The Covid-19 pandemic has left most of the economies of the world in a downward spiral. Businesses across sectors have suffered much. Some were even forced to shut down. As the world grapples with the new normal, not all hope is lost for businesses. Some existing businesses took a new approach in their operations, while other completely new ones cropped up as well. And what are these pandemic proof business ideas? Let's find out.  Difficulties to start a new business during the pandemic  Starting a new business is a complex task. There are a lot of legal as well as product-related aspects that hinder a business.  While businesses are adopting online platforms, physical business still makes up for the considerable chunk of revenue. One of the common issues faced by businesses during the pandemic is the lack of favorable conduction to carry on physical business. This is true for new businesses as well.  Read: How to Test and Validate Your Startup Idea? In addition to that, the lockdown in certain countries has caused product sourcing issues. Lack of external funds and worker shortage are also some other aspects that are working as a constraint to start a business during the pandemic.  However, the scenario is changing. As the world is coming to terms with new normal, businesses are finding workarounds to their daily processes. New opportunities are showing up regardless of the situation. Let's look at some of them.  Small businesses ideas during the pandemic Online Reseller  One of the paradigm shifts has been the move of businesses from localized stores to online platforms. In the context of Bangladesh, the change has been even more apparent. Out of the total 7000 Crore BDT of commercial transactions, 1000 Crore BDT was through e-commerce in the FY 2019-20. This says a lot about the potential of the sector as an effective alternative to the traditional business models.  Online reselling has had the gross chunk in the F-commerce share. With appropriate patronage, the sector can move further forward.  Read Women Loans in Bangladesh: Best Schemes for Female Entrepreneurs Social Media Services  The move of businesses to an online platform has opened new opportunities surrounding it. Most of the traditional retail businesses in Bangladesh are run by people with little knowledge of F commerce or digital platforms. As a result, there was an innate need for F-commerce and digital platform solutions that can cater to the growing urge of shifting business to online platforms.  In addition to these, the new startups require the help of social media specialists and digital marketers for the online promotion of their products and services. Whether it is digital marketing, marketplace creation or simply handling social media, there is a robust business opportunity for the individual as well as teams. And that is the focus of the next point.  Digital Consultation  Digital consultation is the online-based version of traditional consultation. With the pandemic in effect, the change in work and business conduction can work in favor of transforming consultation services.  Read:Late Blooming Billionaires: Story of successful people who started late in life Consider the impact of Covid-19 on a field and get familiarized with the change management process. There are a lot of businesses waiting to make the jump to the online platform. It is now easier than ever to offer consultation as well as logistical and training for the shift to these businesses.  Graphic Design Agency  This one is stream-based and only applies to people with considerable graphics skills. While businesses shift to online, there arises the need for advertisement. In addition to adverts, there are various other types of graphical needs, like creation of logos, business cards, brochures, etc. Whether its office or businesses, the need for graphics designers are there irrespective of the sector.  This can be a great opportunity for the up-and-coming graphics designers. They can start a graphics design industry alone or by being part of a team. Those who are looking for zero investment business ideas can opt for the skill based startups. This service based business ventures can be a good way to utilize skills without considerable investments.  Read:Investment: What Factors to Consider before Investing Money? App Development  Whether it is a small-scale food startup or big transportations service, the customers can reach the service providers through an efficient app.  A study conducted on American phone users found that over 90% of mobile phone users use their mobile time browsing apps. Though exact data are not available, the situation is somewhat similar for the Bangladeshi demographic as well. This is a wonderful scope for the app developers. With the app service industry expected to cross 800 billion USD in revenue by 2022, this is a golden opportunity to tap into the ecosystem.  The developers can focus on service integration for various business platforms. The shift of business to online platforms is opening up service needs that were not present previously. Apps can work as a great business and revenue generation source by addressing these needs.  Read Common Challenges faced by Startups in 2021 Virtual Tutoring  The paradigm shift is not noticeable in the service and business sector only.  Its implication is seen in the educational sector as well, especially in the case of Bangladesh. As schools and other educational institutions are going through shutdowns, online learning has become a sort of new normal for the students.  Virtual tutoring can be a great option to utilize this shift. It can be premade courses on a specific subject topic or even live classes. Regardless of the means, the opportunity can be endless considering there is no boundary or limitation involved in teaching online.  Read:Investment Opportunities in Bangladesh amid Pandemic Cloud Kitchen  Love cooking? Then now is the time to turn it into a profitable business. Like everything else, the pandemic has also shifted people's focus from eating out at restaurants to eating from the comfort and safety of their own homes. And that has increased the dependency on food delivery services like Pathao, Foodpanda, and Shohoz in Bangladesh.  The fortunate thing is in addition to restaurants, these delivery platforms also partner with home cooks to showcase their menu on their app. As a result, it's possible to build a robust cloud kitchen business from the comfort of the home. Culinary skills are all that’s needed to shine in this line.  Read Seed Fund Raising for Startups: Things to Know About Virtual Medical consultation  While the country battles the impact of Covid-19, the need for general consultation for other diseases has not stopped. But many people are fearful of going out to chambers or hospitals due to the fear of the pandemic. Virtual medical consultations can be a great workaround in this regard. Common and basic diagnostics can be done through verbal communication and checking the symptoms of the patient online. As a doctor, this can make way for added service generation in addition to normal duties.  Read:F-commerce in Bangladesh: Problems and Prospects Final Thoughts  The overall impact of the pandemic has been negative on every aspect of life. However, that does not take away the opportunities it has presented. With the changing social interactions and processes, it may very well make way for innovative pandemic-friendly small business ideas not thought of before.

