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

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.

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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.

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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 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

A priority this year, for many people, will be figuring out how to make money online. It might be a side gig to supplement your job or a completely new venture. Whatever the reason, there are a wealth of available opportunities. For quite a few of them, all you’re going to need is access to a reliable internet connection and a smartphone.

How Can I Make Money Online?

If you want to earn extra money without breaking a sweat, keep scrolling. To save you time and hours of research, I’ve created this extensive list of online money-making ideas and gigs on the side. All you need to do is set aside some time to read through the list, and I’m pretty confident you’ll find one or two you quite like the sound of.

Build a Website and Earn an Affiliate Commission

One of the most popular ways to make real money online is through affiliate marketing. 81% of brands and 84% of publishers use the power of affiliate marketing and this statistic is likely to continue as affiliate marketing spending in the US increases every year.

Don’t know what affiliate marketing is? It’s a way of earning money by promoting various brands. You’re promoting products, services, apps, software, and more. In return, companies pay you a commission when a customer buys a product using your link.

You probably think the commission will be small, but that’s not strictly true. It can be but what makes a big difference is that you can be an affiliate for one, two, three, or considerably more different brands, and there’s no limit to the number of links you can include in each of your posts.

There’s also the potential for the commission to be 50% of a $1, product and for it to be a recurring commission every month.

How does it work? You advertise the brands via your website by writing blogs, creating infomercials, and other types of content. You include links for your affiliate brands and push traffic to their website.

To achieve any level of success, you have to learn to be persistent. The key to your success will be finding a niche that suits you and having the right strategy. Some of the niches you might want to consider include:

• Software
• Travel
• E-commerce
• Dating
• Loans
• Fitness

Once you’ve decided on a niche, you’ll need to work on designing a website and starting a blog. Starting a YouTube channel that runs alongside your blog is another option.

Level of expertise: Intermediate

Requirements: Content marketing expertise, know how to build a website

Time: From six months to several years before you start making any real profit

Tools: Domain, hosting

Income Potential: $ to $10,/day

Build and Sell Software

There are many benefits to building software and then selling it. Upfront costs, including the development of the software, can be pretty high. However, the cost of selling your product once you’ve made it is relatively low. Delivering the finished product to the customer costs very little.

One critical requirement is that you need to have a good grasp of the programming side of things. A friend or relative in the know would be a possible alternative, as long as they don’t want to charge too much for their services.

It’s also crucial that you create software that people want to buy. Ideally, it needs to be software that’s unique, better than anything else that’s currently available, or at the very least, much cheaper.

There’s already a massive amount of software out there, but there are still some niches you can explore and problems no one has found the answer for. Figure out what these are, and you could be on to a winner.

Bear in mind that it could take some time for the development side of your project, which makes it vital you do plenty of research beforehand to make sure there’s a market for your product.

If you’re interested in reducing the amount of work, you might want to consider buying some software and making improvements or using open-source software. If you think this is a good option, make sure you check whether there are any restrictions. Spending a lot of time creating something you can’t sell would be devastating.

App development is another similar option. Creating games or apps can be a very lucrative idea.

One guy who made a great success of his SaaS business is Neil Patel. You can read his story here.

Level of expertise: Beginner, intermediate, expert

Requirements: Know how to code or have a friend or relative who can do it for you, get clients to use the software

Time: More than one year to start making some money

Tools: Hosting, domain

Income Potential: $$,/month

Launch and Grow a Startup

Thanks to the internet, there are vast amounts of options if you think you’ve got what it takes to launch a startup business. As long as you’ve got a computer and a reliable internet connection, the sky’s the limit in what you can achieve.

You don’t need to be a technical whizz kid, as there are plenty of valuable tools that will help you build, launch and grow your business. You just need to put in the hard work, learning what you need.

Another great benefit of starting a new online business is that you do it from anywhere in the world. No one sets your schedule for you, which means you can work as little or as often as suits you. It depends on how fast or successful you want your business to be.

When it comes to capital requirements, you don’t need a lot. There are internet businesses you can get off the ground with no money simply because there are a wealth of free services to help the process.

Here are just a few ideas, some of which we’ll look at in more detail a little later.

• Custom furniture production
• Homemade beauty products
• Activity holidays
• E-commerce retailer
• Cleaning services
• Hand-made craft seller
• Tutoring or digital courses
• Start your own clothing line
• Publish a book

Level of expertise: Beginner, intermediate, expert

Requirements: The right idea and customers for your product or service

Time: More than six months to start making money

Tools: Hosting, domain

Income Potential: $$,/month

Start an eCommerce Site and Sell Physical Products

In recent years, eCommerce sites have really taken off, and thanks to platforms such as WooCommerce and WordPress, building your site couldn’t get much easier. Because so many brick-and-mortar stores have had to close their doors due to COVID, the popularity of this option is likely to increase.

Online shopping is no longer the luxury it once was. More than a decade ago, eCommerce only accounted for % of total retail sales. Fast forward and in , online sales accounted for 21%. For millions of people, thanks to Covid,  it is now a necessity. For your eCommerce business to be successful in the long term, you’ll need a long-term vision and a product that brings real value to the market.

To run a successful eCommerce store, you need to create and sell a niche physical product to a specific audience or purchase trending products cheaply from an overseas manufacturer, repackage them and sell them at a markup.

The first option can be a little risky, but it also has the potential to be very successful. A certain amount of passion for your product or products is essential, and you’ll also need to be prepared to put in the graft when it comes to research, development of your product, and also testing.

There are some very successful eCommerce sites you can take inspiration from, such as Beardbrand, Ratio Coffee, and SkinnyMe Tea. All three of these companies show what incredible results are possible if you’re prepared to put in the work.

The second option is less risky, but you first have to source a product that’s already popular. One place to look is AliExpress. You buy the product in bulk, repackage it, and then sell it via your eCommerce store.

Aside from finding the right product, you’ll also need to think about how you’ll ship the orders. Handling it yourself is the obvious option, but something called drop shipping is another possibility. In this case, you take the orders, and the manufacturer handles the shipping on your behalf.

Level of expertise: Beginner, intermediate, expert

Requirements: The right idea and customers for your product

Time: You could be making money in a couple of months

Tools: Hosting, domain, products to sell

Income Potential: $$,/monthh=

Create Online Courses

You get them popping up on your Facebook news feed and in ads when you search online. It feels like online courses are everywhere you look nowadays, but it’s not too late to get in on the action. It is forecast that the online education market could reach $ billion by There is one requirement, however. You need knowledge that someone is willing to pay for. If you’ve got what it takes, online courses are a fantastic opportunity.

