Nowadays, anyone with a reliable Internet connection and basic website and communication skills can start a money-making online business even if they have little or no money to invest into it.

So, if you have extra time on your hands and interested in starting your own business at home but don’t want to put in a massive investment in upfront, you’re in the right place. Read on for a list of 8 home-based business ideas. These can be established with no money yet have the potential to scale.

How to Start an Online Business with no Money

1. Freelance Writing

With the rise of content marketing, writers can take advantage of this golden opportunity. To become a freelance writer, it’s not necessary to have a major in a language. If you understand people and their needs and motivation, can write compellingly as well as have a natural inclination and passion for writing, there are lots of opportunities.

Freelance writing opportunities include content writing, copywriting, and SEO writing. Assignments can range from regular blog content to landing pages, sales pages, e-mail marketing newsletters, magazine articles, and much more. You can also ghostwrite books, e-books, and other content.

To kickstart your career, we recommend setting up a profile on popular freelance websites such as Upwork, Fiver, and Copify. You can secure writing jobs there. At first, you may struggle with getting high-paying jobs. However, after a few months, you should have secured some good clients, testimonials, and work samples. They will give you the confidence to start going after better-paying clients. 

2. Blogging

There are many successful full-time bloggers such as Darren Rowse and Pay Flynn, who make six-figure incomes! Do you have the expertise or a passion for a specific subject? Set up a free website or blog using WordPress. Then, build an online following by posting engaging content regularly for your target audience so that you can eventually attract relevant advertisers.

Through Google Adsense, you can display ads on your blog and gain small commission every time someone clicks on them. Don’t worry, Google will only show ads that are relevant to your blog. So, your visitors will have a positive experience on your blog. It will maximize the number of clicks you get, which means more income for you.

In addition to that, you can also collaborate with different brands and earn commission by reviewing their products or services on your blog and promoting them to your audience.

3. Business Consulting

Do you have a knack for helping people? Do you have extensive knowledge in a specific industry? If you have the expertise and experience, consider this line of work to help aspiring entrepreneurs solve problems that they may have in your field. You can start an online consulting business with little or no money,

You’ll first need to analyze their business, understand where it is today, and figure out a plan to get them where they want to reach in X months or years. It’s best that you focus your strategy on a niche aspect and to be present in digital business communities.

Writing business articles on platforms like LinkedIn is beneficial to add credibility to your name as well as attract clients.

4. Social Media Marketing, SEO, and PPC Consulting

Many businesses don’t understand the importance of online marketing. Many also don’t know how to run these campaigns efficiently to get the maximum benefits without wasting large sums of money. Do you love to stay on top of the latest social media trends? Are you data-driven and have a good handle on Google Analytics and Adwords? Can you run pay-per-click advertising campaigns?

If you can master SEO, PPC, or social media, companies will be willing to pay for your service. As their followers and visitors from search engines grow, so will your business. Don’t worry if you don’t have formal education in the field. There are various options for earning free certifications online, such as from Google itself, which can boost your profile and credibility.

5. Selling Homemade or Dropshipping Goods Online

If you’re creative and can make handmade items in bulk, why not turn your hobby into a business? Whether it’s candles, DIY soap, pottery, jewelry, or anything else, people love buying handmade items on e-commerce websites from artisans.

You can create your own e-commerce website within minutes or use platforms such as Etsy, Shopify, and BigCommerce to sell. To stand out from the crowd, find a niche with high demand and low competition.

Unlike the other ideas on this list, this line may require a small start-up capital to purchase inventory, but if you’re buying in bulk or start out simple with a small batch, you’re sure to earn profit soon to scale.

Alternatively, you can also start an online dropshipping business if you no money to invest in inventory. You can choose goods from platforms like Oberlo and display them on your website. The supplier will ship them directly to your customers, so you won’t need to handle physical inventory.

6. Virtual Assistant Services

Are you organized and efficient in carrying out tasks? There are many important yet time-consuming day-to-day administrative tasks that individuals want to delegate to capable hands.

Some of the functions include travel and calendar arrangements, e-mail management, expense reimbursements, running errands, performing research, and so on. Depending on your experience and skillset, virtual assistants can get paid well on an hourly basis. 

7. Affiliate Marketing

Earn sale commissions by recommending other people’s services or products through your blog, social media, e-mail list, or whatever method you choose.

To promote affiliate products or services efficiently, you can also create product review videos share an affiliate link along with them. The risk on your behalf is very low as there’s zero investment on your side, and you don’t ship the product or handle queries from customers.  

8. Online Video Creating and Editing

YouTube literally allows anyone to create a channel and upload videos for free to make money through deals, sponsorships, and ads. It’s the world’s largest video hosting platform, and based on your content, the number of subscribers, and the view time, YouTubers can earn up to a six-figure income!

The best thing about creating online video content is that the setup cost is very low. You don’t need a fancy and expensive camera. You can literally record from your phone or a basic DSLR camera.  

Due to the immense popularity of videos, businesses need professionals who can edit their videos. So, if you have video editing skills, sign up to freelancing websites to grow your online business. Alternatively, if you want to know how to make or edit videos, there are many online free and paid courses in which you can learn the necessary skills. The demand is high!

Conclusion

Above, we’ve listed a few ideas, but remember, it’s about acknowledging your skills and strengths and converting them into online business ideas.

Are you good at Adobe Illustrator? Consider graphic design. Do you have coding knowledge? Start app development. Do you have specific knowledge about something? Create and sell online courses. See the pattern?

Whatever online business you decide to start, do it with passion and excitement, work on it consistently, and success will follow.   

OMI Firm

Having a product or service is one thing; marketing it is another. Learn how to drive the sales you want through building your brand by following us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, as well as our YouTube Channel.