9 Ways to Make Money from Your Couch…Even In A Pandemic
In the past, making a living meant getting a 9-5 job, working 40+ years and retiring at the age of 65 with a pension. Those things almost feel unheard of nowadays. Although many still follow a traditional route, more and more people are wanting to live life according to their own terms. I know because I’m one of those people. Having the freedom and flexibility to choose who you work with, make your own hours, decide how much money you make, and skip the office politics…sounds good, right? How about being location independent and working from anywhere in the world? Yeesss! Maybe you can relate, but so many of us want to do work we love! We want to make an impact. Luckily with today’s technology, that’s absolutely possible. The digital economy is a thing and if you’re ready to embrace it, the opportunities are there for the taking. All you have to do is open your mind and think outside the box. Here are 9 ways to make a living without even leaving the house. Check it!
#1 VIRTUAL ASSISTANT
The first way to make a good living while working from home is to become a Virtual Assistant or VA. This is where I started a few years back after leaving my 9-5. There are entrepreneurs and online business owners everywhere who need help with administrative daily tasks such as content creation, social media, answering emails, customer service, preparing reports, and general tasks for example. You actually don’t need a lot of money or experience to get started; take an inventory of the skills you already have and decide what services you want to offer. There are several freelance sites like Upwork and Fiverr where you can list your services, or you can create your own website along with a social media presence. By having your own site, you can showcase the services you offer along with rates and eventually, testimonials from happy clients. It takes some work and determination to network and create a client base, especially at first, but being a VA will give you freedom to create your own schedule and live life on your terms from anywhere!
#2 DESIGN WEBSITES
More and more people are taking their lives and businesses online than ever before – and they need websites. Not everyone is experienced enough to create a website that showcases their vision, so they need help. Your help! The first step is…. knowing how to design a website. If you’ve already got the skills, you’re ahead of the game and can start networking to build your clientele through your own blog and website. If web design has only been a theory up until now, don’t worry. There are plenty of online courses where you can learn the skills necessary to get you on the right path. Along with web design, there are plenty of other services you can offer to increase your income as well, such as logo design and website maintenance to name a few. There will always be up and coming bloggers and businesses popping up all over the place, so web design is a great place to land if you want to make a good income working from the comfort of your couch. I’ve moved on from VA services and designing websites is the service I offer to my clients now.
#3 AFFILIATE MARKETING
If you’ve never heard of affiliate marketing, it is simply the act of promoting the products of other people or businesses and earning a commission off of each sale. You find products that you like and support and attract potential customers through your blog, social media posts, YouTube videos etc. Your job, as an affiliate marketer is to convince buyers of the value the product holds. Of course, you don’t want to be scammy about it and start promoting things you haven’t tried just to earn a commission. Instead, look for products that you already use, like and support and start spreading the word about them. It’s not an overnight process, but with some dedication and effort, it is very possible to turn this into a “make money while you sleep” type job. Look around at items or services you already use. It can be anything from clothing, makeup, online courses, books you’ve read, etc. When it comes to affiliate marketing, the options truly are limitless. This is another source of income for me and it’s nice to get notifications of deposits in your bank account!
#4 TRANSCRIPTION
This is a great option if you have high speed and accuracy while typing and you know a thing or two about grammar and punctuation. A transcriptionist is someone who listens to recorded audio files and converts them into text. These audio files can be anything from interviews to work meetings to YouTube videos to church sermons, so you get a variety of work without getting bored. Even if you have little to no experience, you can still get started pretty quickly in this field. There are several companies that hire beginner transcriptionists such as rev.com and transcribeme.com. They will require you to take a short test before accepting your application, but the whole process is usually pretty easy. You can also start your own transcription company although it may take a little more time to build your clientele unless you have a huge network already. Either way, transcription is a great route to go if your attention to detail is on point and you want the benefits of a flexible schedule.
