15 Home Businesses You Can Start With No Money

I’ve interviewed two ladies who do this full-time:

Tracy Smith earns $1,200 a month by reselling items on Amazon — you can check out her story here.

Melissa Stephenson and her husband earn six figures a year flipping flea market finds on eBay — you can read their story here.

9. Become a Content Creator

If you know how to harness the power of social media, you can become a social media influencer to make money from home. Choose which platforms you want to use Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, Pinterest, Snapchat, YouTube, or any combination of these, and start creating content.

It’s helpful to choose a specific topic so that your audience knows what kind of content to expect from you.

Once you start building your following and engagement, you can build relationships with brands and affiliates to make money with sponsorships. Or you can apply for one of the many creator funds which reward creators for creating content. Each platform has different criteria, but you can check them out below:

• Facebook Monetisation Tools
• Instagram Bonuses and Subscriptions
• Pinterest Creator Fund
• Snapchat Spotlight 101
• TikTok Creator Fund
• Twitter Monetization Tools
• YouTube Creators

With this no-cost business idea, all you need is a smartphone to take photos or record videos, a free editing tool, an internet connection, and your creativity and time. Some influencers are making millions!

10. Start a Photography Business with No Money

For many people, photography starts as a hobby. Then when people see their work, they ask, can you take photos for me? If you have a good eye for lighting and composition, starting a home-based photography business is free (if you already own a camera). You don’t need a website to get started, either. Post some of your photos online, and tell people you’re scheduling sessions. Once you have a few clients, tell them that you’ll offer a discount on their next session if they send you a referral.

If you’re more of an introvert, you can start a stock photography business, selling stock photos online to sites like Deposit Photos, Adobe Stock, and BigStock. As your new business grows, you can invest your money into better photography equipment, props, and education you’ll need to create more stunning images for your clients.

11. Start a Tutoring Business

Are you knowledgeable in a particular subject matter, such as math, English, or biology? Then use your expertise to start a tutoring business from home. Use marketing methods like word-of-mouth, posters, or digital marketing on sites Facebook to talk about your services. Maybe you’re talented in another area, like music or fitness. Your skills in these areas can be used to give music lessons or one-on-one personal training sessions online. The great thing about being an online tutor or instructor is you can work full or part-time hours.

My friend recently used a personal trainer who gave all of her instructions via email and text and used Venmo to collect payments; it doesn’t have to be complicated to start a business. There are also tons of platforms where you can connect with potential customers. Most of these sites are free to sign up for, and they only take a fee once you make a sale. If you’re looking for a list of platforms where you can sell your expertise online, we have you covered.

12. Start a Membership Business with Patreon

If you have a hobby that you want to monetize, starting a subscription business with Patreon is an excellent way to start a business for free.

Patreon has three different levels that you can sign up for, Lite, Pro, and Premium. Each tier is free to join but offers different features and processing fees. And that’s where Patreon makes its money from processing fees. When someone signs up for your paid membership, Patreon takes a 5-12% fee from your final price.

So what can you monetize through Patreon? Almost anything!

Here is a list of ideas to get you started:

• Printables
• Tutorials
• Videos
• Recipes
• Patterns
• Podcasts
• Music
• Short Stories
• Digital Art and Graphics

With Patreon, you set up your payment tiers and then deliver your new content on that day. The great thing about Patreon is you can do everything in one place, and it’s an excellent source of recurring income. To learn more about getting started on Patreon, see this detailed tutorial.

13. Social Media Manager

Whether you have a marketing degree or experience in building your own social media platforms, social media management is an excellent no-cost business to start.

To start offering social media services from home, decide which platforms and services you’ll offer. There is everything from setting up new accounts to content creation, moderation, curation, paid ads, and more. Once you’ve decided on the services and platforms, you’ll work with, create accounts on those platforms and create some content to showcase what you can do in terms of photo and video creation, writing skills, engagement, and growth.

After you have some good content, start looking for companies that either haven’t updated their social media accounts in a long time or search for companies that don’t yet have a social media presence. Then email them a pitch on how you can help them reach more customers by utilizing a specific platform or platforms.

If you choose to do content creation, this can become a recurring source of income. And as more social media platforms come onto the scene, the more you can expand your offerings. Check out this article for more details on running your own social media business from home.

14. UGC Creator

If you’ve tried to create a YouTube channel, you know how difficult it can be to reach their monetization threshold of 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 hours of watch time. However, if you enjoy creating videos and snapping photos and want to make money from creating content, there is a solution, and it doesn’t require huge followings on social media.

UGC stands for user-generated content, and it’s where companies and brands pay people to create content for their social media channels. For example, if a brand is coming out with a new flavor of tea, they may hire some UCG creators to review the tea and record their experience. Then they use this content on their social media platforms to promote the new flavor.

To get started as a UGC creator, you will need to have social media accounts set up on popular platforms like TikTok, Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, and Instagram. You should create content that reflects your video style and passions. This gives brands an idea of what you’re capable of and what products and brands you’d likely like to partner with in the long run. Once you have some content on your accounts, you can sign up with companies like Mavrck, Find Your Influence, and Join Brands to connect with brands that are seeking UGC collaborations.

How much can you earn as a UGC creator? It depends.

I found one UGC creator who made $540 in her first month creating content for brands. Another UGC creator earned $3,200 in her first month, and she shares what steps she took to get there, and another made $0 but was waiting on four packages to be shipped to her.

15. Consulting Business

Another no-cost business idea is turning your area of expertise into a consulting business. The first step is to decide which area of expertise to offer potential customers. If you worked as a nurse, perhaps you’d like to help new startups become compliant with OSHA regulations. Or maybe you’ve worked in marketing, and you want to assist companies with getting setting up their marketing budgets or strategies.

Once you know what expertise you’re going to offer companies, start by sending them a short and thoughtful pitch on how you can help them achieve their goals. Remember, your pitch is not about you; it’s about them and how you can solve their problems and challenges.

All you need is one client to get the ball rolling.

What kind of expertise can you share with clients? Really, the list is endless, but here are some high-paying consulting specialties:

• Business
• Environmental
• HR
• Marketing
• Sales
• Security
• Software
• Technology

With this business idea, you’re only investing your time and expertise. Of course, later down the road, you can invest in a website and professional scheduling tools. For more detailed steps for getting started as a consultant, check out this article which contains a sample pitch template.

Conclusion: Businesses You Can Start with No Money

There are lots of home business ideas you can start with no money! But no matter which business you plan on launching, you need to write a business plan to help guide your way.

Having a business plan will help you navigate the twisty road of entrepreneurship so that you don’t leave out any crucial details, like setting money aside for self-employment taxes.

Don’t worry; I have a free business plan template to help you craft a simple business plan that will cover all your bases and set you up for entrepreneurial success!

And if you need tools to help run your business, I have a huge list of free business tools and resources.

Do you know of a free business opportunity? Drop us a note below; we’d love to know about it!