How to Start a Business for Less Than $100

An idea and a crisp $100 bill is all you need to start your new business. Seriously. And we’re about to show you how.

In fact, if you follow our steps below, you can actually get your new company off the ground and flying for closer to $70 of initial expenditure. Isn’t that a small price to pay for achieving the dream of owning and making money off of your own business?

The Best LLC Services for Starting a Business

The most affordable way for most people to form a legal business is a limited liability company (LLC). This is less expensive than a corporation. You can complete this important step on your own in minutes a few minutes by using one of our recommended LLC services:

1. ZenBusiness – Best for Most
2. Bizee (formerly Incfile) – Best Range of LLC Services
3. LegalZoom – Best for Speaking with Attorneys
4. Inc Authority – Best for Skipping Service Fees
5. BizFilings – Best for Choosing the Right Entity Type

Why Starting a Business is Worth It

Look, you don’t need us to tell you why you can or should start your own business. You’re here because you’ve got the drive and an idea worth building upon.

But there are always doubts that creep in early in the process. Doubts which can leave you wondering whether it’s such a good idea after all.

Guess what, though—some of the most successful companies in the world began with a shoestring budget. So, it’s not crazy or impossible to turn $100 into a sustainable life-changing income for you and your family.

Indeed, there are so many more tools and services out there now than there were even a decade ago that it’s much easier to go from an idea to a fully fledged business on your own, and with minimal expense.

But that requires knowing how to get the best tools you need to get up and running at the best price.

If you’re not sure how to get started or what you need (and don’t need) to start a new business, you’re in the right place.

The Investment Needed to Start a Business

While you don’t need much to get a new business up and running, you do need a few things. If you already have an idea, the process should go pretty quick. But if you’re starting from scratch with no idea, business plan, products, or positioning in mind, expect to spend several days to a week knocking out all the steps we’re about to cover.

Here’s a rundown of the essentials you need to launch your new business for under $100:

1. A business plan — Free
2. A name for your new business — Free
3. Web hosting — $59.40 (for the first year with Bluehost)
4. Domain name — Free for the first year with your hosting services
5. An email address — $6 per month with Google Workspace
6. Social media accounts – Free

You can get everything you need for $65.40 today. Then, you can upgrade to better tools and systems, invest in more services, and continue to grow your business as you start making money you can invest back into it.

Whether you want to sell products online, dropship custom designs, offer services, start a blog, or something else entirely, we consider a website and email address non-negotiable. Most of the other things, like business cards, a graphic designer, etc. aren’t necessary when you’re just getting started.

Now, let’s dive deeper into what you DO need.

Step 1: A Business Plan – Free

Before anything else, you need to understand how you’re going to make money and what you’re going to do as a business.

Do you want to sell products? Maybe you want to start a blog and earn revenue with affiliate marketing. Or perhaps you want to offer services and other digital products that’ll help change people’s lives.

There are dozens of routes you can take, but the first step in starting a business is picking one.

The best place to start is researching the market to understand what’s already out there. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel, but you do need something that sets your business apart from the rest.

It doesn’t need to be anything innovative or prolific.

It could be as simple as the audience you choose. A good example of this is Nerd Fitness.

The creators realized that “nerds” were underserved in the fitness industry.

So, they created the ultimate online resource for “nerds” who want to lose weight, get in shape, and create lifelong healthy habits to make those changes permanent.

They didn’t come up with a new idea. They just reoriented something that already exists around an audience that other fitness blogs never spoke to.

Once you figure this out, you need to decide how you’re going to pay for the things you need to run your business before you start making a profit.

In this case—starting a business for less than $100—you don’t need much. But there are tons of options for business funding, including a business credit card, a business loan, investors, or using your own money.

Once you know how you’re going to make money, it’s time to name your business.

Step 2: A Name for Your New Business

Now that you know how you’re going to make money, coming up with a name is a lot easier than going in blind. You don’t need to do anything fancy, but it’s important to understand that your name is important.

It’s the identity of your business and how people will find you.

Here are a few tips to help you come up with an excellent business name:

• Keep it as simple as possible
• Avoid trademarked words and phrases
• Use words that are easy to spell and remember
• Avoid homophones that are easily misspelled
• Don’t use slang or industry jargon

We always start with brainstorming as many words as possible. These could be words you like, phrases that are related to what you do, your favorite colors, etc.

Just start by creating a healthy list of words. Remember there are no bad ideas in the brainstorming step.

From there, you can start combining words to form potential business names. Once you have a list of three to ten options, enter them into a search engine to make sure they’re not already taken.

If they are, remove that option from your list.