It’s not the end of the world if you don’t have the wherewithal to create your own course because there’s always the option of becoming an instructor. Pick the right platform and you’ll be able to pass on your experience and skills to a broad audience who might be interested in learning something new.

If you’re wondering what kind of topics sell, here are some examples:

• Personal development
• Photography
• Art
• Gardening
• Technology
• Languages (we’ll be looking at teaching English a little later)
• Cooking
• Marketing

An excellent place to start, if you have decided on a topic, is to poll your audience. You’ll discover what they want to learn and how much they’ll be willing to pay for it.

Level of expertise: Expert

Requirements: Knowledge or skill people want to pay for

Time: You could be earning an income in a couple of months

Tools: Online learning platforms such as Udemy and Kajabi, or a software product such as WooCommerce or WordPress, an online course platform like Thinkific.

Income Potential: $$10,/month

Write and Sell an eBook

If you know you’ve got a book in you but have been putting it off for years, publishing an eBook could be the opportunity you’re looking for. If you want to publish a book, you don’t have to approach a publishing house because self-publishing is an option. Absolutely anyone can publish a book, and it is possible to make a living.

The barrier for entry is set relatively low, so be ready for lots of competition. To stand out from the crowd, you’ll need to write the best eBook possible and satisfy the readers’ expectations.

Some of the things you need to consider before you put pen to paper, figuratively speaking, include:

• Choosing the right topic: Something you’re passionate or knowledgeable about.
• How long your eBook is going to be: There are no hard and fast rules.
• The title of your eBook: It needs to grab people’s attention and draw them in.
• Write unique content: Provide insights that no other eBook offers.
• Format: PDF is the best.
• Editing: Fill your eBook with grammatical errors, and it’s doomed to fail.
• Cover design: It’s not just about the content. An attractive cover is also key to success.

Once you’ve written your eBook, you need to sell it. Targeting everyone is not the best approach. You’re more likely to be successful if you can identify a market.

Level of expertise: Beginner, intermediate, expert

Requirements: Idea for your eBook

Time: Your eBook could earn you an income within a couple of months

Tools: Editing tool, blog, or publishing platform

Income Potential: $$10,/ month

Sell Stuff on Amazon FBA

Amazon is one of the largest online stores. We’ve already looked at creating your eCommerce store, and this idea is kind of similar, but in this case, you’re using Amazon’s platform. It’s a cost-effective way of shipping your products and allows you to provide excellent customer service for a small fee.

An excellent approach is to determine which products sell well on the platform and look for cheaper versions you can rebrand and resell. The selling process couldn’t be more straightforward. You send your items to Amazon, and they’re stored in one of their fulfillment centers.

Potential customers can purchase your items via Amazon or another eCommerce platform. When things are sold, Amazon picks, packs, and ships the items. You can monitor everything via Amazon’s tracking system. Amazon provides excellent customer service and manages any returns.

Such a service isn’t free. The fulfillment fees are rather complicated, but there are plenty of online resources that explain how to calculate the costs.

What to Sell to Make Money on Amazon FBA

You can sell pretty much anything, from items you’ve got lying around your home to expensive, luxury jewelry, but some things sell better than others.

A definite no-no would be well-known brand-name products. Amazon customers tend to be looking for decent products that look like they tick all the boxes and are being sold at a low price.

However, for your items to catch buyers’ eyes, they have to be similar but better than all the rest. List it under your name, for example, and add something extra that other sellers don’t. Better overall service, faster shipping, or a product listing that catches the eye are just a few examples.

Here are some more criteria to bear in mind:

• Products should be niche-specific.
• Items between $10 and $15 tend to sell better.
• Products that are lightweight and small are easier to ship.
• Brand the products as your own.
• Avoid products that are seasonal.
• Your product should solve a problem or address a need.
• Look for quality products from reliable suppliers.
• Choose items in a popular category, for example:
  • Books
  • Baby
  • Beauty
  • Accessories and clothing
  • Electronics
  • Outdoors and gardening
  • Fitness
  • Kitchen and home
  • Health
  • Toys
  • Jewelry

Level of expertise: beginner, intermediate, expert

Requirements: products to sell, computer, and customers for your products

Time: You could earn an income within six months

Tools: Amazon account or your eCommerce site

Income Potential: $$,/month

Buy and Sell Domain Names

In the modern tech-centric world, domain names are big business. In some cases, they can change hands for millions of dollars. At the very least, you can expect a few hundred dollars if you find a solid domain name that’s up for sale.

Don’t expect to turn a profit for several months, as it can take a considerable amount of time to build a top-quality portfolio of domains. How much profit you make depends on how much work you’re prepared to put in. Buying and selling domain names involves trying to predict what’s going to be popular a few months or years down the line.

Another option is to purchase some domains that are already high profile and hang on to them for a while, hoping that their value will increase. There are lots of different tools you can use, such as Just Dropped, Namecheap, Flippa, GoDaddy. Once you’ve purchased the domain, you simply relist it and wait for someone to be interested so you can sell it to them for a profit.

Level of expertise: Beginner, intermediate, expert

Requirements: Knowledge of domain names and what makes them attractive

Time: Anything from one month onwards

Tools: Account with a site that buys and sells domain names

Income Potential: $$1,/month

Freelance

Do you have a specific skill set? Is there something you can do that people would pay money for? There is currently a massive demand for freelancers. In a recent survey by PeoplePerHour, 60% of businesses who responded said they plan to use freelancers more this year. However, being your own boss is not as easy as it seems. Many sacrifices are required, and you have to put in a certain amount of effort when it comes to finding clients. All of which must be done before you can do the work.

There are also specific skills you’ll need to develop if you want to be successful. You’ll need to learn how to market yourself, pitch to potential clients, provide support, budget, and manage your time.

There’s also a tremendous amount of competition, which means you also need to think about a strategy. You’ll find plenty of resources to help you online, so don’t fret about it too much.

Let’s look at the steps you’ll need to take before moving on to the areas with the most potential.

Step 1: Choose your niche: something you’re passionate or knowledgeable about.

Step 2: Be specific about the services you provide.

Step 3: Build an impressive portfolio of your work.

Step 4: Define your customer base.

Step 5: Test the waters before you give up your day job.

Step 6: Hone your skills.

Step 7: Search for clients on popular freelance sites such as Upwork, Freelancer, Toptal, and Fiverr.

