Selling and More: Business Ideas with 50K Capital in the Philippines

Sometimes, a lot of business ideas—no matter how brilliant they are—remain scribbles on a notepad and don’t see the light of day. There’s a valid reason for that: some entrepreneurs fear the costs associated with running a business.

It’s possible to overcome such capital-related fears, thanks to certain industry changes. Thanks to the presence of various online selling platforms and easy access to affordable suppliers, becoming a business owner is now within reach.

Ultimately, capital shouldn’t be a big problem these days as long as you have certain skills and no large overheads. Raring to start? Here are business ideas with 50K capital in the Philippines.

Top 15 Business Ideas with 50K Capital in the Philippines

If you don’t know where to start, let these business ideas with up to ₱50,000 capital in the Philippines give you some inspiration. Some of these ventures may be in line with your strengths or interests.

Online Tutorial Services

• Startup cost: ₱40,000
• Potential monthly income: ₱10,000 and up

A business under 50K pesos? Yes, there is! If you have around ₱40,000, you can buy a decent laptop or desktop computer, pay for fiber internet installation fees, and purchase a reliable headset. Then start an online tutorial business that can cater to students of all ages.

You have the opportunity to earn at least ₱10,000 a month, depending on the scope of your services. You can even apply as a teacher online and teach students of different nationalities, minus the eligibility documents like a transcript of records or teaching certificates.

So if you have a knack for getting kids to listen to you and a decent academic track record, consider online tutoring as a business.

Blogging/Writing

• Startup cost: ₱30,000
• Potential monthly income: ₱12,000 to ₱40,000, or even higher

“There are so many options to choose from when it comes to monetizing a blog,” says Jason Acidre, author of Kaiserthesage.com, a blog about SEO and content marketing.^[1] “Consider affiliate marketing, ad displays, or selling products and/or services when blogging.”

What does it take to start a successful blog? According to Jason, it's “research and writing skills, knowledge in building traffic and your personal brand, building relationships with your network, and identifying opportunities.”

If you have a penchant for wordplay, turn your writing hobby into a business with 50K capital. Be it writing online articles or the next Harry Potter saga, there are numerous ways to generate income through writing.

With ₱30,000, you can get a standard laptop. Type away on Microsoft Word or Google Docs to be a contributor for online blogs and websites, a freelancer on Upwork or Onlinejobs.ph, or a novel writer, ghostwriter, or self-publisher.

Of course, if you want to self-publish, there are additional costs, like editor and book design fees, as well as marketing and promotional expenses.

Digital Marketing Consultant  

• Startup cost: ₱40,000
• Potential monthly income: ₱25,000 and up

There are two paths to take here. First, you may choose to work as a social media consultant, especially if you already have a background in content creation and digital analytics. As a social media consultant, you’ll come up with a strategy to boost your client’s presence on social media. You’ll decide on posting schedules and even engage with the social media page’s followers, depending on the scope of your consultancy.

Your second option is to become a digital producer or project manager. Usually, digital producers put together a team consisting of a web designer, developer, writer, and SEO specialist to meet the client’s marketing objectives.

If you already have a powerful laptop or desktop computer, you don’t need to worry about the startup cost. Otherwise, prepare to shell out around ₱40,000 for a reliable machine. Some project management tools, on the other hand, can be accessed online for free.

Virtual Assistant

• Startup cost: ₱35,000
• Potential monthly income: ₱25,000 and up

Got strong experience in clerical work? Consider becoming a virtual assistant. For those not familiar with the title, virtual assistants are professionals who fulfill administrative work for large companies or entrepreneurs. Primarily, you’ll perform secretarial duties, such as scheduling meetings, sending emails, and booking flights.

However, you can bring more to the table by offering specialized skills, such as social media management, content writing, editing, and customer service. You can increase your pay with these expert services.

The earning potential is pretty big if you have a flexible schedule, as you can accommodate more clients.

Accessory Business

• Startup cost: ₱10,000
• Potential monthly income: ₱5,000 to ₱20,000

Love doing handicrafts and all things kikay? Capitalize on people’s need for expression by selling cute and artsy accessories.

₱10,000 is a good amount for the capital, but it can increase depending on factors such as expensive materials. The use of leather can also raise your startup cost to ₱30,000.

The initial amount, though, is enough to cover labor, materials, overhead costs, product development, and even website design for accessories such as small pouches, bracelets, and drawstring bags.

“If you want to start selling accessories, then online channels are your best bet for distribution,” says Pat of Bahia Accessories, an online store selling unique, handcrafted goods from rope, fabric, and other scrap materials. “Not only is online the cheapest means, but you’ll be able to reach a wider audience through social media.”

Upon establishing your business worth 50K in the Philippines, you can join tiangges and craft markets to further expand your reach. This is one of the easiest and most profitable 50K business ideas in the Philippines, especially if you have a passion for designing and wearing accessories!

