101 Ideas to Start Your Side Hustle, Make Money, and Take Charge of Your Destiny
And 10 mistakes you should avoid at all cost
It’s never been easier to learn a skill, start a side business and make money online. If you are feeling stuck, it’s because you haven’t realized how many opportunities there are out there.
Here I’m going to show you a hundred ideas but this is just the tip of the iceberg, the possibilities are infinite. It’s just a matter of using your creative mind, taking action, and sticking with it.
We’ve been trained to be an employee, a student, and a soldier — obey commands, be reliable, and don’t think for yourself. This has impaired our ability to think, imagine and discover. I encourage you to start exercising your creative muscle today, to look around and find solutions to everyday problems, and to think like an entrepreneur.
When you change your mindset, you become a different person, you are no longer constrained by reality, instead you see a world of possibilities before your very eyes. When that happens you become free.
Social Media
Is it too late to become an influencer, blogger, YouTuber, or (insert activity)?
In a word, No.
It’s never too late for anything providing you take it seriously, study the market, follow the trends, plan ahead and stay on top of it. The naysayers who say dropshipping is dead or that there are too many influencers are either lazy or have no confidence in their abilities.
I repeat. It’s never too late for anything. Do the work and make money. No excuses.
1. Manage Social Media for local businesses
Go to your local pub, restaurant, or bakery. Offer them to create and run their social media presence for a month at no cost. If they are happy with your work charge them $50-$100 a month for promoting their business and engaging their clientele. This involves organizing meetups, running promotions, taking pics, tagging customers, etc.
This can easily increase their revenue by 10–20% and earn you a nice commission. Get 20 customers and you got yourself a job.
More info here
2. Become an Influencer
Take one of your hobbies — gaming, movies, makeup, clothes, sport — and study it deeply. Find out every detail about this activity. Make videos, blog posts, reviews, and podcasts about it. Study other influencers and get inspired by them.
Post everything on Twitter, FB, Instagram, Youtube, and Pinterest. Upload fresh original content daily and in a few months, you will start seeing results. Offer big brands in your sector to promote their products and you’ll earn a nice commission.
Check this out.
3. Affiliate Marketing
Start a blog, YouTube channel, or podcast. Speak about a subject you know well, or are learning about. Share with the audience products you have tried and tested and are very satisfied with. Every time they click on the link you get a commission.
Providing you are honest, patient, and consistent you can make a small fortune with affiliate marketing. It is one of the best online income sources.
More info here
4. Telegram Groups
Start a Telegram group in a subject that interests you — Bitcoin, solar energy, manga, or Fortnite. Start promoting it until you get 1000 members. Post daily and encourage them to do the same. Negotiate with vendors some discounts for bulk purchases. Then organize group sales with a 20% discount on related articles, subscriptions, or collectibles.
You don’t have to pay upfront. Every member pays the vendor individually and they deliver the product to their door. All you do is negotiate a bulk discount.
I belong to a solar energy group and I have bought $3000 of equipment there. I saved 20% on retail price and the administrator got a nice commission. A win-win situation.
Get started here
5. Email Marketing
Start an email list in your niche and promote it until it gets traction. Use platforms like MailChimp or ConvertKit to get things off the ground.
Get started here
6. Create a Sales Funnel
Use platforms like Clickfunnels to automate your sales. It requires Digital Marketing knowledge and a lot of practice but when you master it, it can be very lucrative.
7. Marketing Focus Groups
Big companies research customer reactions by organizing Focus groups. Participate in some of them, answer a few questions, and get paid.
8. Become a SEO expert
Train yourself in Search Engine Optimization. Once you’ve gathered the basics you can start offering your services to companies, bloggers, writers, YouTubers, etc. It’ a steep learning curve but with huge potential.
9. Create Niche Websites
There are new trends appearing every day. If you keep an eye on trending topics you can be the first to create a webpage about it and then rank very high in search engines. The trick here is speed and go niche. Catching the trend early is vital.
Read more here.
10. Facebook Ads
Small businesses can increase their sales substantially by targeting specific customers through Facebook ads. However, business owners don’t have the time nor the inclination to look into this.
Learn how to design and promote these ads and offer them as a service to local or online businesses.
11. Pinterest Virtual Assistant
Become a Pinterest expert and offer your services to companies to promote their products. Optimize pics, create visuals, create pins and do keyword research.
If you don’t know enough about it, start experimenting or enroll in a course.
More info here.
12. Start a FaceBook Group
Groups are a powerful way to attract a fan base where everybody can interact and help each other. Being the admin, you’ll have powerful tools to promote your blog, do affiliate marketing, teach, or do bulk sales.
