Whether you have always wanted to be in business for yourself or you suddenly find yourself jobless, it pays to think about home-based business ideas with no startup cost. You can turn your passion into reliable income with proper planning. Many can be started with little or no startup cost.
Always wanted to have your own business? Find yourself out of work and need a quick income source? Need some extra money? Many home-based business ideas require little or no startup cost and can be set up quickly.
People are looking for flexible employment with greater frequency where they can be their own boss. Those hoping to start their own small business, work from home on a per diem basis, or find a side gig will be happy to hear that many jobs don’t require you to shell out money for startup costs.
For online business ideas, you need a computer and a strong internet connection. You may also want a good microphone and camera if the job requires taking photographs. Even your phone can be all you need for some positions. In other words, if you are creative, there are many low-cost business ideas.
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Easy Home-Based Business Ideas With No Startup Costs?
For many businesses that require little or no startup costs on your part, clients provide ideas or material to work with on your computer. You may be a contractor or employee of a company or be a self-employed professional with your own clients. Many of the job suggestions below can be one-off projects you do to supplement your income.
- Bookkeeping: Good with numbers? Bookkeepers either pay bills or do simple accounting.
- Copywriting: Someone has to put together the wording for advertisements, brochures, etc. This is the job of a copywriter.
- Data Entry: Strong typing skills and an eye for detail, plus a computer, are all you need to get started with data entry.
- Event Planning: People are paid to plan events ranging from parties to gala affairs for non-profits. For handling small-budget events to those costing tens of thousands of dollars, party planners are in hot demand in many social circles.
- Graphic Design: Artistic individuals may find employment success in graphic design.
- Influencer: Although this job looks fun, being an influencer requires a vast social media following. The position requires convincing people to try certain products because you say they should. You must build a big following and customer base to do this.
- Personal Trainer: You can be affiliated with a gym, but you don’t have to be. Consider what you can do from a local park. Or you can even bring small aids into people’s homes. It is amazing the workout you can get using very few items and body weight exercises.
- Photography Business: Sure, you need a camera, but let’s assume you have one. People are often hope to save money on senior photos, wedding pictures, and photos for other events. If you’re good, you can build a following.
- Real Estate: If you have a license to sell real estate (required in most states), you can have a job with flexible hours based out of your home. Some companies may require you to occasionally come to the office to handle client phone calls.
- Social Media Manager: If you know your way around social media account management, you could find a job working for either a person or local business.
- Tutoring: Think outside of the box here. Tutoring can be for school-age children, college students taking online courses, or immigrants trying to learn English. Don’t limit your search or make assumptions.
- Virtual Assistant: You can provide services to those who don’t need or can’t afford a full-time assistant but still need help doing things like returning phone calls, booking travel, or sorting through email – often from the comfort of your home.
- Web Design: This type of business is good for someone with a good eye for the digital world. If you start out with basic skills, yo may meet the needs of many small businesses as you learn more.
What Short-Term Gigs Can You Find To Bring In Money?
People looking for short-term gigs might want to turn to Fiverr. Fiverr is an online site where people with talents can be matched with others who need to have a job done. In other words, you can have your skill set matched with someone who is looking for a short-term worker.
The most common tasks outsourced to Fiverr include jobs requiring skills in consulting, graphic design, marketing writing, website development, and similar fields.
TOP FIVERR GIGS
| Audio Editor | Infographic Designer | Social Media Manager |
| Canva designer | Language Translator | Virtual Assistant |
| Consultant | Logo Designer | Voice Over Service Provider |
| Content Writer | Mobile app developer | Website Tester |
| Digital Marketer | Podcast-Related Service Provider | Whiteboard Animation Video Creator |
| Game developer | Resume and cover letter writer | WordPress Designer |
| Illustrator | Sales funnel creator |
Food delivery is a hot item these days. Companies like UberEats, GrubHub, Door Dash offer extremely flexible hours and pay weekly.
Grocery delivery through Instacart, Shipt, and similar companies offer weekly income that you can earn on your schedule
Ride-share opportunities with Lyft or Uber can fill the gaps between work or school or be a long-term gig.
Can You Make A Living Blogging?
