17 Online Businesses You Can Start For Less Than $100 In 2020!

Start your online business this week!

Are you planning to start an online business?

Are you wondering about the time and capital requirements?

Worry not! We will solve this problem for you today. We will share 17 different online business ideas with you to start for less than $100. The best thing about these ideas is that you can start working on them this very week.

Rather than grappling with different business ideas that might or might not work, you can go through our guide to pick the right one. We have curated this list after considering the versatility of these business ideas and their potential.

1. Start A Blog

Have you heard about bloggers making thousands of dollars each month?

We all have! However, most of you might not know that you can start a blog for under $100. While starting a blog, some of the expenses which you might have to incur are:

• Domain
• Hosting
• WordPress theme

You can buy all of these for less than $ 100. The next question which you might have after reading this is, what should you blog on?

What might seem like a mundane life or might be interesting for someone else? Well, the choices are plenty. You can blog about your personal life, or any interest, or hobby. The options are endless. That is why; even personal blogs these days gain a lot of traction.

In a nutshell, you can blog on anything you prefer. You have to pick a theme and stick to it.

2. E-commerce Sites

Sites like Shopify have made it easy for you to create an e-commerce store without any programming knowledge. You have to pay a small monthly fee to set up your e-commerce store.

Are you wondering about the inventory?

You can source it from a distributor based on the number of orders you get. You can also find a supplier online to fulfill the orders for you. In a nutshell, you would not have to invest in inventory either.

Many entrepreneurs, who want to start a business online, often are puzzled by what they should sell. The niches in which you can operate an e-commerce store are plenty like:

• Health
• Apparel
• FMCG
• Accessories
• And so on

You can find distributors and suppliers for all of these. If you do not keep any inventory, the capital requirement will be on the lower side.

The total cost, in this case, will surely be less than $100. With no programming knowledge needed, you can start on this idea right away.

3. Social Media Marketing Agency

We all know about social media platforms these days. However, did you know that you can offer services to businesses to help them manage their social media accounts?

Yes, that is what the job of a social media marketing agency is. Sure enough, you would need to research a bit in different niches before offering such services, but the gist is to reach as many people as possible.

You might be wondering how much would businesses pay for such a service?

The answer is hundreds of dollars per month. The good news is that you can create relevant content for your clients with a couple of writers and graphic designers and publish it on social media. As a result, the reach would increase as well.

You can start your social media marketing agency right from your home. Since you would be investing in content and management of social media channels after getting your first contract, you can start this business in less than $ 100.

With the increasing importance of social media for small and large businesses alike, this is a lucrative industry to step into.

4. Web Designer / Developer

Businesses these days need to have a presence online. There are plenty of web development tutorials online. Even if you do not know the same, you can surf sites like Coursera, Skillshare, Khanacademy, Udemy to gain web development skills. Therefore, gaining web development clients will not be a difficult task for you.

At the same time, you can upsell and cross-sell services like:

• Domain registration and renewals
• Website operation services
• Hosting services
• Social media management

By doing so, the amount of revenue which you can make on each order will be on the higher side. Once again, this is a business that is not capital intensive. You can handle web development and social media marketing by yourself.

You would only incur expenses once you get your first client. As a result, you will not have to put your own money on the line. At most, you would need a professional website for web development services. That can be created in under $100.

The impetus which digital marketing is gaining, coupled with the low capital requirement, makes it a great online business to start.

5. Publish An Ebook

Do you have a flair for writing?

Why not convert it into an online business?

People all over the world are looking for interesting books and stories to go through. If you have something exciting and creative to offer to the world, you can make a significant amount of money by writing ebooks online. The topic can be in any category like:

• Self-improvement
• Health
• Finance
• Productivity
• And so on

There is a demand for books in all these categories and even more.

With platforms like Kindle, the cost of bringing your ebook out to the world is less than $ 100. You will not have to invest in publishing the book or marketing it offline. Since you can cater to the audience all over the world, the potential is virtually unlimited.

6. Create An Online Course

Above, we have highlighted how you can use online educational websites to gain new skills. However, if you prefer teaching, why not create an online course?

There are various sites like:

• Udemy
• Skillshare
• Teachable
• Teachery
• And So on

These sites allow you to create your courses and sell them. The revenue will be corresponding to the number of students who access your courses. The good news is that the courses can be across a variety of categories. That is why; you have complete freedom to choose the topic you want to teach.

