3 Things That Helped Me Create a Passive Income
The best kind of career is one that gives you your time back.
I took two weeks off from all of my work because my family came to visit me from Seattle.
I’ll admit, I was a bit stressed out because I’ve never taken that much time off, and it’s only my first official year of freelancing, so I had no idea what was in store for me.
Alas, I took time off. I didn’t write; I didn’t brainstorm, although I did jot down a few ideas that popped into my head here and there. I only recorded one video for my YouTube channel, and it was a travel vlog to Palm Springs, which I have yet to edit, oh and I didn’t work out. I was off the clock for everything.
Do you want to know what happened?
Nothing. My stats went down a bit but not by much, my YouTube channel grew a couple more subs, I gained more views on older videos, I lost a few pounds from not working out (did you know taking a break from fitness can actually be beneficial when done correctly?).
I made money from my catalog and racked up reads on old articles, and best of all? I had a great time with my family without giving my work or income a second thought.
This made me realize just how important it is to have something that provides you with a passive income so when you do need/or want to take time off, you can do so with peace of mind.
I don’t know everything there is to know about making money online, but I’ve managed to bring in 4 figures monthly while working from the comforts of my home in sunny Los Angeles. If you’re currently looking to dive into a new career path or you’re struggling, here are a few things I did to help me get started.
Focus on monetizing something you’re already good at.
I dropped out of college because I hated working in tech, and I live in LA. A place where essentially everybody has some weird job you probably won't find in a college curriculum.
A holistic nutritionist? What is that? Healer? Huh? A life coach? What? I’d never even heard of these types of roles when I lived in Seattle. I’m not throwing shade; it’s incredible how many people have been able to create a career out of their unique passions.
You’ve got to make money somehow, and if you can get creative about it, more power to you.
After dropping out of school, I got a job working at Yahoo because #bills. While I worked there, I worked on monetizing one of my own passions.
Food.
I love food. I love talking about it, going to restaurants, making suggestions, and of course, I love making it. I was already a pretty decent cook thanks to my mother, but I decided to try different things, and pretty soon, I launched my first blog called The Yummy Plate, in which I created over two hundred healthy and delicious recipes.
On the site, you’ll find vegan, paleo, dairy-free, and gluten-free options. Not because I’m any of those things, but because the majority of my audience resides in California, and everyone has some sort of dietary restriction, so I wanted to appeal to them as much as I could.
I was great at cooking, I loved taking photos, I was not great at creating the website, but luckily my boyfriend helped me out with that; however, if you go on any freelancing website right now, you’ll find hundreds of people who are excellent at things like this if you’re a little tech-challenged.
This is the 21st century; making a living off of something you’re genuinely interested in has never been easier. Identify what you’re already good at and work with it. My food blog even led me to start another blog — a lifestyle one in which I share life advice, beauty tips, travel tips, and more.
It’s still under construction, but once it’s up and running, it’ll be another source of income.
I remember scrolling through other people’s blogs years ago, thinking how incredible it must be to talk about products or places they love going to and getting paid for it — now I’m in their shoes all because I took a chance and went for it.
What’s stopping you from creating something out of what you’re passionate about? I took something as simple as food, and it turned into a business. You can do the same.
You’re going to have to invest all of your time into it before you see any sort of return.
In 2020, I dedicated essentially every hour of my day to my writing career. I invested in courses; I skipped out on nights out, I woke up early, tried all the “productive and successful routines,” etc., and guess what?
In January 2021, I made my first $1,000 from writing. Two months later, I made $2,000, then $3,000. It was a domino effect.
My current goal is to hit $5,000, and the closest I’ve come has been $4,550. I’m working on it.
You’re going to have to invest all of your time into whatever you’re doing before you see any sort of return.
The majority of people quit right before the ball gets rolling. This shit takes time, and it’s better to do it the right way and learn the lessons you need to learn the first time around rather than take shortcuts and suffer later.
You have to be a forward thinker.
It’s good to focus on the present, but smart leaders are equally as focused on the future.
When I worked in tech, I lived paycheck-to-paycheck. I never thought about the next level because in the corporate world — there’s always a cap. It could be based on your degree, or your experience level, etc.
When I started working for myself, I started thinking about the bigger picture and how I could ensure every step I was taking would benefit me long term.
- Where is this food blog going to take me? It can help me when I try to pitch Bon Appetit, LAeats, or any other food magazine.
- Where are the fitness videos I post on YouTube going to take me? I could get brand deals with fitness companies one day, and more importantly, I can help people reach their fitness goals.
- Where are all the articles I’m writing going to take me? They’re going to help me build an audience so that when my first book gets published, people are going to want to read it.
I’m constantly thinking about what’s next, and because of the time I’ve already invested into my food blog, my YouTube channel, and my writing career, I can peacefully take time off — and not worry about it harming me.
The best kind of career is one that gives you your time back. Focus on investing your energy into a career that will reciprocate and make it all worth it in the end.
