Are you thinking about starting a new business? Do you currently have no Business ideas? And do you have $0 spare to invest money in a new business?
If you answered YES to all of these questions then I truly believe I can help you out!
Deep down that, you want to become your own boss, right? I’ve been there, and believe me it’s both an exciting and nervous place to start. It’s equally a scary new change in your life, especially if you have no money!
The good news is there are 1000s of opportunities and business ideas to try (online or offline) that can start generating income for yourself and replace your full-time job, that’s the ultimate goal, right?
And the best part, many of the business ideas and opportunities do not require any money to start!
The hardest part is deciding on the right business to start based on your passion, skill set and experience
And that is my job in this post, it’s to help you choose the right business idea by sharing 21 of my top business ideas that you can start today with no money in 2023.
Also, if you what to learn how to start a business with no money mack sure you read this post too.
Okay so with that out the way, what are my top 21 viable business ideas you can start with no money?
Read more: How To Start A Business With No Money
Want to become your own boss in 2023?
Does this sound like you? “Help me, I want to start a business but have no ideas or money”.
If you’re ready, then I’m ready! Let’s get into it.
Before diving into my 21 business ideas, It’s important to mention that these are not just random business ideas that I have picked.
These are my top ‘viable’ business ideas that I know you can start with no money. How do I know this? Because I’ve worked with 100s of clients that have launched these types of businesses and generated an income, additionally, I’ve been personally involved with many of these business ideas myself.
I’m also going to share the free tools, skills, and marketing activities recommended and the time frame that it will take to start the following business ideas.
My top 21 Business ideas that require no money
- Dog Walking.
- Consulting.
- Gardening services.
- Cleaning business.
- Language teaching services.
- Coaching.
- Local marketing business.
- Handyman.
- Buying and selling.
- Building websites.
- Virtual Assistant.
- Business tool expert – online service.
- Logo or graphic designer.
- Freelance writer.
- Become a Canva expert.
- YouTuber/influencer.
- Etsy seller.
- Online course creator.
- Blogging.
- Social media manager.
- Google Ads Manager for local businesses.
Physical businesses that you can start with no money
First, let’s take a look at physical business ideas that you can start with no money. These are businesses that focus on providing a product or service to a specific geographical location.
Now many of these physical businesses can also pivot and function as online businesses too.
Let’s dive into these one by one.
I’m also going to share the free tools, skills, and marketing activities recommended and the time frame that it will take to start the following business ideas.
Important: I dive into much more detail in my eBook (Go Digital Now) if you are interested learn the exact steps to starting a small business for just $19 dollars.
1. Dog Walking Business
Do you love animals? Well, this is a great business opportunity to start.
Depending on where you live there will many people within your community that have dogs BUT do not have the time to walk their dogs due to many reasons (old age, mobility issues, work commitments etc).
You can be the solution!
You could walk 1 – 10 dogs at $10 – $20 per dog per walk (30 – 45 minutes) which can become well over $100 per day with just one or two walks per day.
Free tools:
- Create a dog walking free website with Site123 or Wix.
- Create a dog walking Facebook page.
- Create a dog walking Instagram page.
- Create a dog walking Google Business Profile.
- Create free dog walking marketing materials using Canva.
Skills:
- Good with animals!
- Able to walk (relatively fit).
Marketing activities:
- Join local Facebook groups and post in these groups.
- Post content about your service on Facebook, Instagram and Google Business Profile.
- If you have your own printer you can print out flyers (created for free inside Canva) to drop off in the community.
Time frame to start:
- Start this dog-walking business from day one!
2. Consulting Services
Do you have a specific skill or knowledge base that you can consult on? Think about your past experience and what you’re good at.
You can provide one on one or group consulting either in person or online. For example, I provide in-person and online consulting for my clients. I consult them on how they can properly leverage online tools and strategies to launch, grow and scale their businesses.
I charged $195 per one-hour session and ongoing 45 minutes consultations are $95 per session.
Again, think about how you can package up your expertise into a consultation.
Free tools:
- Create a free website with Google Sites or Wix.
- Create a Facebook page.
- Create an Instagram page.
- Manage your Clients with HubSpot for free.
- Create a Twitter account.
- Google Business Profile (local businesses).
- Create a LinkedIn profile.
- Create free marketing materials using Canva.
- Use Calendly to book sessions.
- Use Stripe to create a payment page to collect payments.
Skills:
- Be an expert in something.
- Good at communication.
- Understand how to sell.
Note: You can learn all of these skills over time.
Marketing activities:
- Join local and online Facebook groups and post in these groups.
