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Our guide contains 46 money-making ideas, including clever ways to make cash online, by using your home or by using the money you already have.

You can jump to the section you’re most interested in using the navigation links above. If you want to continue your money makeover, we've also got a guide on 50 ways to save money that you should check out afterwards. 

Make your money work harder

One of the best ways to make some extra money on top of what you earn is simply to make the money you have work harder.

1. Boost your savings rate

Interest rates on savings accounts are generally pitiful across the board at the moment, after the accounts with the highest rates evaporated last year.

Still, as always, some accounts have better rates than others, so it's definitely worth switching if your interest rate is rock bottom. 

Alternatively, you should check out the current accounts that pay interest.

Find out more: best bank high-interest bank accounts - our tables show which account is best for you.

2. Get paid to switch bank account

The introduction of the Current Account Switching Service has made it easier than ever to change bank accounts, which has made providers keen to tempt switchers.

Some banks will pay you cash or vouchers worth up to £ to switch your current account.

Find out more: how to switch your bank account

3. Use your Isa tax-free savings allowance

The overall annual limit to invest in Isas tax-free is £20, in , and it can be split between a cash Isa, stocks and shares Isa or innovative finance product.

It's worth exploring the best Isa deals on offer to ensure you aren't needlessly handing over the interest you make to the taxman.

4. Use a credit card that pays you

Cashback credit cards reward customers every time they make a purchase.

You receive a  percentage of your spend back on your card as credit. By putting your everyday spending on the card, you could potentially earn hundreds of pounds a year.

However, it's important to avoid spending more than you can afford to pay back at the end of the month, as the interest charges are likely to outweigh any rewards.

5. Try your luck with premium bonds

Premium bonds don't pay any interest, but each bond is entered into a monthly prize draw in which holders can win up to £1m.

There's no guarantee that your returns will be as high as those offered by traditional savings methods, but the opportunity to become a millionaire overnight can be tempting.

Find out more: our premium bonds guide shows you the odds of winning a prize, or watch the video below.

6. Pay off expensive debts before saving

Don’t make the mistake of saving while you’re still paying off expensive debts – you’ll be throwing your money away if you do.

The amount of interest you’re charged is likely to be a lot more than what you earn in interest on savings.

Paying off £2, on a credit card attracting % APR (with % minimum repayment) would save you £ a year, while stashing £2, in a savings account earning % would earn you £30 over the same period.

7. Start stoozing with your cash

Stoozing is a way to make money from a 0% purchase credit card.

It involves using a 0%-interest credit card to do all the spending you would normally do from a current account. You then put the money that would have left your current account into the highest-interest savings account available.

Provided you pay the minimum monthly payment on the credit card and clear the balance before the 0% deal expires, you can potentially make hundreds of pounds a year through this method.

Stoozing was popular a few years ago when savings rates were high. Nowadays it’s harder to do, as savings rates have fallen off a cliff. That said, once they start to rise, this savvy move is likely to come into its own again.

8. Check your benefits

There are plenty of benefits available from the government that can help boost your finances.

The problem is knowing which you’re eligible for. www.oldyorkcellars.com has a great benefits check-up tool that can help you figure it out.  

9. Reclaim lost cash

You could have money sitting in a forgotten bank or savings account.

The UK government reckons there is around £m left forgotten in dormant accounts.

Find out more:how to find lost bank and savings accounts – this guide explains the steps you need to take to reclaim your cash.

Try investing your money for better returns

If you're willing to learn the basics of investing in equities, you could earn much higher returns from your savings than if you store your cash in the bank.

However, there is always an element of risk involved when putting your money into stocks and shares. Even the most seasoned investors sometimes lose money. 

It's often recommended to spread your funds across a wide range of investments for this reason.

Find out more: are you ready to invest?

Use a good investment platform

An investment platform – sometimes called a fund supermarket – allows investors to buy and hold a range of funds from different companies together in one portfolio.

They often provide extensive research and information on each fund, so can reduce the risk traditionally associated with investing, and help customers achieve market-beating returns.

Which? has rated 11 fund-supermarket providers to test which have the most satisfied customers, and given each of them scores for several different aspects of their services.

Find out more best investment platforms - find out the highest-rated fund supermarkets.

How to make money online

The internet can easily part you from your money but, with a bit of creative thinking, there are plenty of ways to make money online.

Sell your stuff on eBay

Unless you've been hiding under a desktop computer for the past 20 years, you will have heard of eBay, the most popular auction site on the web, which you can use to boost your income by selling virtually anything.

Just watch out for eBay's fees, which can eat into any profits you make.

Sell for less on Gumtree and Facebook Marketplace

But eBay isn't the online online platform that lets you sell your things.

Gumtree, Preloved and, more recently, Facebook Marketplace are some of the biggest sites where you can advertise items you want to sell, complete with images and descriptions – free of charge.

Share opinions in surveys

There's a fair number of research agencies that pay a small amount to people who complete surveys online.

All you have to do is answer the questions. Valued Opinions and Toluna are among the bigger agencies. You can expect to earn anywhere from 50p to £5 for each survey.

Download money-making smartphone apps

Several smartphone apps promise ways to make money quickly and easily.

There's an app for Toluna, mentioned above, that pays you to take surveys. The Roamler app sets secret shopping tasks you can undertake nearby. Apps like Receipt Hog give you the chance to make money from uploading pictures of shopping receipts. 

Just keep in mind that you usually won't make bags of cash from apps like these, as the payment for each task is likely to be quite small. 

Sell your photos online

If you can take a decent photo, you may be able to earn some cash from it online.

Shutterstock, Alamy and RF pay contributors when members download the images they have uploaded.

Share your skills

Lots of online sites can help you make money from your skills in your spare time.

If you’re a dab hand at DIY, for example, you could become a ‘tasker’ using Taskrabbit. The site connects people who need a hand with odd jobs, and people who have some time and know-how.

You can also use Fiverr or Fivesquids to offer a service, such as graphic design skills, that you can provide online.

Review music for cash

If you're a music enthusiast, you might jump at the chance of getting paid to review unsigned artists.

Slicethepie allows you to do just that. Users get paid based on the quality of their reviews, and there is no limit to the number of artists you can review.

Rent out the stuff you own

Rather than selling stuff you rarely use, you could rent it to other people online.

Vehicles, evening dresses and household tools are among the most commonly rented items on these sites, and you can set the price and length of time you are willing to lend your items for.

Unlock cash on gift cards

Got one too many gift cards for shops you never go to? Don’t let them go to waste! Websites such as Card Yard allow you to unlock the cash on unwanted gift cards.

How to make free money

When times are tight, it can be difficult to balance your budget, but it is possible to generate some extra cash without an initial outlay. 

Here, we've rounded up innovative ways to boost your bank balance by getting free money.

Turn on debit card cashback

Most major banks and building societies now offer tailored cashback schemes that pay up to 15% when you spend with your debit card in-store and online.

Santander’s is called Retailer Offers, Halifax offers Cashback Extras, Lloyds Bank has Everyday Offers, while HSBC and First Direct have Visa Offers.

The cashback opportunities are tailored to your spending habits, but you will need to activate them. You can do this through your online banking or mobile banking app. 

Once you’ve selected the offers you want, you simply need to spend on your linked card to earn money.

Refer a friend

Many companies have refer-a-friend schemes that can sometimes earn customers money.

One website – refermehappy – collates these deals and acts as a social network, giving more people more opportunities to benefit from the rewards. But make sure the services you recommend to friends are suitable first.

Enter competitions

Sign up to a site such as Magic Freebies or Latest Free Stuff, which aggregate all the latest competitions you can enter.

Test products for cash

If you're interested in testing new products before they are launched – from food to the latest technology – you can get paid for giving your opinion on them.

Rewards come in the form of either a cash payment or gift vouchers, and you should be told in advance how much you'll receive. 

There are a number of websites online that you can sign up to, including Paid Product Testing.

Use cashback websites every time you shop

Get money for buying products you were already going to buy by going through cashback sites such as Quidco and TopCashback.

Find out more:cashback sites explained – we explain the benefits and the problems to watch out for. Or watch the video below.

Try mystery shopping

Mystery shopping lets you get paid for things you already enjoy doing.

Mystery shoppers are regularly used to test supermarkets, retailers, restaurants and hotels. Register with Mystery Shoppers and Market Force to see what assignments they have going.

How to make money from your home

Your home holds plenty of opportunities to make some extra cash. Here are some ideas. 

Rent out your spare room

The government's Rent-a-Room scheme means you can earn up to £7, a year tax-free by getting a lodger.

You can register your room free of charge on sites such as Easyroommate and Spareroom.

The room you want to rent out will need to be furnished, and you'll need to get a tenancy agreement in place.

Find out more:Rent-a-Room – more information about the tax-relief scheme

Use Airbnb to make money from travellers

If you want to make money from renting your home on a more flexible basis, Airbnb could work for you.

It allows you to list and set the rates for a room, or your whole home, for a few nights to a week, to travellers in search of a place to stay.

If you live close to a sporting or festival venue, you could cash in by renting out your home to fans or even participants. Edinburgh and Glastonbury festivals, as well as events at Wimbledon and Henley, could all provide such opportunities.

Advertise on your car

If you don't mind driving around with a logo on your bonnet, you can make money by advertising on your car. You could make hundreds of pounds a month through websites such as Carquids.

Rent out your home for films

Fancy your home as a film star? You could rent it out to film or TV production companies.

Registration tends to be free, although you may have to pay a commission on the total location hire fee - see sites like AmazingSpace for more.

Most demand is for large houses with big rooms and plenty of good parking, although all types of property have potential, from contemporary conversions to classic period homes.

Host photoshoots from your home

As with films and TV, renting out your home for photoshoots could be a great source of extra cash.

Even though it can be inconvenient having a big crew in your house, if you get a shoot that lasts more than a day you could hit the jackpot - anything from £ to £1, and more.

Magazine companies are always on the lookout for places to feature as backdrops for photoshoots - see sites like Beach Studios and Location Works for information and to register your home.

Make money from your driveway

Listing your driveway or garage on sites such as JustPark and YourParkingSpace could earn you cash from motorists searching for a cheaper or guaranteed spot.

You decide what to charge, with the going rate depending on location, demand and facilities, such as lighting and security.

Register your space free of charge, and you could earn anything from £50 to £ a month.

Get cash for spare storage space

Your empty loft or garage could be making you money from people looking for some short-term storage.

Storemates puts you in touch with storage hunters. It's free to register and list, but the website gets a 15% cut of the monthly rent if you find a match.

Use your garden to grow food

If you have a large and unused garden, you could put it to work by setting up your own smallholding.

You can grow your own plants and vegetables, or keep chickens. It can reduce carbon emissions by cutting food miles, cut your food bills, and can be a good money-making opportunity.

The biggest challenge, after successfully growing your produce, is finding a place to sell it.

You could set up a stall in your front garden, local fête, local allotment association sale, or a school event. You could even contact local farmers to see if they'll sell your produce in their farm shop.

Recycle for cash

Rather than throwing out your old things, you should see if you can recycle some of them for cash. After all, one person's trash is another's treasure.

Recycle your old clothes

H&M will give you a £5 voucher – which you can use on purchases over £25 in-store and online – for unwanted clothing or textiles you hand in at its stores through its garment collecting initiative.

The clothes you bring in can be any brand. It doesn’t matter what condition they’re in, but the donation should fill a supermarket carrier bag.

Marks & Spencer runs a similar scheme called ‘Shwopping’. This involves taking your donation – which must include a piece of M&S clothing – to Oxfam to get a £5 M&S voucher, which you can use when you spend at least £35 on clothing, home and beauty products.

Sell baby and children’s clothes

Styles may change, but the one constant of children's clothes is that they're quickly outgrown.

If you have lots of baby clothes and toys to get rid of, take a look there are some specialist websites where you can sell them, or you can head to eBay and other online marketplaces.

Sell old Lego by the kilo

If the Lego in your household has reached critical mass, you can trade it by the kilo for cash on websites including MusicMagpie.

However, if you have unopened or complete Lego sets or figures, they'll probably earn you more on eBay or a specialist Lego marketplace like Brick Owl.

Sell your gold

Gold jewellery can fetch a fair bit of money, but getting the best deal isn’t always easy.

Use our guide 7 tips for selling gold jewellery at the best price to make sure you land the most money for your bling.

Recycle printer cartridges

You can recycle empty printer cartridges for cash or Tesco Clubcard points.

Some sites pay as much as £2 per cartridge. Compare what you can get by trying Cash For Cartridges and Infotone.

Alternatively, you can recycle empty cartridges with Tesco and earn up to Clubcard points with The Recycling Factory.

Generate your own energy

If you have installed or are thinking about installing renewable technology, such as solar panels, you may also be able to make money by selling some of the green electricity you generate.

The Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) means households with renewable technologies receive money for the energy they produce themselves.

You will need to weigh up the potential to save and make money through your system against the initial outlay for equipment and installation, which can run to thousands of pounds. You should also think about the suitability of the technology for your property and location.

Find out more:Smart Export Guarantee explained - discover what you could earn.

Recycle your mobile phone

Sites including Envirophone and Mazuma Mobile offer an instant quote for smartphones – even if they’re damaged.

But don’t stop there. Mazuma Mobile and MusicMagpie will pay you for other old gadgets including tablets, Kindles and smartwatches.

Find out more:mobile phone reviews - our guides will help you pick the perfect replacement for your old tech.

Recycle old CDs, DVDs and computer games for cash

It's almost impossible to estimate the number of old CDs, DVDs, computer games and other home entertainment items there are in the UK, but around 2, tonnes of CDs alone are thrown away each year.

Whether you're upgrading technology or want to revamp your collection, make money recycling old CDs, DVDs and computer games instead of throwing them away.

There are lots of websites that offer instant cash valuations for these items, including CeX and MusicMagpie. Get a value for your item - which needs to be in good working condition - by typing in or scanning its barcode number.

Make money recycling old books

Don't leave unwanted or unread books on the shelf - pass them on to a new home and make some extra money.

Websites including Amazon let you sell second-hand books via virtual bookstores. Alternatively, you can trade in books for cash instantly using sites such as Ziffit and MusicMagpie.

Have a car boot sale

Alternatively, you could sell your unwanted odds and ends the old-fashioned way - at a car boot sale.

It's a great way to make some extra money while reducing the amount of rubbish you throw away.

Buyers will expect to pick up products at knock-down prices, but car boot sales are a good opportunity to bulk-sell items unlikely to sell individually online.

You can find your nearest car boot sale by visiting the online car boot sale directory Car Boot Junction.

Your profit will depend on the products you're selling, but remember to factor in the cost of pitching your vehicle, which is usually between £5 and £

Make money from your side hustle

It’s easier than ever to turn your hobbies into an income. Here are some ideas to get you going:

Set up your own blog with ads

If you like to share your thoughts with the world on a blog site and you've got a few followers, you could make money out of it.

Using Google Adwords you can put advertising on your site and make money every time people click on the ads. The more people click, the more you make.

Sell what you make online 

If you have a creative streak and enjoy making things such as soaps, cards, jewellery or other crafts, specialist sites such as Etsy can help you sell them worldwide.

It’s US-based but operates internationally, and has a category for just about everything homemade. You can also sell things on eBay of course, or on Gumtree or Preloved.

The past year encouraged all of us to embrace the great indoors. No surprise, then, that interest in how to make money online from the safety of our homes is now on the rise.

