You want to start a business but do not have idea or spare money. Check out these ideas below. You can start these businesses with little or no money. These businesses can teach you all basics of running a business – setting up a shop, basics of accounting, pricing, negotiations, marketing and promotion. You will also get a taste of what it is like to be an entrepreneur.
I always tell people to start early as an entrepreneur. If you are one of the lot then pick one of these ideas, based on your interest and skill set, while you are still in school and get going.
Do not worry if you are not an early starter, you need not be young to start any of these.
1. Consulting business: Pick whatever area you have expertise in. Personal finance, brand, marketing and get going.
2. Dance/ music school: You have always been good at dance or music. Just get some practice with a local dance/music institute and start on your. Start with basic courses. Keep on learning and upgrading your offerings side by side.
3. Online business: A blog can be turned into a business but you need to put a lot of work and it may take longer than any other business to establish. Upside is that you need not work at any specified time. You can learn to code and develop various apps or get into affiliate marketing.
4. Real Estate Agency: It is simple. You go around in locality, check online and print listing for properties that are to be leased. With this info advertise in classified section of a local newspaper or craigslist. You will also need to contact the property owner and take their consent to represent them.
5. Content writing: If you have some writing chops then you can start as a writer/ blogger for hire.
6. Creative Agency: You can start a graphic design, web design or online marketing (offering services like social media marketing, search engine optimization, online advertising etc.). Start with one and add more services as you move ahead.
7. Fitness/Yoga Trainer: If you love to work out and have trained professionally this is an option for you.
8. Web Maintenance Business: A lots of small businesses get their website made for cheap and then wait for their designer to update it. You may become their angel by offering website maintenance services. Offer once a month contact and take up to 20 clients. Later as your business grows and you move on to bigger things – hire an employee to take care of this part of your business.
9. Career guide: Millions of youngsters and their parents are confused about what to do next. You can research about relevant career options for youngsters and what it takes to succeed in each area. Do not the promise the world.
Just share what you know. It is better to see yourself as a research assistant. Ask for the interest area of the youngsters and offer options based on that. If are young then pitch this as your USP as you are well versed with the thought process and aspirations of your clients.
10. Teacher: As boring as it may sound it is well paying. Check out this story to see how lucrative it can be.
11. Professional speaker/ trainer: If you have been working for a while then this is one option you can give a shot. You can start with free and move on to fee which can go up to $50,000 for a day. But thinking about $1500 a day is more realistic and you can aim for it right away.
12. Event Manager: You choose to be a corporate event manager or specialize in managing weddings.
13. Corporate gift specialist: There is good scope in this space that is why this is cluttered. You need to identify unique gifts at various price points and establish this as your USP.
14. City walks: You know more about the city you live in. You have been blogging about it for years and love to go out. Create a city walk and show people who what they have been missing.
15. Professional Photographer: Pick your niche – people, fashion, or events. You need to invest in training and gear but break even should not be far away if you play your cars
16. Chocolate maker: Chocolate is loved world over and if you learn to mould it in different shapes you have a business on your hands.
17. Tour operator: Get creative with this one. Organize gap-year programs for students or cultural heritage tours.
Hope this helps you get started. For some of the above options you need to train first. An online presence can help. But you need to start first before you build it up.
Thanks to Abhishek, Manansi and Yukti for their ideas and feedback.
If you have more ideas just share in comments and I will add it here. For more details on any of these feel free to write to me.
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mohit great yaar keep it up
Thanks Mohit. I will try
Hi Excellent work on your blog I really am interested in the content you are providing here. Thank you for making this content available.
hi Mohit i need more information in real estate agency. Pls give me more suggestions. Pls help me.
Pradeep, i need to understand at what stage of your business you are at. Are you already running a real estate agency or you want to start one? Any background in this business? With this info, i’ll be able to share relevant ideas.
I understand you are in India. These days, Craigslist is a good place to start offering your services, if you add a pic to your listing the open rate will be more. Then there are other avenues like 99acres.com, MagicBricks.com etc.
If I were to share a step by step process, it’ll look like this;
1. Identify what part of business you want to start with – residential, commercial, rental, lease or sale/purchase. Based on my understanding of the business – residential rentals are easiest to start with.
2. Once you decide on the area, search the neighbourhood/locality you are well versed with and connect with landlords/property owners and ask them if you can help them find a tenant/buyer.
3. Now list this property on portals above and give you name/no as the contact person.
Looks like you are in business.
It helps if you have a website.
Feel free to connect for more. You can reach me here – http://mohitpawar.com/contact/
Good luck with your efforts.
These suggestions were really good but for the same we want to think a different view, if someone is working and want to do some aside business with spending a short time what will you suggest.
Tushar, I’ll first ask the person about the skill set. If somebody is an accounts professional working in a job then the person can offer services to small business, to manage their accounts.
Commit to spend 10-15 hours per week in finding, connecting and servicing these clients.
What is your core skill? Once you share I’ll be able to tell better.
Brother, I am totally attach with a finance (Account) related job, we can easily spend 10-15 hours in a week & totally contribute our weekends as we have 5 day working according to official schedule.
My aim is that I want to spend my life with a very tight schedule, in spite of a busy schedule I want to be learning much more and no doubt earn something as well.
But In my life I have a very bad point that I don’t have any professional certificate & I realize that it’s a very big negative point from which I suffer, I am working for the same meanwhile I don’t want to spoil the valuable time.
Thanks Tushar.
1. Decide on what service you want to offer to your clients. You need to focus as account/ finance is a vast field.
2. Think about how you plan to find customers. Through referral, existing contacts, cold call/ email.
3. Write a one page document about your business and price.
4. Get your 1st paying customer as soon as you can. A business is not a business without paying customers.
5. As this will be your 1st business, volunteer to offer your services for free in return of a testimonial or a referral if this non-paying is happy with your work.
6. Keeping moving fast till you find 7-10 paying customers.
7. Serve these customers to the best of your abilities.
8. Not core but important find a name for your business, get the cards printed and/or get a website.
9. Though it’ll not hurt but you do not need a degree to succeed or make it big in business.
Wish you start soon and if you feel stuck somewhere, just connect.
Good luck!
Hi,
Thank’s for giving information but i need more information bout Event manager.
E.Spandana
@Spandana Thanks for writing. Can you write your questions reg. event manager and i’ll share more.