Start a business with no money
By Anne18
@Anne18 (11029)
April 25, 2012 9:10am CST
I was wondering what business's you can start and earn from without having a setup fee or shelling out any money to earn money.
For example I earn money from cleaning, get my jobs from word of mouth and just use the client's cleaning items/hoover etc, so was earning from the word go. Walk or use my bike to get to my jobs so no transport costs etc.
A friend of mine makes sandwiches for a neighbour. The neighbour upped her hours from part time to full time and didn't have time to make up the packed lunches every night for five people so my friend does it. She has a planning meeting at the weekend, good excuse for a cup of coffee, plan what is going into sandwiches/what cake, crisps etc to put in lunch boxes etc. They have two sets of lunch boxes. My friend goes round ot her house before collecting her children from school and makes the sandwiches etc and puts them in the correct boxes and puts in the fridge. Gets paid well as well.
Another friend had no end of very good nearly new children's books that were no longer needed by her children and the children didn't want ot keep all of them so she printed out some invite cards and invited people round to her house, made them a coffee and a home made cake and sold no end of them. What was left she used some of the money and went ot sell the rest at a car boot sale, now buys books from wholesaler and sells every week, and does book parties.
What other ideas can you think of that don't need any money to start off.
Wrote a lovley reply to Kanse, about lack of time and never being able ot catch pu on here, so will be back hopefully next week for one hell of a big catch up. Hope you are all well.
6 people like this
16 responses
@hongqistreet (321)
• China
26 Apr 12
Hey,
I will quit my job and take care of my child at the end of this month.and now i am looking for some jobs that i can do at home. but till now, i have not had any good ideas and i am a little confused. i dont konw what i can do at home.
@rogue13xmen13 (14403)
• United States
25 Apr 12
I think that there are several ways to do this, but you still end up spending money, somehow, on your business.
I was once a Mary Kay Sales Consultant, and I sadly spent more money getting my little business off of the ground than what I was actually selling. I ended up selling my little business off to one of my friends because I just couldn't afford it anymore.
If I were to have a small little business like that again, then it would be on my terms, and I would do my best not to spend that much money at all.
1 person likes this
@garson (884)
• United States
7 May 12
This is not answering her questions.
She's asking for ideas of earning money without spending money.
@chrystaltears (3392)
• United States
26 Apr 12
I sure admire you ladies for your ideas to make money on your own. I have no good imagination like you guys. One idea could be to walk or keep up with peoples pets. There are 3 little girls in my neighborhood who go around and charge 50 cents or a dollar to walk a dog for a few minutes. I think its adorable.
There's lady who picks up groceries at a nearby store for 3 elderly ladies. She goes for all 3 on the same days and charges them a little extra for doing so. They are glad to have her do it for them.
2 people like this
@katie0 (5203)
• Japan
25 Apr 12
I don't think that is possible. All cases I read or heard about and that people started but didn't even know it was their life's mission is that they started as a hobbie. So they all had another job and did what they love with perfection, sometimes handmade stuff and gave to friends, but the friends loved and told about the product to someone else forming a bigger circle.
There's even a writer that got famous like this: When I learned to love myself, I think that's the name. She wrote it because she finally learned what selfesteem was about and passed it by without ambition, she just wanted to share with friends and relatives: the book was so great, short and easy to carry and read that it became popular, soon she was becoming famous. Her text is amazing, indeed I got read that again 
But it seems that when people do something they love they do with perfection, it stops being a job to be a hobbie, and as Dr.Demartini says, when you offer your best services you will earn a lot. Or something like that (again!)
Hugs!
But it seems that when people do something they love they do with perfection, it stops being a job to be a hobbie, and as Dr.Demartini says, when you offer your best services you will earn a lot. Or something like that (again!)
Hugs!2 people like this
@toniganzon (72285)
• Philippines
26 Apr 12
Some people here earn money without a penny for a capital. They call it consignment. Now if there are some business people who could trust you, you could do the same. Like you sell their products without buying it from them and then when you get the money that's when you pay them.