What once felt like a distant daydream is now a reality for millions of people. Those of us who worked remotely from our home offices for the last few years have a lot less explaining to do at family events—the path to earning a meaningful amount of money online has become much clearer.

The magic of the web is that it’s a sales channel, marketing network, and community hub all in one—plus so much more. There are many creative ways to make money online beyond surveys and selling used goods on Craigslist. 

That said, some businesses and side hustles are better suited to the laptop lifestyle than others. In this guide, we’ll break down the strengths and shortcomings of a few of the top money-making options.

How to make money online: 25 proven ways

To make choosing the best ways to make money online easier, we’ll look at several key factors:

• Business type: whether the idea is product based, service based or driven by an audience.
• Effort: how much time, skill, or experience you’ll need to put into the idea. 
• Leverage: how well positioned you are to turn the idea into a money-making one that increases in value without needing your direct attention. A high-leverage idea isn’t a trade of time for money. 
• Startup costs: the upfront budget you’ll need to launch the idea.
• Profit potential: how much profit you can expect to make from your idea per year.

Here are the top picks for making money online:

1. Dropshipping

Business type: Product based

Effort: Medium

Leverage: High

Startup costs (out of 5 💸): 💸

Earning potential (out of 5 💰): 💰💰💰

Last year, many worldwide trends experienced a decades’ worth of acceleration. One such trend was the rise of ecommerce. There are a number of ways to run an ecommerce business, some of which allow for minimal need to carry and hold lots of inventory.

Enter dropshipping. Dropshipping is a business model where you don’t keep the products you sell in stock. Instead, when a customer buys something from your store, a third party fulfills and ships the order for you. Because startup costs are low, it’s an increasingly popular way to make money online for beginners and pros alike. 

Dropshippers have a habit of chasing the latest trends. And while there’s nothing wrong with catching a trending product wave, know that there also are many product categories that are steady and offer similar opportunities to do well. At Shopify, we regularly see these categories on our list of top performers:

• Women’s clothing and accessories.Far and away the most popular category of dropshipping products. There are a variety of interesting niches within this category, too, including dresses, accessories, intimates, hoodies, socks and hoseries, and rompers. Since these products have a large market, are purchased relatively frequently, and are successfully sold through great marketing, they’re consistently a top performer for dropshipping.

• Jewelry. If you want to turn jewelry into a profitable small business, dropshipping is a good model to try. You can sell in a variety of categories, including fine jewelry, fashion or costume, and collectibles. Or sell jewelry made from different materials, like gems, wood, textile, or metals. 

• Home and garden. Home and garden is one of those dropshipping niches that seem to always be trendy. People are always looking to add personal touches to their space to make it feel warm and cozy, which can make this an exciting (and profitable) niche to sell in. 

• Beauty. The beauty and personal care market is projected to be worth $ billion by the end of Beauty is a thriving industry fueled by younger generations entering the market and is strengthened by social media and ecommerce. You also have options in the beauty niche: you can sell cosmetics, skin care, personal care, hair care, fragrances, and more.

Free Webinar:

How to Get Started with Dropshipping in

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OK, sounds good. But there is a huge hurdle to overcome with dropshipping: you’re selling an existing product. The ease of starting a dropshipping business also means you’ll be up to your knees in competition—so it relies heavily on customer support. That means you’re giving up a really important piece of leverage and need to recognize that, in order to succeed, you’re going to have to outdo the competition with a well-chosen niche and creative marketing.

🎯 Idea in action

Subtle Asian Treats is a top dropshipping store that sells cute plushies and cases for AirPods and iPhones. It was founded by Tze Hing Chan, a young Malaysian entrepreneur, to take advantage of the bubble tea craze happening in Asia. 

Tze explains in an interview with Oberlo, “I knew that the bubble tea trend was up and coming, especially in Asian communities, so I looked around for bubble tea stuff on AliExpress. I found phone cases, and that was my very first product.”

Tze spent months exploring and selling different dropshipping products; some earned him extra cash, while others flopped. It wasn’t until he found the bubble tea plushie that his dream store became a reality. Once he saw them, he immediately imported them to his Shopify store, ran Facebook ads, and watched customers start rolling in.

Learn more by reading Luck and Learning From Failures Led This Entrepreneur to Make $K From Bubble Tea Plush Toys on the Oberlo blog.

2. Print on demand

Business type: Product based

Effort: Medium

Leverage: Medium

Startup costs (out of 5 💸): 💸

Earning potential (out of 5 💰): 💰💰💰

Print on demand allows sellers to customize white label products with their own designs and sell them only after a customer buys, eliminating the need to hold inventory (which is what makes it a subset of dropshipping). When a customer places an order, a print-on-demand company will add your design to the product, fulfill the order, and ship it to the customer.

The most significant advantage print on demand offers over dropshipping is that you have control over the aesthetic of your products—a key differentiator for product categories where the design is the distinguisher, like t-shirts or fan merch.

When it comes to making money online, you can also use print-on-demand services to:

• Monetize an audience you’ve already built, whether it’s on YouTube, social media, or a personal blog

• Offer diverse products by selling t-shirts, books, shoes, bags, mugs, phone cases, laptop skins, wall art, and more 

Overall, print on demand lets you create customized products quickly. You don’t have to worry about shipping or fulfillment—it’s taken care of by your suppliers. And since you have no inventory to worry about, it’s a low risk, low investment way to make money online. 

🎯 Idea in action

Passionfruit sells inclusive clothing and accessories for the LGBTQQIA community. The brand is built around the power of togetherness and building a bright future for queer youth, creating products that allow them to show their pride all year around, rather than only at special events. 

Passionfruit’s products are all carefully designed with pencil and paper, then digitized, placed on products through a print-on-demand company, and sold in its store. You can find t-shirts, tank tops, sweaters, hats, stickers, tote bags, and more, all specially designed and curated for Passionfruit’s audience, with a mission to make a positive impact on the world.

Free Webinar:

How to quickly start a profitable print-on-demand store

In our free minute video workshop, we’ll get you from product idea to setting up an online store to getting your first print-on-demand sale.

Register now

3. Custom products

Business type: Product based

Effort: High

Leverage: Medium

Startup costs (out of 5 💸): 💸💸💸

Earning potential (out of 5 💰): 💰💰💰

While the options above come bundled with the convenience of not holding on to expensive inventory, they do come with some limitations—mainly that you don’t have full control over the product you’re selling.

And when you think of most direct-to-consumer brands, this is what comes to mind: original products that make meaningful improvements or add interesting details to well-known items. Personally, I’ve purchased many messenger bags, but I’d never seen anything like the one made by Vermilyea Pelle until it reached my doorstep.

Making products by hand is popular amongst jewelry brands, fashion brands, and home decor brands. It gives you full control over the product development and quality of your items. The only drawbacks are: (1) it can be time consuming, and (2) it’s difficult to scale. The costs associated with making products by hand are the cost of materials, storing your finished products, and labor. 

That said, a custom product doesn’t have to be completely handmade. There are many ways to find a manufacturer or supplier to help bring your product to life. For example, you could:

• Use domestic or overseas manufacturers. If you have a unique product that you don’t want to make by hand, you could find a manufacturer to make your products. The Alibaba dropshipping route is a common way to do this. You can use the marketplace to find potential manufacturers, communicate your vision to them, and get your products made. This will require some upfront investment because of minimum order quantities and storage, but it’s a good way to maintain control of your products while keeping cost per unit low. 

• Resell wholesale items. Buying and reselling wholesale items is a straightforward, low-risk way to make money online. You buy products you want directly from manufacturers—usually brands that are already credible on the market—at a discounted rate, then sell them in your online store at a higher price. 

It’s important to understand these methods to make the right choices when creating and selling custom products. Each has its own advantages and drawbacks, which you can read about in From Dropshipping to DTC, Here Are the Most Popular Types of Ecommerce Business Models. 

🎯 Idea in action

Cedar & Sail is a maker of fine handmade homewares from Alabama. Josh Pigford, founder of the brand, created Cedar & Sail as an outlet—something creative to do outside of his everyday work as a software-as-a-service company founder. The designs are minimal and use geometric shapes to create a sense of order and cleanliness wherever you place them in your home. Every product is individually hand mixed, poured, and painted, making it unique for the customer.

What started as creating little concrete planters has turned into a collection of homeware goods. Today, Cedar & Sail sells not only planters, but also coasters, candles, and limited edition collections. It sells online and in markets (when available) using Shopify’s POS app to accept payments without hassle, in any market where Josh decides to sell.

Learn more about selling your own craft products by reading The Business of DIY: 16 Things to Make and Sell Online.

4. Sell on Etsy

Business type: Product based

Effort: High

Leverage: Medium

Startup costs (out of 5 💸): 💸💸💸

Earning potential (out of 5 💰): 💰💰

Every online marketplace, from Etsy to Amazon, offers a shared set of advantages and disadvantages. The upside is that you get access to their network of shoppers—people regularly browse these sites when they need to buy something, so setting up shop lets you meet them there.

That said, since these channels can work in harmony with your own website, sometimes they’re a great place to begin. New online makers can use Etsy to grow brand awareness at first: it has an active community of million buyers. We’ve seen many businesses successfully switch to Shopify after generating their first few sales on Etsy, for example.

The benefits of creating your own Shopify store include:

• You can manage the look and feel of your store. Your Etsy shop sticks to one design model with less room for creativity.

• You can grow your product line. Etsy sellers are limited to selling handmade, vintage, or artisan products. Say you want to offer a complementary manufactured product that could create a better customer experience and boost average order value. You may not be able to on Etsy. Having a Shopify store helps serve your customers better and add new products, no matter if they are dropshipped, manufactured, or wholesale. 

• Easier inventory management. Ecommerce platforms like Shopify provide full inventory management and analytics so you can keep your records in order and make smarter decisions for your business. 

If you have an Etsy shop and don’t want to leave just yet, you can always run both stores simultaneously. Once you set up your Shopify store, use a free Shopify app like Etsy Integration: Sync and Sell. You can easily sync inventories, manage orders, and make money online using both Shopify and Etsy. 

🎯 Idea in action

Old World Kitchen is a family-owned business that sells traditionally handcrafted kitchen goods. The business existed solely on Etsy for 10 years and saw a ton of growth over that time. 

Loran Polder, Old World Kitchen’s Business Manager, explains in an interview with Shopify how Etsy helped the family learn the basics of ecommerce and connect with other makers. It was a good way to get the business off the farm and into the online world.

In the early days, Loran had no plans to grow Old World Kitchen. Each item was unique and labor intensive, and the family didn’t want to hire or outsource any part of it. Because of this, Etsy was the right platform for them. 

As their brand became stronger and more defined, its prices began to reflect those of a luxury brand. The limitations of existing solely on a third-party marketplace began to hinder its growth. The family desired to sell more luxurious products and align their online store with their brand. They needed a platform that could scale with their growing business, which is why they chose to build their own online store with Shopify. 

While the brand no longer uses Etsy, Loran credits the marketplace with making the family business possible. 

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5. Sell on Amazon

Business type: Product based

Effort: Medium

Leverage: Medium

Startup costs (out of 5 💸): 💸💸

Earning potential (out of 5 💰): 💰💰

Amazon has become a marketplace that welcomes new ecommerce entrepreneurs. It takes a few minutes to sign up for an account and a few more minutes to get a product listing live. 

The platform has a massive audience, it’s a global marketplace, and it’s a go-to destination for product discovery and research. Listing optimization can help your products get found and unlock new opportunities. And Amazon’s in-app promotions can increase your brand's visibility for highly targeted audiences. 

Yet some ecommerce entrepreneurs question the long-term sustainability of selling on Amazon. While the marketplace is great for helping shoppers surface desired products, it’s challenging for sellers to get their business noticed. Amazon attracts many resellers of the same products you may offer. Tack on fees and trying to differentiate your brand and you may end up working harder to generate sales but not grow your bottom line revenue. 

While selling on Amazon is a good way to make money from home, there are some caveats to consider:

• Amazon sets the rules for its marketplace. We know Amazon is a leader in collecting and using customer data to create better shopping experiences, but that information doesn’t get shared with you. If you compete head to head with a product owned by Amazon, it’ll be hard to make sales. Amazon Retail tends to get the Buy Box advantage.

• Amazon prefers sellers to use Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA). FBA is Amazon’s fulfillment program offered to sellers. Once you put a product in its fulfillment centers and a customer orders it, Amazon will fulfill the order. You must use FBA to be eligible for Amazon Prime and Amazon Super Saver Shipping, two ways to help retailers improve conversion rates and earn extra money. 

• Amazon owns the customer relationship. Sellers cannot add Amazon customers to a CRM or re-market to them after the sale. 

That said, Amazon is a great additional sales channel for your Shopify business. Similar to Etsy, you can use Amazon to get your products in front of a built-in audience, get discovered, and use your ecommerce website as the main sales channel. You can even integrate Shopify with Amazon to manage listings and sync inventory faster and easier.

🎯 Idea in action

Homesick Candles went from not being on Amazon two years ago to becoming the number one scented candle company and the number two candle brand in the world. Amazon proved to be a good springboard for selling its products online.

Despite its success, Homesick Candles used Shopify to build an online store as its homebase. This gave the budding ecommerce business a place to showcase its brand, connect with its customers, and maintain control over its sales and promotions. 

6. Digital products

Business type: Product based

Effort: High

Leverage: High

Startup costs (out of 5 💸): 💸💸

Earning potential (out of 5 💰): 💰💰💰💰

Digital products carry some of the best margins of any product you can sell. The upfront costs of development can be high, but the variable costs of selling digital products is comparatively low. Once media or software is made, it isn’t very expensive to deliver to customers.

At its core, a digital product is an intangible asset you can sell repeatedly without restocking inventory. They often come in downloadable files such as a PDF, plug-in, or interactive document. These products have become such a good source of passive income that many top professional influencers, bloggers, or public icons release digital products such as guides, ebooks, templates, research findings, plans, and tutorials. 

Some key benefits of selling digital products are:

• They’re scalable.There’s no limit to how many products you can sell. No inventory. No manufacturers. No shipping or logistics. Just market the products. When a customer purchases a digital product, it’s delivered instantly, without your help.

• Low overhead costs, high profit margins. Since there’s no recurring cost of goods or shipping charges, you keep a majority of the profit from each sale. 

• E-learning is becoming more popular. The e-learning industry is expected to reach $ billion by Digital products are a smart way to take advantage of this trend and expand your business.

Digital products can be a great supplement to your main income. Many creators make them to add another revenue stream to their businesses, whether it be consulting, education, or memberships. You could build a presence on Twitter and LinkedIn or build an email subscriber list to promote your products to and make sales. 

Since the barrier is so low when selling digital products, it doesn’t require much upfront investment or risk. The best care scenario is you sell 10, templates. The worst case is that few people buy and you lose only a few hours of your time. 

🎯 Idea in action

SEO for the Rest of Us is a search engine optimization (SEO) education business run by Brendan Hufford. Its purpose is to help creative entrepreneurs—those who don’t have a huge brand or following—use SEO to get their products and services out into the world. 

Brendan’s business is made up of multiple branches: a day free SEO challenge, a podcast, an active blog, a YouTube channel, service packages, a membership community, and digital products. If you’re looking for SEO education, you’ll come across his brand somewhere in your search. 

“Digital products and monetizing your expertise is a great way to make money online,” Brendan says. “It’s a fantastic stair-step model to build an audience that values knowledge and what they are working on.” 