13. Tweet
You can become an influencer on Twitter. Post regularly, pick a niche, become an expert, be controversial, follow the trend leaders, and stay on top of the trends. Once you build an audience is easy to monetize.
More info here
14. Instagram Shop
Find out what products are suitable to sell on Instagram and run a shop there. Instagram has a very particular audience and when you get to know them, it’s easy to sell your items.
Start from here
15. Join the Amazon Affiliate Program
Cultivate a following on your blog and place links to Amazon products. You get a commission for every sale.
16. Use Hashtags
Hashtags don’t make money directly but categorize a topic, bring traffic to your site, and here is where you can monetize. Anything that generates traffic is a money-making machine. Become fluent in the hashtag language and you will do well.
More here
17. TikTok
Like any of the other platforms, you can make good dosh if you play your cards right. The advantage with TikTok is that it’s still in its early days and the potential for growth is huge.
The sooner you enter, the easier is to monetize. There are several ways to produce income in TikTok. Make a popular account and then sell it, get your followers to give you donations, manage influencer campaigns, run ads campaigns, and many other ways.
18. Snapchat
Yet again another platform that allows you to run snap ads, Geofilter, promote your product or content.
Read more here
19. YouTube as Social Media
YouTube is also a social media platform and on top of that, it’s the second most used search engine after Google.
You can tag keywords to videos, and you have a good chance of being seen as a result of a search. Here you can combine some of the benefits of Social media, SEO, hashtags, and video content. The potential for growth is huge.
More here
20. Linkedin
Linkedin is the social media for professionals so there are many ways to promote your book, product, services, or affiliate marketing products.
Since it’s a platform for professionals is the perfect place to sell informational products, webinars, courses, coaching, etc.
Like in any of the other platforms, the more time you spend on it interacting with others, the easier it is to promote your product. Build an email list, offer discounts and free materials, create groups in your niche and write blog posts and add a link to LinkedIn, etc.
Social Media has unlimited potential. Grow your presence on several platforms, share everything you do on them, promote your brand, offer value, run ad campaigns, and over time you will gather momentum and make a lot of money.
Check this out
Content Creation
This is my favorite. Social media, marketing, and promotion are all very good but at the end of the day, if you are not producing something original, you are not creating value.
Content creation might seem like a slow way to make money but if you stay the course the upside is unlimited. If you start today creating and shipping content, in 5 years, you will make good money from it. Most people quit after a few months, those who show up succeed.
Exponential growth is very slow at the beginning, it can take months or years to go from 0 to 1 but then it accelerates and the bigger it grows, the bigger the potential.
The longer you stay put, the better you’ll become at it. That increases the chances of going viral. It’s a no-brainer.
21. Blogging
Write about your life, your interests, your hobbies, your expertise. Learn something new and document it, tell others how it went.
Inspire people, tell stories, master your craft, write and publish daily. Combine that with digital marketing and you are good to go. Be patient and never quit.
22. Vlogging
Again, pick a niche, or, if you don’t have an obvious area of expertise, just talk about anything that interests you or something you are learning about ( you should always be learning something new)
Your journey is interesting for many people. Perhaps you are still searching for your passion. Well, guess what? So is everybody else! Share your journey and inspire them.
23. Podcast
If you Vlog, you can just export the audio and make a podcast out of it. When you find the right niche, learn the ropes, and promote it on all platforms, it can get you a very loyal audience that is easy to monetize.
The beauty of audio is that people listen to it while doing something else like exercising, driving, etc, so you are not competing for their time.
24. Quora
Quora is a question and answer platform with great content. If you are not on it you should be. I’ve learned invaluable knowledge here.
The way to make money on Quora is by answering questions about subjects you know something about ( and if you don’t, just learn) After you’ve been providing your input for a while, you can join the Quora partner program and earn money from it.
Consistency and providing value is the key here. Build a reputation and you’ll reap the benefits eventually.
24. Write professionally
If you like reading, you should be writing. Even if you’ve never done it before, it’s a great way to organize your thoughts, think strategically, and communicate with others.
I strongly believe everyone has a writer inside them and you should make every effort to explore your creativity this way.
Your writing will be poor at first but the more you do it, the better it will become. It’s just impossible to write a million bad words so, get them out asap and the rest will be good quality. That’s only 3 years, 1 hour a day, 1000 words a day. Would you like to become an excellent author in 3 years? Or, would you rather watch Netflix and waste your life fluffing about? Your choice.
