21+ Profitable Business Ideas You Can Start With No Money

A famous saying goes thus, “it takes money to make money.” This may be true, but it’s not a golden standard.

There are many ways to launch and grow a successful start-up business without spending a penny; after all, the creator’s economy is starting to emerge.

In this section, I will be making a comprehensive list of those businesses.

1. Blogging.

Over the last decade, blogging has matured from having more personal into a business.

Starting a blog requires your knowledge to be put to use; the only time you get to spend little or no money is when you need to purchase a web host and a domain.

While so many people opt-in for a paid web hosting and domain, you can start blogging for free on some available hosted services such as Google Blogger, Wix and WordPress.

While this can be dangerous, many people have started their blog on a free blog platform, scaled it up, monetized it, and moved to a paid platform. While it might work for them, I do not recommend it for serious bloggers who want to build a profit-generating blog.

2. Start a YouTube Channel.

YouTube is one of the most popular websites on the Internet, with a more massive audience than television throughout history.

It started with very humble beginnings in the mid-2000s and was used to share videos. Still, it has grown to become the primary source of information over the years, globally hosting the most significant amount of videos than any media platform.

One of the benefits of starting a YouTube channel is that you get to connect with your audience, share experiences, and monetize what you do, which brings in a reasonable amount of money.

YouTubes give the ability to watch videos again and rewind the tape up to the point where your audience understands the message. You also get to build confidence in yourself and your audience up to the point where you start generating sales opportunities.

Starting a YouTube channel corrects costs you no dime, all you need is creativity and a well-known niche to get started.

3. Become a Twitter Influencer.

A Twitter Influencer is a social media influencer who has built a considerable following and engagement on Twitter.

I decided to restrict this to Twitter because various social media platforms work differently, and not everyone will do well on all platforms.

The type of platform you decide to work with depends on what content you post.

To become a noted Influencer on Twitter, your content must be tailored to a specific niche.

In addition, your post must be impactful enough to be further retweeted by their followers and their followers, too, until your tweet goes viral.

4. Become a LinkedIn Influencer.

Just as I defined who a Twitter influencer is in the previous section, a LinkedIn influencer does the same thing as any other social media influencer; the only difference is that a helpful audience has been built on LinkedIn.

Everyone has a different perception of LinkedIn as a social network; most people think it’s all about professionals; yes, things have changed and are still evolving.

Over the years, LinkedIn and continued to evolve so that it now accommodates creatives on its platform.

One reason I recommend people use LinkedIn is that its algorithm does not pose so much blockage as seen on other social media platforms.

It’s easier to build an organized, targeted, and amplified audience on LinkedIn than on any other platform.

However, if you are a professional seeking enough recognition to get hired, LinkedIn is a platform that allows you to kill two birds with one shot.

5. Become an Instagram Influencer.

An Instagram influencer has built a vast and engaging following on Instagram by posting valuable content for all to see.

Instagram became mainstream media after Facebook purchased it at the start of the decade; since then, it has hosted over 2 Billion people on its platform, with more still being added every minute.

Everyone has an Instagram account; it has become the default platform to host photos just after beating Pinterest.

To gain a massive following on Instagram, you have to share engaging contents that tailor to the need of your audience in such a way that it attracts enough likes and shares. That way, it gets recommended by the algorithm to more people on the platform.

Over the years, Instagram has continued to adjust its algorithm that is becoming too hard to get visible; one way to get past this is to combine your content with photos and videos, sharing inspirational messages.

6. Affiliate Marketing.

Affiliate marketing is one business that can give you financial independence; you don’t need start-up capital to start an affiliate marketing business.

All you will ever need is an audience, a smartphone, Laptop, and internet connections; most people already have this.

Affiliate marketing helps you build a relationship with both known and unknown audiences.

To get started with affiliate marketing, you need to find the right affiliate programs, set up a webpage, and figure out how to get traffic and sell that service.

I always say to my audience, “everyone is a salesman, but most don’t know about this reality”.

7. Start Freelancing.

Freelancers are individuals hired by other companies or individuals who work to use their skills on a short-term basis. Still, they do not have the same level of commitment or receive equal pay to any particular company, though they also get paid.

Freelancing gives you freedom from working under conditions that do not suit you.

It provides a lot of flexibility and control to the individual. You get to choose your hours, who you work with and what kind of work you intend.

Freelancing can also be called entrepreneurship, which means freelancer has total control of their earning potential.

They are not locked to a salary and have the power to earn as much as they possibly can.

However, you do not need start-up capital to kickstart a career as a freelance; all you need is well-sharpened skills in a well-targeted industry.

8. Become a Web Designer.

To become a successful web designer, you need to become familiar with the best tools to build websites.

