10 Online Business Ideas You Can Start With No Money

_{If you buy something through one of our links, we will earn a commission from our affiliate partners – Learn more}.

---

Do you want to start an online business but feel stuck because you have no money?

I’ll let you in on a little secret. Despite the saying “You need money to make money” you actually don’t NEED any money to start an online business.

Although there are a lot of business ideas that do require money to get started. Here are…

10 Online Businesses You Can Start With No Money

---

1. Create your own clothing line

Yes, it is possible to build your own clothing line without any initial investment. And without having to stock any of the merchandise yourself!

With print on demand sites such as Teespring, Merch by Amazon, and Printify. You can design anything from t-shirts, hoodies, hats, mugs, and so much more!

All you have to do is choose the type of customers you want to target and then create your design using a site such as Canva.com.

The best part is that you don’t need to be a designer to create your own artwork. Cute, motivational, or funny slogans sell extremely well.

However, if you feel the need to hire someone to create the design for you, you can use freelancing sites such as Fiverr.com, or 99designs.

Once you have created your work of art. It’s time to upload your design to the print on demand site of your choice. Each time a customer places an order for one of your products, the print on demand company will print your design and ship the item directly to the customer.

2. Create Online Courses

Online teaching is a hugely profitable market. Why not get in on the action by creating your own online course?

You don’t need any teaching experience to create a course. All you need is knowledge within a certain area. You can even create a course about something that you have overcome in your life that you feel will help others.

Create your course for free on platforms such as Udemy, Teachable or Skillshare. Once you have created your first course you can build your brand by creating similar courses within your chosen niche.

3. Start a publishing business

If you enjoy writing, then you could create your own eBooks and sell them on Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP).

KDP is a self-publishing platform created by Amazon. Once you upload your book, your book could be listed on the world’s largest online retailer within 24 – 48 hours. You’ll earn money every time someone purchases your book.

An alternative to KDP is Draft2Digital. Draft2Digital distributes your book to Amazon, Apple Books and other retailers.

You can grow your business by creating paperback versions of your eBooks. You can also create audiobooks using sites such as ACX or Findaway Voices.

4. Freelancing

If you have a skill/s to offer why not build your own freelancing business?

Virtual assistance, copywriting, and web design are just a few high in-demand services.

You can create your own website and advertise your services independently. Or you could use freelancing platforms such as Freelancer.com or Fiverr.com. One freelancer reportedly made $1.5 million from just one gig using the Fiverr platform.

For more information about starting a freelancing business. Check out my book – Making Money Online: How to Start a Home-Based Freelancing Business without a Degree.

5. Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing is the process of advertising other people’s products and services.

When you sign up to work with affiliate partners, you’ll receive a unique link that contains a tracking code. When someone purchases something using your link you will earn a commission.

You will need to have an engaged audience to share your links with. This could be an email list, an engaged following on social media, a blog, or a YouTube channel.

You will also need to think about the types of products and services your audience would be interested in.

Popular affiliate programs include ClickBank, ShareASale, and Amazon Associates.

The key to success with affiliate marketing is to focus on recurring affiliate programs with high commissions. This will allow you to continue earning commissions every time a customer makes additional purchases. Subscription-based affiliate programs where the customer is billed monthly is an example of a recurring affiliate program.

You can also focus on high ticket affiliate programs that will pay you a high commission when a customer makes a purchase using your link.

Top affiliate marketers such as Pat Flynn have reportedly made millions from affiliate marketing.

6. Start a blog

Once you build up a readership blogging can turn into a highly profitable business.

To get started blogging you will need to choose a popular niche. And more importantly, you need to make sure that you enjoy writing within that niche.

Popular niches include – finance, fashion, and travel.

I recommend using WordPress.com to build your blog. WordPress is the world’s most popular website builder and is used by millions of bloggers and businesses.

The main ways to monetise your blog is through affiliate marketing, sponsorships, displaying advertisements on your website, and creating and promoting your own products/services.

7. YouTube

If you have entertaining content to share with the world, then you can turn filming videos into a business via YouTube. Like blogging, you will need to choose a popular niche. But do bear in mind that what might be popular in the blogosphere may not be popular on YouTube.

YouTube can also be a great way for you to promote your business. For example, if you have an existing blog then you could create and display YouTube videos within your blog posts. Or you could promote your’s or other people’s services or products on YouTube which will help to increase engagement.

The main ways to monetise your YouTube channel is through affiliate marketing, sponsorships, Google Adsense, and creating and promoting your own products/services.

8. Tutoring

If you have knowledge of a particular subject, you may wish to start your own tutoring business. You can become a tutor using online platforms such as Tutorme, Superprof, or MyTutor. Or you can build your own website and advertise your services.

If you are a beginner, I recommend advertising your services on a tutoring platform to begin with. This will allow you to gain tutoring experience. You may also want to consider creating a tutoring agency where you can work with other tutors.

9. Sell Printables on Etsy

Printables are digital files that can be printed and used by customers.

Planners, calendars, and greeting cards are a few examples of printables. You can use a tool such as Canva to create your printables.

Once you have created your printables, you can set up your own Etsy store to sell them.

When a customer purchases a printable from your store, they will download the printable as a digital file. This means that you won’t have to ship anything to the customer.

Not only is this a great online business idea but it’s also a great source of passive income. After all, you get paid without having to do anything other than creating the printable for customers to purchase on Etsy – what’s not to love?

10. Start a consultancy business

If you have expert knowledge within a certain industry, then a consulting business may be the right business idea for you!

You could work as a consultant on platforms such as JustAnswer or Clarity.fm. You may also want to consider creating your own website where you can offer your services.

Conclusion

There you have it – 10 online business ideas you can start with no money. As you can see, you really don’t need any money at all to start an online business.

Let me know which idea is your favourite and which one you are most likely to start!