My 5 Income Streams as a Full-Time Creator
And how you can do it.
If you told me I could have multiple income streams a year ago, I would’ve told you it’s a far-fetched dream. Sure, it took about a year to have five of them. But that isn’t too long for multiple income streams, is it?
A few months into having a side hustle along with your full-time job, you can already have two income streams. That’s still better than one!
Here are my five income streams and insights on how you can carve your path towards them.
The Obvious One
I’m a writer, so the most obvious income stream I have is doing writing gigs. I undertake copywriting gigs from businesses and executives.
This is divided into:
- Copywriting: I do one-off copy gigs like website landing pages.
- Social Media: LinkedIn posts, emails, newsletters.
- Ghostwriting: mainly for executives to build an online presence.
- Content writing (rarely): blog posts
After trying my hand at various things, I’ve realised that I want to do blog posts only for exclusive clients as its time-consuming. I have undertaken short and long-term gigs in other areas.
I’m still discovering my path and experimenting with various types of writing gigs. A writing friend online helped me bag a research gig, so trying my hand at the for now.
How to get there
- Build a catalogue of your work
- Use Upwork/Fiverr (it’s how I started to earn my first $)
- Build an online presence on LinkedIn/ Twitter so people see you’re available to hire
Watch out for: Shady clients! Please verify their profiles or consider asking for a 50% advance and don’t say yes to everybody. People running away with the money after getting work done is not an uncommon practice. Use your due diligence.
2. Consulting
I consult writers on how to find their writing path into side-hustle/ full-time writing and executives to build an online presence.
I want to be honest with you – I’m fairly new to this one and so far have one client who I consult bi-monthly on digital strategy.
How to get there
Create a landing page on your website (I used PayHip). For anybody who DMs you regarding strategy, send them a link. Your time isn’t free of cost!
3. A Platform
Yes, the one you’re reading on.
In 2021, I’ve earned 5-figures from this platform. I know, some writers earn that much in a month, but I’m not one of them (yet).
This was the slowest platform to grow on, but definitely very rewarding. It’s also my favourite because it's where my creative juices flow without a sword of a client on my head.
If you want to be a YouTuber, that pays you on watching minutes too. If you don’t want to be a creator and want to be a freelancer, there are marketplaces like Upwork and Fiverr to help you with earning.
How to get there
- Find a skill/ learn a skill
- Showcase on a platform that pays
If you’re a creator, then:
- Publish every week
- Gradually increase your output
- Do this for a long time to get traction (views, watch time, etc)
Watch out for: being on too many platforms at once. Instead, understand a platform and ace it.
4. Affiliates
Your audience is human and not stupid
I never ever ever in my wildest dreams thought I’d wake up to an email telling me earned $248 for a sale. And this has happened twice.
I never thought I’d be paid $100 for a mention in one article.
This requires you to be fairly established so brands can reach out to you with an affiliate link. They want to see that you can get traction.
I follow one simple rule: promote products you’ve personally bought/ used. I don’t have a single affiliate link of something I haven’t personally used and seen returns.
After a viral LinkedIn post, I was offered $80 to copy-paste content about a brand. That’s great money for 3 minutes of work! I refused because I haven’t used their platform, so how can I vouch for them?
I’ve spoken about Hypefury (aff) in multiple platforms, but they didn’t even reach out to me. They give all users an affiliate link and I genuinely love them so much, which is why I promote them.
Affiliates could be quick money, but be responsible. Your audience is human and not stupid. They’ll know and lose respect for you if you fool them.
How to get there
With the previous step, improve your online presence and increase your discoverability. You can also use collaborations instead of affiliates to start off with (e.g. Swapstack if you have a newsletter).
5. A Cohort-Based Course
You may get booked the first time, and if you don’t provide value, then there’s no second time
This is my most recent source of income and I’ve earned a decent amount in two weeks (November 23 – December 07).
The first cohort was an experiment to see if this idea bubbling in my brain actually works, and it did! I got 70 applications out of which I squared down to 40 people across 20 countries.
I was nervous about this but 30 minutes after launching, I’d already made $297.
I never wanted an online course until I saw a demand and tried to solve for it in a cohort based programme for 3 weeks.
For this particular source, money may not be the primary motivation but impact will. Think of it. You may get booked the first time, and if you don’t provide value, then there’s no second time.
How to get there
Create any product (course/ebook/templates) and sell it on Gumroad. Voila! You’re an entrepreneur.
To create a product, follow these steps. I’m not an experienced entrepreneur but this worked for me:
- Assess an issue
- Check if there’s a demand for it (LinkedIn polls helped me)
- Solve for it for free
- Solve for it in depth with a price tag
This will take longer than it sounds, so don’t rush into it.
Summarising
Multiple income streams look unachievable because you feel you need to be something to attain it.
But you just need to do one thing — start.
Whether it’s gig-work or being a creator, just start. All you need is a laptop. Imagine how easy our ancestors’ lives would’ve been if they could make money sitting in front of a laptop?
Just start, and one thing will lead to another.
Want to build a side hustle and make money online? Click here for my free ebook.
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