26. Write for Websites
Many companies need good quality writing on their website. Often they don’t have the staff on-site to handle this and just make do. You can spot this easily online by reading their websites. Offer them to improve their image through better writing. Negotiate a fee, find 20 companies to do that for, and you got yourself a nice income source.
27. Write for other Blogs
When you’ve been practicing your skill for a few months, you can start writing for other blogs in addition to your own. Here the transaction is very straightforward — you get paid per post and it could be anything from $50 to hundreds.
This can be good money in the short term but don’t neglect your own blog even if it’s not making any money yet. You want to do work that compounds and writing for others is not scalable.
28. Ghostwriting
This is an excellent way to practice while earning some cash. The drawback is you won’t get any credit for it so do it only as a short-term hustle.
29. E-books
You can write a short e-book (5000–10,000 words) in less than a week. Providing you write in a niche, trendy subject and you find the right channels to promote, it can provide a steady income for years. Publish 5 to 10 of those a year and you are set for life.
More here
30. Email Copy
Either if it’s for you or for others, writing persuasive emails that make people take action is an extremely profitable niche. Learn the techniques, start practicing and your services will be in very high demand.
Check this out
31. Newsletters
Newsletters are an excellent way to reach and keep followers, subscribers, and customers. Most businesses don’t have one despite the obvious marketing benefits. By offering your services in this area you will get more work than you can handle.
32. Lead Magnets
Since building an email list is paramount for any content marketer. A lead magnet is a freebie they offer in exchange for the email address.
This lead magnet is usually a small ebook, a list, or any piece of writing that provides useful information. You can do that for others and get paid for it.
33. Rewrite Content
Just because you wrote some article, blog post, or webpage content a year ago doesn’t mean that’s going to last forever. Most content needs to be updated regularly in order to keep up with the news and the search algorithms.
That provides you with a never-ending stream of work that will never dry off.
34. Video transcripts
Offer any serious YouTuber to write transcripts, show notes, and captions and they will be very interested. The written word still ranks very high on search and by providing scripts, the value offered increases substantially.
Some of this is done automatically by the algorithm but it’s not great. A human can still do a much better job.
35. Write podcasts
Same as 33 but with podcasts.
36. Online courses
Some people are experts on a subject yet, they don’t know how to transfer that knowledge to the written word. Offer them to write the course scripts and profit from the synergies. Browse through online learning platforms like Udemy or Coursera and contact the authors to offer your services.
Also, look for courses that have poorly written material and offer to improve it for a fee.
37. Scripts
Many YouTubers and podcasters would benefit from properly written scripts to follow during the recording. Learn how to do it, offer your services and you both can sinergize from this partnership.
38. Speeches
Similar to the point above. Most people are poor speakers because they write their own script. Do it for them and they’ll be happy to share the benefits with you.
39. Write Copy
WebCopy is any written piece that persuades others to take action. It’s fairly easy and quick to learn and then you can use it to promote courses, books, websites, newsletters, etc. It’s a very profitable niche.
40. Product reviews
You can offer your services directly to manufactures or go through platforms like Reddit, Swagbucks, or ReviewStream. Any business that is trying to sell a product or service online can benefit from an honest, well written, objective review. Just explain upfront you are getting paid for it and don’t write unless you love the product.
41. Write for Medium
Well, this is what I’m actually doing right now. It’s difficult to make it here but it’s worth trying. I’ve been writing here for a year now but haven’t gone viral yet. Maybe this is the article! LOL.
Competition here is fierce and there are so many great writers that I feel like an impostor. Yet, I’m not going to quit. I’ll be here in 5 years, 10 years, and more. Eventually, I’ll make it. I write because I love it and because I know I have a message to spread. This is for me the best way to earn a living.
Join my newsletter and I’ll help you achieve your goals. Guaranteed.
Teach
You can always make money teaching and it’s never been a better time to teach than now. You have Skype, Youtube, Blogging, Podcasts, MOOCs, and more. You can teach live, one to one, or record a lesson that can be watched over and over. You can even teach offline, face to face, or do a group lesson.
The caveat is, you must know something before you teach but… you already do! That’s the good news. You know at least a language, some math, how to cook and how to ride a bicycle, plus a hundred more skills. It’s almost impossible to reach the age of 20 without knowing enough about many subjects that you could share with others. You might feel like an impostor but you are not. Millions will be glad to learn from you. Don’t make them wait.
41. Teach a language
You can converse online using Skype in your mother tongue or any other language that you speak well enough. Since you are reading this, you can speak English so there you go, 4 billion people are waiting to learn from you.
