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IT'S possible to make almost £1, a month from your couch and behind your laptop.

These methods probably won't amount to a full income, but as January's financial blues hit, the extra cash could come in handy.

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From selling old toys gathering dust in the attic to entering online competitions, there are plenty of ways to earn extra cash without leaving your home.

Bloggers and money savers on social media have revealed to The Sun what their best insider tricks for boosting your bank account are.

The results could help you save some serious money over a long period.

Whether you're looking to top up your regular income or need some extra cash for a holiday, we've got the tips for you.

We've worked out that if you did all nine of the tips on this list, you would earn just under a whopping £1, each month.

Here's how they managed to do it - and how you can do the same.

Lynn James, Mrs Mummy Penny, on earning cashback and completing tasks for money

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Lynn Beattie is the founder of the Mrs Mummy Penny blog, whose aim is to make personal finance seem simple and suggest lifestyle choices that could save you money.

1. Earning cashback

I love TopCashback and have been a regular user for more than five years now.
Whenever I buy anything online I go to TopCashback first and click through to the website from there, which triggers a payment.

That might be £60 cashback when switching broadband or £ cashback when booking a holiday using Expedia.

One of my best savings using the site was when I booked a holiday to Las Vegas and got £ cashback which I used for spending money.

2. Complete tasks for money 

Money-earning website 20Cogs gets you to complete 20 tasks over a period of a few weeks.
They can be things like questionnaires and signing up to offers, but all can be cancelled at no cost.
I tried it and made £ after completing the 20 tasks.

You can also currently earn a £5 welcome bonus just for joining.

Deepak Tailor, LatestFreeStuff founder and LatestDeals co-founder, on lucrative sign-ups and getting paid to share deals

4

Deepak Tailor is the founder of LatestFreeStuff, a website that tells people about freebies and samples up for grabs. He's also the co-founder of LatestDeals, a community of people who find deals and share them.

1. Share deals and get paid

LatestDeals will hand out vouchers for people who share deals on its website.

You get points which add up to Amazon vouchers for your contributions.

Top members earn more than £ per month just for sharing deals they find online.

It's free to sign up and most people earn their first voucher within the first month.

2. Earn £15 by referring your friends

Plum is a chatbot app that automates savings for you. You can connect their app to your bank account and you'll get £15 in cash if you successfully refer three friends who sign up. It's super quick and easy.

3. Install an app

With Ipsos Media Cell - consumer data tracking software - you will earn a £20 voucher just by installing an app on your phone.

You then get £10 every month you keep it installed on your phone. I've tried it myself and it works well.

• EARNINGS: £20, then £10 every month

4. Take a survey

Pinecone Research pays £3 per survey you complete.

The company asks for your opinions on products across health, home, kids and sport, enabling you to accumulate points.

You can then redeem the points for cash or prizes.

It isn't currently accepting new members but it is worth keeping an eye on the website so you don't miss an opportunity to get involved.

5. Get paid for listening to music

Listen to music and  SliceThePie will reward up to 10p for every song you listen and rate.

The more you listen to and the more detailed your reviews, the more it will reward you.

You can also share your views on other items such as clothes.

• EARNINGS: 10p per song - so if you listen to songs, you'll earn £10

The Sun's team of money savers on mystery shopping and selling old stuff on eBay

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Members of The Sun's Facebook page also came up with a few insider tricks.

1. Go mystery shopping

Several Facebook users suggest going mystery shopping to earn extra cash.

There are dozens of companies you can mystery shop with. MoneySavingExpert forum users have put together a comprehensive guide to how you can start mystery shopping which has links to all the different companies.

Some suggest you can earn up to £2, per year by mystery shopping.

2. Selling stuff on eBay

It's the oldest trick in the book but many of our money savers say they still sell their old unwanted items such as clothes and homeware on the auction website to earn extra cash.

You don't even need to go to the post office anymore, as you can choose to have couriers pick up the items from your home.

eBay will take a cut of whatever you make from selling your items though so it may be worth looking for other ways to flog your items, such as on Gumtree or on Facebook.

Check out these top tips for selling your gear on eBay and how to maximise your cash.

• EARNINGS: Depends on what you have!

If you sell your old tech, you could raise upwards of £ to help with the cost of living bite.

Keep up to date with the latest inflation estimates and our top money saving tips.

Plus, here's how a mum-of-four saves £ on her food bill - some of her meals only cost 86p.

Important Information

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We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online Money team? Email us at money@www.oldyorkcellars.comor call 78 Don't forget to join the Sun Money's Facebook group for the latest bargains and money-saving advice.

Topics

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.

Free Webinar:

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

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

Register now

3. Custom products

Business type: Product based

Effort: High

Leverage: Medium

Startup costs (out of 5 💸): 💸💸💸

Earning potential (out of 5 💰): 💰💰💰

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

🎯 Idea in action

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

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

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

4. Sell on Etsy

Business type: Product based

Effort: High

Leverage: Medium

Startup costs (out of 5 💸): 💸💸💸

Earning potential (out of 5 💰): 💰💰

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

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

The benefits of creating your own Shopify store include:

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

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

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

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

🎯 Idea in action

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

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

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

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

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

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5. Sell on Amazon

Business type: Product based

Effort: Medium

Leverage: Medium

Startup costs (out of 5 💸): 💸💸

Earning potential (out of 5 💰): 💰💰

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

🎯 Idea in action

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

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

6. Digital products

Business type: Product based

Effort: High

Leverage: High

Startup costs (out of 5 💸): 💸💸

Earning potential (out of 5 💰): 💰💰💰💰

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

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

Some key benefits of selling digital products are:

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

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

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

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

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

🎯 Idea in action

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

7. Media

Business type: Product based

Effort: High

Leverage: High

Startup costs (out of 5 💸): 💸💸

Earning potential (out of 5 💰): 💰💰💰💰

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

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

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

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

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

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

🎯 Idea in action

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

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

8. Blogging

Business type: Audience monetization

Effort: High

Leverage: Medium

Startup costs (out of 5 💸): 💸

Earning potential (out of 5 💰): 💰💰💰

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

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

People start blogs for many different reasons, some being:

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

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

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

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

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

• Becoming an influencer and doing paid promotions for brands

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

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

🎯 Idea in action

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

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

9. Affiliate marketing

Business type: Audience monetization

Effort: Medium

Leverage: High

Startup costs (out of 5 💸): 💸💸

Earning potential (out of 5 💰): 💰💰💰💰

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

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

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

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

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

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

🎯 Idea in action

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

Resources: 

Online courses and workshops

Business type: Product based

Effort: High

Leverage: High

Startup costs (out of 5 💸): 💸

Earning potential (out of 5 💰): 💰💰💰💰

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

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

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

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

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

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

🎯 Idea in action

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

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

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

Freelance services

Business type: Service based

Effort: High

Leverage: Low

Startup costs (out of 5 💸): 💸

Earning potential (out of 5 💰): 💰💰💰💰

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

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

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

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

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

🎯 Idea in action

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

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

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

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

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

Start a YouTube channel

Business type: Audience monetization

Effort: High

Leverage: Low

Startup costs (out of 5 💸): 💸

Earning potential (out of 5 💰): 💰💰💰💰

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

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

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

🎯 Idea in action

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

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

Become an influencer

Business type: Audience monetization

Effort: High

Leverage: Low

Startup costs (out of 5 💸): 💸

Earning potential (out of 5 💰): 💰💰💰💰

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

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

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

🎯 Idea in action

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

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

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

Additional resources:

Write ebooks

Business type: Product based

Effort: High

Leverage: Medium

Startup costs (out of 5 💸): 💸

Earning potential (out of 5 💰): 💰💰

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

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

🎯 Idea in action

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

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

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

Look for side gigs

Business type: Service based

Effort: Medium

Leverage: Low

Startup costs (out of 5 💸): 💸

Earning potential (out of 5 💰): 💰

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

🎯 Idea in action

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

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

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

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

Do translation work

Business type: Service based

Effort: Medium

Leverage: High

Startup costs (out of 5 💸): 💸

Earning potential (out of 5 💰): 💰💰💰

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

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

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

🎯 Idea in action

There are many places to apply for translation work online:

Sell stuff online

Business type: Product based

Effort: Medium

Leverage: Low

Startup costs (out of 5 💸): 💸

Earning potential (out of 5 💰): 💰💰

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

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

🎯 Idea in action

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

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

Livestream on Twitch

Business type: Audience monetization

Effort: High

Leverage: Medium

Startup costs (out of 5 💸): 💸💸💸

Earning potential (out of 5 💰): 💰💰💰

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

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

🎯 Idea in action

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

You can monetize your Twitch channel a few different ways:

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

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

Take online surveys

Business type: Service based

Effort: High

Leverage: Low

Startup costs (out of 5 💸): 💸

Earning potential (out of 5 💰): 💰

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

🎯 Idea in action

The best sites to take online surveys include:

Sell photos online

Business type: Product based

Effort: High

Leverage: High

Startup costs (out of 5 💸): 💸💸💸

Earning potential (out of 5 💰): 💰💰💰

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

The key is focusing on three things:

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

🎯 Idea in action

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

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

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

Become a social media consultant 

Business type: Service based

Effort: High

Leverage: Medium

Startup costs (out of 5 💸): 💸

Earning potential (out of 5 💰): 💰💰💰

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

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

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

🎯 Idea in action

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

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

Start a podcast

Business type: Audience monetization

Effort: High

Leverage: Low

Startup costs (out of 5 💸): 💸💸

Earning potential (out of 5 💰): 💰💰💰

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

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

🎯 Idea in action

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

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

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

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

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

Become a transcriber

Business type: Service based

Effort: High

Leverage: Medium

Startup costs (out of 5 💸): 💸

Earning potential (out of 5 💰): 💰💰💰

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

🎯 Idea in action

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

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

Review apps, websites, and software

Business type: Service based

Effort: High

Leverage: Low

Startup costs (out of 5 💸): 💸

Earning potential (out of 5 💰): 💰💰

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

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

🎯 Idea in action

Top user review sites you can sign up for include:

Become an audiobook narrator

Business type: Service based

Effort: High

Leverage: Low

Startup costs (out of 5 💸): 💸💸

Earning potential (out of 5 💰): 💰💰💰

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

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

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

🎯 Idea in action

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

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

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

How to make money online in ?

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

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

Oh, we've all seen the adverts- &#;Make money online today with Paypal&#;, &#;make money online for free&#; and, my personal favourite, &#;make money online INSTANTLY&#;.

I mean, come on. If that doesn't say &#;too good to be true&#;, I don't know what does! 

But, what if you're looking for genuine ways to make money online, either in the UK or abroad. What if you want or need to work from home, or want to work as you travel or just want more flexibility to your work life.

As I'm writing this, the world has changed immeasurably. We're all in the thick of &#;the crisis'. Many people are now working from home, and many more have sadly found themselves needing to find a new income- and find it fast.

Don't blame yourself. NO-ONE saw this coming. Or at least, they did&#; but only in a theoretical sense. So drop all the guilt and distress and let's find you some options.

Genuine Ways to Make Money Online in UK (and abroad!)

I'm aware that there are MANY schemes and get-rich-quick idea floating around. But let's assume that you're a real person who doesn't want to lose their limited life savings and just wants to work hard and get some income in, preferably asap. Getting a job is one thing, but if you want to make money online as a beginner, how do you start?

So, let's give you some options, which will ACTUALLY work. I'm talking about schemes which are available in the UK (as that's where I'm based) but many of these will work just great from wherever you are in the world.) None of these are instant solutions which will give you money today (or maybe even tomorrow), but they WILL all earn you a decent income within 12 months if you work hard at building it up.

Before we get started, if you're working at home with kids, you're DEFINITELY going to need ways to keep them occupied so you can work. Here are 14 easy quiet activities for kids&#; you NEED these to save your sanity!

Start a Blog/ Website

It seems pretty obvious that I would start with this. After all, I'm a blogger and you're reading this&#; on my blog. Not really sure what a &#;blog' is? It's basically a website- with a more personal feel.

Is it REALLY a genuine way to make money online?

Abso-fricking-lutely. My friend, when I quit my job to travel Europe in a motorhome, I started this blog as an online diary. I didn't even know you COULD make money with a blog. Less than two years later, I'm making more than many of the full-time staff my husband employs (admittedly, CV is about to severely damage that, but I'll find ways to adapt, just like everybody else.)

NOTE: Blogging is NOT easy. It's not an idyllic, chilled, only work 10 minutes a day and then go lie in the sunshine and read a book. It is HARD WORK. Like, possibly the hardest thing I've EVER done in my entire adult life- and I'm an ex-Navy helicopter navigator and an air traffic controller&#;!! (On second thoughts, working with some of my ex-colleagues may have been harder&#;!) Still, being able to be your own boss and work from home is EPIC and worth all the effort.

How much money can you earn blogging in the UK?

Like most online income, how much you can make depends almost entirely on how much time and effort you're willing to put in. Anyone who says you can make good money within a month is lying to you/ trying to sell you something! But you CAN make decent income within 12 months, and most likely a decent full-time income within 2 years.

If you want to learn more, and start your own little corner of the internet, here's a fantastic course on how to get started.  Also, once you're started, you NEED traffic to your blog. This is one of the best courses EVER to get that traffic. And it's probably the cheapest course you'll ever buy too! buy.

Are you thinking of starting a blog? I'm not a &#;blogging blogger', but I occasionally share some insights, tips and things which are working for me with interested readers. You are welcome to join that mailing list HERE.

