The internet has revolutionized how we live our lives. We shop online, watch movies on Netflix, read books, get jobs through remote working platforms like Upwork or even learn skills online with courses like Udemy. In fact, there's almost no aspect of life that doesn't involve some form of technology in its creation or consumption today.
And while all this tech-driven progress makes us feel so connected to one another, it also means that many people find themselves struggling to keep up financially. It seems like everyone else around them is making good money at their job, but they're not able to come close to matching what those folks have made.
One way out of financial struggle is by building your own business. With enough hustle, dedication, and patience, anyone can create an online empire where they don't need to spend time worrying about money -- ever again! Let's take a look at how you can do just that.
In order to start a successful side gig, you'll first want to set yourself up as best possible. You should be ready to invest time into marketing (whether it's building websites, writing blog posts, creating videos, etc.), learning new skills related to said niche, taking advantage of social media channels, having access to quality products, and being patient if things aren't going well right away.
Once you've got everything taken care of, you'll eventually need to focus on monetizing whatever content you produce. One option would be to sell advertising space directly on your website, which will help cover costs associated with running said site. But if you'd rather avoid selling ads altogether, consider starting a subscription-based ecommerce store instead. This allows you to charge customers recurring payments each month without needing to worry too much about upfront costs.
With either method, once you've gotten started, you'll need to put in consistent effort over several months before you see any real results. Once you do, though, you'll quickly notice that things start coming together quite nicely. And after that, it becomes easier than ever to continue growing your business and generating additional revenue streams.
If you have a computer and Internet connection, then you already know that you could likely make a decent living by getting paid to write articles, give tutorials, provide advice, or teach other people something. However, these gigs typically pay per project, meaning that unless you churn out dozens of articles every day, it might be hard to hit that six figure mark. Instead, try looking for freelance opportunities outside of the usual blogging/tutorials route.
For example, if you love photography, why not offer to shoot photos for local businesses? If you speak fluent Spanish, perhaps you can become a virtual assistant who helps companies communicate with potential clients overseas. Maybe you have experience using software tools such as Microsoft Office 365, Google Docs, or Trello that others could benefit from knowing about. The possibilities really are endless here, and since you won't necessarily need to rely on one single source of income to make ends meet, you can potentially increase earnings significantly.
You could also consider becoming a part-time freelancer for larger corporations. Many large organizations hire third party vendors to handle tasks like data entry, customer support, graphic design, SEO, video editing, copywriting, web development, etc. These positions often require minimal training because the company provides most of the necessary education via internal resources. For instance, if you enjoy creating YouTube videos, you may be able to land a position teaching others how to use Adobe Premiere Pro or Audacity.
As long as you stay organized and professional throughout the process, it shouldn't be difficult to secure multiple clients. Just remember that you'll still need to market yourself regularly. Even when you don't receive specific projects, simply sharing useful information on social media sites like LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Reddit, Quora, TikTok, and Tumblr can go far towards helping you stand out among your peers.
It's easy to forget, but earning money isn't always about finding ways to generate cash flow. Sometimes, the goal is to accumulate assets that allow you to retire early, purchase a vacation property, fund retirement accounts, or save for college tuition. By focusing solely on increasing net worth, however, you risk missing out on potentially lucrative opportunities along the way.
When doing so, the idea of diversifying your portfolio comes to mind. Investing in various types of funds gives you the opportunity to maximize returns across different asset classes, allowing you to reduce volatility and mitigate risks during times of uncertainty. While you certainly can't predict the future, investing smartly now can ensure that you're better prepared for anything that happens down the road.
Here are seven investment options that you can explore to grow your nest egg.
1) Real Estate Investment Trusts: REITs are stocks that represent ownership interests in commercial buildings. They trade publicly on stock exchanges and tend to fluctuate in value based on economic conditions and changes in interest rates. Investors buy shares hoping that prices will rise, thus giving them a return on their initial capital investment.
