10 Best Part-Time Business Ideas (No Investment Required)

Lack of time is one of the most common reasons stopping business ideas from coming to life. Most of us are already working full-time jobs. Even if we could find the funds for a business, there’s simply no time off work to make them happen.

That’s why it’s better to lower ambitions and start with part-time business ideas that can be built up gradually to fruition. The part-time businesses we list below are all about such a mentality with actionable steps for everyone, no matter how much investment they have.

Top 10 Part-Time Business Ideas Without Investment

Freelancing

Freelancing is the most popular way to break into a part-time business partly because it takes so many forms. From online freelancing as a graphical designer to handyman work in your local neighborhood – all of it falls into the freelancing category.

It’s also popular because it has become much easier with the rise of online freelancing platforms like Upwork, Fiverr, TaskRabbit, Indeed, and many more. You’ll still have to do your own taxes, but in many cases, they help you with payments and other administrative errands as well.

Getting started

The first step is to realistically evaluate what skills you can offer and then research the market to see how much you can earn. Some markets, such as writing or personal development, are quite crowded, so you might need to start with a rate that is lower than average.

Keep in mind that you will need to pay taxes and make your part-time business official. Depending on the country and state you live in, it can be quite complicated and costly. Be sure to research the administrative ins and outs before starting.

Virtual Assistant

Virtual assistants are part-time workers completing various administrative, technical, or creative tasks on a work-from-home basis. It’s one of the best remote job ideas as you don’t need any special skills to succeed and can set your own hours.

The tasks of a virtual assistant can be quite tedious, though. Often, there are a lot of tasks that companies don’t want to bother their own employees with. As a side business, it’s great for those who aren’t afraid of monotony and can be built into a proper business with some automation or outsourcing.

Getting started

You can find virtual assistant jobs on general freelancing boards, but there are some specialized ones like Fancy Hands or WoodBows. You’ll improve your chances if you apply everywhere you can and put in some work to create a compelling profile and CV.

Virtual assistants that specialize in certain areas, such as data entry, HR, or accounting tasks, have a more profitable part-time business. Some specialized roles might ask you for certifications or a way to prove your knowledge. This ranges from proficiency in Microsoft Excel to an accounting degree.

Blogging and Affiliate Marketing

Becoming an influencer and promoting various products as an affiliate is one of the most legitimate ways to earn money online. You’ll earn a commission every time others buy using your affiliate links. Some deals might pay you for only mentioning or reviewing products, but often, such opportunities require you to already have a big following.

It’s one of those part-time business ideas that have low startup costs, as you only need a social media channel or a blog. Creating compelling content can be done only with your smartphone these days, and there are many good website builders for a blog. Be wary that you will need to be knowledgeable in your niche and follow the latest trends.

Getting started

These part-time business ideas start with building a following on social media or your blog. Once you have enough traffic, you can contact companies directly and try to cut a deal for affiliate links. The more accessible option is to use affiliate platforms, like ShareASale or ClickBank. They will take a cut, but it will be easier to get good contracts.

It’s also important to find a niche that is not saturated, and you can gather traffic that will actually convert. Starting out might be difficult, so be prepared that a few of your first projects might not build a profitable part-time business. It’s easier to start if you’ll have some background in social media marketing or Search Engine Optimization.

E-commerce with Print-on-Demand

Creating designs for t-shirts, mugs, and other accessories is a great part-time business idea, but it carries risks when you produce goods in bulk. It’s difficult to know which products will sell, and you might end up with lots of goods that aren’t sold. That’s where print-on-demand (POD) comes in.

The POD model ensures that you sell a design on your website, and the actual product is only made after it’s ordered by the customer. With minimal startup costs, you only need a POD platform and a website. This part-time business idea can be started right away only with your creativity.

Getting started

There are plenty of POD companies to choose from – Printful, Printify, Gelato, and T-pop are some of the best. They all work similarly – you sell the design, and they print, pack, and ship the products to your customers. The creative and marketing side of the business is left for you.

