Starting a business with no money is not as hard as you might think, there are many ways you can start a business and become a successful entrepreneur with no monetary investment at all.

Now we come to the big question, how can you start a business with no money? this is not an uncommon question, and fortunately, there are many different ways to do it!

However, the businesses we are going to list in this article don’t require a money investment, they require you to invest your time, effort, and dedication, some require some type of skills.

Some businesses require more of your time than others, but at the end of the day, all you need is dedication and consistency if you want to make money from home or start your own company with no money.

Here are 7 businesses you can start with no money investment:

1. Print on Demand

Print on demand is an online business you can start with absolutely no monetary investment, and start making money in no time.

How it works is you go to a website that offers print-on-demand service, my favorite website is Redbubble, you chose white label products such as T-shirts or hats then you customize the white label with your own design and sell them on the supplier’s website.

The supplier will print your design only when someone orders one of the products.

They can be anything from t-shirts to mugs, phone cases with custom designs printed on them.

You might be thinking you don’t have graphic design experience, how are you going to make this work? Well, the good news is you don’t need to be a graphic designer to start this business.

You can easily customize products and sell using a free Canva account which allows you to make simple graphics without any experience or skills.

Although this business is easy to start with no investment or skills, you need to choose a low competition niche to succeed, as some of the niches are pretty competitive.

For example, if you print a T-shirt that targets entrepreneurs it might be a lot harder for you to stand out and start making sales fast since there are a lot of other products that target the same people.

Instead, find a group of people that are overlooked and create designs that target those people.

Another interesting thing about print-on-demand business is you don’t need to worry about marketing, the supplier you work with will do that for you.

Requirements:

• Laptop
• Canva free account

2. Online Tutoring

Selling online courses is a great way to start making money online, and it is a lot easier than you think.

The first thing that might come to your mind when I mentioned selling online courses is you can’t teach anything, or you are not a specialist, or you don’t have the right equipment to start, well you don’t need all of that.

Whatever knowledge you have someone out there is interested in learning, and if you can’t figure that out you can easily go to YouTube and watch tutorials on simple things like photoshop tutorials, watch a few tutorials and learn the basics, then you can create a course for “beginners guide to photoshop” and start selling.

The good thing about this is you don’t need to have a camera or microphone to do this, all you need is photoshop and a screen recorder.

Although photoshop requires a monthly subscription, you can start with a free trial and record as many tutorials as possible within the trial period.

Once you create your course you can start selling on websites like Udemy or Skillshare.

Requirements:

• Laptop
• Free screen recorder like OBS

3. Virtual Assistance

This is my favorite business to start with no monetary investment, I am a virtual assistant myself and have been enjoying the business for a few years.

How virtual assistance works is you become a middle man between companies who need assistance with their business tasks. You can do anything from scheduling social media posts, answering emails to helping out with data inputting or other basic office tasks.

To get a better idea of the services you can offer take a look at my services page here.

The best part is how much you get paid for these virtual assistant jobs! Depending on how fast your work and how many clients are in your queue, you can make a few hundred to a couple of thousand dollars every month.

I have been able to start this business with no money simply because I used my previous office skills from working at the front desk of an accounting firm and combined it with how much time I spent on social media during those years as well as how fast my typing speed is.

Start by selecting a few services you can offer and start reaching prospective clients on social media and email outreach, you can also create an account on freelancing platforms like freelancer.com or fiverr.com and start bidding on projects.

Basically, becoming a successful virtual assistant takes time and marketing, but once you start building your clients list you will become an agency in no time.

Requirements:

The requirements depend on the type of services you are going to offer and the marketing strategy you choose to implement.

4. Digital Products

Selling digital products is an easy way to start a business with no investment, digital products include eBooks, graphic resources, or apps.

Instead of selling online courses, you can make a comprehensive guide or anything someone might be interested in and make it in a form of an eBook or audio and start selling on platforms like Etsy.

Also, if you have graphic design knowledge you can make graphic resources and sell on platforms like Envato elements or Freepik.

The same thing with mobile apps, if you want to learn how to become an app developer, there are many free tutorials on the internet that can help you learn with time.