NOTE- this is NOT the same as the normal Wandering Bird Motorhome travel mailing list. You will need to sign up for that separately. You can do that here if you wish

Start a Youtube Channel

Yeah, sticking with things which are hard work!! 🙂 But starting a youtube channel is honestly a genuine way to make money online. Admittedly, I have found more success with my blog- but that's because I prefer writing to being on camera. It's not my happy place.

BUT, the world loves video. People watch countless hours of Youtube EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. So if you know anything or can show anything or have any skill at all, start a channel and see what happens!  Do you know how to play guitar, to sing, to grow vegetables, to save money, to clean, to do yoga&#; literally ANYTHING you can teach people.

And no, it's not &#;over-saturated'. How many times how you read an article on the same thing? Heck, how many posts/ articles have you read on how to many money online (like this one!) People are happy to watch something similar said in a different way, so don't let that fact that you're just starting put you off!

Is it really a genuine way to earn money online?

Definitely- if you're dedicated. But again, it's a lot of work. I've had my channel for over 2 years and I barely make £/ month with it. On the flip side, I know others who have had a channel for just over a year and are making several thousand pounds a month regularly! Also, it's free to set-up and start -you can begin with a camera either on your phone or laptop, so there's no big outlay of expenses. Why not give it a go!?!

My top tips for making money online with Youtube? Pick one subject and talk about it a lot. And post 2/3 videos a week for maximum growth. I barely do one a week, so I'm definitely not an expert, but there are plenty of videos on Youtube about how to start and grow on there- and I do believe there's room for us all!

Teach English Online

Teaching English online is a fantastic and genuine way to make money online- especially in the current climate while people can't go to actual lessons. If you are an English native speaker, companies are BEGGING for you to come and teach their employees or students, especially if you're from England or the UK. (Don't panic if you're one of our English-speaking cousins around the world- there are PLENTY of opportunities for Americans, Canadians and Australians to teach English online too. )

I am learning French with a company called Lingoda (which I highly recommend!) and they are constantly asking for English-speaking teachers to help supply the demand. (Want to learn a language? Get 50€ off Lingoda here, using code vea9yx)

Is it a genuine way to make money fast online?

Fast? Possibly not- although it's a heck of a lot quicker than starting a blog or a Youtube channel! But it's not going to be instant and, depending on which company you sign up with, there will be checks, trials and you might have to work for free for a short period while they assess you. But realistically you can be making decent money within a couple of months. Expect to make around £8-£10/ hour without any qualifications; more if you have one.

What do you need?

A laptop with camera and somewhere quiet to work. People are paying good money for your service, and you need to make sure they get their money's worth.

Some key places to start are:

Teach ANYTHING online

Do you have a skill? I bet you do!

Every single one of us can do something which most people struggle with. What do people always ask your advice with? What do you find easy to do which other people don't?

Can you:

• Bake bread easily
• Clean a house in an hour and have it sparkling
• Know how to get the best from your kids- without yelling!
• Grow flowers or vegetables
• Live on a budget
• Take amazing photos or videos
• Play an instrument
• Speak a language
• Make money online!

Literally- ANYTHING. People love knowledge and they love learning online. Create a course and teach them what YOU know. You can then sell your course through Udemy or Teachable.

Is it a genuine way to make money fast online?

Actually, it's a pretty fast way to make some money- although it's not free. You'll need to pay for the course hosting platform, unless you use Youtube and make the videos private (meaning people can't see them without a specific link.)

But it will mostly just be your time and effort which goes into creating the course- so if you have that then it's a great way to get some money coming in within a short period of time.

Start a Podcast

Did you know you can make money podcasting? Oh yes you can. It's another one where you need to build an audience first and then work on getting sponsors, but some people make over £k a MONTH with their podcast!

I personally have never done or uploaded a podcast, but I know many bloggers who do them as an alternative to a Youtube channel- and these are some BIG bloggers! There are a million tutorials on Youtube and Google to get you started if that's something which appeals to you.

Sell your photos online

Are you a good photographer? Do people always complement your photos? Why not sell them online?

There are plenty of sites where you can make money online by selling your photos, such as:

• Your own website- by far the best place
• Adobe stock
• Shutterstock
• Etsy
• Fotomoto

You could also turn your photos in postcards, t-shirts or mugs and sell them on Amazon or Etsy. And if you get REALLY good, you could start selling your own photography tutorials online, or create a course teaching other people how to take spectacular photos too!

Is it REALLY a genuine way to make money online?

Yep, you really can make money selling your photos. Of course, there's a lot of competition, so you need to hustle, but the better your photos are the more you can charge for them. Some photos sell for £10 or less, while popular photographers make several £ per shot!

Freelance Writing/ Writing competitions

Love to write but don't want to start a blog? I'm not sure I blame you&#;!!

There are PLENTY of ways you can make money online by writing- mostly by being a freelance writer. You can write posts for companies who pay, you can write posts for other bloggers, you can write for magazines, both online and for print. Anywhere where there is writing, there's normally an opportunity for freelancers.

Also, you can enter writing competitions, such as this one where you could win £!!! Prize amounts vary, but if you've got the gift of storytelling, why not make it work for you!

Is freelance writing a genuine way to make money online?

Yes- I personally know several people who do this as a vanlife job while on the road. They have a list of publications/ bloggers who they write for regularly, or who they contact frequently to see if there is any requirement. Some of them have more stable income than others, but they all seem to make it work. It's a bit like blogging in a lot of ways- the income isn't guaranteed.

How much money can you make?

I have been asked to write articles for several outlets. One quoted me £ for a word article, another quoted me £ for a word one. Many places will pay per word or per article- but you'll need a portfolio/ long-standing relationship to get the really high rates.

Places to start:

• Fiverr
• Upwork
• People Per Hour
• Magazines in a niche you a knowledgable about- just find the details for the submissions editor and contact them with a story idea.

Freelance editing

This one is harder to break in to, but again, if English is your thing, then editing other people's writing is a great way to earn some genuine money online.

Editors/ publishing houses will send over manuscripts and ask you to edit them. My mum used to do this when we were kids, although admittedly that was a while ago and the process has likely changed.

Your best bet is to contact online or nearby publishers and see what they say- once you're in the door, you're in!

Freelance Graphic Design/ video editor

Know how to use iMovie, Final Cut Pro or create documents in Powerpoint? You can be a freelance Graphic Designer/ editor.

There are several sites (which we use weekly for my husband's business) where you can sign up and people will contact you for work they need doing.

For example, Mr WB regularly needs presentations creating or PDFs smartened up. I am trying to use it right now to get someone to create a new Youtube intro for me&#; as soon as I can find the time I'll get on that!

Places to sign up:

Is graphic design a genuine way to make money online?

Yep. Like most of the ideas for earning money online listed here, if you're offering a service or something which people don't know how to do, they will pay you to do it for them. So graphic design, powerpoint, video editing- all useful and important services which people are willing to pay for.

(Want to edit my Youtube videos for me? Seriously&#; drop me an email. I'm looking for someone to work with- I am SO SLOW at editing&#;!!)

Website designer

In a similar vein, people may decent money to get someone to set up a website, customise it, speed it up and many other things. In this online world, if you understand the tech, you can always find work- and a lot of work.

Again, be patient and not too greedy and people will recommend you again and again. You need to find one or two clients and use their websites as a testimonial for future business. Luckily, you won't have to invest too much at first other than your time- and maybe setting up your own website as a brochure.

Alternatively, sign up on an online resource, where people (like me!) come to find clever people who understand stuff I don't&#; like how to change a website theme. (If you know, feel free to email me!)

Places to get started:

Is website design a genuine way to make money online?

Isn't it fun, all these ways to make money online that your teachers never told you about! But yes, if you're clever enough to know how to build/ customise websites, there is a market. Heck, it's part of what my husband does for a living! You just need to get out and market yourself- getting started is the hard it.

Become a Virtual Assistant

Understand Pinterest? Know how to make pins, answer emails, moderate Facebook groups, arrange Instagram posts? You can become a Virtual Assistant (VA).

Bloggers and many other types of online companies are desperate for people to help them organise and stay on top of their social media and online presence. And you can DEFINITELY do it from anywhere.

How much can you expect to make?

I would recommend not being greedy. Start small, and do the best job you possibly can do. Your blogger/ company will likely recommend you&#; and that's how it grows. Don't take on more clients than you can handle.

You can expect to make ££15/ hour and don't need any sort of qualification. But, please remember this is someone's livelihood. Don't lie or say you can do something if you can't- take the time to learn about it first.

Is this a genuine way to make money in the UK?

Definitely! I currently employ my daughter (who's a graphic design student) to help me create Pinterest and Facebook images and do lots of other jobs for my blog.

These aren't the HARD jobs- they're often the boring but necessary ones- accepting people into Facebook groups, replying to emails from random suppliers who haven't even bothered to read your blog, posting on Twitter and Instagram &#; and more little jobs which take a lot of time&#; and a blogger doesn't HAVE a lot of time.

The bottom line- pick one of these genuine ways of making money online in the UK- and go for it!

So, there are several options for things you can start TODAY. I can pretty much guarantee you won't make money from them straight away, but they are all long-term, sustainable and genuine ways to make money online UK which you can get started on straight away.

Working from home isn't always easy, but in these times where the world is changing fast, we need to be able to change with it. Maybe now it's your time to do that.

Let me know if you try any of them- and how they work for you!! Good luck with your new venture.

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How to Get Paid

Earning money online UK, or wherever, is diverse.

For instance, if you’re completing online surveys to earn money online fast (Best Product Testing UK Jobs), you may be paid in free products (such as cosmetics), gift cards (e.g. Amazon) - or as cash wired to you (via PayPal/check/PayPal/Transferwise). In some cases, you need to reach a threshold of points before being paid.

The most reliable ways to earn money online give you a payment at least every month - and many pay weekly/fortnightly.

Risks and Scams

A quick talk about risks and scams to avoid when trying to earn money online.

So you’re looking up jobs on Craigslist, www.oldyorkcellars.com or www.oldyorkcellars.com and you find a perfect advertisement: The company wants somebody with your exact experience and skill set, your location and is offering competitive pay.

There is only one issue: You have to pay for training materials before being eligible for the job.

Or perhaps there’s an external link that requires confidential information such as bank account or credit card numbers before you can send off your application.

Job scams will typically have signs like this. Some people prey on the most desperate, tricking them into giving away costly financial information or receiving money for a non-existent position.

You should be able to earn money online free of charge. Initially, you only pay with your time.

What Are Job Scams?

This is a way for people to access your personal information, cash or financial data. These criminals target job hunters.

Because jobseekers may be desperate to find a position, they might ignore their flags suggesting something isn’t right with the listing.

There are two main types of job scams:

• Phishing: Scammers snoop out your credit card numbers or bank account details.
• Cash payments: Others ask you for payment in order to get certificates or training materials for non-existent jobs. You may even be tricked into accepting fraudulent checks.

Red Flags of Job Scams

Most legitimate job companies won’t conduct interviews using messaging services such as Yahoo! Messenger, Facebook messenger, Skype and Google hangouts. Scam artists often do use the services however to target those looking to earn money online.

#1 Interviews via Messaging Services

You will get a job offer but the interview is only used in order to acquire personal information from you such as your bank account or national security number.

The interviewer will claim this is in order to set up a direct deposit, after offering you a “position.”

Do not accept interviews via messenger services. In the case that you do, never give out personal or financial data. This will be used to commit identity theft.

Legitimate companies who are conducting online interviews for candidates not in the country or state will often use their own in-house messaging platform.

#2 Public Email Accounts

This one’s a little tricky Many legitimate companies do use Gmail in order to talk to their employees. But it is a warning sign if the company talks to you via Yahoo or Gmail, or something similar.

Earning money online is becoming more and more open ended. So use your instincts. If there are a lot of grammatical issues and misspellings, this could be a sign of an online scammer (unless the employer is a non-English speaker). 

#3 Foggy Job Description

Any business looking to make money will try to make their job advertisement as specific as possible. Legitimate job ads will have a clear outline of what your responsibilities are if you fit the job and key performance indicators. You may also be given an indication of the salary and other benefits - a clear guide on how to earn money online.

So be suspicious of vague listings that give you little detail on what the job actually is. Scammers often rush and don’t take the time to make the advertisement seem realistic. The more sketchy an online ad is, literally, the more sketchy it may be.

#4 Personal Data Requested During/Before an Interview

Keep to this rule: never give any personal or financial data to accompany during the interview process. Legitimate companies won’t request bank account details or your national security number during an interview.

This won’t happen until you’ve accepted the job and met HR to sign your contract. They’ll dangle the need for direct deposits of your head as an excuse.

Top Tip

If you’re working online as a freelancer: We advise that you use a trusted and accredited third-party service such as www.oldyorkcellars.com or Fiverr. If you build up a good relationship, over time you could transition from those platforms and work directly with your employer.

#5 Upfront Payment Request, Consulting Services or a Different Job

Scammers target job seekers because they know a certain percentage will be desperate. Some exploit this in order to get you to  hand money over: They’ll ask you to pay for “training materials” or “certifications.” Legitimate companies never ask you to pay for applying for a job. Never send money - even if you hope you can, in return, earn money online.

Also, many advertisers create listings that they mention the opportunity for a “career consultation”. Scammers will trick you into answering ads for jobs that don’t exist and it’s just a way for them to sell job-hunting services. Not how to earn money online.

