Felix Küster
Would you like to know how you can earn money without being employed?
I am sure you’ve heard that it is possible to make money without work (as in employment, you still have to put in the effort).
If so, then you have come to the right place!
Being a strong supporter of entrepreneurship, I constantly try to help people start their own online or offline business and make a living from it!
This article features 27 beginner-friendly ways to start a business without making 9 to 5 money and it is a combination of online and offline methods.
By the end of this article, I’m sure you’ll have a solid idea to make money without getting a real job,
So let’s get started!
What You'll Learn
Start your own website
This is, by far, the best option in my opinion.
Are you interested in earning a passive income? You need a website. That is THE way to make money while sleeping.
Launching a website with Bluehost takes less than 20 minutes, costs very little and can be done by an 82 year old. All it takes is a little social media plugging to get your first visitors, and there are many ways to monetize your site.
You do not need any technical knowledge to start a blog! Here is my extensive guide to teach you how to start your own website – you will need less than $20 and no coding knowledge to do it.
WordPress is absolutely user friendly, and the whole process is so simple that even a 12 year old can do it without any problems.
Share your opinions (not on Twitter, please)
Nowadays, all too many people rely on social media to share their opinions – whether intentionally or unintentionally. But some companies want to hear what you have to say. And they will pay you for it.
Survey websites are a great place to get extra money and gift cards.
One option? MyPoints.
MyPoints allows you to earn gift cards for participating in surveys and completing surveys. You will receive a $5 bonus once you complete your first five surveys.
Start promoting Clickbank products
Clickbank is a platform that connects affiliate marketers with owners of products/services.
Here is how it works
Products owners place their product on Clickbank and state the amount of commission they are willing to pay per sale.
Affiliate marketers select the product of their choice and advertise it to earn a commission.
Clickbank products are mostly digital products such as e-books, online courses, etc.
Clickbank is quite flexible in this respect, unlike Amazon, which has strict rules regarding product promotion. It allows you to market the products through social media, forums, your blog or any other channel you consider appropriate.
There are a number of strategies for promoting Clickbank products and earning a reasonable amount of money each month.
The most popular are,
- create a website, review the clickbank products on it and get targeted traffic from Google to generate sales
- create a product landing page from any landing page software and promote it through Facebook/Google/Bing ads.
Start dropshipping with Shopify
Dropshipping is one of the most effective methods of starting your online business if you can bring in some capital!
What is drop shipping?
Dropshipping is a business process where products are sold without storing and shipping them yourself. Basically it means that you offer a third party product in your e-commerce store and have it shipped directly to the customer through the actual supplier of the product.
The dropshipping process includes the following steps,
- build an online store on Shopify (free trial available)
- visit Aliexpress and select the products you intend to sell
- add these products to your Shopify store at a profit margin of 20 to 30 percent.
- begin advertising the products through Facebook or Google ads
5 Once a customer places an order in your store, you must buy this product from Aliexpress and have it shipped directly to your customer.
- you receive a profit of 20% to 30% per sale.
You do not have to worry about inventory and shipping, but rather act as an intermediary like an affiliate marketer, making money from the comfort of your living room.
Start making YouTube videos
YouTube is the income source for millions of people around the world, and the numbers are rising daily, and new names are joining every day!
Start making videos about whatever you love!
With the help of tools like Tubebuddy or VidIQ, you can get an edge over your competitors by spying on them and getting more insight into easy keywords you can rank for quickly.
Games, cars, soccer, basketball, Photoshop, relationship advice, skin care tips, cooking, technical reviews, prank videos, unpacking products, programming, educational tutorials, motivational videos and anything else you can think of.
YouTube is especially fitting for older teens looking to earn money. But even the 12-14 year olds can earn money through this social media platform.
Games, cars, soccer, basketball, Photoshop, relationship advice, skin care tips, cooking, technical reviews, prank videos, unpacking products, programming, educational tutorials, motivational videos and anything else you can think of.
Quality content, consistent content creation, the use of the right keywords in the title and description of your videos and interaction with your viewers are the secrets to success on YouTube.