2) Stocks & Bonds: Owning individual securities means paying taxes on gains and losses periodically. That's why it pays to stick with mutual funds when considering this avenue of passive income generation. When you invest in index ETFs, you automatically gain exposure to hundreds of underlying holdings without actually owning individual shares. Plus, you never have to think twice about whether or not to reinvest dividends back into the fund.
3) Index Funds: Similar to the concept behind ETFs, index funds pool collective amounts of money from investors and divide them evenly amongst various indexes. Since they track broad benchmarks, they're fairly liquid and therefore suitable for both short term and long term savings goals.
4) Gold & Silver Bullion: The price of gold and silver tends to move in tandem with inflation expectations. Because inflation erodes purchasing power, precious metals hold appeal for those concerned about maintaining wealth over time. Buying bullion bars means that you control the amount of metal you acquire, whereas buying coins requires you to accept the full face value of what you purchase.
5) Cryptocurrency: Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, Ripple, Dash, Monero, Zcash, Stellar Lumens, Dogecoin, NEM, and Tron are examples of digital currencies currently available. Like traditional forms of currency, cryptocurrencies can be used to purchase goods and services, serve as a medium of exchange, and act as store of value. Some experts believe that cryptocurrency values will appreciate dramatically in years ahead due to increased demand for privacy and anonymity.
6) Private Equity: Companies are owned by private equity firms, which essentially function like venture capitalists except that they're privately held. Unlike public entities, private equity firms generally do not distribute profits to shareholders. Instead, they usually retain majority control over operations until liquidity events occur.
7) Online Course Platforms: Courses offered through EdX, FutureLearn, Skillshare, Udemy, and Thinkific are great options for making extra money without leaving the house. Most programs cost between $10-$100 per class depending upon length, subject matter, and instructor qualifications. As long as you have a solid grasp of the material, you can easily turn these lessons into high converting sales pages that you promote via affiliate links.
There are countless ways to generate passive income, and each approach offers unique advantages and disadvantages. To determine which strategies are best suited for you, you'll ultimately need to evaluate your needs, wants, skill sets, and preferences. After figuring all that out, you should be able to decide exactly how to proceed.
To begin, let's review four popular methods of generating passive income:
1) Rent Your Home - Whether you rent out rooms in your primary residence, sublet apartments, or lease entire homes, renting out properties can yield major rewards. Depending on the location, rental yields can range anywhere from 2% to 8%. Not only does this type of income stream protect against housing expenses, but it can also enable you to recoup mortgage costs and even supplement regular monthly salaries.
2) Sell Products Online - There are millions of active sellers operating within Amazon alone, and thousands more competing on eBay. Selling physical items online can prove extremely lucrative, provided you know how to properly optimize listings. You can also leverage the same strategy to drive traffic to your personal storefront.
3) Write Articles / Blog Posts - Writing blogs and articles can be an effective way to earn residual income. Consider pitching your expertise to individuals seeking assistance with certain topics or offering expert insight into areas of interest. While writing is technically considered "active" income, it takes very little energy to maintain ongoing efforts.
4) Teach Others - Teaching others is yet another viable source of passive income. If you possess strong communication skills, you could develop a course to share with students around the world. Alternatively, you could opt to deliver free workshops or lectures to groups of friends and family members.
Income isn't just about making money -- it's about building wealth and having freedom from financial worry. You don't need to be working full-time or even getting paid at all if you have enough passive income coming your way.
If you're looking for ways to generate some extra cash on the side without putting too much effort into it, then these are the most popular options out there today. And they'll show you how to start earning an additional stream of revenue while also helping you achieve long-term goals like saving money, investing in real estate, or paying off debt. Let's jump right in!
1) Dropshipping (dropshippers.com): This one might seem complicated but it's actually very simple. The idea here is to find products online that people want to buy and sell them through Amazon. Then drop ship those items directly onto customers' doorsteps using their own fulfillment centers. Once the customer places an order with you, you pack it up and send it over to them. In return, you get a commission every time someone buys the item. It sounds easy, doesn't it?
