Can you be a pro bootstrapper?
A lot of business classes at my university and many others are all theory based and there is not much real experience involved in them unless you get into a class about starting and managing a small business or some entrepreneurship classes. Yet, many of them still, are based on theory or other people’s experiences. So, I have been trying to talk to some different professors about changing their class projects to incorporate something like this concept and we are also going to try to implement it within our entrepreneur club here at Radford.
So, if you had $100 cash, what kind of business would you start? $100 is all you have to do whatever you want with it. Would you buy some products to sell on eBay and keep reinvesting any profits from their sales into more inventory? Would you register a domain name and start doing website development? Or would you use to it advertise yourself as a consultant? What about launching a network of small niche content websites and smack them full of AdSense and different ads? Whatever you do, you only have $100 to do it with until you start making more money from your business.
So, what would you start? I’d love to see some other young student entrepreneurs blog about a business they would start with only $100 and how they would stretch the money to get them to the point of where they are making money.
Get writing! Post a comment with your $100 business start up or a link to your blog post about the business that you would set up.
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I would probably buy a domain, print some business cards and start freelancing…
I would start a service business. Quick money, very little inventory or overhead costs and quick turn around for cash. Cash flow is one of the biggest reasons businesses fail. In service industries you get paid as soon as the service is completed so you aren’t really fronting any money. Once you build up that business and have positive cash flow you can afford to invest in other more front loaded businesses.
Additionally, service industries teach you about customer services, sales and management. Providing you with a strong foundation for future ventures.
Buy up a domain–like the few I already own–and start building out a site and writing. I would use the $100 to purchase some ads to get the site some traffic and draw some eyes to my writing.
Like Aaron, I too would focus on a service of some sort. I would setup a simple portfolio website (although that’s not even needed), and would then contact A LOT of people about content writing (which is something every blogger and website creator needs).
I could charge say $5-10 an article (for quick money), and if I could write for a whole day, and churn out 10 articles – could easily reach $100 a day.
Makes you think how much you could earn if you just put in a bit of effort one day!
I would use it to purchase some food and possibly some wine and then invite a group of people to discuss various ideas somewhere — maybe a cafe or someone’s house. And that would be the business. A business of sharing thoughts and inspiring each other. And, in time, you could also make some cash if you’d like…by sponsoring companies at each gathering. With $100 and the right effort, this can be done. 🙂
Sounds like a MindPetals meet up David! Always a good idea.
buy 1 orb 2 .asia extensions, make some room on my hosting account, get an opensource cms script and use the rest to pay a translator to translate properly the introductory pages.
I’m not a student, but want to encourage the student entrepreneurs. My wife and I started our ebay business 3 years ago, with less than $100. When my employment was terminated, we started our business with our credit cards, which I do not recommend, but we have supported ourselves while still building the business. We started with selling collectibles and used items from auctions, thrift stores, or any place we found a deal. You make your money when you buy, not when you sell. We now sell mostly new items, with sales of $10-20,000 per month, depending on the season. New items are easier to sell as a business, but the collectibles are much, much more profitable. Stick to what you know, re-invest your profits, keep your expenses low, increase your knowledge, and be determined and honest. You can succeed, even when starting with nothing.