02/07/2026
Head bowed 🙏
9 BUSINESS IDEAS YOU CAN START WITH UNDER $300
Everyone keeps saying "I don't have capital to start anything." Nonsense. Here's 9 businesses you can literally start with less than $300, some even less than $50. No excuses, just ex*****on. Save this post
1. FITNESS TRAINER
You don't even need a location, your neighbourhood is your gym. Target older working men and women who want to stay fit but don't have time or knowledge to do it right. All you need is a solid understanding of basic health and fitness principles, comfortable clothes, and consistency. Word of mouth will do the rest.
2.PHOTOCOPYING & PRINTING
Get yourself a small 3-in-1 machine (print, scan, copy).
Laptop, printer and cartridge, you're looking at under $60 to start. Charge as little as 10 cents a copy. For CVs, download free templates online and customize them for people, this is where the real money is, everyone needs a CV updated at some point.
3. PEST CONTROL SERVICES
Spend two weeks learning the basics of pest control, YouTube and Google will teach you enough to start. You don't need much, a knapsack sprayer is under $20 and pesticides aren't expensive either. Charge per room and you'll be surprised how many houses and offices need this regularly.
4. MAPUTI (roasted maize & peanuts)
Buy cheap maize and peanuts in bulk, repackage into smaller portions, and supply to tuckshops and small businesses around you. The profit per packet is small, but the turnover is fast, sell today, restock tomorrow, keep the cash moving.
5.BAKING BUSINESS
Learn to make a few solid items, samosas, scones, cakes, that's enough to start. Doesn't need to be fancy, it needs to taste good and look good. The real work here is your marketing and sales, people are buying baked goods everywhere, you need to convince them to buy from YOU.
6.CCTV INSTALLATION
Got a technical aptitude? One week of training online or from someone already doing it and you're ready to make money.
Go around malls, spazas, small shops and offer to install for them. Don't only push the big 4-channel systems, also offer the cheap WiFi camera setups, more people can afford those and it opens up a bigger market for you.
7.CONTENT CREATION
All you need is a phone with a decent camera. Pick a niche, business, health, skincare, comedy, whatever you're actually passionate about and can talk about consistently.
Money comes in through brand deals, affiliate sales (selling other people's products), or pushing your own products/services. Consistency is what separates people who make it from people who quit after two weeks.
8.SMALL SCALE FARMING
Start with quick turnover items, poultry (broilers), lettuce, chomolia (covo). These give you daily or weekly income instead of waiting months for a return. Perfect if you have even a small backyard space to work with.
9. CLEANING OR LAUNDRY SERVICES
Low capital, high demand. Busy working people and businesses always need someone reliable to clean or do laundry.
Start with your own neighbourhood, build a reputation for being consistent and trustworthy, and referrals will bring you more clients than any advert will.
Capital is not really the problem for most of these, it's starting. Pick one that matches your skill