Finally, if you go to the interview and find you being offered a different job to the one you applied for, this is a scammer hoping to get you to work for an undesirable job. They trick you by advertising for one that seems better.

Disclaimer: The top ranking articles for “ways to make money from home” would never tell you what I’m about to tell you. 

To really make money online, you will have to unlearn the pillars of your informal digital education. Use your own knowledge and experience to build a business on your own instead. 

There are no limits to business building, and you can sell whatever you want. The more determination you have, the more money you’ll make online. It’s that simple. 

Skip the usual website tester gig and become a business owner. Use this article to discover a new online business idea you can turn into an exciting, profitable venture that’ll pay more than one dollar per survey. 

Free: The Big List of Business Ideas

To help you find the inspiration to start, we compiled a list of + in-demand business ideas, broken down into categories like fitness, apparel, and gaming.

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25 ways to make money from home

Gone are the days of low-paying cash-back credit cards and stressful stock trading. If you want to make a lot of money from home, you’ll want to start a small business that pays you dividends over time. 

Here are the top home-based businesses you can start.

Sell custom products 

Product development isn’t the easiest route, but it’s often the most rewarding, and it may not be as hard as you expect. Making custom products is popular amongst jewelry brands, fashion brands, and home decor brands, yet it expands through virtually any industry where you make stuff from scratch. 

We recently turned to shoppers to ask about their post-pandemic shopping plans: What are they planning to buy once the pandemic is under control? The infographic below shows how they answered. Use these items to inspire your own custom product to sell online and make extra money. 

Some evergreen categories you could sell in are:

• Apparel and clothing. Clothing is one of those categories that seems to always be trendy. People look for clothes and accessories that match their style and personality, which can make fashion a fun and profitable space to sell in. The market is expected to rise above $3 trillion by  

• Home decor. Home decor is another popular sales category. People want to add personal touches to their space to make it feel cozy and enjoyable. You can sell home decor online to anyone, anywhere, at any time, while keeping overhead at a minimum. The home decor market is forecasted to reach $ billion in

• Health and beauty. The beauty and personal care industry is set to reach $ billion by You have many options in this category: you can sell skin care, cosmetics, hair care, fragrances, vegan products, and more. Grand View Research identified growing demand for men’s grooming products and anti-aging products that are expected to drive the market over the coming years. 

• Arts and entertainment. While movie box office revenue took a % dive last year, some interesting areas show impressive growth in this multitrillion-dollar industry. Digital newspaper revenue saw a 10% increase, video game revenue saw a % lift in sales, and consumer books saw a % increase. The esports industry continues to see healthy growth in this segment, forecasted to reach $37 billion by In short, there are a lot of innovative and exciting products you could sell in the arts and entertainment industry. 

• Food and beverages. The food and beverage industry will never die. Despite the COVID pandemic, the segment is projected to grow at a rate of % per year, reaching $ billion by It’s also poised for an ecommerce breakout, with up to 20% of food and beverage industry sales to be made online by , a 10 times increase from  

Evaluating market demand and following trends is a great place to start when finding popular things to make and sell. Once you have a product, you’ll want to start your business and set up a Shopify store with a free trial. And just like that, you’re ready to start selling! 

Free Webinar:

How to Find and Source a Winning Product to Sell

In less than 40 minutes, let us walk you through how to find product ideas, how to validate them, and how to sell the product once you have an idea you want to pursue.

Register now

Create a print-on-demand business

Print on demand refers to working with a supplier to customize white-label products with your own designs, then selling them underneath your own brand. Businesses can create products like hats, t-shirts, tote bags, and more. 

The best part? You don’t have to pay for any products until after you make a sale. 

When you work with a print-on-demand company, everything from printing the item to shipping is handled by the supplier. Once you set up an online store with your designs, it takes a few minutes to fulfill an order after the customer checks out. 

Creating a print-on-demand business is a great way to make money from home because:

• You can create products fast. After you design a product, you can put it up for sale on your website in minutes.

• You don’t have to worry about shipping. Your supplier will handle the fulfillment process. You’re just responsible for providing good customer service after the sale.

• It’s low risk, low investment. It’s easy to add new products to your store and test ideas since you don’t hold any inventory. Your upfront business costs are minimal because you only need an online store to start. 

A print-on-demand business also gives creators many opportunities to connect with fans through nice products, especially products sought out for their aesthetic design. Take Boba Love, for example. 

For all its products, the retailer focuses on one theme: bubble tea (also referred to as “boba”), a drink that originated in Taiwan in the early s. Bubble tea has become extremely popular around the world and has a dedicated fan base.

Boba Love sells shirts, totes, blankets, hats, and stickers around the idea of the drink. When a shopper orders a product from the store, the supplier creates and ships it to the customer. 

Curious what types of products you can create? Read A Canvas For Creativity: Here Are 10 Print on Demand Products You Can Sell (Without Holding Inventory) to learn 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

Make a subscription box

A subscription business provides customers with products on a recurring basis. The subscription ecommerce market is expected to reach $ billion by , with more customers taking advantage of it each year. Research from McKinsey found that 15% of US consumers have signed up for one or more subscriptions to receive products regularly. 

The benefits of creating a subscription box include:

• Predictable revenue. Businesses know how much money is coming in each month and can plan growth initiatives accordingly.

• More cash on hand. Subscription businesses ask for full payment upfront at a discounted price, which creates regular cash flow. 

• Lower customer acquisition costs. Customers pay you on a regular basis, so you don’t need to convince them to make additional one-time purchases in your store. 

Running a subscription business from home is a proven winner. Our research shows that 63% of founders who sold subscriptions were satisfied with business performance, compared to 55% of founders who did not sell subscriptions. 

Two types of subscription businesses we found thrived in the past year were:

• Replenishment model, where subscribers receive the same or similar products each cycle. An example of this would be grooming brand Harry’s. A customer purchases the Harry’s starter set, containing a handle, shaving gel, and razor cartridges. They then receive automatic gel and blade refills monthly, based on their usage and preferences. 

• Membership model, where subscribers get access to exclusive products and perks in exchange for a monthly or yearly fee. Freelance writing community Peak Freelance runs on a membership model. Members pay a set fee and receive access to private Slack groups, on-demand tools and content, expert interviews, strategy sessions, and more.

Want to start a subscription box business from home? Read How to Start a Subscription Business: A Brief Guide to learn how, step by step.

Sell on marketplaces

Sell products on online marketplaces—but beware! Selling sites can be a great launchpad for many businesses, but the current marketplaces come with a Faustian bargain: you get access to customers if you build your business on someone else's land. Their land, their rules, and they’ll change them at any time. 

Popular marketplaces include: 

• Etsy
• Amazon
• eBay
• Handshake
• Mercado Libre
• Rakuten
• Facebook Marketplace 
• VarageSale 

Eventually, you’ll want to diversify your business by building your own site—you don’t have to choose one or the other. The big advantage is that the profit is yours: there are no fees to pay on sales and no rules to abide by but your own. 

Resources:

Sell digital products

Digital products are intangible assets or pieces of media that can be sold repeatedly online. They come in the form of streamable or downloadable files, such as PDFs, plug-ins, and templates. 

Digital assets are becoming more popular because they have high profit margins. Sure, it may take some time and money to develop them, but once the media or software is made, it’s not expensive to store or deliver to customers. 

There is no limit to how many products you can sell. Digital products help creators scale themselves by using their expertise to create kits, printables, files, and other assets professionals can benefit from. 

Started in , UX Kits sells wireflows, user personas, flowcharts, and other products to assist the design process. 

The brand has sold kits to over 10, designers, developers, and product managers in more than countries. It’s since expanded to sell three physical products but continues to drive sales from the digital assets created years ago. 

Digital products aren’t just for business professionals. Home fitness business Street Parking sells a variety of digital products—from workout plans to online courses—and membership subscriptions for people who need at-home workouts. 

Whatever you decide to create, figure out the needs of your target audience and work backward from there. Think about the kinds of assets they need/want and create products that are in demand. This will make it easier to sell and earn more money working from home. 

Sell your creative work

It’s easier than ever for creators to sell their work online. Whether it’s music, videos, digital art, photography, magazines, or podcasts, you can set up a digital shop and start selling with little limitation. 

While selling creative work sounds similar to digital products, the difference is that your products are more creative ventures. They are a way to express yourself online versus satisfying a buyer’s needs. Creators and artists who don’t have a network or connections with galleries and PR can now make money online doing something they love. 

What started as a cartoon on Instagram for Harry Hambley has grown into an international icon and ecommerce brand. As described in an interview with BBC, the Ketnipz creator skipped university to draw cartoons online. 

And Hambley’s strategy certainly paid off. The Ketnipz brand has over million followers on Instagram, sells clothing and accessories online, and can even be found on murals around the world. 

Using a combination of social media and an online store, you can make money online. Start building an active presence and engaging with your audience to establish your brand and find new customers. 

Resources:

Monetize an audience

Monetizing an audience is definitely a challenging endeavor, but the creator-to-commerce business model is becoming more successful in modern times. Bloggers and influencers today don’t need to be internet celebrities to make money from home online. All they have to do is find their people on one or two platforms and they can turn their audience into passive income.

Sonja Detrinidad, founder of Partly Sunny Projects, an online plant shop, turned one of her part-time pre-pandemic hobbies into a full-time business through TikTok marketing. She didn’t set out to become TikTok’s favorite plant mom, but discovered by accident the possibilities of monetizing an audience. 

Sonja processed over 1, orders in one month at the height of plant-shopping season last summer. She also increased her subscription box customers by more than four times since becoming a TikTok sensation, with over , followers on the platform.

Some ways you can monetize an audience are:

• Building your own website and selling online
• Through affiliate marketing commissions
• Using Instagram shoppable posts
• Starting a YouTube channel and running ads
• Adding Google AdSense to an active blog

Regardless of how you go about it, monetizing an audience is a legitimate way to make money from home. It may take some time to build a targeted audience, but the investment will be well worth your time in the long run. 

Related Content: How to make money with Youtube

Become a freelancer

One home business idea becoming more popular is offering freelance services to clients online. Almost any role a business would hire for is reasonable as a freelance service:

• Writing 
• Graphic design
• Marketing
• Data entry
• Illustration
• Transcription 
• Online tutoring
• Shopify store setup

Most of these services are best positioned toward business clients. Why? Because online businesses are the ones who are willing to spend. Freelancers can charge based on the outcome of their work versus the deliverable, which gives them leverage when it comes to pricing their services. 

“Every freelancer eventually learns that there are desired business outcomes tied to their work,” explains Elise Dopson, co-founder of Peak Freelance. “Freelance writers, for example, are not just blogging for a company. They are creating content that increases traffic, leads, and customers for a business. The sooner you learn that, and can deliver on it, the more money you’ll make freelancing from home.”

Elise has worked with brands such as ConversionXL, HubSpot, Privy, and other leading B2B software-as-a-service companies to produce incredible content that gets results, which is how she broke the six-figure-income ceiling by the age of  

If you have a passion for writing, designing, or organizing stuff, turn it into a freelance service. You won’t be disappointed with the results.

As more companies become completely remote, the opportunities to earn money from home freelancing will only become more abundant. It just takes a little know-how and determination to make it happen. 

Become a virtual assistant

With so many businesses moving online, the demand for virtual assistants is growing. Virtual assistants (VAs) are contracted workers who work with businesses and individuals on the jobs that you give them. 

Virtual assistants work from home and help with tasks such as:

• Time management and administrative tasks, like responding to emails
• Financial tasks, like bookkeeping and client invoicing 
• Team management tasks, like following up on deliverables, organizing training sessions, and creating task templates
• Social media and digital marketing tasks, like publishing and managing content
• Personal tasks, like managing investment properties, paying bills, and planning trips 
• Content tasks, like video or podcast editing

Each VA has their own speciality. I myself have worked with VAs for years in my writing business, many of whom make a full-time living as virtual assistants. 

Alexandra Froese, a VA specializing in systems and strategizes, works with clients to streamline redundant tasks and work more efficiently in their businesses. 

Alexandra helps entrepreneurs by doing the tasks herself or by developing workflows that makes a client’s business run smoother. 

You can make good money with a small number of clients, but once you stop working, the cash flow stops coming. VAs can start a blog, sell digital products, or coach other VAs to create new revenue streams and make more money from home. 

Become a reseller 

Don’t want to worry about creating new products or about minimum purchase quantities? Not a problem. You don’t need a revolutionary product idea to make money from home. Instead, you can become a reseller.

A reseller is a person who buys products from manufacturers, liquidators, and other retailers, then sells them to their own customers. A reseller permit lets your purchase certain products free of sales tax:

• Products to sell at wholesale 
• Products to sell at retail 
• Components to manufacture products 

You can find suppliers to purchase items from through a number of ways:

1. A dropshipping supplier like DSers or SaleHoo
2. Vintage boutiques 
3. Consignment shops
4. Facebook Marketplace

COAL N TERRY is one retailer that sells a vintage collection in its online store. The brand sells classic clothing alongside its own proprietary brand of hoodies and other apparel, giving shoppers a variety of products to browse and buy. 

A reselling business can be profitable if you have niche expertise, like beauty or fashion. You can launch an ecommerce store fast when you don’t have to go through product development or building an audience from scratch. 

Create and sell art 

Are you an independent artist looking for ways to make money from home? Artists can fund their craft and sell work directly to fans through online channels like an online store and non-fungible-token marketplaces. 