And don’t believe the fallacy you have to be American, British, Spanish, or French to teach a language. Teaching an acquired language makes you a better teacher since you’ve gone through the process of learning it and you can relate.
You can start today in sites like iTalki, Verbal Planet, or Verbling.
43. Private Tutoring
You’ve gone through school and maybe college. You’ve passed countless tests in dozens of subjects. You could easily teach any of those to kids or adults and help them with their exams. This is a very profitable niche and can be done online or offline.
44. Learn something, then teach it
You only need to be one lesson ahead to teach. This might sound unprofessional or even dishonest but it’s not. The closer you are to your student, the more they can learn. I’ve had teachers that were experts about the subject and yet couldn’t teach. They were too far removed from the beginner’s mind. When you have something fresh in your mind, you know how to teach it and how to relate. This is why often your fellow students can explain something better than your teacher.
You can learn about anything on Youtube for free and then make your own channel and start teaching it. There is a lot of competition but providing you are genuine, show some personality and don’t quit you will succeed.
45. Sports
Surely you’ve done some sports. Either it is swimming, soccer, running or basketball, you must have spent at least 1000 hours on some activity. Anybody would love to learn from an expert like you.
Some activities are suited for online tuition while others are better taught offline. Among other things, your clients will benefit from the accountability you provide.
46. Teach Internet
Do you know what skill you have absolutely mastered? Technology. You are using your phone, a laptop, social media, the internet, Whatsapp, Fitbit, etc several hours a day. That makes you an expert. You take it for granted and think everyone knows that stuff but you couldn’t be more wrong. There are millions who can not handle technology and they need to be taught how to do it. The elderly, rural communities, underdeveloped countries are just some of the niches you can reach. This must be done offline at least at the beginning but then it can be transferred online.
Go to your town’s senior center and teach them how to master Instagram or TikTok to impress their grandkids. They’ll be glad to learn from you.
47. Cooking
You might not be a Cordon Bleu Masterchef but you know some unique recipes you learned from your grandmother. You can show people how a proper goulash, okonomiyaki, or souffle is done. The world is your oyster so go and cook it (or eat it raw).
Everybody enjoys cooking and people feel very passionate about learning new techniques, dishes or desserts. Thousands of cooking books are published every year and that’s a sign of big demand.
A blog or a YouTube channel is the perfect vehicle for this and you can be complemented with affiliate marketing recommending products and earning a nice commission.
48. DIY
Can you hang a picture? Drill a hole in the wall? Connect some cables? Then you are among the top 1% of the population. People nowadays are becoming too specialized, they might be top surgeons or Webmasters but when it comes to fix a leaking toilet they are lost. You can tap into this market by offering DIY challenged individuals your services
Alternatively, you can teach it online. Even if you are not a white man in your 50s you can still make your mark. Lately, I’ve noticed a sharp increase in the number of young ladies showing how it’s done. People appreciate non-professionals giving it a go because they can relate.
49. Writing
Can you write? Then you should be teaching it. It’s a very useful skill to have and people are willing to pay good money for it.
50. Drawing
Same thing
51. Music
Everybody should be able to either play an instrument or sing properly. If you have that talent you should share it with others.
52. Money
Very few people know much about finances and they could save or make a fortune by being savvier about money.
Do you know the difference between bad debt and good debt? Then you know more than 80% of the population who owe a fortune in credit card debt.
If you know the basics about interest, pensions, investing, 401K, etc you can start teaching others than know less than you.
Financial education should be compulsory at school but it’s not. You can bridge that gap by teaching people how not to be taken advantage of by unscrupulous lenders, banks, pension funds, and other vultures.
53. Meditation
If you don’t meditate yet, you should. There are many studies showing a reduction in stress, anxiety, improvement in well-being, and mental sharpness.
Practice it daily for a few months and then encourage others to do it. Simple as that.
54. Breathing
Nobody knows how to breathe, that’s a fact. There are many techniques like Soma, 4–7–8, Deep, Box breathing, and many others that have been proven beneficial for stress reduction, insomnia, concentration, and general health.
Become a breathing expert and teach the world how it should be done.
55. General housekeeping
There many skills that are quickly disappearing with modern times. Things like sewing, preserving foods, spring cleaning, or knitting are traditions you might have learned from your grandmother. If you were that lucky, you should show others how it’s done and help preserve an ancestral skill.
56. Traditions
I don’t know about you but I’d love to learn to dance Tango, some obscure martial art from China, or medieval archery. Ok, I’m nerdy but I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one. If you happen to know some skill, tradition or custom from your family or region you should help keep that alive.
57. Survival skills
Can you hunt, make a fire or find freshwater? Then you can survive in the wild and you could save someone’s life by transferring your skills.
