22 Business Ideas You Can Start with Little or No Money

Twenty-two businesses you can start with a phone, a skill and your time. Who each is for, the first version, how it earns, and the honest hard part.

Mythex Team · 2026-10-22 · 8 min read

You can start a business with little or no money if you sell a service: your time plus a skill people already pay for. Pet sitting, tutoring, errands, tech help, furniture assembly, editing and garden tidying all need nothing more than a phone, transport you already have and a way for customers to reach you. Products need stock, and stock needs money, so most of the 22 ideas below are services.

"No money" really means "very little". Budget for insurance where the work is physical, any registration your country requires, and a few supplies. A free website is possible: a one-page site with your services and a contact form is enough to start.

If you'd rather sell digital products or build websites for others, see our no-code business ideas instead.

Ideas at a glance

Idea	Skill needed	Upfront cost	Repeat work?
Pet sitting	Reliable with animals	Very low	Yes
Errands for older people	Driving, patience	Low	Yes
Tech help at home	Comfort with phones and laptops	Very low	Sometimes
Flat-pack assembly	Handy with tools	Low	Rarely
Proofreading and editing	Strong writing	None	Yes
Tutoring one subject	Subject knowledge	None	Yes
CV and cover letter help	Hiring experience	None	Rarely
Bookkeeping catch-up	Numbers and accuracy	None	Yes
House sitting	Trustworthiness	None	Seasonal
Garden tidying	Fitness	Low	Yes

Care for pets and homes

1. Pet sitting and drop-in visits

For: Owners who travel or work long days and don't want to use kennels.
First version: A page listing visit lengths and prices, a booking form, and photo updates sent during each visit.
Makes money: A fee per visit or per night.
Hard part: Trust. Your first clients will come from people who already know you. Our guide to starting a dog walking business covers insurance and pricing; the pet sitting hub helps you build the booking page.

2. House sitting

For: Homeowners away for weeks who want plants watered, post collected and the house lived in.
First version: A profile with references and a contact form.
Makes money: A daily fee, sometimes in exchange for free accommodation.
Hard part: Demand is seasonal and you need references before anyone hands you keys.

3. Garden tidying and lawn care

For: Busy households and older neighbours with small gardens.
First version: Start with your own mower and tools, a price per visit, and a regular slot every two weeks.
Makes money: Recurring visits; it's one of the few low-cost services with built-in repeat work.
Hard part: Weather and seasons. Plan winter work like leaf clearing or gutter checks. The landscaping guide covers growing it later.

4. Home cleaning

For: Households and small offices.
First version: A fixed price for a standard clean, the client's own products to start, and a checklist so every visit is consistent.
Makes money: Weekly or fortnightly visits.
Hard part: Physical and tiring, and clients compare you on price. See how to start a cleaning business.

Help people with everyday tasks

5. Errands and companionship for older people

For: Older people living alone, and their families who live far away.
First version: Shopping, prescription pick-ups, lifts to appointments and a weekly visit; a short update to the family after each one.
Makes money: An hourly rate, often paid by the family.
Hard part: Many places require background checks for this kind of work. Get one before you advertise.

6. Tech help at home

For: People who need help setting up a new phone, printer, Wi-Fi or video calls.
First version: A flat fee for a one-hour visit and a short list of what you do and don't do.
Makes money: Per visit; some clients book you every few months.
Hard part: Jobs can grow beyond the hour. Agree what happens when something can't be fixed.

7. Flat-pack furniture assembly

For: People who just moved or bought furniture online.
First version: Prices per item type, your own basic tools, and photos of finished jobs.
Makes money: Per item or per hour.
Hard part: One-off work, so you need a steady flow of new customers. Ask every client for a review. The handyman hub gives you a site to grow into.

8. Moving help

For: Students and renters moving without a full removal firm.
First version: Packing, carrying and loading by the hour; the customer rents the van.
Makes money: Hourly rate per person.
Hard part: Heavy work and the risk of damage. Check what insurance covers before you lift anything.

9. Car cleaning at the customer's home

For: Busy people who never get to the car wash.
First version: A bucket, cloths and products bought from your first job's fee; a simple inside-and-out price.
Makes money: Per clean, with a discount for regular bookings.
Hard part: You need water access and decent weather. See the auto detailing hub.

Sell a skill you already have

10. Tutoring one subject

For: School students before exams, or adults learning a language.
First version: One subject, one level, sessions online or at the library.
Makes money: Hourly sessions, often weekly for a term.
Hard part: Results depend on the student turning up. How to start a tutoring business covers pricing and safeguarding.

11. Proofreading and editing

For: Students, small businesses and self-published authors.
First version: A per-word or per-page price and a free sample edit of one page.
Makes money: Per project.
Hard part: AI tools now catch basic errors for free, so sell what they don't do well: structure, tone and subject knowledge.

