So you have no or very little money, and you want to start an online business. Well, cheers to the enthusiasm because it is certainly possible. Although Shopify is free, there are some necessary expenses you need to pay to keep your store up and to run. Let’s get how you can open a Shopify Plus store with almost no money.

Can you open a Shopify store without any money?

No, you cannot. Well, technically you can because you get a 14-day free trial, and after that, you have to pay for the Shopify plan that starts at $29. You can take the free route as well, but then, you will have a URL with the extension “.myshopify.com.” Moreover, once you have 50 orders in your belly, you have to pay for a Shopify plan. Therefore, you open a Shopify store for free, but you have to pay for Shopify Plus or other plans when you get success.

How to get a store running with almost no money?

Here is a quick guide to how you can set up and run a Shopify store without spending almost no money from your pocket. Your goal should be to make at least $65 in the first 14 days of your store, so you can pay for the plan from the sales you generate. Here is a quick guide to follow.

Launch your store

The first step to running a dropshipping business is to launch a store. Here are the steps to get your store started.

• Select a store name
• Register for free Shopify Plus account
• Pick a store theme
• Create and add a logo
• Prepare your standard pages, such as About Us, Privacy & Returns Policy, Terms & Conditions, Contact Us, and Shipping & Delivery Information.
• Add payment gateway
• Tweak shipping settings
• Set up billing information

Find suppliers

Once your dropshipping store is ready, it’s time to look for suppliers. AliExpress dropshipping is the most popular dropshipping platform and is the perfect place to start your online business. Although the dropshipping model has its pros and cons, it is the only scalable and lucrative business, and you can start with no money.

Add products to wish list: Go to AliExpress.com and search for products you are willing to sell. Ther are several factors that come into play when selecting the best products, so make sure you pick them wisely. Once you find the ideal products, add them to the wishlist.

Import products with Oberlo

You can manually install products to your store as well by using an app like Oberlo. Once you integrate Oberlo to your store, the order will be automatically shipped once a customer places an order.

Make your store better

Once you have added products, here are a few enhancements to make in your store.

• Install the Free Trust Seals App
• Add multiple currencies
• Create an FAQ page
• Use Omnisend to collect emails and retarget abandoned carts
• Design product banners

Market your product

Marketing is essential to make sales on Shopify. Here are a few free marketing strategies you can use.

• By writing Reddit posts
• By sharing products in Facebook groups
• By writing Tumblr blogs
• Using Wanelo to sync your store
• Forum commenting
• Commenting on blog posts, YouTube videos, and social media posts

Wrapping it up

The above process might look daunting to complete in a strict 14-day period. Although it is, if you don’t want to invest money in Shopify Plus plans, then you have to increase your efforts in generating sales with the free version. If you have some money to spend, be sure to invest it in marketing a product you feel can do well.