5 realistic ways how to work from home and make money online
Making money online, the dream of passive income. Working remotely from any location in the world. Most of us want to archive it.
When you saw the headline, you got this feeling like “Hm…, seriously, what he wants to show me now. What does he know? Waiterboy!” Advising on this topic is tough because everyone is super skeptical nowadays. Listen, I don’t want you to get out of Hospitality or the job you are doing right now. All I want is to prepare you for the changes to come! I can only speak and write about the projects I did myself and have confidence in. This is not an in-depth guide for someone who has experience. It's more an article I would have needed two years ago, as a Newbie, lost in a dying profession.
Before we start, I would recommend you read this first: From waiter to millionaire mindset (Link)
This is fundamental before you even consider changing your work environment. Working from home can be lonely, boring, frustrating, overwhelming and in many ways not rewarding (I know what I am talking). Well, if you are fine with all this, read on!
Like so many of my friends and ex-colleagues, I started straight away with too many ideas & projects. All at the same time.
Best. Idea. Ever.
I wanted to create custom T-Shirts (still do), but not even my own family was interested. Then, I had the idea of building an App, which was targeting singles using London’s public transport. Go figure.
After that, I wanted to sell these German Christmas decorations, we call them “Schwippbogen” (Wikipedia link). First at the local London Christmas markets, later online. In the beginning, I was so convinced I could pull this off in a month.
ONE month.
I can still hear someone laughing, even its only me in the room.
Now, over a year later I didn’t even start with one single project.
I must admit, I completely underestimated how time-consuming and difficult this whole operation was/is. The internet is full of guides on how to get rich quickly.
“Make money with Online Surveys, Match Betting or dodgy Pyramid Schemes where you must convince your whole family and neighborhood to sign up for a microwave run by turtles.”
After years of research and spending money randomly I concluded: It's almost impossible. It’s overwhelming. Without proper guidance, you will get lost along the way. Do you know anyone who is having a successful online business?
Obviously, there are some valid breakout stories. Like the girl who made 2 Million Followers on YouTube (Link) within the first two videos. Some talented artists come out of nowhere and rule the game. But these are rare, individual success stories and hard to copy.
So be realistic, sit down, analyze your strength, weaknesses, passions and
Take Action!
With no further ado, here is my beginner guide on how to make money online:
- Blog:
It's hard nowadays to convince anyone to read a 1000+-word article. Our attention span went to zero. People are much more focused on Video and Audio then 10 years ago. Headline reading from social media posts is dominating. You could basically listen to this blogpost as a Podcast at the same time. But! A Blog is a brilliant way to get Brand awareness and if your Social Marketing Platforms of choice disappears tomorrow you would know where to find me. If someone has a question in Reddit or a different forum, I can always link my articles to it. You can easily create valuable evergreen content (Link) as well. You just need to find your niche and start blogging regularly.
Additional read: Miles Beckler – How to start a Blog
- eBay/Amazon:
We all use Amazon. It’s a monster. Anything you can sell there. You can order your own products from Asia and send them directly to Amazon and they do the selling for you. Many people saying Dropshipping (Link) is dead, but there isn’t any proof yet. I went recently to Chains like Sainsburys or Asda and bought items on sale. Like kitchen pans for 10£ and I sold them later for 25£. Ten of them made me a profit of 100£, that’s a week of working as a Waiter (lol). All you must do is putting the items in a box and send it to the Amazon warehouse. They list it, ship it, handle the returns, feedback and so on.
Not every item is selling straight away, so you need a stable capital beforehand. Do your research and understand the market. I specialized myself in toys because they are light, not so expensive, rarely complains and easy to find. You can also buy on eBay and sell on Amazon, it’s a bit more complicated but worth a try! Have a look at “Toy Story Figures” and the massive price differences on both platforms!
And yes I know it's Gary Vee, but this video is Gold:
3. Affiliate Marketing:
If you never heard of Affiliate Marketing, you are missing out big time. This video is all you need to start, its well explained. Just follow the steps, find your product and start advertising. I promise you it works! It’s great training if you start with an affiliate, but it requires time and a bit of luck
- Podcast/YouTube:
Like I mentioned before Audio and Video are rising massively and there is space for everyone in the market. Over 1 Billion people are registered on YouTube. It’s the second largest search engine owned by the largest one. After starting my channel in November 2019, I guess anyone can do it. They say the first 1000 subscriber is the hardest because no one knows you. From this point on you can monetize and later your channel will grow (hopefully) organically. For podcasts, it's almost the same. Just download the “Anchor” app and start recording. Talk about your passion, what makes you excited or just a conversation with a friend (but let him know before).
I will start my 5-minute podcasts this year, little snippets.
You can even combine both platforms.
- Facebook Group:
If you are not comfortable with setting up a Homepage or starting a YouTube Channel you can always go for a Facebook Group. Just build something around your favorite topic. I have friends who build a 16k Facebook Group around a product they produced. In a group, you can advertise your brand, collect E-Mails, earn income with affiliates or even sell the whole group later.
Here are some tips on how you can build it up: An Eye-Opening Guide on How to Grow a Facebook Group (Link)
Bonus. Do whatever you want, it will work out, have faith!
Conclusion
Everyone buys into the myth that if you only had that usual what someone else had they would be happy. It may take a burnout to realize the emptiness of this illusion. We all occasionally find ourselves in the middle of some project or obligation and can’t understand why we are here. It will take courage and faith to stop yourself. Find out what you are after, why you are after. Ignore those who mess with your Pace. Let them Chase what you have, not the other way around. Because that’s independence. Starting your own online business can bring you closer to it.
I lost plenty of time by overthinking about the right platform to start. Whatever you choose it will probably fail, but it will lead you to a point where you are more confident about the next steps. Everyone started somewhere building a business, maybe in a college dorm room, a garage or a 2-Bedroom Flat in East London. Your time is now!
Committed to help,
Dan Draper
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