Start a Business with $0 – Discover Your Potential Today!

I want to share business ideas you can start with $0 and provide you with the mindset to approach your new business.

2024 has shown everyone how crazy inflation can be and how the income that you depend on as a family can just disappear with all the layoffs and um things that are going on with the economy I just shopped at Costco yesterday and normally we go to Costco for organic fruit and veggies and maybe eggs and dairy I get all my protein at the markets and we spend $500 and my kids and my family we just going to eat it in a week and I still have to get our protein it's just crazy as a person who's always worried about what's going to happen next I always try to have three to four business incomes and this video is about businesses you can start with $0 but I also want to provide you with some mindset that I've had for a while now.

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Lets dive into!

Starting Young: From Selling Avon to Building an Education Abroad Business

I started my first business when I was 13. I couldn't legally do it, so my mom signed all the papers. I was basically selling Avon Cosmetics to teachers at our school, which taught me sales and negotiation

– a great thing to do. Then, I was a sales assistant at a souvenir store in St. Petersburg until I realized one thing: you can provide the most value in a niche that you like and where you're an expert in. Since the age of 14, I was fascinated with studying abroad, and all I wanted to do was to learn languages and explore universities and scholarships. In 2011, when I was 21, my then boyfriend, now husband, and I started a business helping people book their education abroad.

The best business ideas are around you (Fail⚠️)

• Finding Business Gold in Everyday Life

  This is something I want you to think of before we jump into actual business ideas. A lot of people just read these newsletter on Google and they're like, "Oh, this Creator told me Drop Shipping is a great business.

• The Pitfalls of Trend-Chasing

  Let me just go and try." The thing is, the best business ideas are around you in your life. There are problems that you feel like you are the best to solve.

• Passion-Driven Problem Solving

  When it came to studying abroad, I was like, "I am so passionate about it. I can do it so much better than anyone else." And of course, I couldn't. It was just inside of me. Like when you feel this desire, "Oh, I really want to help solve this problem," this is when you go and solve it. Because sometimes people try to solve problems that do not exist.

• Starting Smart: Zero Investment, Maximum Impact

  The first business, especially if you have $0, has to be something that you understand and something that you can start without investing anything.

How I Turned My Skills into a Money-Making Platform (And You Can Too)!

This is typically a consulting or a service-based business where you basically sell your time. There is a limit to this business, and this is why we first started consulting people on how to study abroad, and then we booked a platform. I realized, you know, I want to make more money. I just can't charge people for my time. I have to charge them for something else, like a platform. But we spent tens of thousands of dollars coding that platform. So you can start with it, but you can start with something that you uniquely have, and that's your skill. Some skills take longer to acquire, some skills can be acquired in a matter of days, and we're going to talk about some of those in-demand skills in this email.

Turning Skills into Profit: Mastering the Silicon Valley Mindset

There is one very important thing I want you to remember: when you are putting a little bit extra into the service you're providing, you're ahead of so many people. I've seen this work many, many times. When I talk to the most talented entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley, yes, they are smart, but there are so many smart people. What I notice about them is that when they start doing something, they only do it if they have enough time to make it perfect. They say a lot of "NOs," but if they say "YES," they're 100% in it, even if it comes to a birthday party, even if it comes to helping someone. Have this mindset.

The 1.2 Rule: How Passion and Dedication Multiply Your Success!

I recently took a management training, and they told us about the concept of 1.2 people versus 0.8 people. When you keep multiplying something by 0.8, your value reduces tremendously. If you start multiple businesses where you are a 0.8 person, meaning you don't really care, you're just doing it for the money because somebody told you to, then your net worth or whatever your reputation is, multiplies by 0.8, which leads to zero. But if you start only a couple of businesses or do only a couple of things where you're a 1.2 person, meaning you're exceeding expectations, meaning you're always on time, meaning you're putting extra effort, then your business, your cash flow, is going to grow exponentially.

Success Secret: Passion and Diligence Trump Talent Every Time!

Again, I've seen this work so many times. You don't have to be extra talented. You don't have to be extra smart. You just have to be a little bit more passionate and diligent than the people surrounding you. Hopefully, this inspired you to pick the idea you really, really love because this is the basis for everything that you do.

Finding Your Niche: Overcoming Challenges and Finding Inspiration

I know that this all might sound really daunting, and it's really hard to find the right business idea. Sometimes it seems like the best niches are already taken, and this is probably why you're reading this email. This is why I always talk to other entrepreneurs and ask them, "What are you guys working on? How is it going?" It's just good to see other people's ideas to inspire yourself.

Explore 57 Innovative Business Ideas for Your Next Venture!

If you want to unlock your entrepreneurial potential and discover more innovative business ideas, I recommend checking out this free database with 57 business ideas to jumpstart your new venture from HubSpot and My First Million. I've put it in the description for you to access for free. All ideas are intriguing and innovative, yet simple to start without requiring millions in initial investments. They're categorized into five sections: AI and Tech, Content and Education, Entertainment, Services and Retail, and Health and Wellness. All the ideas come straight from the My First Million podcast archives, so you can listen to a short podcast episode about each to dive deeper into the business idea.

AI Insights: Exploring Virtual Influencers and New Content Experiments!

Personally, I found the AI section very interesting to explore. I am taking notes, and the episode about virtual AI influencers inspired me to further experiment with my content. This database was made by HubSpot, which is today's email sponsor. A big shoutout to them for this free resource. Now, back to my business ideas.

Harnessing Your Background: Unique Insights for Business Ideas

Whenever you think about ideas, try to utilize your background. When I think about business ideas, I know I'm an Eastern European in the US, and things that I notice are very unique to me because I travel the world. I spent most of 2023 outside the US, and whenever I come back, I notice several things that other parts of the world have made almost perfect, and the US is still behind. I'm going to mention some of those things closer to the end of this email. Now, we're going to start with online businesses and then we're going to dive into offline businesses.

The AI Advantage: Rapid Iteration for Online Business Success

When we talk about online businesses, of course, we have to talk about AI. What's crazy about AI is that people who are able to iterate very quickly because there are so many tools that you can use to build a business now. You just can't spend a year or two years just building something out. I think it's great for beginners. You can just try something, see if it's working, see if people are buying it, and move on if you see that the idea is not really taking off.

Niche AI Applications: Building Custom Tools for Specific Needs

The second thing when you think of building something, try to think of a very niche application. It's very easy to build a custom AI tool these days. You can build your AI chatbot very quickly, and there

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I’ll see you in the next one!

To Your Success,

- Emran Ahmed | Founder & CEO of Zentara

PS: If you found this guide helpful, feel free to share it with your friends and family. Let’s help more people achieve their business goals

Emran Ahmed, CEO of Zentara, leads the company with a vision to empower businesses through innovative digital solutions. With a strong focus on cutting-edge strategies in AI, marketing, and automation, he drives Zentara to deliver exceptional value and growth for clients.