From online poker to selling your collection of Beanie Babies, there are lots of popular get-rich-quick money-making ideas out there. Do they work? Not really. Will you make money doing it? Maybe. But you would likely make more money staying at your 9 to 5 job day in and day out, where at least you have a guaranteed paycheck. The truth is there are real ways to make money online – millions of people are doing it every day. But they are not get-rich-quick schemes. From freelance digital nomads traveling the world, to savvy marketers coming up with new strategies to reach new customers, to rising entrepreneurs creating and launching new products, there are plenty of roles and jobs that make significant money online. Here are a few ideas you can try right now to create new income streams, using your laptop and a reliable internet connection. Let’s break down some of the creative ways you can make side money online, the real way.
Start Dropshipping
Let’s start our list off with one of the most popular ways to make money online. According to Google Trends, dropshipping’s popularity is rapidly growing, highlighting its viability as a way to make money online. With success stories about how an entrepreneur made their first $6,667 in just eight weeks or how a store owner made six figures selling just one product, there’s plenty of proof that dropshipping is a real way to make money online. You’ll need a site, products and suppliers, and a marketing plan to reach your customers. Read Is Dropshipping the Right Business Model for You.
Print on Demand
Print on demand is proving to be a popular current option. Graphic designers are turning to this business model to sell their designs on clothing and other products to monetize their art. With their own unique designs, they can create consistent products and sales, and establish a brand for their business. The product part is where you come in.
Print on demand is similar to dropshipping in the sense that you don’t need to carry inventory or ship out products to customers yourself. There are two slight differences, though. First, you can add branded labels on packages, which is great for brand recognition. Second, shipping costs are quite expensive, making it difficult to create a sustainable business unless you charge higher prices or sell higher quantities. But if you have great suppliers in the US, Canada, or Europe like Printify or Printful to get started, you can certainly build a client base of artists and graphic designers and reach your dream of having an online business. If you are an artist yourself, you can consider working with suppliers to create your own clothing brand as well.
Sign Up with a Market Research Site
One way to make quick money in an hour is by signing up with market research sites. These are a great place to start earning online, as they pay quite well and are easy entry. You can participate in a wide variety of surveys or focus-group panels to offer your opinion up for dollars. Some sites are:
- Surveyyeah.com
- respondent.io
- userinterviews.com
- userresearch.google.com
- recruitandfield.com
- experiencedynamics.com
There are many options, look them over to choose the best option for you.
Sell Your Stuff
This one sounds obvious, but we often have material goods lying around the house that we don’t use but just haven’t gotten rid of yet. You may think that no one would buy any of the things that you don’t want or use anymore (new or used), but you’d be surprised at what people want! Anything you don’t use anymore could be potential money in your pocket. There are many online platforms to use, including the most obvious online auction site, eBay.com. If your items are common household items or too large to ship, consider listing on a local site like Facebook Marketplace or Offerup. Specific items such as clothing and shoes can do well on platforms like Poshmark and Mercari.
Crafty? Make and Sell Handcrafted Items
If you make your own jewelry or crocheted doilies, you can certainly create a great side business to sell your handcrafted goods through sites like Etsy. You could also start your own site and sell anything from jam to driftwood mobiles. Whatever you love to create, you can sell online.
Consider Freelancing
The easiest way to make money online is to take your current job in your 9 to 5 role and do it online instead. For example, if you’re a writer, administrative assistant, graphic designer, teacher, developer, or therapist, you can market your skills and services and find clients online who are willing to pay you for them.
There’s a never-ending list of websites for each sector of freelance jobs. For example, freelance writers can apply for jobs on specific online writing job boards, but also popular freelance websites like Fiverr, Freelancer, Upwork, among others. If you find that your job doesn’t have direct online money-making streams of income, you can look for other transferable skills you may have.
To make money online as a freelancer, you need to start by building a strong portfolio. This may mean completing some free or low-paid work with some reputable mid-tier brands to get started. Once you have a strong portfolio, you can start reaching out to potential bigger clients to earn more money online. Remember, freelancing is a numbers game; the more personalized emails and applications you fill out, the more likely you will get a response back. Read Work Online: Freelancer.
Amazon Influencer Affiliate Program
If you already have a blog or a social media audience, you may be able to get paid for promoting products. Obviously, there are direct sponsored posts and brand partnerships available to influencer status profiles, but you can also sign up to become an Amazon Influencer and promote your own favorite products with links on your blog, as long as you disclose that it is a promotional or paid partnership. Since Amazon sells so many products, the sky’s the limit for what you can choose to be an affiliate for, and you can truly promote products you personally believe in, whether they be nutritional supplements, cosmetics, or technology products. When you write about your life experiences, you can include a “name drop” and link to products that have supported you on your path and get paid a commission when your readers buy through your unique link.
Take your time to figure out what works best for you. Create a plan and maybe use two or more of these ideas to get the money rolling in. Once you get the hang of your routine, you may really enjoy it. If you do find the desire to continue, you will naturally find yourself doing more so that more income will come. Routine really helps when working from home, especially if you are wearing several different hats, so embrace what works and improve what’s not working. Remember, don’t be hard on yourself, this is all a learning experience. Subscribe for more business, sales, and investing posts. Have a lovely day!