Business requires investment. But due to the multifarious effect of the COVID-19 pandemic situation, it is difficult for many people to start a business with huge investments. What if you want to save money and simultaneously want to start a new business? Interestingly! some business ideas require creativity and exclusive ideas rather than lump sum money! Here are a few zero investment business ideas to try amidst the pandemic. Low investment business ideas Starting a Dropshipping Store E-commerce hasn’t seen a surge quite like 2020 as the pandemic has forced many at home. With many retail outlets shut and lockdowns becoming routine in some parts of the world, the online platform was the immediate option for shoppers globally, while delivery services were working overtime. Dropshipping is a business model that resembles e-commerce, but the goal is to be a third-party distributor that coordinates with suppliers, locally or globally. When supplied to your e-store, customers can enjoy your catalogue of products with an altered price based on your targeted figure. Read Work from Home, Earn and Be Your Own Boss Without any investment, this becomes a solid way to serve as a platform for affordable goods and experiment the demand for certain products within your demographic. Committing to a small portion for a couple of months is a safe start and feeling your audiences from there would give you a better indication of which suppliers are better suited to your needs. Committing to a niche range of products in a specific market has its pros and cons: One of the biggest pros would be reducing your competitors, establishing a better organized network of suppliers and a better understanding of your customers. The cons would be its toll on your company’s branding during the early phase, being overshadowed by newer trends and unprecedented costs as suppliers change prices. Read How to Earn Money from Instagram Design and Sell Printed Merchandise Kind of dropshipping, but headed towards a niche. Websites like Redbubble and Society 6 offer brandless products such as bags, mugs, t-shirts and much more to consumers - strictly online. But the twist is that these companies collaborate with artists from all over the world who want to showcase their art pieces on a commercial scale. The term is Print On Demand (POD) and designers who successfully sell their pieces online receive a cut from each sale, giving consumers the flexibility to be the selling party as well. Also Read: Bangladesh achieved commendable success in e-commerce during pandemic Designs do not necessarily have to equate to art; logos, doodles and even texts can make their mark as the next big thing on your platform, while you get to keep at 70% to 90% margin. If you choose to go down this path, getting suppliers of your brandless products becomes easier and harder at the same time. Easier because you can go for the absolute cheapest products in the market as its quality is superseded by the print on them. It gets harder reading the market and knowing the print industry, as certain products will be in demand that you might have missed out on, or certain products that have already been procured may translate print poorly. To commit to this field also means incentivising artists to upload their work on your platform, rather than your competitors - which is where assessing your costs and risks delicately becomes incredibly important. Read How to Earn Money from YouTube Channel  Sell For a Charitable Cause This is where product sales can start to go offline if retail restrictions are not hindered in your area. Regardless of what you sell, the marketing strategy is to highlight the cause of each purchase and how much of the money will go to a charitable organization. Collaborating with various charities is a good way to raise awareness for the specific field - where your company becomes a bridge for charities and the average consumer, while still getting to make a profit. Much like the design idea, a cut of each sale will go to your partner and making 100% of the sales is something to avoid expecting when getting into this area of business. Read Quarantine Income Opportunities: How to Earn Money during Lockdown Period? The most important strategy to get started on this business model is to find a charity that truly resonates with you. Whether it is the elderly, students who can’t afford an education or abuse victims, finding “your calling” is the key to making the entire business process seamless and even exciting. Believing in a cause and spending some time with the charities before approaching the marketing and sales angle will give you more insight into ways the profit can actually help the organizations. Consumers love to be informed and giving a cost breakdown with testimonials added to the mix can make all the difference in the success of your business. Read Best Personal Loans in Bangladesh to Make Your Dream Come True Sell Digital Services The online world is vast; so vast that your options to start up a digital service are almost endless. A mix of software knowledge, understanding of the market trends and creativity are all needed to pull this off. Although it may seem intimidating at first, the large pluses stem from not needing to coordinate with suppliers, distributors, manufacturing and shipping. Providing an online service doesn't have to be a radically new idea that revolutionises the commercial market; it can also be a massive improvement on a digital platform that already exists. Also Read: How to Earn Money from Facebook Whether it is photo editing, project management, fitness scheduling or even music editing - the key is to find the niche that best suits your talents and interests, then set up from there. A user-friendly interface can be considered as the meat and potatoes of your selling point to begin with. Notice certain companies making stellar business models on desktops that poorly translate mobile? Your digital service can take advantage of this and provide consumers with hassle-free solutions. Innovation doesn’t come easy, but market statistics have never been more transparent, which allows you to identify gaps in certain\ industries that will let you make your mark seamlessly. Read How to Create a Personal Website on WordPress. Bottom Line The pandemic has turned a lot of businesses over on their heads; with certain industries taking the brunt of the global economic downturn, while other unassuming businesses rising to demand spikes globally. Pay cuts and layoffs have made the economy an intimidating place for new businesses to strive while struggling workers turn their attention to more cost-effective fields to make ends meet. In this article, we have discussed some low investment business ideas that you can try during the pandemic situation. Pick the idea that suits most your interest, passion, and creativity. Hope it helps! Read F-commerce entrepreneurs rising significantly: Palak