If you’re reading this and thinking to yourself “great, I’m going to read this article, start today, and be rich in the next few months”, perhaps you should stop right there because (a) you’re giving me way too much credit and (b) if you think get rich quick schemes are realistic, there’s nothing in this article that will help you.
For those of you on the saner end of the spectrum, welcome. This article will hopefully provide you with some tactical advice on launching your online career.
To be clear, I’m no money guru. I’m not rich and I’m certainly no expert in anything (just yet). But, to be clear, there ARE sure-fire ways to start making money online and, if you’re willing to put in a little work, you’ll be able to ramp any of these side hustles (or full time hustles) as soon as today.
1. Make Money Online Freelance Writing
Even if you have no experience, don’t immediately rule freelancing out. You can still make it happen (I’m making it happen!). Check out a post I wrote recently on tips to start freelancing with no experience.
Just a word of caution, though - never commit to a project you can’t deliver on 100%. Definitely challenge yourself, take the leap and try something new, but don’t be unrealistic with the services you can provide. Remember, this is your reputation on the line so gamble with it wisely.
That said, there’s no better time to start than now. Make yourself a profile on freelancer.com or upwork.com and start bidding on projects. Even if you bring in a little each month, something is always better than nothing.
If you’re not interested in bidding sites, there are tons of ways to find clientele through your social profiles. Reach out to me today for tips on expanding your customer base through social media.
2. Start Network Marketing
I recently engaged someone I’ve never met before in a few conversations on network marketing. I wasn’t really sure what company he was with or what the program was, but I humored him for a few calls thinking I have nothing to lose (because I really didn’t). We’ve had a great few conversations and established a nice professional relationship with one another. It’s a great option if you’re looking to meet a ton of new friends and make money at the same time. All you need to do is connect yourself with one of the major companies and start networking.
Here are some companies to check out if this is up your alley:
- Amway
- Beachbody (go sell my man Shaun T's workouts!)
- Isagenix
- Mannatech
- Shaklee
- Freelife
- Neways
- Herbalife
- Nikken
- Nu Skin
To be blunt: it’s going to take time and effort to see a return on network marketing, but once you do, there’s a ripple effect that could stuff your pockets with more cash than you ever thought possible.
3. Become an Amazon Associate
Amazon has an associate program, which allows people like you and me to link to their products and make a commission when people click on the links and purchase something (anything) from the site within 60 days. If you click on this link (which is an affiliate link) - I will make money on anything you purchase in the next 60 days. And, really, it costs you nothing extra. Feel free to click the link.... 😉
Sign up for the Amazon Associates program by using this link.
Basic steps to become a successful Amazon Associate:
Step one: Find a niche you’re passionate about
Step two: Review products in that niche on Amazon, or simply provide links to them (you’ll need to write a lot of web content to get your site/posts to rank on search engines and increase organic traffic)
Step three: Watch your hard work come to fruition - make money. If you’re starting from scratch with a new website, this will take a few solid months. If you’re working off of a site that already ranks, you’ll see a return much quicker.
Here’s the best part about the Amazon Associate program: People buy Amazon. It’s a good brand and clicking on your links. When they click your link and buy something on Amazon, whether it’s what you linked to or something completely unrelated, you’ll earn a commission and at no extra cost to the buyer! Granted, it’s not a huge commission… but again, something is better than nothing.
4. Sell a skill on Fiverr
Do what you know and make money doing it. Success on Fiverr isn’t without effort, but it is definitely possible. Check out this article documenting Shashank Gupta’s story about making $846 on Fiverr.
Fiverr isn’t going to make you rich, but it’s often thought of as the site that pays you to get new freelance leads. Cool concept, right? Say bye-bye to the not-so-good old days of paying for leads. There are tons of ways to make money on Fiverr so be sure to take advantage of the platform and start bringing in the cash!
5. Start a blog
This one is sort of a no brainer, but tons of people still don’t understand the concept of monetizing their blogs. Before I even go further, I should mention that in order to make money from a blog, you need to actually start one (duh). Read more on the initial steps to starting your own website, beginning with buying your own name dot com (don’t worry, this is typically under $15 and a worthwhile investment in the success of your online career).
Okay, back to monetizing your blog. Lots of people take the Google AdSense approach, but I’m not a huge fan. It’s an antiquated model and it doesn’t too great on your site either. You might as well just fill your “ad space” with some affiliate links to earn more commission on your clicks and sales. Which leads me to the next thing…
The best way to monetize your blog is through one of the following methods:
- Affiliate marketing
- Product reviews
- Selling a skill via hire me links on your personal website (click here to view an example)
- Write and sell an eBook
Conclusion
I said it before, but I’ll say it again, none of these methods are going to make you rich anytime soon. And, none of them are particularly easy. If they were, everyone would be doing it. They do work, though. Put in the grunt work at first, and you’ll see results filling your pockets with extra cash soon enough. It might not be much at first, but it could be enough to pay the groceries, take your girlfriend/boyfriend on a date night, buy yourself a nice treat, or even, if you’re patient, splurge on a nice vacation.
And, to be clear, you don’t have to quit your job or drop out of school like me to commit 100% to start bringing in some extra money each month. What you give is what you get. If you’re willing to give it your all, you could be saying bye-bye to 9-5 sooner than you thought. So, allocate your time and resources according to your goals – either way, it will pay off (literally).
Ready for more? Read tips on how to start freelancing even if you have no prior experience.