There are a number of other options for making sales off of one piece:

• Original art
• Limited or open edition prints
• Digital downloads
• Commissions 
• Merchandise like hats or enamel pins
• Repeat prints on fabric
• Licensing work to other brands or publications
• Collaborations 

To learn more about selling your art, read How to Sell Art Online: The Ultimate Guide.

Collect and sell vintage clothing 

Got a passion for second-hand fashion? Love the high of picking up a vintage dress at your local thrift store at a cheap price? You can turn that feeling into a business by selling vintage clothing from home. 

A $64 billion market, vintage shoppers depend on store owners to curate the best items around at the best condition. The rise in demand for vintage clothes has led to the success of brands like ThredUp and the increase of vintage clothing sellers on marketplaces like Etsy and eBay. It’s competitive, but that shouldn’t stop you from creating a cool brand and carving a space out for yourself in the vintage community. 

Naomi Bergknoff, founder of OMNIA, has been selling vintage clothing online since Combining her love for vintage clothes and her retail expertise, she’s defined a particular style away from marketplaces and close to home in Brooklyn.

Learn more by reading How to Sell Vintage Clothing Online: The Ultimate Guide.

Sell photos

The ability to make money from home as a photographer is about harnessing your creativity and monetizing it. It can seem challenging at first, but by finding your niche and building an audience, you can create multiple streams of income over time. 

Photographers have plenty of options to sell online:

• Stock marketplaces like Alamy, px, RF, and Stocksy

• Productssuch as prints, photo books, and physical goods like shirts and hats, using print-on-demand services 

• Services covering fashion shoots, product photography, events, or anything else you love to shoot

Sound interesting? Read How to Sell Photos Online: For Both Amateur and Pro Photographers to start selling your photography today. 

Rent your unused space

Most people don’t think about using their empty space to make money from home. Yet it’s one of the easiest sources of passive income. From bedrooms to parking areas, you may have some space people will happily pay you to rent. 

You have a wide range of options here:

• Bring on a housemate to rent a room in your house
• Rent a room on Airbnb
• Rent out storage space on SpareFoot
• Rent out your parking space
• Host a foreign exchange student
• Offer pet boarding

You don’t need tons of money or time to rent out your space. Rather than let unused space go to waste, offer it has a service to people who need it.

Start a pet business

Pet businesses are a fun way to make money from home (if you love animals, of course). There are many different ways to earn extra cash, like providing walking and grooming services, training, making and selling treats, or reselling products like bowls and chew toys.

You’re not limited to dogs and cats either. You could specialize in reptiles, fish, bunnies, whatever animals you enjoy being around. Pet owners alone spent over $ billion on their pets in , making this a profitable business opportunity for newcomers. 

Are pets your passion? Read How to Start a Pet Business (Plus Ideas and Examples from Top Brands) to turn it into a business today. 

Sell coffee 

Coffee sellers are always in demand as more and more coffee is consumed globally each year, according to the International Coffee Organization. If someone can’t get to their local café in the morning, they’re brewing beans at home while getting ready for the workday. 

Selling coffee can be a great way to earn money from home with a strong brand and marketing plan. Coffee is a commodity product, so it’s widely available. Customers tend to look for branding cues like design and bean origin to decide what to buy. By selling coffee, you’ll have a high volume of potential customers and many niching and expansion opportunities to take advantage of. 

Read Sell Coffee from Home: What Does it Take to Launch an Online Café to start your new coffee business. 

Build and sell woodworking projects 

If you’re a woodworker already, or curious about the craft, you can make money from home building and selling woodworking products. There are products to sell for all levels, from beginner to skilled woodworkers. You just need to figure out the best project for you!

Some fun woodworking projects that sell include:

1. Wooden signs
2. Kitchen products
3. Furniture
4. Surfboards
5. Boxes
6. Picture frames
7. Planters

If you’re ready to sell your wooden crafts online, read 12 Woodworking Projects and How to Sell Them Online to get started.

Try Computer numerical control (CNC) projects 

A CNC router is a computer-operated cutting tool that acts as a combination panel saw, spindle molder, and boring machine. It carves complex shapes out of materials like metal, wood, plastics, and glass. CNC routers use programmable automation, similar to 3D printing, to design complex parts at scale. 

Small CNC machines can cost from a few hundred dollars up to thousands, depending on the make and model. With them, you can create handcrafted, one-of-a-kind products for buyers across many markets, including:

• Home decor products
• Kitchen and barbeque tools
• Office supplies
• Custom signage 
• Toys and games
• Jewelry 

There are tons of resources available online to learn about using a CNC router. There’s a very low barrier to entry. And you can test, create, and sell products with minimal upfront costs. 

Interested in starting a CNC business? Read Putting the Pieces Together: 26 CNC Projects That Sell to learn more about this up-and-coming tactic. 

Make candles 

Looking for a fun way to make money from home? Start making and selling candles to people online. It takes a little know-how and hard work, but the upside is that you can customize candles and sell them anywhere. It’s also a low-cost business to start. Common costs include equipment to make the candles, like a double-boiler, pouring pots, and containers. 

A candle business can also be extremely profitable. The candle making industry is set to reach $ billion by , meaning there is no shortage of people buying candles they love. It’s also a good way to express your creativity and build a brand, like candle company Boy Smells, which broke traditional gender norms in fashion, home, and scent with its business in

Learn to build your candle making startup by reading Turn Scents Into Dollars: How to Start a Candle Business (Plus Examples From Top Brands).

Make soap 

Are you an avid DIYer and eager entrepreneur? You may enjoy making and selling soap from home. While soap doesn’t sound like the best income stream around, it’s an in-demand product customers need. 

Soap is a household product that everyone uses in some form, whether it’s to wash dirty hands, dishes, or laundry. The COVID pandemic also stimulated the industry, projected to reach $ billion by , creating huge demand for hygiene products to prevent infection. It’s a great way to get creative with different scents and types, with potential to expand your brand to other products like candles and fragrances. 

Want to get your hands dirty with this business idea? Read How to Make Soap: Turn a Household Necessity into a Homemade Business for more information.

Make bath bombs

Bath bombs are all the rage and a great way to make money from home. The US bath bomb market is expected to grow into a $ million industry by If you turn to Instagram, you’ll see there are millions of photos showing how these colorful balls explode when dropped in water. 

If you love DIY and have a knack for crafts, read How to Start a Bath Bomb Business from Home: A Step-by-Step Guide. You’ll learn how to source ingredients, make your bath bombs, market them, and grow a business people love.

Make skincare products 

Indie beauty brands are driving the growth of the $ billion global skin care market. If you love taking care of your skin and want to turn it into a business, now’s the time. Newcomers are jumping on trends like hybrid beauty (the combination of cosmetic and skin care), cannabis-based products, and clean beauty (products made without harming human health). 

The beauty of being a small brand is that you can tackle a specific problem for a specific audience. Find a market that’s underserved by current brands and create skin care products just for them. 

You’ll want to learn more about manufacturing and working with suppliers when running a profitable skin care business. Read all about it (and more) in our guide How to Start a Skincare Line: 11 Lessons From a Serial Beauty Entrepreneur.

Start a food business

Everyone’s got to eat, you can’t argue with that. Which is why starting a food business is a great idea if you want to make money from home. 

Outside of restaurants, there are endless high-profit-margin businesses you can run with low overhead and startup costs. The trick is cooking food you are passionate and curious about, regardless of your experience level. 

Some food business ideas to start include:

1. Food truck
2. Catering business 
3. Cooking classes
4. Meal kits 
5. Sauces
6. Pre-packaged snacks
7. Homemade jams and jellies
8. Wine, beer, and spirits

Want to see examples of other food businesses in action? Check out Selling Like Hotcakes: 13 Profitable Food Business Ideas for on the Shopify blog. 

Become a tutor

Are you an expert in math, art, or another subject? You can make money from home doing online tutoring. A prerequisite for most tutoring gigs is a bachelor’s degree in your subject, depending on where you apply for the job. You can find tutoring clients on websites like Skooli and www.oldyorkcellars.com

Only teach subjects that you have demonstrated expertise in. You’ll want to share skills and practical knowledge to create good learning experiences for your students. You can provide pre-recorded lectures and templates, plus meet students through Zoom. Tutoring is also inexpensive to start (if you already have that degree) and can easily earn you extra money. 

Offer child care

If you’re a stay-at-home parent or enjoy taking care of kids, you can easily start a child care business from home. You can offer all-day care (eight hours) for other parents while they are at work, or even just before and after school care (one to four hours). The choice is yours. 

Look at other day care businesses in your area and see what they charge. Choose your rates wisely. Don’t undercharge just to get more business. Then you’ll be taking care of too many kids and won’t be able to provide proper care. Start with an income goal for a day, then decide how many kids you can realistically watch throughout the day. Divide those two numbers to see how much to charge per kid, per day. 

Home jobs to avoid

Now that you have a good idea of different ways to make money from home, let’s look at some jobs to avoid.

Freelance marketplaces

Marketplaces like Fiverr and Upwork might be a way to get your start, but quickly can turn into a price race to the bottom. You’re forced to compete on price and don't have a way to differentiate your services or offer something premium. Long term, this isn’t the way to go. You are better off creating a freelancer website and building a business that doesn’t rely on renting digital space in a marketplace.

Online survey sites 

The pay is very low from online survey sites, and you accrue no long-term value. You’re not building skills or building an asset, you’re just losing time. Trading time for extra cash is always a reasonable short-term side hustle, but if you can, it's better to think long term.

Online survey sites include:

• Swagbucks
• Survey Junkie
• InboxDollars

Building an app

Look at most websites promoting legit ways to make money online and they’ll tell you to build an app. All new ventures are hard and most fail, but consumer apps are hyper-competitive: the average person uses only nine apps on their phone per day, most developed by major companies. 

A better option? Grow your skill set by building useful, problem-solving apps for businesses via growing marketplaces like the Shopify App Store or Salesforce Appexchange.

Side gigs

If you want to make a quick buck, then side gig apps like Rover or UserTesting are good options. But similar to online survey sites, you aren’t building anything valuable in the long run.

You are better off learning skills in your spare time, like running Facebook ads or starting a dropshipping store, which can make you money repeatedly, versus a one-off cash gig from Craigslist.

Anything that’s pay-to-earn 

Real businesses require investment, but anything that operates in a pay-to-earn model should be treated with extreme caution. For example, sites that promise you can win money by spending money, or multi-level marketing groups that require money not for inventory or product, but just to join. 

Most gimmicks are scams in disguise: the simple but hard truth is that you need to sell something people want.

Learning how to make money from home

If you have an internet connection, you can make money from home online. Sure, the lure of fast and easy cash gigs may seem like a great idea, but it will only keep you on a hamster wheel of trading your time for cash—and time is our most valuable asset in life. 

Use your time wisely and invest in building a business that’s rewarding and will pay you a bigger salary than any tester or survey site. $ per day does sound nice, but what if I told you that an online business could net you $+ per day. Would you still choose finding side gigs on Craigslist?

As part of our ongoing work with NUS and Totum, we’re coming together to support students in finding their feet at uni in this very strange time. As part of this, we want to help with your financial worries. If you’re worried about money as a student, or maybe the reduced chance of making money during Freshers , then carry on reading.

The term ‘side hustle’ is often thrown around when talking about making some extra cash on the side. Maybe you babysit your nieces/nephews in your spare time; maybe you design logos for small businesses; or maybe you sell the jewellery you craft in your student bedroom. Regardless of what you do to make money on the side, many people have found themselves relying on their ‘side hustle’ more than ever during lockdown – especially students.

But how do you get yourself the opportunity to make more cash in the first place? And how do you do it in the age of the coronavirus when trying to social distance? Here are 25 ways to earn extra money whilst social distancing.

Before we begin, don't forget that if you start earning your own money on a freelance basis, you still need to put your earnings through the relevant tax authorities!

How to earn money from home, UK

1) Sell your unwanted stuff for cash

There’s never been a more perfect time to sort through your stuff and streamline your living space. There are so many platforms out there where you can safely sell items now. Whether you’re selling locally using Facebook Marketplace, or you’re willing to post using the likes of Ebay, Depop and Shpock; it can be a great way to get rid of things you no longer need and get some more cash in your account.

2) Use your creative talents to make money

If you’ve been thinking about using the skills you already have to make a little extra cash, now is the perfect time to try. You could be a writer, designer, content creator or videographer. Whatever the skill, there’s probably someone out there who is looking for it. Starting out can be difficult – especially if there’s a lot of competition in your trade. Start by utilising existing contacts you already have.

There are also specific freelance websites out there (like Fiverr) that allow you to offer your services. You’ll pay a portion of your fee to the website themselves, but it may be a good way to start building your portfolio.

3) Make money from blogging

If writing is your skill, did you know that you can make money blogging? This is usually through advertising, or you may hear the term affiliate marketing being used – where you place adverts on your blog and if your readers click through and purchase, you’re rewarded by the brand.

If you’re a student running your own blog, if you don’t already know how, you’ll need to teach yourself how to manage your own site, how to get people to your site and also manage the relationships you build with brands. To help, there are some large affiliate network platforms out there where you can sign up and apply to be an affiliate for various different brands.

4) Upskill

If you’re looking for ways to make money, chances are, you have some free time. Why not spend that time upskilling? Take some courses (there are lots of courses that you usually need to buy that are being given away for free at the moment) online and improve your knowledge. You’ll make yourself more employable and you’ve learnt new skills too!