- Post content about your service on Facebook, Instagram and Google Business Profile and engage with your audience on LinkedIn and Twitter.
- Create educational and valuable content that you can post across all your different channels (Canva can help you create content for free).
- Provide free services to build reviews and testimonials.
Time frame to start:
- Start your consulting gig in a few days! Just set up your systems and away you go.
3. Gardening Services.
Do you like gardening? Or being outside and doing some kind of work?
This could be a great business opportunity for you depending on the community that you live in. Similar to the dog walking business idea, you want to provide a solution to a big problem.
The problem is people just do not have the time or energy to maintain their property. You can approach these potential customers and help them with gardening, landscaping or general work around their property. There will always be a need for this service!
I actually used to do this before I started my own agency and education platform. I would mow the laws of my neighbours using their own lawnmowers. I did it to make some extra money.
However, you could easily scale this! And even start hiring people to help you mow the many lawns that you could eventually manage.
Free tools:
- Make a free website with Google Sites or Wix.
- Make a Facebook page.
- Make an Instagram page.
- Leverage Google Business Profile (local businesses).
- Make free marketing materials using Canva.
Skills:
- Be able to mow a lawn nicely.
- Good at communication.
- Understand how to sell.
Note: You will also learn all of these skills over time.
Marketing activities:
- Join local and online Facebook groups and post in these groups.
- Post content about your service on Facebook, Instagram and Google Business Profile and you will get messages and phone calls.
- If you have your own printer you can print out flyers (created for free inside Canva) to drop off in the community.
- Go door-to-door to sell your gardening packages.
Time frame to start:
- Start your lawn mowing business on day one!
4. Cleaning Business
Do you enjoy cleaning? This is a service that will always be needed. You can clean for residential or commercial properties. I suggest focusing on one group.
Again, you can do this your self and then as you grow you can start hiring other people to help you clean these properties.
Free tools:
- Build a free cleaning website with Google Sites, Wix or Site123.
- Build a cleaning Facebook page.
- Build a cleaning Instagram page.
- Manage your clients with SmartSuite or Monday.com
- Setup cleaning Google Business Profile (drive phone calls).
- Design free marketing materials for your cleaning services using Canva.
Skills:
- Be a good cleaner!
- Become a great communicator and listener.
- Sales
Note: You will naturally get better at these skills over time.
Marketing activities:
- Join local and online Facebook groups and post in these groups.
- Post content about your service on Facebook, Instagram and Google Business Profile and you will get messages and phone calls.
- If you have your own printer you can print out flyers (created for free inside Canva) to drop off in the community.
- Look up commercial companies and cold calls.
- Go door-to-door to sell your cleaning packages.
Time frame to start:
- Start your cleaning business from day one just start cold calling!
5. Language Teaching Services
Language teaching is a great business idea for anyone that knows how to speak multiple languages or if you can speak one language proficiently, this is fine too. You can teach others how they can learn basic to advanced writing, reading, speaking and listening skills.
There will always be a demand for this.
You can also choose to teach online through platforms like Zoom, and Google Workspace or join and teach on language learning marketplaces like Italki (there are many platforms like this).
Free tools:
- Join language marketplaces like Italki.
- Make a language-focused Facebook page.
- Make a language-focused Instagram page.
- Leverage Google Business Profile (local language businesses).
- Create a language Facebook page.
- Make free language marketing materials using Canva.
Skills:
- Learn how to be a good teacher.
- Learn to be a good communicator in the language that you are teaching.
- Be proficient in at least one language.
Marketing activities:
- Join local language and online language Facebook groups and post in these groups.
- Post content about your service on Facebook, Instagram and Google Business Profile and you will get messages and phone calls.
- If you have your own printer you can print out language learning-based flyers (created for free inside Canva) to drop off in the community.
- Leverage online marketplaces that you can join and then help teach others.
Time frame to start:
- Start your own language teaching business in one day, you do not even need a website!
Reminder: I dive into much more detail in my eBook (Go Digital Now) if you are interested learn the exact steps to starting a small business for just $19 dollars.
6. Coaching Business
This is similar to the consulting business idea that we talked about. What are you good at? What is your speciality or expertise? You can also create an online or offline business as a coach.
For example, you could be a health coach and provide training and nutrition and coaching to clients once per week. This could be conducted at the gym at home or online. Your goal is to help your clients achieve their fitness and health goals.
There are many apps you can use if you started a health coaching business online like Trainerize and My Fitness Pal.
Again, think about what you can do to provide value ongoing to your potential clients.