You can record the video courses at your home with your smartphone camera. There is no need to invest in full-fledged video equipment either. As a result, the capital requirement will be lesser than $100.

With more and more students preferring to learn online, creating and selling an online course has enormous potential.

7. Become a YouTuber

YouTubers are a combination of teachers and entertainers. YouTube is fast, replacing the traditional cable television. Due to many topics on which you can watch videos and the number of content creators, it is certainly gaining more and more impetus.

At the start, you can create animated videos online or use your smartphone to record videos online. In both cases, the total investment you would need will be less than $ 100. Also, the skills which you need can be honed in under a week, which will help you start this online business right away.

You might be thinking, but what is the earning potential?

The answer is that it is truly unlimited. There are YouTubers making thousands of dollars each week through advertisements as well as sponsorships. With the popularity of YouTube growing exponentially, this amount is set to increase even further. Once you keep these factors in mind, it is a great online business to start.

8. Copy / Technical Writer

Can you add a bit of personality to your writing?

If yes, you can work as a copywriter. Copywriters are individuals writing in a specific particular manner. They can attract readers due to the persona which they put into their writing.

Similarly, you can work as a technical writer as well if copywriting is not for you. You can work on any niche in which you have immense knowledge. Companies these days are looking for individuals having experience in a particular field.

In both cases, all you need is an Internet connection and a computer to begin. With the demand for copywriters increasing daily, finding your first product should not be difficult.

9. Freelance Writer

If you’re not dedicated enough to write and publish a book but still love writing, you can become a freelance writer. There are many Webmasters, companies, and bloggers looking for copywriters.

Freelance writers are individuals writing on behalf of someone else. Once they are paid, they relinquish the rights to the content.

In case, you’re wondering where you can find such projects; there are quite a few sites like:

• Upwork
• Freelancer
• Fiverr
• And so on

The main advantage of working as a freelance writer is that you can set your hours. You can bid for projects and even long-term contracts on these websites. Also, in most cases, the payment is secured by the platform that once again ensures that you will get paid on time.

All you would need is a laptop or a desktop and a broadband connection to begin. Thus, you can utilize your passion for writing in more ways than one.

10. Online Coaching

Can you teach students online?

Whether you are a college student or a graduate, you can take up this job. No, we aren’t asking you to rent a space for conducting your class or visit the students’ homes. Online tutoring is gaining popularity at a rapid pace.

These websites are always looking for tutors who can teach students online. Some of these websites include:

• TutorABC
• GoFLUENT
• TutorVista
• Tutor.com

The best thing about these websites is that you need a computer and Internet connection to start tutoring students. The books can be rented from your local library. You can find them online as well. Thus, you can coach students online and make a good deal of money without investing over $100.

11. Start A Podcast

Many people do not like to stay glued to the screen. That is why; they preferred podcasts as compared to YouTube videos. With the help of advertisements and sponsorships, you can make a good deal of money by starting a podcast.

As the popularity of your podcast increases, it is not uncommon to make over $1000 a week.

Simply put, a podcast is an audio interaction channel like a radio station. You can choose your topic, but you need to stick to it.

You can register a domain and share your podcast on your website. There are quite a few other podcast hosting platforms as well, which you can make use of. These include:

• Audioboom
• BuzzSprout
• SimpleCast

All you need is a good microphone that you can buy for $50 or so. Apart from that, the cost of hosting the domain will be around $30. Thus, you can start your podcast for under $ 00.

12. Dropshipping

Do you prefer to sell products without building an e-commerce website?

Do not want to go into the hassle of building one?

Worry not!

You can still Dropship products on sale on various websites. Dropshipping involves placing the order with the supplier once you receive the order and payment from the customer.

Are you wondering where you can sell such products?

There are quite a few websites like:

• eBay
• Amazon
• Craigslist
• And so on

All these websites do not require you to have your e-commerce store. You can dropship the orders. Dropshipping requires you to have no inventory, which means that the capital requirement is negligible.

Another advantage of no inventory is that you can cater to any niche. All you would need is a computer with a broadband connection to start your own dropshipping business.

