🚀 Best Online Business Ideas to Start with No Money in 2021
Are you looking to start an online business but don't have any money to invest upfront? Look no further! In this article, we'll explore the best online business ideas that you can start from the comfort of your own home with little or no upfront investment. All you need is the willingness to put in the work, and good things will happen.
🎙️ Online Podcast Matchmaking Service
Finding a good podcast guest is a problem that many podcast hosts face every day. Why not start an online podcast matchmaking service? According to Podcast Report, the number of podcast listeners reached over 464 million this year, with over 5 million podcasts total. Many of these shows are constantly on the lookout for new guests, and there are many people out there who have written books or want to develop an online presence who are itching to be featured on podcasts as well. All you would have to do is collect a list of podcasts and ask them if they need someone to help them find guests for free. Once you have a portfolio of podcasts, you can then pitch authors, researchers, etc., and have them pay for you to get them on popular podcasts. In reality, you don't even need permission from the podcast host. Just gather a list of podcasts and then find shows for your clients. It's a very straightforward model that only requires people skills.
📚 Digital Course Business
Did you know that you can teach people something cool and make money at the same time? Well, you can by creating an online class about something you know really well. You can share your knowledge with people all over the world, and you can become your own boss. The e-learning market is expected to surpass 375 billion dollars by 2026. There are many online course platforms out there that will host your online course for free, like Teachable. In fact, there are a ton of course platforms out there that will handle all the heavy lifting for you, and all you have to do is provide the content. The best place to find clients is by looking in local Facebook groups. For example, if you teach e-commerce, you'll sometimes find me hanging out in e-commerce Facebook groups answering questions and developing myself as an authority.
🛍️ E-Commerce Business
E-commerce is a great online business idea that doesn't necessarily have to cost you any money to start. There are 12 e-commerce platforms that will allow you to sell your products online for free. The question that most people have is where and how to source your products for sale. If you have no money, then you can start with dropshipping. Dropshipping is where you take orders, but your supplier is responsible for storing and shipping the order to the end customer. Dropshipping probably will not make you life-changing money because the margins are low, but it will be a nice stepping stone towards a more lucrative online business. All you have to do is start out dropshipping, find out what sells, and then private label your winners to keep more of the profit. You can also start a print-on-demand business, where you create your own designs that can be printed on t-shirts, mugs, hoodies, and more.
📦 Subscription Box Service
Start a subscription box service that ships curated snacks from all over the world. The best part is that you can expense all of your vacations and save on taxes at the same time. Once someone signs up for a box, they become a consistently paying customer. There are many services out there that can help you create and sell your own subscription box. For example, Cratejoy is a marketplace for subscription box entrepreneurs, and they'll help you spread the word about your business.
🎥 Create Specialized Content for E-Commerce Companies
If you are good on camera, there are literally tens of thousands of companies looking for people to create testimonial-like content for their products. The best part is that you don't even need an audience. All you have to do is film yourself pitching the product, and that's it. This video does not go on your own channel; it actually goes on the company's ads and social media. I have one friend who makes a living making these videos for skincare companies.
🎮 Personalized Coaching and Mentorship
If you are skilled in a particular area, then you can provide personalized coaching and mentorship in many fields like personal finance and entrepreneurship. There's literally a personal coach that you can hire for practically anything you can think of. List your skills on places like Fiverr, Upwork, or even Craigslist, and I can almost guarantee you that you'll find some clients.
📚 Sell Activity Books Online
Create activity books in various niches. The best part is that you can literally create these types of books in about an hour with software like Book Bolt. Book Bolt has built-in templates that automatically build you word scrambles, word finds, crossword puzzles, Sudoku, and more. Then you create an attractive cover, find an underserved niche, and list your activity book on Amazon KDP.
🎉 Virtual Event Planning Agency
Running virtual events is in very high demand, and you can easily create a business that helps organize these conferences. Everything from the planning, the arrangement of the speakers, the email sequences can be taken care of by your company.
🌎 Language Tutoring Online
Tutor foreigners in English or your own native language. One of my friend's kids ended up making over 100k by tutoring Chinese kids in English over Zoom. Before video conferencing, you had to be physically present to do this, but not anymore. In fact, language tutoring online has become the norm.
Now that you know about the different online businesses you can start, watch this video to learn about 12 free platforms that will allow you to take and accept transactions online. You can start all these ideas with no money at all.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- All of these online businesses can be started with little or no upfront investment.
- You can work from the comfort of your own home.
- You can become your own boss.
- You can reach billions of people all over the world with your skills.
Cons
- Some of these online businesses may not make you life-changing money.
- You may need to put in a lot of work upfront to get your business off the ground.
🎉 Highlights
- Online podcast matchmaking service
- Digital course business
- E-commerce business
- Subscription box service
- Create specialized content for e-commerce companies
- Personalized coaching and mentorship
- Sell activity books online
- Virtual event planning agency
- Language tutoring online
🙋♀️ FAQ
Q: Can I start an online business with no money?
A: Yes, you can start an online business with little or no upfront investment. All you need is the willingness to put in the work.
Q: What are some online businesses that I can start?
A: Some online businesses that you can start include an online podcast matchmaking service, a digital course business, an e-commerce business, a subscription box service, creating specialized content for e-commerce companies, personalized coaching and mentorship, selling activity books online, a virtual event planning agency, and language tutoring online.
Q: How can I find clients for my online business?
A: You can find clients for your online business by looking in local Facebook groups, listing your skills on places like Fiverr, Upwork, or even Craigslist, and developing yourself as an authority in your niche.
Q: Can I make a living from my online business?
A: Yes, you can make a living from your online business. However, some online businesses may not make you life-changing money, and you may need to put in a lot of work upfront to get your business off the ground.
Resources
- Podcast Report: https://www.podcastinsights.com/podcast-statistics/
- Teachable: https://teachable.com/
- Cratejoy: https://www.cratejoy.com/
- Book Bolt: https://bookbolt.io/
- TPA Tennis: https://tpatennis.com/