Read more: 20 Profitable Home-Based Business Ideas You Can Start in 2023

Online Retail Store

• Startup cost: ₱15,000 to 20,000
• Potential monthly income: ₱10,000 to ₱15,000

CJ, an online retail entrepreneur, started her business with ₱20,000, which was enough to cover expenses for materials, labor, and photo shoots for marketing and promotional purposes. For her, aside from capital, it’s important to keep one’s passion going.

“You need the passion to last. It’s exciting at first—starting a clothing business—but once the thrill dies down and the responsibilities set in, you have to keep going,” she says when asked about the ins and outs of starting her store.

“Aside from passion, you have to accompany that with innovation and financial knowledge,” she adds. “With the rapid pace at which trends are set, you need to keep your client base interested. This does not only encompass the designs of your clothes but other initiatives as well. As for financial knowledge, it’s important to do the math. A cost-benefit analysis will allow you mathematical proof of whether your venture will be worthwhile or not.”

You can use Facebook, Instagram, or Carousell to set up shop. There’s also Shopee and Lazada if you want to play with retail giants.

Apart from clothes, consider selling shoes, bags, and beauty products, as these are popular and fast-selling. You can also sell grocery items online and arrange delivery, especially since people prefer to buy online these days than fall in line at the grocery store.

Sari-Sari Store  

• Startup cost: ₱5,000 to ₱15,000
• Potential monthly income: ₱10,000 to ₱20,000 (depending on store size and location)

If online selling is too complicated for you, you can always go old school with the classic small business—a sari-sari store. The startup cost shouldn’t exceed ₱50,000, especially if the store space is yours. You can even scale the business up and turn it into a mini grocery if the demand is strong.

Attract more customers by offering electronic services, such as prepaid loading, remittances, bills payments, and cash-ins. Take note, though, that additional funds may be needed for mounting these offerings.

Food Franchise

Sometimes the best business ideas with 50K capital in the Philippines are in the food franchising industry. Start small with a food cart franchise.

Food carts offering one or two products usually start at a franchise fee of ₱35,000. This package already includes equipment, training, and customer support, to name a few. If you want to invest in larger franchises, expect a higher franchise fee.

Make sure you have an emergency fund in case unforeseen events come up. Also, consider your monthly rent for your cart as this will eat up a portion of your earnings. Placing a ₱35,000 food cart in a mall might not be a good idea if your rent might cost more than what you’re earning. Make sure to take all business costs into consideration before taking the plunge.

You should also consider the possibility of paying royalty fees each month. On the other hand, a food franchise under 50K in the Philippines with no royalty fees may still require a minimum order of supplies each month.

Make-up Services

• Startup cost: ₱50,000
• Potential monthly income: ₱3,000 to ₱50,000

From weddings to private lessons, there are numerous ways you can monetize your talent with make-up. A professional brush set will cost around ₱4,000, while a set of high-quality products can cost up to ₱28,000.

“When I was starting out, I didn’t have enough money to buy foundation in a variety of shades,” Rai, a make-up artist, says. “One beauty hack I did was to buy the lightest and darkest shades and mix them to match my clients’ various skin tones.”

One of the key things to success is tapping your network. You may start out small with only a select group of clients. But if you deliver well and let your work do the talking, your network will organically grow through referrals.

You can also post tutorials and make-up videos on YouTube, which can help grow your network. So do your magic with makeup and explore this business worth 50K in the Philippines.

Photography Business

• Startup cost: ₱50,000
• Potential monthly income: ₱5,000 and up

Are you a creative looking for more 50K business ideas in the Philippines? There are numerous ways to monetize your knack for capturing people’s special moments or picturesque scenery. You can offer your services during events or sell your photos online.

With a budget of ₱30,000 to ₱50,000, you can you a mirrorless or a DSLR camera, which produces high-resolution images. However, if you want to turn your hobby into a business, you’ll need more equipment to expand your scope of services.

Apart from a dependable camera, you’ll need extra lenses depending on projects (wide-angle versus zoom lenses), extra batteries and SD cards, and lighting equipment, just to name a few.

Prepare a portfolio and sprinkle your social media pages with your photos to show the quality of your work. Make sure to tap your network, especially when landing your first gigs. If your clients are happy, they won’t hesitate to recommend you to their family and friends.

Read more: Business Permit in the Philippines: Guide to Application, Requirements, and Fees

Delivery or Pasabuy Business

• Startup cost: ₱5,000
• Potential monthly income: ₱5,000 and up

Some people are so busy that they need an extra pair of hands when buying food and groceries. Such a particular demand has birthed one of the most practical business ideas with 50K capital in the Philippines—delivery service!

To start your own delivery or pasabuy service, you’ll need a valid driver’s license. But if you’re going to use a bike or e-bike, you can still offer delivery services without a license as long as deliveries are within your vicinity only. More importantly, you won’t need to spend on fuel and charge your customers more on delivery fees.  

