Starting an Online Business When Your Budget Is Zero

Online service businesses typically face a major challenge: attracting clients through their websites. To achieve this goal, they need to overcome another online marketing challenge: increasing opt-ins and subscribers. Many online marketers say their opt-in list is their greatest online marketing asset.

But what if you are starting out with a zero budget? How will you create an online business? How can you develop a mailing list if you don't have an autoresponder system?

First of all, you can investigate lower-priced systems. Some bare-bones autoresponder systems will be enough to help you get started. Some marketers use those low-budget systems for years, with considerable success.

These days it's hard to use email to send your ezine. When you send a message to five or more people, you may run into problems with spam filters. You can't send follow-ups or campaigns.

But there's a bigger issue here. When you don't have a spare $25 a month, it's time to take drastic action. Most marketers need at least $75-$100 a month for operating expenses. You need funds to get the training you need to stay current. You need copywriting content for your site.

You can save considerable sums on web design. Start with a blog or Squidoo lens. But if you don't know how to create content for promotion, the site won't help you.

You can get plenty of free advice by signing up for ezines. I recommend going here and signing up for every ezine offered. Some will be more valuable than others. Just unsubscribe later.

You'll get free advice on forums, too. You can even tweet and post for advice.

The problem is, you get what you pay for. Even when we genuinely try to help people, ezine advice is too brief and too general for the foundation of an entire business. Busy consultants just don't have time to help others with detailed guidance.

Besides, advice is just part of the equation. When your budget is zero, you can't buy the resources you need to run your business. Unless you're strikingly talented, your website will look amateurish and your copy will send visitors away. If you're offering a high-end service where clients meet you first through your site, you're losing money every day.

But a zero budget carries an even bigger hazard. You run the risk of scaring off clients. People can sense when you're desperate. You won't do your best work. You'll accept assignments beyond your scope and you'll never, ever offer a refund.

Profitable service businesses regularly turn down clients who don't fit their business model. They want to be free to do their best work for their best clients. And it seems more ethical to free up your prospect's resources so they can find the best solutions for their unique needs.

If you just don't have the funds, here are three suggestions. Each may seem challenging, but many highly successful entreprepreneurs have gone down these paths and reaped the rewards.

First, you can get a job. Even a part-time job as a coffee shop barista will support an autoresponder service and a beginning level mentoring course.

You might also start a local face-to-face service. Some dog-walkers and concierges earn more than the people who hire them. Six-figure incomes are not uncommon, even during tough times. As an added benefit, you will learn a lot about marketing yourself as you build this short-term business.

Finally, you can get some business by cold-calling prospects. It's tough but if you persist, you will get better, and you will get clients. Best of all, you learn marketing skills that help you create your online presence more effectively.

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