All your POD part-time business ideas will heavily rely on what goods you design for and how creative the designs are. It’s important to choose products that sell well, which isn’t necessarily what’s easy to design for. Creating T-shirts, phone cases, sweatshirts, and hats is said to always sell well.

Dropshipping

Dropshipping might be the best for part-time business ideas with minimal startup costs. Instead of investing money in stockpiling products, keep track of what’s in the supplier’s storage and purchase goods only after they are ordered. If done well, dropshipping can even become a passive income strategy where your selected goods are sold with minimal interference from you.

A similar variation is drop servicing, where instead of goods, various services are re-sold without actually being supplied. The part-time business then is a middleman that oversees the whole process and ensures the quality. Drop servicing is less passive than dropshipping but can be even more profitable as a side business.

Getting started

The initial step is to find your niche and understand its audience and competitors. It won’t be enough to find products to re-sell. You’ll have to stand out for that particular audience in that particular niche. A good idea is to start with a part-time business idea in a niche where you are a customer, so it’s easier to relate.

Since you are a middleman as a dropshipper, your main appeal is convenience. You will need to make it easier to buy from your store than from the competitors. You can do without much budget, but you will still need to invest in SEO and possibly some social media ads.

Social Media Management

Social Media Management could easily fall under other freelancing part-time business ideas, but it’s worth mentioning because it’s so accessible to most. It allows you to work flexible hours remotely and use your best creative talents. You’ll manage the social media accounts of companies and influencers that are too big to handle for one person.

The social media manager role involves making posts, writing comments, and engaging with the audience in other ways. Often, social media managers are also responsible for creating strategies and testing various methods to attract more followers. The more you practice this side business, the better you get at it.

Getting started

Social media manager work can be found on freelancer platforms, such as Fiverr or Upwork. However, it might be more efficient to contact local marketing agencies or companies that don’t have a social media presence. You might need to have a portfolio of your past work to show for it, but keeping a good social media profile yourself might do.

It’s easier to find work if you concentrate on one niche or social media channel. It will also be cheaper as you might need to use automation tools to make your work more efficient. Some additional training in digital marketing, graphical design, and copywriting might also be needed to make it a profitable part-time business.

Pet Sitting and Childcare

If you are looking for more traditional part-time business ideas, pet sitting and childcare are always in demand. They have a negative stereotype as a side hustle only for teenagers, but with some clever thinking, it can make it more profitable.

If you are an at-home mom or dad looking after kids already, it wouldn’t be too difficult to look after other kids at your own home as well. Similarly, pet sitting can be made more profitable by transforming your home into a hotel for pets when their owners go on vacations.

Getting started

Your success in these ventures depends on how much you actually like sitting pets and taking care of children. If you are skilled in this area, then preparing your home for such a business idea won’t require much money or effort.

The next step is to post flyers in your neighborhood and online on local Facebook groups or other forums. It’s best to do it locally because of convenience and community trust. Be sure to research your area for possible competitors. It’s also important to figure out the legal aspects, as you might need a license.

House Cleaning

Cleaning services are often considered a low-entry job that doesn’t pay well. It’s one of those part-time business ideas that can offer much more than it looks like. Cleaning carpets, windows, driveways, pools, and other parts of the house requires special equipment and skills.

Homeowners are willing to pay good money for such services since achieving a deep clean on your own is often impossible. It might not be the cleanest job, but if you specialize and can provide top-notch service, it’s a highly profitable part-time business.

Getting started

House cleaning as a part-time business often starts by cleaning your own house. If you want to do a good job, you’ll likely end up with expensive equipment and skills that can be sold to others for profit. Many start a cleaning side business just to pay off the equipment they have bought for their own home.

It’s easiest to start by helping neighbors, friends, and family for a small fee or a recommendation. Once you are confident enough, you can start providing your services on social media by putting up flyers or on handyman platforms like TaskRabbit.

Tutoring and Online Courses

The internet is created for sharing information, so the best online part-time business ideas make use of it. If you have more than basic knowledge in any field, you can make some extra income teaching it to others. Languages, math, guitar playing, your local culture – almost anything can become a course topic.