2) Renting out space on a website (AirBnB.com): If you've ever stayed anywhere besides Airbnb, you know this concept well. But now instead of renting out rooms to strangers, you could rent out unused office spaces, living room couches, spare bedrooms, etc. to travelers who would pay a premium price because of the convenience factor.
3) Freelancing/consultation services (eLance.com, Upwork.com): Instead of being tied down to a 9-to-5 job where you only do what's required of you, consider freelancing as a business owner. Not only will you have flexibility in terms of when you decide to go into work each day, but you'll also be able to choose which projects to take on and charge whatever rate you think appropriate. As a result, you won't feel pressured by clients who expect you to produce results immediately. Plus, you'll never run out of work since businesses always need help.
4) Affiliate marketing (Amazon Associates Program, Commission Junction, ShareASale, Linkshare): With affiliate marketing, you promote other companies' products (usually digital downloads). When someone purchases something after clicking a link on your site, you earn a percentage of the sale. For example, if someone clicks on a product link on your blog and makes a purchase, you'd earn 10 percent of the total cost of that item. It's not rocket science, really. Just keep in mind that with affiliate marketing, you must provide value in exchange for compensation.
5) Blogging (Medium, Google AdSense, HubPages, WordPress, Squarespace, Wix, Weebly): A blogger earns money whenever readers click on ads placed on his or her content. There are many different blogging platforms available so check around before committing to any one. Some sites allow you to set up automated payments through PayPal, others require manual payments. Either way, the key takeaway here is that once you publish quality articles, readers will come back often enough to see your ads.
6) Selling things on eBay (Fulfillment By Amazon, Shopify, Etsy): Another form of eCommerce involves selling physical goods. These include books, clothing, electronics, toys, collectibles, antiques, art, jewelry, home decor, kitchenware, sporting equipment, tools, furniture, food, crafts, games, gifts, and more. Again, the key is finding high demand items for specific niches.
7) YouTube channel creation (Patreon, Patreon PowerSellers Club): Create a video series on topics related to your niche and upload it to YouTube. After you create your first few videos, reach out to potential subscribers via email and offer them access to your new series in exchange for monthly donations.
8) Writing articles (PayPerPost, EzineArticles, Squidoo, Hubpages, Quora, Medium): One of the quickest ways to become financially independent is to write a book. However, if you don't already have experience writing, this option may be difficult for you. That said, it's still possible to monetize your existing knowledge and expertise by creating articles for websites such as Hubpages, Squidoo, and EzineArticles.
9) Freelancer gigs (Guru, Elance, Upwork): Similar to freelance consulting, freelancers complete tasks for clients in exchange for payment. They usually specialize in technical skills or project management.
10) Investing (Fundrise, Acorns, Robinhood, Marketwatch, Wealthfront, Mint, Betterment, Vanguard, Charles Schwab): Passive income requires patience. It takes time to grow large sums of money. So why not invest early? Most investment opportunities are limited by regulation to accredited investors, meaning you must meet certain requirements to qualify. Luckily, there are plenty of low-cost funds that give you exposure to the stock market without requiring much risk.
It's pretty straightforward when it comes to generating $1,000 per month in passive income. Start by taking note of the 10 sources above. Each has its own unique advantages and disadvantages depending on whether you prefer to focus on short-term gains vs. long-term growth. For instance, dropshipping offers fast profits but lacks consistency. On the flipside, you'll likely receive lower commissions compared to traditional jobs.
When choosing between two similar options, try researching both thoroughly. Look into past performance records, average earnings, number of active affiliates, and so forth. Choose a company whose mission aligns with yours. Also look into the reputation of the CEO and CFO. Are they trustworthy? Do they care about their employees? How does the company treat its vendors? Will you be happy dealing with them throughout the years?
Once you identify the ideal opportunity, simply sign up and follow instructions. Don't spend hours trying to figure everything out yourself. All major companies offer free training materials and support to ensure you succeed.