With the right product quality and reviews, you can grow your business exponentially, which means that the sky is the limit.

13. Email Marketing

Would you like to start an online business that you can set on autopilot eventually?

If yes, you need to think about building an email list. Email marketing can help you make a list of prospective customers that you can use to gain conversions. The beauty of email marketing is that you can build an email list in any niche. Therefore, promoting a wide variety of products is easier than ever.

Some of the things which you would need to invest in for email marketing include:

• Email autoresponder
• Domain
• Hosting
• Landing page
• Resource like an ebook, Video access, etc.

An email list is like a ready-made list of customers that you can tap into to promote any product or service. The good news is, you can procure all of these for under $100. The general rule is that the more valuable content you share, the higher will be the pace at which your email list grows.

When you build your email list regularly, your income will also keep growing each time you promote a product or service. It is one of the main reasons why it is a great online business to start.

14. Service Arbitrage

Looking for an idea that requires minimal work on your part?

If yes, service arbitrage is a good option. Simply put, service arbitrage involves receiving the order from a customer for a particular service and forwarding it to the service provider. You do not have to execute the service yourself. You would make a tidy sum as commission in between.

You might think, which are the type of services which you can arbitrage? These are:

• SEO services
• Social media services
• Virtual Asst services
• Web development services
• And so on

Any service which can be executed virtually is an ideal candidate for service arbitrage. That is why the options are pretty endless.

The good news is that the investment is almost nil. At most, you can set up a domain advertising the services that you want to arbitrage. It would cost less than $100.

On the other hand, you have to place the order with the original service provider only once you receive the request from the customer. That is why; you will not have to put a lot of your capital into this online business.

Moreover, it is super scalable, which ensures that you can make a significant amount of money in the future. If you don’t have time, it is one of the best online businesses to indulge in.

15. Paid Membership Sites

Can you create valuable content?

If yes, it is a good idea to start a paid membership site. People/consumers are ready to pay for valuable content. It does not matter whether you’re writing articles, reports we’d use, or podcasts. You can create paid membership sites revolving around all of these.

The niche options which you have are plenty as well like:

• Finance
• Health
• Business
• Stocks
• Self-improvement
• And many more

You can tap into the niche which you prefer. There is no compulsion to work only in a particular niche.

The resources that you would need are:

• Domain
• Hosting
• Membership software
• Content

Once again, all of these can be procured for under $100. The best thing about paid membership sites is that they can generate recurring revenue for you. That is why; the value of each customer is on the higher side.

Once you get your first few customers, you can invest in marketing, which can help you scale it up quickly and safely. If you prefer an online business model where you have to deal with only a handful of customers to generate ample revenue, this one is the right choice.

16. Web Hosting Reseller

Web hosting is a necessity for anyone starting a website online. However, not everyone needs a VPS or dedicated server. Most businesses and Webmasters are looking for shared hosting.

You can provide shared hosting by taking a reseller package from a big host. The reseller package will cost you anywhere from $ 40-$ 60 per month. You would divide the resources of the reseller package and provide it as shared hosting to your prospective customers.

The amount which you charge from your customers is entirely up to you.

You would need a website and the reseller hosting package. In the competitive web hosting industry, you can procure the web hosting management software, reseller web hosting package, and domain for under $100.

Since web hosting is a necessity these days, this is an evergreen industry that can once again help you make recurring revenue.

17. Print On Demand T-shirt Business

These days, more and more consumers prefer to customize their T-shirts. That is why offering T-shirt printing on demand is a great online business to start.

If you’re wondering what the printing machines and T-shirts would cost, you need not worry about that. You can arbitrage here as well. You can order from other websites like Vistaprint once you get an order. Doing so will keep the capital requirement under $100.

Many web templates allow you to create such a website in a jiffy. Once again, the overall cost will be lower than $ 100, as you would only place the order with the original printer once you receive it from the customer. There is no inventory to maintain.

The industry is expanding fast, which means that ignoring this industry can be perilous.

So, hopefully, this list has solved your doubts when it comes to online businesses that you can start. All these businesses can be started in less than a week by investing less than $ 100. Once you go through our guide above, it is easy to find at least a couple of ideas which interest you. It is time to take action rather than just to go through the theory. You can start a successful online business by taking action on the ideas above now.