Becoming a solopreneur, whether that means freelancing or starting your own business, is a great way to take control of your work life and earnings. But while making the decision to go solo can be a tough one, coming up with an idea that doesn’t require a storefront isn’t. Thanks to the internet, online marketplaces, and social media marketing there are endless possibilities for starting your own business right from the comfort of your own home.

The best part? Getting started doesn’t have to cost much (if anything!). If the cost of starting your own business has been holding you back or you have budget concerns, check out these 12 home business ideas you can start for cheap!

1.  Cleaning Service

Offices, residences, retail, or restaurants are all potential customers if you want to start a cleaning service. You can even put a unique spin on it by offering “green cleaning.” For the cost of some quality cleaning products and supplies, you can get your first client as soon as you can make a Costco run. Cleaning service businesses typically don’t require a lot of advertising. When you do really good work, word-of-mouth referrals take care of new business for you.

2. Online Writing Services

No list of home business ideas would be complete without mentioning online writing services. Copy editing, ghostwriting, and copywriting are super important in today’s online world of information. Companies from around the world rely on the service of writers to get them noticed in a sea of content. Think you need a lot of education and experience to start a writing career? Think again. You can start a freelance writing career with no prior experience.

3. Event Planner

Some people just have event planning in their bloods (I, am not one of them). Taking care of the details of an important day and making sure everything goes off without a hitch, is what party planners are known for. Thanks to their fire-putting-out capabilities and knack for getting things done, people are willing to pay big bucks for a party planner who takes the reins while letting them actually enjoy their event. There are some great resources out there about starting your own event planning business from the ground up.

4. Household Organizer

The saying, “Cluttered desk, cluttered mind,” are words I live by when working from home. The same can be said about running a household and having everything in a state of disarray negatively affecting how smoothly your days go. It’s no secret that organization leads to productivity, but getting (and staying organized) just isn’t everyone’s forte. If you’ve got a knack for order and can help others clear the clutter, you’ve got a home business you can start for dirt cheap. (Bonus points when you let clients know about Amazon’s trade-in program which allows them to get rid of their stuff and earn money back!).

5. Grocery Delivery

Wouldn’t it be great if your car paid for itself? Well, if you use it to be a grocery deliverer, it just might! There’s a reason why services like Uber, TaskRabbit, and Amazon Flex have soared in popularity, people love the on-demand economy and convenience of getting things done when they need it. Cash in on the craze and start a grocery delivery business. This kind of service is easy to market towards busy parents, small business owners, and elderly or disabled individuals who might otherwise have difficulty getting their shopping done (bonus ideas: offer other errand running services to increase revenue!)

6. Property Manager

I once filled in as a property manager for about three months while a former landlord (and good friend!) was away on personal business. Although she had just a handful of properties to her name and about a dozen tenants, I stayed pretty busy keeping up with collecting rent, fielding calls, showing vacant properties, and setting up work orders for repairs. Property owners need highly organized and efficient individuals to handle the day-to-day operations of having income-producing properties.

7. Social Media Consultant

You’re going to pin, tweet, post, snap, and update anyway, so why not get paid for your expertise? Social media shows no signs of slowing down, in fact, there seems to be a new platform popping up every week. And that’s a lot of social media to handle. That’s why companies rely on social media savvy individuals to keep up with multiple accounts and help them stay relevant. If you can produce share-worthy content and know how to increase social interaction, you’re on your way to what can be a lucrative social media consultant business!

8. eBook Author

Writing an eBook isn’t as hard as you think. The best part of becoming an eBook author is that you literally can earn money while you sleep (or eat, or shop, or any other time!). With eBooks, you do the work once and get paid over and over again. Deciding on a topic and writing your first eBook can be done in a month’s time, even if you have a full-time job and other daily commitments.  The best way to earn money as a eBook author is to build up a portfolio of multiple books. The more you have, the more passive income you’ll generate!

9. Resume Writer

Perfecting your resume is tough, but when you do, it can open many more doors than an outdated or out of touch one ever could. Job seekers recognize the power of a well-crafted resume and are turning to professionals to help them write an effective resume or CV that gets them an interview. There are tons of these kinds of gigs listed on the various freelance marketplaces. Networking on LinkedIn is also a great way to get the word out about your services and start securing work.

10. Virtual Assistant

There’s really no limit to what a virtual assistant may be tasked with. Much of a VAs responsibilities will largely depend on the client’s line of business and needs. But if you’re a jack or jill of all trades, keep calm under pressure, and are generally pretty good at prioritizing and getting things done, you just might be the perfect VA. This profession has exploded in popularity in recent years. And now is as good as time as any to set yourself up as a virtual assistant and help busy professionals get more done in a day.

11. Blog

Running a blog is very much the same as running a business. While you might not see a ton of money rolling in right away, with the right monetization strategies in place, you can eventually make a living blogging and grow it into your very own personal brand. The startup costs are pretty small and between affiliate marketing, ad networks, sponsored posts, and other direct ad sales, there’s many ways to produce income with your blog.

12. Get Crafty

Crafting is big business! Just look at all the successful Etsy sellers raking in six figures every year. Etsy aside, there are no shortages of sites where you can start selling your crafts today. You don’t need a ton of inventory to get started, just enough to take some really good pictures and set up shop on whichever sites you choose. Many people start out selling part time and end up turning their hobby into a full-time home-based business.

More Resources and Inspiration

If you’re looking for a home-based business idea, but aren’t quite ready to go it alone, you may want to consider direct sales.

The Work at Home Woman has some great information on the Best Products to Sell from Home.

Direct sales success takes a lot of commitment and marketing. It’s certainly not for everyone. If you think you might not be the best sales consultant, take a look at Dream Home Based Work’s massive list of 120 Work at Home Jobs You Can Start from Home, the startup costs vary, but with such a large list, there’s something for everyone!

Once you have decided on a home-based business to start, don’t forget how effective social media is for marketing your services. When done right, you can land your first client by using social media.

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