Free Work from Home Ideas

If you want to work for yourself but you are on a limited budget, there are several ways you can get started working from home for free without buying into a business opportunity. You don’t have to spend a lot of money – and if you’re creative enough, you don’t have to spend any.

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If you simply want to work for yourself with out hiring any employees, and you want to work from home – businesses instantly become easier and cheaper to start. However, most businesses require some sort of equipment, supplies or inventory. You can avoid these costs with a little creative thinking.

The downside to starting a business for little or no cost is that you will typically spend more time and effort doing so. Be prepared, this is no walk in the park. That said, if you really want to work for yourself and you have no money to invest in your business – you’re not out of luck.

Below you’ll find ideas of businesses you can start, resources for equipment, advertising and financing where you don’t have to pay up front.

5 Free Businesses You Can Start from Home

1. Blogging

Blogging doesn’t require any specialized skills, per se. This home-based business just requires ideas, time and the ability to write. Expert knowledge is not required to write a blog. Some of the most successful blogs are popular because they are funny and interesting to read.

There are free blogging software programs like WordPress and Blogger that enable you to set up a blog for free. In addition, if you don’t have your own computer, many times your local library provides computer use and internet access for free.

The nice thing about a blogging business is that you don’t have to directly sell anything to make money. There are plenty of advertisers who want to place their ads on blogs, and one of the easiest ways to find advertisers is through ad networks like Google Adsense, Chitika, Infolinks or Kontera. These are all free to join.

2. Dog Walking

If you don’t want to be stuck in your home all day in front of computer screen, dog walking can be a free home business that offers multiple benefits, one of which being exercise. What’s nice about dog walking is that you can make connections with pet owners who could hire you for additional services in the future like pet sitting.

No supplies are required because dog owners generally have their own leashes and pet treats. Advertising can be as simple as networking with pet owners you know and leaving a business card or flyer (with references) at local pet supply stores.

If you are good with animals, you may be able to manage walking multiple pets at one time, thus increasing your pay per hour.

3. Errand Running

These days, many people are short on time and could use a personal assistant. In addition, lots of small businesses are looking to save money by outsourcing smaller tasks instead of hiring extra employees.

There are a variety of services that errand runners can provide, including pick-up and deliveries, shopping, meal prep, making reservations or help planning events, coordinating meetings, pet care and more. The more tasks you are willing to take on and the more skills you bring to the table, the more money you can make.

4. Fiverr

Fiverr is a website where you can advertise virtually any service that you provide – one that you offer for $5. Ideally, you would want to offer a service that takes you little time to complete, but that someone else does not know how to do – or doesn’t like doing (ie computer programming, graphic design, writing).

There is no fee to advertise on the site. Instead Fiverr takes a portion of the money you get paid, so you never have to pay any money up front. Again, if you don’t have your own computer, you may be able to access the internet at your local library.

5. Selling Crafts

There is no fee to start this business, but as you might have guessed, you will need to buy the materials for the crafts you want to sell. If you already make crafts, this may not really be an additional expense for you.

That said, you don’t have to buy a craft fair booth or even pay listing fees to sell on ebay. There are websites where you can sell your merchandise for free like Blujay, eBid, eCrater and Webstore that make starting a craft business very affordable.

Can’t Find a Job? How to Create Your Own…

OK, so you’re out of work and you can’t seem to find a job anywhere. You also don’t really want to start your own business. What can you do?

Many people in this same situation have decided to essentially “create their own” jobs. What I mean is that they find companies that still need work done – but instead of applying for a job, these workers offer their services as an independent contractor or freelancer.

You see, many small businesses are struggling as well. They can’t afford to hire staff so instead they outsource the work to independent contractors. This way they don’t have to pay for expensive employee benefits that come with hiring workers.

So How You Find Companies that Need Work Done?

There are several websites that allow freelancers and independent contractors to basically advertise their services to potential hirers. Some charge a nominal fee, others do not. Keep in mind that the more skills you bring to the table, the higher pay you can generally receive.

Another way to connect with potential job sources is to contact them directly. Sometimes volunteering your time and services to businesses or organizations can give you the opportunity to demonstrate your skills and knowledge first-hand. Once companies can see for themselves the benefit of working with you, they are more likely to hire you.

You may think, “Working for free? I don’t think so.” – but the key is to think long term. Working for a week or two for no pay in order to land a long-term contract job sounds a lot easier than job-searching for the next 6 months.

How to Start a Business with No Money

Starting a business with no money can be tricky, because businesses usually require some sort of inventory, supplies or equipment. The key is to think creatively, so that you can avoid these costs – or at least postpone paying for the items you need until your company starts generating revenue.

If you want to start a business for free, it can be a lot easier with a service-oriented business rather than a product-oriented business. You don’t have to stock any inventory.

However, there are three more areas of potential cost:

1. Equipment and Supplies
2. Marketing and Advertising
3. Overhead

Equipment and Supplies:

In some businesses, you can get the customer to supply the supplies and equipment needed (ie. leashes and treats for dog walking or cleaning supplies for a residential cleaning service). In some businesses where neither you nor the customer have the equipment needed, you can arrange to borrow from someone you know in exchange for a portion of the money you earn. Bartering is also becoming more popular, where you exchange a service for a service, a product for a product or a service for a product. There are websites like BarterQuest.com or TradeAway.com that make it easier to find people to barter with.

Marketing and Advertising:

Although using free advertising resources can often take more effort and time, they can still be a great way to find customers. Some of these methods include free publicity, online local directories, free email marketing, advertising free on Pinterest, partnering with local businesses and getting free advertising in exchange for donating your time to a charity or other organization.

Overhead:

The easiest way to pay $0 for overhead is to work out of your home.

For many people, the most challenging part of blogging is actually setting up the blog itself. The guide will walk you through the entire process, making it easy and painless.
4 Ways to Find Money to Start a Business

Small business loans are never “easy” to get. Entrepreneurs need to be able to show the bank that their business ideas are going to make a profit and that they will be able to pay back the bank all of it’s money. With so many variable and unknowns, this can be challenging for a start-up.

On top of that, when banks start getting tight with their money, a traditional bank loan can be virtually impossible to get for a new start-up. That’s where you’ve go to think outside the box.

Here are 4 alternatives:
(from “How to Get Money to Start a Business”)

1. Crowdsourced Financing
Sometimes referred to as “peer-to-peer” financing, instead of getting a loan from a bank, you are getting funding from individual investors. Typically, these loans are for smaller amounts and money may be supplied by multiple investors.

2. Grants
There are some state and local organizations that offer grants to small businesses. Many times, these grants are allocated to companies working in a particular field. Small businesses applying for grants need to meet the requirements.

3. Microfinancing or Unsecured Loans 
These loans can be for larger amounts, but generally need to be paid back in shorter periods of time, for example 84 months.

4. Credit Cards
Some individuals with good credit can secure a low rate credit card or 0% interest for a specified period of time. If you’re fairly confident that you can pay back what you borrow in a short period of time, low-interest cards can be a viable way to launch a small business.

How to Find Customers for Cheap

Sure, you can start a business for free, but then how do you find customers for free? Here are some great (and super cheap!) resources:

“101 Low and No-Cost Ways to Grow Your Business” has lots of ideas so you can find ones that work best for your business. Both online and offline marketing strategies are included.

“49 Quick Ways to Market Your Business for Free” is very basic, but can help give you a jump start an your advertising campaign. It only costs 99 cents.

For more new business ideas for small and home-based companies, visit The New Business Idea. You can also get over 200 business start-up guides and download the Home Business Start-Up Checklist free from www.HomeBusinessCenter.com.