Traditionally, starting a business requires capital. You need money to invest in getting your business up and running. Stands to reason, doesn’t it? The truth is, however, that the world has changed considerably. Now you don’t actually need any money to invest as capital, before you start your online store.
All you will need to do first is start your LLC in order to limit your liability as a private person. You can learn more about it on llcguys website.
Understanding how to start an online store with no money allows you to achieve your ambitions of setting up your own store, without the need to raise investment or sink your savings into it. So, how can you do it?
Building your website
Open source software allows you to design your website to functional, practical, and stylish needs- without the need for upfront investment. You can choose the layout that suits you thanks to a wide range of options available. Some of the best looking websites in the world cost next to nothing to design, thanks to the implementation of open source software.
Various free plugins can help your website offer professional features with no need for specific software development. There are plugins available to handle anything you want your website to offer your customers. Their lack of cost is no indication of quality – there are plenty of plugins available that are professional quality and brilliantly coded, yet cost nothing.
Design and order fulfilment
So you’ve got your online store – what are you actually going to sell in it? There are a number of services available that can help you provide merchandise for customers to buy, without actually needing to buy it beforehand. Take online printing for example – if you were to partner with a specialist such as Printful, you could design and have custom printed products made just for you. As they’re printed to order, you don’t need to invest in a mountain of stock upfront.
Order fulfilment is also handled on your behalf. Your website is linked to your supplier, so when a customer purchases one of your products the supplier is immediately notified. The product would be picked, packed, and posted with your unique branding on it on your behalf – you wouldn’t have to do anything. And as you only pay when an order is made, you don’t need that investment in storage or packaging materials.
Storage, inventory management, branding, dealing with customers – all of this is dealt with on your behalf. You’re kept in the loop at every stage of the process, however you don’t have to spend your time and money dealing with it. This allows you to make good money, without needing to have spent any before your orders begin rolling in. Getting a return on an investment is great – not having to even make the investment before profiting is even better.
Drop shipping providers like printing on demand is your key if you want to start an online store with no money.