Want to Start a Business? No Money?

by | Sep 18, 2008

Very often the desire to start a business is almost overwhelming. As I sit here typing this post I am thinking about the day when I can quit my day job and turn my side business into a full-time business. But the thing that stops me is money. I am using my day job to finance my side business until it grows to the point that it becomes my major source of income.

You may have dreams of starting your own business but money, among other things, may be stopping you. Well I’d like to share a few resources and ways that you can start a business with no money. Even though you don’t have money you will need determination and creativity (don’t worry, we were all born with it). So let’s take a look at three ways to start a business with no money, shall we?

1. Get a blog. It’s free with Blogger or WordPress and easy to set up. If you are reading this post on a computer you have everything you need to get started. You can blog about anything but it is better to focus on a specific interest because nine times out of ten there is someone with the same interest. My friend Lynn Terry has a great article about it on her website. She discusses starting an online business for free in great detail. Head on over there (after you finish reading this article of course ;-)) and see what she has to say. She’s been making a living online for 12 years and she’s a single mom.

2. Participate in Surveys, Focus Groups, and Product Testing. You won’t make a boatload of money right away but if you’re consistent you can make some serious money just from giving your opinion. There are hundreds of market research companies that pay participants in cash, products, gifts cards, and prizes. You should never pay a fee to be a participant but expect to be generously compensated for your time. I am going to a part of a Focus Group next week and will get paid $100 for a couple of hours. With the money you make participating in market research you can invest in a business start-up. I will post a few links in another post but you can do your own research in the meantime.

3. Open an online store. There are several online design and printing services that allow creative types like you to create an online personal store. You can design a graphic and put them on t-shirts, caps, bags, etc. then set up a storefront with services like Cafepress, Zazzle, Lulu, and many others. You don’t have to be the most creative person out there but with some imagination and marketing you could sell in demand items from your store and make a nice chunk of money.

If you don’t feel very creative you can check out online merchandise store systems that allow you to pick items, create a web store, and promote for a percentage of the sales. Try Zlio first and see how you like it. It doesn’t cost anything to set up a store and you can create multiple stores based on a theme. Tell people about your store to get traffic and buyers.

Those are three quick ways to start a business with no money. There are many more ways but I will save it for another day. Now it’s your turn to get out there and get something going. Let me know how it goes. I’d love to hear about your progress.

Need Some Cash? Sell Something!

by | Sep 13, 2008

Take your excess stuff and sell it to people looking for just what you have. When I was about to move I had a yard sell, posted items on Craigslist.org, and in the local newspaper. Ebay is another great place to sell things but it’s not as instant as selling locally.

Look through your house and see what you can get rid of today. We all have an extra this or that. It may be a pair of jeans you can’t wear anymore but still have the tags on it. It may be that designer purse that you never use or the shoes that are in great condition but don’t match any of your clothes.

Hot sellers are furniture, electronics, and books. Small pieces like night stands, storage units, beds (especially twin), and computer desks. Books, DVDs, and video players and games also sell well. Kids or baby items sell well too, especially gently used clothes.

With the price of metal going up you can get a great deal on your scrap jewelry as well as scrap metal that may be lying around. Take your unwanted jewelry to the neighborhood pawn shop and sell it for a small fortune. The local scrap metal companies are also pay high dollar for old iron beds, copper tubing, and many other types of metals.

As I said before, great places to sell your stuff include craigslist.org, the local newspaper, and online classifieds. The local newspaper may allow you to list your stuff for free or a very small amount. Craigslist.org is free and so are most of the other online classified ad services. Be sure that everything you plan to sell is clean and have all the pieces.

Having a yard sale is also a great way to sell off your stuff. It takes some time to get everything organized. You will need at least one table to display stuff, change in coins and small bills, and bright, readable signs to point people to your sale. Check with your city to see if you need a permit and your local newspaper to see if you can list your sale for free in the yard sale section.

Use caution when dealing with aggressive buyers and those that want to strike a deal on bulk items. They could take a lot for very little and you end up losing money in the long run. Your yard sale could be a booming success depending on the time of month and week. Weekends and the first of the month are better for yard sales as well as early in the day.

So if you are in need of cash look no further than your home and garage. You never know how much money you can rake in after selling a few items. This is also a great way for your kids to make money instead of begging you for it. They can even take some initiative and offer to clean out the neighbor’s garage for a very low price if they can keep the unwanted items. Who knows what kind of bonanza they will run into.

Rich Single Momma

Stress Management for Single Moms

by | Sep 12, 2008

Are you stressing? I know as a single mom stress often creeps on me and lingers for longer than I want it to. It gets so bad at times that I just want to crawl under my covers and never come out. When I was younger I handled stress better, meaning it did not take such a physical toll on my body. These days it’s a different story.

Lately when I get stressed I get insomnia. I either go right off to sleep then wake up at 3am or have trouble falling asleep then waking up at 2am. My mind rolls on endlessly about all the things I have to do or problems that are happening at the time.

The other physical effects of stress for me are loss of appetite, stomach ache, and if it’s really serious I completely miss my monthly cycle. Some would cheer over that last symptom, but it’s not fun (especially if you’re not active if you know what I mean). A couple years ago my doctor announced that I was pre-menopausal or had prematurely entered menopause. I was having all the symptoms of a woman going through “the change”.

So I’ve had to find ways to cope that don’t involve drugs. I tend to be pretty health conscious and am always looking for a natural alternative. There are several things I do to relieve the stress but the most effective thing I do is incorporate lavender in my life. Some of you may have seen the baby wash commercials a while back that claim to soothe your baby to sleep. Well let me tell you that it works for adults too. Since I have been using lavender I fall asleep and stay asleep. I feel rested and much better.

You can read more about it on my Squidoo lens. When you finish reading it please rate it and leave a comment. If you’d like to know more about the other natural alternatives I use let me know so we can get you to a peaceful place.