From being tired of idle office gossip, to having a passion you want to share with the world – there are plentiful reasons you may decide you want to earn money from home. Here are some great, realistic ideas to transform your work life into a life you love.
There’s something wonderful about earning money from home, and it’s never been easier to do. If you hit the right money-making strategies, your laptop, tablet, or mobile could be a goldmine of opportunities.
I’ve been earning from my sofa and home office since 2011. I even joke that I have two other offices – a local coffee shop and the beach!
It’s a wonderful way of life that allows me to work when I want and on what I want, and gives me plenty of free time to do the things that I love the most (my hobbies, travelling, and spending time with family and friends).
There’s no reason why you shouldn’t enjoy at least as much success as me by working from home. Perhaps the biggest challenge you face is deciding what to do to earn money from home.
That’s where this article comes in.
Whether you’re seeking to replace income from a ‘regular job’ and develop passive income streams (like me), or you just want a few extra pounds in your pocket to splash out on life’s luxuries, you’re about to discover 28 ways to make money from your home.
Key Takeaways
Earning money from home has never been easier. You can use your unique skills, passions, and expertise, as well as underutilised space in your home, to create a diverse portfolio of income.
Think creatively, put in the time and effort, and stick to a strategy that could include active and passive income from revenue streams including freelancing, social media, eCommerce, your hobbies, and your home assets. You’ll soon benefit from a robust, home-based income that you never dreamed possible.
Use Your Experience and Expertise
In today’s digital world, your skills and knowledge are valuable assets. Your experience could be the key to lucrative earning opportunities. There are many potential income streams for you to exploit from the comfort of your own home. These include:
1. Freelancing
There are quite a few online platforms on which you can offer your services to potential clients. They all work in much the same way – you register an account, create a profile that details your experience and expertise, and apply for jobs or projects listed by clients.
The biggest of these platforms is Upwork, though others like Freelancer and Fiverr can also provide lucrative streams of business.
2. Online Courses
Why not share your expertise in your field or hobby? It’s relatively straightforward to create online courses and sell them on platforms such as Coursera, Teachable, and Udemy.
Best of all, once your course is available, you start earning while sleeping – it’s a great way to create a passive income stream.
3. Online Coaching/Consulting
Another way to share your expertise is to offer online coaching or consulting services. Platforms like Skype and Zoom make it easy to connect with people around the world – including potential clients who need your expertise.
Whether it’s individuals or businesses that you are helping, this could be a very lucrative income stream.
4. Virtual Assistant
Hiring full-time staff is expensive. Consequently, many businesses prefer to hire the talent they need on an ad-hoc, when-needed basis. Your organisational and office skills are in demand.
You could have several bosses, offering services that include email handling, appointment scheduling, or social media management, all from the comfort of your home. Websites like peopleperhour and Flexjobs are good starting points.
5. Online Tutoring
There is a huge demand for online tutors worldwide. Not only in traditional school subjects, either. People crave knowledge and learning in a huge range of subject areas, including business, money management, hobbies, music… the list is endless.
How about getting paid to talk? If you have a decent internet connection, you could start teaching English to foreign students, simply by hooking up online. First port of call might be websites like VIPKid or iTalki.
6. Self-Publishing
If you have a flair for writing, share your stories via platforms like Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing. Whether it’s a murder mystery or a guide in your area of expertise, Amazon is a global bookshop that you could exploit.
7. Social Media Management
Businesses are acutely aware of social media’s power but often lack the expertise or time. This is especially true of smaller businesses.
If you can demonstrate your skills in content creation, digital marketing strategy, or analytics, and you can manage social media profiles, you could become a valuable resource for many businesses.
Reach Your Financial Goals Through Social Media
Harness the power of social media to make money! Whether sharing your thoughts, capturing magical moments on video, or engaging listeners on a podcast, you could transform online presence into earnings.
8. Blogging
Use your passion, experience, or expertise to start a blog. It’s easier than you may think. Platforms like WordPress walk you through the process. In only a few minutes, you could be sharing your insights, stories, or writing reviews.
As your traffic grows, you can ‘monetize’ your blog through ads, affiliate marketing (our preferred method), or membership packages.
9. YouTube Channels
People love video content, and YouTube is a go-to resource for many. Whether it’s tutorials, product reviews, or simply entertaining content, engaging videos will help to grow your subscriber base. Then it’s time to profit from ad revenues and brand partnerships.
10. Podcasting
The great thing about audio content is that it is easy to absorb when you’re on the go. Which is why podcasts are gaining in popularity. Think of podcasting like YouTube for the ears. Discuss what you’re passionate about, grow a following, and monetize your podcast.