Brendan also shared the framework he uses to make new digital products:

1. Teach something live (like a workshop) for free a few times. You’ll get more comfortable, get testimonials, and work out the kinks.
2. Charge money for teaching live workshops.
3. Sell the recordings to the live sessions.
4. Continue iterating and record a final, evergreen version you sell repeatedly. 

If you take a look through the Course tab on Brendan’s website, you’ll find an endless list of different products for sale: from beginner SEO bundles to masterclasses, expert interviews, challenges, roadmaps, idea generators, and more. Some products sell for as low as $5, while others can range as high as $1, to $7, for an auditing course. 

Brendan is one of many incredible examples of entrepreneurs selling digital products online. The best part? He wasn’t always an SEO expert. As of , he was an assistant principal at Thea Bowman Leadership Academy and in six years has built an education empire that makes real money online with passion and determination.

7. Media

Business type: Product based

Effort: High

Leverage: High

Startup costs (out of 5 💸): 💸💸

Earning potential (out of 5 💰): 💰💰💰💰

Media is a very wide-ranging term, but the best description available if you’re a creator in the market to sell music, videos, digital art, paid newsletters, magazines, or podcasts.

Media seems closely related to digital products, but the difference with media is that it tends to be geared toward creative ventures—for example, a writer starting a paid newsletter subscription or an artist learning how to sell art online.

The best part about selling media is that, a lot of the time, it’s a way for people to express themselves online. Artists and creators who didn’t have access to networks, galleries, or PR in the past can now build a brand, grow a following, and make money online doing something they love. 

Harry Hambley, the cartoonist behind the successful brand Ketnipz, encourages creators to follow their dreams as an artist. In an interview with the BBC, he describes turning down university to draw cartoons online. “You should always do whatever you feel inspired by,” he says. 

When it comes to creating media for the public, Harry explains how “doing something complicated doesn’t guarantee success. It’s more about having a solid idea and then being able to communicate it easily.” 

In a world where negativity is widespread online, the Ketnipz brand is a positive light. It reflects Henry’s goals to give off a good vibe and be “something that’s quite comforting.”

🎯 Idea in action

Fred Jourdain is a versatile artist: he’s an illustrator, cartoonist, designer, and entrepreneur. His site is a prime example of making money online through different types of media. The artist sells not only original art, but also shares stories, interviews, projects, and more with potential customers. 

Visitors can browse around and get inside the mind of the artist, creating a connection. They can learn Fred’s methods or discover past artworks and events. And if they want to purchase a print or original piece, they can easily do so through the shopping cart functionality right in his store. 

8. Blogging

Business type: Audience monetization

Effort: High

Leverage: Medium

Startup costs (out of 5 💸): 💸

Earning potential (out of 5 💰): 💰💰💰

You’ve probably read a business blog at some point in your life. Businesses use blogging to share knowledge and insights, build an audience, and get more leads and sales. Blogging has endless benefits, such as building thought leadership in an industry and improving search engine visibility for a brand.

Blogging to make money online has grown beyond big businesses and side hustles. Anyone can now build an audience by putting out great content and make a lot of money from their blog. Bloggers also tend to take a personal approach that resonates with an intended audience versus getting information from a company blog. 

People start blogs for many different reasons, some being:

• Sharing their thoughts, passions, or life experiences
• Educating readers on a topic they know about 
• Selling products or services
• Building a personal brand

The key to running a successful blog is choosing a niche. There’s really no shortage of them on the web. You could be the expert on topics in a specific location (for example, restaurants in Toronto) or for a specific segment in certain categories (like vegan keto recipes and lifestyle). Focusing on a niche helps you speak to an audience and create high quality content for them, which in turn can result in leads and sales for your blogging business.

But how do you make money from blogging? Well, once you learn how to start a blog, you can monetize it a few different ways: 

• Selling physical products that your readers would enjoy, like pillows or t-shirts

• Offering digital products such as designs, digital art, courses, templates, or photography that you can make once and sell repeatedly

• Becoming an influencer and doing paid promotions for brands

• Selling subscriptions or memberships to exclusive content on platforms such as Patreon

While blogging is a low investment business idea, it can take time to pay off. Chances are, you won’t find yourself on page one of Google’s search results overnight. But with the right niche and determination, you’ll be well on your way to making money online through your blog. 

🎯 Idea in action

The House That Lars Built is a blog about all things interiors, decor, style, and holiday. It was started by Brittany Watson Jepsen, a “professional creative messer,” who teaches people how to make life artful. Whether through tutorials or guides, her goal is to show people that life is better when you have a project to work on—whether it be crafts, designing, illustrating, or writing.

Brittany’s blog is a reflection of her passions and interests. It’s also a money-making machine, offering guest posting opportunities, selling custom products, partaking in Amazon’s affiliate program, and running Google Ads. Brittany’s blog operation has grown so big, she actively hires interns and part-time crafters to help with in-house projects.

9. Affiliate marketing

Business type: Audience monetization

Effort: Medium

Leverage: High

Startup costs (out of 5 💸): 💸💸

Earning potential (out of 5 💰): 💰💰💰💰

There seems to be a trend with online-only business models still being relatively misunderstood. Well, add affiliate marketing to that pile. There’s no snake oil to be found here.

So, how does monetization work through this model? Essentially, publishers or individuals can apply for affiliate programs, wherever they’re available, in order to be added as an official affiliate. Once you’re accepted, you’ll receive a way to share an affiliate link to the product or service you’re interested in promoting. Don’t forget to add a disclaimer!

When someone buys the product after clicking your link, you’ll receive credit for the referral, along with a commission. The commission amount depends on the affiliate program and the product being sold—commodity items on www.oldyorkcellars.com won’t pay out much, but referring a high-ticket account may pay out hundreds or even thousands of dollars.

Because affiliate marketing works best when you help a visitor understand why a certain product may be the right one for them, you’ll typically see it deployed on content-focused websites. Search engine optimization also plays an important role here and you’ll see everyone from homegrown sites to massive, globally known publications competing for terms like “best gaming laptops ”

Niche-to-win applies here, too. Since you don’t have a masthead of 50 writers, you won’t outcompete with professional publications like Wirecutter as a general review site. You may, however, be able to write, rank, and differentiate yourself by covering all things terrariums or high-intensity interval training. Point being, it’s typically easier to land (pick a distinct niche) and expand (grow into new areas) than it is to compete with a general interest site, especially when you’re getting started.

The best affiliate content helps the reader both solve a problem or make a decision and showcases the right products as part of that solution.

🎯 Idea in action

The best example of affiliate marketing is Wirecutter, owned by The New York Times. The content is extremely well done and reader-centric, with meticulous testing and fully transparent reviews of the pros and cons of various products. Wirecutter, in other words, passes the first litmus test of a successful affiliate site: whether or not the content truly helps a visitor make a purchasing decision, even if the affiliate links weren’t included.

Resources: 

Online courses and workshops

Business type: Product based

Effort: High

Leverage: High

Startup costs (out of 5 💸): 💸

Earning potential (out of 5 💰): 💰💰💰💰

Creating a truly great online course is tough. You need to know the ins and outs of a specific subject and then have the skill (and dedication) to codify that knowledge and either write or record your best advice for customers. And, of course, you need to successfully market the course once it’s made—often the most difficult part of all.

There’s a reason online courses have a pretty broad appeal, though. Once a course is created, it accrues all of the benefits of any digital product: the costs to deliver the product to more customers is essentially zero, with the exception of hosting. Compare that to the need to maintain inventory that all physical product businesses face and you’ll find yourself dealing with fewer product-related headaches as you scale.

The appetite for digital courses and continuing education is there, too. That’s why sites like Udemy and Skillshare are thriving. Your biggest hurdle is actually the web itself, where there are thousands of wonderful resources available for free. And content on every topic is getting better by the day.

But the seemingly unlimited options available on the web is precisely why paid courses are valuable: they filter out the fluff and just share the good stuff. Many creators have found success turning their mostly free videos or blog posts into a paid course. The reason people pay isn’t just for the information, but for the way it’s organized and presented. Part of the value is the time saved not having to filter through dozens of YouTube videos and random websites and to instead get one cohesive course from an engaging instructor.

Remember, though, that while there are a countless number of topics to create content about, there are far fewer topics that people are willing to pay for. Usually, the bestselling courses teach people a valuable skill that helps them make progress at their job or get deeper enjoyment out of a beloved hobby. That explains why courses on Microsoft Excel can become bestsellers.

Once again, it’s often best to go to a market where people are willing to spend. Professionals probably spend the most money on courses, so if there’s a way for you to take the things you know from work and package them in a course, you already have your biggest selling point: help your buyers get a raise or promotion. Help them be better at the skill creating their main source of income.

🎯 Idea in action

Before the pandemic happened, The Content Planner used to sell only physical planning products through its Shopify store. Katherine Gaskin, founder of The Content Planner, was also offering in-person workshops for her customers and online community. They were two of her biggest offerings before March  

After lockdowns ensued and in-person workshops diminished, Katherine shifted to virtual workshops for her clients. She now retains up to 90% of profits due to lower overhead costs on things like travel and renting workshop space. The only fees she has now are subscription fees for Zoom, sales pages, and other PayPal or transaction fees. 

In a recent interview with Shopify, she mentions how shifting online has resulted in her biggest sales month to date. She continues to provide on-demand courses and lessons for purchase and plans to launch similar offerings for her business. 

Freelance services

Business type: Service based

Effort: High

Leverage: Low

Startup costs (out of 5 💸): 💸

Earning potential (out of 5 💰): 💰💰💰💰

An increasingly popular home business idea is offering freelance services to clients online. Freelance writing, graphic design, data entry, digital marketing—almost every role an online business would hire for is viable as a freelance service. I myself have worked with writers, illustrators, and designers for years at Shopify, most of whom make their full-time living freelancing, not just doing it in their spare time.

Almost all of these services are best positioned toward business clients, for reasons similar to why business software is an attractive product: business clients are willing to spend. What most freelancers are quick to learn is that they have more leverage over the price they can charge when they position their work as outcomes instead of deliverables. Put another way, businesses hire freelance writers to create content that drives traffic and leads, not for wordsmithing. Sell clients on the outcome and prove it, where possible, through customer evidence like case studies and testimonials.

The other lesson freelancers pick up, sometimes through scar tissue, is the need to niche down when they’re getting started. Why would a company specifically hire you over the thousands of people offering very similar services? You aren’t making a manager's job any easier by offering catch-all services, either. So be wary of the false appeal of solving for every customer. That’d be like a mechanic trying to expand her customer base by calling her shop “General Fix-It Emporium.”

A better approach is to focus on a recognizable pain point layered on top of an industry or niche. Even then, pitches like “Marketing Content for Tech Companies” are a little crowded—you might see even better results if you sell a more precise outcome or to a subset of a certain industry, like improving the sales pipeline for enterprise software companies.

The last thing to consider for these businesses is that they are a direct trade of time for money. You can make good money with a small selection of high-paying clients, but the moment you stop working, the cash flow dries up. You may be able to turn a freelance business into more of an agency, where hired help handles some client work. For many business owners, the personal enjoyment they get from doing the work is a reason in itself to continue freelancing. But it’s worth noting that you’re not building much of a standalone asset, so you may eventually want to expand into another business model.

🎯 Idea in action

Elise Dopson is a freelance writer for B2B SaaS companies. She’s been a freelance writer for three years and has been hired by huge SaaS companies like Hotjar, Databox, Hubspot, and Content Marketing Institute. But she wasn’t always the in-demand writer she is today. 

Elise started a beauty blog in , which made a small fortune in its time. She then landed a job at a local marketing agency, where she learned more about blog writing and SEO. This led her to quit her job, start her freelance writing business in , and break the six-figure ceiling by the age of  

“Ever since I was a kid, I loved to write,” Elise explains, “but it wasn’t until working at a marketing agency that I saw you could make real money online doing it. Offering freelance writing services has allowed me to travel freely—before COVID!—work from the comfort of my home, and be my own boss. If you have a passion for writing or designing or organizing stuff, turn it into a freelance service. You won’t be disappointed with the results.”

Today, Elise continues to write for enterprise brands and teaches other writers how to grow profitable freelance businesses in her membership community, Peak Freelance. 

Check out her story by reading How Elise Dopson Built a Six-Figure Writing Business by

Start a YouTube channel

Business type: Audience monetization

Effort: High

Leverage: Low

Startup costs (out of 5 💸): 💸

Earning potential (out of 5 💰): 💰💰💰💰

Ever thought of becoming a YouTube star? Micro-celebrities like year old Ryan Kaji are making over $29 million per year on YouTube selling toys. Another top earner on YouTube is David Dobrik, who makes around $ million entertaining his audience with comical videos. 

Create a YouTube channel around one niche. This will help you build a loyal audience that tunes in to your channel repeatedly, giving you more opportunities to make money online. You could offer tutorials, review products, keep up with celebrity news—whatever you think will keep your audience interested. 

The key to a successful YouTube channel is to entertain or educate with your content. Once you’ve reached 1, subscribers, you can make money running YouTube ads on your channel. You can also offer paid product placement to big brands, sell products, or become an affiliate to make money on YouTube.

🎯 Idea in action

Justine Leconte runs a successful YouTube channel with over , subscribers. As a fashion designer, her channel is dedicated to helping people dress their best on a budget. 

Her YouTube channel is full of tutorials and tips for finding your style, keeping up with fashion trends, building a wardrobe, and so much more. Her videos have millions of views, which lets her run YouTube ads to monetize her channel. 

Become an influencer

Business type: Audience monetization

Effort: High

Leverage: Low

Startup costs (out of 5 💸): 💸

Earning potential (out of 5 💰): 💰💰💰💰

Influencers are becoming a popular marketing channel for brands big and small, with 68% of US marketers at companies with over employees working with them in If others can become influencers, so can you.

To become an influencer, you’ll need an engaged following. Influencers today don’t need to have millions of followers. There are opportunities to become a nano-influencer or micro-influencer, which are accounts with up to 10, and 50, followers, respectively. 

The two biggest platforms for this are YouTube and Instagram. Some of the most popular influencers found fame through these platforms. Check out our article on how to grow your Instagram following to build a big audience.

🎯 Idea in action

Once you have a following, you can make money a few different ways as an influencer:

• Charge for sponsored posts
• Speak at conferences 
• Sell products in your online store
• Become an affiliate 
• Sell ads 
• Become a brand ambassador 
• Write a book 

Take @marketingharry, for example. The marketing influencer creates content to help his audience succeed on Instagram. With over , followers, he’s a good influencer account for companies who want to connect with his growing audience. He works with brands like ManyChat to promote their products and can earn money through sponsorships or affiliate commissions. 

Additional resources:

Write ebooks

Business type: Product based

Effort: High

Leverage: Medium

Startup costs (out of 5 💸): 💸

Earning potential (out of 5 💰): 💰💰

Got a story inside you just waiting to be released? It’s time for you to write that ebook. With Amazon Direct Publishing, it’s never been easier to publish an ebook. You just need to write the book, format it, create a cover, then publish and promote it online. 

Not the best writer? That’s OK. Hire a ghostwriter to work on the book with you. They’ll help you get your words onto the digital page. Then you can work with a designer to create the cover, and a freelancer to format the ebook, if you need help. Use a keyword research tool to find trending topics people search for. You can use this information to inspire the narrative of your book if you get stuck. 

