You have probably read hundreds of online marketing, blogging, and social media websites that offer you the “smart” ways of making money online. One article states you can become a millionaire overnight, while another promises that you will be able to quit your 9-5 in a week.

Their lofty claims make you skeptical of their validity. The harsh reality is that there are no shortcuts and workarounds when it comes to achieving success in any field. If you want to make money online, you need to be willing to put in the time.

The amount of money you need each month to live a comfortable life varies for everyone. Maybe you have a great life and spend the evenings mostly on entertainment, or maybe you’re a hermit who never leaves their apartment, either way — no matter your habits of frugality or extravagance — it’s highly unlikely that you are satisfied with the income from your day job.

Fortunately, there are ways you can explore, along with your day job, to earn a little income on the side, or, if everything goes according to plan, even quit your 9-5.

Here are those unconventional ways of making money online that might work for you:

Start your own consulting business

If you’re good at something and can offer valuable advice based on your knowledge, you can start freelancing as a consultant. You can freelance for startups or established brands, like Microsoft, IBM, or General Electric (GE).

Consulting is one of the most popular ways to make money online. Consultancy follows a simple model: you offer your expert services to businesses in exchange for a fee.

The services that consultants provide vary but include anything from marketing advice and strategy to financial planning. Currently, there is high demand for a financial advisor in Brisbane for young adults, where young entrepreneurs are seeking financial advice on achieving profitability and growth.

Fortunately, due to the burgeoning use of digital media in conducting business, you can offer consultancy from anywhere in the world.

Tutoring

If you have expertise in a field of education, for example, algebra or chemistry, you can teach it to others. TIf you have expertise in a field of education, for example, algebra or chemistry, you can teach it to others. To start tutoring, you either have to go the traditional route, teaching at educational institutions, or register with an online platform that offers such services such as these TEFL teaching courses online to students.

Start and monetize a blog with ads or affiliate links

If you have something of substance to write about, blogging is one of the best ways to make money on the Internet today. Blogging has literally no barrier of entry and has almost limitless growth potential. Start by choosing a niche you’re interested in and begin writing about it every day or week. If you find that it’s not working out as well as you’d hoped, don’t just give up. Instead, mix things up a bit and readjust your strategy until you find something that works.

Become an Amazon Marketplace seller

An Amazon marketplace seller receives a commission for every product sold on the Amazon platform. The barrier to entry is small, and you can start with a smaller inventory and capital.

List whatever it is you want to sell on Amazon, and they will handle all the shipping and customer service issues for you. You only have to pay them when a sale is made.

Influencer Marketing

If you have any monetizable skills or talents, then this option might be perfect fit for you. If you know how to write well or create stellar visuals, then becoming you can earn good money from marketing other products on your social pages.

To become an influencer, you need to first build an audience. Create engaging and valuable content for your blog or website, and regularly post to your social media pages.

You can also ask your followers to subscribe to your mailing list or newsletter. That way, you can easily let your subscribers know of any promotions or sales available.

To kickstart you on your influencing career, you may want to consider buying some real followers online. You can Purchase instantly to give your follower count a boost and increase your credibility on social platforms. 

Sell on Etsy

Etsy is a dedicated selling platform for handmade items or crafts. That said, however, other products are also sold here. On Etsy, customers can contact you, over the platform, to ask for custom adjustments to the product they want. Before selling on Etsy, make sure you have licensed your products.

Create an app and sell it on the App Store or Google Play Store

If you have a great idea for an app, don’t waste any time in putting it into action. The App Store and Google Play Store are both filled with apps that make a lot of money for their creators.

Here’s how you can develop and sell your own app online:

1. Create an app that solves a problem people have. If you’re good at programming, you can create an app from scratch yourself or hire a programmer to do it for you. A good starting point is to study popular apps and identify their strengths. From there, you can replicate their efforts with a bit of creative input to make it better.

2. Build an app around a niche market or a hobby. For example, if you love sports statistics and want to make money from it, you can create an app that tracks stats using data from relevant and credible sources.

Work from home as a virtual assistant

Virtual assistants perform a variety of tasks for their clients, all of which can be done remotely. These tasks include answering emails, booking flights, arranging hotel stays, writing marketing materials, social media management, photography, transcription, and much more.

Check out Upwork or Fiverr for remote jobs you can do from home.

Sell your unwanted items on Craigslist or eBay

This is one of the most popular ways of how people make money online. You can sell old clothes, books, electronics, and other household goods at a price that’s better than what you’d find at a thrift store or garage sale.

You can earn extremely good money if you are selling a limited-edition of something or any other valuable product.

Conclusion

These money-making methods might be unconventional, but that doesn’t mean they’re impossible to put into practice. And if you’ve got some time on your hands and are a self-starter and a creative person, you should be able to make more than a few bucks using the above-mentioned strategies. After all, the more moneymaking opportunities you discover and develop, the better your chances might be at creating an extra income stream.

Jane