Today we're going to talk about 5 small business
ideas for beginners that are cheap to start and come with virtually no risk but your time. The first small business idea
is what I call "SaaSaaS." You might have heard of SaaS, which
stands for Software as a Service. And this is usually web-based software that
companies create and license out to users. For example, Mailchimp, Hubspot,
and Ahrefs are all SaaS companies. Now, SaaSaaS stands for "Software
as a Service … as a Service." And this is when you become a master of
a SaaS product and sell services based around that tool. For example, if you know how to do bookkeeping,
you might specialize in a software like Xero.
You could offer daily bookkeeping services,
migrations from other tools like Quickbooks to Xero, or provide end of
the year tax prep with Xero. Or let's say you have experience using
ConvertKit's email marketing platform. You could offer email migration services
from tools like Mailchimp to ConvertKit. You could also offer marketing automations
and funnel services for users. Now, the great thing about SaaSaaS is
that marketing yourself is actually quite easy when you're just starting out. First, check if the company has a directory
of power users or certified users and apply to be included. For example, Xero has this handy
page to connect bookkeepers or accountants with their customers. Another place that's worth signing
up to find new business is Upwork. Upwork is a freelance network and it's the place
where I found my Xero bookkeeper and many other software specialists. These two networks alone are enough to help
you start and grow your SaaSaaS small business.
Do a great job for these people and over
time, you'll likely build a steady stream of referral business too. Alright the next small business idea is to
start a niche drone videography business. I'll use a niche golf course drone
videographer for my example. This is what a golf course
flyover with a drone looks like. And while it may look beautifully cinematic,
it doesn't take a ton of skill to create footage like this. Now, there are three huge advantages to
starting a drone videography business. #1. It doesn't cost very much to start. #2. It's very easy to get halfway decent at basic
drone videography like flying over a golf hole. And #3. People typically charge
quite a lot for this service. In fact, this company charges $400 for a course
flyover, this one charges $1,500 and this one, a whopping four grand.
Now, there aren't exactly a ton of people
looking for golf course videographers because it's a pretty niche service for a very
niche audience – owners of golf courses. So the way I'd go about starting this
business is with a validation experiment. To get started, search for golf courses
in your area and visit their websites. And what you'll want to look for are course
overviews which generally provide a description of each hole on their course.
So for this course, they have a background
image of the hole and a short text description of the hole. But this isn't really that helpful to golfers
compared to hole-by-hole flyovers, since they'd actually be able to see exactly
how the hole is meant to be played. So using this pitch angle, you can
contact the different golf courses and offer your services. Do this for as many golf courses as you
can to gauge interest, buy your drone, get an hour or two of flying experience in
and you'll be able to do a halfway decent job at golf hole drone videography.
Now, after you've validated the idea, you can
consider offering your services to more courses or explore other areas of drone videography. Alright, the next small business idea
is to become a voiceover actor. Now, I'm not talking about Hollywood
or radio level broadcasting. I'm talking about doing voice overs for budget
ads, commercials, screencasts or whatever. Now, the reason why I think this is
such a great business idea is two fold. #1. Pretty much anyone can do it; and #2. It can pay really well in terms
of your time to earnings ratio. In fact, according to voices.com, a voice over
job of around 300 words, or around 0-2 recorded minutes would typically cost $100 – $499. To put that into perspective, it takes me
around 5 – 10 minutes to record and edit a two-minute audio recording. Now, there are two places you can
look to when you're just getting started. The first is Upwork. On Upwork, you can search for jobs
and apply for ones where you might be a good fit. And of course, you should have some samples
ahead of time because no one's going to hire a voice actor without hearing their voice.
Now, that doesn't mean you need to
go and find work before you can start. Just record some sample scripts to start
your portfolio or even a short introduction about yourself. Now, the second place I'd look to is Fiverr. And I like the idea of using it alongside
Upwork because instead of applying for jobs, you post ads about services and
have full control over your pricing.
For example, this person is offering a voiceover
in a British or American accent for $10. And while that might sound low, if you
increase the word count of the script, you'll see it goes up by another $5. Continue with the checkout process and you'll
see even more options to upgrade your order. And to give you an idea of earnings potential,
this person has done nearly 30,000 orders on Fiverr alone. Alright, the next small business idea is
to become a freelance content writer. Now, there are already a ton
of freelance content writers. Some of these people go on to make six
and even seven figures per year, while others struggle just to make ends meet. So that begs the question: how do you build
a freelance content writing business that puts you in the first group? The oversimplified answer is
to become a niche expert. Let me illustrate using this Venn diagram. On one side, you have expertise
and on the other you have interest.
So for me, I love golf, but I'm pretty
terrible at it if we're being honest. So that topic would fall around
here on the Venn diagram. Now, I have quite an extensive background in
consumer products, specifically in consumer tech products, but I don't really enjoy
keeping up with the trends or the latest news. So that would fall on the other
extreme of this diagram. Ideally, you want to find a happy medium. So for me, that would be SEO and digital marketing
which I'm both knowledgeable and interested in. Now, this only covers one component of becoming
a "niche expert" in a content writing business. The other area you should consider niching
down in is the type of content you'll specialize in. So will that be blog writing, conversion
copywriting writing scripts for YouTube videos, Twitter threads, or something else? Whichever you choose is entirely up to you
but I recommend focusing on just one and only branching out if necessary. Now, just like any other service-based
business, you'll need to get clients. And the easiest way to get started is
to apply for jobs on freelance networks like Upwork and writing job
boards like Problogger jobs.
And while business may not exactly be
"booming" when you're getting started, it's a good way to get your foot in the door
and to start building a portfolio of your work. This will help you justify your rates so you
can charge more and to attract more clients. Alright the next small business idea
is to create a niche affiliate website. If you're new to affiliate marketing, it's
where you promote another company's products or services in exchange for
a commission when you refer a sale. Now, the great thing about this business model
is that it's about the lowest risk, lowest cost online business idea you can start today. On top of that, the growth potential
on niche affiliate sites is quite high. In fact, some affiliate marketers make
six and even seven figures per month! Now, the thing with affiliate marketing
is that you don't go from 0 to six figures per month with the snap of a finger. You'll need to start by learning the basics
of affiliate marketing, site building, and traffic generation. And we have a full beginner's tutorial that'll
give you a high level overview of how you can get started with affiliate marketing
so I'll link that up in the description.
Now, none of these business ideas will
likely be the next trillion dollar business. But they all have potential to replace
average and even above average salaries. And I know this because I've actually built
businesses from four of these five small business ideas, and a friend of mine
actually became a drone videographer. And everything I've shared with you today
is more or less the way we got started. So rather than trying to reinvent the wheel,
find a super-unique business idea, or create the perfect business plan, just go out
and actually try an idea for yourself. They're all low-investment and low-risk
opportunities ripe for the taking. I'll see you in the next tutorial..