YouTube is a terrific opportunity to start your online journey as it is absolutely FREE to join and you can start creating videos of your choice.
While some people may not be adept at looking and talking into the camera, that’s not the problem because you can make videos without looking into the camera by making compilation videos, for example.
Would you like some ideas?
Here is a full guide on how to start your first channel on YouTube. And if you are a more courageous person who doesn’t mind risking a bit – learn how to buy YouTube views.
There are a lot of ideas you can follow and start making videos, some of these ideas are
- Cooking / Baking
- cars
- sports
- political commenting
- trading
- gaming
- DIY tuts
- Life Hacks
- Yoga
- Practice and training
- Tutorials (e.g. Tech and Photoshop tutorials)
- Travel
- Fashion
Some of the above ideas require you to stand in front of the camera, but not all of them.
If you are just starting out, you don’t have enough money to buy expensive equipment, so I recommend using your phone camera for video recording. I have seen many young people working with the phone camera and they are doing pretty well.
Join Swagbucks and earn money back
A penny saved is a penny earned!
Do you often do shopping at Amazon, Ebay, Home Depot or any other online retailer?
Are you frequently buying online subscriptions to various services such as Netflix and Hulu?
If so, I have a great option for you!
There is a website called Swagbucks that often pays cashback for many famous online merchants like Amazon, BestBuy, eBay, Home Depot, Hotels.com and many others.
Cashback sites
In these difficult times you need to try and save as much as possible, so sign up with Swagbucks and whenever you want to buy something, just check Swagbucks cashback offers and check if the merchant you want to buy from has cashback available or not!
Alternatively, install their browser extension, it will notify you that the website you have opened has cashback available or not!
While Swagbucks is a famous website that is best known for paid online surveys, in my opinion these surveys are a complete waste of time and there is a better option at Swagbucks that you should check out, namely Cashback!
Normally the cashback percentage is 1% to 3%, but it can go up to 8%.
I recommend you all to join Swagbucks, after all it is free and has wonderful offers and you also get $5 sign up bonus when you reach 300 self-service (equivalent to $3) in cashback.
When you join using the link below, we receive a small commission, which encourages us to create more quality content for free!
Gigs on Fiverr
Nowadays, Fiverr is the world’s leading marketplace for individuals generating money by selling small services (known as “gigs”).
What you offer could be absolutely anything from writing and translating, posting in social media, playing pranks and teaching, to creating music, voiceovers and short video clips for people all over the world!
The standard price is $5 (hence Fiverr…), but you can add additional services to gigs for more money. It may not seem like much, but it can add up quickly, and there are many examples of people who really make a good living from the site. The key is to set up a system that minimizes the time spent on each gig.
But there’s another way to get even more out of Fiverr, with potentially far less work. And how? By simply reselling gigs elsewhere. For example, find a decent logo designer and then respond to jobs at Upwork or even local classifieds. A $5 issue can easily turn into $50+, and it’s repeatable!
If you are not interested in selling anything at all, there is SO much good you can do for yourself. Look around and be inspired!
Get paid to write
You have a talent for writing?
You like to write for hours without stressing yourself?
Why not turn this hobby into a profitable online business!
A content writer is a person who creates content for various websites, blogs, online magazines, social media sites and more.
Everyone with a good grasp of the English language can become a good content writer.
The business is growing day by day and so is the demand for content! Companies need content for marketing, and they are willing to pay a lot of money for it!
Do you want to become a content author?
The best way to start your career as a freelance author is
- choose a niche (e.g. fitness)
- start a blog and start writing eye-catching articles
- start guest blogging on industry blogs
- once you have created a solid portfolio, start targeting customers through social media or direct mail.
The other option is to join freelance writing sites like Upwork, but there is strong competition on these sites and prices are also much lower, so it is better to take the first approach.
Become a transcriber
Do you speak English as your mother tongue?
OR
Can you speak English as well as the natives?
Do you enjoy listening and have a high typing speed?
If that’ s the case, you can earn money from home by working as a typist.
This is a transcriber, a person who converts audio or video content into text.
Transcribers in the United States earn an average of about $15 per hour when they work remotely.
