Starting a business online may seem apparent, but the number of businesses you can start for less than $100 may surprise you. Some can be started with nothing more than your time.
The objective is to identify the cheapest option to make a sale and then reinvest your gains in the following stage. Using this fundamental method, some entrepreneurs have bootstrapped their way to millions.
This usually means launching a small business from home, and it begins, like all great business ideas, by meeting a need. Even if you’re going to sell something, look for an underserved market and provide the finest service you can.
You must decide when to “formalize” your business by creating a legal structure like an LLC, buying liability insurance, and so on. You can get guidance on these issues from SCORE volunteers, and there are even locations where you can get cheap legal counsel. Meanwhile, why not take out $100 and see what you can accomplish with it?
We already discussed 20 ideas for small business in our previous post and in this article, we are adding 20 more small business ideas that are successful in most parts of the world.
1. Bookkeeping
Basic bookkeeping is not required in some places (for example, Florida) (but you generally do need one to do audits or provide legal opinions). So, if you understand your figures, you may contact small firms and offer your services.
You may need some software and other tools to provide comprehensive service, but if you already perform bookkeeping for your own firm, you may already have all you need.
How much should you charge? According to CostHelper.com, “hourly prices for an outside bookkeeping service range from $20 to $50 per hour, depending on complexity and location.” A monthly minimum cost of $100 to $150 is also popular.
2. Yoga Instructor
Having a dedicated studio space to teach yoga in would be ideal, but if you are well-versed in the subject and have a suitable home environment, you can get started right away. If you regularly practice yoga, you may have some spare floor mats on hand, or you may just ask your customers to bring their own.
You can get started with a minimal investment in advertising space on bulletin boards and business cards. Using WordPress.com’s free website builder will drastically save advertising expenditures.
You can market your services in different ways that don’t require you to interact with potential customers directly. You can make money off of yoga video tutorials posted on YouTube. To generate any money though, you’ll need a lot of viewers. This might be its own business, or it could be used to drum up interest in your live classes.
3. Cleaning Windows
A window washing service is another option that requires less than $100 to launch. It may take more than $100 in tools to properly clean the windows of a large retail establishment.
Get started with shelter and fundamental equipment, and use your earnings to upgrade. Numerous internet guides exist to help you get started in this field.
4. Taxi Service
Use a ride-sharing service like Uber, and you can start making money with the car you already own right now. With any luck, you can use this money to start your own taxi or limo service. Again, if you want to increase your revenues, hiring staff or subcontractors is a necessary step.
5. Service as a Tour Guide
Once again, the Internet has been instrumental in reducing the difficulty of getting a firm off the ground.
Don’t bother (at least initially) with business cards or soliciting recommendations from travel agencies for your tour service. If you have extensive local knowledge, you may sign up with a platform like Vayable.com, and the platform will help you locate clients in exchange for a part of the earnings.
Once you’ve gotten the hang of things and begun to generate some revenue, you can begin actively courting repeat customers to come directly to you.
6. Bakery Items
Most states have enacted specialized rules governing the sale of food made at home or, more commonly, exempting such sales from certain requirements until a particular volume of food is produced. The regulations on “cottage food” can be found by searching the term “cottage food law” plus the name of your state.
There’s a near-infinite variety of baked goods that could be sold, but cookies are always a hit. Incorporating nutritious components into cookies for children became Missy Chase Lapine’s expertise. Her cookbook and best-selling book, “The Sneaky Chef,” are generating millions in revenue, as reported by the Huffington Post. Her first expenditure was $39.
7. Writing eBooks
Where can I find out how much it will cost to self-publish a book on the Kindle platform Amazon? Zero. Exactly what could happen if you did that? Joe Konrath is a good example of this type of person. After being rejected by conventional publishers, his Kindle books made $100,000 in just three weeks.
How flexible is the no-cost Kindle publisher account? Other people’s works can be published as well. Friends with unpublished manuscripts will be overjoyed if you take the time to learn how to format these eBooks (it’s not hard). The percentage of the 35-70 percent royalty you give to your author/clients is negotiable.
8. House Sitting
House sitting can range from a simple daily task like watering plants to tending to a large ranch while the owners are away. And the compensation can be anything from free lodging to a regular wage. For the most part, house-sitting as a service doesn’t bring in a lot of money.
It’s also easy to implement and doesn’t cost much. House Sitters America and Nomador are just two of the many websites that can put you in touch with potential customers. While you can join some of them for free for a brief time, advertising your services on others will cost you $30 to $50 yearly.
Look for seasonal caretaking jobs in places where you won’t need to relocate to make the most money. For instance, in northern tourist areas during the winter, there are tens of thousands of unoccupied cabins and second houses, whereas, in southern Florida, tens of thousands of properties sit empty from May through November. Maintaining a few dozen of these and visiting them twice a week could turn into a profitable side hustle.
9. Handmade Products (Crafts)
In the past, vendors had to spend hundreds of dollars on a booth at a reputable craft show in order to make a decent profit off of selling homemade items like birdhouses and holiday wreaths. That is no longer the case, thanks to web shops like Etsy.com. A “store” or account can be created for no cost. Listing an item for sale on eBay costs $0.20 for four months, plus 3.5% of the item’s selling price.