Become an Online Commerce Aficionado
Become the modern-day Sir Richard Branson or Sir Lord Alan Sugar. They both started their business empires selling – in shops or out in the cold at street markets. The world of eCommerce means you could do the same, but without enduring harsh weather and unsocial hours.
11. Dropship with Amazon FBA
You don’t need to carry a home full of stock to sell products online. Dropshipping with Amazon’s Fulfilment by Amazon service allows you to promote and sell products online. Amazon handles all the storage and distribution, while you handle the marketing and promotion.
12. Affiliate Marketing
You know that blog you started? It’s time to monetise it with affiliate marketing programs. Promote the products you believe in, and get paid a commission for every sale/referral. Websites like ClickBank or ShareASale can connect you with brands, and your blog could soon start delivering a valuable revenue stream.
13. Affiliate Dropshipping
Combine the power of affiliate marketing with the ease of dropshipping. Promote products that you love. When they sell, you purchase them from a third party at wholesale price. The third party then shops directly to the customer.
14. Sell Handmade Crafts
Do you have a love of making or creating things? There’s something unique about handmade goods, and platforms like Etsy allow you to profit from your talent. Whether it’s jewellery, home decorations, paintings, or wildly unique creations, you could turn a hobby into a small business.
15. Run a Clothing Business
What is it they say about fashion – what goes out of style will eventually come back? You don’t need to make your own clothes to sell clothes online. Mrs. B loves finding a bargain or 12 in charity shops.
Designer bags and shoes, new clothes with the original shop tags still attached… all at a fraction of the price they should be. Perfect to resell online (except that Mrs. B prefers to keep them in the wardrobe!).
16. Sell Digital Products
Digital products like eBooks, templates, and apps offer a unique advantage over physical goods in that you only need to create them once to sell them endlessly. Platforms like Sellfy provide an immediate online storefront to showcase your digital products to a global audience.
17. Flipping Domain Names
Now for something a little different: buying and selling website domain names. The concept is easy:
- You buy a domain name that you think will become popular
- Hold the domain name
- Sell it when a buyer comes along and will pay more for the name than you paid for it
Get your thinking cap on, start buying up domain names, and them market them to potential buyers on a platform like Efty.
Turn a Hobby into an Income Stream
Have you heard it said that if you do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life? Today, you really can turn a hobby into a money spinner. Whether it’s capturing moments through a lens, sharing your perspective, or being an avid comper, you can lend lifestyle with livelihood.
18. Photography
If you have an eye for taking the perfect photo, you could load your images to a site like Shutterstock or Adobe Stock for others to buy.
19. App Development
Do you have the skills to develop solutions for our digital world? There is always room for a new app! Figure out what people need, develop an app to satisfy that demand, and get the exposure you need to sell your app on a platform like Google Play or Apple App Store.
20. Online Paid Surveys
If you enjoy sharing your opinions, you could make a few extra quid by completing online paid surveys. Platforms like Ipsos iSay and Swagbucks can help you earn cash and other rewards in your spare time.
21. Stock Trading and Investing
If you have a penchant for financial markets, you could dive into trading for profit. There are many stock trading apps for beginners which make it easy to trade, and provide the education you need to get started. (A word of warning, though, is that this route also carries an inherent risk.)
22. Become a Comper
Here’s another fun way to make money online – become a comper. Enter online contests, sweepstakes, or raffles to win cash or prizes. To be successful, you’ll need to make regular entries.
Websites like Competition Database and LatestDeals Competitions will help you identify the best contests to enter.
Make Money from Your Home
Your home is your castle, right? Somewhere to relax and feel safe. It could also be a money machine. Many people have underutilised space in their home.
From renting out a room to tourists to establishing experiences that showcase your hobbies, passions, or expertise, to capitalising on an unused driveway, you can turn your castle into a treasury, without compromising on its use as your home.
23. Rent Out a Room
If you have a spare room, you might consider renting it out. Platforms like Airbnb connect you to travellers who need temporary accommodation. Or you could opt to take in a lodger.
Either way, under the Government’s Rent a Room scheme, you could earn up to £7,500 tax free by offering an inviting living space with great hospitality.
24. Be an Airbnb Experience Host
Airbnb also allows you to offer ‘experiences’ to travellers. This is a great way to use your passion, expertise, or hobby to improve your income.
Do you have a deep knowledge of local history? You could offer city tours. Are you a yoga instructor? What about a weekend retreat? There are many ways in which you can share your skills and knowledge with others who want new experiences.
