5 Businesses You Can Start for Free

1. Blogging

Don’t underestimate the power of the almighty blog (you are reading one now, of course). With free sites like WordPress and Blogger it’s easier and cheaper than ever to create your own site. Grow your audience by creating intriguing and consistent content-whether it be about chess, cheese or chemistry- that you’re passionate about. After you reach a sizable base, you can cash in on AdSense and affiliate marketing to bring in the Benjamins. Not blessed with the gift of gab? You can create simple posts of videos, pictures, or even reposts of interesting content. We all have opinions, so why not write about that? You will make more than two cents off of putting in your two cents on a wide array of topics.

2. Online Tutoring/ Teaching

Don’t have fond memories of middle and high school? Neither do most people. Enrolling in virtual classes takes away the awkward social encounters in front of lockers and allows people to learn by themselves in the comfort of their own locked bedrooms. Find whatever it is you’re good at and create a posting online to attract students. No need to fret if you have no discernible special skills- one popular option is to teach English online to students in Asian countries. Many companies such as Qkids will hire native speakers without any teaching experience to teach pre-made lessons via video, or you can find your own students through web postings. You don’t even need to get out of your pajamas to bring in the cash!

3. Social Media Influencer

Ever get jealous of people who make millions of dollars playing video games on the internet? Yeah, us too. So why not get in on the fun yourself? Social media websites are used worldwide everyday meaning you potentially have millions of customers. With Instagram, YouTube, FaceBook, Twitch and Twitter, the possibilities of selling yourself are greater than ever, with all these sites being free to sign up. Whichever platform you choose, just make sure your pages look like a million bucks and are constantly being updated. Websites such as Twitch and YouTube provide a direct way to earn as they allow monetization on your accounts, while advertisers will reach out to popular Instagram and Twitter users for affiliate marketing. These days, breaking the internet will ensure that you don’t break the bank.

4. Pet Sitting/ Dog Walking

We love our dogs- but we also hate all the work that comes with them. Luckily you can take this sentiment and profit off of it. Because most people go on vacation and work full-time, it shouldn’t be too hard to fetch clients for pet sitting and walking. You can do it old school by creating paper fliers and distributing them around your hometown or you can play ball with online postings on Craigslist or classified ads. There are even apps like Rover and Wag! that can connect you with people in need of dog services. Typically, pet parents will provide you with leashes, food, bedding and whatever else you need to keep their pooch perfectly safe. All you need is eyes, ears, and a way to get around to start and you’re sure to get referrals to more clients through satisfied customers. Sure you might have to walk a chihuahua in the cold, but you’ll be well on your way to raking in the cold hard cash.

5. Virtual Assistant

If you have all your friends, family members, and dogs birthdays planned in your calendar for the next five years consider becoming a virtual assistant. Job duties range from data entry, to transcriptions, to bookkeeping so there’ll never be a dull day at the office (unless you dislike office work that is). Create a job posting on freelance websites such as Upwork for potential clients to find you and you can list your specialties, pay rate and hours. On here you can schedule out your work just as you schedule life for your clients-free of charge of course. The next thing you’ll be scheduling? Your big trip to the bank.

Here’s the bottom line: you don’t have to spend your bottom dollar to get your business up and running. Same comes for when you need to get paid. Invoice Home provides more than 100 professionally designed invoice templates for you to send to your clients- all for free. This way you can bring home the bacon straight to your piggy bank.