A problem people bring · solved
Start a business with zero money
Your first business can start tonight, for free. Write a one-job company page on ceoism, open a free Farcaster account so your audience belongs to you, and put a small portfolio on Arweave, free for files under 100 KiB. Then show it to one person who might pay. Spend money only once a customer says yes.
- 3 stops
- 30 minutes, all in
- 4 surprises
- 1 live demo
Chapter 1
Who knew?
Your first product can be a page that takes a deposit, not a finished thing.
A small portfolio on Arweave cannot be deleted by any platform, and files under about 100 KiB upload free through ArDrive Turbo.
Followers on Farcaster belong to your account, so you can move to another app without losing them.
A free onchain attestation from your first customer is a testimonial no review site can delete.
You need savings, a loan, or a registered company before you can start.
Ceoism, Farcaster sign-up and ArDrive small files are free. Registering a legal company costs money in most countries but can wait until you have paying customers.
Chapter 2
The free route, step by step
3 stops, cheapest first
Three ways through
Pick your route
- Start free tonight
Launch a one-job company tonight
Built by the HouseA page, an audience and a portfolio cost nothing, and they are enough to ask for a first sale.
- Get a real company built around you, keys handed over
- Build a following that no platform can take away
- Publish a page that stays online without a host
Cost Free.
- The bold play
Take a paid deposit before you build
Built by the HouseAsk your first customer for a small USDC deposit, then deliver. The deposit proves the idea.
- Get a real company built around you, keys handed over
- Message five possible customers with your price.
- Hold a client deposit in escrow
Cost Free to start; gas is cents on L2s.
- Build it
Build the first-customer escrow page
Built by the HouseSmart Invoice already escrows deposits; nobody has wrapped it in a one-page offer for first-timers. Build it with the House.
- Own a working onchain app with your name on it
- Show the release rule in plain words.
Cost Build time.
Your version
Make this mine
Tell the Engine where you stand and it re-routes this answer for you. Three free a day, shared with Ask the Engine. Engine Pro members get unlimited.
Past the basics
What’s possible
- Live today
A one-job company page that names what you sell and its price.
How Write it on ceoism and share the link with one possible customer.
- Possible to build
A first-customer escrow page that holds a USDC deposit until the work is delivered.
How Use a simple escrow contract and show the release rule on the page.
- Possible to build
A founders circle where members swap testimonials as signed attestations.
How Each member signs one EAS attestation per real job done for another.
Project + project
Combos nobody marketed
- ceoism company page+USDC deposit=
A one-job business that takes its first paid deposit with no bank account or merchant setup.
Why it works Onchain payments let a stranger pay you in USDC; the page tells them what they are paying for.
- Farcaster audience+EAS attestation=
Every happy customer leaves a signed testimonial your followers can check.
Why it works Offchain EAS attestations are free to sign and anyone can verify who wrote them.
- ArDrive portfolio+a local study group=
Five friends each publish permanent portfolios and refer clients to each other.
Why it works Small ArDrive uploads are free, and a group sends more leads than one person alone.
- Smart Invoice+Farcaster=
Post an offer, take an escrowed deposit, deliver in public.
Why it works Escrow removes the trust gap; a public feed proves delivery.
Chapter 3
Try it live
Do not take our word for it. ceoism runs right here, so you can poke at the real thing before you commit to anything.
Wallet or sign-in will not open in here? Open ceoism in a new tab ↗
Screening Room
Watch it first
Chapter 4
Where it matters most
- young people in Lagos, Nairobi and Manila
Bank loans for first businesses are rare and expensive.
- career changers anywhere
Testing an idea for free beats quitting a job to find out.
- diaspora founders selling back home
USDC deposits work across borders with no merchant account.
Chapter 5 · Not built yet?
Build it
A first-customer deposit page that holds USDC in escrow until the work is delivered, then releases it.
Who could build it Solo founders selling a service, and freelance communities that want safer first deals.
For founders
Uses you never marketed
Connections
People to meet
- ceoism
Publish your one-job company page.
- Farcaster builders
Find your first followers and early customers.
- airdropSEA curators
Get your idea seen by people who share good finds.
- Smart Invoice
Ask which chains and arbitrators suit small first deals.
Propose a bridgetwo projects, one outcome neither could reach alone
Questions
Can I really start a business for free?
Yes for the first steps: a ceoism page, a Farcaster audience and a small ArDrive portfolio cost nothing, and spending starts once customers do.
Do I need a crypto wallet to start?
Only if you want to take USDC payments; a self-custody wallet is free to create on your phone.
Do I need to register a company first?
Check your local law, because many places let you trade as an individual before you register a company.
What is the first thing to do with ceoism?
Write a one-job ceoism page and show it to one person who might pay, before you build anything.
Who is one person you could message today with a page that says what you do and what it costs?
Some links are referral links; they never change what we recommend.