Starting a business is a difficult task on its own. What's more, you need a hefty investment to start a business properly. But what happens when you want to start a business, but you have little or even no money at all? It's simple really, you consider starting an affordable business. Affordable businesses require little to no investment on your part but they can easily become quite profitable with the right idea and the right approach.

In most cases, affordable businesses are home-based companies or freelancing jobs you can do online. However, just because it's affordable to start such a company, it doesn't mean it will be easy to run it. Like any other business, affordable ones require time, effort and dedication, among other things, to succeed. What's more, you'll also need to conduct research and test out your ideas before you decide to proceed. That being said, here are a few affordable businesses you can start with little or no money.

Blogging

Nowadays, blogging can easily turn from a hobby into a profitable career. Starting a blog requires almost no investment at all. However, you'll have to dedicate yourself to your blog and invest a lot of effort into it. Find a niche you'd want to write and talk about and commit to it. It will take some time to attract your audience and make a name for yourself in the blogging world, but in the end, it's quite well worth it.

You can earn money from your blogging via affiliate marketing, displaying advertisements, membership programs and so on. What's more, you can eventually become an influencer earning income from sponsorships and from endorsing other businesses. You might have to invest a little to promote yourself and perhaps even launch a marketing campaign before you turn your blog into a profitable income.

Franchising

Another affordable business opportunity you should consider is franchising. From an investment point of view, franchising only requires you to purchase a franchising business. In other words, you buy yourself into a developed business model without having to invest in building your own business from the ground up.

The price of purchasing a franchise varies based on the brand or trademark it belongs to, otherwise known as a franchisor. That's why it's important to understand exactly what franchisee vs franchisor is about. Basically, you're provided with funds, staff, consumers and pretty much everything else when you buy a franchise. All you have to do is run the business efficiently, in order for your franchise to become successful.

Virtual assistant

If you have the skills and the patience to organize other people's chaos, you can easily profit from that. A virtual assistant business requires little investment on your part. Basically, you're providing a service to others, which means that aside from marketing and perhaps a few licenses or permits, you don't need to spend money on staff, office, manufacturing facilities or anything similar.

What you do is assist businesses or their owners with their daily tasks, such as answering phone calls, scheduling meetings, sorting through emails and so on. Many startups and small businesses don't have the funds for in-house staff, so they often outsource mundane task management to virtual assistants. This is a good example of an affordable home-based business that can easily grow into a profitable company.

Freelancing opportunities

Many entrepreneurs decide to opt for freelancing opportunities. Being self-employed isn't so different from running a business only there are far fewer expenses involved. Nowadays, the online world provides countless opportunities for freelance entrepreneurs to capitalize on their skills and build long resumes, as well as establish good reputations for themselves.

From freelance copywriting, editorial services and tutoring to design, development and marketing, everything can be provided to those in need over the Internet. After some time in the freelancing world, you can decide to start your own service-based company. In other words, clients will look for your services specifically instead of you having to bid for jobs over freelancing platforms.

Ecommerce business

Another perk of the Internet is that you start a business online. When compared to a traditional retail store, an ecommerce business requires less funds to start. Instead, you have to think of a product consumers are willing to buy and open up an ecommerce store on your website. In terms of investment, developing and designing a website costs considerably less than building, purchasing or renting and equipping a physical store.

What's more, you don't need any employees, you just need to negotiate a deal for your logistics plan, and your store can run 24/7. However, since the online market is quite crowded and competitive, you'll have to invest a bit more in marketing. Reaching your customers is crucial for ecommerce business success and every investment you make into making that happen will eventually yield a considerable return on investment (ROI).

Starting a business doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg. There are countless affordable business opportunities you can explore when you lack the resources to start a business regularly. The important thing is to choose something you're familiar with and something that will help you have a profitable career.