In case you haven't heard of it yet, pasabuy is similar to delivery services, only the customer decides what to buy at a specific store or restaurant and you just charge them a fee for the service.

Related articles: 

• Car Business Ideas in the Philippines: 13 Ways to Generate Income Using Your Car
• How to Make Extra Money with Your Car: Success Stories of Pinoy Car Owners

Selling Refilled Water Gallons from Home

• Startup cost: ₱5,000
• Potential monthly income: ₱3,000, depending on your scope

A water refilling station usually requires huge funding of up to ₱500,000. But with just a small amount, you can start a water refilling service business or distributorship.

Talk to a refilling station to purchase water in bulk and have your customers pick it up from your home. You can also opt to deliver the refilled gallons to your customer’s houses depending on the number of orders.

Some refilling stations let you buy a 5-gallon water bottle with a refill for ₱18 which you can resell at ₱30. Just make sure you fulfill the required minimum orders, which may range from 10 to 30 bottles per day.

Camera Rental

• Startup cost: ₱25,000 
• Potential monthly income: ₱5,000 and up 

Turn your action camera, DSLR, and related accessories into money-generating items. You can rent them out to travelers who don’t want to spend on brand-new gadgets. Believe it or not, there’s a market for that!

The bulk of the startup cost goes to the camera itself. Create a social media page for your rental business and use the remainder of the capital to boost your ads or posts. You may buy two second-hand cameras to accommodate two customers at a time, thus increasing your profit.

Rental prices usually range between ₱400 and ₱700 per day, depending on the camera. Just consider this rule: the more expensive the camera is, the more expensive its rental price should be.

Events Hosting

• Startup cost: Almost none 
• Potential monthly income: ₱9,000 and up, depending on the number of events booked

Your gift of gab and love of entertaining people can bring you some fortune. As the world never runs out of parties and events, masters of ceremonies or emcees will likewise never run out of business.

The startup cost is almost zero, although you may need to invest in presentable clothes if you don’t have any. Your capital is mainly composed of your voice, wit, and stage presence. Start your business at children’s parties and work your way up to more high-paying events, such as weddings, conferences, and the like.

Earnings start at ₱3,000 per event. Depending on your experience, you can earn up to ₱10,000 or more at bigger events, such as weddings. If you’ve already built a solid network of suppliers and planners, you can branch out to event coordination. This is a nice side gig if you want to take a break from holding the mic.

Video Editing Services

• Startup cost: ₱50,000
• Potential monthly income: ₱15,000 and up

Vlogging is a pretty big industry in the Philippines.^[2] This means there’s a market that needs video editors who can create a compelling story by stitching clips and peppering them with funny sound effects.

While film school and multimedia graduates have leverage over the competition, you can still enter the industry even if you’re self-taught. Just make sure that you have a portfolio that shows your range in stitching, color grading, sound editing, and sound mixing. The capital, though, is pretty high, as you’ll need a powerful computer and software to get the job done.

How to Future-Proof Your Business

If you want your business to stick around, you need a set of tactics to weather the passage of time and trends. Here are a few pointers worth taking note of:

Anticipate Your Customers’ Needs

Your customers’ needs may change over time. Update or innovate your products and services to keep up with your target market’s lifestyle. If you don’t listen to your customers, you’ll end up selling the same product and promise, which may not work anymore over the years.

Collaborate

A partnership is one of the many lifelines of a business. If you want to reach new customers, you must collaborate with other brands outside your niche or competition. Take this from vloggers and influencers who partner with their fellow content creators. Some fashion brands even come together to create limited-edition items.

Organize Your Finances

Keeping tabs on all the transactions of your business is a must, especially if you’re dealing with a lot of clients and suppliers. This will prevent confusion and allow you to determine your business’s financial health. For this, basic accounting is required. But you may also hire a bookkeeper once you can already afford their services.

It’s also important to pay your taxes. This is your responsibility and will make you eligible for government benefits and loans. In addition, if you plan to buy a house or a car and need to take out a business loan, you’ll need to show your income tax returns. Registering with the BIR is not only for employees but includes those who are self-employed as well.

Take Some Risks

The risks and challenges of starting a business on your own are high and many. The key is to keep going. Never be discouraged. As Kim Lato, founder of Kimstore, said in an interview with Moneymax, “Take the risk. You won’t be on a high all the time. Sometimes there’ll be lows. The only thing that makes me different from another person is that they didn’t try.”

Final Thoughts

Every business needs capital. However, that doesn’t mean that you should wait long to save up to get your business up and running. Just look around and you’ll find new consumer needs and market gaps that will spark business ideas with 50K capital in the Philippines.

Keep in mind, though, that running a business requires an unwavering will, as the road ahead is paved with challenges. It’s a lot of work, but with foresight and the right kind of help, the ride will be worth it. Best of luck!

Sources:

• ^[1] Kaiser The Sage homepage 
• ^[2] YouTube Yearender Reveals 2022’s Top Trending Creators, Videos (The Philippine Star, 2022)