Be prepared to work harder than in your job, enjoy fewer vacations, work through holidays, and often into the night.

Now let’s look at some of the most popular niches for freelancers.

Web Development

Increasing demand for websites means jobs that revolve around this need are also on the rise. It’s a job that lends itself well to working from home because all you need is knowledge, a computer, and a reliable internet connection. The most popular jobs include front-end developing, back-end developing, and full-stack development.

Writing

Professional writers are highly sought after. This role involves writing content for clients’ websites that promotes their business and helps them stay relevant. How much money you make depends on the niche you choose and your skillset.

Graphic Design

Graphic design is a vast field so you’ll help potential customers by creating a portfolio, pitching to clients, and setting your rates according to your expertise. To hone your skills even further, consider taking certified courses and watching tutorials.

Digital Marketing

If you’ve got a creative mind, this might be the industry for you. Digital marketing plays a critical role in helping industries and brands stay relevant. There’s a variety of work available, even for the beginner. Opt for smaller projects such as social media posts and banners or more complex projects that require you to create a brand identity or manage a marketing campaign on social media.

Virtual Assistance

This is another area that’s becoming increasingly popular. Hiring one remote person to undertake a wide range of tasks such as receptionist, customer support, typist, admin, or email assistant saves money, especially for a small business with a tight budget. Work for several different companies, and you’ll be able to maximize your freelancing income.

Photography

Visuals have become equally important in the advertising industry and are considered to have as much influence as the written word. If you’re a photographer, you don’t have to limit yourself to covering weddings and events. It’s possible to earn money in food design and product photography disciplines, for example. You could also post your work on stock websites or sell editing presets.

Level of expertise: Beginner, intermediate, expert

Requirements: Knowledge or skill that people are willing to pay for

Time: Instant

Tools: Your website or an account with a freelancing site

Income Potential: up to $80,/month

Teach English as a Virtual Tutor

It’s possible to teach English as a virtual tutor with no experience. However, you do have to be a fluent English speaker. Teaching English online has enjoyed rapid growth in demand and popularity. There are currently over a billion people currently learning English globally.

New online platforms and schools pop up regularly. Some require a bachelor’s degree, but others don’t. TEFL or ESL certification, however, is essential.

Level of expertise: Beginner, intermediate, expert

Requirements: No teaching experience is required, but you can earn more with a degree or teaching certification

Time: Instant

Tools: Account with an online teaching platform

Income Potential:  From $10/hour – $40/hour

Do Micro-Jobs on Amazon Mechanical Turk

You may not have heard of micro-jobs, but it’s a term used for straightforward jobs that generally require no technical skill. Amazon Mechanical Turk is an online platform where requesters (as they are known) post boring jobs that you can complete for minute sums of money.

The jobs are called HITs or Human Intelligence Tasks. These tasks tend to be things that algorithms or computers aren’t quite capable of doing or that humans do far more effectively.

You get to pick and choose which jobs you want to do and how much you do. The pay is anything from $ to $1 per HIT. HITs include:

• Transcription of audio recordings
• Researching data details
• Identification of objects in videos or photos
• Data deduplication

Unfortunately, there is a considerable amount of competition, and if you want to get your fair share of the work, you’ll need to use browser extensions and a suite of tools to lap up the best-paying jobs quickly.

Level of expertise: Beginner, intermediate, expert

Requirements: No experience or knowledge is required

Time: Instant, although it can take a couple of weeks to build up a decent amount of cash

Tools: Software that alerts you of the high-earning HITS

Income Potential: $ – $1,/month

Online Coaching

This is one opportunity that could eventually run itself if you wanted it to. Start a coaching program, and you’re creating a solid base for a business. One significant benefit of online coaching is that you can make good money very quickly. People tend to be more willing to pay a higher price for one-on-one or personalized programs.

Successful online coaches include Shana Recker, Tiffany Napper, and Christina Sambak.

You do, however, need to research your audience and understand what they want and need. Something else that’s very beneficial will be encouraging your clients to spread the word about your business.

A range of coaching platforms have sprung up, and they enable you to launch a highly scalable business model and not have to compromise on the effectiveness of your coaching.

The most popular coaching platforms include:

• Satori: This is an app that streamlines both the business management and coaching side of a business. It combines a business intelligence tool and CRM system, so you’ve got a 1-stop shop.
• CoachAccountable: This platform also covers essential administration tools to help with payments, scheduling sessions, coaching plans, and the sharing of documents.
• Nudge Coach: This platform’s focus is helping coaches keep their clients on track remotely and between sessions. It allows you to send clients the right message when needed and schedule notifications for the future.
• TrueCoach: Designed for fitness business and personal trainers who might want to launch remote training and coaching. It allows you to connect remotely with clients and share videos and workouts.
• Coach Catalyst: This platform is also for fitness businesses and personal trainers. It includes daily check-ins, which means clients are accountable between sessions. Coaches can monitor progress and offer additional motivation or attention if needed.

Level of expertise: Beginner, intermediate, expert

Requirements: Knowledge or skill that people will be willing to pay for, technical knowledge for the platforms

Time: 6 months before you turn a profit

Tools: Coaching platform, website to market your services

Income Potential: $1, – $10,/month

Online Consultant

Individuals and businesses often reach out to consultants to help them reach their goals, especially when they have problems meeting in person because of a heavy schedule. Being a virtual consultant is a versatile career choice, and you could help your clients with a wide range of things, from marketing to searching for a job.

Consider what experience and skills you have and whether you’re able to deliver it online, and there will be people who want to pay for such a solution to their problems. Along with your experience, you’ll also need to do some research. This will allow you to focus on the right service to offer and how much you can expect your future clients to pay.

Once you’ve found a service, consider undertaking a beta group test. Use it as a learning experience, get feedback, and remember to ask for testimonials.

