It is an incredible time for anyone to make money online, because the virtual world is ever-expanding and free virtual “real-estate” exists for every type of audience on the worldwide web.
What this means is that the “American Dream” of being your own boss is accessible to billions throughout the world, and can be achieved from anywhere WiFi is accessible.
While there are really hundreds of possibilities of businesses that could be started, products that can be sold or services provided, if you don’t have any investment money it’s harder to find legitimate ways to make money online that aren’t a waste of time or a lot of effort.
Although I have known friends to successfully establish a business as a “survey taker,” by signing up for all those free opinion and survey websites, these kinds of things limit how much you can actually make and that’s not really what consider “starting your own business.”
The most fruitful and realistic business you can start online without investing a single dime initially is going to be in affiliate marketing.
There are thousands of businesses already looking for people like you to promote their products for a nice little commission and it costs nothing to get started.
All you need to do to is take five simple steps:
- GET COMPUTER AND INTERNET ACCESS
- SET UP A WEBSITE
- WRITE ABOUT ANY TOPIC OF INTEREST
- PROMOTE PRODUCTS TO YOUR READERS
- GET PAID
If you’d like more specific details, read on and I’ll break down for you step-by-step how you can start a business like this without paying anything or even providing a credit card.
Although I couldn’t make any promises, because it depends on what you do with what you learn, I know that it is possible to make money with this business within a matter of weeks or months because I’ve done it myself, and I’ve coached others who have done it time and again.
What Business Can I Start with No Money?
STEP 1 COMPUTER AND INTERNET ACCESS (SKIP IF YOU HAVE THIS)
I want to assume that you at least have a computer or phone and internet access since you are able to read this post, but I know that might not be true for everyone.
Anyone in the United States has the ability to have access to a phone and internet through federally funded programs. If you cannot afford internet and do not have a computer or phone, you should apply for the Federal Lifeline Program.
Life Wireless is a phone company that often offers free Smart Phones if you qualify for Lifeline and sign up through them.
If you don’t qualify for these offers, then you should have the means to at least have a phone with WiFi which is all you really need to start this business.
I would recommend at having some access to an actual PC or laptop for ease, but most things are mobile compatible so it’s not mandatory to get going.
Free WiFi is available at nearly any large business or chain, so if you live in or near a city or town big enough to have a Starbucks then you have the means to get free WiFi – fair warning, be sure to buy something, don’t just sit there like a chump and use up their space.
STEP 2 BUILD YOUR WEBSITE (WHERE THE FUN STARTS)
This may seem like a daunting step, but conceivably you could have this done in less than 45 minutes.
Or you could take your time with it and enjoy the learning process and excitement of creating your very own business.
Let me break it down for you:
a. Register for a free account with Wealthy Affiliate and they will give you two free domains and websites under siterubix.com. No credit card required, just a name and email.
b. Once you’ve registered, immediately start the online training under the green arrow on the left. The first three courses will walk you through building your website step-by-step, starting with creating a website domain.
Have you already thought of ideas for a website or blog you’d like to start? Check to see if your domain name is available:
c. Building your website is a point-and-click process that is simple and fun, and can be done in a matter of minutes through this free course, but they only offer the complete course free for 7 days so take advantage of as much as you can right away.
d. After that it will be at least $19 to $50 a month to continue the training, but for no cost at all you get to keep your two free websites including the money-making one you will have built through taking the course during the free trial.
STEP 3 WRITE ABOUT ANY TOPIC OF INTEREST
Once you have your website built, you will want to write and post as often as possible to show the search engines that your website has value.
It is the age and keywords of a website that help it rank higher in searches, such as on Google.
There are also ways to promote your website across social media and other channels to gain traffic.
STEP 4 PROMOTE PRODUCTS TO YOUR READERS
Once you have any amount of traffic to your website, start signing up to promote affiliates on your website.
There are a few that are most popular including the Amazon Associates Affiliate Program, but I would recommend especially avoiding Amazon until you have a significant amount of traffic as they have very strict guidelines and you likely won’t qualify traffic-wise after 90 days. I know quite a few people who have gotten kicked out of Amazon’s program, including myself. You have to be ready for it.
As a beginner website, however, there are still plenty of products you can promote through other affiliates.
Share-a-Sale is the main affiliate I use for brand new website because they have affiliate programs that don’t require any approval process and you can start promoting them immediately.
Awin is who I use to affiliate with Etsy, which is one of my favorite online retailers to promote for.
Don’t get too heavy into the specifics here as to HOW you are going to promote brands on your websites – you will learn that in the free course you signed up for earlier.
I highly recommend going for the extra 30 days at 1/2 off so you can get all of your questions answered, but if you don’t even have that, get going on the 7-day free trial, get your website built, start promoting products…and GET PAID!
STEP 5 GET PAID
When people visit your blog or website and click on the products you recommend, you will get a small commission when they buy.
It’s going to start off small, but I promise it will grow.
Most people who get started on something like this are too scared to narrow themselves down to a few products, so they choose to go with Amazon and write about a million different things every day.
The best thing to do IS to narrow it down.
If you write about one topic long enough, you build up the audience for THAT topic and then you can sell the heck out of it because people coming to your website are coming for THAT thing you are selling.
There are billions of people out there buying things on the internet – go ahead and set up shop on your corner and get a piece of the pie.