Survivalism has become very prevalent lately with all these SHTF scenarios. After all, what’s more important than surviving?
58. First Aid
If you don’t know First Aid, you should learn it. It can be done over a weekend intensive course. Not only you could save people’s lives but also you could become a trainer and teach others. Schools, swimming pools, sports centers are some places that require this skill to work for them.
59. Gaming
Are you good at Fifa 21, Fortnite, or Minecraft? Then you can show game illiterate people (like me) how to play and beat their kids at it. This is a huge market, believe me.
60. Photography
Who doesn’t like photography, right? Yet, most of us don’t have a clue about how to take a proper picture. Learn the basics and you’ll have a never-ending supply of photographers’ wannabes.
61. Driving
If you can drive, you can teach it and help others get their license. Be aware of the regulations in your area. Beware of local regulations, you might need a specially adapted car and drive in closed circuits but those are usually available for rent.
E-Commerce
There are many ways to sell stuff online. The competition is fierce but with a growing demand there is room for those who take it seriously, study the market, plan ahead are serious about it. This is a long term project that will reap benefits only if you stick to it.
62. eBay
You already own plenty of stuff that you never use. That’s a great starting point to dip your toe on eBay, declutter your house and make some cash.
Do your research properly, find the price and characteristic of your product on Google Product Search, market your eBay listing, take some nice pics, add a mouth-watering description, list your first item and wait for people to bid.
By the time you get rid of your items, you’ll be an expert on eBay. You’ll know what works and what doesn’t and which niche is more profitable. And you can transfer that knowledge to other platforms. Definitely worth a try.
Amazon
There are many ways to make money on amazon so it deserves its own category. You can’t go wrong with the biggest online e-commerce platform, it’s a universe on its own and the opportunities are endless.
63. Amazon handmade
If you have artistic talent and can make artisan products, amazon handmade is the place to go. To start you need to fill up an application form where you explain what you do, your production process, materials, and so on.
Once you are approved you get your own URL so customers can easily find you. Apply here.
64. Amazon Affiliate program
If you have a blog, a YouTube channel, or any kind of following in social media, you can monetize by recommending products. Just add a link to your website and every click or sale will bring you a commission of 4–10%. Affiliate marketing is one of the best ways to build a sustainable business.
65. Merchandising by Amazon
If you are creative and enjoy making original or funny designs you can make money printing T-shirts, mugs, scarfs, etc. Even if you are not an expert you can make decent stuff using Canva and other design programs.
66. Amazon Publishing
If you are a writer or have an area of expertise you can make money by publishing e-books on Amazon. The trick here is volume so you need to publish fresh content often. It sounds daunting but it isn’t, writing a 10,000–20,000 word e-book on a subject you like shouldn’t take more than a month once you get the hang of it. If you are consistent, your ranking will improve and your sales will pick up.
67. Fulfillment By Amazon
You can simplify your e-commerce operation by letting Amazon handle shipping, packaging, and customer support.
When you become an FBA seller, you benefit from Amazon’s credibility. Most customers can’t tell the difference between your product and Amazon’s own. This can open many doors at the beginning.
On top of that, Amazon offers a lot of support about what’s trending, what’s most profitable, and many marketing tools.
Learn more here: FBA
68. Amazon Mechanical Turk
This is a platform for outsourced simple tasks. You can complete tasks like survey participation or content moderation and get a few $ for each task.
Most tasks take less than 5 mins so you can expect to make up to $20 an hour. Don’t expect to become rich doing this, you won’t but if you are strapped for cash it’s a way to start.
Learn more here: Mechanical Turk
69. Arbitrage
You can buy articles offline and sell them on Amazon for a markup. For this you need to do a lot of research, find sales, or buy in bulk. It can be very time consuming but if you enjoy shopping for bargains this might be your thing.
70. Professional services on Amazon
If you are a teacher, a plumber, or a lawyer Amazon can be a gateway to find customers. There is no monthly fee but you need to get insurance.
This is a straightforward way to start your own business.
More info here: Amazon Services
71. Private Label Brand
By creating your own brand and use it to sell your products on amazon you can benefit from the marketing advantages of having your own label.
The advantages of PLB are that you have control over your listings and can avoid counterfeit.
Other E-commerce platforms
72. Shopify
Shopify is Amazon’s biggest competitor and growing very fast. Technically speaking, Shopify is an e-commerce platform while Amazon is a marketplace.
The advantages of Shopify are the powerful eCommerce tools and the unique brand identity. On the downside, Shopify costs extra and you are responsible for your own marketing.
