256: Bootstrapped Business Idea Brain Dump: 8 Business Models You Can Borrow w/ Zero (or Better than Zero) Startup Costs

In my annual member survey, one of the 3 most common obstacles I hear is the money needed to start a business. As in, "I don't have enough money to start a business." (The other 2 are time and ideas.) It's kind of a chicken vs. egg problem: you need money to start the business and you need the business to earn the money! But the truth is that most side hustles these days don't take a ton of cash to get off the ground. In fact, most of the businesses I've started have cost less than $500 to start. In this episode I'll share 8 business models that have no startup costs, and one of them even has a "better than zero" startup cost -- meaning you can get paid to acquire your inventory. The 8 Models: The Perceived Value Plan The Dealmaker Model The Connector Email Model The Curator Email Model One Man’s Trash is a Another Man’s Treasure Repackaging The Pay for Performance Model The Agency Model Tune in to hear my examples of real businesses making it work under each of those models. It's sure to get your creative juices flowing on what kind of side hustle you could start! Stick around to the end of the show and I'll also share the actual startup costs for all of my businesses over the last 20 years.