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How do you start a business with no money?

7 perspectives · Updated · 3 min read

Starting with no money changes the order of things. Most of the founders here sold something first and used the revenue to build the rest.

Mike Andes started mowing lawns at 11 with his dad's push mower and a $20 ad in the church bulletin. Nicolas Cole started broke in a studio apartment in Chicago and ghostwrote for free before he charged. Anand Sanwal sold research subscriptions before CB Insights had a product.

Their answers cover what to sell first, how to find customers without a budget, and when to spend.

The short answer

Sell before you spend. Most of these founders started with a service they could deliver themselves, got paid, and used that revenue to build what came next. Anand Sanwal funded CB Insights by selling subscriptions before the product existed.

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Who you should listen to

Seven founders, most of whom started with little or nothing, from the founder of a lawn care franchise to the former CTO of Coinbase. Listen for the starting point closest to the skills you have now.

  • Mike Andes · Founder of Augusta Lawn Care, Homeworks, and Mike Andes Media Group

    Listen for: Knocking doors and trading cheap first jobs for reviews and introductions.

  • Anand Sanwal · Founder of CB Insights, now co-founder of Forge Prep, a 6th to 12th grade school

    Listen for: Using customer cash to pay for the build.

  • Andrew Gazdecki · Founder and CEO of Acquire.com

    Listen for: Testing demand with a landing page before building anything.

  • Nicolas Cole · Co-founder of Ship 30 for 30 and Premium Ghostwriting Academy

    Listen for: Working for free first, then charging for the result.

  • Tiago Forte · Founder of Forte Labs and author of Building a Second Brain

    Listen for: Starting with service work instead of a product.

  • David Jenyns · Founder of SYSTEMology and systemHUB

    Listen for: Treating your time as your capital.

  • Balaji Srinivasan · Founder of The Network School and author of The Network State

    Listen for: A $10 domain, free tutorials, and a weekend prototype.

How do founders start a business with no money?

Mike Andes

Mike Andes

Founder of Augusta Lawn Care, Homeworks, and Mike Andes Media Group

Started mowing lawns at 11

Why themPractical for service business owners trying to get past $1M.

Mike’s advice: Knock doors, post locally, and trade the first cheap job for a review and neighbor introductions.

I started mowing lawns at 11 with my dad's push mower and a $20 ad in the church bulletin. If I had no money today, I'd knock doors, post in local Facebook groups, and offer the first job cheap or free in exchange for a review and three neighbor introductions. Revenue fixes almost every early problem; spend your time selling before you spend a dollar on branding.

Answered by their Delphi on .
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Anand Sanwal

Anand Sanwal

Founder of CB Insights, now co-founder of Forge Prep, a 6th to 12th grade school

Founded CB Insights

Why themLeft a data company to rethink school and can explain why.

Anand’s advice: Sell to customers before you build, and let their cash pay for the product.

I started CB Insights with no outside funding by selling research subscriptions before we built the product, using customer cash to pay for the build. Find a problem people already pay to solve, get them to pay you to solve it, and let revenue fund the next step.

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Andrew Gazdecki

Andrew Gazdecki

Founder and CEO of Acquire.com

Helped 2,000+ founders sell

Why themClear on when and how to sell a startup.

Andrew’s advice: A landing page and $20 a day in ads to test demand, then build once people click.

I started Bizness Apps with basically nothing: a landing page, a fake buy button that 404'd, and $20 a day in ads to see if anyone would click. When they did, I built the thing.

Answered by their Delphi on .
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Nicolas Cole

Nicolas Cole

Co-founder of Ship 30 for 30 and Premium Ghostwriting Academy

Ghostwritten for 300+ leaders

Why themGood for anyone starting to write online or building a writing business.

Nicolas’s advice: Started broke, ghostwrote for free first, then charged for the result.

I started broke in a studio apartment in Chicago and got to $20,000 a month as a writer in under 60 days by ghostwriting for free first, then charging for the result.

Answered by their Delphi on .
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Tiago Forte

Tiago Forte

Founder of Forte Labs and author of Building a Second Brain

Author of Building a Second Brain

Why themPractical on organizing notes and digital information.

Tiago’s advice: Start with small service gigs for income and learning, before building a product.

I started Forte Labs with small consulting gigs after quitting my job in 2013, designing a friend's website for $50 and helping a local business with social media. Service work gave me income, flexibility, and the learning that later became courses and books, so I'd start there rather than building a product first.