5) Earn money from surveys

There are a few sites out there where you can take part in audience research and get paid for every survey you undertake. It’s worth doing research around this first, but one of the most popular organisations for online surveys is YouGov. Although, there is a lot of interest in this platform, so you may need to go on a waiting list.

6) Sell photographs for extra money

There are lots of stock image sites online (like Shutterstock) where people purchase images that photographers upload for personal/commercial use. If you’re a talent behind the camera, you could look into uploading your own photography for use by other people.

7) Sell cakes for cash

If you fancy yourself as the next Mary Berry, why not use this time to improve/showcase your baking skills? If you’re just starting out, it may take a while to get to the point you can sell your cakes, but if you’re already an avid baker, starting to sell your cakes as a next step might come naturally.

If you are taking this step and you’re getting a fair few orders in, you may need to look into products liability insurance (just in case something goes wrong!). Just be sure to check out all health and safety regulations and make sure you’re approved by the relevant organisation(s)!

8) Make money crafting jewellery

If you’re quite crafty and enjoy making jewellery, just because the coronavirus has put a stop to craft fairs, this doesn’t mean you have to stop selling. You could take your jewellery online, selling on Facebook, Etsy, Depop and other craft sites. This may be the perfect time to finally create a dedicated Instagram account especially for your creations.

9) Sell your art for extra money

You may enjoy drawing, or crafting in your spare time to ease your mind. But what if you could exchange those pieces of work for cash? Whether your joy is creating pet portraits or crafty gifts for family members, you may be surprised at the uptake when you offer your services to others.

How to make extra money with a job

So far, we’ve told you about ways to earn money from home (in the UK). But what about getting employed? Here are some ideas for positions you could fulfil whilst social distancing:

10) Coronavirus-focused jobs

The NHS have been recruiting for Contact Tracers for their track and trace scheme. The job involves speaking with those who have coronavirus and also finding out who they’ve been in contact with. This will be done via text, email and phone and will support the NHS’ track and trace app.

The scheme is still evolving so it may be worth keeping an eye out for more job postings.

11) Healthcare jobs

Whether it be as a Carer, Health Care Assistant or working in the kitchens, you could check out the NHS careers site to see if they have job listings in your area. This could be a rewarding thing to do, but it’s worth considering who you have regular contact with and whether you’d be exposing them to the virus if they’re high risk.

12) Supermarket jobs

Some of the unsung heroes of lockdown are definitely supermarket staff. With increased demand for supermarket staff as they expand their services, there have been plenty of job opportunities available in certain stores. It’s worth checking individual supermarket websites near you to see if there are any vacancies.

13) Delivery drivers

Likewise, with restaurants being closed, the demand for takeaways has seen an increase due to the coronavirus. You could reach out to local takeaway restaurants and see if they need more driving support.

14) Get a job in retail

With shops gradually starting to reopen after lockdown, there are more measures put in place to keep people safe. For this reason, you may find more job opportunities in local shops. Check out recruitment sites, but also keep an eye out on local Facebook groups where managers may be advertising.

15) Look out for bar/restaurant jobs

Similar to the above, bars/restaurants are expected to recruit more staff to deal with the impacts of COVID when they reopen. Keep a look out for job postings and you could even get in touch with local bars/restaurants to ask if they’d consider recruiting you.

How to earn extra cash when using online services

16) Earn money via ‘refer a friend’

It may not always be cash, but you could earn money, rewards and discounts by referring friends to the services you use. Whether it’s via a subscription box or your utility bills, if you know a friend is going to invest in the same service you’re using, do some research to see if you can earn anything from it!

17) Earn money by switching provider

If you’re due to renew your electricity provider, or you’re switching who you have your phone contract with, shop around for some deals. Many providers will offer you cashback/rewards if you shop with them, so this could be a good way to get some cash in your pocket. Check out our 10 step guide on how to switch home insurance.

18) Use cashback apps to make money

There are services like Top Cashback where, if you shop through them, you’ll get a percentage of your order back. If you do a lot of online shopping, this cash could mount up over time!

Best way to earn money with gadgets

19) Recycle old gadgets for cash

Many of us will get a new gadget and then pop the old one in a drawer for the foreseeable future. If this is you, dig them out and consider selling/recycling them! You can use sites that are meant specifically for recycling gadgets, or if your gadget is still in good condition, clear your items and sell it onto someone else. You may be surprised at the money you can earn from unused gadgets sitting around.

How to earn more money (in your current job)

20) Make sure your reviews are on track

Most jobs will include regular one-to-ones with your leader and then more infrequent reviews of your performance (for example, once or twice per year). Sometimes progression will be discussed in these reviews, so keep an eye on your next review date and if it slips, be sure to politely remind your leader.

21) Ask for more responsibility

If you’re dealing well with your current role, you may have the capacity to take on some more responsibility. Whilst there won’t always be huge promotions available (especially during the time of the coronavirus!), you may find that your boss reviews your current role and salary and agrees to adjust both. You may even be taking some work off their hands!

22) Ask for overtime

Whilst this may not always be doable, if you work in an industry that is commonly understaffed, or has an influx of work with not enough resource to fulfil it, you may like to offer to do some overtime. Whilst this sounds like a good idea, be sure to look after yourself and don’t take on more than you can handle. Although making more money is great, your wellbeing is far more important than any overtime you can you can pick up.

Save money on gadgets

In addition to making money, you’re probably interested in saving it too. Here are some ways you can try and stop unnecessary gadget spends.

23) Ask yourself ‘Do I really need it’?

This sounds like an obvious one, but when you’re a student on a budget, this is a question you’ll need to ask yourself a lot. If your laptop is busted and you can’t do your work, yes, you’ll probably need to get a replacement. But if you’re considering buying the latest model just because you think it looks good, you may want to reconsider until your finances are more stable.

24) Buy second-hand gadgets

If you are faced with buying a new gadget, or you’ve decided you’re going to treat yourself to a new tablet, consider buying one second-hand. You can pick up second-hand phones, laptops, tablets and so on for a fraction of the retail price. Some places to look are Ebay, Facebook Marketplace and other ‘buy and sell’ platforms.

25) Make sure you're insured and use cashback apps

This is one of the more important points. Saving the best until last, as they say! Why not completely stop the need to buy new gadgets if yours are damaged, by insuring them? Insuring your gadgets means that if you accidently break them, they’re lost or stolen, you can claim back from your insurance. You’ll only need to pay your agreed excess fee, rather than fork out the cost for a brand-new gadget.

If you’re a student staying in accommodation, you may already have contents insurance provided by Endsleigh. You can check and confirm your cover here on the My Endsleigh app.

The My Endsleigh app will also help you earn cashback when you spend. So you can shop with top brands, add cash to your Rewards Wallet and this will help pay for any new insurance policy bought through My Endsleigh.

Find out more about My Endsleigh today.

Read our disclaimer.

How to Get Paid

Earning money online UK, or wherever, is diverse.

For instance, if you’re completing online surveys to earn money online fast (Best Product Testing UK Jobs), you may be paid in free products (such as cosmetics), gift cards (e.g. Amazon) - or as cash wired to you (via PayPal/check/PayPal/Transferwise). In some cases, you need to reach a threshold of points before being paid.

The most reliable ways to earn money online give you a payment at least every month - and many pay weekly/fortnightly.

Risks and Scams

A quick talk about risks and scams to avoid when trying to earn money online.

So you’re looking up jobs on Craigslist, www.oldyorkcellars.com or www.oldyorkcellars.com and you find a perfect advertisement: The company wants somebody with your exact experience and skill set, your location and is offering competitive pay.

There is only one issue: You have to pay for training materials before being eligible for the job.

Or perhaps there’s an external link that requires confidential information such as bank account or credit card numbers before you can send off your application.

Job scams will typically have signs like this. Some people prey on the most desperate, tricking them into giving away costly financial information or receiving money for a non-existent position.

You should be able to earn money online free of charge. Initially, you only pay with your time.

What Are Job Scams?

This is a way for people to access your personal information, cash or financial data. These criminals target job hunters.

Because jobseekers may be desperate to find a position, they might ignore their flags suggesting something isn’t right with the listing.

There are two main types of job scams:

• Phishing: Scammers snoop out your credit card numbers or bank account details.
• Cash payments: Others ask you for payment in order to get certificates or training materials for non-existent jobs. You may even be tricked into accepting fraudulent checks.

Red Flags of Job Scams

Most legitimate job companies won’t conduct interviews using messaging services such as Yahoo! Messenger, Facebook messenger, Skype and Google hangouts. Scam artists often do use the services however to target those looking to earn money online.

#1 Interviews via Messaging Services

You will get a job offer but the interview is only used in order to acquire personal information from you such as your bank account or national security number.

The interviewer will claim this is in order to set up a direct deposit, after offering you a “position.”

Do not accept interviews via messenger services. In the case that you do, never give out personal or financial data. This will be used to commit identity theft.

Legitimate companies who are conducting online interviews for candidates not in the country or state will often use their own in-house messaging platform.

#2 Public Email Accounts

This one’s a little tricky Many legitimate companies do use Gmail in order to talk to their employees. But it is a warning sign if the company talks to you via Yahoo or Gmail, or something similar.

Earning money online is becoming more and more open ended. So use your instincts. If there are a lot of grammatical issues and misspellings, this could be a sign of an online scammer (unless the employer is a non-English speaker). 

#3 Foggy Job Description

Any business looking to make money will try to make their job advertisement as specific as possible. Legitimate job ads will have a clear outline of what your responsibilities are if you fit the job and key performance indicators. You may also be given an indication of the salary and other benefits - a clear guide on how to earn money online.

So be suspicious of vague listings that give you little detail on what the job actually is. Scammers often rush and don’t take the time to make the advertisement seem realistic. The more sketchy an online ad is, literally, the more sketchy it may be.

#4 Personal Data Requested During/Before an Interview

Keep to this rule: never give any personal or financial data to accompany during the interview process. Legitimate companies won’t request bank account details or your national security number during an interview.

This won’t happen until you’ve accepted the job and met HR to sign your contract. They’ll dangle the need for direct deposits of your head as an excuse.

Top Tip

If you’re working online as a freelancer: We advise that you use a trusted and accredited third-party service such as www.oldyorkcellars.com or Fiverr. If you build up a good relationship, over time you could transition from those platforms and work directly with your employer.

#5 Upfront Payment Request, Consulting Services or a Different Job

Scammers target job seekers because they know a certain percentage will be desperate. Some exploit this in order to get you to  hand money over: They’ll ask you to pay for “training materials” or “certifications.” Legitimate companies never ask you to pay for applying for a job. Never send money - even if you hope you can, in return, earn money online.

Also, many advertisers create listings that they mention the opportunity for a “career consultation”. Scammers will trick you into answering ads for jobs that don’t exist and it’s just a way for them to sell job-hunting services. Not how to earn money online.

Finally, if you go to the interview and find you being offered a different job to the one you applied for, this is a scammer hoping to get you to work for an undesirable job. They trick you by advertising for one that seems better.

As part of our ongoing work with NUS and Totum, we’re coming together to support students in finding their feet at uni in this very strange time. As part of this, we want to help with your financial worries. If you’re worried about money as a student, or maybe the reduced chance of making money during Freshers , then carry on reading.

The term ‘side hustle’ is often thrown around when talking about making some extra cash on the side. Maybe you babysit your nieces/nephews in your spare time; maybe you design logos for small businesses; or maybe you sell the jewellery you craft in your student bedroom. Regardless of what you do to make money on the side, many people have found themselves relying on their ‘side hustle’ more than ever during lockdown – especially students.

But how do you get yourself the opportunity to make more cash in the first place? And how do you do it in the age of the coronavirus when trying to social distance? Here are 25 ways to earn extra money whilst social distancing.

Before we begin, don't forget that if you start earning your own money on a freelance basis, you still need to put your earnings through the relevant tax authorities!

How to earn money from home, UK

1) Sell your unwanted stuff for cash

There’s never been a more perfect time to sort through your stuff and streamline your living space. There are so many platforms out there where you can safely sell items now. Whether you’re selling locally using Facebook Marketplace, or you’re willing to post using the likes of Ebay, Depop and Shpock; it can be a great way to get rid of things you no longer need and get some more cash in your account.

2) Use your creative talents to make money

If you’ve been thinking about using the skills you already have to make a little extra cash, now is the perfect time to try. You could be a writer, designer, content creator or videographer. Whatever the skill, there’s probably someone out there who is looking for it. Starting out can be difficult – especially if there’s a lot of competition in your trade. Start by utilising existing contacts you already have.

There are also specific freelance websites out there (like Fiverr) that allow you to offer your services. You’ll pay a portion of your fee to the website themselves, but it may be a good way to start building your portfolio.

3) Make money from blogging

If writing is your skill, did you know that you can make money blogging? This is usually through advertising, or you may hear the term affiliate marketing being used – where you place adverts on your blog and if your readers click through and purchase, you’re rewarded by the brand.

If you’re a student running your own blog, if you don’t already know how, you’ll need to teach yourself how to manage your own site, how to get people to your site and also manage the relationships you build with brands. To help, there are some large affiliate network platforms out there where you can sign up and apply to be an affiliate for various different brands.

4) Upskill

If you’re looking for ways to make money, chances are, you have some free time. Why not spend that time upskilling? Take some courses (there are lots of courses that you usually need to buy that are being given away for free at the moment) online and improve your knowledge. You’ll make yourself more employable and you’ve learnt new skills too!

5) Earn money from surveys

There are a few sites out there where you can take part in audience research and get paid for every survey you undertake. It’s worth doing research around this first, but one of the most popular organisations for online surveys is YouGov. Although, there is a lot of interest in this platform, so you may need to go on a waiting list.