It’s unclear how many people actually make a living off of their Etsy stores, but it might happen. While Alicia Shaffer told the Mirror that her store earns about $1 million every year, she also employs a staff of fifteen to create the handmade apparel she sells.
10. Handmade Jewellery
Perusing handmade jewelry on Etsy.com provides a glimpse into the market for one-of-a-kind items. Over 500 happy buyers have left reviews for a single $89 wooden watch.
Although you may end up spending hundreds or even thousands of dollars on equipment and supplies, you may get started with far less. You might attempt this as an example: You can get some cool-looking foreign coins from a coin shop for about 25 cents apiece, and then you can drill a hole in each one. String them up on some yarn for some handmade jewelry.
11. Pet Grooming Services
Let your rivals foot the bill for your education in pet grooming if you lack the necessary experience to launch your own enterprise. Try applying for a job at a pet superstore. It’s important to know that you won’t be saddled with a non-compete clause. Once you have mastered your trade, you may provide your services to customers either from your own house or by traveling to their locations.
12. A Senior’s Companion Service
Seniors who wish to remain in their homes would benefit from social interaction and assistance with chores like cleaning and cooking. Almost anyone with a heart could undertake this kind of work. You can’t offer health or medical care as part of your service offering unless you have the appropriate credentials.
According to Caring.com, hourly prices for “senior companions” range from $10 to $25. That is to say, there is not much room for growth or profit in this company. However, the initial investment may be very low. Yes, you may eventually earn the credentials you need to enter the more lucrative home healthcare industry.
13. Website Designing Services
If you have the skills and knowledge, designing websites might be a low-risk business to launch. Sites may be made using WordPress even if you don’t know any HTML, as long as you use a premade theme and modify it to your liking. Customers will be pleased with the site’s design and the fact that it runs on the same platform as 48 of the top 100 blogs according to Technorati.
The cost of creating a website can range from hundreds to thousands of dollars, according to online polls and reports. Since WordPress allows for the creation of even a basic site (with three or four pages) in just a couple of days, you may launch your business by offering packages for significantly less.
14. Freelance Bartending Services
It is possible to learn how to make tens of thousands of cocktails by consulting a free online cocktail handbook, but the experience behind the bar is preferable if you want to work as a freelance bartender. However, you need not get a job to accomplish that. Charity events are a great place to gain experience and showcase your skills in front of a potential clientele.
According to Entrepreneur.com, “around $2,000” is all you need to get started as a freelance bartender. But if you start out bartending for people who already have the appropriate equipment or at gatherings where people don’t expect much, you may keep your costs around $100. According to Entrepreneur.com, “when you add up your pay and tips, you can make up to $300 every day.”
The following stage is to employ people at a rate of $10/hour and charge customers $25/hour.
15. Organizing and planning events
The perfect personality traits for starting an event-planning firm include being extremely organized, detail-oriented, and having a passion for throwing parties. Event planners make it simple for people to throw a memorable celebration by focusing on weddings, parties, and reunions. You can gain the necessary experience by organizing several free events for the community. Use LinkedIn and cold calling to build up a good database of vendors and contacts so you can help your clients coordinate the event of their dreams.
16. Music Lessons
If you have musical talent and can teach others how to play an instrument, you can make some extra money by doing so. Students can probably bring their own instruments for hour-long lessons unless you’re teaching piano. Stock up on sheet music or songbooks in a variety of styles and for players of varying abilities to attract more customers. Marketing yourself to local high schools and community theatre groups as a voice teacher is another great way to bring in a lot of cash.
17. Content Creation
Professionals in the creative fields, such as writers and graphic designers, now have more demand than ever for their services from businesses and news organizations in order to keep up with the constant stream of content and user engagement on social media. The proliferation of the gig economy has made it simpler than ever to promote oneself as a service provider.
18. Professional reviewer
It’s true, you may buy this item. Companies of all sizes recognize the value of positive customer feedback. Many companies sell items and services to individuals so they can write a review of the company. They want a positive review but, more importantly, an honest one. You are paid for your time or per review, and in exchange, you get to test out cutting-edge technology, read exciting new books, and experience all sorts of other cool perks.
19. Etsy shop
Etsy is a thriving online market where individuals and larger operations offer handmade and vintage goods such as jewelry, patches, and DIY supplies to a global audience. The cost to open an Etsy shop is minimal. Joining the site and opening a store is free, but there are three costs associated with actually making a sale: the listing fee, the transaction fee, and the payment processing fee.
20. Refurbished Furnishings
With a little creativity and a minimal investment, you may launch a successful used furniture sales business. In reality, all it takes to get started is to buy a good table at a garage sale. You can make some money off of the sale by placing an ad on Craigslist or in a store that specializes in selling used furniture. Utilize the proceeds to fund your next two acquisitions, and develop from there.
You shouldn’t provide more than a third of what they would expect to pay. Because most consignment stores charge a 40-50% commission, this is especially crucial if you plan to sell your finds there.
Profit margins are larger when selling at one’s own rummage sales. Renting a place for a flea market could be the next logical step. Making money and demonstrating your capacity to locate goods are prerequisites to opening a brick-and-mortar store.
Do you have a low-cost start-up story to share, or any businesses for less than $100 you can start to add to this?
