of formal training, just a little bit of time on the computer.
Jewelry Making
Put your creative juices to good use by starting a jewelry-making business, which requires no startup costs. Local craft fairs are great places to find businesses that may be looking for someone to create handmade items for them.
Uniquely designed handmade jewelry can be sold online as well either through your own e-commerce store or through artisan marketplaces such as Etsy.
Another way to build a jewelry-making business is to build and promote your own website, which in effect will build your brand in the long run.
Fresh Food Delivery Services
You may be familiar with on-demand food delivery apps like Skip the Dishes and Grab, however, a lot of restaurant owners frown upon the high commission fees these services charge.
As a local food delivery courier, you can deliver food from businesses that are looking for a cheaper alternative and wants out of these apps.
Instead of signing up for the app, you can work directly with business owners in your locality to provide the third-party delivery service for them at a slightly lower fee.
Online Raffle Coordinator
You can raffle unique or brand name items on social media like Facebook or on your own website for little to no startup costs. A lot of businesses like this are starting up all over the internet.
It’s a unique business idea that some people have started on Facebook. The idea is to raffle items with lower-priced tickets. You obviously will need a lot of bidders to raise an amount that you will hopefully profit from. It’s technically like social media live selling but people bid instead of typing “mine”.
Live Social Media Selling
Live social media selling is another unique business idea that was born out of Facebook.
Branded bags and clothing usually do very well in this type of hustle. This business idea is usually great for products that are easily available in your locality but isn’t available in other countries. Yes, your target market is people who live in other parts of the world so this helps if you have a lot of Facebook friends who reside from another country.
Mobile Barista
If you’re an experienced barista, you can start your own “mobile coffee shop” business by reservations at events or by having your own mobile coffee cart or truck that you can move from one high trafficked location to the next.
It’s like a food cart or food truck business but you’re mostly serving coffee mixes. If you have the budget to buy yourself a food truck, you can build a fully mobile coffee shop out of your truck.
Custom T-Shirt Business
In order to create a custom t-shirt business, you will need to order blank shirts from a website such as Customink.com or something similar.
You can then design a t-shirt either on your computer with a program such as Photoshop or Illustrator or by using templates from businesses such as CafePress.com.
Once your design is finished, you can upload it to the website and have them send you a few samples of the shirt so that you know exactly what they will look like before placing an order.
You can then sell these shirts online or at special events such as marathons or fundraisers.
A custom t-shirt business can be started for under $100.
Landscaping Business
A landscaping business is a great small business idea that requires very little capital. You can start this type of business with as low as $500, and do not need any special licenses or schooling to get started. The equipment you will use is simple – shovels and rakes – so there are no big expenses here either!
This form of self-employment gives you the flexibility to work when you want, and on your own terms.
What makes this business stand out is that it can be started for very little money – making it perfect for new businesses!
Like home renovations, all you need are few basic tools and your own landscaping skills.
Amazon Retailer
You can become an Amazon retailer for as little as $39/month!
If you are interested in starting your own business but lack the capital to begin, this may be an excellent option for you. Becoming a retailer on Amazon is simple and easy. You don’t have to worry about any hassles of building out businesses infrastructure either – all of that is taken care of on Amazon. For businesses with little to no startup costs, this may be an excellent option for you!
The bulk of work is in finding fast-moving and profitable items to sell. Once you find potential products to sell, you can either buy them from other websites and offline stores or open up wholesale accounts with manufacturers and distributors.
Online Travel Businesses
If you have a knack for travel or are interested in learning more about the industry, starting your own online travel business might be right up your alley. There are many businesses within the travel industry that you can start at a low cost, which will make it easier to get your business started.
You can start an online travel agency or an online travel engine that you can monetize with affiliate marketing.
Though it’s quite competitive to start an online travel engine, you can still cash out from this business idea by bringing this to your locality.
Bakery Business
If you want a business that requires little startup capital, consider opening a bakery. Bakery businesses have low start-up costs and relatively low overhead costs. You can launch a bakery with as little as $10,000 in capital to purchase the necessary equipment and supplies. Inexpensive ingredients such as flour, sugar, eggs, salt, and baking soda can be found at most supermarkets or bulk businesses for little cost. You
Depending on where you are, you may also need to rent a commercial space if a food business is regulated in your area. Otherwise, you can start a bakery business out of your own home and promote it online through social media.
Fresh Food Businesses
If you’re interested in starting businesses that sell fresh foods – like bread, pastries, or baked goods – consider opening a bakery with low startup costs. Other businesses with little start-up costs include businesses that sell fresh, whole foods such as produce and meats. Although store-bought items are often more expensive than homemade goods, the cost of startup is significantly lower when you make food from scratch.
Fish Taco Stand
The fish taco is a popular dish in California and other parts of the southwest U.S., but businesses that sell these goodies can be found around the country. Maybe you’ve never thought about opening your own business, but if you like to cook and love tacos, this could be an excellent option for you. The only cost of opening a taco stand is the initial investment in equipment and supplies.
You can even set up shop out of your home if you want to test run this business before expanding it. This depends on how strict your local regulations are. Do check with your city government for applicable restrictions.
