You must invest in a business to make an outcome. Luckily you can start an online business very cheaply these days – I started two of them in the last year!
The first was my essential oils business with Young Living and the second was my blog! Both are fantastic ways to make money on the side and require very little investment. With low start-up costs and not a ton of maintenance more and more people are joining network marketing and starting a blog each year.
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However, a lot of people are scared to jump into the world of online business. When you start an online business, you are completely jumping into the world of the unknown. And I know, it is intimidating for sure.
Whether you’re worried about what to write about, if it actually is a good investment, or if you can start an online business from home, I have the tips and proven steps you need to get you there.
Let’s get started…
The Options For Starting An Online Business
While there are several different online businesses out there today (I’m not even sure I could name them all!), I am going to share the two I have experience with: network marketing and starting a blog from scratch.
People are often extremely scared to jump into either of these. I mean, can people actually make money just by sharing products they love in network marketing? Can they actually make money blogging? Do you have to be qualified to do either of these things?
I’m here to debunk any of those myths you’ve heard. Network marketing and blogging are great ways to begin just making some extra money on the side – which is exactly what I am doing right now. Making money on these full-time does take time, so don’t expect to quit your day job right away.
If you have a passion to help others, making a difference in this world with your talents and skills, or impacting your local community in huge ways, then these online business options may be a great way for you to get started!
Start an online business on a budget today means that you can pursue some of your passions and share them with the world with a small start-up cost.
Should You Start A Blog Today?
If you’re an avid Pinterest user like me then you’ve probably read several blogs. Bloggers love Pinterest because it is a great way to get people to visit their site and you love it because it is a great resource to get helpful information from people just like you.
After graduating college I began to write more. I have never been someone that writes in my free time but I have always been pretty good at it. The few writing classes I took in college helped boost my writing confidence and I enjoyed them more and more.
But here is the myth debunked: you don’t have to be a great writer to start a blog. I know this holds a lot of people back. However, most blogs are just fellow 20-somethings, 30-somethings, moms, dads, etc. They are just regular people sharing what they love and are passionate about.
Here’s the thing, if you’re unsure what to do with your life after college then I highly recommend starting a blog.
I was so lost and anxious after college, not sure what step to take next and not sure how I could pursue my passions while sitting behind a cubicle each day. My blog became my outlet.
Related Post: 7 Side Hustles Any 20-Something Can Do
It allowed me to be creative and share my talents and passions with the world. It gave me guidance and self-awareness. So if you’re unsure if a blog is for you, then I say just go for it. You will learn so much about yourself – your passions, your desires, your true heart motive – by starting a blog.
So what are you waiting for? Let’s get you on the road to start an online business on a budget!
How To Easily Start A Blog Today
For a full breakdown of how to easily start a blog today, then check out this page: How To Easily Start A Blog Today. Otherwise, here is a quick run-down for you of what you should invest in to start your blog!
Side note, there are opportunities to start a blog for free, but that comes with several limitations that you should look into before taking that route. If you ever want to advertise, make money, or promote products on your blog then you need to invest in your blog’s platform and domain.
To get started blogging, you will first need to purchase your blog’s platform and domain. I highly recommend WordPress and Bluehost. (I receive compensation if you use my link, thank you!) Both are trusted sources and the most well-known in the blogging community and have become the industry standard.
Once you know what you want your blog to be called, then you can sign up for your platform and domain with Bluehost. Bluehost works directly with WordPress making it extremely easy to purchase both at the same time. (I receive compensation if you use my link, thank you!)
Go to Bluehost here to receive a discount and choose the basic plan. That is definitely enough for you to get started. Your investment will be as cheap as $3.95 a month! Then, as Bluehost walks you through the setup process it will install WordPress for you.
You are now ready to get started designing your blog! Remember, if you need more details to get you through the process, you can find them here at How To Easily Start A Blog Today.