While it's true that everyone wants to make thousands of dollars each year doing nothing, starting small is easier than you think. Consider these three great choices below:
1) Drop shipping (dropshippers.com): While this method seems intimidating at first, you can begin by dropping shipping one single product. This means you don't have to deal with inventory, storage fees, returns, or refunds. All you have to do is deliver the package to the recipient and wait for payment.
2) Renting out space on a website (AirBnb.com): Many people use AirBnb as a place to stay during travel. Others use it to house pets or roommates. Still others use it as a second property to live in. Whatever the case may be, this service allows you to lease out unused properties to tenants who pay you a premium amount based on the rental agreement.
3) Freelancing/consulting services (eLance.com, Upwork.com): Although this type of arrangement typically requires longer commitment periods than other options, it provides steady income. Freelancers receive assignments from various clients across multiple disciplines (i.e., IT, finance, engineering, marketing, sales, legal, accounting, etc.).
You should also consider what kind of income you desire. Is it important for you to maintain certain levels of spending? Or would you rather save money and reinvest it elsewhere? Think carefully about what level of comfort you're willing to sacrifice in exchange for greater flexibility.
The bottom line is that regardless of your personal preferences and circumstances, there are several ways to profitably supplement your current income.
There are literally hundreds of ways to earn money online. Unfortunately, the vast majority of them aren't reliable. Fortunately, there are exceptions. Below we list seven methods that will bring consistent income no matter what the economy looks like.
1) Affiliating with ClickBank (Clickbank.net): The first step towards becoming an affiliate marketer is signing up with ClickBank. This marketplace connects merchants with marketers who wish to drive traffic to their stores. Once approved, you'll be assigned a merchant account. From here, you can connect your bank account to the program and track incoming revenues in real-time.
2) Dropshipping (dropshippers.com): To learn how to successfully operate dropshipping, visit our complete guide to dropshipping. This industry has exploded due to Amazon's dominance. Nowadays, anyone wanting to start a dropship store needs to register with a marketplace like AliExpress or Alibaba.
You might be wondering what's the best way to make lots of cash without having to put in any effort on your own part. You don't need to have millions or billions of dollars to start making some extra money. Passive income doesn't necessarily mean working hard all day long every single day. If you want to find out how to make an additional $1,000 a month with just a few minutes of your time each week then this article will help you get started.
There are many different ways people choose to generate passive income online but here we'll focus on one particular method - Dropshipping. There are other methods such as affiliate marketing where products are sold through links on websites (e.g., Amazon) and AdSense which allows publishers to display ads based on their content. However, those two options aren't discussed today because they're not very easy to set up and take advantage of (especially if you're new). With dropshipping there are no upfront costs required except for setting up an account at Shopify (or another e-commerce platform), creating a website and getting traffic from Google Ads. This means it is much easier than starting an affiliate program or running AdSense campaigns.
Dropshipping is also known by several names including DropShipping, Online Shopping Cart Software and Marketplace Platforms. It basically refers to selling physical items like clothing, books, electronics etc. via a third party marketplace instead of directly to consumers. The beauty about dropshipping is that once you've created the product listing and uploaded images, you can sit back and wait while customers purchase the item from yourself. As soon as someone makes a payment, you receive a notification and when you ship the order you collect the profits! Sounds too good to be true right? Well, it isn't really.
Here are 10 things you should know before signing up with a dropshipper.
The most common question asked by beginners who would love to learn how to create passive income online is "how do I become wealthy?" Unfortunately, there are no quick shortcuts. Becoming rich takes years of consistent effort and dedication. But if you follow these steps below, you'll definitely achieve financial freedom sooner rather than later.
You must first decide whether you want to sell digital goods or physical ones. Digital goods are great because they require little overhead cost. For example, you won't need to rent office space, buy furniture, pay salaries or anything else since everything goes over the internet. On the flip side, physical products may be cheaper to produce but they usually come with higher shipping fees. Once you've decided between digital versus physical, figure out how much you can charge per unit. Then divide that number into your monthly sales target. That's your profit margin. In my case, I'm charging $25 per shirt so I divided 25 by 100 shirts = 0.25%. If I were to sell 500 shirts a month, that would translate to $1250/month profit.
