Setting Up an Online Business on a Tight Budget

With the internet, it is much easier to start on online business. An online business is perfect for people who have to work from home, such as stay at home parents, retirees, the disable or simply someone who prefer a flexible lifestyle. So you have come to a decision to set up an online business. However, just like most who are just starting out, you have a shoestring budget,how can you get going? Do not be discouraged as it is very possible to start a small online business on a small budget.

First and foremost you could start off by looking for free domain names. Because there are so many companies around who are now selling domain names, the market has become quite competitive. But there are a few sites around that will register a domain for you at no charge. However, there is a catch with some of them in that they will set themselves up as the administrator for your domain and then only transfer ownership to you after a set period of time for free or will charge you a small fee. Some will even put some form of ads on your website.

A better option is getting a free blog. Blogs are very popular nowadays and it is so easy for beginners to get started. You can use a blog to advertise your business in a personal way. Unlike website, blogs allow you to add your personal thoughts as well as allows interaction with your readers. Offer a freebie or an email course, get hold of your prospects' email and you can advertise to them time and again. All these are possible with free blogging platform such as Blogger.com or Wordpress.com. There are plenty of other blogging platforms out there, but Blogger is my personal favorite as it is very user friendly and your blog will get indexed fast by the search engines.

If you are setting up a website but do not have the means to pay for $10 a month for hosting, then you can look for sites which will host your site for free. However, before you jump straight into a free hosting plan, there are some drawbacks using free hosting. Most of these free host sites will place a banner at the top of your pages in exchange for their free service. This is another good reason to use free blogging platform. Most of these blogging platforms will host your blog for free. Some of them even allow you to add your own advertisement or banner on your blog, such as Blogger.com.

If you already have your products for sale, then go ahead a create a simple webpage or blog explaining the benefits of your product. However, What if you are someone who do not have their own product for sale but still wants to make money online? Is that possible? Of course! You can either create a new product to sell or be an affiliate to sell someone else's product. Creating your own product is not as daunting as it sounds but it does require some expenses such as hiring a graphic designer, copywriter or ghostwriter. Of course unless you can do all that by yourself.

A better option is to start out as an affiliate marketer. An affiliate is someone who promotes other people's products and in return receive a commission for any sale or leads generated. This is a great way to start your online business as it involves low start up costs and no special skill. If you use free blogs, you can even eliminate any start up cost. For an idea of just what kinds of products and services offer affiliate programs, check out Clickbank.com or ComissionJunction.com. Both of these sites are generally at the very top of most affiliate marketers' lists.

To conclude, starting an online business is much easier compare to a brick and mortar business. Starting an online business does not need a huge start up capital which makes it very easy for anyone to get started online. So start taking action today!




About the Author
Audrey Lynn is a stay at home mom who has been making a full time living online since 2 years ago. She is a full time blogger and affiliate marketer. She shares some insights on making money from home on her blog OnlineProfitsForMOms.com hoping to encourage more stay at home moms to get started online.