🎯 Idea in action

You’ll likely be up against established authors like James Patterson and Amy Tan when selling ebooks online. But that doesn’t stop newer writers from making $, a year selling books on Amazon. 

To sell your ebook, market it a few different ways. Run a giveaway and give it away for free for a few days. The more traffic that comes to your page, the higher you can rank in search results. This can lead to more reviews, which can also boost your books visibility and earn more sales. 

Engage in communities on social media around the topic you plan to write about. For example, if you want to write a recipe book, you could get involved with food and culinary communities on Facebook and in real life. Once your book is published, you’ll have a strong community of folks who may buy it from you. 

Look for side gigs

Business type: Service based

Effort: Medium

Leverage: Low

Startup costs (out of 5 💸): 💸

Earning potential (out of 5 💰): 💰

Side gigs are a great way to earn money online while keeping a full-time job. If you want to make a few extra hundred dollars per month, looking for side gigs is a good way. It’s not for the long run, but you can earn cash online with near zero startup costs. 

🎯 Idea in action

Similar to freelancing, you can use platforms like Fiverr to create gigs. If you have administrative skills, you can sell side gigs on Fiverr for a low price. Top Fiverr users typically have multiple gigs available, which helps you get found on the platform easier. 

Treat every client well and you’ll develop a strong profile that stands out. You can leverage a good reputation to build a business later on, if you want to. 

Another option is searching on a platform like FlexJobs to find side gigs. Under its jobs section, you can find contract work or telecommute jobs. You can apply to these positions from anywhere—all you need is an internet connection. 

FlexJobs offers many different gigs: Writing, business, design, accounting, etc. If you find a side gig that matches your talents, you can apply and start making money online. The trick here is to apply to multiple gigs at once. You won’t land every opportunity, but the more you apply to, the better your chances are. 

Do translation work

Business type: Service based

Effort: Medium

Leverage: High

Startup costs (out of 5 💸): 💸

Earning potential (out of 5 💰): 💰💰💰

Speak multiple languages and want to make money online? Test your skills at translation work. The top five language pairs for business are: 

• English —> Spanish
• English —> Chinese 
• English —> French
• English —> German
• English —> Russian 

If you’re fluent or have working knowledge of these pairs, translation work may be a great gig for you to try. You’ll need to prove that you can translate between the two languages. Create samples before you start applying for jobs. Make samples around the types of text you want to translate. For example, if you want to translate blogs, fill your portfolio with relevant articles from top media publishers around the web. 

🎯 Idea in action

There are many places to apply for translation work online:

Sell stuff online

Business type: Product based

Effort: Medium

Leverage: Low

Startup costs (out of 5 💸): 💸

Earning potential (out of 5 💰): 💰💰

One of the best money-making ideas for quick cash if selling stuff online. For example, you can sell clothes, furniture, and handbags from your own home. Or you can buy and resell higher value items like laptops, TVs, or phones. You can buy these products online through sites like AliExpress or from local garage sale and thrift stores. 

Try to sell your products on multiple platforms and marketplaces instead of just one. The more places your products live, the more likely people will be to find them. 

🎯 Idea in action

There are hundreds of online selling sites, all with different niches and commission fees. A few examples include:

• eBay
• Facebook Marketplace
• VarageSale
• MercadoLibre
• Your own online store

Livestream on Twitch

Business type: Audience monetization

Effort: High

Leverage: Medium

Startup costs (out of 5 💸): 💸💸💸

Earning potential (out of 5 💰): 💰💰💰

Livestreaming is becoming more and more popular each year, with viewership increasing 49% in from the year prior. 

Many platforms now offer native livestreaming, including YouTube and Instagram. Yet the most popular one is Twitch, which has evolved from gaming to other types of content, such as arts and crafts, and adventures. If you can go live regularly, you’ll build a strong audience on Twitch..

🎯 Idea in action

To make money online from streaming, you’ll need a consistent channel. Are you going to be funny or educational? Are you streaming your biking trips or World of Warcraft? Set expectations for viewers so they know exactly what they’ll see when tuning into your livestream. Engage with viewers in Twitch’s live chat. This will help you build a niche following.

You can monetize your Twitch channel a few different ways:

• Selling products
• Brand sponsorships
• Fan donations
• Subscriptions 
• Twitch ads

You can choose one or all of these monetization channels. If you want to maximize your financial gains, go for all five. 

Take online surveys

Business type: Service based

Effort: High

Leverage: Low

Startup costs (out of 5 💸): 💸

Earning potential (out of 5 💰): 💰

A tried and true way to earn money online is through completing online surveys. The payouts won’t turn you into an overnight millionaire, but you could earn some extra cash. Some survey sites like Swagbucks will give you points, which you can redeem for cashback or rewards. You can also earn points for playing games, browsing the web, or watching videos.

🎯 Idea in action

The best sites to take online surveys include:

Sell photos online

Business type: Product based

Effort: High

Leverage: High

Startup costs (out of 5 💸): 💸💸💸

Earning potential (out of 5 💰): 💰💰💰

The web is a beautiful place for photographers. The ability to make money online, like Instagrammers and YouTubers, is all about channeling your creativity and monetizing your talents. Whether you’re shooting on the newest iPhone or the latest Canon DSLR, you can sell photos online as a photographer.

The key is focusing on three things:

1. Finding a niche (travel, food, portraits, etc.)
2. Building an audience online
3. Creating multiple streams of income 

🎯 Idea in action

The first step in making money online as a photographer is integrating ecommerce into your portfolio. You can sell prints of your most popular photos and sell them through your online store, so you don’t pay fees or commissions to any outside platforms. 

But that’s only one stream of income. You can also partner with a service like Printful to put your photos on products such as clothes, phone cases, pillows, and more. You won’t have to pay anything to Printful until your product sells. 

You can also sell your photos to online stock photo sites like Alamy or px. If you’re brand new, you can also submit certain photos for free to sites like Burst, where millions of people find stock photos for their projects. This helps build awareness for your brand and photos, which can lead to future sales.

Become a social media consultant 

Business type: Service based

Effort: High

Leverage: Medium

Startup costs (out of 5 💸): 💸

Earning potential (out of 5 💰): 💰💰💰

One trend for making money online is becoming a social media consultant. Creators who have success on platforms like TikTok and Instagram are now offering their skills for sale. 

As a social media consultant, brands will contact you to brainstorm creative ideas, develop a content strategy, produce videos, and more. It’s a smart money-making opportunity for digital nomads because you can run the business from a smartphone. 

Your goal will be to grow a brand’s awareness and audience. You’ll need to know how to create viral videos and manage a community.

🎯 Idea in action

Social media consultant Lucas O’Keefe’s journey started with a viral TikTok video that turned into a full-on coaching business helping others build an audience on social media. 

With over , followers and multiple ambassador partnerships, Lucas can prove to potential clients that he can get them results. If you want to become a social media consultant, you’ll need to be credible. Start by building your social following using the same tactics you’ll present to clients. Then use your own profile as a shining example to secure work with clients.

Start a podcast

Business type: Audience monetization

Effort: High

Leverage: Low

Startup costs (out of 5 💸): 💸💸

Earning potential (out of 5 💰): 💰💰💰

Podcasts continue to get more popular each year. Recent research shows that podcast listener numbers are up in by % compared to the previous year, with million people tuning in monthly for an episode.

If you know the value of content for your brand, then you already know the value of podcasting. It allows you to reach new audiences you may not find through long-form content because they prefer audio. 

🎯 Idea in action

You don’t need to be a technical person and it doesn’t take much money to start. And best of all, you don’t need to be a popular blogger or influencer to become a successful podcaster. 

You’ll need the following things at minimum to start your podcast: 

1. A concept (topic, name, format, and length for each episode)
2. Artwork and description of your podcast
3. Audio files of your episodes
4. A place to host your files, like Podbean
5. Distribution through an RSS feed so episodes can be sent to Apple Podcasts, Spotify, etc. 

As you build your following, there are different ways to monetize your podcast:

• Sponsorship deals
• Affiliate partnerships
• Premium content offerings
• Donations
• Advertising networks
• Selling merchandise
• Hosting live events 

Become a transcriber

Business type: Service based

Effort: High

Leverage: Medium

Startup costs (out of 5 💸): 💸

Earning potential (out of 5 💰): 💰💰💰

Looking for a career where you can make $25 an hour working online? A transcriptionist may be the role for you. Transcribers are in demand for companies who need interviews, podcasts, and other audio transcribed. You can lock-in a part-time role with a company or work on a freelance basis with multiple companies on specific projects. 

🎯 Idea in action

To succeed as a transcriber, you’ll want to strengthen your typing and grammar skills. Your work needs to be error free and done on time. Practice transcribing short audio files so you’re ready to apply to gigs with transcription companies. Create a transcription-focused website and CV, especially if you are brand new. 

It may seem challenging at first. Dedicate time to practicing transcription before you go out applying for jobs. Once you build your skills and know what companies need, you can land more jobs and earn more money. 

Review apps, websites, and software

Business type: Service based

Effort: High

Leverage: Low

Startup costs (out of 5 💸): 💸

Earning potential (out of 5 💰): 💰💰

Got an eye for good user experience? UserTesting will pay you $10 to give other companies feedback on their apps and websites. It’s a quick way to make money online. All you have to do is answer some questions as you browse the website or app through a video. Each video is around 20 minutes long, so if you complete three in an hour, you can make $ 

The one challenge is competitiveness. You’ll receive an email when a project goes live, but you have to act fast or someone else will take it. 

🎯 Idea in action

Top user review sites you can sign up for include:

Become an audiobook narrator

Business type: Service based

Effort: High

Leverage: Low

Startup costs (out of 5 💸): 💸💸

Earning potential (out of 5 💰): 💰💰💰

Love audiobooks and reading aloud? Or maybe you have the voice of Samuel L. Jackson and want to share it with the world. Either way, a good idea is becoming an audiobook narrator. It’s a fun gig because you’re not just reading words from a book, but bringing a story to life for listeners. 

Audiobook narrators often work as freelancers. Organization, professionalism, and meeting deadlines are key skills for this line of work. Audiobook narrators often have skills like:

• Background in acting
• Ability to make different voices, accents, and dialects
• Persistence 

🎯 Idea in action

Becoming an audiobook narrator may not make money overnight, but it’s a dream job for those passionate about it. To start, you could volunteer to read as a public service. This will help you build your narrating skills and build a portfolio, plus, do some good for someone—a win-win.

Networking is key to narration. Consider joining the Audio Publishers Association to meet other narrators and potential work contacts. Create a website and set up your social media profiles to showcase your talents. Post samples of your narration and make them easily accessible on your website. When recruiters or companies come looking for you, they want to know you’re the right voice before reaching out. 

Lastly, try applying for jobs through audiobook-specific marketplaces like:

How to make money online in ?

As we head into , the opportunities to earn money online without paying anything are only becoming more abundant—you could pick up freelance jobs, start a dropshipping store, create your own products, or promote other people’s products on a blog. It just takes a little know-how and hard work to make it happen. 

Start working on your new business today to build something meaningful and exciting. It’ll make sure time and effort are put to good use and will pay dividends over time as you build your online presence, find new customers, and make money. 

Regardless of whether you're looking for full-time income or just some extra money on the side, there are plenty of ways to make money while working from home. There are many benefits to making money from home, such as having the flexibility to make your own schedule and enjoy a strong work-life balance.

Reviewing ideas for how to make money at home can help you determine which you're most interested in pursuing. In this article, we discuss 95 ideas on how to make money at home.

How to make money at home

Here are 20 ideas that you may want to consider for how to make money at home:

1. Become a virtual assistant

A virtual assistant is someone who provides administrative services to clients from a remote location, such as a home office. Virtual assistants handle a variety of different responsibilities for their clients, including making travel plans, performing online research and checking emails.

Read more:How To Become a Virtual Assistant

2. Pet sitting

If you enjoy animals, then you may want to consider pet sitting. This is a good way to earn money directly from your own home. You will need to invest in marketing and commercial insurance. You may also want to speak with an accountant or bookkeeper as well as a lawyer to discuss liability.

3. Sell your own items online

Survey your home and look for items that you no longer use. You can then list those items on different e-commerce sites to find buyers. To get the best sales, it's important to take clear, high-resolution photos of your pieces. Perform research online to find how much similar items are being sold for and then price your own items competitively.

4. Tutor students online

Leverage your experience in specific subjects or your SAT or ACT knowledge to offer online tutoring to students. Promote your services in area schools and find students who have a need for your services. You can only apply to work for established online tutoring services.

Read more:Learn About Being a Tutor

5. Start a blog

If there's a topic that you're particularly interested in, you could start a blog and promote it on social media to attract an audience who wants to learn about that topic. If you draw a large enough audience with your blog, you can make money from advertising.

Read more:How To Start a Blog

6. Sell services online

There are lots of online sites where specialists can offer their services on a contract or per-project basis. Some different types of services you could offer are graphic design, website design, link building, programming, animation or video creation.

7. Create sales funnels

Many businesses use automated sales funnels to promote and sell their products and services. That said, many other business owners are unaware of how sales funnels could help grow their business. Consider starting your own business selling sales funnels. There are a lot of tools you could use to build them at a low cost.

8. Sell consulting services

Another way to make money online while working from home is through consulting. If you're particularly skilled in a certain field, you may be able to find people who would pay you to offer them advice on their business or personal goals. One way to show others how much knowledge you have to offer is to launch and promote your own blog.

You can use social media to promote your content for a low cost or even for free. After gaining a few clients, you may be able to rapidly grow your business through word-of-mouth marketing. You can meet with clients virtually and schedule those appointments at times that meet your own needs.

9. Launch an online store

E-commerce is very popular right now. While major e-commerce retailers have the majority of the market share, consumers are also looking for great deals online. Consider launching a sales funnel for yourself to drive traffic and buyers to your products and services.

Sell your expertise by offering webinars

Webinars are a great way to sell your products, as they are highly effective and follow a specific format and template. Once you learn how to deliver effective webinars, you can achieve great success in this space, delivering enormous value for your attendees and demonstrating how much additional value they would receive if they purchased your product or service.

Manage the social media accounts of small businesses

Small businesses often need help managing their social media profiles and many prefer to pay someone to help for only a few hours per week, as opposed to having someone managing social media full time.

Learn about the different social media sites and identify one or two that you want to specialize in. Then identify a specific industry that you want to work in. Finally, reach out to different businesses in your area who you recognize you can most help.

Create online courses

If you have a marketable skill that others would be interested in mastering for themselves, then consider making your own online course. There are many sites that you can use to build your course. However, once it's created and launched, online courses can be a great source of passive income.

Sell affiliate marketing offers

Affiliate marketing is an easy way to earn income by selling the products and services that other people create, particularly if you have a website with a large amount of quality traffic already. There are a number of websites available that promote affiliate offers. Take the time to understand your audience and what they're most interested in and then search to identify the right offer and present it to your audience.

Launch a podcast

A podcast is another great method for sharing your expertise with an audience. The key to success with a podcast is to find a specific niche and then providing them with great content to grow your audience. Once you have built a large audience and are receiving a large number of downloads per episode, you can then look for ways to monetize your podcast, such as selling advertisements.

While you may have to do some research in order to learn how to create, edit and promote a podcast, if you are an expert on a particular topic, it's an idea that's worth considering.

