How to Start a Small Business With Little Money
- 1). Find a business to start that requires little to no overhead costs. You will need to adjust your small-business goals in accordance with the level of resources you have. For example, you cannot open a franchised restaurant if you do not have a lot of money. Therefore, you must start small and think big. If you want to get into the restaurant business, consider starting a small catering business and save your money until you have the funds to operate on a larger scale.
- 2). Work from home and meet with clients in public locations, such as coffee houses or restaurants, instead of renting an office.
- 3). Learn to use a spreadsheet program on your computer rather than hire an accountant for bookkeeping.
- 4). Use the Internet to your advantage. Keep your advertising costs low by marketing your business online on discussion boards and forums, submitting articles to websites and creating blogs through free blogging sites. When you submit articles to websites, write with an authoritative voice so readers know an expert wrote the article. At the bottom of every article or post you make, include a short biography about yourself that tells the reader how to obtain your services.
- 5). Make your own business cards. Business cards are essential when exchanging contact information, but they can also be expensive. Cut costs by making your own business cards on a computer and cutting them out yourself. You can make professional-looking business cards using the templates included in word-processing and publishing software.
- 6). Run your small business as a sole proprietorship --- the simplest legal structure. Do not form a limited liability company (LLC) until later. You can always start an LLC and incorporate at a later time.
Source...