Lack of financial resources or a fear of financial risk is often an obstacle to starting a business. Whilst it is true that some businesses require serious financial investment, there are some, which can be started with no capital.
This is true especially with some service businesses. When you have a skill you can monetise it without the need of investment. OK, maybe you will need to invest in advertising to get you going: in old-fashion leaflets or online. But not necessarily, you can join Facebook groups or form your own Facebook group which will help you showcase your skills and find your first customers. Then exceed your customers’ expectations by doing your job better than they expected it and work for a repeated business and ‘word of mouth’ recommendations.
We have shortlisted ten business that require minimal or no financial input and that have increased their popularity during the recent lockdown.
Coronavirus has locked us in our homes but also increased the need for a better use of technology. A number of businesses had to quickly adapt and learn how to better use the Internet. The number of online broadcasts and courses has soared.
If you have the acquired competency that can help build a better online presence, then it is an ideal time to start cashing in on your abilities. If you are good with computers and the Internet, one of these businesses can be for you:
A website is a necessary part of a business. It has a wide geographical reach and provides information about a business and its services. Even if a business lives through recommendations, its potential customers tend to check the website. It is often the first impression of the business, and you know what they say about first impressions… So the website has to be appealing visually but also functional and intuitive. It has to offer a great customer experience. For this reason, despite the wide availability of website templates, it is really rare that a great looking and seamlessly working website could be a DIY job, hence the need for the professional website developers.
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is a science of getting pages to rank higher in search engines. Without an analytical and systematic approach, online marketing may not be effective. A good website will need an SEO expert to help the content including; pages, articles and blogs to rank in searches.
There is a number of online resources offering tools that help produce your own graphics. Canva has become very popular recently. Whilst this programme is intuitive and relatively easy to use, Canva cannot replace a specialist, an artist who can create a beautiful logo that will create brand awareness across all forms of social media.
With most of us working from home, with children being home schooled, we would not mange without a functioning computer. Our Internet connections have never been tested to these levels before. Not only did we suffer from an incident of being disconnected during a serious meeting but instantly, we heard our children moaning that ‘There is no Internet connection” (children need their computers for home schooling but more probably because they are gaming…., which frees us and keeps everybody semi sane). So what do you do when your connection is down? Is it a computer issue, the provider or the router? It is difficult to diagnose and this is where a computer specialist comes in handy.
Every business requires good quality content for their websites and social media posts. Nowadays, the content is very much an asset of the business. Customers engage with business who offer added value in their blogs. So if you like writing and it comes easily and efficiently to you, it could be a good business idea for you. It gives flexibility and you can chose if you want to write at dawn or if you are the most creative at night. Depending on your skills you can write more generally or specialise. If you know how to write a piece that will be found by Google, i.e. you know your SEOs, that is even better.
If you are well-organised, able to juggle tasks at the same time and enjoy administrative work, then the business of a virtual assistant may be ideal for you. You can become a saviour of many busy businesspeople. If, in addition, you know and like spending time on social media platforms, you could make your role even more invaluable by adding social media marketing to your skills. Except for your computer and a smartphone you do not need any further investment.
Are you good with DIY? You do not need to be a Joe Behari but must be more skilful than an average person. For many people, who have never done any simple DIY, changing a light bulb or a fuse can present a challenge. Why not to help your neighbours and build goodwill and a new business this way?
Are you good with maths or are you bilingual? Are you familiar with the current curriculum? Perhaps you helped your children or prepared for your A-levels not so long ago? Can you teach? Why not help your younger peers in preparing for their examinations. Long gone are the days when a teacher and a student had to meet face to face. With all teaching carried out online recently, travelling to your students is a thing of the past. Now, you can conduct your lessons without leaving your home, via Skype, Face Time, Microsoft Teams or Zoom.
Are you an expert in a certain area? Can you provide a business with your expertise? Then why not to become a consultant. You could benefit a business with your wide experience, constantly enriched because you work for different companies. In addition many businesses favour consultants as they are flexible and….. not employees, which can be revenue saving for companies.
A Dog walker is a good business for people who like the outdoors and dogs, perhaps even have their own. They are salvation for busy professionals who could not take their dogs on a walk during the daytime. During the lockdown, the demand for such services has increased due to the fact that some people had to isolate or shield and were not able to walk their four-legged friends.
All of these businesses can be started without money, however, like any business, for them to flourish, they would require skill, time and devotion. You would also have to think about financial and legal aspects of running a business.