There’s a vast range of options when it comes to consulting. Check out the following options:

• PR consulting
• Marketing consultant
• Social media consulting
• Career coaching consultant
• Sustainability consultant
• Travel consulting
• Financial consultant
• Fitness/wellness consultant
• HR consulting
• IT/technology consultant
• Sales consultant
• Compliance consulting
• Legal consultant

If you’re not sure where to look for opportunities, try one of these legitimate websites:

• Clarity: This is a platform that concentrates mainly on start-ups. Any experts who want to offer their services here need to know business processes, entrepreneurship, or start-ups, for example.
• ExpertConnect: Based in New York, ExpertConnect is always looking for experts in healthcare, technology, life sciences, telecommunications, media, legal affairs, accounting, finance, real estate, retail, and consumer goods.
• Maven: According to Maven, it is the “Global Knowledge Marketplace” and has many experts from all industry fields and walks of life. Mavens, as the experts are known, include truck drivers, barbers, auto mechanics, farmers, and doctors.
• GLG: The clientele on this platform comes from many different industries, including technology, life sciences, investments, market research, and consumer goods. You’re able to set your rates depending on your experience, practice area, and designation.
• Zintro: You pay nothing to be a Zintro member, but you or your client must pay when you first connect via the platform. You don’t receive emails with consulting requests. Instead, you have to visit your Zintro inbox regularly.

Level of expertise: Intermediate, expert

Requirements: Experience and skills that people need and want to pay for

Time: At least a year before you make any profit

Tools: Consultancy platform, website to advertise your services

Income Potential: $ – $,/month

Join a Remote Company Part-Time (or Full-Time)

Perhaps you’d like a change of career, want to try something new, or would benefit from a scenery change. In such cases, working remotely can be a breath of fresh air as well as an excellent opportunity to earn some money on the side.

Many companies are looking for remote employees, and it doesn’t matter where you work from. According to Upwork, 22% of the American workforce will be working remotely by That’s an 87% increase compared to before the pandemic.  Start on a part-time basis, and you might like it so much you want to work full-time.

Look for possible options by checking out online career listings, or visit one of the following websites:

• SolidGigs
• Flexjobs
• Remote
• We Work Remotely

The types of remote jobs available vary considerably. Such positions might include being a designer or working in customer support.

It’s a simple case of finding a job you like and applying for it.

Level of expertise: Beginner, intermediate, expert

Requirements: The right skill for the job you’re applying for

Time: Instant

Tools: Knowledge and experience to help you secure the job

Income Potential: $20, – $,

Narrate Audiobooks to Make Money Online

The audiobook industry has experienced dramatic growth in recent years, which means there’s a significant demand for audiobook narrators. The popularity of audiobooks doesn’t seem to be slowing down either. It is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate of % from to

There are no special qualifications for this online role, but you will need a great speaking voice and enjoy reading.

One of the quickest and easiest ways of starting your narrating career is to sign up with a platform connecting authors with audiobook narrators. Here are some examples of where to look:

• ACX
• Voices
• Audible
• Brilliance Audio
• www.oldyorkcellars.com

You’re going to need to invest in some good recording software and a top-quality microphone. Start by creating some samples so that potential clients can hear your voice.

Another good place to look for work is Upwork. This freelancing website will help you expand your reach.

Level of expertise: Beginner, intermediate, expert

Requirements: Love of reading and a great voice

Time: Instant

Tools: Recording software, a good quality microphone, somewhere quiet to make the recordings

Income Potential: $ – $/finished hour

Make Money with Online Surveys

This option will not make you rich, but it is a way of earning prizes or fast cash and not worrying about learning a new skill. You can do this job in your spare time. The work is effortless, and most online survey sites require little or no skill or education.

Some survey websites pay more than you might expect, but even so, don’t expect your earnings to be in anything more than double figures.

You have to sign up at an online survey site and provide certain information, including your interests and background. With that information, the platforms can match you up with the most appropriate surveys.

The most popular survey sites online include:

• Swagbucks
• I-say
• Pinecone Research
• Pro Opinion
• SendEarnings

Level of expertise: Beginner, intermediate

Requirements: None

Time: Instant

Tools: Smartphone

Income Potential: $1 – $20/hour

Test Websites

Website testing is an invaluable resource for companies that might have invested vast amounts in their company website design. On average, the upfront cost of launching and designing a website is $12, to $,To test a website, you have to access, use, and analyze the website. You then have to provide feedback on the experience, how the website functioned and whether it was appealing or not.

A company’s website plays an integral part in its success. Websites are a very effective way of reaching, engaging, and converting online customers. It’s no wonder companies take website testing so seriously.

The amount of money you can potentially earn is not really large enough for this to be a full-time career. However, it’s a good way of supplementing your current income.

You sign up with a testing platform, and you’ll be informed when opportunities are available, either by email or by visiting the online platform. If you’re interested in taking part in any of the tests, you have to claim them and wait to be given access. Other users will be competing for the opportunities, and for the more popular company websites, competition could be fierce.

There are many online platforms you can use to look for testing tasks. The more popular ones include:

• UserTesting
• IntelliZoomPanel
• Userlytics
• Enroll
• TryMyUI

Level of expertise: Beginner, intermediate

Requirements: Good eye for website design

Time: Instant

Tools: Website testing platform

Income Potential: $10/hour with the occasional opportunity to make more

Make Money Writing on Sites

Do you like the sound of getting paid to write from home? You don’t need a vast amount of experience, but you do need to be able to string words together if you want to get paid for your efforts. There’s an abundance of websites and blogs that will pay you to follow guidelines and deliver good quality content.

There are many benefits to writing online. No upfront investment is required, and there are no start-up fees. You can expect to be paid relatively quickly, and there’s no shortage of writing gigs.

You might find yourself writing reviews, tutorials, how-to articles, or lists, and the subject matter could be anything, from travel and web design to parenting, health, and wellness.

Some blogs and websites pay writers on a revenue-share model, but that’s not the case in the following list. You can expect to receive an agreed-upon fee in exchange for every article you write that is accepted. This is a small selection of the sites that pay you to write.

• Textbroker
• iWriter
• Writer Access
• Upwork
• Problogger
• www.oldyorkcellars.com
• Fiverr
• WordAgents
• Verblio
• Writers Domain
• People per Hour

Level of expertise: Beginner, intermediate, expert

Requirements: Good English language skills, knowledge of grammar and punctuation

Time: Instant

Tools: Writing software such as Google Docs or Microsoft Office, grammar checking tool

Income Potential: $10 – $/article

Make Money Typing

Gone are the days of rooms full of typists tip-tapping away. There’s no longer a need for such services because most people are half-decent typists themselves. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t still a need for experiences and better than decent typists. Thanks to the internet, it’s now a job you can do anywhere.

You don’t need lots of equipment, and the only requirement is that you complete assignments on time. Another benefit is that you can start making money instantly, whenever you’ve got the free time, or make it into a full-time career.