Next, use the domain name checker below to make sure the URL is available for purchase. Your domain is where your business lives online, so it’s important to get the domain name you want.

Note: don’t buy your domain name yet! We’ll walk through how you can get a domain name for free in the next step.

Once you find a name that isn’t taken and is available as a domain, you’re ready to move on to the next step.

Step 3: Hosting + a Domain Name (Bluehost) – $59.40

You can definitely launch a business without a brick-and-mortar location, but you still need a “place” for customers to find you. In today’s business world, the best place is the internet. It lets you reach a worldwide audience regardless of where you live and gives you more control over your online presence than other marketplaces like Etsy or Amazon.

A good business website doesn’t have to be fancy. In fact, it’s even possible to create one for free. However, you’re better off investing a bit of money here—this is one of the few places we don’t recommend boostrapping.

The most affordable way to get started is with Bluehost.

When you sign up, you get everything you need, including a free domain name (for the first year), cheap web hosting services, and one-click WordPress installation.

So, it’s time to get started (if you haven’t already).

Head over to Bluehost to signup, follow their instructions, claim your free domain, and you’re ready to start building your website.

Step 4: Google Workspace for Email – $6

In addition to a domain name and a basic website, you need a way for customers to contact you. The telephone is great, but the reality is that very few people want to pick up the phone to reach a business. 

Instead, they want a quick and painless way to communicate with you.

Which… is where your business email comes into play.

Google Workspace is an affordable way to get your own business email address plus tons of other collaboration and content creation tools all for just $6 per month.

With Google Workspace you get all the functionality of a Gmail address with your own domain name as your email. This means the email address your customers see will be [email protected]. 

Plus, you get access to Google Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides, and more with up to 30 GB of storage space included.

Here at Crazy Egg, we use Google Workspace features literally every day. It’s that important to our business.

So, go get signed up.

Step 5: Social Media Accounts – Free

Now that you have a plan, domain name, website, and email account, it’s time to snag your social media handles and set up your accounts.

Being on social media may not seem like a big deal, but it’s an excellent way to connect with your audience and customers, attract new leads, share your ideas, and develop a community around your brand.

Even if you aren’t a fan of social media, it can have a huge impact on your business, especially at the beginning. Plus, it’s totally free so you don’t have to spend anything but your time.

Depending on the name you chose, you may or may not be able to snag social media accounts using your exact business name. If you can’t, don’t worry—you should be able to use slight variations and close matches for every channel you want to be on.

Some of the most popular social media channels for business include Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Pinterest.

While that sounds like a lot (because it is), we recommend focusing on getting really good at one or two channels rather than spreading yourself too thin and trying to keep up with all of them. Think about where your audience hangs out online and go all-in on those platforms.

Over time, you can add more channels to your marketing strategy and even hire assistants or social media specialists to handle them for you.

Other Free Tools for Starting Your Business

While you probably can’t avoid every business cost, there are several typical business expenses you can get for free.

Business Registration

When you start a new business, one of the first questions you’ll confront is what kind of business entity you want to have. Should you form an LLC? What about a partnership? Are you okay working as a sole proprietor? 

It’s easy to get overwhelmed by corporate terminology, and looking at this stuff can be enough to have any new entrepreneur calling a lawyer. However, legal work can quickly blow your budget. In addition, it costs money to incorporate in most states, and each state has its own rules and hoops to jump through if you want to form an LLC or corporation.

You can get in touch with a business formation service to help you file all the paperwork with your state. These services can help you decide which business formation is right for you and help you address state specific filing requirements.

On the other hand, operating a sole proprietorship is free, and you don’t need to register with the state. This is probably why the U.S. has more sole proprietors than any other business type. If you’re interested in operating as a sole proprietor, it’s a good idea to check out the rules specific to your state.

Keep in mind, however, that being a sole proprietor means any business liabilities are your personal liabilities. For example, if a customer sues you, they can reach your personal assets if the court awards them damages. This is different from something like a C corporation, in which the business owner’s personal assets are shielded from litigation.

For startup businesses, however, a sole proprietorship is a free and easy way to get going. Once you start making an income from your business, you can always incorporate or form a different type of business entity down the road.

Checking Account

To make tax season easier, it’s a good idea to keep your business finances separate from your personal ones. For this, you’ll want to open a checking account solely for your business. 

If you’re a sole proprietor, you can simply open a second checking account at your existing bank and use it for business transactions only. 

However, there are a handful of banks that offer free business checking accounts. For example, Citizens Bank and US Bank both offer a basic business checking account with no monthly maintenance fees. You’re limited to a certain number of transactions per month, but the majority of new businesses won’t get anywhere near this limit for a while. 

