The common saying "It takes money to make money" doesn't always apply. There are several ways to start a business with little to no start-up costs. Online e-commerce stores, freelance careers, and other online businesses can all be started for very little money down if you have access to the right resources. Free website editors and free hosting services contribute to the wealth of tools that online business owners can take advantage of to get a jump start.
Create a custom design and look for your online business website by downloading and using free web page what-you-see-is-what-you-get (WYSIWYG) editors if in-house tools are not included in your hosting package. A few examples of free HTML and WYSIWYG editors include CoffeeCup Free HTML Editor, SeaMonkey, and Komodo Edit. Be sure to preview the web page design in Internet browsers before uploading the files to your web hosting service to ensure that it's compatible with multiple browsers.
Set up a website to showcase your products and services. Free methods can be used to create an online business website; BlueVoda, Doodlekit, and WordPress are examples of free hosting website solutions that also include integrated web design features. Low-cost websites can be purchased for as low as $5 to $10 using affordable business services like Intuit Small Business. Alternatively, registering a domain name and buying a dedicated hosting account costs as little as $10 to $15 a month; GoDaddy and HostGator are popular domain registrar and hosting services. Free shopping cart software like Zen Cart and osCommerce can be used if you are creating an e-commerce store with product inventory.
Advertise your online business in free spaces both on the Internet and offline. Post your service or product offerings on classified ad sites like Craigslist. Submit your online business to free business directory listings like the Google Local Business Center or SuperPages directory. Post flyers of your online business around your local city or town on community bulletin boards. Tell all your friends and family of your online business so that word-of-mouth advertising gets started.
Decide what kind of online business you want to start. Online businesses that require little to no money upfront are service businesses. Writing services, virtual secretary businesses, and web design businesses are all low-cost options. An e-commerce store using drop shipping services also requires very little money to start.
Form a limited liability company (LLC) or corporation to protect yourself in the event of lawsuits and other legal troubles. This can be done after your online business has turned a profit so that you don't have to use out-of-pocket money for this expense.
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