Here’s How To *Actually* Make Money Online

It’s hard to imagine a time when the internet didn’t exist. A means to keep tabs on our pals, from Sarah down the road to Leonardo DiCaprio up in the Hollywood Hills, there’s never a shortage of ways for us to spend our time online, and that includes making money from it.

We’ve all seen the pop-up ads ‘I made 1000 euro a day here’s how you can too!’ and ‘Click here to earn cash quick’ of course they seem like scams, and they most likely are, but that doesn’t mean the internet is a write off when it comes to profiting from it.

Making money online is a scale, there are surefire ways to earn a quick buck and there are schemes you can get caught up in that seem promising in the beginning but end in disaster. No, you don’t have to do some dodgy stuff if you’re looking to line your pockets a little more. Some online money-making activities are completely above board and all they require is a little bit of determination and graft.

We can’t guarantee that you will get rich nor can we guarantee that it won’t be hard work, but there are profitable opportunities out there and we chat with Money Coach Kel Galavan on which online activities she gives the green light and which she gives an absolute red. But before we get into how to make money online, we ask Kel if it’s even possible in the first place. “Most definitely, it is possible. When you think about it, most businesses already make money online. No matter their size, whether it’s bespoke candles made in your kitchen or a multinational conglomerate, having an online presence is a great way to create awareness and make money. There are as many ways to make money online as there are stars in the sky.”

Sell your goods

One pretty much guaranteed one to make a quick buck online is by selling your unwanted items. Of course, there’s the well-known Depop, the peer-to-peer e-commerce company which gives everyone and anyone a platform to market and sell their items. It’s most commonly known for buying and selling second-hand clothes, but you can whack up pretty much anything on there. From jewelry to old records, once it’s in good enough condition you can flog it. Similarly, Facebook Market place, eBay, and Done Deal are all places you can sell and make money. Once you’ve settled on a site to start selling, the next thing you need to do to make sure your venture ends with your pockets heavier is to market your products the best way possible. Simple things like take clean and clear pictures, provide lengthy descriptions, use hashtags and be active all help towards getting your goods out there and picked up by potential customers. It might take some time before you make your first euro but once you do you’ll never look back. There’s likely tonnes of stuff around your house right now sitting unused, as the saying goes one man’s trash is another man’s treasure, so go and turn that trash into cash.

Capitalise on your creativity

Maybe you’re less keen on flogging your crap online but keener on selling your creations instead. The internet is also a place where creative people can make a profit from their handiwork. Do you have a hobby that you’re low-key good at? You know, you could be making

money from that. No, you don’t need to Girl Boss your way through everything you do, but if you’re keen to see some extra money in your account at the end of each month and you’re a

dab-hand at knitting jumpers – selling them seems like a bit of a no-brainer. If you’re creative-led, think about what you could create to make some extra cash. Things like jewelry, pottery, art prints, crochet hats, personalised tote bags and sweater vests all sell incredibly well online and if you spot a gap in the market why not throw yourself into it? Etsy is the most popular resource for people to sell home-made goods, but you can list your creations in other places too such as Handmade at Amazon and Art Fire.

Become a brand

One of the most popular ways people have been setting out to make money online in recent years is by building themselves as a brand. Influencing is the better-known term for what we’re talking about here. This as a career choice has blown up especially with the rise of TikTok there is the belief that it could happen for anyone! But becoming a successful influencer doesn’t happen overnight, it’s not a make-money-fast solution like some of the others on the list. You have to have a passion for what you are sharing online, whether it’s fashion content, lifestyle content, food, comedy – the list goes on. It takes a lot of planning and dedication to post consistent quality content and grow your following. With this, comes opportunities for collabs with brands, paid ads, giveaways, influencer trips etc. All amazing perks and if you look at some of the influencers you follow online, you know it can be possible to create a pretty fab living off of! Everybody started somewhere and if you’ve something to give, there’s an audience waiting for you.

Surveys/Pyramid Schemes

Moving into an area we don’t know too much about we enlisted the help of Money Mindset Coach Kel Galavan (@mrssmartmoneyhq) to give us some insight on how reliable these forms of making money online are and what to watch out for…

According to Kel, “Surveys can be a nice way to make a small amount of money on the side.” She explained, although it can be an “excellent option” for some side cash, we shouldn’t be relying on them as a career or sole wage as most surveys could set you below minimum wage at the end of the day. “If you are considering doing survey, work with reputable agencies with good track records, Trusty Pilot can be a good way to do some preliminary background checking,” she added.

Moving on from surveys, Kel warned about what she would steer clear of when looking to make some cash; “I’m not a fan of [Pyramid schemes or multi-level marketing (MLM)] and would not recommend them to make money. I’m especially not fond of any scheme that requires people to pay upfront for products before they can sell. They can put well-meaning people under pressure, especially if they have targets to meet and find themselves out of pocket. That is not a business model that endorses.”

Crypto

Ah crypto, how mysterious it seems. Some people couldn’t begin to explain what crypto means, while for others, it’s all they want to talk about. In the last few years, we’ve been presented with

this shiny new way to ‘make money’, being told that we need to ‘invest’ and make sure we reap benefits in the future. But what are we investing in? Could this really be the trick to financial security that it’s made out to be? Or is it too soon to tell?

Kel explains, “I find Crypto and especially blockchain fascinating. Although, Crypto at the moment is in its wild west phase. Crypto, especially blockchain, has so much potential; however, I feel we have a long the road in weeding out the smoke and mirror scams before we can truly embrace it as an option.” Continuing on, Kel says “Most cryptocurrencies are not worthy of investment and have been created purely to lighten other people’s pockets. I urge you to do as much research as possible and only invest if you genuinely understand what you are investing in. If in doubt, step back. If someone approaches you online or through social media, promising you that they have the next big thing, be very wary of the person’s motives. The vast majority of cryptocurrencies available now will not exist in a few months, let alone a few years. So currently, it is very much a case of buyer beware.”

• money
• online job
• Saving