Free tools:
- Create a free coaching website with systeme.io or Podia also used to collect payments and host coaching material, memberships and more.
- Create a coaching Facebook page.
- Manage your coaching clients with HubSpot for free.
- Create a coaching Instagram page.
- Create a coaching Twitter account.
- Create a coaching LinkedIn profile.
- Create free coaching marketing materials using Canva.
- Use Calendly to book coaching sessions.
Skills:
- Be an expert in something.
- Good at communication.
- Understand how to sell.
Note: You can learn all of these skills over time.
Marketing activities:
- Join relevant online Facebook groups and post in these groups.
- Post content about your service on Facebook, Instagram and Google Business Profile and engage with your audience on LinkedIn and Twitter.
- Create educational and valuable content that you can post across all your different channels (Canva can help you create content for free).
- Join local events or businesses that are in your industry.
- Provide free services to build reviews and testimonials.
Time frame to start:
- Start your coaching gig in a few days! Just set up your tools and away you go.
7. Local Marketing Business
Why not try to help local businesses grow their business online? This could be anything from helping them with their website, social media and paid marketing. This will require you to upskill in any of these areas. However, many local businesses need the support.
How can you help these businesses get discovered online?
For example, I have a friend that helps local businesses with their free Google Business Profile listings. He simply helps manage their GBP lists to help those businesses get discovered online by local customers.
And it is a VERY easy activity to learn how to manage and help these businesses with local discovery online.
So, think about a specific service that you want to learn or already have experience and start helping local businesses in your area.
Free tools:
- Create a free marketing business website with WordPress.com, Wix or Site123.
- Create a marketing business Facebook page.
- Create a marketing business Instagram page.
- Leverage Google Business Profile.
- Manage your marketing clients with HubSpot for free.
- Manage your marketing projects with SmartSuite or Monday.com
- Create a marketing business LinkedIn company page.
- Create free marketing materials using Canva.
- Use Calendly to book introduction sessions.
- Use Google Forms to capture all the information you need from a local client (project requirements)
Skills:
- Good at communication.
- Learn sales.
- Become an expert in one area of marketing.
Note: You can learn all of these skills over time.
Marketing activities:
- Join relevant online Facebook groups and post in these groups.
- Post content about your service on Facebook, Instagram and Google Business Profile and engage with your audience on LinkedIn and Twitter.
- Create educational and valuable content that you can post across all your different channels (Canva can help you create content for free).
- Go business-to-business and introduce yourself and show them how you can be a solution to their marketing needs.
- Provide free services to build reviews and testimonials.
Time frame to start:
- Start your marketing business within a week! Just set up your tools and up-skill.
8. Handyman Business
Are you a handyman? Meaning are you good around the house or naturally good at everything? For example, if anything needs fixing in your house are you the man/woman for the job?
You can provide your handyman services to your local market.
There is always someone needing the odd job done around the house from, fixing doors, to painting and building or installing something.
Free tools:
- Make a free handyman website with Google Sites or Wix.
- Make a handyman Facebook page.
- Make a handyman Instagram page.
- Leverage a handyman Google Business Profile (local businesses).
- Make free handyman promotional materials using Canva.
Skills:
- Be ‘good’ at jobs around the house (are you practical or a problem solver?).
- Good at communication.
- Understand sales.
Marketing activities:
- Join local and online Facebook groups and post in these groups.
- Post content about your service on Facebook, Instagram and Google Business Profile and you will get messages and phone calls.
- If you have your own printer you can print out handyman flyers (created for free inside Canva) to drop off in the community.
- Go door-to-door to sell your handyman services.
Time frame to start:
- Start your handyman business on day one!
9. Buying & Selling Business
Basically, this is a simple business idea where you can buy second-hand items and then sell those items for a profit. Do you know how to find a good bargain?
If so you can simply buy those local items and then sell them on different online marketplaces like Amazon, Facebook Marketplace or eBay.
This is one of the best ways you can quickly make extra cash and turn it into a full-time gig.
Example: I have a friend that buys and sells second-hand building tools. He simply buys them at a discounted rate and then sells them for a profit. He knows his tools so the market he decided to go for.
Free tools:
- Use different online marketplaces like Amazon, Facebook Marketplace or eBay to find, research, buy and sell second-hand goods.
Skills:
- Understand the value of certain goods.
- Understand sales (verbal and copy).
Marketing activities:
- This business idea requires the least amount of marketing effort. As I’ve mentioned all you need to leverage is the organic exposure on the platforms you are listing the second-hand items.
Time frame to start:
- Start your buying and selling business on day one!