A range of typing jobs are available, but the majority fall into the following categories:

• Transcription: With this type of work, you’ll be typing audio recordings. It might be lectures, dictation, phone messages, conference calls, workshops, speeches, podcasts, interviews, webinars, or videos. Within this category, there are specializations such as legal transcription and corporate/financial transcription.
• Medical transcription: This role requires specialist training and certification as it involves transcribing dictation made by physicians or medical practitioners.
• Captioning: A captioner works off live video rather than recorded audio. Fast typing speeds are a requirement and accuracy and stenography equipment.

Level of expertise: Intermediate, expert

Requirements: Excellent spelling, punctuation, grammar, and typing skills,

Time: Instant

Tools: Sign up with a typing website, computer with a large monitor, headphones, foot pedal

Income Potential: $7 – $50/hour

Sell Your Art and Designs

A very popular way to make money online is to sell your art and designs. If you’ve got a good eye for design or consider yourself an artist, it’s possible to sell what you create online and also make money.

There are lots of websites that specialize in this kind of product. You’ll get help creating your shop on the platform, uploading your art or designs, marketing your products, along selling and shipping orders.

Where you decide to sell your designs and art online depends on what you want to sell. A wide range of platforms is available for selling everything from drawings and paintings to woodworking and crafts.

Here are some of the best we’ve found:

• Etsy: This site has a massive following, making it a great place to sell your art. You have to pay listing fees, and the competition is intense, but it’s worth checking out. To make your art stand out, you’ll need to include high-quality images.
• Artfinder: This online marketplace is where independent artists sell their work. You can sell paintings, sculptures, photographs, and much more. The site is aimed at high-end collectors, but that does mean you can charge more for your art. You have to apply to Artfinder if you want to sell your art. Applications are reviewed for originality and quality.
• Big Cartel: Big Cartel charges a flat monthly fee and doesn’t take a percentage from your sales.
• Storeenvy: This platform is entirely free, which makes it a great starting point.
• ArtPal: No upfront fees have to be paid. Instead, ArtPal takes 5% from any sales you make.
• Artmajeur: This site is based in France but sells art globally. Commission rates are a little steep, but you can list various items, including sculptures, drawings, multimedia, paintings, and photography.
• Society6: You can use this site to sell reproductions of art or get your designs or art printed on various items. Simply upload your photography or artwork, and you can have it printed onto everything from iPhone cases to art prints.

You can also use Facebook, Instagram, Patreon, or Shopify.

Level of expertise: Beginner, intermediate, expert

Requirements: Artistic flare or a good eye for design

Time: Up to 12 months to make a liveable profit

Tools: Arts and crafts materials

Income Potential: $50 – $10,/month

Become a YouTuber and Make Money From It

When people are looking for entertaining, informative, or fun videos, millions of people around the world turn to YouTube. As well as being one of the largest search engines globally, YouTube is also a way to make money online.

The first step is to get an audience for your YouTube channel. The bigger, the better. A larger following can earn you some serious cash. Your audience, the better chance you have of making some serious cash. There are several ways you can monetize your YouTube channel.

• Become a Partner and Earn Cash From Ads
• Sell Merchandise or products
• Crowdfund
• Fan Funding
• License Your Channel’s Content
• Work as an Affiliate or Influencer

The two types of YouTube channels that achieve the best following are:

• Educational content: Think of these as “How to” videos. You can make this type of video if you’ve got information or valuable skills that will interest others.
• Entertaining content: This style of the video includes pranks, reviews, comedy videos, game walkthroughs, and much more.

Level of expertise: Intermediate, expert

Requirements: YouTube channel with lots of followers/subscribers

Time: It can take at least 12 months to realize a profit

Tools: Monetized YouTube account

Income Potential: $5 – $5,/YouTube video

Become an Influencer on Instagram

Instagram has been around for more than a decade. From very humble beginnings, it has grown into being one of the biggest social media platforms. In the third quarter of , it was estimated that there were billion Instagram users. One of the main reasons it’s become so popular is that it’s completely free.

It’s possible to make money from Instagram quite easily, but you will need a large enough following. There are companies out there that are willing to pay Instagrammers money. It might be for showcasing a product or making a post.

How much you’ll get paid for a post kind of depends on how engaged your followers are and how many of them there are. Remuneration ranges from a couple of hundred dollars to several thousand, just for one post.

To be able to charge a few thousand for a post will take a certain amount of time, patience, and dedication. First, you’ve got to build up a sizable audience. It shouldn’t be a problem if you enjoy taking photographs, however. You’ll also need to spend lots of time using your phone and be a dedicated Instagrammer. If you can tick all these boxes, it’s got to be worth trying.

Level of expertise: Beginner, intermediate, expert

Requirements: Understanding of posting on Instagram

Time: 12 months or more to gain a good following, longer to make a profit

Tools: Smartphone with a good camera

Income Potential: $50 – $5,/post

Make Money with Apps

There’s a good selection of apps that pay you money, whether you’re looking for a side hustle, something to fill your free time with, or part-time employment. However, even the best-paying ones out there aren’t likely to make you rich. That being said, they can provide a sizable secondary income.

Not every app will suit everyone, but if you’re interested, there’s sure to be one that gives you what you want. The process is very simple. You simply download the app, create a profile, possibly provide additional information, wait for verification, and then off you go.

Apps pay in several different ways. Some pay with rewards, payment vouchers, gifts, money-off, cashback, or coupons. A large number of them pay via PayPal, so you’ll need to have a PayPal account.

The earning potential of money-making apps depends on the amount of effort you put in. Do you, for example, want to earn some extra bucks when you’re lounging around at home or relaxing in your local coffee shop? Are you prepared to drive around, visit stores, meet people in person, or do manual labor?

What Apps Pay You Real Money?

If you’re looking for an app that pays real money, check out the following list:

• Ibotta: earn real money on online or in-store purchases in one of over 1, retail chains and brands. Offers are retailer or product-specific, some of which are applied automatically. Products you can buy include entertainment, clothing, pet supplies, groceries, and more.
• Rakuten: With this app, you’re rewarded with as much as 40% cash-back when you make purchases from well-known restaurants, food delivery services, and retailers. To increase your earnings, you can link a debit or credit card and earn cashback when you buy in-store instead of online.
• Swagbucks: Earn your Swagbucks shopping, playing games, watching videos, and any number of other tasks. You can redeem the points you earn for cash into a PayPal account.
• Cointiply: This is a micro-task website where you sign up and receive free bitcoins in exchange for various tasks. These might be installing apps, filling in surveys, viewing apps, playing games, or much more.
• Doordash: if you’ve got a bike or vehicle, Doordash pays you for delivering food. More than , restaurants located in over cities use this app for providing food to customers.
• Shipt: This app is similar to DoorDash, but you are paid for delivering groceries in this case.
• Shopkick: To earn money from this app, you’ll need to pick from various tasks that tend to revolve around visiting a store and shopping. It’s also a mystery shopping app that pays you for visiting stores and checking whether specific products are in stock.
• Mercari: Choose Mercari if you’ve got loads of stuff you want to sell. It’s an online marketplace for new and used items for sale across the US.
• Poshmark: Poshmark is an app for anyone with clothing to sell. Millions of users visit the platform, and listing your items is free.

