I've been through the same grind, scaling stores from six to eight figures, and I call bollocks on the whole "start with nothing" myth. Someone in the thread said they did it with just a website and social media, but even that costs something - domain, hosting, maybe a social media manager's time. The real question is: are you willing to trade your time for zero financial investment? Because that's what it boils down to, and most people burn out before they see a cent.
Free platforms that drive traffic? Sure, you can hustle on TikTok, Instagram, or forums, but organic reach is a joke now unless you're already an influencer or get lucky with a viral post. Without a budget, you're competing against people who run ads or have built audiences for years. The affiliate programs that are free to join, like Travelpayouts or Amazon, pay peanuts unless you're shifting volume. First commission on zero budget? Realistically, three to six months if you're grinding daily - and that's optimistic. Most mistakes happen when people think posting links in comment sections is a strategy. Don't do that. It's spam and gets you banned.
At some point, you have to spend money to make money - on email marketing tools, a proper site, or targeted ads. The first investment should be either in hosting and a domain or in a small paid test on your best performing platform. Anything else is just wishful thinking. You can't drive a car with no fuel.