Online businesses that you can start with no money
Secondly, we’re going to dive into online business ideas that you can start with no money in 2023.
10. Building websites (Web design business)
There are hundreds of easy to use, no-code website builder that you can use to build websites for your clients.
Read about my top website builder for small businesses here.
You can literally build a full-feature website a few hours using these all-in-one website builders and charge anywhere from $500 – $5000 depending on the size and the reuremt for the specific project.
This is actually how I started my web design agency. I focused on creating basic small business websites fro my clients. Then my business expensed into other digita marketing services.
The great thing is you do not need to be a design expert. Many popular website builders offer professional pre-made website templates that you can choose from and then customize the way that you like.
Free tools:
- Create a free website for your web design agency with WordPress.com, Wix or Site123.
- Create a Facebook page for your web design business.
- Create an web design business Instagram page.
- Create a web design business Twitter account.
- Manage your projects with SmartSuite or Monday.com
- Manage your web design clients with HubSpot for free.
- Google Business Profile (local businesses).
- Create a LinkedIn web design company page.
- Create free marketing materials using Canva.
- Use Calendly to book introduction meetings.
- Use Stripe to create a payment page to collect payments.
Skills:
- Learn how to use these website builders
- Good at communication.
- Understand how to sell.
Marketing activities:
- Join local and online Facebook groups and post in these groups.
- Post content about your service on Facebook, Instagram and Google Business Profile and engage with your audience on LinkedIn and Twitter.
- Create educational and valuable content that you can post across all your different channels (Canva can help you create content for free).
- Provide free we design services to build reviews and testimonials.
Time frame to start:
- Start your web design business in under a week! Just set up your systems, create your website and start driving reviews by providing discounted or free web design services.
11. Virtual Assistant
Virtual assistants are in high demand! Many businesses need help with managing repetitive or time consuming tasks. This could be anything from booking appointments, managing websites, updating content, inventory management, content creation and more.
The work environment is shifting into a hybrid workforce and talent is now being sourced from all arond the world.
You have the potential to build up a business where you have multiply clients that you work for each month. For example, you could sell your virtual assistant service as a package. This could be 10 or 20 hour monthly packages.
You will be able to put a good schedule and system in place for managing all the different tasks for your clients.
Free tools:
- Create a free website for your virtual assistant business with WordPress.com, Wix or Site123.
- Create a virtual assistant business Twitter account.
- Create a LinkedIn account.
- Create free content for clients using Canva.
- Manage your tasks with SmartSuite or Monday.com
- Use Calendly to book introduction meetings.
- Use Stripe to create a payment page to collect payments from clients.
Skills:
- Learn how to use many of the tools that your potential clients use.
- Excellent at communication.
Marketing activities:
- Post content about your service on Facebook, Instagram and Google Business Profile and engage with your audience on LinkedIn and Twitter.
- Create educational and valuable content that you can post across all your different channels (Canva can help you create content for free).
- Provide free virtual assistant services to build reviews and testimonials.
- Reach out to SMEs and ask if they are interested in the virtual assistant services that you offer.
Time frame to start:
- Start your virtual assistant business in a few days! Start reaching out to potential clients right away!
12. Business Tool Expert – Online Service
Become an expert in any business tool like a CRM product (HubSpot, Salesforce, Zoho CRM) or Project management tool (Monday.com, Asana, Notion). This is just an example.
However, think about some of the popular business tool that SMEs use or maybe an online tool that you use. Become a top expert in that business tool!
Then you can provide, consulting, training, advice, educations, create templates or apps, essentially there are many ways that you can monetize your expertise around one particular tool. You will become a niche expert in one particular tool.
Free tools:
- Create a free website for your tool expert business with WordPress.com, Wix or Site123. If your selling consulting or a online course you can use tools like Systeme.io or Podia
- Create atool expert busines Twitter account.
- Create a LinkedIn account.
- Create free content using Canva.
- Use Calendly to book introduction meetings.
- Use Stripe to create a payment page to collect payments from clients.
Skills:
- Learn how to use that one tool and learn everything there is to know.
- Excellent at communication.
- Sales
Marketing activities:
- Post content about the tool on Facebook, Instagram and Google Business Profile and engage with your audience on LinkedIn and Twitter.
- Create educational and valuable content that you can post across all your different channels (Canva can help you create content for free).
- Provide free advice to build reviews and testimonials.
Time frame to start:
- Start your business after you have become an expert at the chosen business tool! This could take weeks or months depending on your initial level of expertise.
13. Logo or Graphic Designer
This post first appeared on Best Small Business Ideas | Small Business Education For Owners, please read the originial post: here
