Nowadays, working and earning money from home without investment has become possible. It is an ideal setup for people wanting to work remotely. It takes out all the additional costs of commuting to work. You also get to choose which environments you can work in, which is a huge plus if you would rather not work in a cubicle.
Online jobs are ideal for moms caring for their kids, fresh college graduates, and freelancers. The problem is that many online jobs require registration fees, paid courses, deposits, and other start-up costs. But what if we told you you could get the job you want for zero or minimal fees?
Follow along as we discuss how you can earn money from home without investment. Below are a variety of ways you can start earning online.
Freelancing
Freelancing is a great way to set your work hours and control the number of tasks you want to work on. Thankfully, sites like Upwork and Fiverr exist, and you can sift through various projects you can bid on. As long as you have a skill you can monetize, you can find someone looking for exactly what you can offer. Such skills include video editing, writing, graphic design, translating, etc. You only need to find someone looking for exactly what you can offer. Develop and hone that skill so you can earn money from home without investment or for a minimal fee.
Remember that the ship goes to the port if you’re just starting. It’s up to you to bid on different projects, send samples of your work, and convince a potential client that you can get the job done. Once you build a portfolio, you can set up your profile, raise your rates, and let potential clients contact you. Here are some famous examples of freelancing gigs that you can look into.
Content Writing
On the Internet, content is king. New content determines algorithm patterns, which people refer to when making content, and the cycle continues. It’s the same on both text and video platforms. There’s always something to be written about. And if you have excellent reading, writing, and research skills, then content writing can get you far. This kind of lucrative skill will enable you to earn money from home without investment.
With content writing, you need to know how to write about anything. It’s because your tasks will range from magazine articles and blog entries to corporate website posts and press releases. Freelancers can earn up to $5-20 for every 500-word piece. With more advanced skills and an attractive portfolio, you can raise your rates and get more prominent clients.
Graphic Design
If you have a good eye for design, graphic design is one of the most in-demand skills in freelancing. Graphic designers can earn up to $85 per hour doing infographic design, making logos, icons, and illustrations for various clients.
Graphic designers are similar to multimedia artists, animators, and web developers. The most you’ll have to invest in are computer applications and software to use when developing layouts. But the good thing is that excellent and free resources are available to help you get started.
Video Editing
While many people want to build a presence on social media, not all can edit their videos. This is where video editors come in– freelancers earn up to $72,000 annually. More experienced editors can even get higher pay. Video editors are in high demand thanks to social media’s rise and influence.
You can market your skills to almost any client with basic editing skills. However, you’ll soon want to develop your niche and see where you fit best. Some editors specialize in corporate and commercial videos. And some work for content creators and edit gaming streams and weekly YouTube videos.
You can earn from home without investment with your basic video editing skills. Just use the free resources and software available. And later on, you can start investing in developing your skills when you are already earning.
Web Designer
These days, almost anyone can learn web design by learning HTML and CSS because it’s also one of the highest-paid categories in the freelance market. Web designers are in charge of the website’s overall look. It is by arranging the different elements correctly, making the whole experience user-friendly. It’s a creative medium on its own. You need a creative mindset and know which visuals suit your client’s branding.
Web design entails knowing about domains, web hosting, and servers to thoroughly set up your client’s website. It also involves a bit of graphic design. Clients are more likely to hire a multi-skilled individual than two specialists for a similar task. Designing graphics and logos for the client’s page is closely associated with web design. So, it helps to have additional skills that overlap with other job descriptions.
Virtual Assistant Jobs
There is an increasing demand for virtual assistants. Many employers choose to outsource to save on training costs. It’s also cheaper on their part to pay someone hourly. The job description is the same as a personal assistant. All the tasks are set and accomplished virtually. Virtual assistant offers involve many skills, so you know what services they seek. Some need help with doing research work, social media management, writing advertisement copies, and editing videos.
Virtual assistants only need their skills and experience, with no need for investments. Depending on the employer, they typically earn around $2-30 hourly. This makes it a lucrative option for people who need to earn money from home without investment. Some of the tasks involved are similar to popular freelance jobs. The difference is that you’re working consistently with the same employer or client and earning a monthly scheduled income.
