We have all had the scenario where we’ve hit the snooze button one too many times on a Monday morning. The thought of having to head out to work again can take its toll. We all have bills to pay, though. So it is easy to see why more and more people are choosing to start their own businesses or start working freelance. When your time is your own, and you only have to answer to yourself, it can make ‘heading out’ to work much more bearable.

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But doesn’t it take a lot of money to get your own business up and running? What if you don’t have the cash upfront?

So then you might start thinking about some low-cost business ideas to get you started. Many people turn to a blog, since it seems to have a relatively small upfront cost in return for a greater earning potential. 

How much will it cost to set up, though?

The start-up costs of a blog are pretty minimal, but it can grow to a large sum.

You’ll need to decide on a hosting platform and then pay for the hosting and domain name. But paid over each month, it can be as little as $10 a month.

If you don’t have a laptop or computer that will work for it, then that can be an upfront cost, too. A decent laptop that will work for blogging can cost as little as $200. I suggest going to your local pawn shop. Often, you can find high-end laptops for a third of the price.

If you want to hone your skills and improve things like the photography on your blog, then investing in a decent camera is a good idea. My choice is the Canon Rebel T6i. This Rebel T6i kit comes with a new camera, filters, memory cards and other photography accessories for a low price. It runs around $500, which is less than what most sites sell the camera for alone.

The design of your blog is a key factor in turning your blog into a successful business. So if you’re not too savvy with tech, it might be worth hiring someone like a Divi Expert to design your site for you. You want it to be a responsive site so that it will work well on tablets and mobile devices. You also want it to look good and flow well, so your readers can find that they want easily, and not just click off. If it looks quite messy, then people will just give up. So that could be an expense worth investing in. Costs vary, depending on who you hire.

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Once you start to churn out posts, it might be worth spending a little to make your life easier. As your blog gets popular, then it could be worth hiring someone like a virtual assistant, just for a couple of hours a week. They could edit photos for you, do some of your social media, or even write out some blog posts. If you hire from abroad, then the cost can be pretty minimal. Virtual assistants can run the gamut in fees, so shop around.

Also, when you get a few people subscribing to your blog, then it might be time to look into a decent email subscribe mailing system. Then you can update them with a newsletter from time to time, for example. This can cost around $30-$50 per month.

Though it may be more than you expected, the start up costs of a blog are low when compared to other businesses, but the potential is massive if you have a good niche. 

Note: This post contains affiliate links.