Level of expertise: Beginner, intermediate

Requirements: PayPal account for receiving payments

Time: Instant

Tools: An account with one or more money-making apps

Income Potential: $5 – $/week

Make Money on Your Phone

You don’t need a fancy computer to make money. You can make upward of 3k just by using your smartphone. What’s even better is that you won’t need to leave home to do it. The internet has made it super easy, and with smartphones having enough computer power to run a small country, there are numerous ways you can make money from home.

Lots of the options will bring in small amounts of cash, which we’ve already looked at. In this short section, you’ll find out about the more lucrative ways.

• Make a profit from flipping stuff: If you’re the kind of person who has an eye for hidden treasures and deals at garage sales or thrift stores, this could be the option for you. When you flip things, you’re selling items you got free or discounted for profit.
• Make smart investments with Acorns: If you’re interested in making money by investing, Acorns is a fantastic option, especially for beginners. When you buy something with your credit or debit card, Acorn rounds it up and invests the difference. It’s just a small change, but you’ll be surprised at how quickly it adds up.
• Sell books online: There’s a massive market for used books and textbooks. Sites such as  Bookscouter help you sell any books you’ve got or books you buy cheaply, for real cash.
• Play games and get paid: If you enjoy passing the time playing games, check out Dabbl. Play fun and simple interactive games and earn money. We’ll look at some other ways to make money playing games in the next section.
• Rover: Get paid to play with dogs, pet-sit, walk dogs, and more. Use your phone to set your rates and plan your schedule.

Level of expertise: Beginner

Requirements: Smartphone

Time: Instant

Tools: Sign up with the app

Income Potential: Up to $3, annually

Make Money Playing Games

Would you believe me if I told you that making money playing games is possible? It might sound like a sketchy idea, but it is possible. It’s not something that’s going to make you rich, but you could easily earn an extra k if you’ve got the time and inclination.

Can You Really Make Money Playing Games on Your Phone?

Yes, you can, and there are dozens of apps that reward you when you play games. There are a few games-for-cash sites that are sketchy, so you have to be careful. However, some are totally worth it.

Here is a list of the top games apps that hand out real money.

• Coin Pop: Collect points when you try out and play different games. The longer you play, the more points you earn. Redeem your points for Amazon vouchers or cash.
• MistPlay: Earn credits for playing selected games. You earn more the longer you play and bonus units when you reach higher levels or play at specific times. You cash out for a Mastercard or Visa payment, Amazon payments, or some other gift card.
• Fit Play: Once you’ve downloaded the app, you’ll get a list of games you can play for points. Build up your points and then redeem them for gift cards or cash into PayPal.
• Qmee: Primarily, Qmee is a survey app, but there is a section where you can earn money by playing games.
• Make Money – iOS: Lots of tasks available, some of which include playing a game you’ve downloaded to a certain level.
• Ysense: Earn cash rewards for trying different games. You need to meet certain conditions to receive your rewards, such as collecting a specified number of points or reaching a certain level.
• InstaGC: The payment threshold is really low, so you could cash out earnings as small as $1.
• Earnably: Play games for free and get paid to do it. Cashout is speedy via gift card or PayPal.

Level of expertise: Beginners

Requirements: Smartphone

Time: Instant

Tools: Sign up with the app

Income Potential: Up to $k annually

Sell Stock Photos to Make Money Online

Is your passion for taking pictures? Why not make some money at the same time? There are several different sites where you can upload your photos. The benefit of using these sites is that their user base is massive. Every time someone operates and licenses the images, you’re paid for the privilege.

Many people start selling their stock photos only to fall after a couple of months because they’re not earning enough. To make a consistent amount of money, you must upload images of the highest quality, research what sells, and then create the pictures you know people will buy. It also helps if you upload images as often as you can. The more extensive your portfolio, the better chance you have of success.

Some of the most well-known stock photography sites include:

How to Make Money Selling Photos of Yourself

Did you know all those selfies you’re taking could make you some cash? Agencies and companies are willing to pay top dollar for them because they can significantly impact businesses and brands.

If you can take good shots of yourself and know the best places to sell them, it is possible to make money. Options for selling your selfies online include the usual stock websites, via a website of your own, via a blog, or by running a contest or giveaway.

Some of the best websites for selling images of yourself include:

• Scoopshot
• Stylinity
• Foap
• Pay Your Selfie
• SmugMug

Level of expertise: Beginner, intermediate

Requirements: A good eye for taking a quality photograph

Time: A few months for people to find your images

Tools: Smartphone or digital camera, editing software

Income Potential: $ – $/month

Watch Videos and Get Paid

Wouldn’t it be great to get paid for watching videos? Well, the good news is that you can. It’s also a lot easier than you think.

There are loads of options. Here is just a small selection:

• Write film subtitles on a freelance basis, and if you speak another language, you could charge extra for your services.
• Become a TV and film reviewer – There are even opportunities to make this a full-time career. It’s a very competitive business, so you might need to charge low rates to start.
• Watch movie trailers and ads for money – Sites such as iRazoo, InboxDollars, and  Vindale Research pay you for completing elementary tasks, such as answering surveys and playing games. You can also get paid for watching cooking tutorials, short films, app adverts, and movie trailers.
• Get paid for watching ads on SuccessBux – The minimum payout is a mere $1, and it is paid via PayPal. Other options if you like the sound of watching ads include Swagbucks, ibotta, and Nielsen TV Ratings.
• Sign up with TV-TWO, and you can get paid in cryptocurrency – You’re paid for watching videos, but in this case, you have to earn a massive amount of credits, 50,, before you’re able to ask for a payout.
• Charge companies for promoting their videos – It helps if you’ve got a good following, but it’s not essential.

