You can make money from these hobbies anywhere you have an internet connection.
1. Start Freelancing
If you are looking to make some extra cash from the “gig economy,” sites like Outsourcely are a good place to start. On Outsourcely, you can make money from freelance writing, graphic design, website design, or being a social media manager. You simply find a job and place a bid. If the client likes it, you get paid to complete the task. Depending on the client’s needs, it could even turn into a long-term project.
2. Write
The internet is the ultimate medium for written communication. If you can write a research paper or put words to paper with ease, you can make money freelance writing. Holly, who earns over R100,000,000 per year from writing, at Earn More Writing can help you get started as a freelance writer.
3. Design Graphics for Websites and T-Shirts
If you have an eye for design, you should try out CafePress or 99 Designs. Both of these services can help connect with clients with graphic design needs including t-shirt designs, website graphics, logos, personalized gifts, and book covers.
4. Start a Blog
Starting your own blog or website has several benefits. For starters, it’s an easy way to build an online portfolio for prospective clients to view. A second benefit is that your own site allows you to be you as you can publish the content you want to build your brand and express your opinions.
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Buying a domain & hosting package from Bluehost can cost as little as R50 per month. And, it only takes 10 minutes to start your blog.
5. Earn Money from Affiliate Marketing
After you have created your own blog, you can make money by recommending services & products that you use. This is through an “affiliate link” that pays you a referral award when somebody signs up through your unique link.
You have probably seen affiliate links in action when with Refer-A-Friend programs that give you a cash reward for friends and family you personally refer to a site you use & love.
Anybody can make money from affiliate income, but, there can be an “art” to make more money. You can learn the tips & tricks from affiliate marketing veteran Michelle and her course Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing.
6. Sell Products from Your Own Website
In addition to building an online portfolio or earning money from affiliate income, you can also use your site as an online store. Whether you sell services like financial consulting or SEO auditing or physical goods like a self-published book, handicrafts, scented candles, or artwork.
To start selling, you will need to sign up for an online shopping cart like Shopify. These platforms allow you to embed a shopping cart and checkout page directly on your site. And, they will automatically deliver digital products like ebooks or Excel spreadsheets once the purchase is completed.
7. Sell on Amazon or eBay
If you do any amount of shopping on Amazon or eBay you have probably seen vendors selling just about everything for low prices. Both sites allow you to participate in drop shipments where the product you sell is stored at a warehouse (not your garage or basement). When it sells, it ships directly from the warehouse and the profit is transferred to your bank account.
If you have a craft or artwork to sell, you can also create an Etsy shop. Etsy is the leading marketplace for handmade items and crafts that might not be so popular on Amazon or eBay that specialize in manufactured goods.
8. Create a Course
Do you like to teach and help others? Online training courses from sites like Udemy or Lynda are popular among working professionals that want to learn new skills but do not have the time or means to attend a regular college or continuing education class.
If you can create a course about the newest computer program, playing the acoustic guitar, photography, or your favorite hobby, you can create an online course to teach others a new skill.
9. Take Paid Surveys
If you like expressing your opinion the world, get paid to take opinion surveys from Survey Junkie or Opinion Outpost. Once you earn enough credits, you can get paid via PayPal or with gift cards.
Most surveys only take 10 to 15 minutes to complete. This is something you can easily do during your lunch break or in between activities when you have a little downtime. Plus, they can be fun depending on the survey topic.
10. Surf the Internet
There are a couple different ways to surf the ‘net and get paid for it! One way is to use Swagbucks that pays you to take surveys, watch videos, search, and even play games.
You can also get paid to test websites from several online companies. This option is a little more competitive although the pay is higher. If you get selected, you visit websites on a live video conference and tell the site designers how you interact with the site and what can be improved. Testing websites can pay you as much as $30 an hour!
11. Create a YouTube Channel
If you would rather video than write blog posts, it’s all possible to make money from video. In some ways, you could say that video is the future of the internet. Whether you make videos of how to beat video games, how-to videos, unbox cell phones, etc. it’s possible to build an audience.
12. Sell Your Video Game Accounts
Are you the first among your friends to beat the latest video game? Now you can earn money from this hobby in addition to bragging rights.
13. Invest
So you might already invest in a 401k or IRA account for retirement. How about setting aside a small portion of your taxable investment portfolio for hobby investing.
Using the online brokerage Ally Invest gives you plenty of investment options and trading fees are only R70 for individual stocks & options (plus 65 cents per contract).
With your hobby investing money, take the opportunity to invest in riskier assets that fall outside your normal investment strategy. It can also be a good way to try a new investment strategy without impacting your normal accounts that you rely on to build your net worth.
14. Sell Used Books
Whether you are a college student looking for some extra money at the end of the current semester or want to clean out your personal library, you can make money from selling books.
Bookscouter will automatically scour 35 online marketplaces if you have textbooks to resell and give you the best price. You can always list them on eBay, Half.com, or Amazon as a third-party seller too.
Make Money in Your Community
In addition to making money from home online, it’s also possible to make money using your current time and skills within your local community.
15. Sell Handmade Products
If you do woodworking, pottery, painting, or some other handmade item, you can make money by selling at local craft fairs or posting an advertisement on Craigslist or another Craigslist alternative site to reach more online shoppers.
Along with selling locally, you might be able to sell lightweight products online that are cost-effective to ship.