Other online shops do it by selling pre-order items online, then they would ask for a 50% discount upon ordering and when they get the money they would use it to buy the item then they get the rest of the money before sending the item. But that is if you have already established on the name and people would trust you.
2 people like this
@GardenGerty (157485)
• United States
25 Apr 12
I mostly just do things online. I also get temporary jobs that are in retail stores doing re stocking, etc. It does require transportation, but any job would here. These are all great ideas. I have a friend who gets books to review on her blog, or sometimes from Freecycle and she posts them online and sells them.
1 person likes this
@finlander60 (1804)
• United States
25 Apr 12
How about walking folks dogs? I'm sure there are folks that would like to have someone walk their dog for a reasonable income. This could become a money maker as well as your personal exercise program. Sounds like a double win, to me. I'm sure that there are lots of other projects that a person could do to make an income. Does anyone else have any suggestions?
@drannhh (15219)
• United States
9 Jun 12
Well, I am a long time getting here, but one of my free lance things is looking over what other people write to help them be sure they do not make mistakes in spelling, grammar, syntax, or in the way they present their arguments. There is no overhead now, but of course, I would not be able to do this without having a sufficient college background and some degrees, which of course cost a lot of time and money quite some time ago. But it is more fun work than digging a ditch in the hot sun.
@yugasini (12836)
• Anantapur, India
25 Apr 12
hi anne,
you are right, you can start business with out investing a dime , that is services delivering covers, tuitions,cleaning work, house keeping,food making,care taking,just like that there are lot of things to do with out an expenditure to start a job,there are lot of online jobs also to do and earn money,have a nice day
1 person likes this
@JenInTN (27514)
• United States
4 May 12
It's hard to start a business without money but there are a few. The ones you mentioned are good ones and babysitting is another good option too. At least to start out with. I think that pet care related businesses might have small start-up costs too if someone liked working with animals and had a gift for it. Teaching a skill too. Art, writing,music or something like that where someone could use their talent. There is a place here where people can rent a room and use as a class or meeting area geared towards adults. Once they were doing line dancing classes there..lol.
@o0jopak0o (6394)
• Philippines
25 Apr 12
I used to be a middle man of goods and certain products. The good thing about this one is that you will not need to spend money for the products but the bad thing about it is that trust is always in question and most companies/sellers will not trust you unless you personally know them and they personally know you or you have been selling their product for a long time.
The money can be good and it all depends on how good you can sell a product.
1 person likes this
@lovinangelsinstead21 (36850)
• Pamplona, Spain
2 Jun 12
Hiya Anne,
What did you come up with then in the sense of doing extra jobs to make a bit of extra money?
Did you stay with doing the Cakes and things?
I knew you were cleaning Houses every so often and that is a great idea because its something that most people need doing.
Garden Jobs I would say are much harder and being the middle man in selling things takes a long time to achieve as it does need trust and time to get a list of clients that want the same things repeated.xxx
@louievill (28851)
• Philippines
25 Apr 12
Sorry but I had been indoctrinated to a family that always taught that " money makes money", anyway I think the best way to do that is if you have a skill that very few people know or is in demand but even then at this internet age, somebody is bound to expose a trade secret in a site like you tube. I think even the scenario you sited still involved a cost like printing or petrol going to a certain place, anyway friend, there is no such thing as zero cost to make money, but if you want to keep capital low, I would still bet on a skill that you are an expert or very proficient in
1 person likes this
@danishcanadian (28953)
• Canada
29 Apr 12
Do you have catalogues such as AVON in the UK? If you sell from one of those catalogues, you can make good money, without having to put money down to start the business. you're doing it out of your home, so you're not renting office space, etc. I sell from one called Regal, and we specialize in stationery, home and office items, and other gifts, some of a Christian nature, most of a secular nature. It's really wonderful!
@chicksdigscars (5483)
•
2 May 12
what about avon? or other catalogues? would you try that?
we are trying to start a business at the minute, my partner and i. but we have to pay out money for the items we are trying to make the business out of first.
there was a fantastic business venture i read recently about starting your own cookie shop lol!