Requirements:

The requirements depend on the type of digital products you chose to start selling, but generally, you will need a laptop or smartphone, and a free trial of photoshop will be required if you chose to sell graphic resources.

5. Affiliate Marketing

If you ever search how to make money online you probably heard of affiliate marketing.

The problem is there is a lot of misguided information about affiliate marketing on the internet.

Many articles on the internet will make you believe that you can become a millionaire with affiliate marketing without any effort, and that is not how it really works.

The truth is you can become a successful entrepreneur with $0 investment with affiliate marketing, provided you learn how it works and you put enough effort and dedication into the business.

Here is how affiliate marketing works, you promote someone else’s products or services using a unique clickable link, and anytime someone makes a purchase through your referral you get a commission.

The most common channels for affiliate marketing are YouTube, Blogs, and social media.

The best channel, if you don’t want to spend money on a blog or YouTube equipment, is using social media, you can use Pinterest, Instagram, or Facebook to promote your affiliate links.

The channel I find more effective is Pinterest, especially if your target customers are women.

However, I recommend you do a lot of research about affiliate marketing before you start, that will help you start the right way and have a higher chance of success.

Requirements:

• Laptop or Smart Phone
• Social Media Account
• Active Affiliate Links

6. Freelancing

Do you have specific skills that are on demand? if you think so, freelancing might be a great option for you.

Freelancing is when you sell a specific service to multiple clients in need, as a self-employed individual.

There are many different types of freelancers out there and the main categories are website developers, graphic designers, content writers, UI/UX designers, etc.

Starting a freelancing business is easy and doesn’t cost any money, the easiest way to start is to go to freelancing platforms like Upwork, Fiverr, People per Hour (for content writers) create an account, and start finding clients.

If you are in doubt, click here to see a list of services you can offer as a freelancer.

Requirements:

• Soft skill
• Computer
• And other tools related to the skills you intend to sale

7. Sale Stock Images

This business is self-explanatory, basically, you just need to have a good camera, doesn’t have to be a digital camera, your smartphone might be all you need.

Take interesting pictures of literally anything and start selling on websites like Shutterstock, Envato, or Freepik.

This is among the easiest method to start a business with no investment, but it is also the one that provides less revenue.

However, if you know how to take pictures that stand out and are in demand, you going to earn more than you expected.

Requirements:

• High-Quality Camera (digital or smartphone)
• That’s all you need

Conclusion

Starting a business with no monetary investment is possible and anyone with the right amount of effort and dedication can become a successful entrepreneur without any financial risk.

By coming to this point I believe you are serious about starting your own business, and in that case, I have my final advice for you which is to start before you are ready.

If you think you have to feel ready before you start your business you need to push that thought away and start right now, because the one sure way of failure is to never start, therefore, start, make mistakes, and learn how to do better, you will thank me letter :).

Lastly, if you find this article helpful feel free to share it using the social media buttons below.

You can also check out recent articles on the Benefits of Hiring Virtual Assistants and Everything you Need to Know About Independent Contracting.

The post How to StartUp a Successful Business From Absolutely Nothing appeared first on Freelance Virtual Assistant.

After conducting research with 500 employees, Development Academy discovered the least successful time management technique is “dealing with whatever comes up”.

Therefore, to be an efficient manager, you need to have a proper time management strategy.

In this article, we will discuss 8 strategies for managing your time better so that you can be more effective and productive at work!

1. Prioritize Management Task

First of all, you need to prioritize the tasks at hand. Start by ranking them with numbers (i.e., one being most important and four least), or with letters (A for very important; B if somewhat important; C is not particularly relevant).

Generally, you need to focus more on what is more important, but sometimes you can’t ignore the less urgent jobs.

To solve this dilemma, think of your time as a pie: some slices are small and quick (one-minute tasks) while others are larger and require more time (half an hour or an hour).

You need to allocate enough time for each job at hand; if you don’t, you’ll end up dropping one or more of them.

Tackle the most important tasks first to get them off your plate and free yourself from a heavy burden.

2. Have a Clear Focus

Is very important to start your day with a clear focus on what are the task that needs to be accomplished today and what is the task you want to accomplish but you don’t have to finish them today?

