Stay Ahead of the Market with Benzinga Pro!
Want to trade like a pro? Benzinga Pro gives you the edge you need in today's fast-paced markets. Get real-time news, exclusive insights, and powerful tools trusted by professional traders:
- Breaking market-moving stories before they hit mainstream media
- Live audio squawk for hands-free market updates
- Advanced stock scanner to spot promising trades
- Expert trade ideas and on-demand support
Can you imagine waking up every morning with joy in your heart at the thought of going to work that day? Sure, some of us may have jobs that we love doing. However, for the vast majority of the working public – we would rather spend our time doing something else.
Unfortunately, for most of us, the need to pay the bills outweighs the pain of the thought of going to work. What if there was a way to make money doing something you love? Instead of wading through the day in a haze of dissatisfaction, what if you never wanted to stop working? How would you feel about that scenario?
Fortunately, the advent of the internet led to a whole new era of making money online. Now it’s possible to make money from your passion. The internet allows us to connect with billions of people all around the globe. If you have a product or service that’s worth buying, then there’s someone out there that’s prepared to pay money for it.
Here are ten ways to follow your passion in life and use your hobbies to make money online.
1. Start a Print-On-Demand Business
Have you heard about print-on-demand? If you’re a creative genius with an artistic flair, then this burgeoning industry may be the ideal way for you to make money online. Print-on-demand involves placing designs on a range of consumer products, from t-shirts to coffee mugs, or iPhone covers.
If you have a penchant for design work, or you love creating funny or quirky designs, then POD offers you a way to make money with your talents.
Even if you have no idea how to draw or design artwork, there’s plenty of freelancers out there that can bring your vision to life. Companies like Printful and Printify have an online platform where you can upload your design onto a wide variety of consumer products.
The platform issues you with a sales page and a referral link for free, allowing you to promote the sales link through your social media accounts or your blog.
If someone likes your design, they visit the sales page and order a product. These companies then prints, pack, and ships the product to the customer, and deal with any returns on your behalf.
All you need to do is promote your sales page, and watch the money roll into your account. For their troubles, Printify & Printful will charge a commission, buts it a price worth paying when you consider the work they put into the sale.
Read: How to Sell Art Online & Make Money: Complete Guide
2. Trade the Markets
Are you interested in the markets? If you always had a dream of being a Wall Street tycoon; like “Gordon Gecko,” then it’s now possible to trade forex, stocks, bonds, commodities, and index funds – from the comfort of your armchair in your living room.
Around 2006, the rise of offshore brokers led to a boom of novice traders entering the financial markets to claim their piece of the economic pie.
While the Great Financial crisis of 2008 may have slowed the market somewhat, the explosion in new traders entering the market shows no signs of slowing down.
Today, you can start an account with an offshore broker in the U.S Virgin Islands, with as little as $300. These brokers give you direct access to the worlds financial markets, allowing you to benefit from the growing economies of developed and emerging markets all over the world.
The advent of smartphones in 2010, made it possible to trade using your cellphone, from anywhere in the world that offers a Wi-Fi connection. Can you imagine making money on your smartphone while lying under the shade of a palm tree on a tropical island? Doesn’t that sound like paradise?
3. Start a Blog
Do you enjoy traveling? Maybe you love cooking nutritious meals for your family? Whatever your passion is, you can turn it into a viable online business by starting a blog. It’s a simple procedure to set up a WordPress site and start a blog. Tons of other websites offer aspiring bloggers the chance to create a place where people come to view their content.
The most challenging thing about blogging is building an audience. However, we can assure you that there are people out there that want to hear what you have to say. With over 3-billion people online across the world, there are thousands, if not millions of potential prospects that want to read your thoughts and ideas.
Building an audience is easy using free apps to help you maximize your blog’s exposure to social media and other digital channels. Once you have a sizeable audience, you can offer premium space on your blog to advertisers in exchange for revenue.
Many bloggers start small, but their income snowballs as their blog gains traction and more eyeballs view what they have to say. Even if your hobby is dressing up poodles in sweatshirts – chances are thousands of people out there want to read your content.
4. Build an Online Course
The internet allows you to connect with billions of other people all around the world, many of which share the same interests and aspirations as you. If you have expertise in an area, then why not share it with others, and make money while you’re doing it at the same time?
If you have experience fixing old muscle cars, you could create a video course on how to service and maintain these types of vehicles. Should you know everything about planting and maintaining a vegetable garden; then plenty of people that would be willing to pay you to teach them your knowledge.
Start a website and offer an online course broken down into modules. Market your course through social media channels, and then sit back and watch as your bank account starts to grow from people purchasing your product.
The best thing about building an online course is you don’t have to teach it again and again. Once the course material is on your site, people log on and continue their learning path, from any location in the world.
5. Write a Book
Is it your dream to become an author? If you always wanted to pen out a manuscript that would challenge the likes of Stephen King, then the internet allows you to make it happen. Writing your book is easy to do in your spare time at home, even while you’re working.
