Are you the kind of person that doesn’t like having a boss? Do you prefer setting your own time and pace to work, instead of clocking in eight hours a day? If this is how you feel, maybe you’re the type who wants to be your own boss. Here are some home business ideas you can start with little or no seed money.
Dog Walker
This is a great service business to start, especially if you like dogs and being around them. Some people can be too busy to take their dogs out for a walk, so they hire dog walking services. You can charge $10 to $20 per dog, and you’ll only need to walk them for 20 minutes to an hour.
While you don’t have to be a dog trainer or have any special license to walk dogs, it’s important that you know how to handle dogs, since they’ll be barking and tugging you around and could even jump on you.
To make your job easier and your service more valuable, you can take short courses on dog behavior, dog care, and dog first aid. A couple of the downsides to this business is that you will have to clean up the dog’s mess, and you should be ready with insurance in case of dog bites.
Caterer
There are lots of businesses you can put up that involve food and don’t require a lot of money to start. One sound idea is a catering business. If you’re a good cook and can make a variety of delicious meals, you can cater to small gatherings with a menu of unique dishes. Your dishes can be family recipes or dishes you’ve learned to cook well over the years.
Apart from having a menu of dishes that people will like, you’ll need a kitchen big enough to prepare them and cooking equipment like a stove, oven, mixer, and all the important utensils and cooking implements.
It’s easy to promote a business like this, since it can be done with the help of social media, besides the traditional word-of-mouth. Should your catering business become successful and grow, you can cater for larger events, supply food items to restaurants, or even turn the business into a restaurant.
Party and Events Planner
If you enjoy organizing parties and special occasions, then this business is for you. A party and events planner is the go-to person who can handle all the little details of private events like birthdays, baptismal parties, baby showers, bridal showers, or other celebrations.
You can run this business from home and promote your service via social media. While this is one of the businesses you can start with zero capital, you have to have a keen eye for details, have a good network of suppliers, be excellent at time management and meeting deadlines, and are a whiz at organizing and scheduling. You should also know of the best and most appropriate events venues to offer to your clients.
Social Media Management
While some Hollywood celebrities and other wealthy public figures personally manage their social media accounts, some celebrities hire individuals or entire teams to do the job. You could offer your services to famous people who don’t actively use their social media but want to use it as a promotional tool or to reach out to their fans.
More than simply knowing how to navigate and use social media platforms, experience in marketing and PR can be useful to this business, as the public figure you’re speaking for is the brand or “product” you’re selling. This is one business you can do from home, and you can use video call apps to meet with your client.
These are but a sample of the many small businesses you can start with next to nothing or zero startup money. After all, what you need to start a small business is a good idea for a product or service, a ton of guts, and a lot of hard work to find your customers or clients.