You need to be clear about the things you need to accomplish today and the things that can wait.

Remember to keep your focus on what is most important at this moment, not next week or next month.

Finish any task you start by following through until it’s complete; don’t stop halfway unless absolutely necessary (to prevent forgetting about something).

You may be tempted to quickly check off multiple small items in your to-do list, but this will only add more stress to the day by making you feel overwhelmed.

Focus on what’s most important and do it well before moving on to other things that are less urgent or important.

3. Have a Daily To-Do List

As a manager you must have a lot of different tasks to handle every day, to make things easier you should have a to-do list daily.

A daily to-do list should include all the tasks you wish to accomplish in one day starting with the most important tasks and the ones that require the most attention and the time you plan on completing each task.

The benefits of having a daily to-do list are many; it helps keep track of everything you need to get done at work, prevents forgetting about something for later, and helps you prioritize your tasks so that the most important ones are completed first.

A daily to-do list is a simple but effective time management strategy managers can use in order to be more productive throughout their workday.

4. Avoid Interruptions When Possible

While you set your focused task you need to avoid any unnecessary interruptions such as phone calls, emails, social media, the internet, smartphones, or co-workers who want to chat.

Emails are one of the biggest distractions managers deal with on a daily basis. If you can avoid checking your email while trying to get certain tasks done then do so because it is very easy for an interruption to take over and turn into something much more time-consuming than what was originally planned.

Checking your email and answering phone calls might be unavoidable, therefore only check your email after completing one task before you start another.

Other distractions like social media, the internet, and irrelevant discussions need to stay away while you work.

5. Consider Outsourcing

If you have too many time-consuming tasks to handle every day, consider hiring a virtual assistant to help you out with such a task, and allow you to focus more on other important tasks.

Oftentimes tasks like data entry, email management, and PowerPoint presentations can take up most of your time while you have another important task to handle, in that case, the best way to improve your productivity and improve your time management is to outsource some of those tasks to a virtual assistant.

The benefits of outsourcing are many, therefore, if you are in doubt whether you should outsource or not, try hiring a virtual assistant on a small one-time project and see how that affects your time management and productivity.

6. Avoid Multitask

Trying to complete more than one task at a time can affect the quality of work that you produce and therefore reduce productivity.

When our brain has only one job to do, it works at full capacity which makes us more productive than when we try to complete several tasks at once.

Another reason for not trying to complete several tasks at a time is that it can be stressful and therefore affect your overall well-being negatively.

Instead, try focusing on completing one task fully before you start with the next one!

If multitasking has become part of your routine, make an effort to change this habit by dividing your tasks into several sessions and working on them one at a time.

7. Use Delegation

As a manager you have employees working under you, try to free some of your time by delegating some of the work to the appropriate employee.

Delegating work to others is not only a time management strategy that will help you save some of your own valuable time, but it’s also an excellent way to promote the growth and development of employees.

8. Break Large Tasks into Smaller Pieces

Often times when you look at the workload you have you feel exhausted even before you started.

To reduce the effect of that feeling break the large task into the smaller task, that will make them easier to handle and less intimidating which will help you finish faster than when you start a huge task with no confidence of finishing it soon.

Conclusion

Time management is an essential part of your effectiveness and productivity as a manager, without proper time management you might end up working less effectively than you can.

Use these 8 tips as your personal time management strategies, but if you want to achieve the best result you need to stay consistent with it.

Lastly, I hope you find this article helpful, if you do, feel free to share it using the social share buttons, you can also check out How to Maximize Productivity with a Virtual Assistant.

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact me, I will be happy to answer all your questions.

The post 8 Time Management Strategies for Managers appeared first on Freelance Virtual Assistant.

Hiring a virtual assistant is one of the best decisions you could make to maximize the productivity of your business, one of the reasons why is no one has all the skills to run a business, at some point you are going to need assistance.

More: Time Management Strategies for Managers.

In this article, we will discuss the 9 benefits of hiring a VA and also some of the basics of virtual assisting.

Who is a Virtual Assistant?

