Whether it’s time, money, or effort, starting a business is hefty. And because of this, many people are facing disappointment before even trying something.
But guess what? With the right creativity and research, you can minimize the cost involved. To find out how it’s possible, take a look at these 7 online business ideas that require low startup costs.
- Handicrafts
Did you know that you could start an online business with as low as $100? If you’re talented enough to create beautiful things from wood, clay, leather, and other raw materials, you can make a good income from it.
Because these days there are many eCommerce platforms where you can sell your art at a reasonable price.
Here’s a list of a few sites that I know of:
- Etsy
- Amazon
- Ebay
- FineArtAmerica
- Society6
- Zatista
- ArtFire
Average Income: $100-$70K/month
- Translate for People
In a globalized world, language has become one of the biggest barriers. If you have knowledge of multiple languages, you can help people as well as make money being a translator.
The first place to look for translation work is UpWork. The second could be Fiverr. And third, could be making a list of prospects and reaching out to them via email.
Apart from this, there are online agencies that constantly need a translator. Here are a few of them:
Average Income: $20/hr
- Video Producer /Cinematographer
Do you have a video camera and good editing software like Adobe Premiere Pro and After Effects?
Well in that case, you may already have all the equipment needed to shoot videos for a client.
If your goal is to become a filmmaker or cinematographer, this could be an excellent way of making money while starting up in the industry.
To make money as a video producer, you can try out freelancing sites like UpWork, Fiverr, Mandy, etc.
Along with this, you can print pamphlets and try offline marketing as well. More importantly, having a YouTube channel would be great for a long-term marketing strategy.
Average Income: $55K/year
- Online Tutoring
Many individuals and businesses worldwide are looking for tutors who can help them improve their skills. If you have a degree in a field like science, math, history, or languages, you’re most probably qualified to teach online.
To start teaching online, you can sign up for companies that regularly look for a tutor. Some of the examples of such sites are:
- Chegg
- Tutor
- GeeklyHub
- MagicEars
- Brainfuse
- VIPKid
Research well enough about these sites and I’m sure you’ll get many similar sites. And yes, don’t forget to sign up on UpWork and Fiverr too.
Average Income: $50K/year
- Catering Services
Establishing a catering company can be a good option for those who like to cook and serve for friends and family without a reason.
To get started, you can invite your friends and family to special events such as birthdays and weddings.
To make money as a caterer, you need to increase your client base and attend different events regularly. If you have a passion for cooking and love to meet new people, catering is something you would love to end up with.
As far as I know, these are the best ways to get customers for a new catering business:
- Contact real estate developers and ask them if they need catering services
- Reach out to new venues
- Make some noise on social media
- Leverage word of mouth
Average Income: $50K/year
- Online Shipping Service
Do you have a car, motorbike, or bicycle? If yes, you can start by packaging your vehicle into a small moving company that can deliver packages locally.
To make this work, you can ask for trustable delivery men around you. If they are ready to deliver at the price you agreed, you can buy cheap and sell at a great price.
And when it comes to selling, you can make a list of local companies that need to ship products. If they need your help, you can crack a deal.
To earn even more, you should have a website that offers additional services such as packaging and labeling.
Average Income: From 0 to Sky’s the Limit
- Event Planning Services
If you like to organize and coordinate things at home, starting an event planning business may be the right choice for you.
You can start by offering your services to friends and family who need help with their special occasions such as weddings and birthdays. After all, these are the events where you can start distributing your business cards for expansion.
But make sure your business card has the URL of your beautiful website. Otherwise, you might lose a lead.
Just in case this thing doesn’t seem to work, you can make a list of people whose birthdays are coming up and may reach out to those.
On top of everything, you can use Facebook Ads filtering out those people whose birthdays are about to come up.
Average Income: $54K/year
- Get Paid for Giving an Advice
Are you that person who likes to give advice to even those who serve you drinks at a party? If that’s the case, starting up as a consultant would be a great online business for you.
With Facebook Ads and a great copywriter, you can easily find clients who are looking for consultants in their fields of expertise.
But before you get a client in this business, you need to prove your expertise. And for that, you need to spend at least $100-$200 on building a solid website, showing all of your achievements.
Currently, you can be a consultant in various industries like:
- Marketing
- Finance
- Construction
- Real Estate
- Legal
- Relation
- Patent
- Business
Average Income: $100K/year
There are many places to find inspiration for business ideas. We’ve got several articles including on the subject of the best jobs for freelancers or to work remotely.
If you want some more inspiration, take a look at Side Hustle Nation too.
