Making Money online
I always knew that having multiple streams of income was a good idea, but since having children and going through the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic it has become a necessity. Whether you are just looking to make a few extra £££s here and there or wanting to find ways to supplement and eventually take over your current income, there is a plethora of opportunities to make money online, so let’s jump in.
*Please note: affiliate links may be used in this post. I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you if you make a purchase through my affiliate link. *
It Takes Time
The first thing I want to say about making money online is that it takes time. Most of us who embark on this journey of building multiple streams of income read stories of people who have seemingly become rich overnight. They earn 6 figures or more from blogging, making products, running a Youtube page, becoming an Instagram or Tick Tok influencer etc. Now while there are definitely some cases of people building their income online fairly quickly, they are most definitely the exception and not the rule. You will have to invest your time, have a plan and work hard to make money online, but if you are committed and work hard you will see the rewards.
In my own personal experience it has taken me a few years just to get my head around simple concepts (but I have been doing things more gradually than others) so the rate of your success can very much depend on how quickly you learn to do things and how well and consistently you execute what you need to do in order to build your streams of income. With all that said, let’s start by looking at some of the easier ways to make money online fairly quickly.
Online Surveys
Online surveys were a good starting point for me as they require little skill, and can often be done fairly quickly. Surveys can vary but quite a few of the ones I tried centred around consumer feedback and potential products/ideas that people want to bring to market. My top site that I always refer people to is Prolific. I like prolific because it is very easy to use, pays well and actually gives you a sense of contributing to some good. The majority of the surveys that I have completed are part of university studies and have given me the feeling of contributing to some form of positive cause. But I have also completed surveys about food, branding and decision making so the surveys do vary.
The surveys vary in duration and payment but I guarantee you that you will hit the pay-out total in no time and earn a few £££s here and there for fairly little effort. I also tried Swagbucks but honestly couldn’t really get into it (but please don’t be put off, I just think I didn’t have the time to do it with all of the other things I was trying out!), but again if you commit the effort you can make a nice little amount or build up some vouchers that you can use for money off of different things which in the long run will save you money. I think that saving money is also a great way to build your income and have a little more disposable income to invest in other ways of making money.
Website Testing
I am sure there are probably a lot of web testing sites out their but my recommendation would be User Testing. I have used User Testing on and off over the past couple of years and have been really happy with the site. The premise of the site is to test websites and some products by giving honest feedback. You can test a website and talk through the experience while you are testing the website making an audio recording or you can also choose to give live feedback on some of the opportunities and there have been a few feedback projects that were over a couple of days.
The minimum amount you can make is $10 on one test but I have seen opportunities to make between $90-$130, so it depends on what you go for. User testing pays promptly into your paypal account and I have never had any issues with their payments. The time it takes to review a site can vary depending on how much they are offering for the review. I have literally earned $10 for a couple of minutes work so it is possible, but please do be aware that most of the opportunities will take you more than a few minutes. When you sign up to the site you will need to download some software from the site and you also need to have a good internet connection and a good built in microphone. But honestly the set up was pretty easy and over the years I have used the website on and off to make a little money here and there, so I think it is a really good website to use.
Selling Products Online
I am a big ‘e-bayer’ I have been using e-bay for years to sell my old clothes, shoes, bags, belts etc. I think e-bay is great for selling so many different things and so easy to sign up to and start selling. There are also many other sites that have popped up in recent years up such as Vinted and Shpock. If you are a creative and make your own products then you should definitely consider selling them on Etsy, which is a great platform for handmade products and digital products (which I currently sell on the platform).
If you have a flair for design then I would recommend trying Redbubble; you simply upload your designs and then select what sort of products you want the design to go on. People can then order a variety of items with your design on it. So don’t be surprised if you walk around and spot your design on a t-shirt, travel mug, notebook or a face mask to name a few.