Here are some types of virtual assistant jobs you can look into:
- Event management
- Writing and filing reports
- Social media management
- Digital Marketing
- Managing calendars and appointments
- Virtual receptionist
Social Media Content Creation
It’s no lie that social media influencers earn a lot of money if they keep creating new content. They earn even more passive income if their posts keep getting engaged. It truly is one great way to earn money from home without investment. You can cater to a niche audience if you want to create educational and creative videos about specific skills or interests. You can also stick to general content and hop from one social media trend to another.
You don’t necessarily need to invest in the fanciest software and technology right from the start to begin writing a blog or making videos. You’re all set as long as you have creative and specific content. The essential thing is staying on top of new developments in your niche. Deliver fresh and quality content to your audience. Be relatable and find a unique voice that will set you apart.
Social media influencers and bloggers earn money from their content through active and passive income sources. Here’s how.
AdSense
Ads are how YouTubers can monetize their content. The creator gets paid a certain amount whenever you watch an ad before a YouTube video. More views earn more money. Though everything will depend on whether advertisers think your video content has good quality and is particularly attractive. A niche wins over a general audience because you already have a specific market.
Affiliate Marketing
Many YouTubers and bloggers, especially in specific categories, endorse different products throughout their videos through affiliate marketing. Fashion and beauty vloggers often mention and promote several products and brands in their videos and link them in the description box. Bloggers can add hyperlinks to specific keywords, making it easier for the audience to visit the website.
Affiliate marketing is ultimately performance-based, so you’re rewarded for how many visitors or customers you bring to the business through your marketing efforts.
Brand Deals
Social media influencers can make Instagram posts and YouTube videos dedicated to their product for a certain amount of money. It pays a lot more than monthly AdSense revenue. Unlike affiliate marketing, the product shouldn’t be mentioned passively throughout the video but is instead the video’s main point.
The content creator has to introduce and market the product and service to their audience creatively to stay true to their niche instead of being a straight-up advertisement.
Online Stores
If you have some thrift clothes, novelty items, and art products lying around that you want to sell but don’t have money to spend for a website, there are other less expensive options. Instagram, for example, is a lucrative platform to create a business account and upload your items. That way, all transactions are straightforward: you only need a bank account where customers can send their payments directly.
Of course, this comes with a lot of other skills. First, you must market your page to build your follower base. This involves following trends, posting good-quality pictures, using hashtags, and promoting your account on other platforms. Once you start making sales and accumulating a large following, you can start paying for ads so Instagram can display your content on user feeds and build traffic to your account.
While most sellers post their product prices and transact directly on Instagram, other sellers use their accounts to promote their shop drops on other platforms. Some have their websites, but you can use online selling platforms like Etsy and Depop. These shopping channels have transaction fees, listing fees, and service fees as basic initial charges with value-added tax, though you can make up for these by marking up your products.
Because you don’t want to invest a significant amount, you can opt to sell low-cost products with high-profit margins when starting your shop. The most lucrative online selling products include:
- Jewelry
- Beauty products
- Video games
- Women’s Apparel
- Shoes
- Underwear and lingerie
- Pet supplies
- Candles
- Books
- Phone Accessories
- Tea and coffee
Online Teaching and Tutoring Services
Being an online English teacher is one of the most popular online jobs. Online teaching and tutoring are booming because of the convenient and cost-effective process involved. Some companies will require a teaching degree or certification. Meanwhile, others are open to anyone with good English speaking skills, even without a bachelor’s degree.
There are endless opportunities for people who want to teach English online. Most customers will likely look up online services that fit into their daily routine first rather than signing up for a face-to-face class with its schedule.
For starters, online teaching requires a fast and reliable Internet connection, a headset with noise cancellation, and good teaching skills. Online English classes are also different from traditional classes. You need more conversational sessions to help your students communicate fluently and naturally in English.
