This sounds like a great thing – starting a business without investment capital. The reality is you can make it in different businesses without investing a dime ahead of time. The bottom line is the world of online businesses allows you some incredible flexibility that otherwise would not exist in the corporate office. The flexibility afforded to online businesses is unmatched. You can work from home, from shared office space, the reality is that you also make your own hours. This is a great way to really enjoy what you do. So, the next step is how do you start a business without having money to invest in it?
Regardless of whatever you choose to do, when you are in business, you need to be committed to your products and your customers. Understand that a business is not profitable at first, you need to establish it from the beginning. There are plenty of different customers that you need to attract and retain. Getting the customers is the hard part, but once you get them and build your reputation, things get easier. When starting your own business, it is important to understand that there will be struggles but it will be worth it when in the end your hard work allows you to have the freedom to live the life you have always wanted.
E-Commerce with Drop Shipping
The idea behind drop shipping is really simple – instead of having to warehouse a variety of products and hope they all sell you can simply partner with a drop shipper that will send the products to your customers as the products are ordered. This eliminates the need for warehousing and other inventory controls including the cost of having to secure your merchandise while it is sitting in a warehouse. Drop shipping has become the lifeblood of the e-commerce industry because it eliminates much in the way of overhead cost. All you have to do with your e-commerce store is make sure the drop shipper is doing their job.
Now, when it comes to your ecommerce store, there are so many different options for you to choose from. A great example to understand how the drop shipping works is with a simple t-shirt business. You will design the t-shirts and partner with a drop shipper. When the t-shirt is ordered, the production of the shirt and the shipping of the shirt will be handled by the drop shipper. Now, there are obviously some drop shippers who are working in specialized areas. This is something that is important for you to remember. Make sure that when you choose a drop shipper, you are choosing someone that is both reputable and is also in your specific niche. The last thing you want to do is partner with a drop shipper specializing in crafting if you are working with apparel or other types of products outside of that realm. Drop shipping has changed the world of e-commerce for the better.
Blogging
If you like to write, this is the online job for you. The best part about blogging is that you can start pretty much whenever you want. However, blogging is not as simple as sitting at your computer and typing in brilliant notes that people will enjoy right away. Blogging is a grind, and that is perfectly ok. There are a few things you need to do when starting a blog. The first is you need to find a site or a platform. Some people prefer to use WordPress to design their blog site while others like to use a service such as blogger to do the same. Then you need to pick a subject – just one subject. The reason why this is important is that bloggers are often people with multiple interests. If you have a cooking blog and this blog is dedicated to showing off your great recipes and the things you have made, you can’t just post a baseball article, for example. This consistency is something you need to keep working on.
Now, as far as monetizing the blog, there are a few things to do. You can use Google AdSense and you can try and sell ads on your site depending on the number of clicks. It is wise to connect with other bloggers who will help promote you as you promote them. There are more than enough readers for everyone. As you build your network, more clicks will come, so keep writing and churning out great content – it will be noticed.
Video Blogging or Vlogging
Thanks to smartphones, the need for a professional video camera is no longer present, which means you can put your thoughts out into the world as often as you are willing to hit record with your thumb. The best part about vlogging is that you can be a lot more extemporaneous and interact with your audience in a way that you can’t when you are writing. One thing about vlogging is that you can use your YouTube fame to earn money. There are a few ways to do this. The first is with a paid sponsorship – this is perhaps the easiest way when you have a lot of clicks that you can use as a bargaining chip. Another way is through YouTube’s payout scheme. Now, again, this does not make a lot of money if you are new to it, but if you are an established vlogger, the money is real and spectacular.
So, what makes a great vlogger? There are a lot of things that go into it such as blogging. One thing that will separate you from other vloggers is to be authentic and have fun. The latter is especially important. It may be hard to have fun while you are worried about your next meal, but if you have fun, then your videos will be shared a lot more. The sharing is the key, so make sure that you are creating fun content that is short, sweet, and right to the point.