6) Sell photographs for extra money

There are lots of stock image sites online (like Shutterstock) where people purchase images that photographers upload for personal/commercial use. If you’re a talent behind the camera, you could look into uploading your own photography for use by other people.

7) Sell cakes for cash

If you fancy yourself as the next Mary Berry, why not use this time to improve/showcase your baking skills? If you’re just starting out, it may take a while to get to the point you can sell your cakes, but if you’re already an avid baker, starting to sell your cakes as a next step might come naturally.

If you are taking this step and you’re getting a fair few orders in, you may need to look into products liability insurance (just in case something goes wrong!). Just be sure to check out all health and safety regulations and make sure you’re approved by the relevant organisation(s)!

8) Make money crafting jewellery

If you’re quite crafty and enjoy making jewellery, just because the coronavirus has put a stop to craft fairs, this doesn’t mean you have to stop selling. You could take your jewellery online, selling on Facebook, Etsy, Depop and other craft sites. This may be the perfect time to finally create a dedicated Instagram account especially for your creations.

9) Sell your art for extra money

You may enjoy drawing, or crafting in your spare time to ease your mind. But what if you could exchange those pieces of work for cash? Whether your joy is creating pet portraits or crafty gifts for family members, you may be surprised at the uptake when you offer your services to others.

How to make extra money with a job

So far, we’ve told you about ways to earn money from home (in the UK). But what about getting employed? Here are some ideas for positions you could fulfil whilst social distancing:

10) Coronavirus-focused jobs

The NHS have been recruiting for Contact Tracers for their track and trace scheme. The job involves speaking with those who have coronavirus and also finding out who they’ve been in contact with. This will be done via text, email and phone and will support the NHS’ track and trace app.

The scheme is still evolving so it may be worth keeping an eye out for more job postings.

11) Healthcare jobs

Whether it be as a Carer, Health Care Assistant or working in the kitchens, you could check out the NHS careers site to see if they have job listings in your area. This could be a rewarding thing to do, but it’s worth considering who you have regular contact with and whether you’d be exposing them to the virus if they’re high risk.

12) Supermarket jobs

Some of the unsung heroes of lockdown are definitely supermarket staff. With increased demand for supermarket staff as they expand their services, there have been plenty of job opportunities available in certain stores. It’s worth checking individual supermarket websites near you to see if there are any vacancies.

13) Delivery drivers

Likewise, with restaurants being closed, the demand for takeaways has seen an increase due to the coronavirus. You could reach out to local takeaway restaurants and see if they need more driving support.

14) Get a job in retail

With shops gradually starting to reopen after lockdown, there are more measures put in place to keep people safe. For this reason, you may find more job opportunities in local shops. Check out recruitment sites, but also keep an eye out on local Facebook groups where managers may be advertising.

15) Look out for bar/restaurant jobs

Similar to the above, bars/restaurants are expected to recruit more staff to deal with the impacts of COVID when they reopen. Keep a look out for job postings and you could even get in touch with local bars/restaurants to ask if they’d consider recruiting you.

How to earn extra cash when using online services

16) Earn money via ‘refer a friend’

It may not always be cash, but you could earn money, rewards and discounts by referring friends to the services you use. Whether it’s via a subscription box or your utility bills, if you know a friend is going to invest in the same service you’re using, do some research to see if you can earn anything from it!

17) Earn money by switching provider

If you’re due to renew your electricity provider, or you’re switching who you have your phone contract with, shop around for some deals. Many providers will offer you cashback/rewards if you shop with them, so this could be a good way to get some cash in your pocket. Check out our 10 step guide on how to switch home insurance.

18) Use cashback apps to make money

There are services like Top Cashback where, if you shop through them, you’ll get a percentage of your order back. If you do a lot of online shopping, this cash could mount up over time!

Best way to earn money with gadgets

19) Recycle old gadgets for cash

Many of us will get a new gadget and then pop the old one in a drawer for the foreseeable future. If this is you, dig them out and consider selling/recycling them! You can use sites that are meant specifically for recycling gadgets, or if your gadget is still in good condition, clear your items and sell it onto someone else. You may be surprised at the money you can earn from unused gadgets sitting around.

How to earn more money (in your current job)

20) Make sure your reviews are on track

Most jobs will include regular one-to-ones with your leader and then more infrequent reviews of your performance (for example, once or twice per year). Sometimes progression will be discussed in these reviews, so keep an eye on your next review date and if it slips, be sure to politely remind your leader.

21) Ask for more responsibility

If you’re dealing well with your current role, you may have the capacity to take on some more responsibility. Whilst there won’t always be huge promotions available (especially during the time of the coronavirus!), you may find that your boss reviews your current role and salary and agrees to adjust both. You may even be taking some work off their hands!

22) Ask for overtime

Whilst this may not always be doable, if you work in an industry that is commonly understaffed, or has an influx of work with not enough resource to fulfil it, you may like to offer to do some overtime. Whilst this sounds like a good idea, be sure to look after yourself and don’t take on more than you can handle. Although making more money is great, your wellbeing is far more important than any overtime you can you can pick up.

Save money on gadgets

In addition to making money, you’re probably interested in saving it too. Here are some ways you can try and stop unnecessary gadget spends.

23) Ask yourself ‘Do I really need it’?

This sounds like an obvious one, but when you’re a student on a budget, this is a question you’ll need to ask yourself a lot. If your laptop is busted and you can’t do your work, yes, you’ll probably need to get a replacement. But if you’re considering buying the latest model just because you think it looks good, you may want to reconsider until your finances are more stable.

24) Buy second-hand gadgets

If you are faced with buying a new gadget, or you’ve decided you’re going to treat yourself to a new tablet, consider buying one second-hand. You can pick up second-hand phones, laptops, tablets and so on for a fraction of the retail price. Some places to look are Ebay, Facebook Marketplace and other ‘buy and sell’ platforms.

25) Make sure you're insured and use cashback apps

This is one of the more important points. Saving the best until last, as they say! Why not completely stop the need to buy new gadgets if yours are damaged, by insuring them? Insuring your gadgets means that if you accidently break them, they’re lost or stolen, you can claim back from your insurance. You’ll only need to pay your agreed excess fee, rather than fork out the cost for a brand-new gadget.

If you’re a student staying in accommodation, you may already have contents insurance provided by Endsleigh. You can check and confirm your cover here on the My Endsleigh app.

The My Endsleigh app will also help you earn cashback when you spend. So you can shop with top brands, add cash to your Rewards Wallet and this will help pay for any new insurance policy bought through My Endsleigh.

Find out more about My Endsleigh today.

Read our disclaimer.

Disclaimer: The top ranking articles for “ways to make money from home” would never tell you what I’m about to tell you. 

To really make money online, you will have to unlearn the pillars of your informal digital education. Use your own knowledge and experience to build a business on your own instead. 

There are no limits to business building, and you can sell whatever you want. The more determination you have, the more money you’ll make online. It’s that simple. 

Skip the usual website tester gig and become a business owner. Use this article to discover a new online business idea you can turn into an exciting, profitable venture that’ll pay more than one dollar per survey. 

Free: The Big List of Business Ideas

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25 ways to make money from home

Gone are the days of low-paying cash-back credit cards and stressful stock trading. If you want to make a lot of money from home, you’ll want to start a small business that pays you dividends over time. 

Here are the top home-based businesses you can start.

Sell custom products 

Product development isn’t the easiest route, but it’s often the most rewarding, and it may not be as hard as you expect. Making custom products is popular amongst jewelry brands, fashion brands, and home decor brands, yet it expands through virtually any industry where you make stuff from scratch. 

We recently turned to shoppers to ask about their post-pandemic shopping plans: What are they planning to buy once the pandemic is under control? The infographic below shows how they answered. Use these items to inspire your own custom product to sell online and make extra money. 

Some evergreen categories you could sell in are:

• Apparel and clothing. Clothing is one of those categories that seems to always be trendy. People look for clothes and accessories that match their style and personality, which can make fashion a fun and profitable space to sell in. The market is expected to rise above $3 trillion by  

• Home decor. Home decor is another popular sales category. People want to add personal touches to their space to make it feel cozy and enjoyable. You can sell home decor online to anyone, anywhere, at any time, while keeping overhead at a minimum. The home decor market is forecasted to reach $ billion in

• Health and beauty. The beauty and personal care industry is set to reach $ billion by You have many options in this category: you can sell skin care, cosmetics, hair care, fragrances, vegan products, and more. Grand View Research identified growing demand for men’s grooming products and anti-aging products that are expected to drive the market over the coming years. 

• Arts and entertainment. While movie box office revenue took a % dive last year, some interesting areas show impressive growth in this multitrillion-dollar industry. Digital newspaper revenue saw a 10% increase, video game revenue saw a % lift in sales, and consumer books saw a % increase. The esports industry continues to see healthy growth in this segment, forecasted to reach $37 billion by In short, there are a lot of innovative and exciting products you could sell in the arts and entertainment industry. 

• Food and beverages. The food and beverage industry will never die. Despite the COVID pandemic, the segment is projected to grow at a rate of % per year, reaching $ billion by It’s also poised for an ecommerce breakout, with up to 20% of food and beverage industry sales to be made online by , a 10 times increase from  

Evaluating market demand and following trends is a great place to start when finding popular things to make and sell. Once you have a product, you’ll want to start your business and set up a Shopify store with a free trial. And just like that, you’re ready to start selling! 

Free Webinar:

How to Find and Source a Winning Product to Sell

In less than 40 minutes, let us walk you through how to find product ideas, how to validate them, and how to sell the product once you have an idea you want to pursue.

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Create a print-on-demand business

Print on demand refers to working with a supplier to customize white-label products with your own designs, then selling them underneath your own brand. Businesses can create products like hats, t-shirts, tote bags, and more. 

The best part? You don’t have to pay for any products until after you make a sale. 

When you work with a print-on-demand company, everything from printing the item to shipping is handled by the supplier. Once you set up an online store with your designs, it takes a few minutes to fulfill an order after the customer checks out. 

Creating a print-on-demand business is a great way to make money from home because:

• You can create products fast. After you design a product, you can put it up for sale on your website in minutes.

• You don’t have to worry about shipping. Your supplier will handle the fulfillment process. You’re just responsible for providing good customer service after the sale.

• It’s low risk, low investment. It’s easy to add new products to your store and test ideas since you don’t hold any inventory. Your upfront business costs are minimal because you only need an online store to start. 

A print-on-demand business also gives creators many opportunities to connect with fans through nice products, especially products sought out for their aesthetic design. Take Boba Love, for example. 

For all its products, the retailer focuses on one theme: bubble tea (also referred to as “boba”), a drink that originated in Taiwan in the early s. Bubble tea has become extremely popular around the world and has a dedicated fan base.

Boba Love sells shirts, totes, blankets, hats, and stickers around the idea of the drink. When a shopper orders a product from the store, the supplier creates and ships it to the customer. 

Curious what types of products you can create? Read A Canvas For Creativity: Here Are 10 Print on Demand Products You Can Sell (Without Holding Inventory) to learn 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.

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Make a subscription box

A subscription business provides customers with products on a recurring basis. The subscription ecommerce market is expected to reach $ billion by , with more customers taking advantage of it each year. Research from McKinsey found that 15% of US consumers have signed up for one or more subscriptions to receive products regularly. 

The benefits of creating a subscription box include:

• Predictable revenue. Businesses know how much money is coming in each month and can plan growth initiatives accordingly.

• More cash on hand. Subscription businesses ask for full payment upfront at a discounted price, which creates regular cash flow. 

• Lower customer acquisition costs. Customers pay you on a regular basis, so you don’t need to convince them to make additional one-time purchases in your store. 

Running a subscription business from home is a proven winner. Our research shows that 63% of founders who sold subscriptions were satisfied with business performance, compared to 55% of founders who did not sell subscriptions. 

Two types of subscription businesses we found thrived in the past year were:

• Replenishment model, where subscribers receive the same or similar products each cycle. An example of this would be grooming brand Harry’s. A customer purchases the Harry’s starter set, containing a handle, shaving gel, and razor cartridges. They then receive automatic gel and blade refills monthly, based on their usage and preferences. 

• Membership model, where subscribers get access to exclusive products and perks in exchange for a monthly or yearly fee. Freelance writing community Peak Freelance runs on a membership model. Members pay a set fee and receive access to private Slack groups, on-demand tools and content, expert interviews, strategy sessions, and more.

Want to start a subscription box business from home? Read How to Start a Subscription Business: A Brief Guide to learn how, step by step.

Sell on marketplaces

Sell products on online marketplaces—but beware! Selling sites can be a great launchpad for many businesses, but the current marketplaces come with a Faustian bargain: you get access to customers if you build your business on someone else's land. Their land, their rules, and they’ll change them at any time. 

Popular marketplaces include: 

• Etsy
• Amazon
• eBay
• Handshake
• Mercado Libre
• Rakuten
• Facebook Marketplace 
• VarageSale 

Eventually, you’ll want to diversify your business by building your own site—you don’t have to choose one or the other. The big advantage is that the profit is yours: there are no fees to pay on sales and no rules to abide by but your own. 

Resources:

Sell digital products

Digital products are intangible assets or pieces of media that can be sold repeatedly online. They come in the form of streamable or downloadable files, such as PDFs, plug-ins, and templates. 

