Ragged Riches

I’ll let you in on a little secret: being broke does not mean you can’t start a business. While having money can make a huge difference in how easy it is, it’s possible to make it happen if you’re willing to put inn extra work or take things slow.

Don’t believe it? These small businesses take little to no money to begin, but can potentially turn into a serious income stream if you’re willing to put in the hours.

1. Junk Removal/Scrapping

Do you have a truck and a lot of strength? If so, you might want to give junk removal or scrap removal a try. While you may need insurance and a license in your state, the truth is that many companies started “low and slow.”

The way companies start is by asking local businesses (like auto mechanics) if they have scrap metal they need to get rid of. Entrepreneurs partner up with them and get the metal items they can get, then sell them to scrap yards for a profit.

If you get enough money, you can raise the money necessary for a full-service, licensed, and insured junk removal company.

2. Content Creation

It’s no secret that blogging is a great business to start if you’re on a shoestring budget and love to write. With sites like Medium, Vocal, and Substack, you can start making money without actually having to pay more than $10 per month.

If you have a computer (or phone) with a decent camera and some free editing software, you can also become a YouTuber. When done well, YouTubing can become a steady paycheck and a full-time career fairly quickly.

The big issue here is developing a following and getting people to pay for your content. That alone can be a hurdle.

3. Freelance Website Development

Content creation is the typical “go-to” for people who don’t have much computer science or programming backgrounds. If you are capable of working on WordPress, Joomla, or Wix, you have another option available to you: website development.

Every business needs a website. You can be the person to make those sites. You can get clients via the Wix Marketplace, Upwork, or even by just putting up ads at your local bulletin board.

Plenty of people make a full-time income doing this. There’s no reason why you can’t be one of them.

4. Tutoring

Do you have a special skill that is in high demand? Perhaps you were a straight-A student. Maybe you know how to play the violin, the guitar, or the piano. Or, maybe you know how to speak Japanese.

Regardless of the skill in question, there’s a good chance people nearby might want to learn it. You just have to find people who are interested in what you have to teach.

Worried parents are always on the lookout for a tutor who can help their kids with homework, math, musical instruments, or writing. Adults, on the other hand, tend to want to learn foreign languages.

Bulletin boards, online platforms, and even word-of-mouth can help you find those first couple of clients.

5. Grocery Delivery And Rideshare

Fun fact: working for Uber, Doordash, or Lyft makes you a business owner. If you already have a car and insurance, you can start a small side business delivering groceries or giving people a ride.

This is as easy as it gets when it comes to creating your own business. All the marketing and planning is done for you. All you need to do is sign up for the right platform.

6. Business Development Consulting

If you’re a natural at business development, you already know how to make money. Why not share that knowledge with the world? Upwork, Substack, and LinkedIn are great places to advertise your consulting services.

Consulting is a business where you need to have a proven track record (or a really good gift of gab) to get a decent income. You do not need money to make this work for you. You just need knowledge, a little advertising via social media, and time.

7. Social Media Marketing

Oh, if I had a dollar for the number of people I know who made a living through this, I’d have at least $20. (Admittedly, almost all of my friends are in other industries.)

Social media is great because you can make your own accounts, use AI platforms like High Social or Upgrow for followers, and then turn them into “pay per post” cash cows or use them as examples of what you can do.

Many people are able to get social media marketing clients fairly easily through Upwork and word of mouth.

8. Public Relations

Public relations is what I’d call a “big ticket, low overhead” company option. If you have a knack for developing relationships, know a bunch of people in media, aren’t upset about going to networking parties, and are willing to trawl sites like Qwoted, you’d be a good fit for this.

A typical PR company will charge between $1,500 to $4,000 a month to begin with. Public relations specialists will need to have a list of emails where they can pitch stories to news sites as well as sites you can guest post to.

The good news is that you can do a lot of cool stuff with this business concept and talented companies can rake it in pretty hard.

9. Modeling

If you’re a good-looking person, you might be able to start a business modeling. Being a model is never a salaried position, which means that it’s a business by default—even when you’re working with an agency.

Modeling does have its pitfalls, though. It’s an incredibly competitive business. You will need to be on social media 24/7 to advertise your work. You also will have to deal with sexual harassment and worse.

If you choose to do modeling of a more adult nature, you can also end up with financial problems. Contrary to popular belief, you don’t always make much money doing adult content.

10. Ebook Publishing

If you are willing to market the crap out of your book and publish it on your own, there’s a possibility that you could end up with a lot of fans. Ebook publishing is easy to get into, easy to market, and also potentially profitable.

Since you’re publishing at no cost to yourself, there’s nothing to lose and everything to gain. Besides, you can also say that you’re a published author and that’s really neat.

11. Arbitrage

Are you the type of person who can find “junk” on the streets and flip it for cash? An eBay account or Facebook Market account is all you need to get started in this business.

The idea behind product arbitrage is simple: you find items that other people want, buy them, then sell them at a profit. It’s basically what pawn shops do.

