Scratching your head trying to find ways to earn money without having some in the bank? We’ve all been there. The popular belief is that a business involves a lot of investment apart from time, effort, and risk. But that isn’t true anymore.
The turn of the Millennium has seen a host of exciting business opportunities popping up, which require little to no investment. Of course, that is in terms of money. You would still have to put in your time, effort, and expertise.
If the lack of money is what is stopping you from being your own boss, it’s time to abandon that excuse. Let’s find out how you can make money out of seemingly nothing.
Starting a Business With Zero Investment
Starting a business with zero investment might seem like an impossible hurdle, but it’s entirely feasible. You just need to think different from the ordinary.
What is the first thing that comes to your mind when someone asks you to start a business?
A shop selling products? Or a factory manufacturing them? Some might answer trading or wholesaling, which requires you to keep products in stock. But business has crossed a variety of boundaries in recent years and isn’t just limited to selling a product.
You can now start selling a service. It’s possible to sell almost anything that you’re good at. It may be painting, a piece of writing, your own cooking, or event planning skills. It’s not necessary to keep products in stock or have a shop to sell them anymore. Social media channels and eCommerce websites allow you enough time to buy products on order or just earn a commission.
You can also share day-to-day life skills like opening a handwash pump or cleaning the car tires the right way through YouTube. Even if these businesses are not absolutely zero investment, they would take a meagre cost. If you’re willing to put in the hard work, you can grow even a low investment business into a force to reckon with.
Why is Starting a Zero-Investment Business the Right Thing to do?
No matter how much you have learned about doing business, you would be a newbie at the start. You’ll learn many things on the go and slowly evolve by fixing your mistakes and capitalizing on major opportunities. However, even small errors or ignorance can lose you all your invested money in a flash. The inherent risk involved also hinders your ability to make courageous decisions.
You could open up a host of opportunities and be dynamic in your approach if your business doesn’t involve the risk of losing money. That’s one of the most significant advantages of zero-investment businesses. But why not opt for a part-time job then? Because starting even a small business on low investment has a much higher growth potential and freedom than a job.
Who Should Start a Zero-Investment Business?
Are you looking to earn money in your free time? Start a part-time business instead of looking for a part-time job. It comes with more freedom, allows you to be more creative, and can soon translate into a full-time option. That’s much better than a part-time job that would underpay you and would add little value to your future. College students who are looking to fund their education themselves should also seek these options.
If you are struggling with your regular job, it’s time you start a zero investment business without resigning. As it starts to grow, you can invest your entire time in it and become independent.
Housewives who have long been limited to household constraints should explore these business options as well. It allows you to become financially more robust and even contributes to your family’s income.
So what are you waiting for? Here we bring you 8 business ideas that you can start now without asking your dad, husband, or friend for monetary help. Explore each of these, and you’ll find one that can grow into a full-fledged empire out of seemingly nothing.
- Blogging
- Tutoring
- Sell Paintings
- Handicraft
- On-demand Prints Designing
- Create an Online Store
- Baking
- Event Planning
8 Zero-Investment Business Ideas and How to Start Them
1. Blogging
Google processes over 3.5 billion searches every second. People nowadays turn towards the internet for help with basic things such as ways to clean the drain or finding the best trimmers online. Because of this, blogs have become crucial. That’s why Google pays you to write content on your personal blogs through the AdSense program.
If you have a passion for writing, it’s time you start developing it into a business through blogging. To begin with, you must think of a niche you want to start your blog in. Today’s most popular blog genres include gadgets, food, travel, nutrition, health care, etc.
Once you have planned your blog’s niche, create a free blog on WordPress. To make it look more credible, consider investing in a custom domain. Learn SEO techniques and promote your blogs on various social media channels to increase your reach.
Once you have started gaining views and comments on your blog, you can monetize it in various ways. You can promote a host of products from Amazon and other sites and earn an affiliate commission on them.
You can also enrol in the Google AdSense program once your website starts receiving regular traffic and earn revenue from there. If you start a gadget review website and it starts ranking on Google, you can start promoting products in exchange for your blog fee.
2. Tutoring
You may have sought a tutor during your school days. Think of how your tutor earns money by teaching at his place with zero investment. If you have an interest in teaching, why not start a coaching service at your home?
You can start by teaching primary school kids or begin teaching high school kids straightaway, depending upon your expertise.