If you’re comfortable with an online-only option, a financial technology company like Novo can suit you well. With Novo, you get a free business checking account you can easily manage on the go. Plus, they reimburse ATM fees up to $7 per month, are FDIC insured, don’t require you to maintain a minimum balance, don’t charge NSF fees, let you create up to 20 Reserve accounts, have recurring payment invoicing, and have powerful integrations like Quickbooks and Amazon.

Unnecessary Expenses to Avoid When Starting Your Business

When you’re starting a business and funds are limited, you’ll be pleased to know there are things you can most definitely do without — or at least save for later.

Business Cards

Business cards might make you feel official, but they’re becoming a thing of the past. According to Pew Research, 96 percent of Americans own a mobile phone, and 81 percent have a smartphone.

If you want to spread the word about your business, the best thing to do is make sure your name and number get inside someone’s phone. A business card is easy to lose or throw away. Once your phone number is in someone’s contact list, however, it’s likely to stay there.  

A Fancy Website or a Web Designer

As covered above, you can build a website for free using a premade theme or template. In other words, you don’t need to shell out hundreds or thousands of dollars for a custom design. 

In fact, there’s something to be said for a clean and simple design when it comes to business websites. Your site doesn’t need a lot of bells and whistles to be a good advertising tool. The only things you really need are your name and contact info listed in a prominent spot and a contact form that makes it easy for customers and potential customers to get in touch with you. 

Once you’re ready to upgrade to a custom design, you can find excellent and affordable web designers on sites like Fiverr and Etsy. Look for designers who have a comprehensive portfolio and plenty of positive customer feedback. If you do your homework, you can find skilled designers who can put together a stunning website for a few hundred dollars. 

A Professionally Designed Logo

Logos are fun to have, and plenty of entrepreneurs dream of having an eye-catching logo of their own. After all, just about every how-to business guide out there stresses the importance of “building a brand.”

When you’re starting a business for under $100, however, you don’t have much room in the budget to pay for a logo design. For most new businesses, a logo is like frosting. Can you bake a perfectly delicious cake without it? You bet. Is it nice to have as a finishing touch? Sure, but people who want cake probably aren’t going to complain as long as your cake is good enough. 

As with the other “nice to have but not necessary” items on the list, a logo can come later once you’ve generated some cash. When you’re ready, you can turn to places like Etsy and Fiverr for affordable and attractive logo design. 

In the meantime, check out Canva for logo designs you can make yourself. In fact, Canva is a startup business owner’s secret weapon when it comes to all kinds of free design tools. The site is loaded with templates that make it easy to pop in your business’s name and contact info. You can also make free business cards, brochures, posters, flyers, and more — all of it totally free. 

How to Start a Business on the Cheap: Our Bootstrapping Principles

If you have a business idea, you probably researched how much it costs to get started. Those estimates are often extremely high, from what we’ve seen.

Many of the “new business” costs you see in these types of searches are unnecessary. In many cases, you can trim away thousands of dollars in expenses right off the bat. 

Principle #1: Avoid the Shiny Objects

When people build businesses, they tend to focus on the wrong things. To be honest, you don’t really need:

• Business cards
• A fancy business bank account
• A business line of credit
• An LLC registration
• A branding specialist
• Web design services
• A copywriter
• Or an expensive business coach

These are all shiny objects you don’t need at the beginning stages of starting your business. They look nice and can be incredibly beneficial, but you don’t need them right now.

When you start making a profit, you can then (and only then) invest that money back into your business.

All you really need right now is a website (we recommend Bluehost, which we’ll talk more about in a minute), an email address, and a list of people who want to buy from you. For real. That’s it.

At this stage, it’s critical to focus on the things that get your business off the ground—and ignore everything else.

However, you can (and should) come back to these things when you can justify the cost and proof that you have a profitable idea.

Principle #2: Land Your First 3 Customers

A business without customers is just a hobby. That’s why you should be completely focused on getting your first three customers. From there, everything gets a lot easier.

This is a crucial step in proving your business idea is profitable. If you can’t land three customers, you’re never going to land hundreds or even thousands.

It doesn’t matter if you’re a graphic designer looking to launch that design firm, or you’re a dog walker looking for clients.

Spend time focusing on what you need to do to land those first three paying customers or clients. And leave everything else for later.

Principle #3: Gather Social Proof and Testimonials

Now that you’ve landed your first three customers, it’s time to start gathering social proof you can use to market your business.

Why is social proof so important? Good question.