The next thing you will need to invest in is a theme for your site. There are several free themes available through WordPress but they are very limited. To get started the right way (and the easiest way!) I recommend the Divi theme.
Divi by Elegant Themes is one of the top themes being used right now on WordPress and is very affordable. You can see everything Divi can do at the link here or by YouTubing more information. I have loved it since installing and it was 100% worth the investment.
Related Post: 10 Reasons To Start A Blog After You Graduate College
The last thing to start investing in right away is your email list. While it may seem unnecessary at first, every blogger I talk to says the worst thing you can do is start your email list later. Many of them regret not starting their email list right when their blog launched.
Why? For bloggers, your email list is your tribe. It is the easiest and best way for you to connect with your audience. While social media is a great way as well, you don’t own anything when it comes to your followers on social media. You own your email list and are able to leverage it in huge ways.
Without an email list, you will have no direct way of contacting your true followers. If one day you decide to launch a product or service to help your audience and grow your income, then you will use your email list.
Your email list is your key when it comes to investing in your business as a blogger and I highly recommend ConvertKit. With ConvertKit you can get your first month free and it is cheap every month to maintain.
I love ConvertKit because it was made by bloggers for bloggers. It is so easy to navigate, run reports, and set up automatic sequences. When someone joins my list, ConvertKit automatically puts them into a funnel based on what I have set up.
It makes my life so easy and I have never regretted investing in my email list from the beginning.
While there is a learning curve when it comes to starting a blog, time may be your biggest investment. So, if you invest in these recommendations and spend the necessary time designing your blog, you will be the next person to start a blog on a budget!
Congratulations! The adventure is just beginning.
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How To Easily Make Money On Your Blog
Now that you have got your blog up and running, it is time to consider the ways to make money on your blog.
Signing up for Google Adsense is one of the best ways to begin making money. That is not in terms of pay-off because you will likely get $2 from this in the beginning, but because it requires no minimum page views as other ad networks do.
You won’t make a lot of money with Googe Adsense at first, but you will be able to start having ads on your blog right away, and as your traffic increases, so will your ad revenue. Then later you can apply to other ad companies if it is a way you would like to make money.
The next best way is through affiliate marketing. By recommending other people’s products, you can easily make a small commission. And once you get enough people signing up under your affiliate links, you will be able to start growing your income on your blog.
Some of my favorite affiliate programs are Amazon Associates, ShareASale, Ultimate Bundles, and MaxBounty. Click on these links to learn more about them and if their affiliate program is right for you.
Lastly, you can also make money by selling your own products. Once you know what your audience needs and what they are looking for e-commerce can be a great way to grow your sales and diversify them so that they are not all coming from the same traffic source.
Bonus: Don’t Invest In These Things Just Yet!
One of the worst things you could do is go into debt trying to start an online business. Please hear me clearly, don’t do that!
Going into debt is never wise when starting a side hustle because you’re just not sure if it will pay off in the end. So while some investment is needed, not a lot is and that’s why online businesses are an amazing way to get started with a side hustle.
Here are some things you don’t need to invest in just yet:
You don’t need to invest in a storage program yet. While Dropbox, iCloud, or other storage systems could be very helpful and useful if you have room on your computer just start with that. Make a folder with all your business things so when the time comes you can invest in it.
It will be helpful to have a storage system in the future when you have a team of people who all need to access the same information, or you have so much that you don’t want to lose anything if your computer crashes. So, keep this in mind for the future and begin batching things together before purchasing.
You don’t need to invest in paid advertising yet. While Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, etc. will tell you to keep boosting posts or videos and offer you “free credits” don’t take the bait yet. Facebook ads have been very beneficial to most online businesses and are a wonderful part of several marketing strategies, but when you just getting started there is no need.
Don’t invest yet in paid advertising because it could leave you in debt or with regret. Paid advertising will become very useful to you once you have done market research, have a sales funnel in place, and your business roadmap has been tested and re-tested again and again.
Once your sales strategy is in place and has proven successful with organic search, then it is a good time to consider investing in paid advertising.