Level of expertise: Beginner

Requirements: Laptop or mobile device for watching the videos

Time: Instant

Tools: Sign up with the relevant app

Income Potential: $50 – $/month

Rent Your Home or Room on Airbnb

Do you own your own home? Is there a room in your home you don’t currently use? A great way to earn a passive income is to rent out your spare room. Thanks to a platform known as Airbnb, an increasing number of people are doing just that. Some people choose to rent their whole house. According to recent data analysis, there are million Airbnb hosts worldwide.

Airbnb is a very flexible option because you’re given the freedom to choose when and how often you rent out your space. The rental rules are also your responsibility, as is the daily rental rate.

Source

Renting a room or your house to strangers may leave you feeling a little uneasy. Airbnb, however, does provide insurance should anything occur. If you need additional reassurance, AirBnB does operate a renter’s rating system. Check out a person’s AirBnB reputation before you let them stay.

Level of expertise: Intermediate, Expert

Requirements: A room or a property that’s suitable to rent

Time: Instant

Tools: Register with AirBnB and follow the host standards

Income Potential: an average of $/month

Look After Other People’s Pets

Believe it or not, there is a massive demand for responsible and reliable pet sitters. One essential thing is that you have to love pets. Typically, it would be cats and dogs you’d be caring for, but potentially, it could be anything from a parrot to tropical fish.

Pet sitting is very similar to babysitting, but you’ll be looking after a beloved pet rather than a child in this case. It depends on the job, but you could look after the pet in your own home or the home of the owner.

If you don’t think you’ll be able to commit to caring for a pet over several days or longer, other options are possible. Perhaps you could be a dog walker or keep a pet company while their owner works.

There are several pet sitting websites where you can look for work, for example:

• www.oldyorkcellars.com
• Tailster
• Cat in a Flat
• Rover
• Pawshake
• Trusted Housesitters

Level of expertise: Beginner, intermediate, expert

Requirements: You have to be an animal lover, be patient, and be empathic for animals

Time: Work on getting a good reputation, and you could turn a profit in a couple of months

Tools: Certification will help you get better-paid jobs, insurance should anything go wrong

Income Potential: $10 – $25/hour

Make Money Online with Google AdSense

Google AdSense is a program that lets you run ads on your website, YouTube videos, or blog. You are paid when someone clicks on the ad. Businesses using the Google AdWords program generate the ads, and you feed them by using an AdSense code.

If your website or blog is new, Google AdSense is one of the quickest ways to generate an income.

The program is free, and the eligibility requirements are simple. You get a wide range of ad options to choose from, some of which you’re able to customize to complement the feel and look of your site.

Payments made to you by Google are made by direct deposit every month. You’re not limited to running ads on just one website, and you can also run ads on RSS feeds and mobile devices. You have to meet specific Google requirements to include the ads on your website, blog, or YouTube channel.

Your website, for example, has to have at least 30 pages of content that’s unique, is three months old, and generates traffic. The better the traffic, the higher your potential for earning.

Level of expertise: Intermediate, expert

Requirements: Website, blog, or YouTube channel that meets Google requirements, some technical knowledge

Time: You can start earning as soon as your site is approved

Tools: It’s easier to display ads if you use a platform such as WordPress

Income Potential: $ – $15/click

Hobbies That Make Money Online

If you’ve got a hobby or two, did you realize you could be making money doing something you love? You may not have got into your hobby with the intention of making money, but some have the potential to become money streams if you’re serious enough.

Want to know what the most lucrative hobbies are? Keep reading for the ultimate list.

• Writing: Besides earning you money, publishing and writing online is also a great way to further your career or become an established expert. Freelance on sites like Fiverr or Upwork or write your blog.
• Design and illustration: this creative hobby can also make you money on a freelance basis. There are always potential clients on Fiverr, for example. Another option is to put your illustrations or designs on items like posts, canvases, or t-shirts. Choose a print-on-demand service, and you don’t need money upfront for an inventory.
• Cooking: Start a foodie blog to showcase your creations. Create a YouTube channel and teach people how to cook. Dive headfirst into your food hobby by creating cooking products or food.
• Music: Record and sell your albums or songs. Platforms like SoundCloud are good places to sell what you record. Creating beats or samples is another money-making musical hobby.
• DIY crafts: Crafting can be a very profitable hobby. There is an endless number of things you could make and sell. For example, jewelry, bath bombs, soap, wooden puzzles, candles, and many more.
• Gardening: With more people spending time at home, gardening has seen a significant increase in popularity. As well as making you healthier and happier, this hobby could also make you richer.
• Photography: You could become a freelance photographer, but for a side hustle that’s more scalable, why not sell your photos as prints or stock images?.
• Comedy: If you’ve got a good sense of humor and enjoy making people laugh, have you thought about using this talent to make money? It’s possible to amass large audiences by curating viral videos, memes, or tapping into a humorous niche.

Level of expertise: Beginner, intermediate, expert

Requirements: an interest or hobby with the potential to monetize

Time: Once you’ve made the items, you could be selling for a profit within a few weeks

Tools: These will depend on the hobby

Income Potential: $10, – $,/annum

How to Make Money Online for Beginners

You’ve probably all heard the stories of people making it big by traveling around the world. The laptop lifestyle, as it has become known, is a dream for many people. And it could be for you if you’ve got an internet connection and good cell reception.

There is an endless number of legitimate ways to make money online. However, if you’re just starting, you need to set your sites in certain areas. If you’re a complete beginner, here are some possibilities you might want to explore.

Selling Your Old Stuff

Have you heard people talking about the latest minimalist movement? The goal is to declutter not only your home but your mind and your life. It’s also an excellent opportunity to earn some extra cash. If you really can’t bear to part with some of your belongings, there’s always the option to rent them out instead.

Paid for searching the web

There is an endless number of companies that will happily pay you to use the internet. Ask Wonder, for example, is a company that pays a flat fee for the answer to a burning question. The answer must be thoroughly researched.

Review websites & apps for cash

This is a very similar gig to completing surveys, but in this case, you’re testing websites, apps, and other types of software. You have to actively participate in using the products you’re reviewing, pay attention, and provide continuous feedback.

Become a ‘Clickworker’

There are many ways you can become a clickworker. The company is always looking for people who can correct or create texts, search or categorize data, or take part in surveys.

Review music for money

Did you realize you could get paid for listening to music and writing a review? Sign up to one of several websites, and review music from upcoming songwriters and singers. All you have to do is listen and then give your opinion. The more music you review, the bigger the reward. Musicxray, Playlist Push, and www.oldyorkcellars.com are just a few possible sites.

