Have you always wanted to run your own business but you were daunted by the amount of money you will need to get started? I have assembled a list of businesses you can start without too much capital. These businesses can be run from home giving you the freedom you have always wanted.
Low-cost business ideas for stay-at-home moms
Start a proofreading business
If you are good at English and can catch spelling or grammar errors, proofreading is for you. You could be reading company documents, restaurant menus, and other materials that businesses want to be error-free.
Proofreading is a skill you can easily learn. Caitlyn Pyle, who makes full-time income proofreading, started Proofreadanywhere.com to help other gets started. You can join Caitlyn’s free proofreading workshop to learn the nuts of bolts of proofreading.
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Start a bookkeeping business
Businesses need help to maintain their books. They don’t always need someone full-time, which is where you can help. Bookkeeping doesn’t require a college degree but it’s helpful if you love working with numbers. You could make between $50 and $60 an hour. You can start with one client and grow your business over time.
To get started with bookkeeping, you can take the Free 3-part series conducted by Ben Robinson, the founder of Bookkeepers.com. While working for other bookkeeping companies is an option, you will have more freedom if you start your own business.
Print on Demand
Print On Demand is ideal for anyone who can create designs for shirts, bags, mugs, and bed pillow covers. You can create an account on platforms such as Printful and Printify and start marketing your merch. You will only be responsible for design and marketing, the platform will take of the actual printing and shipping of the products.
You can use tools such as Canva for the design. All you will need is a laptop or a computer and an internet connection. You can review the products at Printful or Printify to get some inspiration.
Virtual assistant business
Virtual assistants are remote workers who help business owners with a variety of tasks such as scheduling appointments, answering phone calls, and managing social media. As long as you can pay attention to detail, you can easily do this job.
Gina Harkley’s Fully Booked VA Course will help you get started with your VA business quickly. The course walks you through the steps to establishing a business, finding clients, and marketing your business.
Become a social media influencer
People are making a lot of money on Facebook, Instagram, and Tiktok. You don’t have to be a celebrity to be a social media influencer. Pick a topic you are passionate about and start making content around it. You can make money from ads. Brands will pay you to pitch their products once you have a good following on social media.
You can take this free Udemy course “How To Become A Successful Social Media Influencer” to get started. You don’t need any investment to get started. All you will need is your phone and your ideas.
Freelance writing business
Businesses always need good writers. Even with so many AI writing tools out there, the demand for freelance writing hasn’t gone away. You could be writing a blog post for a website, a proposal for a grant, or a marketing pitch for a website landing page.
You can take a free workshop at the Earn More Writing School to get started. The workshop covers how to get started in freelance writing and how to grow your income over time.
Sell on Amazon
Amazon has an FBA program (FBA stands for Fulfilled by Amazon). If you shop at Amazon, you will notice that not all products on the website are sold by Amazon. Many are sold by third-party sellers. You could become a third-party seller. You sell the product and Amazon takes care of the storage and shipment of the product.
The key to being successful as an FBA seller is to find a niche product that you can sell for a profit. You can download this free guide to get started with your FBA business. I know many stay-at-home moms that have made a life-changing amount of money selling on Amazon.
Become an Airbnb host
You can rent out extra rooms in your house to guests. Airbnb takes care of running background checks on guests and collecting the money for you. If your home needs to spruced up, you may need to spend some capital upfront.
But Airbnb can earn you passive income if you outsource chores such as cleaning and maintenance of the rooms. Guests pay attention to reviews, so you’ll need to get some solid reviews for your property.
Become a notary
A notary plays an important role in society. The notary helps prevent fraud and acts as a witness when documents are signed. Notaries can now sign documents online, which makes it ideal for a work-from-home business.
Recently, I refinanced my mortgage and I didn’t have to go to the Title Company to close. A mobile notary came to my house which made the process a lot easier. But many notary acts can be done from home.
Start a tutoring business
If you like to teach kids, you can start a tutoring business. You can advertise your services on local Facebook groups and someone is certain to reach out. You can teach via Zoom if that’s what you prefer or you can meet at a public place such as a library.
There are many online platforms that allow you to get paid for virtual tutoring. Teaching English to foreigners is an easy way to make more than $25 per hour.
Grant writer
Grant writers can make more than $75 per hour. Schools and non-profits often have to apply for grants but don’t have anyone full-time on their staff to write grant proposals.
Writing a single grant proposal can take 10 to 15 hours. You can easily make thousands of dollars per year being a grant writer.
