Starting a business can be a tough endeavour. It will take a lot of hours, a lot of hard work and a lot that you don’t know about running a business. It’s not for the faint-hearted. The good news is that we are blessed to live in one of the most entrepreneurial countries in the world. South African business owners are pioneers who paved a way for future generations. This blog will take a closer look at the entrepreneurial spirit that we have in South Africa and take a look at what business can be started with R1000.

Business owners start out with a lot of excitement and passion, after all, you’re in business to make money, become wealthy and make a bigger difference. But the question always remains, how do you get started? What business can I start with R1000 in South Africa? What it boils down to is that you have to ask yourself what you have to offer and then build a business around that.

Buying Wholesale & Selling for Profit

Something that’s easy to understand is buying in bulk and selling for a profit. It’s the quickest way to make a profit, but product selection is key. The important part is being able to identify a demand and then source supply within your budget.

You can buy white label coffee and sell it to local businesses around you. White label just means you create your own brand and sell it under your own name.

Or buy in bulk from importers and then sell to your network.

This doesn’t exclude starting your own e-commerce store, though it takes a lot of hard work and dedication to run a successful e-commerce store and we’d only recommend doing that once you’ve clearly identified the niche that you’re good at selling in.

E-Commerce Dropshipping

Dropshipping is the process of running an online store and selling stock straight from the supplier’s inventory to your customers.

To build an e-commerce store for under R1000 is going to be a challenge, but it’s not impossible. We’d recommend joining Insaka and doing their free 5-step course on how to start your own e-commerce store. They also have a bunch of great resources and a very active Facebook group.

To find dropshipping suppliers, check out Dropstore.

To get a domain, email and hosting, check out Domains.

Affiliate Marketing

If you have access to a phone or computer and an Internet connection, you can become an affiliate marketer.

The principle is simple. If sign up for an affiliate program and then start promoting those products and services to your network, or write product reviews about those services. When the companies you promote get a sale from your affiliate link, you earn a commission.

Some affiliate programs to join:

• Beachbum Online Surf Store Affiliate Program
• That Little Shop Affiliate Program
• The Business Director Affiliate Program

Virtual Assistant / Freelancer

Virtual assistants are professionals who provide services to clients from the comfort of their homes via the internet. They work on a freelance basis, taking on a large variety of services. You can make money as a virtual assistant (VA), and you can even start your own business doing this.

In order to become a virtual assistant, you need some unique skills. Things like data capturing are easy to come by for a very cheap rate online and naturally much more competitive, so it’s those with some more advanced skills who excel (excuse the pun).

So too, freelancing is simply being an independent resource that companies can contract in when they have the need. In order to be selected, you need skills and exposure in the right channels.

If you’re skilled at any of the following you can jump right in:

• project management
• graphic design
• social media management & marketing
• copywriting & editing
• Excel wizard
• admin & bookkeeping

Where to find freelance virtual assistant gigs

Websites like FreelanCEO, UpWork or Fiverr are great ways to register for free and be eligible to find freelance virtual assistant work. The most important thing is to be persistent and build up your positive reviews. It can take a few years to gain momentum but can be very lucrative once you’re a popular resource on the platform.

Mobile Meal Service

Good at making sarmies & delicious snacks? Why not buy the ingredients and start making lunch packs that you can sell to businesses near you? If you create a free Google My Business profile for your service you can gather reviews and gain momentum. You can also feed the less fortunate with produce that you don’t sell.

Social Media Influencer

This is something that takes a fair amount of skill to do properly, but the barrier to entry is low. If you have a large social media following and have a keen eye for fashion, sport & outdoors, food or similar, you stand a good chance to get paid to do social media promotion of brands. In this industry, visual appeal & subject matter expertise is critically important if you want to make a career of it. If you have the means to do video, you can also launch your own YouTube channel which you can monetise once you have a large enough following. Don’t make a mistake, this is hard work and while the leading influencers make it look effortless, the art of social media influence takes years to build up and perfect.

Conclusion

Apart from getting a job to pay your immediate bills, there are many options to start a new business for R1000 or under in South Africa. We look forward to hearing your entrepreneurial stories! Interested to share business tips & advice? Why not become a contributor?