These days, you don’t need an office, a website, or even a laptop to get a small business going. If you’ve got a smartphone in your pocket, it can help you to launch a small enterprise or a side hustle that allows you to generate cash without making massive capital outlays.
TCL looks at some ways you can use your smartphone to kickstart a business of your own, whether that’s selling goods, renting out accommodation, taking on freelance gigs, or doing odd jobs in your spare time. Here’s how to turn your Android device into a money-making machine with just a few apps.
Sell stuff you don’t need or want anymore
Have you lost your interest in collecting retro videogames? Are you replacing an old TV or washing machine with a new one? Or do you have some vinyl records or an old bicycle gathering dust in the garage? You can use your smartphone to turn your unwanted and unneeded possessions into cash with apps like:
- Facebook, which offers a popular marketplace and hosts many neighbourhood communities;
- Gumtree, one of South Africa’s most biggest classifieds sites with millions of buyers and sellers; and
- Locanto, which offers free user-to-user classified ads in major cities in South Africa.
- Launch your own online store
You don’t need to be a tech wizard to start selling online. There are a lot of apps that can help you run your own ecommerce store straight from your phone, whether you’re selling custom T-shirts, baked goods or handmade jewellery. Many of them feature integrated payments gateways and access to delivery services to make life easy for you.
Examples are:
- Etsy, a global marketplace for independent traders that sell handcrafted stuff;
- Shopify, which handles everything from marketing to payments, including mobile payments, a secure shopping cart, and shipping; and
- WooCommerce, an ecommerce plugin for WordPress websites that helps you manage your business on the go.
- List your home or room on rental apps
If you’ve got a spare room, an unused granny cottage or a holiday home, you can rent it out to business travellers or tourists. You can set your own rules, prices, and availability—great for holiday seasons or event weekends. Always communicate through the app and review guest profiles before accepting bookings. Apps you can use include:
- Airbnb lets your list your space in a few steps and start attracting guests; and
- LekkeSlaap, South Africa’s leading local accommodation booking site.
- Get gigs as a freelancer
There’s a global market for your skills if you’re a writer, designer, coder or translator. Apps like Upwork and Fiverr make it easy to pitch for short-term freelance projects. You can set your rates, work remotely, and get paid in foreign currency. Build a solid profile with work samples and focus on getting positive reviews to land bigger and more lucrative gigs over time.
- Do odd jobs for cash
If you’re handy and have invested in your own tools, have a car, or just like helping people out, apps like Luvo connect you with local tasks, anything from assembling furniture to delivering groceries. It’s perfect if you want flexible work you can pick up on weekends or after hours.
- Use social media to market your hustle
Even the best product won’t sell if no one knows about it. That’s where social media comes in. Use platforms like Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube to show off what you do, connect with customers, and build your brand. Some helpful apps to put on your phone include:
- Canva – Design eye-catching posts and stories;
- CapCut – Edit videos for TikTok and Instagram;
- Meta Business Suite – Schedule posts for Facebook and Instagram in one place;
- Snapseed – Quickly touch up product photos; and
- Hootsuite – Manage multiple accounts at once.