If you plan on doing dropshipping fulltime, you'll probably need to invest in inventory storage facilities. These include warehouses, fulfillment centers, and even self storage units. They allow you to store large quantities of inventory within short periods of time. Inventory usually consists of products ranging from clothes and shoes to food and home appliances. So as demand increases, you increase your supply accordingly. To keep track of orders, you could use software like ShipStation or WixCommerce.
Once you've learned how to make passive income using dropshipping, it's now time to think about scaling up. One option is to add multiple suppliers and partners to your business model. Another approach is to try outsourcing certain tasks to freelancers or contractors. Either way, you'll need to invest in proper equipment and tools.
For instance, if you want to begin reselling apparel, you'll need sewing machines, cutting tables, ironing boards, garment hangers, and racks. And if you're going to hire freelance workers, you'll need to provide them with laptops, headphones, headsets and mouse pads. All of these expenses can quickly escalate if you're looking to scale. Thankfully, there are plenty of resources available to help you save hundreds of dollars. Here are 3 sites to look at:
Fundrise ($10+): A site dedicated to helping real estate investors save thousands of dollars on construction materials.
Fiverr ($5+): An escrow service that helps sellers protect buyers from bad transactions.
Wishpond ($4+): An email marketing tool that saves you time and energy.
Now that you understand how to make passive income using dropshipping, let me introduce you to the concept of passive income streams. When you combine dropshipping with various types of revenue generation activities, you end up building seven distinct sources of income. Here are the seven streams:
Sellers: Those who list products on eBay or similar platforms.
Affiliates: People who promote a specific company's products on their blogs, social media accounts or YouTube channels.
Advertiser Partners: Companies that advertise on your blog posts and videos.
Reseller Partners: Individuals who sell products and services through your website or Etsy shop.
Vendors: Businesses who offer special discounts to bloggers.
Merchants: Those who sell merchandise through your drop shipper.
Freelancer Services: Independent providers who assist you with tasks like data entry, graphic design, programming, writing, SEO, copywriting, transcription and video production.
With all these income opportunities, why wouldn't anyone want to join forces with friends, family members or colleagues to form a network marketing team?
It only took me four months to go from zero to five figures annually. While it wasn't easy, it was totally worth it. Nowadays, I'm able to quit my 9-to-6 job and spend more time pursuing my passions. What's the secret behind this success? Simple. I found a niche market that sells products and services I enjoy. Not everyone has this luxury yet. But if you apply the above tips and strategies, you'll eventually discover a lucrative industry that you can dominate. Happy hunting!
11 Ways To Make Money From Home
The internet has made it very easy for people to connect over the world, but there are still plenty of jobs that require face-to-face interaction between two parties.
Freelance Writing - Writing about topics related to business and finance can give you a steady stream of freelance writing assignments from companies looking to promote their products online. It also helps if you're good at researching information like fact checking or conducting interviews.
Tutoring/Teaching English Online (Part Time) - Tutoring English students requires no travel and can be done remotely. The only problem with tutoring is finding someone willing to pay you for your services. Many parents hire private tutors to supplement their children’s education so they can spend more quality time together. This creates a demand for qualified teachers who provide high quality instruction. You can take advantage of this opportunity by becoming a virtual tutor.
Virtual Assistant Services - A virtual assistant works closely with clients who may not live near them. They handle administrative tasks such as bookkeeping, accounting, marketing, data entry, editing, research, customer service, scheduling meetings, etc. Virtual assistants typically charge hourly rates based upon experience and skillsets. Some even offer packages where certain types of projects fall under one monthly fee.
Online Researching & Data Entry Jobs - There are many different ways to do data entry. You could simply type up a list of names and addresses into Excel or Google Docs or create a spreadsheet using apps such as Zoho Sheets. But there are other opportunities too. For instance, you could transcribe audio files, review resumes, perform social media posts, proofread documents, conduct surveys, write product descriptions, etc.
Just follow our battle-tested guidelines and rake in the profits.