If you are exceptionally skilled in a particular field, you can even start teaching college students or offer short-term courses. For instance, if you are an experienced designer, you can offer short-term courses to amateurs.
Home tuitions are much more rewarding, so if you can’t commute, consider giving home tuitions to students. Once you get a good number of students, you can create an academy and bring in more teachers to expand it.
And all of these options don’t cost a penny. You’d only have to spread the word either physically or online to find prospective students.
3. Sell Paintings
If you can create stunning portraits, sketches, and scenery on a canvas and have a way with the paintbrush, there’s more to be earned than just compliments. It’s now possible to sell your paintings and earn massively.
And you don’t have to be Picasso for people to buy your paintings. Just focus on providing something unique, upload the artwork on Etsy, and wait for buyers to respond. If you have a bustling social media following, try leveraging it to sell your paintings.
Start by encouraging your friends to buy your paintings or at least share them with them. Also, look out for art fairs where you can put up a stall to sell your paintings.
Creating customized sketches and portraits can also be a unique yet powerful marketing idea. These, even when sold through social media, will earn you good profits.
4. Handicraft
Nothing beats handicraft when it comes to gifting. They carry a personal touch while being memorable at the same time.
If you have learned some handicraft from your grandmother or are interested in them, try turning your knack into a business. You can find a lot of inspiration for creating handcrafted bags, wallets, and accessories on Pinterest.
While the business in itself requires little expense, it demands a lot of effort and skillset. You must pay special attention to detail while not forgetting to have fun with your craft.
You can sell your handicraft online on Etsy, Amazon Karigar, and other such eCommerce platforms. You can also sell your craft by putting up stalls at art and craft fairs.
Having your own niche website also doesn’t hurt, especially if you can blog about your own handicraft to attract more buyers.
5. On-demand Prints Designing
Here is a dropshipping idea that allows you to sell your custom-designed products without actually buying them. The print-on-demand platform will handle the inventory, shipping, and fulfilments, and you can just put your designs out there to see if they sell.
You can create animated templates for t-shirts, mobile covers, wallets, hoodies, and whatnot. Try incorporating local slang and creating designs that appeal to the youth for quicker popularity. And it’s a no-risk business because if your t-shirt design doesn’t sell, you haven’t actually paid for it.
The best way to spread the word about your on-demand printing business would be through gifting, so start doing that on the next occasion.
6. Create an Online Store
Gone are the days when stocking up on a product and displaying it in a shop to your customers was necessary for the sale. You can now create an online store on Facebook, sell products like shoes and watches on Instagram, and grow a business without owning a shop.
To avoid the costs of stocking the product, contact various wholesalers, get pictures of the products, and upload them on your online store.
Once you get the order, buy the product and send it through a courier. You can also save delivery charges by delivering them yourself at the start of the business.
This method, also sometimes umbrellaed under the term “reselling,” is very convenient for those who don’t have too much space or time to invest in a growing business. All it requires is a few hours of your time promoting products, and you’ve done your part.
7. Baking
Are you someone who bakes delicious cakes for every occasion in your family? Well, apart from earning praises from your loved ones, you can also earn money through this hobby of yours.
Customized homemade cakes sell at a better price than the ones from the bakery. People value the time and effort in spent designing their cakes. If you have the right skills, you’ll soon be popular locally.
You just have to make sure that you use top-quality products. Start creating a variety of appealing designer cakes and upload them on a new social media page. You can then upload Stories and Reels to promote, while also putting up ads.
Contact a third-party delivery service until you have grown enough to have your own delivery system.
8. Event Planning
While the event planning business is massive, the starting investment isn’t. If you have contacts with some of the best catering, transportation, sound, and such services around, you can start your event planner business now. Get an advance from your first clients, and you won’t have to shell anything out of your pockets.
Try spreading the word about your event planning business through pamphlets and putting up ads on local listings. You should have the capability to manage events and be able to do most of the business on call, so a physical place isn’t needed.
If you quickly gain the trust of your customers and a few clients, the event planning business can turn hugely profitable. While most of these businesses don’t need much monetary investment, you must be committed to effort and planning.
Parting Words
Starting a business is a bit more challenging without investment. You have to go the extra mile to fight off competition. However, with the aforementioned business ideas, you can soon gain a firm financial footing with lesser worries.
