4 Business Ideas! How to Start a Side Business For Under £17

I know that starting a business can sometimes feel extremely daunting. You know that there is so much to do.

I bet that sometimes you feel like you don’t have enough time, money or energy to run a business.

And maybe you don’t. I’m not here to manage your time for you.

But a great way to get started is to start off small.

What I mean is that you can start off by creating a side business. A side business that can be at the side from the rest of current lifestyle and not interfere.

Instead of trying to do to much at one time why don’t you create a smaller side business that can just fit into your current family, job and life.

I’ve listed 4 side businesses below that can be started on a ‘side business’ scale and grown as you go along and at your own pace. You can keep you business as a side business or grow it into something bigger when you feel ready.

I’m not going to be listing random professions like…

• Be a gardener
• Be a landscaper
• Be a DJ

Because although those are good suggestions I wanted to provide you with suggestions that anyone can execute. You won’t need any new qualifications or investment over £17.

4 Business Ideas! How to Start a Side Business For Under £17

#1 Side Business — Affiliate Marketing (Clickbank)

Affiliate Marketing is one of the easiest and fastest side businesses that you could build. Affiliate marketing is selling other people’s products for a commission. In my experience the best place for products, reliable payment and easy bank transfers is Clickbank.

Now before you begin there are a few basic rules that you should follow.

• 1. Only choose products that you have completed background research on. You don’t want to waste your time promoting products that have thousands of poor reviews across Google. Use Google to check out the products by adding the word ‘review’. For example…”IPhone Reviews”.
• 2. By using the Clickbank Affiliate Marketplace you can start browsing for what products you want to sale. Start off with products/services that you like and are interested in. Don’t automatically go for the most expensive products. It’s good to start with products that you have some knowledge or interest in. This makes it easier to sale and selling it will come more naturally to you.

• 3. Once you have found a product that you think you want to promote consider and understand this first…

Initial Sales — This is the average amount of money that each affiliate earns per sale.

Avg % Sale — This is the average commission rate for all sales.

Avg Rebill Total — If the vendor offers up-sales products or recurring fees like memberships then this will be the average amount of the rebill.

Avg % Rebills — This is the average commission rate earned on rebills

Grav — Is short for Gravity. The Gravity number is Clickbank’s own unique calculation. Clickbank says The Gravity is a performance statistics. It’s the number of different affiliates who earned a commission by promoting this product over the past 12 weeks.

Very high Gravity figures can mean that there is a lot of competition and very low Gravity figures can mean that the product is not selling at all. There is a lot of debate online over ‘Gravity’ numbers and what average number the perfect product should be. As Gravity can dramatically change within weeks don’t let the Gravity numbers put any weight on the decisions you make on your chosen product.

Click through onto the websites of the sales pages themselves and think about if the product is something you like and would be convinced to buy. Some Clickbank products are cheap and kind of cheesy so check it out before you product it.

“Where Do I Put My Clickbank Link”

The good news is that you don’t need a website. The key is to create a following of supporters. Do not be tempted to post your link everywhere because you’ll be banned for spam. You have to create a following and build-up interest.

The free places where you can place your affiliate link is…

• Free website builders like WIX.com
• Facebook pages
• Instagram accounts
• Free blogs where you can write regular content on platforms like WordPress.com
• Blogging platforms like E-zine Articles
• YouTube videos and place your link in the subscription box

Remember to not ‘link dump’. Provide value and build an engaged audience.

#2 Side Business — Content Creation

There is always blog owners out there who need to keep their blogs content updated. This is where you come in!

Can you type roughly 500–1000 words? Are you willing to do some research? Can You create valuable and useful content?

If you can, then you can market yourself as content creator.

Do you have a certain subject that you have a lot of knowledge on? If so, then you can promote yourself as a content creator for a particular niche. However this could drastically decrease your potential clients.

To be a good content creator you’ll have to be willing to research the topic that you are writing about and negotiate and reasonable turn around for when the work is delivered. You also have to be willing to proofread your work and thoroughly check for grammar and spelling errors.

I know you might be thinking…“how can I get myself out there and advertise myself as a content creator?”

You can start to build your reputation on places like Fiverr and Elance. When somebody is looking to hire a content creator they will enter ‘content creator’ into the search bar on Fiverr/Elance. The people with the best reputations will appear on the first page at the top. As a newbie you’ll have to work your way upwards by maybe offering a slightly cheaper rate than the ones at the top. There are no shortcuts to building a good reputation, it’s important that any work you do get is delivered on time, high quality work and that you stick to your promises.

It’s free to join Elance and Fiverr however once you start making money they will take a small percentage. Check out my post here. On #3 you’ll find details on how to use Fiverr and Elance for your advantage and any fee charges too.

RELATED: Is It Really Possible to Build My Online Business Start Up With No Money?

#3 Side Business — Pet Sitter

I’m sure you already know that pet owners normally really love their pets, sometimes more than their own family members. So most pet owners will go to any lengths to ensure that their pet is happy. But everyone has a life to live and sometimes this means begin without their pet.

This is where you come in.

Do you have enough free time to feed a pet, walk and dog or check on a hamster?

If you do, then pet sitting could be the right side business for you.

But what’s important is that you know your audience. I wouldn’t tell you to advertise locally in your neighbourhood because I have no idea what sort of area you live in!

Not everyone cares about how long they leave their pet alone. In fact, some people will go away for the weekend leaving the family pet with water and bowl of dry food.

So you have to think carefully about your market.

Who would have extra income to pay for a pet sitter?

What type of people care enough about their pet to hire a pet sitter?

Where types of areas do they live in?

Are they more likely to be young families, single people or retired?

Where is this audience more likely to hang out and see your advertisement?

Coffee shops? Children play groups? Supermarkets? Lunchtime bars?

Once you understand who you’re targeting and where they are then you can start to advertise in these local areas.

You can create free leaflets at Canva.com. There may be a charge if you use their images. Upload your own to avoid these costs.

#4 — Side Business — Tutoring

Now, I know you might be thinking… “Me? tutor? No way”… I admit, teaching is not for everyone. I understand that not everybody is a natural teacher. But have you thought about the skills that you already obtain?

• Can you play an instrument?
• Can you cook?
• Can you make jewellery?
• Do you speak different languages?

You may already have a skill that you can easily teach to others. If you do have one, then just like before I won’t tell you where to advertise yourself because I don’t know where you live.

Think!

If you plan to teach languages or an instrument to children — Advertise in areas where extracurricular activates are common. Maybe where there are lots of schools, children centres, playgroups, holiday clubs and even those coffee shops that are known for being very child friendly.

Think about your audience and who wants what you are offering

Conclusion

Your side business can be you dipping your toes in the ocean. Where most people might say that you need to jump in head first into the world of start-ups, I understand that not everyone is ready for that. Running a side business is a great way to help you gain some experience, understanding of different niches and customer demographics. Plus you can build your side business at your own pace and with a very small investment.

What do you think of these side business tips?

Let me know in the comments

Like this? If so, please share it.

Published at www.StartBizQuitJob.com on February 5, 2016.