I love the idea of figuring out how to make money online and diversifying my income streams. Then even if I lose my job, face redundancy or anything else that might happen, I have other streams of income to fall back on!
Many of these side hustles and ways to make money online can be easily set up, but the goal is that they will continue to make you money in years to come!
Even if you don’t make instant money from anything on this list, it feels a lot better to have something to work on and build with the potential of making money from it one day, right? I also absolutely love the idea of passive income! Who doesn’t?
The flexibility and self-autonomy of working from home is also extremely attractive. But if you’re anything like me, motivation to actually achieve what you want can be a struggle.
Check out these essential tips to help you to stay motivated in a home-working situation.
These 11 ways to make money online are all things I’ve dabbled in with varying success over the past few years.
But I’ve now suddenly found myself with extra time to continue to work at and build these streams of income- why not join me?
Note: Some of the links below are affiliate links, so I may get a small commission at no extra cost to you if you choose to purchase these products. They are all products I know and love. Thanks for supporting Happier With Tea!
11 WAYS TO MAKE MONEY ONLINE
1. Make and Sell Digital Products
The idea of making and selling digital products grabbed my attention immediately.
I had previously explored setting up a FBA business (see number 8) but I loved how low risk digital products are. There are no overheads, minimal costs to make them, no storage, no packaging or postage, and instant delivery! You can also update and re-do these products so easily.
I’m in love with Canva Pro and use it all for all my designs. They have amazing templates that you can work from, a pile of photos and very cool fonts and features. Try Canva Pro free for 30 days with this link!
I’m a Speech and Language Therapist and have a lot of experience working in schools and creating my own resources. I love to create educational resources for teachers (especially speechie ones!) and sell them through Teachers Pay Teachers.
I enjoy creating worksheets and powerpoints. Some other popular digital products you can make include: calendars, planners, organisers, informational documents, guides and templates.
You can also sell your digital products from an Etsy Shop, or from your own website or shopify store. Check out SendOwl to send digital products with minimum hassle.
Have a look at Easy Digital Download’s post on the 12 most popular digital products you can sell online.
2. Sell Your Digital Designs on Physical Products
Similarly to selling your own digital products, you can also sell your designs that have been placed onto physical products. Sounds complicated, right? Well, believe it or not, it absolutely isn’t! There are companies who will handle all of the printing, packaging, and deliveries for you.
One good option is to use a company such as Merch by Amazon. You do need to request an invitation but you don’t need design experience to be accepted. I was accepted on my first try and then figured it out as I went along. You could also use sites such as Redbubble.
In a nutshell, this is how I sell on Merch by Amazon:
- Request an invitation
- Design your artwork- I use Canva Pro for this. Click create a design then use ‘custom dimension’ of 4167 x 5000. I use Pixabay or Unsplash to download images totally for free. Download the largest size of the image and tick ‘transparent background’ which is only available on the pro version. This stops your image showing up on a white square.
- Resize your image– it needs to be 4500 x 5400 to be able to be uploaded onto Merch. You must make sure you have ticked ‘keep aspect ratio.’
- Upload your artwork to Merch- choose the options you want. It will let you know your royalty based on the price. Then write a great description with keywords.
- Market your shirts
A second option is to start your own Etsy Shop selling your digital designs on physical products. I created an account with both Printify and Printful and synced them both with my Etsy Shop. I pick and choose based on their product options and pricing.
As in the steps above for creating my artwork, I use Canva Pro to create designs- the ‘transparent background’ feature is needed at the download stage. I absolutely love creating products for my Etsy Store!
It wasn’t an instant success by any stretch but I love having something that I can continue to build (especially as I learn about marketing!)
3. Write an Ebook
Ebooks come in all shapes and sizes these days. You can publish the novel you’ve been working on for years, or you can publish a short story, a how-to book, or even just a leaflet.
I use this easy guide to format my ebooks.
Then you simply upload your manuscript to Kindle Direct Publishing. They also have lovely templates if you also want to offer a paper copy of your book.
Publisher Rocket is the best tool available to help you to stand out from the crowd when self-publishing. This tool helps you to select the perfect categories and keywords that will help to get your book seen and also to market your book really well. This is such a fantastic tool simply because there is such fierce competition in the eBook platform; publishing an eBook is just so easy and accessible that anyone can (and does) do it for themselves.
Related: How to Make Money Online From Writing: 5 Awesome Ways!
4. Write Articles
If you love writing, writing for magazines is a great option whether you want a little extra income or to build up to a full time career.
Check out Elna Cain’s Giant List of Magazines that Pay Writers for publications to approach. She also gives great advice in how to approach editors and successfully pitch your idea.
5. Do Online Surveys
Online Surveys will not become a passive income stream, but if you have a little extra time (or you’re in lockdown like me), they can be an easy way to make some extra money online.
This is one of the best platforms around to complete surveys and make money. It matches you with surveys and makes it easy to complete them, lets you earn points through offers, watching videos, and referring friends. It even gives you opportunity to win points.
It’s got an easy to use dashboard, plenty of support, good prizes, and smooth payout options.
All in all, if you’re looking for an easy and legit way to make extra money, Prize Rebel is worth a try! Why not click here and check it out?
- Make real money for taking surveys online! Be heard and get paid for your opinions.
- It’s free to join with no registration fees.
- Access the latest & highest paying research, product test, focus groups, clinical trials, and survey opportunities.
