{"id":8777,"date":"2021-02-26T10:00:08","date_gmt":"2021-02-26T10:00:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/?p=8777"},"modified":"2026-01-29T09:49:24","modified_gmt":"2026-01-29T09:49:24","slug":"start-a-business-no-money","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/start-a-business-no-money\/","title":{"rendered":"How to start a business with no money"},"content":{"rendered":"<header class=\"entry-header has-dark-background-color entry-header--has-illustration entry-header--has-illustration--generic\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-header__row row align-center\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-lg-7 col-xlg-6 entry-header__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"component component-single-header\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-header__misc text--subtitle text--uppercase text--small\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/category\/money-matters\/\" class=\"entry-header__link\">Money Matters<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-title-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"entry-title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tHow to start a business with no money\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"entry-header__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<div class=\"single-post-details container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2021-02-26T10:00:08+00:00\">26 February, 2021<\/time><\/span><span class=\"reading-time\"> min read<\/span>\n\t\t<button\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\tclass=\"social-share-button button button--icon button--secondary js-social-share-button\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-title=\"How to start a business with no money\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-url=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/start-a-business-no-money\/\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-text=\"Please read this interesting article\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__share-label\">Share<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__copy-label\" hidden>Copy Link<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__copy-tooltip\" aria-hidden=\"true\" hidden>Copied<\/span>\n\t\t<\/button>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/header>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-author has-dark-background-color alignfull\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"co-authors\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-author-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<a class=\"entry-author\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/author\/staceymcintosh\/\">\n\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"40\" height=\"40\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2018\/11\/Stacey-McIntosh-350-1.jpg\" class=\"entry-author__image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<span class=\"entry-author__name\">Stacey McIntosh<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>What do Hewlett-Packard, Subway and Mattel have in common? Besides being global brands, they <a href=\"https:\/\/www.americanexpress.com\/en-us\/business\/trends-and-insights\/articles\/4-gigantic-companies-that-started-from-nothing\/\">all began<\/a> with almost no startup capital.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Starting a business with no money might seem like a daunting prospect.&nbsp;But, with a little planning, it\u2019s often perfectly feasible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In fact, learning how to start a business with no money can be a positive thing. It means you won\u2019t dig into your savings and will have to be lean, creative and entrepreneurial.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Read on for everything you need to know about how to start a business without money. Here&#8217;s what&#8217;s covered in the article:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"#can-anchor-link\">Can you start a business with no money?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"#choose-anchor-link\">Choose a low-cost business model<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"#calculating-anchor-link\">Calculating your business costs<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"#minimise-anchor-link\">Minimise your outgoings<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"#plan-anchor-link\">Plan for cash flow<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"#find-anchor-link\">Find investment if it&#8217;s needed<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a class=\"button button--primary\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/business-readiness-assessment\/\">Dreaming of bossing your own business? Take our quiz to see how ready you are to take the plunge<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"can-anchor-link\">Can you start a business with no money?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Yes, it&#8217;s possible to launch a business without any money at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Assuming you have marketable skills and already own some equipment, you should be able to start generating an income.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This might include things like:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Cleaning<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Dog walking<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Delivery services<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Repairs.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>That said, most startups require at least some money \u2013 but you don\u2019t need vast amounts. Almost a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thecompanywarehouse.co.uk\/blog\/what-is-the-average-startup-budget\">quarter<\/a> of UK startups launch with less than \u00a31,000.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you have a job or are receiving Universal Credit, you might want to set money aside and launch once you have a suitable buffer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"choose-anchor-link\">Choose a low-cost business model<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If you don\u2019t have ready access to cash, you\u2019ll want to choose business model that doesn\u2019t require much money to get started.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It usually costs far less to start a service business than a company that sells products since your income is generated by your skills and time rather than from physical items that you need to make, buy or store.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Low-cost service businesses include things like:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Tutoring and training<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Consulting<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Photography<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Writing and editing<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Translation<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Graphic design<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Digital marketing.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"calculating-anchor-link\">Calculating your business costs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019re thinking about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/ready-to-start-a-small-business\/\">how to start a business<\/a> with no money, it\u2019s a good idea to calculate your expected costs. This will give you a savings target, so you have enough money to launch comfortably.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Typical startup costs include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Marketing and branding: <\/strong>Whether it\u2019s printing fliers, building a website or using a designer to create a logo, you\u2019ll need to spend money promoting your business.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Registration fees:<\/strong> It\u2019s free to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/sole-trader-guide\/\">register as a sole trader<\/a>, while registering a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/glossary\/what-is-a-limited-company\/\">limited company<\/a> costs \u00a312.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Assets:<\/strong> This is all your equipment and inventory (if you hope to sell products). It\u2019s things like your computer, office supplies, raw materials and more.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Costs: <\/strong>This includes fixed or regularly costs involved in running your business such as office rental, staff salaries, subscriptions and website hosting.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Professional services: <\/strong>This may involve services that you outsource, such as bookkeeping, patents and business insurance.