The biggest challenge that’s facing any author is selling their book to a publisher. It’s for this reason that many aspiring authors throw in the towel on their talent. However, once you finish your masterpiece, you won’t have to rely on one of the big publishing houses to take a chance on your novel.
Today, thousands of writers all around the world sell their original work on Amazon or Kindle. Amazon will take your manuscript, and print, ship, and deal with all of your customer’s returns – all for a small service fee. All you need to do is upload your book to the website, create a description, and Amazon gives you a sales page with a link to promote.
Take your new link to your sales page, and promote it through your social media channels. Take the time to study a few classes on social media marketing, such as how to use Facebook advertising. Put your knowledge to use, and you could end up with your book being on top of the Amazon best-sellers list in no time.
6. Sell Photos
Is your hobby taking amazing photos of spectacular scenery or wildlife portraits? Maybe you enjoy snapping photo-shoots with your friends as they model their new fashion items? Whatever your reason for picking up a camera, some websites are willing to pay you for the rights on your artwork.
Shutterstock and Adobe Stock are examples of stock photo sites that are always looking for fresh content. These sites allow you to open an account for free and upload all of your pictures to the site. Let’s say you have a fantastic photo of an elephant charging your car when you went on safari in Africa. There are people out there willing to pay a pretty penny to use that photo to promote their blog.
The prospect purchases the phot from the stock site, and then you receive a commission. Most websites don’t give away full rights to the photo, allowing you to benefit from a commission every time someone purchases your photos. Upload your portfolio to multiple sites, and watch the commissions start building in your bank account.
7. Start a YouTube Channel
A recent poll asked American youth what they want to be when they grow up. The survey gave the youngsters five choices; astronaut, teacher, musician, professional athlete, or YouTuber. The study shows that 30-percent of the youth in America and the United Kingdom choose YouTuber as their dream vocation.
Today, it’s possible to build a massive audience on the YouTube platform and make money through monetizing your videos. The key to being a successful YouTuber is to create fresh content that people want to see.
There are millions of niches on YouTube, with millions of potential followers waiting to view the content you produce. Top YouTubers like Logan Paul and PewdiePie, have millions of followers, and the monetization of their videos brings them millions of dollars in advertising revenue over a year.
It may take you some time to build an audience as broad as Logan Paul’s. However, you’ll still benefit from money coming in, even as you are starting on your journey. The key to being a good YouTuber is creating great content that captivates your audience and keeps them coming back for more.
8. Play eSports
Whoever thought that you could make money playing video games? eSports are becoming one of the fastest-growing sports in the world.
Currently, there are more than 170-million people who participate in eSports around the globe and over 220-million people who join in viewing the events, making for a total audience of nearly 400-million enthusiasts around the world.
Statistics show that this will escalate to 307-million viewers and 250-million participants by 2021.
There are live events to attend and stream from the comfort of your home, with substantial cash prizes available for the best players in the world. Brands got wind of the popularity of eSports a few years ago, and now they offer lucrative sponsorships to players.
If you are a whizz at computer games and think you have what it takes to compete with the best in the world, then join the next eSports event in your area.
9. Tutor Students
Do you have a passion for teaching? The internet now makes it possible to take your classroom online. There are thousands of students in the Eastern countries of the world that are desperate for
English teachers. Many teaching firms online are willing to take on any American with a degree, and you could earn up to $30 per hour if you meet the qualifying criteria.
VIPKid is the leading platform for earning money by teaching english online.
Teaching English online to Asian students allows you to set up your classroom from anywhere in the world. This perk of the job makes it a favorite source of income for freelancers that love to travel and earn from exotic vacation spots, such as Bali.
10. Drive for a Rideshare Company
Do you love getting behind the wheel of your car and cruising around town? Why not get paid for it? Driving for a ridesharing company like Uber or Lyft can provide you with a decent side income that pays for the gas, maintenance, tires, and even the lease fees on your car.
In Closing – Follow Your Dreams and Don’t Listen to the Naysayers
We’re sure that one of these ideas suits your personality. If you take action and implement your dreams, then they are more likely to come true. When starting your new online venture to earn yourself income, stay focused on your goal.
There will be naysayers that tell you that you’ll never make it online. However, if you stay focused and work hard, then you will eventually experience success.
Other Articles to Help You Make Money
- Best Online Jobs for College Students
- How to Make Money Online at Home
- How to Sell your Art Online
- Make Money Online as a Teen
Stay Ahead of the Market with Benzinga Pro!
Want to trade like a pro? Benzinga Pro gives you the edge you need in today's fast-paced markets. Get real-time news, exclusive insights, and powerful tools trusted by professional traders:- Breaking market-moving stories before they hit mainstream media
- Live audio squawk for hands-free market updates
- Advanced stock scanner to spot promising trades
- Expert trade ideas and on-demand support