As a small business owner, you’re a marketer. And there’s an increasing trend in consumers not trusting marketers. It sucks, but it’s part of the game.

Social proof and testimonials are the easiest way to gain trust and break down that barrier. The more testimonials and reviews you have, the easier it is to convert visitors into paying customers or clients.

Now, there are several ways to go about doing this, but the easiest way is simply asking your first three customers or clients for testimonials. You can do this via email, text, on the phone, or in-person, depending on how you typically communicate with your customers.

Most people are more than happy to talk about good experiences, especially with small businesses. But… you have to be straightforward and ask for what you want.

Once you have social proof, you can proudly display it on your social media profiles, on your website, and when speaking with potential customers.

20 Businesses You Can Start for Cheap or Free

Business ideas come in all shapes and sizes. Admittedly, it’s much easier to get rolling with a new business if you already have a good idea of what type of business you’d like to start. 

If you’re coming up short in the inspiration department, however, there are plenty of businesses you can start with limited funds or no funds at all. Here are 20 ideas to consider. 

1. Freelance Writer – Is your English degree gathering dust? Do you have a way with words? You can turn your wordsmithing skills into a lucrative career by writing content for other businesses.

2. Lawn Care Service – If you enjoy working outdoors, you can borrow some basic lawn equipment or buy gently used gear and launch a business in your own neighborhood.

3. Crafter – Sites like Etsy have made it possible for skilled artisans to connect with customers all over the world. Whether you make jewelry, T-shirts, original artwork, furniture, soap, skin care products, or just about anything else you can think of, Etsy can help you turn your passion into profits.

4. Child Care – Many parents are on the hunt for affordable and high quality child care. If you love kids and have free time, you can start a babysitting or child care business in your home or find work as a nanny.

5. Dog Walker/Sitter – Lots of pet parents will pay a premium to know their furry family members are lovingly cared for during the day. If you have a soft spot for four-legged creatures, you can start a successful business walking dogs or working as a pet sitter.

6. Tutoring – You don’t necessarily need a teaching degree to work as a tutor. If you have proficiency in one or more subject areas, you can build your own tutoring business. Many professional and skilled amateur musicians also offer music lessons in private homes or their own residence.

7. Residential Cleaning – Most of the big name residential cleaning companies started with little more than elbow grease and word of mouth. You can start your own cleaning business working for homeowners in your area.

8. House Painter – Painting is a chore few people want to take on. If you’re a DIY pro, painting might be a skill you already possess. One of the perks of starting this type of business is that it only takes a few referrals to build your customer list.

9. Virtual Assistant – If you’re organized and know your way around spreadsheets and word processing software, you can start a business helping other business owners as a virtual assistant.

10. Book Editor – Indie authors tend to have limited funds, and many of them are constantly searching for skilled and affordable editors. If you love to read and have an eye for catching typos, a freelance editing or freelancing business could be a good fit.

11. Graphic Design – Freelance sites like Fiverr and Etsy give talented designers a platform for selling everything from social media banners to company logos. You can build a portfolio with minimal funds and start producing work for customers.

12. Website Design – Most business owners know they need to have an online presence to be successful. However, few people have the design skills or technical knowledge to make their own website. If you know your way around WordPress or other platforms, you can start your own business as a web designer.

13. Computer Repair – Computer issues can be frustrating, and paying a big box company for repair services can bust anyone’s budget. If you’re tech savvy, a computer troubleshooting and repair business might be worth exploring.

14. Handyman – Are you a seasoned home improvement pro? You can turn your DIY skills into a full-time business.

15. Bookkeeper – If you have an accounting background or experience managing your finances, consider launching your own bookkeeping business.

16. Social Media Manager – Social media is a skill that looks deceptively easy. However, experienced social media managers know that drawing customers to a business’s social channel is no easy feat. If you’ve got proven social media chops, you can turn your abilities into a business. 

17. Personal Trainer – You can include yoga instructor and CrossFit trainer to this one. If you love working out and you’re good at motivating people, consider a business as a personal trainer.

18. Baking or Gardening – Farmers’ markets continue to pop up around the country as more people turn to healthier, local food products. If you have a prize garden in your backyard or everyone in your circle raves about your baked goods, you can start a small business as a baker or local farmer.   

19. Photography – You don’t need expensive equipment to take stunning photos. These days, even smartphones can take amazing shots. You can also find affordable used photography equipment to get your business off the ground.

20. Moving Business – Moving is one of those chores no one wants to take on. If you don’t own a big truck, you can still start a business as a professional packer. All you need are boxes, tape, some markers, and maybe a few plastic containers.