There are many transcription sites where you can join as a transcriber and get paid for the successful completion of a task.
Crowdsurf , Transcribeme and Scribie are just some of the companies you can sign up with as a beginner.
Working as a virtual assistant
Just as the name implies, a virtual assistant is a person who works remotely as an assistant for a company or individual.
A lot of people earn a full-time income by working from home as virtual assistants.
Being a virtual assistant requires you to perform various online tasks such as email management, blog management, database management, social media posting, content writing and data entry, etc.
To start as a virtual assistant, the best way is to choose one or two skills, such as email management and blog management, and qualify in these specific areas.
Once you’ve mastered a particular skill, offer your services on freelance sites like Upwork and start building a solid portfolio to reach large corporations by offering your services directly to them via email.
Become an Amazon Associate
There must be something you have bought at Amazon in your life, but know that there is also an affiliate program there that allows people to promote and review their products and earn money per sale as commission.
Amazon affiliates
When you’ re not aware of this, you really miss out on a lot because people are living full-time with this business model.
So how do you generate income with the Amazon affiliate program?
The best and most common way is to create a website that focuses on a small niche and then review niche products on it.
For example, if I make a website about landscape photography, I would post reviews of DSLR cameras and lenses, and if people bought something through my referral link, I would receive a commission.
Spending $1 to own a piece of Amazon, Google, or other companies
Just take a look at the Forbes Richest People list and you’ll see that almost all billionaires have one thing in common – they own another company.
But if you work for a living and don’t happen to have millions of dollars lying around, it can seem completely out of reach.
Therefore many people use App Stash. It lets you participate in something usually reserved for the richest of the rich – buying pieces from other companies for only $1.*.
You can invest in pieces from well-known companies like Amazon, Google or Apple for only $1. But the best part? If these companies benefit, so can you. Some companies will even send you a quarterly check for your share of the profits, called dividends.
It only takes two minutes to register, and Stash will give you a $5 signup bonus once you deposit $5 into your account. Subscription plans start at $1 per month.**
Designing and selling T-shirts
Those of you with a creative streak – or who know a catchy pun – may consider printing your designs on T-shirts and selling them through Merch by Amazon.
Just upload your t-shirt designs to Merch and you won’t have to worry about production, shipping or customer service when customers buy your designed t-shirt. It’s all done for you by Amazon.
Start freelance work
Have you any skills? Are you good at taking photos, editing videos or designing websites? Think you can write blog articles or code? Can you draw?
Well, why not list your skills on Fiverr, an online marketplace for creative freelance services?
The assignments on Fiverr range from standard data entry and research tasks to the really important ones. Each day, the sellers in the Fun & Lifestyle section offer thousands of unique services – from polishing a tinder profile to creating a family tree.
Publish on Kindle
There is no need to go the traditional publishing route to sell your books and earn money for your writing. Publish self-written e-books using Amazon’s Kindle platform. The sky is the limit.
Sell stock photos
Tried to use a stock photo and found that you have to pay a (sometimes heavy) fee? Why not set up a website like Shutterstock, upload your photos, and make people pay when they use them. It is actually quite possible to earn a decent salary this way, even six figures!
Sell or rent your stuff
Second-hand or “used”/”unique” items are all the rage these days. Check your house or apartment for stuff that you just don’t need or use anymore and put it up for sale on eBay or Amazon or Gumtree. Then take a look at your room yourself.
Should you have a spare room or want to take a vacation, you might consider renting out some or all of your room at Airbnb. If you live in a busy city, you might even rent out your parking space.
Take part in a flea market.
A Flea market is a sort of bazaar that rents space to people who want to sell or exchange goods. At a flea market you can sell all kinds of second-hand goods, although jewelry, household furniture and sports equipment are popular and profitable offers.
Find out the location of the nearest flea market. Talk to the sellers and find out if they are satisfied with the traffic and sales at that location.
Find out how the stand space is reserved. Can you just show up during the day or do you need to reserve your space in advance? Are outdoor and indoor stands available?
Find out if you need a permit to sell goods at your local flea market. One-time sellers may not require a permit, but if you intend to sell regularly, a permit may be required.