12. CV and cover letter help

For: Job seekers in a field you've hired for.
First version: A review call, an edited CV and one tailored cover letter.
Makes money: A fixed package price.
Hard part: Customers buy once. Partner with career groups or university alumni networks for referrals.

13. Bookkeeping catch-up

For: Sole traders who are months behind on their records.
First version: Sort receipts and bank statements into categories in the client's existing tool or a spreadsheet.
Makes money: A project fee, then a monthly fee to keep it tidy.
Hard part: Some countries regulate who can offer bookkeeping or tax services. See how to start a bookkeeping business.

14. Translation for one language pair

For: Small businesses, families with official letters, and online sellers.
First version: Short documents with a per-word price and a turnaround time.
Makes money: Per word or per document.
Hard part: Machine translation is free and good enough for many jobs. Specialise in documents where mistakes are costly, and note that official documents may need certified translators.

For: A cafe, salon or shop that posts rarely.
First version: Photos taken on your phone, a week of posts drafted, and the owner approves them.
Makes money: A small monthly retainer.
Hard part: Owners judge you on sales, not likes. Agree a simple goal, like bookings or footfall. The social media manager hub helps you build a portfolio site.

16. Music or instrument lessons

For: Beginners and children.
First version: Lessons at the student's home or online, using their instrument.
Makes money: Weekly lessons paid by the month.
Hard part: Students drop off in summer. Offer short holiday courses to fill gaps.

Turn spare time into small sales

17. Reselling second-hand items

For: Anyone with time to source from car boot sales, charity shops and clear-outs.
First version: Start by selling things you already own, then reinvest the money.
Makes money: The margin between buying and selling price.
Hard part: It's the one idea here that needs stock. Never buy more than you can sell in a month.

For: People emptying a loft or a relative's home.
First version: You sort, photograph and list items for sale, keeping an agreed percentage.
Makes money: Commission, so no stock to buy.
Hard part: Low-value items take as long to list as valuable ones. Agree upfront what goes to charity.

19. Event help on weekends

For: Families hosting parties and small caterers needing extra hands.
First version: Serving, setting up and clearing at an hourly rate.
Makes money: Hourly; good tips at some events.
Hard part: Irregular demand. Get to know two or three local caterers who call you first.

20. Dog training basics

For: New puppy owners.
First version: Group sessions in a park covering recall and lead walking.
Makes money: A course of four to six sessions.
Hard part: You need real experience and ideally a recognised course before charging. See the dog training hub.

21. Window cleaning on foot

For: Ground-floor homes and small shops on your street.
First version: A bucket, squeegee and pole; a regular monthly round.
Makes money: Recurring rounds.
Hard part: Ladders and height work need training and insurance; start with ground-floor only. The window cleaning hub covers the site side.

22. Running a local skills workshop

For: Neighbours who want to learn something you know: bread baking, bike maintenance, sewing.
First version: One evening workshop in a community hall, paid on booking.
Makes money: A ticket per person.
Hard part: Room hire is a cost; split it with the hall or start at home with a small group. The events builder handles tickets.

How to pick one and validate it

List what people already ask you for. If friends ask you to fix laptops, start there.
Tell ten people what you now offer and at what price. Count how many book or refer someone.
Do three paid jobs before you spend anything. Your first jobs pay for insurance and supplies.
Ask every customer for a review and a name of someone else who might need you.
Keep simple records of income and costs from day one.

How to get your first 100 customers has more on the early stage.

A free page for your business

A page with your services, prices, reviews and a booking or contact form makes it easy for people to recommend you. Mythex can build one by chatting with AI, and the Free plan includes 5 credits a day, which is enough to make a simple site a little at a time and publish it to a link. Start from the website builder or the booking builder. If you only need a single page with links, a free link-in-bio tool may be simpler.

Questions

What business can I start with no money?

Service businesses where you sell your time and a skill you already have: pet sitting, tutoring, errands for older people, tech help, flat-pack assembly, proofreading, garden tidying. You need a phone, a way for people to contact you and, in many places, basic insurance. Products usually need money for stock, so start with services.

Is it really possible to start a business with zero money?

Close to zero, not quite zero. Expect small costs such as insurance, registering as self-employed where that's required, transport and a few supplies. Many people cover those from their first few jobs. What you can avoid is renting space, buying stock or paying for a custom website up front.

How do I get my first customers without money for ads?

Start with people who already know you: friends, neighbours, former colleagues and local community groups. Do a few jobs at a fair price, ask for a review and a referral after each one, and put a simple page online with your services, prices and a contact form so people can pass on a link.

Do I need to register a business before I start?

It depends on your country and how much you earn. Many places let you start as a sole trader and register once income passes a threshold, while others require registration from day one. Check your government's official guidance for self-employment and tax before you take money.