9 Cheap South African Businesses You Can Start Today

If you don’t have any start-up capital, you can still pursue your entrepreneurial dreams. Here are 11 simple, cheap business ideas that you can start today.

1. Business: Ready-Made Baby Food

Why start now

It’s the perfect time to launch a business that capitalises on higher numbers of working moms, parents who want their babies to eat healthier, home-cooked meals, with organic and vegan options, and an increasing number of healthy food farmstalls and websites that you can sell your products through.

What you need to get started

Step one is to get researching. What’s available at your local farm stalls and websites? Once you know what’s available, research international markets. Is there a gap in South Africa? Now it’s time to start experimenting. You’ll need access to a kitchen and cooking utensils, and healthy, farm fresh ingredients. You can start selling to your local community and through Facebook and grow from there.

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2. Business: Dropshipping ecommerce website

Why start now

The pandemic accelerated ecommerce growth in South Africa by between three and five years. South African consumers are comfortable shopping online and this will only continue to grow. There are also lots of businesses that are looking for additional sales channels, which you can deliver.

What you need to get started

All you need for a dropshipping ecommerce business is a website and a partnership with a reliable courier. You can set up a simple website through Shopify or WooCommerce, list products on your site and share your great deals on social media platforms.

You don’t need any upfront cash or warehousing space because you don’t carry the product. When you sell a product through your website, your courier fetches it from the seller, packages it and delivers it to your customer. All you really need are good contacts with different brands so that you can grow your inventory.

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3. Business: A tutoring business

Why start now

Our post-pandemic world is filled with kids who need extra lessons and adults who want to learn new skills. If you have a knack for languages, can play a musical instrument, or really understand maths, this is your opportunity to take your skills to the world, and make some cash in the process.

What you need to get started

Because most extra lessons and tutoring is now done online, you’ll need a computer and access to a stable WiFi signal. You could also do in-person lessons, but the fact that so much is now virtual opens your potential customer base up to anyone across South Africa – or even the world. The key to making this business work is your network. Join local Facebook groups and start advertising your service, and then ask your customers for referrals.

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4. Business: Virtual assistant

Why start now

There are many entrepreneurs whose small businesses are taking off, but they either don’t have offices yet, don’t need them because their teams are virtual, or they’re still too small to hire a full time receptionist and assistant. As a virtual assistant, you can fill this gap for a number of businesses – all from the comfort of your home.

What you need to get started

Great organisational skills, a phone, a computer and access to a stable WiFi connection.You’ll be working from home for a number of different clients, keeping track of calendars, setting appointments, doing clerical work and writing and answering emails. Once you’re set up, join local business-related social media groups and your local chamber of commerce to find your fist few clients.

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5. Business: Stock Photography

Why start now

South African businesses and agencies still rely heavily on international stock photography sites, but customers want to see localised images that reflect South Africa’s diversity. This presents a great opportunity for local photographers to join stock photography sites and contribute home-grown images. The best part is that once your images are up, your work is done – but you’ll continue to earn annuity income.

What you need to get started

A camera and some insights into the most searched terms on stock photography sites. You will need to spend some time researching the keywords and categories that you can contribute to, but you’ve got room to experiment. Loading your images on stock photography sites is free, so your only real cost is time. Every time a client uses your photo, you get paid with a markup amount. You can later build your own website to secure better corporate projects.

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6. Business: Social media freelancer

Why start now

Every business needs a social media account, but many businesses don’t have the internal skills to manage their own accounts but are too small to hire a large agency. Outsourcing their social media management is a great choice, and if you love to spend time on your Facebook or Instagram account and are familiar with these platforms, you could become a real asset to your clients.

What you need to get started

Some understanding of how Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Linkedin works is essential, as well as a basic policy guideline that you build with your clients to ensure that anything you post aligns with their brand objectives. From there, you’ll need to be a good writer who understands how to engage with audiences, but other than that, you don’t need anything else to launch this business.

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7. Business: Freelance writer

Why start now

Every business requires some content creation, from SEO writing for websites, to blogs, press releases and marketing collateral. Not everyone feels comfortable writing however, and many businesses cannot afford to invest in a full-time writer. This makes it a great opportunity for writers who want to freelance full time, or earn some extra side hustle cash, since you can write afterhours.

What you need to get started

A network that you can tap into and good writing skills. You’ll need great time management skills, particularly if you work with multiple clients, and a stable WiFi connection, since most of your work will be done online. Editing skills and proof-reading skills are also important, and add additional offerings to your toolkit.

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8. Business: Home baked goods

Why start now

Everyone might have rediscovered their baking skills during lockdown, but the reality is that most people don’t have the time (or the skills and inclination) to bake beautiful cakes and cupcakes for special events. If this is one of your skills, you can get this business up and running with minimal investment. Remember: People love hand-made and gourmet baked products – you just need to supply them.

What you need to get started

All you really need is a kitchen, cooking utensils, your ingredients and a flair for beautiful designs (and Pintrest is a great inspiration centre). Set up a Facebook page, join your local community groups and start posting photos of your beautiful creations. Make sure your lightning is excellent and ask your customers to comment, like and share your posts to gain more traction.

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9. Business: Start a blog

Why start now

People spend more time online than ever before, and with so many websites beginning to gate their content, it’s the perfect time for bloggers with low overheads to deliver free, niche content to like-minded audiences. But where’s the money you ask? You can either sell advertising, or leverage affiliate marketing to monetise your blog. Affiliate marketing is when you link your content to other brand websites for a small fee.

What you need to get started

A keen interest in topics that you can not only write about but are really knowledgeable in is important. Read as much as you can, stay on top of trends and build a community who you can share your latest blog posts with online. Authenticity is important. You’ll need to be willing to share who you are and what you care about with your readers – great blogs always draw on real-life experiences and views.