Subscription Box Business
From perfume to Japanese goodies, there is a subscription box for almost everything. If you are looking to start your own business but low on capital, consider starting an online subscription business with little startup costs.
Below are some examples of subscription box businesses to get some inspiration from:
- Monthly Box of Yum
- MunchPak
- Pura Vida Bracelets
- Sour Punch
- Boodle Box
Home Parties Businesses
Another business with little to no startup costs is starting a home party business. Planning the party, marketing, and hosting the event are all part of the job.
Who wouldn’t love to throw a party for their friends and family? If you are looking to start your own business but low on capital, consider starting a home business with little startup costs.
Below are some examples of businesses that can be started with a little cost:
- Avon
- Pampered Chef
- Stampin' Up!
- Tupperware
Host an Event Businesses
Another business with little to no startup costs is the event hosting business. Event hosting businesses, like Beauty and the Beast Ball, offer complimentary entertainment such as music, comedy, or stage shows for a particular event such as a wedding reception, holiday party, dinner theater production, etc.
To start this type of business you will need to find businesses that need an event host and offer your services to them.
One way to land clients is by signing up on sites like Thumbtack and Wedding Wire and waiting for businesses in the area you want to work in to contact you. Once they do contact you schedule a meeting with them and learn more about their vision for the event and how you can fit in with their needs. If your rates match their budget and you are available on the date of their event, then chances are they will hire you!
It is important to be professional when meeting with clients. You want them to see that your business has worth so it’s best not to turn any possible client away without giving them a chance. This means being punctual for meetings, dressing appropriately, and being respectful of their requests.
In order to build a reputation, you will need to work hard, be reliable, and provide the best service possible for each event you’re booked with. You can do this by showing up early on the day of the event so that you are set up in advance – don’t inconvenience businesses! Another way is finding a way to go above and beyond for each client. For example, you could work with the venue’s staff so that they will get a good impression of your business too!
If you are looking for businesses in need of an event host then visit LinkedIn and search through their business member profiles by location until you find businesses that fit the bill. Once you have a list of businesses you can reach out to them and offer your services.
It is important that the event host business owner also be an entertainer themselves or knows about different types of entertainment. You don’t want to book yourself for an event only for it to turn into a disaster because nobody likes what they see! It’s hard enough to book businesses in the entertainment industry so you don’t want to make it any harder on yourself by not being able to provide them with good talent.
A great thing about hosting an event business is that your market is never limited! No two events are ever alike which means there will always be businesses needing a new host every single day of the year.
Another great thing about this business is that it can be run out of your home so you never have to worry about overhead costs, like renting an office space.
Local Online Liquor Store
Depending on where you live, people are becoming more and more comfortable with buying almost anything online.
Wine and liquor lovers are no different, people who may just want to “unwine”, who, either may not have the time or maybe, have decided a little too late in the evening can have their wine or spirit delivered to their doors in any time of the day.
To make this idea successful, it’s good to offer such a service as an on-demand, liquor delivery platform.
You may or may not store the inventory yourself as you can actually simply offer the on-demand delivery platform where existing wine vendors can sign in and upload their inventory, wherein you can earn commissions for every bottle ordered and delivered through your platform.
If you have the capital, you can build and brand a dedicated online liquor store and provide the delivery service yourself.
Pest Control Business
Love working with your hands? Why not start a pest control business?
A pest control business can be a good business to start with little to no startup costs. In fact, the only things you really need are a truck, a license, and a phone number. You won’t even need an office space since most businesses work from home.
Pests can take many forms, but there are a few that this business will focus on ants, roaches, spiders, and bed bugs. Pest control companies will charge customers by visitor by the month for extermination services. Service quality will depend on how businesses market their products to potential customers and their level of professionalism as well as the kind of training they’ve received for such businesses.
Niche Online Marketplace
One business idea that I’m personally looking close into is a niche online marketplace.
Of course, you need not become the next Uber or AirBnB but there are a lot of other niches that you can build a marketplace for.
You can start from scratch by using No Code platforms such as Bubble and WebFlow or use marketplace builders like Sharetribe or Arcadier.
Final Thoughts
There you have it, 120 small business ideas you can start with little to no startup costs!
Their thousands of ways how you can replace your 9-5 income with business or self-employment income but the most important thing is taking action on the business idea of your choice.
Oftentimes, it’s too easy to jump from one business idea to the next, or one business opportunity to the next because we get lured by get-rich-quick schemes.
Regardless of what business you’re going to start, you have to commit for the long haul. A lot of people expect to get rich in a business in 6- months to one year. While there are some people who claim to have done this. In reality, it takes an average of 10-years to build a truly successful, self-sustaining business.
The goal of these ideas isn’t to help you build a successful business but to ignite the spark to could hopefully help you zero down on an idea that you can turn into a successful business.
I hope that you’ve found value in this article. If, so, please don’t hesitate to share this on your social media accounts so this article can reach and help more entrepreneurs like you.
Of course, I was not able to list all small business ideas that you can start with zero to little startup capital. If you feel that your idea can benefit other readers, please feel free to chime in the comment section.
