In a world that’s knee deep in a financial recession, a lot of people are looking for ways to earn more money. Whether as a replacement for what they do, or as a means to complement their existing income, the fact of the matter is, money is harder to get by these days. One of the easiest and safest way to augment your income without breaking the bank is by setting up an online business. With the Internet explosion, this is a good idea.

When setting up a physical store, there are many expenses to consider. Starting with the business permit, which costs money and is a hassle to get. Then there’s the rent, unless you have your own place in a commercial area. The staff you hire will have to get paid monthly. Then you need to renovate the store, install a security system, add furniture, pay the utility bills, and many more! Try to add all those expenses up, and let’s see if you are still keen on starting your own brick and mortar store for your business.

Now, for a business that is online, here’s what you would likely spend for: a domain name (roughly $5 a month, more or less), someone to build your website, someone to market your website and a “click to buy” service. Not much right? But also remember, you can lessen that even further if you really want to save. You can use a free blog service for starters (many small businesses use Multiply or Wordpress), you can bypass the website developer then since free blogs usually have a relatively simple template and layout for you to work on, and as for marketing, you can even learn SEO, or search engine optimization, on your own.

Now as for the “click to buy” service, what can we do to bypass that part? You can start the trustworthy route and ask buyers of your product to send money to your bank account, or you can use paypal. Paypal is your best bet since it’s free and it gives relative security for both the buyer and seller. Of course having a paid service will work better, but if you are really strapped for cash then paypal is the way. But you would have to work overtime to build up your buyer’s trust of course. Not many are willing to give cash instantly to someone they don’t know.

What’s mentioned above are not the be all of doing online business of course. There are many other factors to consider, but the main point is that, doing business online is way cheaper than having to start a business with a physical store. And the best thing about working in the Internet? You can work anywhere. Whether it is from home, or by the beach with a cold beer or margarita in your hand, you can work anywhere. Though this would mean you would have to be connected all the time, you need to invest in a sound data plan with a good phone so you can check you emails and confirm orders and what not regularly. Unless you enjoy a daily commute to a cramped space to work in, I’m afraid this is one expense you cannot bypass. Nevertheless, if you think about it, it is worth it.