Business Tools Worth The Money When Starting An Online Business on a Budget

Go ahead and share this post if you like it!

When I first started my online writing and crafting business, I had very little money to spare. So I built a website (this is back before the ease of WordPress, Yea I have been around that long!) using free web builders. I think my first one was with Yahoo’s free web builder that included the shopping cart. I was selling handmade custom embroidery baby items at the time so I needed some way to for customers to get my products.  At the time, it served it’s purpose. Of course, now you can use Etsy.com for your marketing but you still need a site of your own.

If I was starting again, though, I would spend a little money to have my own site along with other tools that make things easier.

All those tools and resources could be expensive especially if you are spending your extra cash on your crafting supplies. And who knows which ones you really need. It can be confusing. And for those of us starting an online business with just peanuts, we need all the guidance we can get.

Starting a business online on a budget might seem like an oxymoron. In the past, owning a brick and mortar business meant you had to have thousands of dollars to invest.

Of course, that’s not the case when it comes to how much it costs to start an online business.

The truth is, like me, many people have started their online business with literally nothing. We’re talking about spending zilch to start their business.

Nothing!

Of course spending a little for the basics could mean the difference between just a hobby and actually making it as a successful business.

That being said, though, I have a few areas I recommend you wisely spend a little money.

Here are just a few items to consider spending money on:

Website hosting and domain name.

I recommend hostgator.com for your web hosting. You can get a plan for around ten dollars or less a month.

Get a domain at godaddy.com. Look online for coupons to get a good deal. Just type the month and year along with godaddy.com coupons into the search bar to find a current coupon.

40% off your First Order with GoDaddy.com!

Email auto responder service.

An autoresponder service allows you to create and distribute a newsletter, build a list and send messages to that list. I use and highly recommend aWeber. You can start out with a $1 trial and then move to around $19 a month.
Branding

You can easily create your own website using WordPress. If you are using Hostgator, it’s easy to set up a WordPress site using their fantastico program. I have done this serveral times and find it quite easy. If you need help with it, contact me and I will help walk you through it.

To make the site truly your brand, why not get a custom header and/or logo  created. There are many designers willing to do this for a reasonable rate.

Content

If you create your own marketing content, sales copy and website content then you’re good to go. But if you aren’t good at this or are afraid, the you should consider outsourcing.  If you choose to outsource some of these tasks then you’ll need to consider how much you are willing to spend for a good writer. Just remember you will get what you pay for in the way of quality.

Sites like elance.com, fiverr.com and Odesk are some places to find a talented writer. Warrior forum is a good place to look as well. Or you could hire me. 😉

Of course when there are free resources to use as well. I am a big fan of Squidoo.com and Pinterest.com for marketing as well as social sites like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+.

In a future post we’ll look at all the different shopping carts available to add to your business.

Add up what you need to start your business and what it’s going to cost. If you don’t have the money you need to start your online business consider how you can cut back and how you can raise money.

Can you get rid of unwanted items by holding a garage sale to raise extra cash? Can you partner with someone to build a business together? Can you maybe do some freelance for extra income to build your business? Advertise locally on free bulletin boards for any services you are willing to do to make the money you need to get your business going.

Get creative. Starting a business doesn’t have to cost a lot. But I do recommend these few essentials to get you going toward your  launch.

What are some of your favorite tools that have helped you as you started your online business? Leave a comment, I’d love to hear your thoughts!

 Sign up to receive

updates

Name:

Email:

We respect

your email privacy