Becoming a blogger is not complicated. What is more challenging is making a living blogging. Who should blog? How do you do it? Are there tips for being successful and making it lucrative?
On the one hand, blogging can be as simple as making yourself a page and typing up your thoughts. Sounds easy, right? If you are a writer and have something to say, it is easy. What is not easy is finding a topic or niche that is engaging enough that people are waiting for your next post.
Tips for creating a popular blog:
- Decide on your topic or niche.
- Determine your audience.
- Do research into competitors.
- Name your blog as you create your brand.
- Secure your domain name.
- Create your page.
- Write and publish.
So how do you monetize it? There are multiple ways. First, you could find sponsors if you are famous enough or if the topic is popular enough. Embedding affiliate links is another way to make money. When people click on an affiliate link and make a purchase, the blogger gets a cut.
You can also sell products. Have you heard of King Clarence, the famous Labrador retriever who has taken Instagram and TikTok by storm? Not only is this pup sponsored and receiving free products to test, but his people are also selling Clarence products.
How Can You Turn Selling Things Into A Business?
One way to make money with your own business is to sell things online, also known as e-commerce. For this to be marketable you need to think beyond just selling things you have lying around your house. Many people search clearance sales at stores, yard sales, and second-hand stores for great finds to sell online.
Tips for selling things online include taking clear photos, writing a catchy description, and not trying to sell junk. Look for great deals on things so you can be certain to make a profit. Keep your inventory organized so you know exactly what you have. Lastly, ship items quickly after a sale so your customers are happy.
For most people, this is not a full-time job; rather, it is a side hustle.
eBay:
Those who make a good amount of money on eBay tend to find a niche for themselves. Whether this is selling memorabilia or something else, focusing on one general area seems to have people find success. They take roughly 13% of the fee for an item sold.
Mercari:
Another app and website for selling second-hand goods, Mercari is not as huge as eBay but is growing in popularity. Mercari takes a 10% fee when items are sold.
Poshmark:
Poshmark is an app for selling gently used clothing online from popular brands. Like the other platforms, they also charge a fee. If your item sells for less than $15, their cut is $2.95. However, for items $20 or more, they take 20%.
Facebook Marketplace:
Whether you want to sell locally where buyers pick up the products or ship to other locations, Facebook Marketplace is a good avenue. If you work with local buyers, you keep whatever the item sells for. If you ship, Facebook Marketplace gets 5% of the selling price.
How Can You Turn Your Passion Into A Business?
You sure can turn your passion into a business, depending on what you love to do. Many small business ideas can be turned into a profitable business with very low startup costs. Some examples include:
Cleaning Business:
You can make some decent money offering housekeeping services for people who can’t (or don’t want to) do those things for themselves. While some people look for steady clients and then offer either weekly, biweekly, or monthly services, there is also a niche for people who offer deep cleaning services.
Daycare:
Have a passion for children? Consider opening your own daycare. Or open up an adult daycare for elderly people who can’t be left home alone all day. Know that this type of entrepreneur might need to buy some materials to entertain and engage guests and even need state licenses.
etsy:
Good at crafting? Those adorable Christmas ornaments you make for friends and family might be a great business idea. Make up a bunch and post them on etsy which is really just an online store that individuals can add to. You might be surprised by the response.
Freelance Writer:
Those who love writing or are very good at it can do freelance writing. This can be anything from covering sporting events and writing for a local paper to doing online articles for digital communication groups.
Personal Shopper:
Sometimes people are simply too busy to do their own shopping. This can range from grocery shopping to buying someone a complete wardrobe to doing their Christmas shopping for them. Your new business just might be spending someone else’s money.
Pet Sitter:
If you love animals, consider opening your own pet-sitting business. You can either take animals into your home, do drop-by visits, or stay at the person’s home when they are gone and need pet care or dog walking.
Podcast:
People who have a lot of knowledge on a topic might find that there are people who share that interest. If you can speak on a topic that will build a fanbase big enough to support advertising, etc., you might be able to make podcasting a part-time job.
Of course, making a podcast would require purchasing some equipment, in addition to your computer. You will need an XLR or USB microphone, mixer, pop filter or windscreen, headphones, microphone stand, acoustic treatments, and recording and editing software.
