A €500 budget is not a business plan. It is a test budget. Treat it as money you are willing to spend to learn whether a specific offer sells, not as the total cost of building a company.
Where the money should go
- 40–60% — inventory or delivery costs: the materials, stock or tools needed to deliver your first paid orders.
- 15–25% — visibility: product photos, a simple website, local flyers, or a small amount of paid advertising.
- 10–20% — legal and admin: registration, insurance, a domain, payment fees.
- 10% — reserve: money you do not touch, because something always costs more than expected.
What €500 cannot buy
It will not buy a shop lease, a vehicle, a large inventory, or months of living expenses. Any model that requires those is out of scope for now. If an idea only works with a rented location or €5,000 of stock, park it and revisit it after you have proven a smaller version.
The rule of the first sale
Your only real milestone is the first paying customer. Everything before that is preparation. Spend the smallest amount possible to reach a paying customer, then let their money fund the next step. A business that takes €80 to earn its first €120 is more valuable than a perfect brand that has never sold anything.
Write your budget on one page: total, category limits, and the date by which you expect the first sale. If the numbers do not fit, cut the plan, not the reserve.
English 
French 
Spanish