Shopify offers about the same possibilities as Amazon — dropshipping, arbitrage, sell your art, freelance, sell your services, etc — and you have more control over your brand.
73. Dropshipping
No, dropshipping is not dead… if you do it the right way. If anything, it’s more alive than ever because it got rid of the amateur competition, the unprofessionals, and the dilettantes.
If you are unfamiliar with the term, it consists of finding a manufacturer that delivers the product directly to the customer without you handling it at all. The system has been abused in the past by people dropshipping low-quality products from China that took a month to arrive. That’s not the way to do it.
You can still make money from dropshipping providing you good quality products, reliable suppliers, do your homework, and provide proper customer service.
Learn more here
74. Etsy
Etsy is an e-commerce shop that specializes in handmade goods and unique products. Things like jewelry, artwork, vintage, seeds, planners, party accessories, etc.
So if you are crafty or are good at finding these unique products Etsy is the place for you.
More info here
75. Sell Informational products
Webinars, eBooks, newsletter subscriptions, online courses are some examples of informational products that cost very little to produce and have unlimited potential.
In fact, of all the ideas on this post, this is the best I think.
Get knowledgeable in one niche and ship information related to it. Teach others how to do it and when you find the right target, your growth can be exponential. If you can code, write, draw, yoga, Pilates, breathing, meditation, or design, put together some material, create a course, an e-book, or a newsletter, market it in the right places and you will make a nice living from it.
76. Email list
The money is on the list
Whatever you do and wherever you do it, you must build a sizeable email list ASAP. Whether you find your market in Amazon, Shopify, Instagram, or Facebook these customers are not yours until they join your email list.
Any of these platforms can close your account on a whim for no reason at all and all the work you’ve put in over the years could disappear overnight.
So start your email list and try to grow it as much as possible. That’s your lifeblood.
And how do you do that? By offering something valuable in return for free content. It could be an e-book, a discount, access to your site, or a freebie.
Let’s be honest, building an email list is hard and it takes a long time but once you got it, you are in charge. Use services like Mailchimp or convertkit and start today. It’ll be your best investment.
77. Marketing Focus Groups
By participating in online surveys with companies like Swagbucks and InboxDollars you can make some easy money although not a lot.
There are other marketing companies that pay up to $150 for your opinion on certain products.
Check it out here: SideHustleNation
78. Print On Demand
This is a fast-growing sector. You send your idea to the printing company and they produce clothing and any other kind of merchandise with your unique design. This business has been proven to be very profitable for many people, the trick here is to be creative, original, funny, and irreverent. Study the trends and try many designs out to see what sticks.
Build your brand and over time you’ll get quite a following.
79. Make an App
Even if you can’t code you can still make an App. Companies like Adalo provide a platform from which you can design and implement an App from a template.
So, if you have an idea about some problem that hasn’t been solved yet and that is suitable for a phone App, this is the way you can make your mark.
Once uploaded to Google Play or Apple store, you can either charge a fee or give it away for free. Often the free option is more popular and will make you more revenue through advertising.
80. Fiverr
Offer your services in Fiverr, build up a portfolio, get reviews and soon you can start making money. This is just one of many platforms for freelancers and the competition is fierce but if you start small and are patient, you will cash in eventually.
81. TikTok
TikTok is the craze right now and you can take advantage of the trend by showing others how to grow their channels.
Since it’s still in its early days, it’s much easier to go viral than in any of the other platforms.
Get to know the basics and start promoting your channel and once you get a decent following you can start monetizing and teaching others how its done. The early bird catches the worm.
Offline ways to make money
82. Translation
If you know two languages well, you can do some translation work either offline or online. It’s not scalable, it’s hard work but there is plenty of work since everything is published in English and needs to be translated to the local lingo.
More info here.
83. Property Rental
Get in touch with the owners of empty flats or houses in your area and offer them to manage their properties as rentals for a 20% commission. It can be very profitable, especially short-term rentals.
Also, you could rent apartments long-term and rerent them on AirBnB for shorter periods. Of course, the owner must agree to this in the lease contract and you must abide by local tax and regulations. But if you are in a popular city or a holiday destination you could make a small fortune this way.
I did this for a while and it was easy to start with no initial investment and a nice steady profit.
84. Dog Walking
Not really my cup of tea but if you like dogs and being outdoors I guess is a low overhead, easy job to do in your neighborhood. Keep in mind the possible dangers and cover yourself in case of an eventuality
85. Car washing
I hate washing my car. I would pay anything if somebody could take this pain away from me and I’m sure I’m not the only one. Remove this pain and you’ve got yourself a business.