A virtual assistant is an individual who provides administrative or technical support to clients from a remote location.

Virtual assistants typically work with their clients on projects via the internet and email, so they do not need to be in the same physical office space.

They can provide benefits such as saving time for project managers, entrepreneurs, and small business owners.

What Does a Virtual Assistant Do?

Virtual assistants can perform a wide range of tasks depending on their skills and qualifications.

Some of the general services virtual assistants offer include:

• Handling data entry, online research, or administrative work such as answering emails and filling out forms for businesses owners who don’t have the time to do it themselves.
• Updating social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. for small business owners or entrepreneurs who do not have the time to update it themselves.
• Editing, formatting, and creating written content such as newsletters, blog posts, etc.
• Performing customer service tasks by answering product questions from customers on e-commerce websites like Amazon and eBay

Generally, virtual assistants provide services for business owners and entrepreneurs who do not have the time, skills, or resources to complete these tasks themselves.

9 Ways to Maximize Your Productivity with a Virtual Assistant

1. Choose a Professional VA.

When hiring a virtual assistant choose someone who is a professional on the task you have, hiring someone with no necessary skills on the task you have will result in fewer quality results.

The best way to check their level of skills is to check their testimonials and portfolio pages, if you don’t know how to access these resources ask them for their recent related projects.

If you are hiring a virtual assistant from a freelancing platform, make sure to check their reviews and job completion rate.

2. Provide Clear Instructions.

If your instructions are unclear, there is a chance that they may get the job done incorrectly which could cause frustration for both parties.

Therefore, take enough time to give them all the details before they even start working for you, and give them a reliable means of communication in order to contact you if they need any more details along the way.

3. Give Regular Feedback.

Make sure to check in with your virtual assistant frequently to see how they are doing and what you can do to help them be more productive.

Providing feedback regularly will help them get more clarity on what you want and how you want it.

4. Schedule Clear Deadlines.

Setting deadlines clear will make it much easier for both of you because there is no guessing game involved if something needs to get done by a specific date.

This will also help you figure out if they are someone who is capable of meeting your deadlines or not.

In addition, setting deadlines will motivate them to deliver faster.

5. Be Transparent with Your Virtual Assistant.

Many times, being transparent about the benefits and opportunities that come along with working for a particular company can increase motivation to complete tasks quickly.

They may even be more proactive in finding ways to speed up their performance if they truly believe in the benefits of working for you.

And also, when they know what to expect from you, you saved yourself from unnecessary unpleasantries.

6. Get Things Done Faster with a Virtual Assistant!

Hiring a virtual assistant can be extremely helpful when it comes to the speed and quality of work that gets done around your company.

They will also help free up more time for you so that you can focus on other tasks at hand, therefore, hire a virtual assistant with the purpose of speeding up your work with better quality.

7. A Virtual Assistant Can Reduce Stress and Increase Creativity.

Working with a virtual assistant can reduce stress levels in your life as it is one less task that you have to worry about completing on top of the others.

Reducing stress is a proven way to boost your creativity and productivity because you’ll be able to dedicate more time and energy to creating new ideas and strategies for your company.

8. Leave Data Entry to Virtual Assistant.

Data entry is a boring part of running a business and time-consuming for many people. If you have a lot of data entry work to do for your business, a virtual assistant can definitely help speed up the process and get it done more efficiently than if you were doing it on your own.

This will free up time so that you can focus on other important tasks, before you know it, your productivity level increases.

9. How About Social Media?

If you’ve ever tried to manage your social media on your own, then you know how overwhelming it can be at times. Between posting new content and responding to customer’s questions and comments.

Unless you are a social media person or social media is not part of your business operations, I recommend you let a virtual assistant take charge of it.

Conclusion

The conclusion to this blog post is that a virtual assistant should be your best friend. A good VA will help you balance the demands of life with work by taking care of all those tasks that are too difficult or time-consuming for you, leaving more room in your schedule for other important things.

If you’ve been looking for someone who can take on some of your workloads so that you have more free time to focus on the bigger picture, it could be worth investing in a VA, and in that case, I might be just the guy you need .

