When planning to launch an online business with no money, your two biggest resources are your time and your skillset. So make your start in business by offering your services to clients you’ve worked with before, then build on that trust and expand your network until you’ve perfected your business model and have grown your customer base.
Affiliate marketing
When you successfully recommend a product to your followers online using a unique referral link, most retailers will reward you with a small percentage of that sale as a commission. You just need an existing site or blog containing relevant content, or a social media presence.
SEO Services
Small businesses that want to promote themselves and their products are often completely in the dark when it comes to search engine optimization. Google also has free online courses that teach basic digital marketing skills and include certification upon completing an exam.
Do Translations
If you speak more than one language, picking up translation work can be a lucrative side hustle. Translators tend to specialize in one area—you might want to focus on translating literature, advertising copy, or legal documents—but there is a bottomless demand for translators in other fields, too.
Provide Content Services
If you can spin words into paragraphs or create compelling video or audio content, you can sell your creative skills to brands and businesses trying to expand their presence and grow their audience online.
Sell Things Online
Online marketplaces like eBay and Etsy have some of the largest and most active customer bases in the world, making it easier than ever to sell your stuff online.
Online Coaching
If you’re a certified coach, your skills are likely in high demand on social media. Life coaches, business coaches, and fitness coaches are increasingly migrating to sites like Instagram, LinkedIn, and TikTok to reach new clients in need of support and advice. With the right social media marketing strategy and some snappy, shareable content, you can rapidly expand your client base in ways that weren’t possible just a few years ago.
Data Entry
Data entry isn’t necessarily the most exciting work available online, but there’s plenty of it to go around. Sites like Zirtual help connect companies to workers with administrative skills and an eye for detail.
Become a Podcaster
Podcasts continue to explode in popularity, with reports that Spotify is investing nearly $1 billion in the companies that create them. But as with any giant marketplace, there’s a dizzying number of podcasts to choose from. The more niche your podcast is, the greater your chances are of finding an audience.
Online tools like ZenCastr and Riverside FM make it easier than ever to create professional-sounding podcasts by handling all of the tricky microphone settings and post-processing.