12. Psychic/Tarot Reading Services

Up until recently, tarot readings and psychic readings were fairly “fringe” experiences. Today, they are mainstream and people want to find out what goes on beyond the veil.

If you already do your own cards, you might as well consider expanding your practice. Most tarot readers will charge between $30 to $60 an hour. Particularly skilled ones can read for as high as $300 per hour.

13. App Creation

App creation is still difficult by most peoples’ standards today, but that doesn’t mean that it is entirely an “egghead” thing by any means of the word. You might be able to make decent apps through app making software.

If you’ve got the chops for it, you can make a business developing apps for others. App development can rake in anywhere from $1,000 to upward of $20,000 a pop. That’s not bad!

14. Copywriting

Copywriting, SEO, and email marketing are some of the most in-demand skills in the world right now. While ChatGPT does make competition for decent jobs steep, the truth is this industry isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

Virtually any type of freelance writing can be done with almost no money to start. As long as you’re good with words, it’s a possibility.

15. Pet Sitting/Babysitting

These two businesses officially need insurance and an LLC, but let’s face it. They are often businesses started up informally by teenagers and young adults who are in need of cash.

Some sites like Care.com also offer insurance coverage on behalf of freelancers who use their site. Researching what different sites do can make it easier for you to

If you have family or friends who need someone to watch the kid or walk Fido, you can make a decent chunk of change doing this. In fact, it’s not unusual to start off as a freelancer then create your own team in the care industry.

16. Cleaning

This is another business similar to babysitting or pet sitting in the sense that you’re going to someone’s house and cleaning for them. Professional cleaners can either get their experience on the job or start freelancing on sites like Care.com.

Cleaning is about as simple as you can get in terms of business models. Everyone needs a clean home, few like to clean, and you can do it for them. Dirty jobs always make a decent income.

17. Graphic Design

Traditionally, being a graphic designer meant you’d need to invest in eye-wateringly expensive software like Adobe. However, prices dropped and there are plenty of alternatives like Canva or GIMP.

If you have a creative streak and the skills to match, graphic design makes a lot of sense. Graphic designers can often make more money than copywriters. Get good clients, and you’ll be sitting pretty.

18. Entertainer Assistance

What do Twitch streamers, cam models, and TikTokkers all have in common? They all need assistance. This can include people chatting with fans on their behalf, promoting them, releasing press releases, or even working on their logo.

If you’re not a content creator at heart, being their assistant can be a surprisingly lucrative and fun business you can start for free.

19. Printed Tee Shirts + Gear

If you’re a good graphic artist and have a knack for cute artwork, why not use that to create your own gear? Sites like RedBubble and 6Society let you put your designs on everything from notebooks to tee shirts.

The big part about this is marketing your goods. If you already have an art following, you can usually start this up for free.

20. Wellness Coaching And Guide

We often have that one friend who seems to know just what to do to live better. If you ARE that person, then you might want to start a (non-certified) business such as wellness coaching or wellness guide.

If you choose this route, you have to consider talking to a lawyer, teaming up with a friend who’s a certified trainer (or yoga instructor), and work toward getting at least one license.

However, wellness coaching can include things like learning how to meditate, encouraging people to stay focused on a weight loss goal, and giving referrals to other businesses. So, it’s not all certified.

21. Dropshipping

Dropshipping goods can be a bit of a struggle to get off the ground, especially when it comes to marketing and dealing with returns. With that said, it’s still theoretically possible to start a dropship company with almost no money down.

22. Virtual Assistant Work

Are you the type of person who has a folder for folders? Do you know when to schedule everything, how to gatekeep busy people, and how to do basic secretary work? You might have the chops to be a VA.

Or, if you are willing to hire others to do the work for you, you might be able to manage a team of virtual assistants for busy executives and wealthy parents. Either way, it’s a common small business to start with little money.

23. Dating Coach

It’s no secret that dating is brutal, especially when you’re talking about online dating. Men and women are both desperate to find The One. If you are great with people, you can be the one who helps them.

This can be done by helping them write their profiles, taking good photos of them, and coaching them on how to treat a date. Depending on your abilities and services, you can charge as much as $750 to $1,000 a month per client.

24. Job Hunting Assistance

If you have a background in Human Resources, you can actually put that to good use as a small business owner. Job hunters need help tweaking their resumes and guidance on how to ace those interviews.

You can be their sherpa to the career world. Considering how tough the job market is, this could be a goldmine.

25. Nightlife And Music Promotions

Whether it’s passing out flyers to get more attendees to a party or starting up your own email list doesn’t matter. Nightlife and concerts always are desperate for good hype. The same can be said of music artists.

Depending on how good you are at selling party tickets, you can make serious cash by pairing up with nightlife venues. Like with many of these other business ideas, it’s all about expansion and marketing.

Sure, you could be flyering today. Tomorrow? You could be running the next EDC with your team of assistants. You never know where this could lead.