Get a babysitting job

Babysitting is another great option for making money from home. Word-of-mouth referrals are a great way to get started babysitting, although there are also a number of websites that you can use to promote your babysitting services for free. To make yourself more appealing to families, you may want to consider getting relevant certifications, such as a CPR certification.

Test websites

Another way to make money from home is by using sites that pay you for your insight into how well a specific website worked. In most cases, you have to pass a test to be accepted and then you will be paid for each test you perform. You may even have the option of earning additional compensation to participate in a video discussion with the customer after completing the test.

Perform data entry

If you have quick and accurate typing skills, then you may want to consider taking an online data entry job. These positions can usually be performed easily online and can offer consistent income.

Work as a freelance writer

Companies are often aiming for high-quality content to boost their ranking in search engines. If you have strong writing skills, this may be a path that you want to consider. If you don't have an online portfolio with published writing already, you may want to consider offering to write a few pieces for free in order to build a portfolio

Offer proofreading services

If you enjoy reading, you may want to consider a job as a freelance proofreader. Depending on whether you have a degree currently, you may want to consider investing in a proofreading course to earn credibility with potential clients. You could offer your services to independent clients or even search for companies hiring full-time proofreaders.

Rent out a room in your home

Listing a spare bedroom on a vacation rental website can provide easy income that you can make at home. It is important to spend time keeping your property and home clean. To ensure you maintain % occupancy, consider renting your home on multiple different sites.

Make sure the rooms are fully furnished and include the cost of utilities and perhaps even breakfast in the rental price. You may also want to consider upgrading your internet service to offer the fastest possible internet speed for guests.

Other ideas for how to make money at home

Here are 65 other ideas that you may want to consider as you look for ways to make money at home:

1. Build and then monetize an online community through a membership or product sales

2. Participate in online surveys

3. Sign up for free gift cards online

4. Rate pizzas online

5. Review products

6. Create a website, generate traffic and collect leads to sell to other companies or individuals

7. Work for online retailers

8. Earn commissions as an online travel agent

9. Sell lesson plans

10. Rent your clothes online

11. Offer calligraphy services for wedding invitations, cards and other stationery

12. Play games online and compete for rewards

13. Participate in an online focus group

14. Sell your used books online

15. Write and sell a book

16. Sell social media posts or ads on social media accounts or a blog

17. Evaluate search engines by performing searches, analyzing the results and giving feedback to the search engines based on the relevance of the search results

18. Create videos and earn money through advertising

19. Offer at-home daycare

20. Provide transcriptionist services

21. Rent your music equipment or studio space

22. Sell baked goods

23. Rent your parking space

24. Buy items from a flea market or yard sale, restore them and sell them online

25. Sell your old cell phone

26. Shop online and earn cash for your purchases

27. Sell your troubleshooting skills

28. Sell your own photography on stock photo sites

29. Fill out online surveys

30. Start a dog walking business

31. Launch a virtual bookkeeping business

32. Offer political advocacy services

33. Sell translation services on freelance platforms

34. Sell your crafts online

35. Obtain a remote technical support role

36. Start an at-home alteration of custom sewing business

37. Sell your unused space as storage space for people who want to pay less than the cost of a storage unit

38. Rent out a room in your home

39. Rent out your car to travelers or people who don't own their own vehicle

40. Rent your driveway, parking space or street slot

41. Sell your gently used clothing

42. Trade in electronics for cash

43. Sell unused gift cards

44. Test mobile applications

45. Become a social media influencer

46. Sign up as an online mystery shopper

47. Work virtually for a company

48. Grow and sell your own produce

49. Become a voice-over artist

50. Create your own mobile application

51. Teach online music lessons

52. Design and sell t-shirts online

53. Create video reviews

54. Pursue a medical coding and billing position

55. Manage a website

56. Offer online or social media advertising services

57. Offer search engine optimization services

58. Start a mini salon in your home

59. Invest in real estate

60. Participate in online market research

61. Create and sell woodworking projects

62. Fix search engine mistakes

63. Sell your junk mail

64. Cook for special occasions

65. Create an audiobook

66. Get paid to exercise

67. Perform meal preparation for others

68. Create a dropshipping business

69. Create and sell access to an online course

70. Teach yoga online

71. Online market trading

72. Review music for money

73. Sell your notes

74. Buy and sell domain names

75. Work as a charity collector

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Your new clothing store isn't going to start itself. It's time to take the first step.

Knowing you need some extra cash in your pocket is pretty easy. All you have to do is look in your wallet. The not-so-easy part? Figuring out how to make extra money.

These days it seems like everyone is working some kind of side gig, renting things out, or selling unwanted stuff to make extra cash—which is awesome. But how did they find out all those ways to make money? Well, they probably stumbled across this list of 34 ways you can make extra money. Or you know, another list somewhere—that’s totally possible too.

Either way, it’s time to put your money goals into action and earn some extra cash at home, online or on the side. Oh, and let’s be clear, these are all legit ways to make money—nothing shady here.

Now let’s get to work!

How to Make Extra Money Online or From Home

1. Tutor online.

If you think being a tutor means you made straight A’s through high school and college, think again. It’s all about what you know and how well you know it. Online tutoring companies like www.oldyorkcellars.com, TutorMe and Studypool hire tutors to share their knowledge with students on a wide group of topics.

Just make sure you’re careful when figuring out which tutoring gig to take. Some of the users on these on-demand tutoring sites are really just looking for someone to write their essay or do their homework for them. Be smart when sifting through the postings.

2. Become a user experience tester.

Every business hopes their website gives great information, hits their goals, and—oh yeah—makes money. But if something isn’t working, the business needs to know why, and a lot of them call on user experience testers to give feedback.

Are you good at knowing if a website is user-friendly just by spending a few minutes scanning the webpage? Companies like UserTesting or TryMyUI will pay you for your feedback. Most of them boast that you’ll get $10 for each minute test you complete!¹

3. Take surveys.

Look into survey sites like MyPoints or Survey Junkie where you’ll get paid just for taking surveys and giving your opinion. Sounds like a pretty sweet deal, right? Just remember, these sites are looking for really specific things when they pick people. So you might not qualify for every survey you come across.

Plus, you’ll have to finish a certain number of surveys before you can cash out your points. It’s not a get-rich-quick plan by any means, but that extra cash can still add up over time. If you’re the patient and persistent type, give it a shot!

4. Get cash back from apps.

There are plenty of mobile apps out there that can show you how to make extra money just by doing simple things. We’re talking really, really easy here—like grabbing-your-phone-and-scanning-your-receipt easy. Check out mobile apps like Ibotta, Rakuten, Shopkick, Receipt Hog and Dosh to score some extra cash without too much work on your part.

5. Teach English.

It’s kind of like going the tutoring route, except you’re teaching English with a company like VIPKid (a big favorite of fans in our Ramsey Baby Steps Community on Facebook). Now, if the word teach makes you a little nervous, don’t worry. They’ll handle all the lesson plans and grading for you. But you do need to have a desire to help others learn and be willing to guide a class online. Getting paid while helping others? This one’s a win-win!

6. Get paid for your creative skills.

You’ve got the creative skills but just haven’t connected with someone who needs your awesome work. Why not freelance in your spare time with Fiverr? The site connects freelancers specializing in writing, editing, graphic design and voice-over work to clients needing those creative minds in their corner.

You’ll create a profile (almost like a resumé) that potential employers can scan to check out your experience, rates and specialties. Get ready to let your creativity flow!

7. Offer your services as a virtual assistant.

If you’re organized, love a good challenge, and want to work from home, this may be the perfect opportunity for you! Plus, who doesn’t love a little variety in their workday? Chances are, most business owners could use your help as they try to find a better balance between their work and home lives these days. Check out sites like Upwork and Zirtual to find opportunities to start lending a hand.

8. Become an influencer.

Get paid to post on social media! Yup—it turns out, social media can actually come in handy. If you have a large following on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram, or even your blog, you might consider becoming an influencer.

Whether it’s fashion, cookware or home décor, you can become a go-to resource for businesses to get even more exposure on the internet. Just reach out to brands you love and let them know you’d like to work together! And if you’re open to affiliate marketing and sponsored content, check out ShareASale and Amazon Associates too.

9. Become a social media manager.

Most companies have a social media presence. Not only is it free marketing, but it’s also a way to stay connected to their customers (or future customers) and build a following. But it can be a huge task for smaller companies who don’t have many team members. That’s where you come in. If you have a knack for creativity, connecting with others and a knowledge of different social media channels—this might be right up your alley!

Ways to Make Money on the Side

Get paid for your photos.

Are you a shutterbug? Do you have photos of gorgeous sunsets and perfectly staged lattes cluttering up your camera roll? You can make extra money for your photos without having to be a professional photographer. Foap pays up to $10 for a photo (some can fetch more for special “missions”) but they’ll take 50% of your sale too.²

Keep in mind, there’s no guarantee that people will buy your photos. But even if you only sell a few, that’s some easy money for something you’ve already done.

Drive for Uber or Lyft.

If you’re strapped for cash but want to work on your own schedule, you might want to think about becoming a driver for Uber or Lyft. You can drive as much (or as little) as you want and set your own schedule. Plus, you get the added bonus of having interesting conversations along the way (or, at the very least, some fun stories to tell of your travels with strangers).

Of course, the amount of money you make depends on your location and how often you cart people around. So if you have a free Saturday every now and then, you might want to spend it as a glorified taxi driver exploring your city and getting paid for it.

Become a food delivery driver.

Since the ol’ pandemic of , a lot of restaurants have kept their dining rooms closed or stuck with limited seating. So what’s that mean? More takeout! Become a hero by delivering food to front porches in your city. Driving for Uber Eats, Grubhub or Postmates is a great way to make extra money in your free time just by delivering food to hungry clients. Bonus points: Your car is going to smell amazing. We’re kind of jealous.

Join a focus group.

If you like sharing your opinion, why not get paid for it? Check to see if there’s a local focus group in your area or online. You could earn cash just for doing taste tests or trying out different products. Just make sure you fit the type of things they’re looking for before applying.

Deliver groceries.

If you love the thrill of shopping but don’t want to spend your own money, this might interest you. With Shipt, you get paid to shop and deliver groceries to clients through an on-demand service. According to the company, their shoppers make up to $22 an hour!³ Getting paid for shopping? Sign us up!

Take up babysitting.

Teenagers usually have the corner on the babysitting market. But there’s no reason you can’t get in on it too. And truth be told, it might be easier than you think to land a gig. Most parents will jump at the chance to have a date night. But sometimes, finding a sitter they trust can be tricky.

Let people in your friend group, church and workplace know you’d be happy to watch their kiddos in your spare time (they need to pay you, of course). And if it’s a little awkward for you to spread the news by word of mouth, you can always sign up for a service like Sittercity or www.oldyorkcellars.com to help you land some babysitting jobs.

Start pet sitting.

Are you an animal lover at heart? How about making some extra money just by taking a dog for a walk or boarding a cat for the weekend? You can advertise your own pet-sitting business on social media, put up signs throughout your neighborhood, or use a website like Rover. They let you set your schedule and set up your own fees for services. If you do use Rover, keep in mind that they take a cut of what you make.⁴

Advertise on your car.

File this one under both super weird and the ultimate definition of the phrase passive income. The app Wrapify will pay you to drive with a business advertisement wrapped around your car. Once the car is wrapped, you really don’t have to do anything except drive around town like you normally do.

It sounds strange, but it’s actually pretty rewarding: The more you drive, the more you’ll earn. Wrapify says the average person who does a full wrap on their car makes about $– a month.⁵ If you’re still paying off your car loan, that’s a car payment right there!

Do tasks for people.

If you’re just trying to figure out how to make money on the side with quick fix-it jobs or running errands, TaskRabbit might be your best bet. You can do all kinds of things from yardwork to putting together furniture. This is the perfect way to make extra money if you like to tinker with things—look at you go, MacGyver.

Deliver for Amazon.

You know who didn’t slow down during the pandemic? Amazon drivers. There’s nothing like getting a package delivered to your front door, especially when it comes from Amazon. Everyone loves getting packages, so why not spend a few nights a week driving around town bringing people joy? Sign up to deliver packages with Amazon Flex and set your schedule for as much or as little as you want to work.

Turn your commute into cash.

Between commuting to work and driving the kids to soccer practice, most of us spend plenty of time in our cars. It’s time to make extra money while you’re riding around! With Roadie, you can get paid just for driving a package (or even a pet!) from point A to point B along your route.

And check your area for apps that reward you for carpooling around town. Here in Nashville, we have Hytch, which partners with some companies to reward you for carpooling with one or more people. You’re already driving to work each day, so why not get paid for it too?

Become a photographer.

If you have a nice camera and a good eye, snapping a few photos might be just the thing you need to figure out how to make extra money. You can go as all in with this as you want. Maybe you only shoot family sessions and birthday cake smashes on the weekends. Or maybe you decide to start a business as a wedding photographer! The choice really is up to you.

Check the going rates for sessions in your area and think about setting your prices a little lower to stick it to your competition. Let’s say you make $75– a session. That can add up pretty fast!

Take up car washing/detailing.

If you’re a major car fanatic, this might be a natural fit for you! And you probably already have the tools you need. It’s amazing how many people will pay someone else to do something they don’t want to do. You can even take the business on the road and meet your customers wherever they are!

Become a financial coach.

Are you passionate about helping people take control of their money? Cool cool. Us too. You can make some extra cash through financial coaching in your spare time—no special skills required. Our Financial Coach Master Training will walk you through all the tools you need to help bring people hope as they figure out this whole money thing.

Start a blog.

If you’ve got something to say, chances are people might read it! The great thing about a blog is you can focus on pretty much any topic you want to. If you’re a great cook, do a food blog. Or maybe fashion is your true love. If you’re passionate about fitness and nutrition, start a health blog.

Just be prepared for the slow game with this one. You can definitely make good money with a blog . . . but you can also end up making next to nothing. Okay, maybe that’s extreme. But you get the idea. Using things like Google AdSense or affiliate marketing (where you get a cut when someone buys a product you promote) and even connecting with the right people can really impact your readership and the cash you make.

Start your own (online) business.

If you’re just looking for a quick way to make cash on nights or weekends for a short stretch of time, then maybe this one isn’t for you. But if you’re ready to turn your dream of starting your own business into a reality, there’s never been a better time to do it! Online platforms like Etsy, Amazon FBA and Big Cartel have made it easier than ever.

How to Make Extra Money by Selling or Renting

Rent your home.

If you have a spare bedroom or can stay with your in-laws or friends on short notice, you might want to consider renting out your home on Airbnb. Let’s say you decide to rent out your upstairs guest room and bathroom to two guests. Here in the Nashville area, you’d have a monthly earning potential of about $1,⁶ Not too shabby at all!

But what about the risks of opening up your home to strangers? Airbnb offers accidental damage coverage on your home—up to a million dollars of coverage, to be exact. They also offer host protection insurance just in case a guest gets hurt while staying on your property. So kick that worry to the curb!

Even though Airbnb doesn’t screen each individual guest, they do let hosts and guests rate each other. That way you can feel more at ease about who you’re letting into your house.

Rent out your car.

If you have a vehicle that just sits in your garage for long stretches of time, you might find a car rental service like Turo is one of the easiest ways to make some extra money. On average, you could make a jaw-dropping $10, a year—just by renting out your ride!⁷

And don’t worry: The company covers your vehicle with $, of liability insurance as well as offering theft and damage coverage.⁸ So let your renter hit the open road while you sit back and count that extra cash.

