All of us could use a bit of extra cash in our pockets. Whether you’re looking for a full-time, part-time, or casual gig, today there are more ways than ever to legitimately make money online.
We’ve explored several of the options and have compiled a list of the five best and most realistic ways you can start earning an income by harnessing the power of the World Wide Web.
Find the Right App for Your Business
There are several apps available today which allow everyday people to take on a side gig and earn more money. The most obvious of the bunch are Uber and Lyft where you can serve as a driver for those who need a ride around town. Driving takes place in the physical world, but everything is managed through the app online. The hours are flexible and there are few requirements to join.
Driving strangers around not your gig? There are several other opportunities including:
- Swagbucks: Simple and offering numerous ways to make money, users receive both gift cards and cash back rewards for completing surveys, surfing the web, watching videos, and shopping online.
- InboxPounds: Another app, this one based in the UK, that will pay you for taking surveys, playing games, watching videos, and searching the web. Learn more on their website.
Sell Things Online
What are you passionate about? Is there a way you can use that passion and turn it into something you can sell?
From weekend garage sales warriors to digital designers to crafty artisans, almost anyone can sell something online.
Ebay, Amazon, and Craigslist are all top contenders for both new and used items you think people may be interested in. Hundreds of people make a sizable income because they know how to sniff out a great deal and then turn around and sell the item at a juicy profit.
If digital designs are what you’re great at, head on over to Cafe Press. You can create and sell your designs on the platform and receive a commission for everything that sells.
There are also professional service “marketplaces” like Upwork where you can scroll through what may be thousands of postings from people looking for a service you can likely offer. Competition can be fierce, so spruce up your resume and be sure to have glowing examples of your work ready to share.
Some other great websites to check out include:
Etsy & Zazzle (for crafty handmade items and custom products)
iStockPhoto & Shutterstock (for talented photographers)
Flippa (for those experienced with buying items and turning them around at a profit)
Become an Affiliate
This is an ideal option for anyone who has a website or blog which receives a fair amount of attention. As an affiliate, you source products from a variety of affiliate sites (do beware, however, as each company has different offerings and some aren’t even legit) and then promote those products. Make a sale and you earn a commission.
Setting up a blog is one of the easiest and most sustainable ways to make an ongoing income online. It will take some trial and error at first to hone in on the right crowd and to learn things like search engine optimization (SEO) and social networking to boost your rank. But once you get it rolling, your blog only stands to get more attention from your global audience.
Start Recording Yourself
Think about the unique gift, talent, or knowledge you have to share with the world, and then let it be known through video! Thanks to recent advancements in smartphone technology, almost any mobile device created in the last five years will be more than capable of allowing you to create good quality footage for YouTube, social media, and webinars.
Webinars may be the most lucrative type of video to create, as individuals can pay for one or an ongoing series of videos which guide them through the process of learning or completing a task.
YouTube videos can also put extra dollars in your pocket if done correctly. The rules for having Adsense and generating income from videos has recently changed, but once you build up a subscriber base, you’ll be surprised how much passive income you can earn each month.
Participate in Peer-to-Peer Lending
Peer-to-peer (P2P) lending is a type of investment where you would act as a lender and lend directly to the borrowers who visit the site. While this may seem risky, quality P2P sites fully vet their borrowers and provide lenders with a detailed rating of the borrower based on:
- Their credit profile
- Their income
- The purpose of the loan
P2P lending is attractive for a few reasons. One is that there are no big financial institutions to deal with (and to take a portion of your hard-earned capital). Another is that investors can receive above average rates of return by investing in a multitude of different hand-picked loans available through the site.
What may be the most attractive quality of all is that P2P lending means giving a fellow human being the opportunity to make his or her dreams come true. Traditional financial institutions have tightened their belts and are less willing now than almost ever before to approve a loan. P2P lending supports creativity and innovation, two things which are dearly needed if we hope to successfully progress through the twenty-first century.
Interested in learning more about P2P lending? We invite you to see how it works or you can contact us at [email protected].