#5 SELL ON ETSY
If you’re a maker at heart selling on Etsy might be the perfect place for you to set up shop. Etsy is an online marketplace where you can sell unique items - anything from jewelry to t-shirts to stickers to birthday or wedding invitations. Setting up your account is simple, and you can get started quickly. As soon as you have a few things to list you can start sharing your link to family, friends and anyone in your network. You don’t necessarily have to have a website or a blog outside of Etsy, but it could help to direct traffic to your shop if you post consistently and continue to make people aware of what you’ve got to offer. Selling on Etsy is cost effective and won’t break the bank or eat into your profits too much. The only downside for a new seller is that there is a lot of competition so getting started might be slow at first. However, with some hard work and determination, you can set yourself apart from the crowd and gain loyal followers who will return time and again. I also had an Etsy shop once upon a time!
#6 START A YOUTUBE CHANNEL
If you’ve got a message to share, YouTube is a great way to do so. The best part? You can actually make a pretty significant income vlogging about your life and your interests. I don’t have personal experience with making the big bucks on YouTube, but I’m always amazing when some of the YouTubers I follow share their income reports. With that being said, while starting a YouTube channel is simple, it’s not going to be an overnight success. You have to work your way up to a certain number of views and subscribers before you can start making some real money through ads, merchandise, paid partnerships, etc. The best way to gain a following is to niche down to a topic that is super specific. YouTube is a perfect way to showcase your creativity while documenting your life and help others with their pain points at the same time.
#7 ONLINE TUTORING AND TEACHING
If you enjoy teaching and want to make an impact while working from home, online tutoring is a no-brainer. Not only is this one of the most flexible jobs you can have, it can also be extremely profitable as well. The education field is filled with opportunities where people can make money teaching and tutoring students and adults in a variety of subjects. You may end up helping someone overseas learn English as a second language or prepping a student for an upcoming SAT test. There are several companies out there to help you get started. One thing to keep in mind is that many of these jobs require previous experience and/or a bachelor’s degree. VIPKid and Skooli are two popular sites that you may have heard of. You can start here or go a different route and check out a job site such as Flexjobs which will post current tutoring positions available as well as the necessary qualifications. This is a great way to make a huge impact on someone’s life – no classroom required. I know plenty of people who have turned online teaching into a worthwhile way to make a living.
#8 CREATE ONLINE COURSES
Online course creation has become a booming business over the last few years and it’s definitely here to stay. This is actually the niche I cater to in my website design business - online course creators! These days, everyone is searching for ways to add to their knowledge base, learn new skills and try out new experiences. So why not share your knowledge with a world hungry for knowledge?! And get PAID! The great thing is, you don’t have to be an expert to start creating your own course today. You simply need to know more than most people on a particular topic or two. For instance, maybe you are really good at growing plants inside an apartment. Or teaching budgeting to people in debt. You’d be surprised by the number of niched down courses out there on the internet. We all have skills and talents and knowledge that needs to be shared with the world – just because you’re not “THE” expert in the field doesn’t mean you can’t make a killing sharing what you do know. It’s the perfect way to share about something you already love and make money while doing so.
#9 SELL YOUR CLUTTER
This may be the best go-to option for quick, easy money. Take a look around your house and see what is taking up space. Do you really use that old treadmill in the basement? What about all the clothing you haven’t worn in 6 months or the extra tv that’s collecting dust in the guest bedroom? Be honest with yourself about the things you truly need and rid yourself of the rest. You’ll feel a whole lot lighter when you declutter your space of unnecessary items and only keep what’s truly important to you. The whole process is super simple – snap a few pictures, add a description and price and you can quickly list your items on local places like Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist. Clean house and make bank.
Honestly, the options are limitless when it comes to the ways you can make money from home. And once you start doing it and experience the flexibility in provides, you may never want to go back. I know I didn’t. Now, let me say this - it is NOTa get rich quick type scenario. Many of these work at home options take time, effort and dedication to really make it work for you. But I believe it’s worth it. The payoff is that you’ll be able to create your own schedule and have the freedom and flexibility that most people only dream of.
If you want more work from anywhere ideas, I created a whole ebook about it for a lot more income opportunities, how-to’s, and actionable worksheets to help you make this a reality for yourself. Now is the perfect time to get your own work from anywhere journey rolling because 2021 will definitely be a year of bouncing back after the year of covid. And I see more travel, more fun, and more freedom in your future.