86. Uber
If you can drive, you can Uber. Even if you don’t own a car, you can rent it, borrow it and start doing the rounds. You won’t become rich by doing this but it’s a quick way to get some income until you move into something better.
87. Personal Shopper
If you like shopping, why not do it for other people?
People get really busy nowadays and they could do with some help. Once you get to know your customers, you’ll be able to choose the right clothes, furniture, groceries, or anything really.
Find out more here
88. Craigslist (or equivalent)
One of the ways you can make money with second-hand stuff is with arbitrage. Search for bargains in your area and resell them either online or offline. It’s time-consuming but once you get the hang of it it can become profitable.
89. Taskrabbit
If you are looking for odd jobs to do, Taskrabbit is the place to go. Cleaning, repairs, moving, etc. Search or post your skills around your area and you’ll find many prospects.
Link here
90. Mystery Shopper
A mystery shopper is someone who shops undercover and collects valuable marketing data from the experience. You can make $100–200 a day by doing this job. Usually, you would be employed by a third party.
More information here
Become an Expert
The word expert has been widely overused. Nobody is really an expert on anything and yet if you read 10 books on a subject and do some online course about anything you will know more than 99.9% of the population about that niche. This can take less than 3 months. Once you are an expert you can start advising, teaching, consulting, or investing in that area.
Here are some of the hottest areas to become an expert.
91. Blockchain
Blockchain is the underlying technology behind cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum. It has many more uses than just transferring money.
Smart contracts, music royalty tracking, supply chain monitoring, secure voting, personal identity security, etc. The possibilities are endless and the market is huge. You don’t have to go too technical either, just become an evangelist or a consultant and start spreading the word.
This is the perfect time to start since it’s early days. In a few years, it will become mainstream. Do you wish you had become an expert on the internet in 1995? This is your second chance. Blockchain will be an even bigger revolution.
92. Crypto
Bitcoin is all over the place right now. The price is going higher and higher. But that’s irrelevant.
The great thing about Bitcoin, Ethetreum, and other cryptocurrencies is the technology under the hood. It’s a superior form of money and is going to take over the world.
The US$ and other FIAT currencies are deflationary assets that lose value every time Central banks decide to print more billions of it. Gold is much better as a reserve of value but is difficult to buy, transfer, divide or move or own.
Bitcoin is the internet of money and is going to change the world. Become an expert in the subject and the opportunities will be limitless. You can teach, promote, consult, and invest. Again, this is only the beginning. Join the trend now and the sky is the limit.
93. Teach others how to make money online
This is my favorite niche. Don’t give them fish, show them how to fish. It’s scalable, with a small initial investment, with unlimited potential and you are helping others improve their lives.
First, you should make money by following any of these tips given in this article, and then immediately you can share with others how you did it. If more people did this, there would be no poverty in the world, I’m sure.
94. Empower others
The biggest market in the world is not China, the US, or Europe, it’s the developing world. Billions of people are stuck below the poverty line because no one is providing the resources that you and I take for granted. Internet, clean water, access to a bank, and a stable currency are just some examples.
I’m not talking about charity here, I’m talking about a business that provides essential goods and services for a reasonable price. Seeds, agricultural technology, solar power, water sanitation, smartphones, cheap internet connection, wildlife preservation, quality tourism, medicinal plants are just some ideas.
But there is one I’m obsessed with: Facilitating the adoption of some stable cryptocurrency so they can trade and store value without having to deal with a worthless currency.
Zimbabwe, Venezuela, Argentina, and many more countries are broken economies. Their currencies are hyper-inflationary. A coffee cost 1 million today, 2 million tomorrow, and so on. They have been using us$ when they can get hold of them but that’s very inconvenient and expensive. A cryptocurrency like Bitcoin Cash, Tether or, Binance USD, could do the trick. All they need is the ability to buy, sell and store the currency from their phones in a secure way.
Granted, this project sounds overwhelming but it can be divided into smaller actionable steps and dip your toe there. The potential is huge.
95. Solar Energy
Solar energy has become the cheapest, easiest, and more sustainable way to produce electricity. In 10 years, everything will be running on solar. Cars, trains, trucks, planes, your house, hospitals, hotels, supermarkets, you name it. Solar combined with affordable batteries will be the fastest growing industry ever. There is a lot of work to do and if you manage to get a 0.00000001% of that pie, you will become wealthy.
The good thing is that it’s quite easy to learn, anyone can learn the basics in a few weeks by reading a few books and watching some videos. From then on you can become a promoter, consultant, or direct salesperson. The world needs energy, are you willing to provide it?