Digital assets are becoming more popular because they have high profit margins. Sure, it may take some time and money to develop them, but once the media or software is made, it’s not expensive to store or deliver to customers. 

There is no limit to how many products you can sell. Digital products help creators scale themselves by using their expertise to create kits, printables, files, and other assets professionals can benefit from. 

Started in , UX Kits sells wireflows, user personas, flowcharts, and other products to assist the design process. 

The brand has sold kits to over 10, designers, developers, and product managers in more than countries. It’s since expanded to sell three physical products but continues to drive sales from the digital assets created years ago. 

Digital products aren’t just for business professionals. Home fitness business Street Parking sells a variety of digital products—from workout plans to online courses—and membership subscriptions for people who need at-home workouts. 

Whatever you decide to create, figure out the needs of your target audience and work backward from there. Think about the kinds of assets they need/want and create products that are in demand. This will make it easier to sell and earn more money working from home. 

Sell your creative work

It’s easier than ever for creators to sell their work online. Whether it’s music, videos, digital art, photography, magazines, or podcasts, you can set up a digital shop and start selling with little limitation. 

While selling creative work sounds similar to digital products, the difference is that your products are more creative ventures. They are a way to express yourself online versus satisfying a buyer’s needs. Creators and artists who don’t have a network or connections with galleries and PR can now make money online doing something they love. 

What started as a cartoon on Instagram for Harry Hambley has grown into an international icon and ecommerce brand. As described in an interview with BBC, the Ketnipz creator skipped university to draw cartoons online. 

And Hambley’s strategy certainly paid off. The Ketnipz brand has over million followers on Instagram, sells clothing and accessories online, and can even be found on murals around the world. 

Using a combination of social media and an online store, you can make money online. Start building an active presence and engaging with your audience to establish your brand and find new customers. 

Resources:

Monetize an audience

Monetizing an audience is definitely a challenging endeavor, but the creator-to-commerce business model is becoming more successful in modern times. Bloggers and influencers today don’t need to be internet celebrities to make money from home online. All they have to do is find their people on one or two platforms and they can turn their audience into passive income.

Sonja Detrinidad, founder of Partly Sunny Projects, an online plant shop, turned one of her part-time pre-pandemic hobbies into a full-time business through TikTok marketing. She didn’t set out to become TikTok’s favorite plant mom, but discovered by accident the possibilities of monetizing an audience. 

Sonja processed over 1, orders in one month at the height of plant-shopping season last summer. She also increased her subscription box customers by more than four times since becoming a TikTok sensation, with over , followers on the platform.

Some ways you can monetize an audience are:

• Building your own website and selling online
• Through affiliate marketing commissions
• Using Instagram shoppable posts
• Starting a YouTube channel and running ads
• Adding Google AdSense to an active blog

Regardless of how you go about it, monetizing an audience is a legitimate way to make money from home. It may take some time to build a targeted audience, but the investment will be well worth your time in the long run. 

Related Content: How to make money with Youtube

Become a freelancer

One home business idea becoming more popular is offering freelance services to clients online. Almost any role a business would hire for is reasonable as a freelance service:

• Writing 
• Graphic design
• Marketing
• Data entry
• Illustration
• Transcription 
• Online tutoring
• Shopify store setup

Most of these services are best positioned toward business clients. Why? Because online businesses are the ones who are willing to spend. Freelancers can charge based on the outcome of their work versus the deliverable, which gives them leverage when it comes to pricing their services. 

“Every freelancer eventually learns that there are desired business outcomes tied to their work,” explains Elise Dopson, co-founder of Peak Freelance. “Freelance writers, for example, are not just blogging for a company. They are creating content that increases traffic, leads, and customers for a business. The sooner you learn that, and can deliver on it, the more money you’ll make freelancing from home.”

Elise has worked with brands such as ConversionXL, HubSpot, Privy, and other leading B2B software-as-a-service companies to produce incredible content that gets results, which is how she broke the six-figure-income ceiling by the age of  

If you have a passion for writing, designing, or organizing stuff, turn it into a freelance service. You won’t be disappointed with the results.

As more companies become completely remote, the opportunities to earn money from home freelancing will only become more abundant. It just takes a little know-how and determination to make it happen. 

Become a virtual assistant

With so many businesses moving online, the demand for virtual assistants is growing. Virtual assistants (VAs) are contracted workers who work with businesses and individuals on the jobs that you give them. 

Virtual assistants work from home and help with tasks such as:

• Time management and administrative tasks, like responding to emails
• Financial tasks, like bookkeeping and client invoicing 
• Team management tasks, like following up on deliverables, organizing training sessions, and creating task templates
• Social media and digital marketing tasks, like publishing and managing content
• Personal tasks, like managing investment properties, paying bills, and planning trips 
• Content tasks, like video or podcast editing

Each VA has their own speciality. I myself have worked with VAs for years in my writing business, many of whom make a full-time living as virtual assistants. 

Alexandra Froese, a VA specializing in systems and strategizes, works with clients to streamline redundant tasks and work more efficiently in their businesses. 

Alexandra helps entrepreneurs by doing the tasks herself or by developing workflows that makes a client’s business run smoother. 

You can make good money with a small number of clients, but once you stop working, the cash flow stops coming. VAs can start a blog, sell digital products, or coach other VAs to create new revenue streams and make more money from home. 

Become a reseller 

Don’t want to worry about creating new products or about minimum purchase quantities? Not a problem. You don’t need a revolutionary product idea to make money from home. Instead, you can become a reseller.

A reseller is a person who buys products from manufacturers, liquidators, and other retailers, then sells them to their own customers. A reseller permit lets your purchase certain products free of sales tax:

• Products to sell at wholesale 
• Products to sell at retail 
• Components to manufacture products 

You can find suppliers to purchase items from through a number of ways:

1. A dropshipping supplier like DSers or SaleHoo
2. Vintage boutiques 
3. Consignment shops
4. Facebook Marketplace

COAL N TERRY is one retailer that sells a vintage collection in its online store. The brand sells classic clothing alongside its own proprietary brand of hoodies and other apparel, giving shoppers a variety of products to browse and buy. 

A reselling business can be profitable if you have niche expertise, like beauty or fashion. You can launch an ecommerce store fast when you don’t have to go through product development or building an audience from scratch. 

Create and sell art 

Are you an independent artist looking for ways to make money from home? Artists can fund their craft and sell work directly to fans through online channels like an online store and non-fungible-token marketplaces. 

There are a number of other options for making sales off of one piece:

• Original art
• Limited or open edition prints
• Digital downloads
• Commissions 
• Merchandise like hats or enamel pins
• Repeat prints on fabric
• Licensing work to other brands or publications
• Collaborations 

To learn more about selling your art, read How to Sell Art Online: The Ultimate Guide.

Collect and sell vintage clothing 

Got a passion for second-hand fashion? Love the high of picking up a vintage dress at your local thrift store at a cheap price? You can turn that feeling into a business by selling vintage clothing from home. 

A $64 billion market, vintage shoppers depend on store owners to curate the best items around at the best condition. The rise in demand for vintage clothes has led to the success of brands like ThredUp and the increase of vintage clothing sellers on marketplaces like Etsy and eBay. It’s competitive, but that shouldn’t stop you from creating a cool brand and carving a space out for yourself in the vintage community. 

Naomi Bergknoff, founder of OMNIA, has been selling vintage clothing online since Combining her love for vintage clothes and her retail expertise, she’s defined a particular style away from marketplaces and close to home in Brooklyn.

Learn more by reading How to Sell Vintage Clothing Online: The Ultimate Guide.

Sell photos

The ability to make money from home as a photographer is about harnessing your creativity and monetizing it. It can seem challenging at first, but by finding your niche and building an audience, you can create multiple streams of income over time. 

Photographers have plenty of options to sell online:

• Stock marketplaces like Alamy, px, RF, and Stocksy

• Productssuch as prints, photo books, and physical goods like shirts and hats, using print-on-demand services 

• Services covering fashion shoots, product photography, events, or anything else you love to shoot

Sound interesting? Read How to Sell Photos Online: For Both Amateur and Pro Photographers to start selling your photography today. 

Rent your unused space

Most people don’t think about using their empty space to make money from home. Yet it’s one of the easiest sources of passive income. From bedrooms to parking areas, you may have some space people will happily pay you to rent. 

You have a wide range of options here:

• Bring on a housemate to rent a room in your house
• Rent a room on Airbnb
• Rent out storage space on SpareFoot
• Rent out your parking space
• Host a foreign exchange student
• Offer pet boarding

You don’t need tons of money or time to rent out your space. Rather than let unused space go to waste, offer it has a service to people who need it.

Start a pet business

Pet businesses are a fun way to make money from home (if you love animals, of course). There are many different ways to earn extra cash, like providing walking and grooming services, training, making and selling treats, or reselling products like bowls and chew toys.

You’re not limited to dogs and cats either. You could specialize in reptiles, fish, bunnies, whatever animals you enjoy being around. Pet owners alone spent over $ billion on their pets in , making this a profitable business opportunity for newcomers. 

Are pets your passion? Read How to Start a Pet Business (Plus Ideas and Examples from Top Brands) to turn it into a business today. 

Sell coffee 

Coffee sellers are always in demand as more and more coffee is consumed globally each year, according to the International Coffee Organization. If someone can’t get to their local café in the morning, they’re brewing beans at home while getting ready for the workday. 

Selling coffee can be a great way to earn money from home with a strong brand and marketing plan. Coffee is a commodity product, so it’s widely available. Customers tend to look for branding cues like design and bean origin to decide what to buy. By selling coffee, you’ll have a high volume of potential customers and many niching and expansion opportunities to take advantage of. 

Read Sell Coffee from Home: What Does it Take to Launch an Online Café to start your new coffee business. 

Build and sell woodworking projects 

If you’re a woodworker already, or curious about the craft, you can make money from home building and selling woodworking products. There are products to sell for all levels, from beginner to skilled woodworkers. You just need to figure out the best project for you!

Some fun woodworking projects that sell include:

1. Wooden signs
2. Kitchen products
3. Furniture
4. Surfboards
5. Boxes
6. Picture frames
7. Planters

If you’re ready to sell your wooden crafts online, read 12 Woodworking Projects and How to Sell Them Online to get started.

Try Computer numerical control (CNC) projects 

A CNC router is a computer-operated cutting tool that acts as a combination panel saw, spindle molder, and boring machine. It carves complex shapes out of materials like metal, wood, plastics, and glass. CNC routers use programmable automation, similar to 3D printing, to design complex parts at scale. 

Small CNC machines can cost from a few hundred dollars up to thousands, depending on the make and model. With them, you can create handcrafted, one-of-a-kind products for buyers across many markets, including:

• Home decor products
• Kitchen and barbeque tools
• Office supplies
• Custom signage 
• Toys and games
• Jewelry 

There are tons of resources available online to learn about using a CNC router. There’s a very low barrier to entry. And you can test, create, and sell products with minimal upfront costs. 

Interested in starting a CNC business? Read Putting the Pieces Together: 26 CNC Projects That Sell to learn more about this up-and-coming tactic. 

Make candles 

Looking for a fun way to make money from home? Start making and selling candles to people online. It takes a little know-how and hard work, but the upside is that you can customize candles and sell them anywhere. It’s also a low-cost business to start. Common costs include equipment to make the candles, like a double-boiler, pouring pots, and containers. 

A candle business can also be extremely profitable. The candle making industry is set to reach $ billion by , meaning there is no shortage of people buying candles they love. It’s also a good way to express your creativity and build a brand, like candle company Boy Smells, which broke traditional gender norms in fashion, home, and scent with its business in

Learn to build your candle making startup by reading Turn Scents Into Dollars: How to Start a Candle Business (Plus Examples From Top Brands).

Make soap 

Are you an avid DIYer and eager entrepreneur? You may enjoy making and selling soap from home. While soap doesn’t sound like the best income stream around, it’s an in-demand product customers need. 

Soap is a household product that everyone uses in some form, whether it’s to wash dirty hands, dishes, or laundry. The COVID pandemic also stimulated the industry, projected to reach $ billion by , creating huge demand for hygiene products to prevent infection. It’s a great way to get creative with different scents and types, with potential to expand your brand to other products like candles and fragrances. 

Want to get your hands dirty with this business idea? Read How to Make Soap: Turn a Household Necessity into a Homemade Business for more information.

Make bath bombs

Bath bombs are all the rage and a great way to make money from home. The US bath bomb market is expected to grow into a $ million industry by If you turn to Instagram, you’ll see there are millions of photos showing how these colorful balls explode when dropped in water. 

If you love DIY and have a knack for crafts, read How to Start a Bath Bomb Business from Home: A Step-by-Step Guide. You’ll learn how to source ingredients, make your bath bombs, market them, and grow a business people love.

Make skincare products 

Indie beauty brands are driving the growth of the $ billion global skin care market. If you love taking care of your skin and want to turn it into a business, now’s the time. Newcomers are jumping on trends like hybrid beauty (the combination of cosmetic and skin care), cannabis-based products, and clean beauty (products made without harming human health). 

The beauty of being a small brand is that you can tackle a specific problem for a specific audience. Find a market that’s underserved by current brands and create skin care products just for them. 

You’ll want to learn more about manufacturing and working with suppliers when running a profitable skin care business. Read all about it (and more) in our guide How to Start a Skincare Line: 11 Lessons From a Serial Beauty Entrepreneur.

Start a food business

Everyone’s got to eat, you can’t argue with that. Which is why starting a food business is a great idea if you want to make money from home. 

