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The last 20 years have been an amazing Entrepreneurial journey, for the most part during those years, I have been a Tax Mentor and Coach for Early Stage Mission Driven Entrepreneurs.

The question I get asked, especially by people starting out in business is, – how do I start a successful business without money?

It’s a question mostly asked by youthful Entrepreneurs who hesitate launching out on their business idea because they lack capital.

But capital or lack of it never stopped determined entrepreneurs from starting successful businesses, actually most of the big names in business started out without capital.

As technology, and technological advancement, the internet and the web, continue permeating and pervading every sphere of our existence, it’s never been easier to start a business without money.

The internet has brought bountiful money making opportunities. Anyone, anywhere in the world can start a successful online business.

Here is what I mean,

It takes little effort and minimal know how to make money as an affiliate, start a YouTube channel, offer social media consultancy, or become a virtual assistant. And for the reason the most uploaded and read articles are always titled ‘how to make money online.’

Now most of these articles are written by people who have never started or operated any business venture, online, or offline.

Because it takes know how and acquired experience to speak authoritatively about money making skills. They simply regurgitate information already decimated in the public space.

In this article I will give you 6 mint money making ideas, that don’t need much cash to start, to help you launch a successful online business in 2023;

1. Become a virtual assistant

Virtual assistants are in short supply. If you have a knack and skills for organizing and planning it might be the thing for you.

Apply to offer administrative support to clients who need assistance handling day-to-day tasks for example, email management, bookkeeping, and social media management.

Your target clients should be solopreneurs, guys starting businesses independently without support structures. The demand for virtual assistants has escalating as the number of solopreneurs increases.

Start by building a personal brand. Spruce up content to promote your VA services, then market yourself on online platforms like Upwork.

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2. Participate in Paid Market Research

Do you enjoy sharing insight and opinions with people? Paid market research is a platform that allows companies to pay their participants to express their opinion on various items, services, and brands.

Take part in paid market research studies, you can earn upwards of $50 an hour. Market research includes taking part in surveys, participating in focus groups, and taking part in medical researches.

Focus groups normally used to determine people’s attitudes toward specific products, branding, or ideas are free to join and can be conducted in-person or online via video on your smartphone, tablet, or computer.

Participants share their opinions on competing products or businesses, guided by a moderator who takes notes, and records sessions.

Here are some sites you can visit:

• User Interviews
• Respondent
• L&E Research
• 20 | 20 panel
• Take Part in Research

3. Join an affiliate program

Can you market and promote products? You can earn some good cash promoting products, services, or brands on different platforms, but first you must Join their affiliate program to receive and affiliate link you can share with others.

You receive a commissions, along with credit for the referral when they click to buy through your link.

But the commission payout you receive will depend on the affiliate program and the product being promoted. For instance, basic items on the Amazon marketplace don’t pay much, promoting digital services like web hosting could potentially earn you hundreds or even thousands of dollars.

You can use your social media pages like Instagram and Facebook to promote businesses and affiliates you believe in. I could talk of drop shopping but it’s got a sleazy gray area to it.

Image by Simon from Pixabay

4. Launch a YouTube channel

Becoming a YouTuber is easy and free if you have some solution to a problem, a smartphone, a ton of patience, and commitment to consistency.

Sign in to YouTube using your Google account, create a new channel with your name or a custom name.

Start filming unboxing videos, product tutorials, or funny skits. With millions of videos uploaded every second, find a niche and patiently work to build your channel’s subscription. YouTube starts running ads on your channel when you hit the magical number of 1000 subscribers.

Besides, you can form partnerships with brands on sponsored content, sell merchandise, or become an affiliate to monetize your YouTube channel when you become visible.

5. Offer social media consultancy

This is another money-making opportunity, if you have a massive social media presence.

If you know how to get followers on Instagram, TikTok, or Pinterest. You can use your existing profile as your portfolio to market your skills in digital marketing groups and forums.

Brands will contact and individuals looking for a social media presence will contact you to brainstorm creative ideas, produce videos, and to help them gain a following on social media.

6. Review websites and apps

Did you know you can review websites and get paid? As a website reviewer, you purposely examine the site’s functionality and how fast it loads.

Companies offer payments and free products to leave testimonials on their sites. Other businesses pay people to examine the quality and performance of their websites.

You earn based on the marketplace and testing methods. For instance, you get to earn more if you’re willing to do one-on-one testing sessions with clients over video conferencing.

Here are some companies that offer website reviewing:

• UserTesting for app, website, and user experience testing
• TryMyUI for impression and survey-based testing
• Testbirds for digital product, store, and mobile app testing

Wrapping up:

Regardless of your age, profession, or educational background, you don’t necessarily need money to start making money.

There are many ways of making money online, most require capital injection, but these six can be started successfully in the comfort of your home if you brainstorm and are willing to put in the work.