6 min read
Like millions of Pakistani’s out there, it would be your dream to start your own business too. The problem is, there are always dozens of obstacles in the way to keep us from fulfilling our dream. For some people, that obstacle is time, for others, it is a solid business idea, to begin with. But for most, the biggest hurdle is money. If you don’t have money, you can’t start a business. At least that’s what we are told to believe. The truth is, money is not a good excuse to let go of your dream. There are certain online businesses that can be started with little to no investment.
Here is a list of top 10 businesses you can start online without investing much money:
1. Resale
Reselling is simple, you acquire the product and sell it to the people who need them. So how do you acquire products? Dropshipping is a good option as almost no cash is required in this case. You directly ship from the manufacturer and a keep profit margin. The profit margin here, however, is low. You can also start wholesaling but this calls for a substantial amount of investment and a storage space too. The bright side is that you will have more control over the business and you will go home with more profit.
2. Start your own blog
Blogging is quite a popular way of earning online. The best part is it doesn’t always have to be about writing, you can also make a Vlog, post photos or even make a website about games. It can be pretty much any niche. It is recommended to buy a domain for your website but if you don’t have any money to invest, then you can start a totally free blog too. Now there are a variety of ways you can make money with your blog. For instance, you can get Google AdSense approved or even include links to products and promote them as an affiliate marketer.
3. Start a YouTube channel
Do you like making videos? Then why not start your own YouTube channel as an online business? You got to be sure that you create something useful and engaging for people to watch. Again, these videos can be in any niche. You will make money with ad revenue. Familiar with those ads that appear in between YouTube videos? As a viewer clicks on those ads, you get paid for it.
4. Consulting Services
You will come across lots of startups and small business owners who are more than happy to pay for professional advice from an expert. If you have professional experience, start a consulting business. It may take years of experience to become an expert but it’s a highly valuable business.
5. Micropreneurship
Heard of micropreneurship? In case you didn’t know, a micropreneur is like an entrepreneur who manages a small business that allows him to do the kind of work he wants and maintain a balanced lifestyle. So, what kind of business falls under micropreneurship? Examples are driving for Uber or Careem and even renting your own home. What most Micropreneurs do is they start the business with zero or less investment. Once money rolls in, they reinvest it to start a bigger business. To get started, all you need to do is figure out what business model will work best for you.
6. Affiliate marketing
It’s almost similar to dropshipping. You are not required to maintain an inventory and you don’t even have to worry about shipping the products to customers. All you have to do is pick a profitable niche for your online business and find an affiliate partner. Affiliate sites like Amazon and Clickbank can help. So, you create a website and add links to the products you want to sell that track back to the account of your affiliate partner. Once a customer buys, you receive a commission. It is between 5 and 25%. Such business does not require much investment.
7. Online tutoring
Do you love teaching? If yes, then you are going to love online tutoring too. It doesn’t require any investment since you don’t need a classroom. You can either sign up on sites like tutor.com or create your own teaching website. But remember, you need to pick a particular subject in which you are experienced.
8. Virtual assistant
It’s similar to being a secretary but you do everything online. All you need is your phone, computer, and internet. Lots of marketers out there are ready to delegate the easy yet time-consuming tasks to capable people. Some of the tasks that a virtual assistant handle include buying a domain, email management, making travel arrangements, blog posting, audio or video editing, calendar management, social media marketing etc. In short, you can take any task depending on your knowledge and skills and get paid on hourly basis.
9. Become an app developer
You can make a decent amount of money by developing apps too. Of course, you need to be good at it to start earning because there are lots of small businesses out there that want to create Android apps for their products and services. All you have to do is find such people and start making money by utilizing your skills.
10. SEO consulting
This is different from the kind of consulting mentioned above. In today’s digital age, you cannot possibly ignore the importance of Search Engine Optimization. So why not offer SEO consulting services or even open your very own SEO agency? For some of you, it may sound like a far-fetched idea because becoming an SEO expert requires a lot of learning and hands-on experience. But once you do become an expert, you can turn it into a steady online business. Lots of small businesses are looking for SEO experts to help them rank their websites.
You don’t have to restrict yourself to one of these opportunities. Start with one and as your income grows, learn new skills and jump into another business. Be sure to keep an eye on the trends.