Become a Twitch Streamer

Twitch is the streaming channel of choice for millions of gamers. Become an influencer on this platform, and you can earn income in various ways, but the best way to start is by becoming a Twitch Affiliate. To move things up to another level, you’ll need to work on improving your streaming skills and building a following.

Become an Extreme Couponer

When you use one or two coupons every week, it helps you save a small amount of money. Become an extreme couponer, on the other hand, and you could save a whole lot more. To become an extreme couponer, you’ll need to diligently scour magazines, newspapers, and online sites for as many coupons as you can find.

Match these coupons up with promotions and sales to maximize the amount you save. If you get good at it, you could even get some products for free.

Become a TikTok Consultant

TikTok has gained a lot of interest recently, with some people going viral overnight. With a concept that’s still in the early days of its success, there are many opportunities for monetizing. Become a pro on TikTok, and you could turn your hand to consulting. By leveraging your expertise, you’ll be able to help people who are looking for TikTok fame.

Data Entry

An online role in data entry will involve inputting information into a spreadsheet or scanning documents into an online program. No specialist knowledge is required, and it’s an easy way to make money online and from your home.

Level of expertise: Beginner

Requirements: None

Time: Instant

Tools: A laptop or a smartphone

Income Potential: $ – $,/month

FAQs

What are some fast ways to make money?

If you need to make some cash in a short space of time, there are many options. Answer questions in online surveys, get paid for searching the web, or review apps and websites for cash.

How can I make $ a week?

It might sound like a lot, but an extra $ a week is a negligible amount to earn. Become a virtual assistant, try freelance writing, sell on Etsy or Amazon FBA, sell in Fiverr, or become an Uber driver.

How can I make $ a day?

You will have to put in some effort to earn this amount of money, but it is doable. Here are a few examples: take part in research, get paid for completing surveys, become a shopper, teach kids online, or drive people around.

How can I make 1 dollar a day?

$1 a day might not sound like much, but add that up over one year and that’s an extra $ in your pocket. Luckily, there are heaps of legitimate ways to earn that one dollar, and they should take a tremendous amount of time. Survey sites, such as SwagBucks, Zap Surveys, and Branded Surveys, are just a few examples.

How can you get free money?

In our digital age, there are a ton of ways to earn free money. Free money includes rewards or cash bonuses. It’s free because you don’t have to trade hours of labor in exchange.

How can I get money without a job?

All the opportunities in this article are possible without a job. All it takes is a certain amount of effort, and it won’t be long before you’re earning some cash. After a while, you may find the work so interesting that you want to do it full-time and become a freelancer.

What will make money in the future? [What’s the next big money maker?]

Here are a few ideas:

• Start a blog
• Sell your products online
• Become an app developer
• Start a membership site
• Invest across all markets
• Peer-to-peer lending

Conclusion

Whether you want to make a few extra bucks as a sideline, discover a way to escape your 9 to 5, or start your own business, there are endless opportunities when it comes to making money online.

You can start with little or no investment or use your savings to get things off the ground. In the list, there are possibilities for the complete beginner right through to expert.

There really is something for everyone.

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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 why should i invest in xrp 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, easy way to earn money online, some businesses and side hustles are better suited to the laptop lifestyle than others, easy way to earn money online. 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 geld verdienen online schnell und einfach 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, easy way to earn money online. There are a variety of interesting niches within this category, too, including dresses, accessories, intimates, hoodies, socks and hoseries, easy way to earn money online, 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

Learn how to find high-margin products, add them into your store, and start selling—fast.

Register now

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 easy way to earn money online, 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 easy way to earn money online coming, especially in Asian the best 5g stock to invest in, 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, easy way to earn money online, 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, easy way to earn money online, 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, easy way to earn money online 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 easy way to earn money online 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 why bitcoin cash could hit 5 000 in 2022 to begin, easy way to earn money online. 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 money makin mitch lyrics 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 easy way to earn money online 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, easy way to earn money online, 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 easy way to earn money online 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 how to sell photos online and make money uk 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, easy way to earn money online, 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, easy way to earn money online, 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 easy way to earn money online on Twitter and LinkedIn or build an email subscriber list to promote your products to and make sales. 

Since the barrier is easy way to earn money online 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, easy way to earn money online, 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 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, easy way to earn money online, but the difference with media is that it tends to be geared toward creative ventures—for example, easy way to earn money online, 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 easy way to earn money online 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, easy way to earn money online, 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 easy way to earn money online 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 easy way to earn money online vegan keto recipes and lifestyle). Focusing on a niche helps you speak to an easy way to earn money online 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, easy way to earn money online, 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, easy way to earn money online, 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 easy way to earn money online 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, easy way to earn money online. 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, easy way to earn money online, be able to write, rank, and differentiate yourself by covering all things terrariums or high-intensity interval training. Point easy way to earn money online, 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. Best investing advice content is extremely well done and reader-centric, with meticulous testing and fully transparent reviews of the pros non stock investment options 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, easy way to earn money online. 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, easy way to earn money online 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, easy way to earn money online 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, easy way to earn money online. Professionals probably spend the most money on courses, easy way to earn money online, so if there’s a way for you to take easy way to earn money online 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 i like to make money get turnt g eazy 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 easy way to earn money online 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 easy way to earn money online 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 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, easy way to earn money online. This led her to quit her job, 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 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, easy way to earn money online. 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 easy way to earn money online 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 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 channel. 

Become an influencer

Business type: Audience monetization

Effort: Easy way to earn money online Low

Startup costs (out of 5 💸): 💸

Earning potential (out easy way to earn money online 5 💰): 💰💰💰💰

Influencers are becoming a popular marketing channel for brands big and small, with 68% of US marketers at companies with over employees easy way to earn money online 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 easy way to earn money online 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 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 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 easy way to earn money online 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, easy way to earn money online, 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, easy way to earn money online. 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 how make money on stocks 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, easy way to earn money online. 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 easy way to earn money online 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 easy way to earn money online 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, easy way to earn money online, the more likely people will be to find them. 

🎯 Idea easy way to earn money online 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 easy way to earn money online 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, easy way to earn money online, so you don’t pay fees or commissions to any outside platforms. 

But that’s only one stream bitcoin investing for beginners ideas income. You can also partner with a simple way to make money 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 easy way to earn money online 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 easy way to earn money online. 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: Beaba baby food maker worth the money 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, easy way to earn 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 bitcoin investor magazine 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 easy way to earn money online 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 easy way to earn money online 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, 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. 

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