No Money? No Problem. Here’s your Free Startup Kit

Disclaimer: The only condition - you won’t spend a penny…and nothing illegal (obviously).

Don’t have money, but want to launch your own startup? You can do it for free. There are websites that offer tools and features at no cost that visitors can use to have startup operations.

Having a startup requires ingenuity and a passion for what you are doing. Once you find yourself doing, something you enjoy, you will be more likely to find ways to make it all come together.

I must warn, you can’t create the Next Big Thing by investing absolutely NOTHING. Investing money propels your startup to newer heights You can, however, make some money that’ll let you do what you want.

Before we start, remember our deal? NO MONEY involved.

Step 1 – Learn what it takes to be an Entrepreneur

Want to learn how to learn how to becoming an entrepreneur? The world’s greatest technology institute Massachusetts Institute of Technology will teach you that. For free. Pay zero, nothing, nada.

Check MIT Launch X – Becoming an Entrepreneur from EdX. This isn’t the only startup-based course. There’s University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton has Entrepreneurship 1: Developing the Opportunity and London Business School has How to Finance and Grow Your Startup – Without VC.

The world’s greatest business school tutors can help you launch your startup.

Step 2 – Create Your Brand

Pumped up? Good. Hold that thought.

You need a brand logo. Your logo is a visual cornerstone of your startup's brand. Your startup's identity is visually expressed through the logo. This along with your startup's name' is one of the main things that makes your startup memorable.

Not convinced? Read this.

A logo must be – Unique. Relevant. Adaptable. Timeless. Memorable.

Confused?

Let Michael Bierut teach you how. Bierut has served as the national president of the American Institute of Graphic Arts and senior critic in graphic design at the Yale School of Art.

You know the Hillary Clinton logo? That was the work of Bierut and his team. He’s rebranded the MIT Media Lab, Verizon, Billboard, and United Airlines among many others.

Best thing - Bierut doesn’t believe in creativity.

Now you have to start designing a logo. Check LogoMakr. Too lazy? Use Logo Garden or pick up something from FreePik. Hell bent on having your business card/t-shirt to show off? VistaPrint often has bundled offers.

Step 3 – Create your Website

You need to create your own free website. This means you must use the domain of the free service. Don’t worry; they’ll throw in a website builder with free web hosting. You must also allow the provider to place ads on the pages of your free website. There’s Wix, Weebly, Yola or GoSpaces.

Don’t like ads? BigRock offers ‘.com’ domains at Rs. 99/month. Do a Google search and throw in a coupon code.

Voila, almost free!

Step 4 - Join an Affiliate Network

Affiliate marketing is a great source of making money online. With affiliate marketing you can promote others offers and earn some commissions. You can promote Cost Per Action (CPA) offers that pay when visitor does some action like free registration, sign up, etc. and affiliate earn fix amount.

Check out vCommission, Komli or iCubesWire.

Step 5 – Set up your Business

Haven’t done business using your startup ideas? Learn how to set up a complete Business Plan. Chart a small business plan for a lean startup.

Just because you don’t have money doesn’t mean you don’t have any options.

Here are a couple of ideas:

· Good at handicrafts? Make and sell
· Partner with thrift stores and garage sales. Resell stuff
· Love writing? Set up an information portal
· Offer services. Get instructors to sign up
· Sign up with ‘print on demand’ services. Collect royalty when people buy from you.

Don’t like these? Give it some time, and think of new business ideas.

Step 6 - Market your Business

It’s possible to engage consumers with zero marketing budget. You just need to understand your customers and lure them.

Here are five simple ideas:

#1: Comment on popular blogs.
Don’t spam, mind.

#2: Leverage Message Boards
Be where your customers are.

#3: Google local
Enlist as a local shop. Get seen.

#4: Leverage Social Networks
Use Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn to your advantage. Use great content to attract attention. Canva and Fotor lets you create awesome social media graphics. Try email marketing and WhatsApp marketing as well. It’s free.

#5: Go to networking events
Connect with customers. Introduce your business.

Again, the idea is you won’t spend a penny. Learn about the Zero Budget Marketing System for Small Businesses. Read Zero Budget Marketing: ROI Based Marketing Guide for Entrepreneurs. The Kindle version of this book is free.

There, you have everything to run a successful startup.

What are you waiting for?

RUN!