How to Run a Business for Next to Nothing: Low Cost Business Ideas You can Run from Your Home

home business ideas
Low cost home business ideas
If you have been thinking about running a business but have been deterred by factors such as lack of finance, human resources, space and the like, I would say stop! Here are some great ways to run a business for little or next to nothing without so much as having to step out of your home…

Teaching a Skill Online

Do you cook, bake, paint, crochet, knit or design stuff? Then teaching people these skills can be turned in to a business. All you have to do to begin with is set up a free or paid blog (in the latter case you would have to buy a domain name and register for hosting) or set up a website and link to videos that you can post to You Tube. Giving music or language lessons on Skype is a great way to go too.

Sell Designs and Patterns

I am a crochet enthusiast and recently I was looking for patterns for kids booties and I came across a range of beautiful patterns on Etsy. Not only can you make products and sell from the comfort of your home, you can sell patterns that you’ve created and earn from all the hard work you put in to creating them. What a great idea!

Work for the Publishing Industry

With the number of people taking the route to self-publishing and the burgeoning growth of e-books I think designing book covers and even helping people decide on titles for books or editing content are career routes you can take and work via email.

Translation

Knowing a foreign language is an added advantage and you can get several translation jobs online or get translation gigs by setting up a free Facebook page. You can even sign up on Elance for freelance job opportunities of every type.

Ghostwriting

If you have a flair for language and love writing then there are always people who cannot write and are looking for people to write on their behalf. If you don’t mind other people taking credit for your writing then ghostwriting is just the thing to try.

Creating a Platform for Others to Network or Do Business

Providing a platform for people who want to network or do business is another option worth exploring. Setting up a service like Shopo which is a market place for all things Indian, Afday another online venture dedicated to selling handpicked goods or something like GyaanExchange, a place on the web for people to list classes and enroll for classes in a variety of skills are all options worth exploring.

Image: Ambro