By Ryan Flannagan
Hands up who has thoroughly enjoyed working from home in the last few months? No boss breathing down your neck, no having your laptop monitored for that 10 seconds you took to glance at the weather for your long commute home, and did we mention that long commute? No more stuck ina traffic jam breathing in the fumes of other drivers or being crammed onto a train so tight you know exactly what that passenger to your left had for lunch.
Ok, so it hasn’t been all roses, a lot of people have lost their jobs entirely, having to make yourself look vaguely presentable on Zoom every week with your team has already lost its appeal, and your meetings are now being held in a shirt and pajama bottoms. You may even be in that group of people who claim their webcam has broken just because you can’t be bothered to put a shirt on.
Don’t worry, you’re not alone, but you have to wonder why we feel like this? Surely, working from home is the dream?
The Work-Life Balance Dream
Working from home is, for many people, the dream, but now we’ve had the chance to do our job from home, the realization has hit some people that it was never the being at home bit specifically that they needed, but it’s their job they hate.
This is why everyone should have a side hustle.
That’s a bold statement, so lets’ unpack. The economy right now is looking pretty shaky and, even if you have been telecommuting for the last four months, it doesn’t mean your job is any less at risk than anyone else’s, and that’s a scary thought, so isn’t it time you diversified your income streams?
Online Businesses
There are many, many opportunities to make money online, but this isn’t one of those get rich quick scam articles, no, this article will only discuss legitimate ways to make money online. Whether you want to earn a few extra dollars to supplement your income, or if you’re looking to replace your income entirely, we have some options for you to consider.
So, what can you do online? Keep reading to find out.
Amazon Seller
Believe it or not, becoming an Amazon seller is a huge opportunity that not enough people are taking up.
Amazon quite literally has millions of buyers waiting to buy all kinds of products from hairbrushes to hot tubs and everything in between, Amazon really is the world’ market place!
Selling on Amazon isn’t quite as easy as setting up an account to get selling your life away like it is on eBay. If you want to turn it into a real business, it is highly suggested that you invest in a proper Amazon marketing company like Nuanced Media to help you build and grow your Amazon seller experience and make money from the venture. It’s said that you have to speculate to accumulate, and getting a proper marketing company on board will definitely help you accumulate!
Creative Type
If you have any creative talents, the freelance life could await you! It’s very hard to make money selling art or handmade items, but if you are clever and business savvy, it is entirely possible.
Most people fail at being a freelance artist or content creator just because they are terrible at marketing themselves, but if you can do it, it is really worth it. Companies are looking for freelancers with skills in everything from graphic design to photography, animation to copywriting. Get out there and get paid for your skills.
Teaching Online
There are a few different types of online tutoring, either face to face via something like Zoom, or via online courses.
The online course option is the more passive of the two but will require some leg work in the beginning tog et the course recorded, on your website or wherever you’ll host it, and then driving traffic to it. Still, if you can do it, then it’s a great opportunity for a passive income earner.
Tutoring online in lessons is a bit different. You’ll book appointment slots with your students and have your lessons over a video conferencing software like Zoom or Skype. You can teach anything too, from guitar to English!
Be a YouTuber
This is actually a lot more legitimate than it sounds! Firstly, you’ll need to get the notion of being a daily vlogger out of your head, unless you have a really interesting life or you just don’t like sleeping, being a daily vlogger is not the best way to go. Sure some daily vloggers, like Casey Neistat, made it LOOK easy, but Casey Neistate also rarely slept in the years he was running a daily vlog!
Being YouTuber can be a great opportunity though, find your niche, build your plan, and work with it. Don’t forget to monetize either, you’ll make around $13 per 1000 views from Adsense, but AdSense is just one factor. Bring in an e-course, membership site, ebooks, affiliates, and sponsors, and suddenly this crazy career seems like it might actually have legs!
Affiliate Marketing
While we’re on the subject of monetization, we really should mention Affiliate Marketing. Someone who is signed up for affiliates will make money every time someone they have recommended a product to buys that product.
There are two main types of affiliates, straight-up product affiliates, and cookies. With a cookie, a user will click on the seller’s site from yours, and a cookie will be placed on their laptop or smartphone. If they make a purchase in the set amount of time (usually 30 days) then you will make a percentage of whatever they bought, if they don’t make a purchase, you will earn nothing.
Product affiliates are slightly different, they work on commission. A company you love may have a great product or service, like an e-course, for example, and you may work on commission and recommend this course to the users. Every time a user purchases through your link or with your code, you get some money.
Bio: Ryan Flannagan is the Founder & CEO of NuancedMedia, an international eCommerce marketing agency specializing in Amazon. Nuanced has sold $100s of Millions online and Ryan has built a client base representing a total revenue of over 1.5 billion dollars. Ryan is a published author and has been quoted by a number of media sources such as BuzzFeed and Modern Retail. To connect with Ryan, check out @Ryanflannagan on Twitter or via Linkedin.