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Draw up a list of all the possible costs your business might incur for the launch itself, as well as outgoings for an average month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Try to be as realistic as possible here \u2013 it\u2019s always better to overestimate costs than be surprised later on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"#gate-d7bc68ed-d198-44d2-baef-e4e091084f11\">Download your free guide, Small business pocket guide: Going it alone but never on your own<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"minimise-anchor-link\">Minimise your outgoings<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019re looking to start a business with no money in the UK, it\u2019s essential to keep you costs as low as possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are some simple steps you can take:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Work from home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Starting a business from home with no money is much less expensive than renting an office, warehouse or shop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It also minimises your travel costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Use free or cheap online services<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>There are plenty of free services online that can be used to cut costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can build a basic website for free with services such as WordPress or Wix and effectively market your business through the likes of Facebook or Instagram.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can also find people to do many tasks for you at a low rate through websites such as Fiverr and People Per Hour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Get free equipment<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Most businesses require at least a computer to get running. You may already have one, but it\u2019s often possible to find free equipment using websites such as FreeCycle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You may also have a friend or relative who can loan you gear until you have enough money to buy your own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Otherwise, try to cut back on your personal spending when starting out. It might mean less fun for now, but it should pay off in the long run.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"plan-anchor-link\">Plan for cash flow<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Did you know that the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbinsights.com\/research\/startup-failure-reasons-top\/\">second most common<\/a> cause of business failure is running out of money?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If customers don\u2019t pay their bills on time, you won\u2019t be able to pay yourself or your staff (if you have any) either.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And this is even more critical if you\u2019re starting a business with no money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You might want to take on a part-time job to ensure you can still pay your rent and bills to begin with. Or, if you already have a job, try to run the business during your evenings and weekends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"find-anchor-link\">Find investment if it&#8217;s needed<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Some types of business are simply impossible to start without any money. That may include businesses in the manufacturing, technology, construction, retail, or hospitality industries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In this case, you might want to consider getting a loan or seeking out investment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Bank loans<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>You might be able to get a business loan from a bank, although this may be hard if you have no collateral at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Government grants and loans<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>There is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/government-grants-for-small-businesses\/\">support from the government<\/a> for certain industries and regions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Bank of Mum and Dad<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Family and friends may be willing to provide you a loan free of charge, or for a share of your company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Crowdfunding<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>There are various crowdfunding websites \u2013 such as GoFundMe and Kickstarter \u2013 which allow people to either donate money or buy small shares in your idea if they like the sound of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Angel investment<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>This is often associated with technology startups. A wealthy backer <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/create-a-business-plan-wow-investors\/\">invests in your business<\/a> in return for shares.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Know how to start a business without money<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Learning how to start a business with no money is your first step on a journey to being your own boss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With planning and a bit of luck, being short of cash shouldn\u2019t be a barrier to business success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"single-cta\">\n\t<div class=\"single-cta__positioner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__wrapper has-dark-background-color\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"single-cta__title h3\">Are you ready to be your own boss?<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Dreaming of managing your own business? Take our quiz to see how ready you are to take the plunge.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/business-readiness-assessment\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"single-cta__button button button--primary\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tid=\"cta-id-8930\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdata-button-location=\"cta_box\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>Take the quiz<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"780\" height=\"500\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2021\/03\/CTA-2.jpg\" class=\"single-cta__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2021\/03\/CTA-2.jpg 780w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 33vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"single-cta\">\n\t<div class=\"single-cta__positioner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__wrapper has-dark-background-color\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"single-cta__title h3\">Subscribe to the Sage Advice newsletter<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Join more than 500,000 UK readers and get the best business admin strategies and tactics, as well as actionable advice to help your company thrive, in your inbox every month.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"#gate-b1a63862-3fa0-4a5e-bb67-c76b88bbc6b8\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"single-cta__button button button--primary\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>Subscribe now<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1440\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1073797282-1-1440x810.jpg\" class=\"single-cta__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1073797282-1-1440x810.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 33vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Starting a business with no money might seem like a daunting prospect.\u00a0But with a little planning, it\u2019s often perfectly feasible. Here&#8217;s how.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":346,"featured_media":2946,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_sage_video":false,"post_featured_image_hide":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,9],"tags":[135,12],"business_type":[4],"lilypad":[],"context":[],"industry":[],"persona":[75],"imagine_tag":[109],"coauthors":[353],"class_list":["post-8777","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-money-matters","category-strategy-legal-operations","tag-business-finances","tag-start-business","business_type-small-business"],"sage_meta":{"region":"en-gb","author_name":"Stacey McIntosh","featured_image":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2017\/02\/GettyImages-675926198_super.jpg","imagine_tags":{"109":"Small business"}},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Sage Advice UK","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8777","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/346"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8777"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8777\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/2946"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8777"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8777"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8777"},{"taxonomy":"business_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/business_type?post=8777"},{"taxonomy":"lilypad","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/lilypad?post=8777"},{"taxonomy":"context","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/context?post=8777"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=8777"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=8777"},{"taxonomy":"imagine_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/imagine_tag?post=8777"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=8777"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}