96. Lend money
Ok, I’m running out of ideas so I have to put this one here. No, really, this could be a profitable business providing you use certain guarantees like blockchain technology.
Peer to peer lending has been used for years with different levels of success. The problem is the risk of losing your money but with crypto, this has been minimized. Platforms like Binance, BlockFi, or YouHodler offer these services with up to 80% collateral protection. I believe this will be a fast-growing business in the near future.
Disclaimer: This is not investment advice. Do your homework and never invest anything you are not prepared to lose.
97. Sell your energy
If you have room for solar panels or a wind turbine, you could make a nice profit by selling your output to the grid. Solar panel prices keep falling and selling your electricity prices keep going up. It doesn’t take a genius to work out that there is a business opportunity here. And it’s easy to get cheap finance for these kinds of projects since banks know they are very profitable and governments support green energy production.
98. Convert old cars to electric
All those diesel cars are going to waste… unless someone decides to convert them to electric. Small companies and individuals keep popping up taking advantage of this little niche. It’s a win-win situation — a dirty car is turned green car and is no waste is produced.
Technically is challenging, either you train in car mechanics or you can outsource it. Then you need to look into the regulations to make it road-worthy.
I for one would love to buy an old Chevrolet brought to life by a battery system.
99. Coaching or mentoring
One thing I find is that most people live well below their potential. You can help bridge that gap by coaching them to develop and flourish.
Becoming a life coach is not about being an expert on a particular subject, it’s about encouragement and accountability. If I check on you every week to see if you have achieved your goals, you are much more likely to succeed. Whether is losing weight, making money, learning Esperanto, or becoming more extroverted, you can help a lot. Of course, the more training and the more experience you have the better but to start just coach someone for free and you’ll see how much they improve.
100. Sell Nostalgia
I’m getting old I guess. Every time I see some device, art, vinyl, or technology from the eighties I want to buy it. And I’m not the only one for sure.
Nostalgia sells a lot. Become an expert in the area, find antiques, get in touch with manufacturers that can produce something from the past, and market it in the right places. It’s a no brainer.
101. Write Blog posts about 101 Ideas to make money
Sorry I couldn’t help it. I’m not making any money on this… unless it goes viral on Medium (go and tell all your friends). But basically, the last idea is to do something you love, that can help others and that has unlimited potential. For me this is writing. I’m only a beginner but I’m having fun and I’m not planning to quit ever.
I suggest you do the same. Find your passion. Work on it every day and don’t worry about the money, it will come eventually.
Never forget to have fun.
10 mistakes you should avoid unless you want to lose money
Now that you know 100 ways to make money let’s make sure you don’t lose it all by doing something stupid like this:
- Income tax. Salary is the highest taxed income source. Become your own boss and manage your taxes legally. Warren Buffet pays 0% tax, you probably pay between 20 to 40%. You don’t need to be the richest man in Babylon to pay less tax, you just have to think and behave like an entrepreneur
- Capital gains tax. Only buy assets that appreciate and never sell them. That way you can avoid capital gains. Borrow against them when you need cash
- Gambling. If you think you can make money buying lottery or gambling I’ve got news for you. You won’t
- Day Trading. Another form of gambling
- Buying expensive toys — clothes, cars, holidays, etc. Just don’t throw your money away on shit
- Credit card debt. Don’t borrow for toys either
- Buying a house you can’t afford. Rent is better than buying
- Listening to your broker. Is your broker rich? If the answer is no then don’t listen to him.
- Going to college. Unless you want to pursue a passion that needs a degree, don’t bother with college. 4 years and $100.000 can be better spent somewhere else
- Being unhealthy. No health, no life, but you already know that, right? You won’t get away with anything. Stop that vice now if you don’t want to go to your grave too early
Conclusion
It’s never been easier to make money online and become entrepreneurial. Really there is no excuse. With very little money you can start your side hustle and with practice and determination, you can build an empire.
Don’t listen to the naysayers that say it’s too late, the market is overcrowded, or some bullshit like that. IT IS NOT TOO LATE!
If anything it’s too early because many trends and technologies haven’t even been invented yet.
Lose your fears, your shyness, and your inferiority complex and get out there and show the world how much you can do. Thousands of idiots have made it big before you so why not you? You have probably more skills, talents, and intelligence than 90% of the wealthy entrepreneurs. Stop feeling like an impostor and take action.
You are your only obstacle. Get out of your own way and hit the proverbial road. The world needs you now.
If you need any more help or support, join my tribe here. I wish you all the best. Let me know how it went.