Answered by their Delphi on .
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David Jenyns

David Jenyns

Founder of SYSTEMology and systemHUB

Author and founder

Why themHelps owners document processes so the business runs without them.

David’s advice: Your time is your capital: one simple offer, ten people who need it, and sell before you build.

I started Melbourne SEO Services with basically nothing by selling a service I could deliver myself, then used the revenue to hire and build systems. If you have no money, your time is your capital: pick one simple offer, find ten people who need it, and sell before you build anything fancy.

Answered by their Delphi on .
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Balaji Srinivasan

Balaji Srinivasan

Founder of The Network School and author of The Network State

Former CTO of Coinbase

Why themOriginal thinking on crypto, governance, and new kinds of communities.

Balaji’s advice: A $10 domain, free tutorials, free tools, and an ugly prototype shipped over a weekend.

I would buy a $10 domain, learn to code from free tutorials, and ship an ugly prototype over a weekend. Everything else, AWS free tier, open-source libraries, and Twitter, costs zero if you give value before you ask.

Answered by their Delphi on .
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Everyone’s advice at a glance

How 7 people answer: How do you start a business with no money?
WhoTheir advice
Mike AndesFounder of Augusta Lawn Care, Homeworks, and Mike Andes Media GroupKnock doors, post locally, and trade the first cheap job for a review and neighbor introductions.
Anand SanwalFounder of CB Insights, now co-founder of Forge Prep, a 6th to 12th grade schoolSell to customers before you build, and let their cash pay for the product.
Andrew GazdeckiFounder and CEO of Acquire.comA landing page and $20 a day in ads to test demand, then build once people click.
Nicolas ColeCo-founder of Ship 30 for 30 and Premium Ghostwriting AcademyStarted broke, ghostwrote for free first, then charged for the result.
Tiago ForteFounder of Forte Labs and author of Building a Second BrainStart with small service gigs for income and learning, before building a product.
David JenynsFounder of SYSTEMology and systemHUBYour time is your capital: one simple offer, ten people who need it, and sell before you build.
Balaji SrinivasanFounder of The Network School and author of The Network StateA $10 domain, free tutorials, free tools, and an ugly prototype shipped over a weekend.

How to start a business with no money, step by step

  1. Start with a service. Tiago Forte and David Jenyns both started by selling a service they could deliver themselves. Tiago's first job was designing a friend's website for $50.

  2. Sell before you build. Anand Sanwal sold research subscriptions before the product existed and used that cash to pay for the build.

  3. Test demand cheaply. Andrew Gazdecki put up a landing page with a buy button that led nowhere and spent $20 a day on ads. When people clicked, he built it.

  4. Trade early work for proof. Mike Andes would offer the first job cheap or free in exchange for a review and three neighbor introductions. Nicolas Cole ghostwrote for free before charging for the result.

  5. Use free tools. Balaji Srinivasan would buy a $10 domain, learn to code from free tutorials, and use free tiers and open-source libraries.

  6. Let revenue fund the next step. Anand Sanwal used customer cash to build CB Insights, and David Jenyns used early revenue to hire and build systems.

Where they disagree

They differ on what to sell first. Tiago Forte, David Jenyns, and Mike Andes start with a service. Balaji Srinivasan and Andrew Gazdecki start with a product: a weekend prototype or a landing page that tests demand. Nicolas Cole's service work started unpaid: he ghostwrote for free to prove the result, then charged.

Frequently asked questions

Can you start a business with no money?

The founders here did it with very little. Mike Andes started with a push mower and a $20 ad, and Nicolas Cole started broke and reached $20,000 a month as a writer in under 60 days.

What business can I start with no money?

Most of them suggest a service you can deliver yourself. Mike Andes started with lawn care, Tiago Forte with small website and social media jobs, and David Jenyns with an SEO services business.

Should I work for free to get started?

Some of them did, briefly. Nicolas Cole ghostwrote for free before charging for the result, and Mike Andes would do the first job cheap or free in exchange for a review and introductions.

The bottom line

Sell a service you can deliver now, use the revenue to build, and spend money only after customers have paid. Then ask the founder whose start looks like yours what they'd do first.

How this page was made

We asked this question to founders on Delphi. Each quote is that person's Delphi answering in their own words, built from their own writing, talks, and interviews, and shown as given. Delphi wrote the introduction, the summary, and the steps from their answers. Last checked .

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