5 Tips to Start a Side Hustle on a Tight Budget
When I started my first side hustle I didn’t have much money to put towards it. However I knew if I could start a side hustle it would help me get through the tough times I was facing.
It was one of those catch 22 situations and in the end I’m glad I took the risk because I knew my families well being depended on it and if I wanted any chance to do more with my life I also knew I needed to.
However just because you are starting a side hustle doesn’t mean it needs to be costly. You don’t need to spend thousands or even hundreds of dollars to get you feet wet and making decent money.
In this article I’m going to share 5 ways you can get your side hustle started with little to no cost from you. In fact most of these options are pretty much free.
So if this sounds like you continue reading.
#1 Start a Facebook Group
Cost: $0
The first thing you can do is start a private Facebook group to start bringing people together in your niche.
Side Note: Notice I said private groups and not Facebook pages. Those are completely different from groups. Private groups require people to join and someone has to approve them to join.
What’s great about Facebook groups is that your audience is more than likely already on Facebook and you can start building your tribe of people and getting to know them.
I recently started my own private Facebook group called Side Hustle Mastermind. This group specifically helps people who are just getting a side hustle started and helping them stay accountable.
Try it Now: To do this create your Facebook group dedicated to a very specific topic. To get people to join your group tell people you know, or even join other Facebook groups similar to yours and when possible where it makes sense tell people about your group.
#2 Use an Existing Platform
Cost: $0
The next thing you can do is use an existing platform to help sell your existing product or service. I put an entire list together of them here if you are looking for some ideas.
The great thing about using existing platforms is that it allows you to bring your product or service directly to the market without having to build your own audience. More than that all of these platforms are completely free to use.
Try it Now: Search the list I mentioned above and see which platform you could use to help bring your product or service to the market.
Then simply create your product or service and get it out there.
#3 Start a Website on the Cheap
Cost: $3.95 plus a domain fee* (click here to learn more)
This next option is to start a website on the cheap. Contrary to what most people think it’s actually very inexpensive to create a website these days.
I started my first site buying a domain name, and some hosting which cost me roughly $10 a month. Today hosting cost have come down a lot and you can get started for as little as a few bucks a month.
To be honest if you can’t afford a bucks a month you may need to reconsider your priorities. I’m not talking just doing some thing on the internet, I’m talking about doing something that will change you and your families life for good.
Try it Now: Sign up to Bluehost hosting services and get your first site up and running now for just a few bucks a month.
Once your sites up and running starting writing content that helps people and gives value. Just like this blog I write articles that give value and help people start a side hustle.
#4 Start a Free Mailing List
Cost: $0
Once you have a blog started and you are writing content for it you’ll also want to start a mailing list so you can stay in contact with the people who are interested in your topic. The other benefit is that you can send people updates on your content and even let them know when you have a new product or service for sale.
I didn’t do this for a long time with my blog and I ended up losing out on having thousands of readers signing up for my email list, I was literally throwing money away, to put it mildly.
Try it Now: To do this sign up for a free Mailchimp account. With the free account you can have up to 2000 free subscribers and send 12,000 emails a month.
Also think about giving something away for free to entice people to sign up for your list such as a $100 off your first consulting call, or a free checklist, ebook, or cheat sheet to help people learn something specific.
#5 Build Relationships
Cost: $0
Finally, one of the best ways you can build your business without spending a lot of money is to start building relationships. Their are a few ways you can do this.
The first is to build online relationships with people in your market. Using sites like Twitter and Facebook you can get to know people who are in your audience and people who want to be your clients and buy your products.
The second way is to start a mastermind group. I’ve talked a lot about mastermind groups lately but if you want to get valuable insight in your business for ways to improve in an ongoing basis then this is the way to go. I’ve been doing this for just over a year now and the advice has been very helpful.
The advice I’ve learned in my mastermind has helped me figure out which products I need to create, which things I shouldn’t do, and it’s even held me accountable to my goals and a whole lot more.
Try it Now: Seek out like minded people who are looking to join a mastermind group and ask if you could join or if they would like to be in a group with you. The group should not be any bigger than 5 people.
Once the group is formed agree to meet on a regular basis. Each week someone will sit in the hot seat and share a problem or issue they are having. Once the person shares their problem each of the other members take turns sharing thoughts as to how they can solve the issues.
So what are your thoughts? Are you dealing with some tough financial issue but you want to start a side hustle and start earning some extra income on the side? Which of the ideas above are you going to try. Also do you have any other ideas that you know of how to start a side hustle on a budget, feel free to share them in the comments.
Cheers!