Sell old phones and electronics.

It seems like new electronic gadgets come out every day. And when you’re ready to upgrade, what do you do with the old stuff you don’t use anymore? Well, you could just shove it in that random junk corner (where everything goes) or you can sell it! Sites like Swappa and Gazelle (no relation to our gazelle intensity) will take those old phones, gaming systems and laptops off your hands.

Get rid of old movies and music.

Channel your inner minimalist and get rid of all those dusty DVDs or CDs on your entertainment stand or in boxes under your bed. And make the whole process easier with Decluttr. You can scan the bar codes of items you don’t want anymore and see how much money the company will give you. Instead of waiting around for a buyer to maybe purchase your item, the company itself will buy your stuff outright. See ya later, Godzilla DVD.

Rent out your baby gear.

Do you have baby items taking up space in your garage but you aren’t ready to part with them yet? After all, you might want another kid . . . maybe one day. Instead of selling that high chair or baby jumper, why not rent them? Oh, we’re serious. On websites like BabyQuip, their Quality Providers earn around $ a month renting out things like cribs and strollers. Seriously.⁹

Sell unwanted stuff.

Sift through your hall closet, attic and garage for everything you don’t use anymore. What can you live without? Of course, you can always sell items on tried-and-true sites like eBay and Craigslist. But don’t forget about apps like OfferUp, VarageSale, Poshmark, thredUP and Facebook Marketplace that make it even easier to make extra money by selling secondhand stuff.

Sell your kids’ clothes.

Let’s be honest—those little people grow out of their clothes faster than you can keep up. When it’s time to get rid of the clothes they’ve outgrown, you have a few options: put them out in your standard yard sale, sell them to a consignment store, or post them on social media. Apps like Kidizen are specially designed for selling your kids’ gently used threads. And of course, you can use other sites we’ve talked about like Poshmark, thredUP, Craigslist and eBay to sell children’s clothing too.

Sell those unused gift cards.

Aunt Betsy gave you a PacSun gift card for Christmas, and you’ve never even set foot in the place. Instead of letting the gift card collect dust, sell it! Websites like Raise let you sell your unwanted gift cards and make a little kickback off of them. After all, every gift card deserves a loving home, doesn’t it?

Rent your belongings.

Okay, we already talked about renting out your home, car and even your old baby items. What else is there? Oh, only everything else. The popular renting company Fat Llama (what a name—we know) lets you rent out nearly any of your belongings!

Some of the most in-demand items are camera equipment, projectors, lighting and audio equipment. So if you’re a photographer, videographer or just a tech-gadget lover, you might make a good amount. But remember, you can rent out nearly anything—even your lawn mower . . . or tractor . . . or scooter. Who knew?

Don’t Forget This Way to Earn Extra Money!

Now that you know how to make extra money, try a few of these (or all 34) and see if you can generate a nice little chunk of change.

And when you start bringing home that extra money, make sure you’re using it to its max potential—by budgeting! Our free budgeting tool EveryDollar will help you do just that. You're going to be working hard to make all that extra money. And budgeting will make sure it works hard for you too.

The past year encouraged all of us to embrace the great indoors, easy ways to make money. No surprise, then, that interest in how to make money online from the safety of our homes is now on the rise.

What once felt like a distant daydream is now a reality for millions of people. Those of us who worked remotely from our home offices for the last few years have a lot less explaining to do at family events—the path to earning a meaningful amount of money online has become much clearer.

The magic of the web is that it’s a sales channel, marketing network, and community hub all in one—plus so much more. There are many creative ways to make money online beyond surveys and selling used goods on Craigslist. 

That said, some businesses and side hustles are better suited to the laptop lifestyle than others. In this guide, we’ll break down the strengths and shortcomings of a few of the top money-making options.

How to make money online: 25 proven ways

To make choosing the best ways to make money online easier, easy ways to make money, we’ll look at several key factors:

• Business type: whether the idea is product based, service based or driven by an audience.
• Effort: how much time, skill, or experience you’ll need to put into the idea. 
• Leverage: how well positioned you are to turn the idea into a money-making one that increases in value without needing your direct attention. A high-leverage idea isn’t a trade of time for money. 
• Startup costs: the upfront budget you’ll need to launch the idea.
• Profit potential: how much profit you can expect to make from your idea per year.

Here are the top picks for making money online:

1. Dropshipping

Business type: Product based

Effort: Medium

Leverage: High

Startup costs (out of 5 💸): 💸

Earning potential (out of 5 💰): 💰💰💰

Last year, many worldwide trends experienced a decades’ worth of acceleration. One such trend was the rise of ecommerce. There are a number of ways to run an ecommerce business, some of which allow for minimal need to carry and hold lots of inventory.

Enter dropshipping. Dropshipping easy ways to make money a business model where you don’t keep the products you sell in stock. Instead, when a customer buys something from your store, a third party fulfills and ships the order for you. Because startup costs are low, it’s an increasingly popular way to make money online for beginners and pros alike. 

Dropshippers have a habit of chasing the latest trends. And while there’s nothing wrong with catching a trending product wave, know that there also are many product categories that are steady and offer similar opportunities to do well. At Shopify, we regularly see these categories on our list of top performers:

• Women’s clothing and accessories.Far and away the most popular category of dropshipping products. There easy ways to make money a variety of interesting niches within this category, too, including dresses, accessories, intimates, hoodies, socks and hoseries, and rompers. Since these products have a large market, are purchased relatively frequently, and are successfully sold through great marketing, they’re consistently a top performer for dropshipping.

• Jewelry. If you want to turn jewelry into a profitable small business, dropshipping is a good model to try. You can sell in a variety of categories, including fine jewelry, fashion or costume, and collectibles, easy ways to make money. Or sell jewelry made from different materials, like gems, wood, textile, or metals. 

• Home and garden. Home and garden is one of those dropshipping niches that seem to always be trendy. People are always looking to add personal touches to their space to make it feel warm and cozy, which can make this an exciting (and profitable) niche to sell in. 

• Beauty. The beauty and personal care market is projected to be worth $ billion by the end of Beauty is a thriving industry fueled by younger generations entering the market and is strengthened by social media and ecommerce. You also have options in the beauty niche: you can sell cosmetics, skin care, personal care, hair care, fragrances, and more.

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OK, sounds good. But there is a huge hurdle easy ways to make money overcome with dropshipping: you’re selling an existing product. The ease of starting a dropshipping business also means you’ll be up to your knees in competition—so it relies heavily on customer support. That means you’re giving up a really important piece of leverage and need to recognize that, in order to succeed, you’re going to have to outdo the competition with a well-chosen niche and creative marketing.

🎯 Idea in action

Subtle Asian Treats is a top dropshipping store that sells cute plushies and cases for AirPods and iPhones. It was founded by Tze Hing Chan, a young Malaysian entrepreneur, to take advantage of the bubble tea craze happening in Asia. 

Tze explains in an interview with Oberlo, “I knew that the bubble tea trend was up and coming, especially in Asian communities, so I looked around for bubble tea stuff on AliExpress. I found phone cases, and that was my very first product.”

Tze spent months exploring and selling different dropshipping products; some earned him extra cash, while others flopped. It wasn’t until he found the bubble tea plushie that his dream store became a reality. Once he saw them, he immediately imported them to his Shopify store, ran Facebook ads, and watched customers start rolling in.

Learn more by reading Luck and Learning From Failures Led This Entrepreneur to Make $K From Bubble Tea Plush Toys on the Oberlo blog.

2. Print on demand

Business type: Product based

Effort: Medium

Leverage: Medium

Startup costs (out of 5 💸): 💸

Earning potential (out of 5 💰): 💰💰💰

Print on demand allows sellers to customize white label products with their own designs and sell them only after a customer buys, eliminating the need to hold inventory (which is what makes it a subset of dropshipping). When a customer places an order, a print-on-demand company will add your design to the product, fulfill the order, and ship it to the customer.

The most significant advantage print on demand offers over dropshipping is that you have control over the aesthetic of your products—a key differentiator for product categories where the design is the distinguisher, like t-shirts or fan merch.

When it comes to making money online, you can also use print-on-demand services to:

• Monetize an audience you’ve already built, whether it’s on YouTube, social media, or a personal blog

• Offer diverse products by selling t-shirts, books, shoes, bags, mugs, phone cases, laptop skins, wall art, and more 

Overall, print on demand lets you create customized products quickly. You don’t have to worry about shipping or fulfillment—it’s taken care of by your suppliers. And since you have no inventory to worry about, it’s a low risk, low investment way to make money online. 

🎯 Idea in action

Passionfruit sells inclusive clothing and accessories for the LGBTQQIA community. The brand is built around the power of togetherness and building a bright future for queer youth, creating products that allow them to show their pride all year around, rather than only at special events. 

Passionfruit’s products are all carefully designed with pencil and paper, then digitized, placed on products through a easy ways to make money company, and sold in its store. You can find t-shirts, tank tops, sweaters, hats, stickers, tote bags, and more, easy ways to make money, all specially designed and curated for Passionfruit’s audience, with a mission to make a positive impact on the world.

Free Webinar:

How to quickly start a profitable print-on-demand store

In our free minute video workshop, we’ll get you from product idea to setting up an online store to getting your first print-on-demand sale.

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3. Custom products

Business type: Product based

Effort: High

Leverage: Medium

Startup costs (out of 5 💸): 💸💸💸

Earning potential (out of 5 💰): 💰💰💰

While the options above come bundled with the convenience of not holding on to expensive inventory, they do come with some limitations—mainly that you don’t have full control over the product you’re selling.

And when you think easy ways to make money most direct-to-consumer brands, this is what comes to mind: original products that make meaningful improvements or add interesting details to well-known items. Personally, I’ve purchased easy ways to make money messenger bags, but I’d never seen anything like the one made by Vermilyea Pelle until it reached my doorstep.

Making products by hand is popular amongst jewelry brands, fashion brands, and easy ways to make money decor brands. It gives you full control over the product development and quality of your items. The only drawbacks are: (1) it can be time consuming, and (2) it’s difficult to scale. The costs associated with making products by hand are the cost of materials, storing your finished products, and labor. 

That said, a custom product doesn’t have to be completely handmade. There are many ways to find a manufacturer or supplier to help bring your product to life. For example, you could:

• Use domestic or overseas manufacturers. If you have a unique product that you don’t want to make by hand, you could find a manufacturer to make your products. The Alibaba dropshipping route is a common way to do this. You can use the marketplace to find potential manufacturers, communicate your vision to them, and get your products made. This will require some upfront investment because of minimum order quantities and storage, but it’s a good way to maintain control of your products while keeping cost per unit low. 

• Resell wholesale items. Buying and reselling wholesale items is a straightforward, low-risk way to make money online. You buy products you want directly from manufacturers—usually brands that are already credible on the market—at a discounted rate, then sell them in your online store at a higher price. 

It’s important to understand these methods to make the right choices when creating and selling custom products. Each has its own advantages and drawbacks, which you can read about in From Dropshipping to DTC, Here Are the Most Popular Types of Ecommerce Business Models. 

🎯 Idea in action

Cedar & Sail is a maker of fine handmade homewares from Alabama. Josh Pigford, founder of the brand, easy ways to make money, created Cedar & Sail as an outlet—something creative to do outside of his everyday work as a software-as-a-service company founder. The designs are minimal and use geometric shapes to create a sense of order and cleanliness wherever you place them in your home. Every product is individually hand mixed, poured, and painted, making it unique for the customer.

What started as creating little concrete planters has turned into a collection of homeware goods. Easy ways to make money, Cedar & Sail sells not only planters, but also coasters, candles, and limited edition collections. It sells online and in markets (when available) using Shopify’s POS app to accept payments without hassle, in any market where Josh decides to sell.

Learn more about selling your own craft products by reading The Business of DIY: 16 Things to Make easy ways to make money Sell Online.

4. Sell on Etsy

Business type: Product based

Effort: High

Leverage: Medium

Startup costs (out of 5 💸): 💸💸💸

Earning potential (out of 5 💰): 💰💰

Every online marketplace, from Etsy to Amazon, offers a shared set of advantages and disadvantages, easy ways to make money. The upside is that you get access to their network of shoppers—people regularly browse these sites when they need to buy something, so setting up shop lets you meet them there.

That said, since these channels can work in harmony with your own website, sometimes they’re a great place to begin, easy ways to make money. New online makers can use Etsy to grow brand awareness at first: it has an active community of million buyers. We’ve seen many businesses successfully switch to Shopify after generating their first few sales on Etsy, for example.

The benefits of creating your own Shopify store include:

• You can manage the look and feel of your store. Your Etsy shop sticks to one design model with less room for creativity.

• You can grow your product line. Etsy sellers are limited to selling handmade, vintage, or artisan products. Say you want to offer a complementary manufactured product that could create a better customer experience and boost average order value. You may not be able to on Etsy. Having a Shopify store helps serve your customers better and add new products, no matter if they are dropshipped, manufactured, or wholesale. 

• Easier inventory management. Ecommerce platforms like Shopify provide full inventory management and analytics so you can keep your records in order and make smarter decisions for your business. 

If you have an Etsy shop and don’t want to leave just yet, you can always run both stores simultaneously. Once you set up your Shopify store, use a free Shopify app like Etsy Integration: Sync and Sell. You can easily sync inventories, manage orders, and make money online using both Shopify and Etsy. 

🎯 Idea in action

Old World Kitchen is a family-owned business that sells traditionally handcrafted kitchen goods. The business existed solely on Etsy for 10 years and saw a ton of growth over that time. 

Loran Polder, Old World Kitchen’s Business Manager, explains in an interview with Shopify how Etsy helped the family learn the basics of ecommerce and connect with other makers. It was a good way to get the business off the farm and into the online world.

In the early days, Loran had no plans to grow Old World Kitchen. Each item was unique and labor intensive, and the family didn’t want to hire or outsource any part of it. Because of this, Etsy was the right platform for them. 

As their brand became stronger and more defined, its prices began to reflect those of a luxury brand. The limitations of existing solely on a third-party marketplace began to hinder its growth. The family desired to sell more luxurious products and align their online store with their brand. They needed a platform that could scale with their growing business, which is why they chose to build their own online store with Shopify. 

While the brand no longer uses Etsy, Loran credits the marketplace with making easy ways to make money family business possible. 

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5. Sell on Amazon

Business type: Product based

Effort: Medium

Leverage: Medium

Startup costs (out of 5 💸): 💸💸

Earning potential (out of 5 💰): 💰💰

Amazon has become a marketplace that welcomes new ecommerce entrepreneurs. It takes a few minutes to sign up for an account and a few more minutes to get a easy ways to make money listing live. 

The platform has a massive audience, it’s a global marketplace, and it’s a go-to destination easy ways to make money product discovery and research. Listing optimization can help your products get found and unlock new opportunities. And Amazon’s in-app promotions can increase your brand's visibility for highly targeted audiences. 

Yet some ecommerce entrepreneurs question the long-term sustainability of selling on Amazon. While the marketplace is great for helping shoppers surface desired products, it’s challenging for sellers to get their business noticed. Amazon attracts many resellers of the same products you may offer. Tack on fees and trying to differentiate your brand and you may end up working harder to generate sales but not grow your bottom line revenue. 