- They will hook you up with hundreds of local research facilities and opportunities in your city.
- Earn cash, sweepstakes, and prizes for your participation.
- Check it out here to make extra income with online surveys.
Swagbucks is a great way to get extra money for the things you are already doing online. It allows you to earn free gift cards and cash for the everyday things you do online.
What things can you do to earn points?
- Shop online
- Watch entertaining videos
- Search the web
- Answer surveys
You can then redeem your points for free gift cards to your favorite retailers like Amazon or Walmart, or get cash back from PayPal.
So, if any of these are things you are already doing, and you’re searching for how to make extra money from home, then why not sign up with Swagbucks and make a little extra cash?
6. Use Fiverr
Fiverr is one of the most flexible platforms for you to set up a gig and hire yourself out. If you are a designer, writer, developer, editor, musician, marketer, or something in between, then Fiverr could be an amazing opportunity for you!
I’ve never used it to offer gigs, but I’ve used services from Fiverr many many times and truly believe that I could not have built my blog without it. It’s also amazing for graphics such as logos or even book covers if you’ve decided to self publish an ebook.
The gig is as specific as you want it to be and the price is what you make it. If your name becomes known you could become incredibly successful!
If you have a skill to offer, I’d highly encourage you trying this one out.
7. Teach English Online
If you are fluent in English and have a bachelor’s degree (even if it isn’t in education!) then you may be able to look into teaching English online.
This isn’t as daunting as it sounds. Most (if not all) companies will provide the slides and teaching materials and the platform to enrol students. All you have to do is follow along! Rates in this work are variable, but it can be well worth looking into, especially if you already have some experience.
Still interested? Have a read at Teachaway’s list of 8 amazing companies that let you teach English from home.
8. Start a FBA Business
FBA stands for Fulfilled by Amazon- the idea is that you would choose a product (either from clearance or a stockist), set a price higher than what you paid for it. You can then ship it off to Amazon and set up your product on Amazon Seller’s Central. Amazon will handle postage and packaging. Amazing!
Amazon are global giants in online retail, and it really isn’t that difficult to get in on the action.
There are amazing success stories of people who have set up an online store with Amazon and made an incredible amount of money. However, it’s not always as plain sailing as it seems.
These success stories and the ease of access means that Amazon is like a jungle- it can be difficult to be seen and to promote your product.
This is one to do your research on! You will need to pick the right product, balance your prices to ensure you are happy with your profit margins, and have a solid plan to market your product.
If you want to find out more about this option, it could be worth signing up for this Free Amazon FBA Starter Course.
9. Become a Virtual Assistant
If you are super organised and have strong administrative skills then becoming a virtual assistant could be perfect for you. This is a job that’s highly flexible with lots of choice- jobs can range from days to months.
VA Ninja is a very cool training course on how to work as a Virtual Assistant. It’s highly recommended so you understand the role and get great advice on how you can get started.
10. Create a Course
When someone first suggested creating an online course, I had an immediate case of Imposter Syndrome and felt massively intimidated by the thought. Since then I have read a lot more about it.
You don’t have to be the top expert in your field, but most people are ‘expert’ in something, whether through study or hard earned experience.
If you’re ready to share your knowledge in Pinterest Marketing, Seasonal Gardening, Living a Vegan Lifestyle, or whatever you’d like to share, head to Teachable. Here you can create audio, video, powerpoint, and any resources you need for your course.
Once it is ready, you simply name your price and hit publish!
11. Start a Blog
I’ve absolutely loved starting my own blog. It has allowed me to connect the dots between the other things I’ve been working on such as my Etsy Shop, my Ebook, and my products on Teachers Pay Teachers.
Having a blog provides a fantastic opportunity to show my expertise in areas I write about such as language development and to network with other bloggers and business owners. A blog gives a ‘home’.
If you’re planning to try out some of the steps above, ask yourself if a blog could work as a platform to promote yourself and show the world what you’ve got.
I use Siteground for my hosting because they have an amazing customer service reputation, but Bluehost are fantastic as well and are a little cheaper overall.
There are so many ‘how to’ guides when starting a blog. I like Blog Tyrant’s Beginner Guide for Starting a Blog.
And that’s it!
So, that’s it! I hope you enjoyed my roundup of ways to make money online when you’re in lockdown. If you’re like me with unexpected extra time on your hands, see it as an opportunity to explore ways to diversify your streams of income, and to ultimately make passive income.
Not everything is an instant success but with work and enthusiasm you can give any of these options a good go and use the lockdown to make even a little extra money online! At the very least, it will be a new experience and you’ll learn a lot of valuable lessons!
One of the biggest things to remember is that the internet is like a jungle. It can be so hard to get anyone to even see the products you’ve poured your heart into creating.
That’s why marketing and networking is just as crucial as the product itself. Grab this Simple Social Media Strategy Freebie to help out with networking and social media.
If you have ever tried any of these ways to make money online, or if you’re in lockdown and feeling inspired to try out an online business, leave me a comment and let me know.
If you loved this post, please share it! And don’t forget to bookmark it for yourself for later.
You might also enjoy:
- 5 Awesome Ways to Make Money Online From Writing
- 7 Key Secrets: How to Write an eBook and Make Money
- 22 Legit Work From Home Jobs for a Life You Love
Thanks for reading!
Freya x