Rental Business
You can always set up a rental business if you don’t have enough time to invest your time or skills in an active online job. This is especially handy if you have photography gear, tools, or an extra car. If you have some extra storage, garage, and basement space or an extra unit in the house, you can rent them out. This way, you’re making money from your assets, and your income isn’t translated from how many hours you worked. It’s a great way to earn money from home without investment, but just by using the things you already have.
However, it’s essential to protect yourself from irresponsible customers when starting a rental business and have a third party to negotiate any mishandling. Browse around for websites with renter policies, like Airbnb and Fat Llama, that can help you list anything for rent.
Remote Customer Service
These days, many companies, especially online businesses, would rather hire remote individual workers to handle their customer service than invest in a call center. Customer service jobs involve providing service over emails, live chat, or phone. You won’t need to invest any money when starting. You can do it with a stable Internet connection, a working computer, and a phone.
For a virtual customer service job, you’ll need to learn about the products in-depth and the company’s return and refund policies. You’ll also need patience, confidence, empathy, and excellent communication skills since customer service entails dealing with many upset and disgruntled customers.
Micro Jobs
Microworking makes it possible to earn money from home without investment. You can earn around $130 per task even while working part-time. Clients will post specific micro tasks for a certain price, such as rating and commenting on their products, writing short articles, conducting brief research, and visiting and spending time on some websites. All of them are small and easy tasks that can be completed in a short amount of time. It’s ideal if you’re short on time and need quick and easy money because the tasks are paid in cash on the same day.
The best thing about micro jobs is that they don’t need interviews or meeting hours. You just need to log in on websites like ClickWorker and SEOClerk whenever you feel like it and take your pick at the posted tasks. However, the jobs can be somewhat competitive, and the pay isn’t always the highest. So, if you’re just starting, you can take several jobs and build up your funds.
You’ll also need to protect yourself from scams. Stick to legitimate micro job websites and credible job boards. Ensure you also understand all the terms you agree to because you’re an independent contractor instead of an employee.
Here are some examples of micro-jobs:
Tests
Companies, brands, and developers value the importance of tests and surveys to monitor public opinion. You can sign up on sites like User Test and UserFeel, which offer at least $10-50 per 15-20 minute test. This is great if you don’t have any of the most marketable skills online. You can also do it if you don’t have much free time for specialized work.
Surveys
Online paid surveys are also typical for getting quick bucks while giving product feedback. Brands sometimes pay users to share their opinions about their products, which they send out for free. You only need to give your opinion, and most surveys only need you to select some choices. However, ensure you deal with trustworthy companies such as Swagbucks and Prizerebel.
Data Entry
Various healthcare, finance, and retail companies often contract simple data entry jobs to remote workers. Data entry jobs can range from transcribing notes from meetings. It also includes inputting sales and revenue into electronic formats and adding raw data into databases. You’ll only need an Internet connection, a desktop, and fast typing skills because tasks are mostly paid through keystrokes per minute, keystrokes per word, or keystrokes per hour.
Transcription
With the rise of podcasts and video content, the demand for transcribing audio into text has also increased. Transcriptionists must watch the video, accurately type what they hear, indicate sounds, label the speakers, and ensure the subtitles are synced with the audio and video. Freelancers can earn as much as $1-10 per audio or video minute.
Takeaway
With the rise of different industries within the online world, finding an online job is difficult. Almost anyone can get a remote job, provided they look into their specific skill sets. Most of the popular ones also don’t need start-up costs or investments. As for applications and software, there are also lots of free resources you can use first before saving up for paid subscriptions. When working online, the most important thing to focus on besides developing your skills is having a stable internet connection and a working desktop.
Hope this helps in giving you ideas to earn from home without investment. I also recommend reading our article about the lucrative skills that will help you earn money online. What are the other cool ideas you have or ways you can earn at home? Comment down below and let us know!
Angeline Licerio
Angeline Licerio is the blogger behind Dollarmize.com. After working online as a writer and SEO strategist, she decided to start this blog to give advise to people who would like to earn money online. She is also the founder of SEO Tutorials for FREE, a Facebook community that helps aspiring freelancers and SEO specialists to kickstart their work from home journey.