Feel free to contact me, I will be happy to answer all your questions. You can also check out How to Start Up a Business with No Money Investment and How do Virtual Assistants Work?.

The post 9 Best Ways to Maximize Your Productivity with a Virtual Assistant appeared first on Freelance Virtual Assistant.

In this article, we will discuss how independent contractors work, the difference between hiring an independent contractor versus hiring a permanent employer, and also the pro and cons of hiring an independent contractor.

More: Time Management Strategies for Managers.

Before we dive in if you need a virtual assistant make sure to check my list of services to see how I can help you grow your business.

Without further delay, let’s dive in.

Who is an Independent Contractor?

Independent contractors are self-employed individuals who work on a contract basis for their clients.

This type of employment is becoming more and more common as companies look to reduce payroll taxes, benefits costs, and other expenses that come with permanent employees.

Generally, any individual or group of individuals working as a freelancer is an independent contractor, which includes virtual assistants.

Difference Between Independent Contractor and Employee.

When it comes to being an independent contractor vs. a traditional employee, there are many differences that exist between the two types of workers.

Some of the differences are as follows:

• Employees work under one company for their entire career, while contracted employees can work with several companies in different industries at the same time.
• Traditional employee is paid an hourly wage, while an independent contractor charges by the project or by hours worked.
• Traditional employees receive certain benefits depending on their employer’s policies. Independent contractors are responsible for paying their own insurance and retirement funds.

Independent Contractor vs Employee: Which is Better?

The answer to this question depends on what one is looking for in a position. Both types of employment offer advantages and disadvantages, so the choice will depend on personal preference, the current situation of your business, and the type of work you need to get done.

How do Independent Contractors Work?

Independent contractors typically work on a per-project basis and may choose to do something for one person, follow through with the project and then move on to another.

They charge by the hour or offer their services at a flat fee. Independent contractors often have more freedom than employees as they can set their own hours (within reason) and decide which projects to take on.

For example, a computer programmer might work for one company and then decide to take another job with an entirely new client while pursuing other interests in the meantime.

It is becoming more common for employers of independent contractors to ask them to provide some proof that they are able to do the project or task independently before hiring them.

Some businesses are specifically looking for contractors to bring in new ideas and suggest innovative ways of working.

Other businesses might simply want an independent contractor to complete the work that they are unable or unwilling to do themselves, such as IT support or providing administrative support.

It is important for employers who hire people on a freelance basis to know how their company actually works so that they can give them the right tasks to do.

Pros and Cons of Hiring an Independent Contractors

Pros of hiring an Independent Contractor

The pros of hiring an independent contractor over hiring a permanent employee include:

• They can be more flexible and work around your schedule.
• No need to pay for benefits such as healthcare or sick days, vacation time, etc.
• You don’t have to worry about paying payroll taxes like you would if they were an employee (employers must withhold a percentage of their employees’ wages and make matching contributions to the government for Social Security and Medicare).
• Independent contractors provide their own equipment, tools, materials.
• You don’t have to worry about complicated things like working hours or breaks as they are self-managed.
• You don’t have to pay unemployment insurance.

Cons of Hiring an Independent Contractor

The cons of hiring independent contractors over a permanent employee include:

• As a business owner, you will be responsible for their work not being up to par or at all and there is no one else to blame it on.
• Your own employees may become resentful as they are now competing with independent contractors who can do the same job but for less money.
• It can be difficult finding reliable independent contractors for very long-term projects because they may have other clients that pay them more than you do and they will most likely take those jobs instead of yours at some point.

Conclusion

Hiring independent contractors are generally easier than hiring a permanent employee, but when it comes to which one you should hire, that depends on your business needs and your personal preferences.

However, the best way to figure out if hiring an independent contractor is best for your business is to hire one in a small, short period project, and make a decision based on the final outcome.

If you have any questions or just want to say hi, feel free to contact me, I will be happy to answer all your questions.

Lastly, I hope you find this article helpful, if you do feel free to share it using the social media buttons. You can also check out How to Start a Successful Business with No Money Investment and Benefits of Hiring a Virtual Assistant.

The post How do Independent Contractors Work? appeared first on Freelance Virtual Assistant.