It’s not even necessary for you to be actively interacting with students over video calls. Some great passive income part-time business ideas involve creating and recording courses for others to learn from.

Getting started

Platforms like iTalki, Baselang, or Lingoda allow almost anyone to become a teacher of languages. You need to have some certifications to earn a living, but if it’s just a part-time business, you can qualify by simply being a native speaker. TutorMe, Skooli, Brainfuse, and other tutoring platforms will allow you to share your skills in other areas.

The best money can be earned with exam prep, but you’ll need some qualifications for that. Uploading your already-made courses to Udemy, Skillshare, or Khan Academy can also earn you additional cash. While you won’t need to interact with students, you’ll still need to put in effort into grading assignments and answering questions.

Digital Marketing Services

Any business these days is at least partially an online business, and so all marketing is, at least partially, digital marketing. There’s plenty of work in this area, and you can learn most of the skills needed online on your own to kickstart this part-time business idea.

Digital marketing is a wide profession, so you could be doing anything from copywriting and SEO to Pay-Per-Click (PPC) ads management or running email marketing campaigns. Look into your strengths and try to find a niche for one service.

Getting started

It’s easier if you have a related background and already know the basics of marketing. There are some successful stories where people started without any knowledge at all and ended up having their own agencies. Don’t get your hopes high, though.

You are more likely to start a part-time business in marketing by doing your own projects or providing related services. For example, building websites for local companies and then selling them some digital marketing is a great place to start.

How to Start a Part-Time Business Without Investment

All business ideas require some preparatory work. Most of it is specific to the niche you are planning to work in – skills, tools, background, networking. However, there is some common advice that almost all part-time business owners share.

Use Free Tools

A graphic designer doesn’t need a Photoshop subscription – a free-to-use tool like Canva would do. An e-commerce part-time business idea doesn’t need expensive programmers to code, such as Wix, Jimdo, or Squarespace.

We could find many more examples, but the idea is the same – you don’t need to spend a lot of money on proprietary software when starting an online part-time business. Free or cheaper versions of tools are just as good. The same applies to app part-time business ideas and offline ones.

Leverage Your Existing Skills

It’s impossible to own a part-time business that you know nothing about. The knowledge and skills required to succeed can only come from your previous knowledge. Someone who knows a thing or two about teaching is much more likely to succeed as a part-time online tutor, for example.

Leveraging your existing skills enables you to start a business with minimal startup costs. Training is one of the main expenses when it comes to part-time business ideas, and knowing where to buy tools and find clients with low acquisition costs is also a skill.

Networking and Bartering

Just as you should leverage your skills, you should leverage your past connections. Freelancing as a social media manager is much easier if you already know business owners and someone who takes care of their social profile. Good connections are what profitable part-time business ideas usually start with.

When you are just starting off, it’s a good idea to barter for recommendations, access to tools, or other possibilities. You might need to give away your services for free if you know that it will bring you extra income in the future. That’s the nature of all hustles, whether side business or not.

How to Scale Your Part-Time Business?

The next step after starting your own part-time business and getting some income is scaling to increase profits. Generally, you have two options – making your business processes more efficient and investing part of the profits in massive income methods. Every part-time business idea can have some success in both.

Automation, Referrals, and Scaling Tips

Online part-time business ideas can be significantly scaled with various automation tools. Social media marketing, for example, is much easier with automation software to schedule posts, comments, and reactions. Most other tasks can be made more efficient with AI in a similar way. The less work you have to put in, the more money per hour you earn.

Part-time business ideas that require physical interaction can be scaled up by finding ways to find new clients. New leads can come from past client recommendations, or you can create a referral system that gives discounts to customers who recommend new leads. Most of the time, it’s enough to simply ask if you are doing a good job already.

Other scaling tips include outsourcing your work, acquiring additional funding, or trying to open up new markets. All of them are common business practices, and it’s best to consider them when you are thinking about making your part-time business a full-time job.

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