Blogging is an amazing way to do what you love, so start an online business today on a budget and get started pursuing your passions and helping the world be a better place.
If you need more help consider purchasing the course, Launch Your Blog by Create and Go.
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How To Easily Start Network Marketing Today
After I graduated college and purchased my first starter kit with Young Living I had no idea that I would fall in love with the magical bottles of oils.
If you don’t know what essential oils are or if you’ve never heard of Young Living then you should check out all the information I have here.
Essential Oils began transforming my life and I loved what they could do for my body in the most natural way. Because I loved essential oils I decided to start sharing about them with friends and family. Before I knew it, I was making $100 a month just by talking about a product I loved.
Related Post: How Essential Oils Help Me Accomplish My Goals In My 20s
And that my friends, is the beauty of network marketing. You can earn money just by talking about your favorite product and having people sign-up for it online. Now I teach classes all the time and love that I can help others live a healthier lifestyle as well.
While there are several network marketing companies out there, it is so important that you sign up for the one you are passionate about if your goal is to make money through network marketing. Don’t just do it for the money because people can always tell if you are not all in.
If you are interested in learning more then check out my free essential oils e-course, where I give you a rundown of all the oils and how to get started today!
This blog page could also be really helpful for you to get started. If you are passionate about healthy living, clean and safe household products, and supporting your body in a natural way then Young Living is a no-brainer.
Network marketing is not solely an online business but for many people, the internet is the main resource they use to reach their audience and grow their business, whether it’s with a blog or with a Facebook group.
It is another awesome way for you to make money on the side and start an online business on a budget. Most network marketing companies only require one or two hundred dollars at most to get started.
How To Start An Online Business On A Budget
Overall, the best way to start an online business on a budget is to take action and be consistent. If you are thinking about starting any of this tomorrow, why are you waiting? What’s holding you back?
It’s time to crush those fears and doubts and get started on the track of pursuing what you love. Start an online business today to begin pursuing what you love. Don’t keep making excuses. Don’t tell yourself you can’t do it.
Start today and make a change. If you consistently work on your online business then you will see growth. Consistent action is the key, but if you master that then it’s nearly impossible to fail.
Let me know in the comments what questions you have or how I can help. You got this! Let’s go conquer the world and start an online business today!
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Kelsey at GoodPointGrandma
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I loved starting a blog! It’s only been a month so it isn’t much of a business now, especially since the start-up costs definitely outweigh the $0.25 I’ve made with Adsense! Definitely for someone with patience and not looking for a get quick rich scheme!
I know, Adsense definitely takes time but I believe in you! Blogging is not a get rich quick business but it is so worth it!(:
I don’t think you have to be a great writer to start a blog – but please be at least a good writer! 😉 There are some blogs with great ideas but I found I couldn’t read or follow them because the writing was poor. That being said, I do think it’s a very different type of writing than what you might have done in school and not as intimidating as many think it is!
Haha very true Becky, we have to be at least good at it! Exactly right, love it!
This is such a resourceful post! I love that you included a “don’t invest in these things yet” section. It’s so important to know where to stop.
Thanks Rebekah, I know it is so hard not just want to jump in and spend all the money but debt is never the answer! I appreciate it!
Awesome post! You leave some amazing points and tidbits of information for people who are looking to begin their own business online. I’m absolutrly sharing this with my friend who looking to do the same!
Thanks Kiara! Yes please pass it along, I hope it help others walk the same journey I have(:
Thanks Kiara! Yes please pass it along, I hope it helps others walk the same journey I have(:
I wish I had read something like this when I was starting my blog! This is a great resource for a new blogger.
Thank you so much for your kind words Beth!
You sure did a great job jam-packing this post with tons of great info! It’s so interesting to read different individuals’ takes on online business. Everyone has a unique perspective!
Thanks Stephanie, it really is a full guide isn’t it?! haha Thanks so much!
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