Blogging
This is currently what I am focusing my energy on at the moment. I had wanted to start a blog for ages and now finally took the leap and committed to it and here you are ready a blog post on my blog (isn’t that awesome!). I personally wanted to start a blog so that I could express myself and to make money. Is it possible to make a living from blogging? Absolutely, I have seen quite a few people that I follow do it so I am hoping to follow in their footsteps and make some impact in this little bit of space on the internet that I inhabit. So starting a profitable blog is hard work, I am currently on the journey so will be sharing with you at different increments how I’m doing, what has been successful and what was a total flop (but hopefully I won’t have any total flops!)
I think there are quite a few things to cover when starting a blog so I will just be touching on a couple here and then writing a more details post dedicated to starting a blog but if you are looking for an easy course to help you get started check out this free course here. The first thing you need to do is pick niche (self-care for example), think of a great name (I couldn’t think of one so just used my actual name, but I am my brand so hey ho!) and then find a web hosting service. I signed up with Siteground on the recommendation of one of the bloggers I follow who currently runs a very successful and profitable blog.
I think there is a lot of free content out there on blogging that is very useful, however I think it is also important to invest in something that you are planning to take seriously and want to make money from by purchasing a few courses to help you on your way in the blogging arena. Two courses that I have found useful are Adventures in Blogging which has been really useful to me for developing my blog and Pinterest Strategies which has helped me to learn about bringing more traffic to my sight via pinterest.
As I said I will be writing another blog post which goes into much more detail about starting a blog.
Pimp Your Skills
I believe that there is always someone willing to pay for a skill that you have. Why, well simply because no one can do everything, neither do we have time to do everything. If you have a skill, or quite frankly some time on your hands, there are people who are willing to pay you for that skill or your time. Fiverr is a great place to advice your skills and capabilities. There are a range of services and skills you can offer from virtual assistant duties, to graphic design, to voiceovers and so much more. I would also recommend Task Rabbit as another good site to join as you can literally get paid for queuing up for someone or collecting their shopping. If you have a flair for DIY you can get booked for assembling things for other people.
Honestly it is just a case of looking at what you have in your hand and what I mean by that is what do you have the ability to do that someone else needs help with. Once you figure that out you can start to make money from your skills.
Amazon
Amazon is the largest online marketplace in the world, why not take advantage of the national and international customer base it has and start making money with Amazon. There are quite a few different ways to make money with Amazon but I am just going to talk about the things that I currently do so I can give you an honest review. Merch by Amazon is similar to Red Bubble in the sense that you upload a design and Amazon sorts out the printing and delivery, paying you a royalty on each sale. I have not yet focused a lot of energy on this to make any money yet but my experience so far is that uploading your designs is very easy to do, so it’s just a case of getting started and promoting your merchandise.
If you have a flair for writing (whether that is fiction or non-fiction) you can have your book published and sold by Amazon. Again you would just need to upload to book set a price and Amazon sort out the printing and shipping paying you a royalty each month. I have made a few sales since publishing my first book on Amazon, my task now is to work out a good marketing strategy.
If you have spotted a product that you think will sell well on Amazon you could sell it via Amazon or send the products to Amazon and have them fulfil the order and collect your money each month. You can sell so many different products on Amazon and begin to watch your passive income grow. I would definitely encourage you to do your research with Amazon as although there are many ways to make money on Amazon you have to get it right and you will have to spend money before you can make money. I have not yet found my golden ticket product but have made a few book sales on Amazon.
With that been said there are many people who sell on Amazon for a living and have 6 or 7 figure businesses as well as those who make a couple extra hundred a month, so the possibility to do so is definitely there. I think this is a good place to stop as I have given you quite a lot of information to muse over and if you’re anything like me you will need a bit of time to look at all the different things I have suggested. I encourage you to take your time, don’t rush into anything but don’t leave things for too long either.
Some of the methods I have mentioned above require very little effort to make some money so start small if that’s best for you and then begin to build up your streams.
I would love to hear some of the ways you have increased your income so please feel free to share below.
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