To make money online, you generally need 3 things:
There will always be exceptions to this rule, like the YouTube celebrities who don’t have their own site, but most of the successful entrepreneurs online (myself included) have figured out those 3 things.
An online business is a great asset; you can work from anywhere and serve people worldwide. Depending on how you have it set up, you can even earn money while you sleep. Ahh that elusive “passive income!”
The location-independent business models you’ll find here include blogging, podcasting, self-publishing, teaching online courses, and more.
If you’re not sure where to start, let me recommend this “Greatest Hits” collection:
“I feel like this is the most important project I’ve ever worked on,” Mike said about his blog YoungArchitect.com.
Mike Riscica runs a blog, podcast, and has built a thriving community for young professionals in the architecture field.
How do podcasts make money?
Producing a show takes real work, and if you want to keep your show running, you’ve got to find a way to make it work for you too.
The truth is most shows don’t make any money at all — and it took years before my podcast, The Side Hustle Show, could reasonably be considered a business on its own.
Bill Nowicki has a unique side hustle. He has a podcast show called MariettaStories named after Marietta GA, a suburb of Atlanta with a population of about 60,000.
Having a podcast show isn’t unique but producing a show that’s focused on a local community is something a little different – and something you might consider doing for your local community after hearing Bill’s story.
Just 10 months after starting his side hustle, Jonathan Mendonsa was ready to quit his 6-figure job and take the business full-time.
What’s the hustle?
A podcast called Jonathan co-hosts with this partner Brad Barrett ChooseFI.
“It’s the best-kept secret in the real estate industry,” Mark said, talking about working as a loan signing agent.
You can make $100 for an hour working as a loan signing agent. With the only real requirements being you know what you’re doing, and you have a notary license.
“I set up a big business just selling somebody else’s stuff,” Wes said.
Wes runs TheSalesWhisperer.com and is the host of The Sales Podcast which started around the same time as The Side Hustle Show back in 2013.
Affiliate marketing is usually thought of as a monetization channel for bloggers, but I think it’s also an interesting way for freelancers to make extra money outside of your current service offer.
The trick is to find the best affiliate programs for your audience or clients.
When Abbey made $8000 from her 1000-person email list, she knew she was on to something.
Over the last several years, Abbey Ashley has gone from earning $25 as a virtual assistant, to coordinating monster 6-figure launches of her own product.
Eight months pregnant with her first daughter, she couldn’t imagine putting her child in day care just to go back to work at a job she hated.
I’m a moderately talented musician with a simple home studio and I’ve been earning thousands of dollars a year in passive income through music licensing.
My songs have been on NPR, the Outdoor channel and Verizon’s On Demand channel, among others. Tens of thousands of people have heard my music — they just haven’t realized it.
You’ve got less than 3 seconds to make a first impression online.
Is your website turning would-be customers away without you even knowing it?
Your site and the words you use — your copy — could either be making you money or costing you big time.