If you have a basic understanding of the most common tools used today, you have a higher chance of succeeding as a professional web designer.

However, the web design world is broad, and not all these tools may be necessary. Still, they’re worth learning a bit about to have a more well-rounded design education.

Anyone can become a web designer at no cost; all that is required is your commitment to perfection.

There are resources on YouTube to help build you to perfection; all you need do is add the “Beginners” keyword when searching for videos to use as a starter.

Technologies like HTML, CSS and JavaScript play a key role in making you a complete web designer.

You also get to become independent and work as a freelancer when you acquire the necessary skills needed as a web designer.

9. Learn how to do search engine optimization.

SEO is a skill that every web entrepreneur needs to have under their respective tool belt to complete their online marketing skillset's

Learning SEO will enable you to understand how and where you appear online.

The more you control your online presence, the more direct impact it will have on your business.]

To master SEO, you need to understand how search engines like Google, Yahoo, and Bing work; you can build better web pages that can be fully optimized and rank well.

Good SEO will get you more traffic and sales. SEO works majorly with all business models, including affiliate marketing, influence marketing and many others leading to more leads and sales.

Blogging is one way to utilize search engine optimization fully. SEO is free to learn; there are tons of online resources available to help with mastering the art of search engine optimization.

10. Become a Digital Marketing Expert.

A Digital Marketer uses various tools to reach customers, build brand awareness, and promote products and services; these tools include Social Media, Search engine optimization, blogging, paid advertising and email marketing.

Digital marketing is one skill I recommend every online business owner learn if you want to build a 21st-century business.

The Internet has become a massive marketplace for the world; selling on the Internet has become a significant priority for every global business. This has created a new industry for Digital Marketers globally.

You can learn digital marketing for free and begin a career as a freelancer; all it takes is trial and error until a certain level of perfection is attained.

11. Build Your Career In Web Development.

Web development has to do with the logical and unseen parts of the web like databases, coding scripts, terminals, HTML, CSS and JavaScript if you want to be a full-stack web developer.

Web development is an industry that won’t die out anytime soon. On the contrary, it will be around for a more extended period because it is a primary pilot of the next-generation economy.

If you can develop this skill, you won’t have difficulty getting a job or growing a self-sustaining business.

12. Become a WordPress Developer.

A WordPress developer is a professional that specializes in the development and ecosystem of the WordPress platform.

The primary focus of a WordPress web designer is to build websites and plugins with WordPress

WordPress is the most popular website design tool on the Internet, currently hosting more than 70% of the websites online.

Becoming a WordPress developer is easy, and it requires little to no technical skills involved, though you need to have a creative and technical background or understanding of the matter.

Anyone can learn WordPress for free, and you will get better at it with constant practice. Most clients who need a business website usually Opt-in for WordPress because it is quick and readily available.

13. Learn Graphics Design.

Graphic Designers are pictorial storytellers. They communicate information and engage audiences through images, words, and graphics.

Graphic Designers use design elements, such as shapes, colours, lines, and textures, to produce captivating illustrations.

Graphic design is an integral part of a brand or company’s marketing and advertising efforts.

Graphics designers are some of the most sought-after professionals on the Internet. Various businesses need graphics designers to help pass their messages visually appealingly.

Becoming a graphics designer only requires that you have the right software and be able to pay attention to details

14. Learn Video Editing.

Video editing is an artistic and technical skill that requires adding special effects, structuring and more to videos.

It is also called the art of telling stories with the use of Videos. The video industry is booming, with more people demanding professional help to create quality video content in the advertising industry and many others.

Video editing might be time-consuming but remains liable for profit generation.

Videos are highly monetizable; you can make money as a video editor on YouTube, Instagram and many more platforms.

15. Start your Podcast.

Do you want to inspire people with your voice? Then, you can start your podcasts for free and reach out to millions of listeners worldwide.

Like blogs and social media, podcasts are becoming the norm for how people share their thoughts with the world, with the episodic audio series continuing to gain traction with listeners seeking both entertainment value and educational dialogue.

One good thing about starting your podcast is that you get to feature on any platform such as Spotify, Google Podcasts and many more, which increases your reach. As a result, a podcast can be grown to a vast listening audience and be monetized at no cost to you.

All that is required to start your podcast is an interest in an inspiring topic that an audience would love to listen to, a smartphone, Laptop, Mic and ready-made cloud hosting podcast platforms such as Podbean and many others.

I shared a link to a comprehensive article that addresses this question below, be sure to check it out.

Thank you, and have a wonderful day

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---. “21+ Profitable Business Ideas You Can Start With No Money.” Tchelete, 12 Apr. 2022, 21+ Profitable Business Ideas You Can Start With No Money.