Consider whether you need tables, chairs, or a tent to sell your goods. Find out if these items are available for rent.
Make sure you have plenty of change when selling, as customers may only have banknotes. Offer your customers paper or reusable bags to use.
Install mobile apps that collect your data
The purpose of market research is to collect feedback on purchasing trends and patterns. Check out apps like SavvyConnect and MobileXpression and be rewarded for sharing your shopping history and mobile data usage.
Rent out your property
You might as well have the possessions you do not use work for you, be it a barbecue, camping equipment or anything else. Sites such as rentals allow users to rent almost anything to anyone – for a good profit.
Donate your eggs or your sperm
This is not for the faint of heart or health, but it is perhaps one of the most lucrative options. When selected for sperm donation, you can earn up to $40 per donation. Oocyte retrieval is much more complicated (and painful) and requires considerable physical effort. You can earn between $3 and $200,000 per donation, depending on the location and quality of the eggs.
Review websites & apps for cash
It seems that you are fairly proficient with a web browser, so maybe it’s time to become a professional and browse websites for a living as a paid and enjoyable job!
We introduce UserTesting.com – a new platform that pays everyday people to review all kinds of websites. Each review takes about 20 minutes and costs you $10 (£6.50) via Paypal.
Just sign up here, fill out a review and look forward to receiving websites in your inbox.
Mow the lawn (or remove snow)
I don’t know about you, but I’ve witnessed a lot of people who mow lawns every month and make a decent amount of money,
As the world gets busier by the day, people don’t have time to do tasks like mowing the lawn and clearing snow themselves.
Have a look around and find out how many people in your neighborhood have 9 to 5 jobs and need someone to mow the lawn.
Chances are that you would find at least one or two families like this!
The problem here is buying a lawn mower that is really expensive (costs between 500 and 1000 dollars). The possible solution to this problem is to get a few customers first and then rent a lawn mower on the days you need to work (usually weekends).
Walk a dog
If you love pets and the outdoors, dog walking could be a worthwhile job for you. Since many people are ready to pay a large sum of money to ensure that their puppies get plenty of TLC, it can be a very profitable side job.
To start out as a dog walker, you should consider signing up with an established service such as Wag! or DogVacay. Alternatively, if you are already convinced of your skills in handling animals, you can start your own business. By charging a fair price per dog – say $20 per 30-minute walk – and walking seven to ten dogs a day, you’re looking at a seriously decent pay.
Become a ‘clickworker’.
The Clickworker.com model is based on “Internet crowdsourcing”, where companies post specific, scalable tasks that they need to get done quickly. We see it as an easy way to make money quickly from our couch.
clickworker.com
The tasks are numerous, but most often they involve mindless data entry, web research or form filling. You will be rewarded for your work and paid in cash (via Paypal), and you can choose what you work for and when. It’s a try. [If you live in the USA, try Amazon’s ‘Mechanical Turk’].
Rent out your body
If you feel comfortable when you take off your kit, why not try Life Modelling? Sit there like rooted to the ground while budding artists capture every curve (or piece) in frightening detail! Try RAM, a website designed specifically for this kind of job.
You could also participate in clinical drug trials, but be aware of the risks involved.
Warning: Do not do anything you are not comfortable with, no matter how desperate you are for money!
Bitcoins and cryptocurrencies
Update. We are increasingly asked how to make money with Bitcoin (and other cryptocurrencies). Given the ever-growing hype and stories of children making millions, this is not surprising.
Please do not rush to buy Bitcoin to make money. It is really important to know what you are getting into. Read our “How to buy Bitcoin” tutorial that explains everything you need to know.
There are many other creative ways to make money as a student, such as our 50 business ideas.
Concluding words
This is an extensive list of possibilities for making money without a job, and not all options may be right for you. There are, however, some opportunities that I believe are universal and anyone, no matter what age or corner of the world, can benefit from them,
One of them, and the best, is blogging, which I decided to do almost a year ago.
Anyway, which way do you think suits you best?
Tell me in the comments below!
Rene Simon Peters