25. Rent a Parking Space
This is one for those of you who live near a railway station, town centre or attraction. If you have a spare space on your driveway, you could earn thousands of pounds a year by allowing commuters or shoppers to park at your home.
Websites like ParkOnMyDrive will connect you with drivers who need a space to park.
26. Sell Storage Space
One of the growth industries in recent years has been self-storage. You could profit from this demand. Rent out space in your attic, a spare room, or garage to people who have no space to store their belongings. Use a site like Parklet to attract storage seekers.
27. Rent out Your EV Charger
An extension of renting your parking space. If you have an EV charger, you could offer your driveway for others to plug in their EVs.
28. Host Students
Homestays are sought by many students. These may be for a term or college year, or for shorter stays to accommodate students who are attending short courses near your home.
How to Develop a Portfolio of Home Income Earning
Your home could be a haven of earning opportunity,and there may be a number of the above methods I’ve mentioned that you feel you could achieve. All you need to do to unlock this potential is to think a little creatively.
Imagine combining your passion, expertise, and home to create a portfolio of income streams:
- You could begin by freelancing in your area of expertise.
- Simultaneously, build a website to showcase your passions, hobbies, or expertise.
- Blog regularly on your website, and share content on social media to build a loyal following.
- Write a couple of books to confirm your subject matter authority.
- As your following grows, tap into the power of affiliate marketing to monetize your site.
- Develop online courses to provide an interactive experience that can be sold time and again.
- Online tutoring sessions provide a more personalised experience for those with deeper pockets.
- Don’t forget to monetise your home, by renting out a room and storage space.
It takes dedication, discipline, and effort to develop an earnings portfolio like this. However, by intertwining these strategies, you’ll develop a robust earnings machine with a combination of active and passive revenue.
In addition, you’ll lead a varied life while capitalising on your expertise, your passion, and your home.
I’ll let you work out just how financially lucrative such a portfolio could be.
12 Tips for Successfully Making Money from Home on Proven Methods
Though working from home presents an immense portfolio of earning opportunities, it is not without its challenges. But, with discipline, dedication, and a learning mentality, you can harness the many benefits of working from home and achieve your financial goals like I have achieved mine.
Here are our tips to improve your success:
Set Clear Goals
What do you want to achieve? Unless you know your goals, how will you get to your destination? Do you want to create a passive income, replace a full-time job, or just to earn extra cash? Your goals will guide your decisions.
Capitalise On Your Current Profession
Create income streams doing what you do best. Whether that’s finance, marketing, digital innovation, or a host of other fields, platforms like Upwork are ideal for leveraging your existing skills.
Invest in Technology
Using the right tools and technology is crucial. You’ll need a reliable computer or laptop. High-speed internet connectivity is a must. You’ll also need to use the best software to improve your efficiency.
Choose a Platform That Suits Your Skillset
Whether it’s Etsy for crafts, Teachable for online courses, or Upwork for freelancing, select platforms that help you to capitalize on your strengths, experience, and expertise.
Educate Yourself
Don’t stand still! Develop a love of continuous learning to remain relevant and one step ahead of your competition.
Diversify Your Online Selling
Never rely on only one platform to sell. Find out where your audience hangs out and connect with them through different platforms to give yourself the greatest exposure.
Engage in Active Marketing for Affiliate Programs
Don’t just rely on organic traffic. Use social media, email marketing, and other strategies to promote affiliate links.
Maintain Authenticity with Blogging and Podcasting
Readers of blogs and listeners of podcasts can smell a fake a mile off. Be authentic and deliver genuine content to drive engagement and loyalty.
Keep Your Online Store Up to Date
Trends are continually changing. You’ll need to ensure that your online spaces are modern and user friendly – and, of course, that they cater to the needs of a constantly evolving virtual audience.
Stay Motivated
Find what motivates you, and use this to drive your effort. Should you set rewards for reaching milestones? Is your motivation determined by seeing your vision become reality? It can be challenging to remain driven when you are your own boss.
(For me, when I’m writing fiction, if I map out the last few chapters in detail, it’s like I’ve completed the book. I need to keep some mystery surrounding the outcome.)
Adapt and Evolve
The digital landscape is constantly changing. Stay flexible, and be willing to adapt your strategies as needed.
Protect Yourself Legally
Especially if you are dealing with intellectual property, there will be legal issues that you’ll need to become acquainted with – you may need to consult legal experts to ensure you don’t overstep any boundaries.
The Bottom Line
Developing and maintaining your success when earning from home requires dedication, flexibility, creativity, and a strategic approach. Don’t be fearful of being a little creative and entrepreneurial as you build income streams that align with your desired lifestyle.