Outside of restaurants, there are endless high-profit-margin businesses you can run with low overhead and startup costs. The trick is cooking food you are passionate and curious about, regardless of your experience level. 

Some food business ideas to start include:

1. Food truck
2. Catering business 
3. Cooking classes
4. Meal kits 
5. Sauces
6. Pre-packaged snacks
7. Homemade jams and jellies
8. Wine, beer, and spirits

Want to see examples of other food businesses in action? Check out Selling Like Hotcakes: 13 Profitable Food Business Ideas for on the Shopify blog. 

Become a tutor

Are you an expert in math, art, or another subject? You can make money from home doing online tutoring. A prerequisite for most tutoring gigs is a bachelor’s degree in your subject, depending on where you apply for the job. You can find tutoring clients on websites like Skooli and www.oldyorkcellars.com

Only teach subjects that you have demonstrated expertise in. You’ll want to share skills and practical knowledge to create good learning experiences for your students. You can provide pre-recorded lectures and templates, plus meet students through Zoom. Tutoring is also inexpensive to start (if you already have that degree) and can easily earn you extra money. 

Offer child care

If you’re a stay-at-home parent or enjoy taking care of kids, you can easily start a child care business from home. You can offer all-day care (eight hours) for other parents while they are at work, or even just before and after school care (one to four hours). The choice is yours. 

Look at other day care businesses in your area and see what they charge. Choose your rates wisely. Don’t undercharge just to get more business. Then you’ll be taking care of too many kids and won’t be able to provide proper care. Start with an income goal for a day, then decide how many kids you can realistically watch throughout the day. Divide those two numbers to see how much to charge per kid, per day. 

Home jobs to avoid

Now that you have a good idea of different ways to make money from home, let’s look at some jobs to avoid.

Freelance marketplaces

Marketplaces like Fiverr and Upwork might be a way to get your start, but quickly can turn into a price race to the bottom. You’re forced to compete on price and don't have a way to differentiate your services or offer something premium. Long term, this isn’t the way to go. You are better off creating a freelancer website and building a business that doesn’t rely on renting digital space in a marketplace.

Online survey sites 

The pay is very low from online survey sites, and you accrue no long-term value. You’re not building skills or building an asset, you’re just losing time. Trading time for extra cash is always a reasonable short-term side hustle, but if you can, it's better to think long term.

Online survey sites include:

• Swagbucks
• Survey Junkie
• InboxDollars

Building an app

Look at most websites promoting legit ways to make money online and they’ll tell you to build an app. All new ventures are hard and most fail, but consumer apps are hyper-competitive: the average person uses only nine apps on their phone per day, most developed by major companies. 

A better option? Grow your skill set by building useful, problem-solving apps for businesses via growing marketplaces like the Shopify App Store or Salesforce Appexchange.

Side gigs

If you want to make a quick buck, then side gig apps like Rover or UserTesting are good options. But similar to online survey sites, you aren’t building anything valuable in the long run.

You are better off learning skills in your spare time, like running Facebook ads or starting a dropshipping store, which can make you money repeatedly, versus a one-off cash gig from Craigslist.

Anything that’s pay-to-earn 

Real businesses require investment, but anything that operates in a pay-to-earn model should be treated with extreme caution. For example, sites that promise you can win money by spending money, or multi-level marketing groups that require money not for inventory or product, but just to join. 

Most gimmicks are scams in disguise: the simple but hard truth is that you need to sell something people want.

Learning how to make money from home

If you have an internet connection, you can make money from home online. Sure, the lure of fast and easy cash gigs may seem like a great idea, but it will only keep you on a hamster wheel of trading your time for cash—and time is our most valuable asset in life. 

Use your time wisely and invest in building a business that’s rewarding and will pay you a bigger salary than any tester or survey site. $ per day does sound nice, but what if I told you that an online business could net you $+ per day. Would you still choose finding side gigs on Craigslist?

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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 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.

Free Webinar:

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

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

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3. Custom products

Business type: Product based

Effort: High

Leverage: Medium

Startup costs (out of 5 💸): 💸💸💸

Earning potential (out of 5 💰): 💰💰💰

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

And when you think 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. 

Maybe you want to replace a full time job or are looking for a side hustle &#; here are genuine ways of how to make money online (UK edition).

Whatever reason you need to make money fast, here are the best ways to go about it.

You can earn quick cash easily from home and can make a decent income, which can be a huge help when budgets are tight.

Ways to make money online What to look for when investing in cryptocurrency are plenty of decent ways to make money from home.

Making quick cash online is a way you can start towards building a passive income or save money towards something you want.

We&#;ve been earning money ways of earning money online uk sinceworking from home, ways of earning money online uk, or in a cafe, having a best website buy bitcoin uk life around family and business.

Sinceworking making money from home and working from, well, anywhere in the world has been realised as possible. You, too, can make money from home.

---

Online surveys

A really popular way to make money online is by doing online surveys in your spare time.

I enjoy doing them as ways of earning money online uk can take anywhere from one minute to 10 minutes, and I can be sat on the sofa with something on Netflix at the same time.

It’s just a matter of filling in a few forms giving your opinion and then I get paid in cash. I regularly get paid £ (and more) for doing each survey.

Start with the free to join survey: LifePoints, YouGov and Opinion Outpost.

See the rest of the best paid online surveys.

You could expect to earn up to £ in extra money a month into your bank account or PayPal account if you sign up and take part in multiple survey sites.

Paid for searching the web

Need help answering your kid’s homework? Looking for sports results? Want to know what’s on TV tonight? Looking for something to wear for a rare night out?

To find out pretty much anything nowadays, you need to use a search engine.

While browsing, you can make money without doing anything different.

Sign up to www.oldyorkcellars.com, ways of earning money online uk their browser add-on and you will get paid to search the internet.

You’ll also get offers to take part in surveys to boost how much money you make.

There is no minimum threshold to cash out and you can withdraw your earnings immediately to PayPal.

Start a blog

Most blogs start as a small idea and get big.

A blog is a great money making idea that can be a serious way to earn money in your spare time.

If you&#;re looking for success stories, take Skint Dad as just one example.

We set up a blog one evening from the kitchen table and it’s now a full-blown online business, earning us thousands of pounds in passive income for two of us to make a full-time wage.

Not bad really as a genuine way for making money online.

You can start a blog quickly with Bluehost, and it’s cheap to get going, ways of earning money online uk.

You can make money through advertising, sponsorship, an affiliate program or why not go on to create your own products to sell to your audience.

Use your social media “influence”

You might think you’re not an “influencer”, but anyone with a friend online can be a micro-influencer and earn money.

Whether you have your own YouTube channel, have a few followers on Instagram, TikTok or Twitter, one easy way ways you can make money is with affiliate marketing.

You can make immediate money by promoting the services or products from another company, whether it be food, clothes or switching energy companies directly through your social media accounts.

Get started with the Amazon affiliate program and sign up with AWIN which are a couple of the best platforms, then share affiliate links.

When someone clicks on your link and buys something, you will earn a commission.

Review websites and apps for cash

Ever hate how a website or app works but don’t think you can do anything about it?

Well, that can now change.

You’re not only able to share your thoughts (the good and bad) about websites and apps, but you can also get paid for your thoughts.

Paid web testing sites

www.oldyorkcellars.com &#; Earn $4 for every 5-minute test, $10 USD for every minute test and between $30 USD to $ USD for live interviews.

www.oldyorkcellars.com &#; Earn between $5 and $90, depending on the project.

www.oldyorkcellars.com ways of earning money online uk Earn between $2 and $10 per study.

www.oldyorkcellars.com &#; Earn $10 for each test.

www.oldyorkcellars.com &#; Payout unknown.

Paid app testing sites

www.oldyorkcellars.com &#; Earn between $5 and $20 per test.

www.oldyorkcellars.com &#; Earn between $10 &#; $20 per test.

Get paid to play games

There are places you can make money online and you simply play games.

The sites earn money through adverts and pay some of their revenue back to you.

Start off with Swagbucks, Toluna and InboxPounds, which are some of my favourites.

The sites pay you via PayPal or you can pick different gift cards instead.

> Sign up to Swagbucks here for a £10 welcome bonus!

Sell your photos to get extra cash

Ever wonder where images on websites, blogs or marketing material come from?

Someone takes the photo and will earn money when someone else buys it.

Anyone with a smartphone has a pretty decent camera in the hand, ways of earning money online uk, so you can take some stunning photos or even boring ones &#; if they sell, does it matter what you&#;re taking photos of?

Sell images to stock photography websites like Shutterstock or iStockphoto.

When they sell your photos, you earn royalties although it may only be a few pennies at a bitcoin ios wallet reddit.

To make good money, you will need a lot of photos uploaded, so get snapping!

Flip domain names

Good money can be made by buying and selling domain names.

You don&#;t need to have an actual website &#; you initially buy a .com, www.oldyorkcellars.com or even a .net that haven&#;t been registered but you think someone may really want and just hold onto them.

They are cheap to buy too and start from a few quid.

When the internet first got popular, getting hold of domain names was easier, but lots have been taken. ways of earning money online uk, there are still endless possibilities of domains that have never been registered.

Get paid to watch videos

Instead of just completing surveys or tasks, there are places you can make money online when you watch videos online.

Join sites like the iRazoo website and the WeAre8 app that pay you for watching videos.

You will get paid via PayPal.

Check out all the ways you can watch ads for ways of earning money online uk here.

Become a reseller

Buy ways of earning money online uk, sell high.

Seems easier enough to say but where do you start and what geld anlegen beste zinsen sell?

What about if you could buy stuff mega cheap in the first place? This would give you more chance of selling for a decent profit.

There are plenty of wholesale sites where you can find products to sell.

However, why not look at a cheaper option of return pallets and reselling ex-catalogue and liquidated stock,

Flip items

The resale market is worth billions so why not get in on the act.

All you need to do is buy low and sell high, which all sounds easy enough.

It&#;s ways of earning money online uk easy way to make extra money online as you can buy online, then sell online.

But what do you choose to sell? We&#;ve looked into the best things to buy and sell for profit (UK).

Get paid to make videos on YouTube

If you&#;re happy being on the other side of the camera, why not make money with YouTube.

You can get started for free with the camera on your phone.

You can earn cash online from people watching the content you create through advertising revenue.

Maybe you don&#;t want to be the star &#; you don&#;t need to do pranks &#; many YouTubers earn money doing simple reviews, streaming while they play games or show make-up tutorials.

If you&#;ve got a hobby or talent, share it on video with others.

As soon as you get 1, subscribers and 4, watch hours, you can start monetising on YouTube (oh, and subscribe to us, pretty please).

Some YouTubers with a huge following are making millions, ways of earning money online uk.

(Find out how to make a million pound yourself!)

For a smaller channel, you will still look to earn around £1 for every 1, views on your channel.

As your channel grows, and you have ways of earning money online uk content, the extra money you make will simply scale at the same time.

Publish an eBook

Whether you want to write a novel or maybe even share your knowledge on a particular subject, you don&#;t need to get a ways of earning money online uk deal to become an author.

You can make money online by self-publishing and selling a digital book via sites like Amazon.

As soon as your books start to sell from online sites you&#;ll make money immediately.

Sell things online with dropshipping

Running an online store might seem it&#;s about holding stock and spending your life in the queue at the post office, but you could ways of earning money online uk drop shipping as a way to make extra cash from home.

The idea is that a third party holds the stock, you promote the item via an online shop, and when it sells, the third party sends it to the end customers.

You never touch or handle any stock, so don&#;t need a spare room &#; you are just selling stuff.

What makes owning a drop shipping store good as a new business idea is that you don&#;t need to purchase any stock in advance so make money fast working from home set-up costs are a lot cheaper.

Start a clothing business

Take a look at the full details of how to start a clothing business for a different business model for you to sell clothes.

You could be creative and come up with your own designs, have a creative flair and make your own, or flip clothing.

Online tutoring

Teaching people online is a great way of making money in your spare time.

Since more people are used to using their internet access for schooling and work now, they are keener and understand the benefits of online tutoring.

It&#;s a good jobs for ex teachers as you can use the classroom skills you&#;ve already gained.

However, if you are a pro at another skill, there is no reason not to investigate tutoring as money making ideas.

You don&#;t always need to think about traditional classroom topics. Perhaps you are good at creating YouTube videos or editing them, or you are a great musician?

There are plenty of freelance jobs or a part time job there, but there is nothing stopping you from building up to full time hours.

As it&#;s all through earning money online, you are not fixed to just a UK audience &#; you have the whole world.

Also, check out teaching English online as another way to start making money online.

Become a comper

A comper is someone who take surveys make money competitions.

And there can be some serious money to cdx3 preferred stock investing made &#; it&#;s not always down to luck, but is also on volume.

Use competition databases like Loquax or Prize Finder and get entering, ways of earning money online uk.

The more you enter, the more chance you have of winning.

In the past, we&#;ve won over £20, worth of prizes from entering competitions, and it&#;s definitely a way to make more money online, ways of earning money online uk.

It&#;s a bit of a money saving tip too, as it might stop you from buying as much stuff!

Check out: How I’ve won £20k entering free competitions (and how you can too)

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Make money fast today

You can make money quickly online in the UK or anywhere in the world really.

As long as you&#;ve got a smartphone, laptop and a stable internet connection, the ability to earn money online has never been easier.

Naomi knows the burden of living on very little and became debt free by following her own money saving tips and tricks. She is an expert on saving money at the supermarket and side hustles.

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