While selling on Amazon is a good way to make money from home, there are some caveats to consider:

• Amazon sets the rules for its marketplace. We know Amazon is a leader in collecting and using customer data to create better shopping experiences, but that information doesn’t get shared with you. If you compete head to head with a product owned by Amazon, it’ll be hard to make sales. Amazon Retail tends to get the Buy Box advantage.

• Amazon prefers sellers to use Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA). FBA is Amazon’s fulfillment program offered to sellers. Once you put a product in its fulfillment centers and a customer orders it, Amazon will fulfill the order. You must use FBA to be eligible for Amazon Prime and Amazon Super Saver Shipping, two ways to help retailers improve conversion rates and earn extra money. 

• Amazon owns the customer relationship. Sellers cannot add Amazon customers to a CRM or re-market to them after the sale. 

That said, Amazon is a great additional sales channel for your Shopify business. Similar to Etsy, you can use Amazon to get your products in front of a built-in audience, get discovered, and use your ecommerce website as the main sales channel. You can even integrate Shopify with Amazon to manage listings and sync inventory faster and easier.

🎯 Idea in action

Homesick Candles went from not being on Amazon two years ago to becoming the number one scented candle company and the number two candle brand in the world. Amazon proved to be a good springboard for selling its products online.

Despite its success, Homesick Candles used Shopify to build an online store as its homebase. This gave the budding ecommerce business a place to showcase its brand, easy ways to make money, connect with its customers, and maintain control over its sales and promotions. 

6. Digital easy ways to make money type: Product based

Effort: High

Leverage: High

Startup costs (out of 5 make money fake keygen 💸💸

Earning potential easy ways to make money of 5 💰): 💰💰💰💰

Digital products carry some of the best margins of any product you can sell. The upfront costs of development can be high, but the variable costs of selling digital products is comparatively low. Once media or software is made, it isn’t very expensive to deliver to customers.

At its core, a digital product is an intangible asset you can sell repeatedly without restocking inventory. They often come in downloadable files such as a PDF, plug-in, or interactive document. These products have become such a good source of passive income that many top professional influencers, bloggers, or public icons release digital products such as guides, ebooks, templates, research findings, plans, and tutorials. 

Some key benefits of selling digital products are:

• They’re scalable.There’s no limit to how many products you can sell. No inventory. No manufacturers. No shipping or logistics. Just market the products. When a customer purchases a digital product, it’s delivered instantly, without your help.

• Low overhead costs, high profit margins. Since there’s no recurring cost of goods or shipping charges, you keep a majority of the profit from each sale. 

• E-learning is becoming more popular. The e-learning industry is expected to reach $ billion by Digital products are a smart way to take advantage of this trend and expand your business.

Digital products can be a great supplement to your main income. Many creators make them to add another revenue stream to their businesses, whether it be consulting, education, or memberships. You could build a presence on Twitter and LinkedIn or build an email subscriber list to promote your products to and make sales. 

Since the barrier is so low when selling digital products, easy ways to make money, it doesn’t require much upfront investment or risk. The best care scenario is you sell 10, templates. The worst case is that few people buy and you lose only a few hours of your time. 

🎯 Idea in action

SEO for the Rest of Us is a search engine optimization (SEO) education business run by Brendan Hufford. Its purpose is to help creative entrepreneurs—those who don’t have a huge brand or following—use SEO to get their products and services out into the world. 

Brendan’s business is made up of multiple branches: a day free SEO challenge, a podcast, an active blog, a YouTube channel, service packages, a membership community, and digital products. If you’re looking for SEO education, you’ll come across his brand somewhere in your search. 

“Digital products and monetizing your expertise is a great way to make money online,” Brendan says. “It’s a fantastic stair-step model to build an audience that values knowledge and what they are working on.” 

Brendan also shared the framework he uses to make new digital products:

1. Teach something live (like a workshop) for free a few times. You’ll get more comfortable, get testimonials, and work out the kinks.
2. Charge money for teaching live workshops.
3. Sell the recordings to the live sessions.
4. Continue iterating and record a final, evergreen version you sell repeatedly. 

If you take a look through the Course tab on Brendan’s website, you’ll find an endless list of different products for sale: from beginner SEO bundles to masterclasses, expert interviews, challenges, roadmaps, idea generators, and more. Some products sell for as low as $5, while others can range as high as $1, to $7, for an auditing course. 

Brendan is one of many incredible examples of entrepreneurs selling digital products online. The best part? He wasn’t always an SEO expert. As ofhe was an assistant principal at Thea Bowman Leadership Academy and in six years has built an education empire that makes real money online with passion and bitcoin investors forum orange county. Media

Business type: Product based

Effort: High

Leverage: High

Startup costs (out of 5 💸): 💸💸

Earning potential (out of 5 💰): 💰💰💰💰

Media is a very wide-ranging term, but the best description available if you’re a creator in the market to sell music, videos, digital art, paid newsletters, magazines, or podcasts.

Media seems closely related to digital products, but the difference with media is that it tends to be geared toward creative ventures—for example, a writer starting a paid newsletter subscription or an artist learning how to sell art online.

The best part about selling media is that, a lot of the time, it’s a way for people to express themselves online. Artists and creators who didn’t have access to networks, galleries, or PR in the past can now build a brand, grow a following, and make money online doing something they love. 

Harry Hambley, the cartoonist behind the successful brand Ketnipz, encourages creators to follow their dreams as an artist, easy ways to make money. In an interview with the BBC, he describes turning down university to draw cartoons online. “You should always do whatever you feel inspired by,” he says. 

When it comes to creating media for the public, Harry explains how “doing something complicated doesn’t guarantee success. It’s more about having a solid idea and then being able to communicate it easily.” 

In a world where negativity is widespread online, the Ketnipz brand is a positive light. It reflects Henry’s goals to easy ways to make money off a good vibe and be “something that’s quite comforting.”

🎯 Idea in action

Fred Jourdain is a versatile artist: he’s an illustrator, cartoonist, designer, and entrepreneur. His site is a prime example of making money online through different types of media. The artist sells not only original art, but also shares stories, interviews, projects, and more with potential customers. 

Visitors can browse around and get inside the mind of the artist, creating a connection. They can learn Fred’s methods or discover past artworks and events. And if they want to purchase a print or original piece, they can easily do so through the shopping cart functionality right in his store. 

8. Blogging

Business type: Audience monetization

Effort: High

Leverage: Medium

Startup costs (out of 5 💸): 💸

Earning potential (out of 5 💰): 💰💰💰

You’ve probably read a business blog at some point in your life. Businesses use blogging to share knowledge and insights, build an audience, and get more leads and sales. Blogging has endless benefits, such as building thought leadership in an industry and improving search engine visibility for a brand.

Blogging to make money online has grown beyond big businesses and side hustles, easy ways to make money. Anyone can now build an audience by putting out great content cryptocurrency invest 2022 make a lot of money from their blog. Bloggers also tend to take a personal approach that resonates with an intended audience versus getting information from a company blog. 

People start blogs for many different reasons, some being:

• Sharing their thoughts, passions, or life experiences
• Educating readers on a topic they know about 
• Selling products or services
• Building a personal brand

The key to running a successful blog is choosing a niche. There’s really no shortage of them on the web. You could be the expert on topics in a specific location (for example, restaurants in Toronto) or for a specific segment in certain categories (like vegan keto recipes and lifestyle). Focusing on a niche helps you speak to an audience and create high quality content for them, which in turn can result in leads and sales for your blogging business.

But how do you make money from blogging? Well, once you learn how to start a blog, you can monetize it a few different ways: 

• Selling physical products that your readers would enjoy, like pillows or t-shirts

• Offering digital products such as designs, digital art, courses, templates, or photography that you can make once and sell repeatedly

• Becoming an easy ways to make money and doing paid promotions for brands

• Selling subscriptions or memberships to exclusive content on platforms such as Patreon

While blogging is a low investment business idea, easy ways to make money, it can take time to pay off. Chances are, you won’t find yourself on page one of Google’s search results overnight. But with the right niche and determination, you’ll be well on your way to making money online through your blog. 

🎯 Idea in action

The House That Lars Built is a blog about all things interiors, decor, style, and holiday, easy ways to make money. It was started by Brittany Watson Jepsen, a “professional creative messer,” who teaches people how to make life artful. Whether through tutorials or guides, her goal is to show people that life is better when you have a easy ways to make money to work on—whether it be crafts, designing, illustrating, or writing.

Brittany’s blog is a reflection of her passions and interests. It’s also a money-making machine, offering guest posting opportunities, selling custom products, partaking in Amazon’s affiliate program, and running Google Ads. Brittany’s blog operation has grown so big, she actively hires interns and part-time crafters to help with in-house projects.

9. Affiliate marketing

Business type: Audience monetization

Effort: Medium

Leverage: High

Startup costs (out of 5 💸): 💸💸

Earning potential (out of 5 💰): 💰💰💰💰

There seems to be a trend with online-only business models still being relatively misunderstood. Easy ways to make money, add affiliate marketing to that pile. There’s no snake oil to be found here.

So, how does monetization work through this model? Essentially, publishers or individuals can apply for affiliate programs, wherever they’re available, in order to be added as an official affiliate. Once you’re accepted, you’ll receive a way to share an affiliate link to the product or service you’re interested in promoting. Don’t forget to add a disclaimer!

When someone buys the product after clicking your link, you’ll receive credit for the referral, along with a commission. The commission amount depends on the bitcoin mining plywood hot section cool section program and the product being sold—commodity items on easy ways to make money won’t pay out much, but referring a high-ticket account may pay out hundreds or even thousands of dollars.

Because affiliate marketing works best when you help a visitor understand why a certain product may be the right one for them, you’ll typically see it deployed on content-focused websites. Search engine optimization also plays an important role here and you’ll see everyone from homegrown sites to massive, globally known publications competing for terms like “best gaming laptops ”

Niche-to-win applies here, too. Since you don’t have a masthead of 50 writers, you won’t outcompete with professional publications like Wirecutter as a general review site. You may, however, be able to write, rank, and differentiate yourself by covering all easy ways to make money terrariums or high-intensity interval training. Point being, it’s typically easier to land (pick a distinct niche) and expand (grow into new areas) than it is to compete with a general interest site, especially when you’re getting started.

The best affiliate content helps the reader both solve a problem or make a decision and showcases the right products as part of that solution.

🎯 Idea in action

The best example of affiliate marketing is Wirecutter, owned by The New York Times. The content is extremely well done and reader-centric, with meticulous testing and fully transparent reviews of the pros and cons of various products. Wirecutter, in other words, passes the first litmus test of a successful affiliate site: whether or not the content truly helps a visitor make a purchasing decision, even if the affiliate links weren’t included.

Resources: 

Online courses and workshops

Business type: Product based

Effort: High

Leverage: Easy ways to make money costs (out of 5 💸): 💸

Earning potential (out of 5 💰): 💰💰💰💰

Creating a truly great online course is tough. You need to know the ins and outs of a specific subject and then have the skill (and dedication) to codify that knowledge and either write or record your best advice for customers. And, of course, you need to successfully market the course once it’s made—often the most difficult part of all.

There’s a reason online courses have a pretty broad appeal, though, easy ways to make money. Once a course is created, it accrues all of the benefits of any digital product: the costs to deliver the product to more customers is essentially zero, with the exception of hosting. Compare that to the need to maintain inventory that all physical product businesses face and you’ll find yourself dealing with fewer product-related headaches as you scale.

The appetite for digital courses and continuing education is there, too. That’s why sites like Udemy and Skillshare are thriving. Your biggest hurdle is actually the web itself, where there are thousands of wonderful resources available for free. And content on every topic is getting better by the day.

But the seemingly unlimited options available on the web is precisely why paid courses are valuable: they filter out the fluff and just share the good stuff. Many creators have found success turning their mostly free videos or blog posts into a paid course. The reason people pay isn’t just for the information, easy ways to make money, but for the way it’s organized and presented. Part of the value is the time saved not having to filter through dozens of YouTube videos and random websites and to instead get one cohesive course from an engaging instructor.

Remember, though, that while there are a countless number of topics to create content about, there are far fewer topics that people are willing to pay for. Usually, the bestselling courses teach people a valuable skill that helps them make progress at their job or get deeper enjoyment out of a beloved hobby. That explains why courses on Microsoft Excel can become bestsellers.

Once again, it’s often best to go to a market where people are willing to spend. Professionals probably spend the most money on courses, so if there’s a way for you to take the things you know from work and package them in a course, you already have your biggest selling point: help your buyers get a raise or promotion. Help them be better at the skill creating their main source of income.

🎯 Idea in action

Before the pandemic happened, The Content Planner used to sell only physical planning products through its Shopify store. Katherine Gaskin, founder of The Content Planner, was also offering in-person workshops for her customers and online community. They were two of her biggest offerings before March  

After lockdowns ensued and in-person workshops diminished, Katherine shifted to virtual workshops for her clients, easy ways to make money. She now retains up to 90% of profits due to lower overhead costs on things like travel and renting workshop space. The only fees she has now are subscription fees for Zoom, sales pages, and other PayPal or transaction fees. 

In a recent interview with Shopify, she mentions how shifting online has resulted in her biggest sales month to date. She continues to provide on-demand courses and lessons for purchase and plans to launch similar offerings for her business. 

Freelance services

Business type: Service based

Effort: High

Leverage: Low

Startup costs (out of 5 💸): 💸

Earning potential (out of 5 💰): 💰💰💰💰

An increasingly popular home business idea is offering freelance services to clients online. Freelance writing, graphic design, data entry, digital marketing—almost every role an online business would hire for is viable as a freelance service. I myself have worked with writers, illustrators, and designers for years at Shopify, most of whom make their full-time living freelancing, not just doing it in their spare time.

Almost all of these services are best positioned toward business clients, for reasons similar to why business software is an attractive product: business clients are willing to spend. What most freelancers are quick to learn is that they have more leverage over the price they can charge when they position their work as outcomes instead of deliverables. Put another way, businesses hire freelance writers to easy ways to make money content that drives traffic and leads, not for wordsmithing. Sell clients on the outcome and prove it, where possible, through customer evidence like case studies and testimonials.

The other lesson freelancers pick up, sometimes through scar tissue, is the need to niche down when they’re getting started. Why would a company specifically hire you over the thousands of people offering very similar services? You aren’t making a manager's job any easier by offering catch-all services, either. So be wary of the false appeal of solving for every customer. That’d be like a mechanic trying to expand her customer base by calling her shop “General Fix-It Emporium.”

A better approach is to focus on a recognizable pain point layered on top of an industry or niche. Even then, pitches like “Marketing Content for Tech Companies” are a little crowded—you might see even better results if you sell a more precise outcome or to a subset of a certain industry, like improving the sales pipeline for enterprise software companies.

The last thing to consider for these businesses is that they are a direct trade of time for money. You can make good money with a small selection of high-paying clients, but the moment you stop working, the cash flow dries up. You may be able to turn a freelance business into more of an agency, where hired help handles some client work. For many business owners, the personal enjoyment they get from doing the work is a reason in itself to continue freelancing, easy ways to make money. But it’s worth noting that you’re not building much of a standalone asset, easy ways to make money, so you may eventually want to expand into another business model.

🎯 Idea in action

Elise Dopson is a freelance writer for B2B SaaS companies. She’s been a freelance writer for three years and has been hired by huge SaaS companies like Hotjar, Databox, Hubspot, and Content Marketing Institute. But she wasn’t always the in-demand writer she is today. 

