How To Start A Business With No Money

Most physical product sellers have a passion for the items they want to sell, whether it’s baby slings, cloth diapers, wooden toys or jewelry. Unfortunately, because of the current economic situation, many moms need to start a business with no money.

So what can an aspiring physical product seller do to jump start her business with no money down? Most successful business owners know that it can take up to two years for a business to turn a profit. What can she do?

I’ve put together a list of ideas to help you start a product-selling business with no money:

1. Take a look at what equipment you already have. If your household already has a computer and Internet access, you’re halfway there.
2. Talk to your family and friends, offline and online. Find out what kind of products or they need. One of my clients started a business after creating a baby sling to fit her needs. After dozens of people stopped her on the street or in the store to inquire about it, she hung her shingle online.
3. Create a business plan. This can be just one sheet of paper on which you write down your short-term and long-term goals for your business. Consider this your map, afterall, you’ll spend more trying to get where you’re going, if you don’t know where you’re headed.
4. Decide if you want to sell your own products, or someone else’s products.
5. If you want to sell your own products, that you create, look around your house to see if you have materials you might need to create a product. For example, if you already have a jewelry-making hobby, perhaps you can sell the jewelry. The same with a candle or sewing hobby. The trick is to figure out what you can offer that is unique (or delivered/presenting in a unique way) from your competitors.
6. If you truly don’t have what you need in your home to start creating your products, try holding a garage sale, or getting rid of some extra stuff on ebay. This can help you earn the money you need to invest in your business. I know some people who did some babysitting for awhile to earn the money they needed to start a business.
7. Once you have chosen a product to offer from the materials you have on hand, or have purchased with your babysitting earnings, you can start making testers for your friends (make sure they will be honest with you and that they are truly part of your target market) and make adjustments according to their feedback.
8. If you decide to market other people’s products, look around for products that you already use, that you are passionate about and that offer an affiliate program.
9. Start a blog at Wordpress.com and start promoting your products. Make sure you talk about yourself, and your expertise in the industry related to your products as well.
10. If you’re selling your own products, market them on Craig’s List and in your forum signature (if the rules allow). Ask your blogging friends to write about your product.
11. If you’re selling other people’s products on your blog, start contributing to other blogging communities, making sure to include your blog address when you sign up. (Don’t include the address in your actual comment though. This is spam.)
12. When you’re ready to sell the product you created on your own website, start out with one from Free WAHM Hosting. Keep in mind though, once you start earning money, you’ll want to upgrade to a more professional site.
13. When you’re ready to upgrade your Wordpress.com blog to a professional blogging site, take a look at Watersweb Solutions. We offer blog hosting and customization. We also offer business consultations to help you decide what services you need.

These 13 tips will help you get started with your shoestring budget product selling business. And remember, if you have any questions, check out my coaching services. I’d love to help you find the right direction!

Related posts

• No related posts.