How to Start an Online Business on a Budget

Setting up your own business can be a very exciting thing! However, it also sounds like it would be quite expensive. With all the tools, platforms and things you need to get started, you may think that you would have to invest in all of these areas and start out with the same things as someone who has been in business for years.

We’re here to tell you that this isn’t the case! If you use the right tools, invest wisely and do a bit of DIY here and there (it’s basically like buying a new house…), then you can get set up for next to nothing!

DIY a Fab Brand

A great foundation for an online business is your brand design. You want a solid logo design, colour palette and font system to get you going, start off your businesses image and help people to recognise you wherever they find you.

And there’s no need to spend any money at all! There are great resources out there which can help you create an entire brand design yourself and become your very own designer. Sound scary? Check out Cat’s Create Your Own Mood Board Course to get started and see if this ignites a little creativity.

There are also amazing free design resources like Canva, which can help you create your own amazing designs for your business using their guides and templates.

Start With Social Media

Creating social media platforms is totally free and is a great way to start chatting to potential customers or clients and building your own community. Think about which platforms will work best for you and the clients you’d like to work with – Instagram is very visual, Pinterest is great for blog posts, Twitter is great for showing your voice and Facebook is a good place to find people interested in what you do.

Once you’ve created your accounts, don’t waste any time! Start posting and building your business and brand voice. Don’t worry too much about perfection, you can always tweak or remove posts in the future if they no longer feel relevant.

Set Up a Low-Cost Website

A website is key for any business to have the best online presence. But you don’t have to work with a designer to create an amazing website! There are lots of templates available online which are affordable and help you get a website in place without too much investment. Search for a template which has all the features and functions you need and matches the brand that you have created.

Check out Snug themes which are made just for online business owners and feature all the tools you need to create an amazing website which matches that fab brand you DIY-ed!

Need help with set up, check out our post all about what you need to use a Snug theme, all of which can cost as little as £10 a month.

Create Free Content

You’re ready to go! So what do you do now? We would recommend getting started by creating some really useful and valuable free content in the form of blog posts, interesting social media posts or newsletters. Write about anything that feels relevant to what you want to do and will draw in readers who match your ideal audience.

Creating amazing content is a great way to build an audience, especially if you share it on Pinterest or use SEO tools and it also establishes you as an expert in your field and can make people want to work with or buy from you!

PIN THIS TO PINTEREST!

Want to start your own business? We hope this guide has helped you figure out how you can get started on a budget without too much investment!