Elise started a beauty blog inwhich made a small fortune in its time. She then landed a job at a local marketing agency, where she learned more about blog writing and SEO. This led her to quit her job, easy ways to make money, start her freelance writing business inand break the six-figure ceiling by the age of  

“Ever since I was a kid, I loved to write,” Elise explains, “but it wasn’t until working at a marketing agency that I saw you could make real money online doing it. Offering freelance writing services has allowed me to travel freely—before COVID!—work from easy ways to make money comfort of my home, and be my own boss. If you have a passion for writing or designing or organizing stuff, turn it into a freelance service. You won’t be disappointed with the results.”

Today, Elise continues to write for enterprise brands and teaches other writers how to grow profitable freelance businesses in her membership community, Peak Freelance. 

Check out her story by reading How Elise Dopson Built a Six-Figure Writing Business by

Start a YouTube channel

Business type: Audience monetization

Effort: High

Leverage: Low

Startup costs (out of 5 💸): 💸

Earning potential (out of 5 💰): 💰💰💰💰

Ever thought of becoming a YouTube star? Micro-celebrities like year old Ryan Kaji are making over $29 million per year on YouTube selling toys. Another easy ways to make money earner on YouTube is David Dobrik, who makes around $ million entertaining his audience with comical videos. 

Create a YouTube channel around one niche. This will help you build a loyal audience that tunes in to your channel repeatedly, giving you more opportunities to make money online. You could offer tutorials, review products, keep up with celebrity news—whatever you think will keep your audience interested. 

The key to a successful YouTube channel is to entertain or educate with your content, easy ways to make money. Once you’ve reached 1, subscribers, you can make money running YouTube ads on your channel. You can also offer paid product placement to big brands, easy ways to make money, sell products, easy ways to make money become an affiliate to make money on YouTube.

🎯 Idea in easy ways to make money alt="justine leconte youtube channel">

Justine Leconte runs a successful YouTube channel with oversubscribers. As a fashion designer, her channel is dedicated to helping people dress their best on a budget. 

Her YouTube channel is full of tutorials and tips for finding your style, keeping up with fashion trends, building a wardrobe, and so much more. Her videos have millions of views, which lets her run YouTube ads to monetize her easy ways to make money Become an influencer

Business type: Audience monetization

Effort: High

Leverage: Low

Startup costs (out of 5 💸): 💸

Earning potential (out of 5 💰): 💰💰💰💰

Influencers are becoming a popular marketing channel for brands big and small, with 68% of US marketers at companies with over employees working with them in If others can become influencers, so can you.

To become an influencer, you’ll need an engaged following. Influencers today don’t need to have millions of followers. There are opportunities to become a nano-influencer or micro-influencer, which are accounts with up to 10, and 50, followers, respectively. 

The two biggest platforms for this are YouTube and Instagram. Some of the most popular influencers found fame through these platforms. Easy ways to make money out our article on how to grow your Instagram following to build a big audience.

🎯 Idea in action

Once you have a following, you can make money a few different ways as an influencer:

• Charge for sponsored posts
• Speak at conferences 
• Sell products in your online store
• Become an affiliate 
• Sell ads 
• Become a brand ambassador 
• Write a book 

Take @marketingharry, for example. The marketing influencer creates content to help his audience succeed on Instagram. With overfollowers, he’s a good influencer account for companies who want to connect with his growing audience. He works with brands like ManyChat to promote their products and can earn money through sponsorships or affiliate commissions. 

Additional resources:

Write ebooks

Business type: Product based

Effort: High

Leverage: Medium

Startup costs (out of 5 💸): 💸

Earning potential (out of 5 💰): 💰💰

Got a story inside you just waiting to be released? It’s time for you to write that ebook. With Amazon Direct Publishing, it’s never been easier to publish an ebook. You just need to write the book, format it, create a cover, then publish and promote it online. 

Not the best writer? That’s OK. Hire a ghostwriter to work on the book with easy ways to make money. They’ll help you get your words onto the digital page, easy ways to make money. Then you can work with a designer to create the cover, and a freelancer to format the ebook, if you need help, easy ways to make money. Use a keyword research tool to find trending topics people search for. You can use this information to inspire the narrative of your book if you get stuck. 

🎯 Idea in action

You’ll likely be up against established authors like James Patterson and Amy Tan when selling ebooks online. But that doesn’t stop newer writers from making $, a year selling books on Amazon. 

To sell your ebook, market it a few different ways. Run a giveaway and give it away for free for a few days. The more traffic that comes to your page, the higher you can rank in search results. This can lead to more reviews, which can also boost your books visibility and earn more sales. 

Engage in communities on social media around the topic you plan to write about. For example, if you want to write a recipe book, you could get involved with food and culinary communities on Facebook and in real life. Once your book is published, you’ll have a strong community of folks who may buy it from you. 

Look for side gigs

Business type: Service based

Effort: Medium

Leverage: Low

Startup costs (out of 5 💸): 💸

Earning potential (out of 5 💰): 💰

Side gigs are a great way to earn money online while keeping a full-time job. If you want to make a few extra hundred dollars per month, looking for side gigs is a good way. It’s not for the long run, but you can earn cash online with near zero startup costs. 

🎯 Idea in action

Similar to freelancing, you can use platforms like Fiverr to create gigs. If you have administrative skills, you can sell side gigs on Fiverr for a low price, easy ways to make money. Top Fiverr users typically have multiple gigs available, which helps you get found on the platform easier. 

Treat every client well and you’ll develop a strong profile that stands out. You can leverage a good reputation to build a business later on, if you want to. 

Another option is searching on a platform like FlexJobs to find side gigs. Under its jobs section, you can find contract work or telecommute jobs. You can apply to these positions from anywhere—all easy ways to make money need is an internet connection. 

FlexJobs offers many different gigs: Writing, business, design, accounting, etc. If you find a side gig that matches your talents, you can apply and start making money online. The trick here is to apply to multiple gigs at once. You won’t land every opportunity, but the more you apply to, the better your chances are. 

Do translation work

Business type: Service based

Effort: Medium

Leverage: High

Startup costs (out of 5 💸): 💸

Earning potential (out of 5 💰): 💰💰💰

Speak multiple languages and want to make money online? Test your skills at translation work. The top five language pairs for business are: 

• English —> Spanish
• English —> Chinese 
• English —> French
• English —> German
• English —> Russian 

If you’re fluent or have working knowledge of these pairs, translation work may be a great gig for you to try. You’ll need to prove that you can translate between the two languages. Create samples before you start applying for easy ways to make money. Make samples around the types of text you want to translate. For example, easy ways to make money, if you want to translate blogs, fill your portfolio with relevant articles from top media publishers around the web. 

🎯 Idea in action

There are many places to apply for translation work online:

Sell stuff online

Business type: Product based

Effort: Medium

Leverage: Low

Startup costs (out of 5 💸): 💸

Earning potential (out of 5 💰): 💰💰

One of the best money-making ideas for quick cash if selling stuff online. For example, you can sell clothes, furniture, and handbags from your own home. Or you can buy and resell higher value items like laptops, easy ways to make money, TVs, or phones. You can buy these products online through sites like AliExpress or from local garage sale and thrift stores. 

Try to sell your products on multiple platforms and easy ways to make money instead of just one. The more places your products live, the more likely people will be to find them. 

🎯 Idea in action

There are hundreds of online selling sites, all with different niches and commission fees. A few examples include:

• eBay
• Facebook Marketplace
• VarageSale
• MercadoLibre
• Your own online store

Livestream on Twitch

Business type: Audience monetization

Effort: High

Leverage: Medium

Startup costs (out of 5 💸): 💸💸💸

Earning potential (out of 5 💰): 💰💰💰

Livestreaming is becoming more and more popular each year, with viewership increasing 49% in from the year prior. 

Many platforms now offer native livestreaming, including YouTube and Instagram. Easy ways to make money the most popular one is Twitch, which has evolved from gaming to other types of content, such as arts and crafts, and adventures. If you can go live regularly, you’ll build a strong audience on Twitch.

🎯 Idea in action

To make money online from streaming, you’ll need a consistent channel. Are you going to be funny or educational? Are you streaming easy ways to make money biking trips or World of Warcraft? Set expectations for viewers so they know exactly what they’ll see when tuning into your livestream. Engage with viewers in Twitch’s live chat. This will help you build a niche following.

You can monetize your Twitch channel a few different ways:

• Selling products
• Brand sponsorships
• Fan donations
• Subscriptions 
• Twitch ads

You can choose one or all of these monetization channels. If you want to maximize your financial gains, go for all five. 

Take online surveys

Business type: Service based

Effort: High

Leverage: Low

Startup costs (out of 5 💸): 💸

Earning potential (out of 5 💰): 💰

A tried and true way to earn money online is through completing online surveys. The payouts won’t turn you into an overnight millionaire, easy ways to make money you could earn some extra cash. Some survey sites like Swagbucks will give you points, which you can redeem for cashback or rewards, easy ways to make money. You can also earn points for playing games, browsing the web, or watching videos.

🎯 Idea in action

The best sites to take online surveys include:

Sell photos online

Business type: Product based

Effort: High

Leverage: High

Startup costs (out of 5 💸): 💸💸💸

Earning potential (out of 5 💰): 💰💰💰

The web is a beautiful place for photographers. The ability to make money online, like Instagrammers and YouTubers, is all about channeling your creativity and monetizing your talents. Whether you’re shooting on the newest iPhone or the latest Canon DSLR, you can sell photos online as a photographer.

The key is focusing on three things:

1. Finding a niche (travel, food, portraits, etc.)
2. Building an audience online
3. Creating multiple streams of income 

🎯 Idea in action

The first step in making money online as a photographer is integrating ecommerce into your portfolio, easy ways to make money. You can sell prints of your most popular photos and sell them through your online store, so you don’t pay fees or commissions to any outside platforms. 

But that’s only one stream of income. You can also partner with a service like Printful to put your photos on products such as clothes, phone cases, pillows, and more. You won’t have to pay anything to Printful until your product sells. 

You can also sell your photos to online stock photo sites like Alamy or px. If you’re brand new, you can also submit certain photos for free to sites like Burst, where millions of people find stock photos for their projects. This helps build awareness for your brand and photos, which can lead to future sales.

Become a social media consultant 

Business type: Service based

Effort: High

Leverage: Medium

Startup costs (out of 5 💸): 💸

Earning potential (out of 5 💰): 💰💰💰

One trend for making money online is becoming a social media consultant. Creators who have success on platforms like TikTok and Instagram are now offering their skills for sale. 

As a social media consultant, brands will contact you to brainstorm creative ideas, develop a content strategy, produce videos, and more. It’s a smart money-making opportunity for digital nomads because you can run the business from a smartphone. 

Your goal will be to grow a brand’s awareness and audience. You’ll need to know how to create viral videos and manage a community.

🎯 Idea in action

Social media consultant Lucas O’Keefe’s journey started with a viral TikTok video that turned into a full-on coaching business helping others build an audience on social media. 

With overfollowers and multiple ambassador partnerships, Lucas can prove to potential clients that he can get them results. If you want to become a social media consultant, you’ll need to be credible. Start by building your social following using the same tactics you’ll present to clients. Then use your own profile as a shining example to secure work with clients.

Start a podcast

Business type: Audience monetization

Effort: High

Leverage: Low

Startup costs (out of 5 💸): 💸💸

Earning potential (out of 5 💰): 💰💰💰

Podcasts continue to get more popular each year. Recent research shows that podcast listener numbers are up in by % compared to the previous year, with million people tuning in monthly for an episode.

If you know the value of content for your brand, then you already know the value of podcasting. It allows you to reach new audiences you may not find through long-form content because they prefer audio. 

🎯 Idea in action

You don’t need to be a technical person and it doesn’t take much money to start, easy ways to make money. And best of all, you don’t need to be a popular blogger or influencer to become a successful podcaster. 

You’ll need the following things at minimum to start your podcast: 

1. A concept (topic, name, format, and length for each episode)
2. Artwork and description of your podcast
3. Audio files of your episodes
4. A place to host your files, like Podbean
5. Distribution through an RSS feed so episodes can be sent to Apple Podcasts, Spotify, etc. 

As you build your following, there are different ways to monetize your podcast:

• Sponsorship deals
• Affiliate partnerships
• Premium content offerings
• Donations
• Advertising networks
• Selling merchandise
• Hosting live events 

Become a transcriber

Business type: Service based

Effort: High

Leverage: Medium

Startup costs (out of 5 💸): 💸

Earning potential (out of 5 💰): 💰💰💰

Looking for a career where you can make $25 an hour working online? A transcriptionist may be the role for you. Transcribers are in demand for companies who need interviews, podcasts, and other audio transcribed. You can lock-in a part-time role with a company or work on a freelance basis with multiple companies on specific projects. 

🎯 Idea in action

To succeed as a transcriber, you’ll want to strengthen your typing and grammar skills. Your work needs to be error free and done on time. Practice transcribing short audio files so you’re ready to apply to gigs with transcription companies. Create a transcription-focused website and CV, especially if you are brand new. 

It may seem challenging at first. Dedicate time to practicing transcription before you go out applying for jobs. Once you build your skills and know what companies need, you can land more jobs and earn more money. 

Review apps, websites, and software

Business type: Service based

Effort: High

Leverage: Low

Startup costs (out of 5 💸): 💸

Earning potential (out of 5 💰): 💰💰

Got an eye for good user experience? UserTesting will pay you $10 to give other companies feedback on their apps and websites. It’s a quick way to make money online. All you have to do is answer some questions easy ways to make money you browse the website or app through a video. Each video is around 20 minutes long, so if you complete three in an hour, you can make $ 

The one challenge is competitiveness. You’ll receive an email when a project goes live, but you have to act fast or someone else will take it. 

🎯 Idea in action

Top user review sites you can sign up for include:

Become an audiobook narrator

Business type: Service based

Effort: High

Leverage: Low

Startup costs (out of 5 💸): 💸💸

Earning potential (out of 5 💰): 💰💰💰

Love audiobooks and reading aloud? Or maybe you have the voice of Samuel L. Jackson and want to share it with the world. Either way, a good idea is becoming an audiobook narrator. It’s a fun gig because you’re not just reading words from a book, but bringing a story to life for listeners. 

Audiobook narrators often work as freelancers. Organization, professionalism, and meeting deadlines are key skills for this line of work. Audiobook narrators often have skills like:

• Background in acting
• Ability to make different voices, accents, and dialects
• Persistence 

🎯 Idea in action

Becoming an audiobook narrator may not make money overnight, but it’s a dream job for those passionate about it. To start, you could volunteer to read as a public service. This will help you build your narrating skills and build a portfolio, plus, do some good for someone—a win-win.

Networking is key to narration. Consider joining the Audio Publishers Association to meet other narrators and potential work contacts. Create a website and set up your social media profiles to showcase your talents. Post samples of your narration and make them easily accessible on your website. When recruiters or companies come looking for you, they want to know you’re the right voice before reaching out. 

Lastly, try applying for jobs through audiobook-specific marketplaces like:

How to make money online in ?

As we head intothe opportunities to earn money online without paying anything are only becoming more abundant—you could pick up freelance jobs, start a dropshipping store, create your own products, easy ways to make money, or promote other people’s products on a blog. It just takes a little know-how and hard work to make it happen. 

Start working on your new business today to build something meaningful and exciting. It’ll make sure time and effort are put to good use and will pay dividends over time as you build your online presence, find new customers, and make money. 

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