You’ve been there: You’re working a dead-end day job, trying to slog through the depths of your inbox during lunch. You think about how awesome it would be if you could just quit your job, go back to school and make something out of yourself. But then the question arises: How do I survive?
It may seem unfathomable to imagine living off Amazon like amazon ic qa cs affiliate earnings while going to school but it is entirely possible—especially if you learn these tips!
1. Stop wasting time on penny-ante work
It may be tempting to hustle pennies for an extra buck or two. But when you’re working your way through college, thousands of pennies add up.
If you’re serious about making money online, don’t take any gigs that pay less than $100 or $200 per month.
2. Prioritize passive income over active income
Online businesses run in all different shapes and sizes. You can build a scalable business like an ecommerce store with thousands of products and customers or a one-off service like article writing that brings in a little bit of cash here and there with very little effort on your part, or anywhere in between.
For most people, the best way to make money working online is to start with passive income that requires little or no effort on your part.
Income generating websites like affiliate marketing, creative and product creation sites, digital products and business blogs are great options since they can generate more than enough funds.
3. Cut out the bullshit
It’s time to say goodbye to the scilly gigs, like writing for websites or freelance writing jobs that pay so little you wouldn’t survive without a second job. You don’t have time to waste on these gigs anyway.
Instead, focus on building your niche site and—once it starts making money—finding clients who will pay you what you deserve and need.
4. Be strategic with your investments
One of the biggest mistakes people make when working online is investing too much in their sites. If a website is not profitable at all, it’s probably because they’re spending more than they can make each month.
You will have to have patience with your online business and be strategic with your investments.
Use the money you make every month to grow your passive income-generating site even more or to build other profitable websites within your niches. Some people make the mistake of investing AWAY from their income generating sites because they think it will bring in more money than investments into the site itself.
5. Spend less time on other things
Once you’ve invested in a good, solid website, shift all of your time and energy into that single project.
Don’t waste time researching business ideas, trying to figure out if something will work, or even trying to convince yourself that Google Adsense is a good way for you to earn cash . . . because the fact is that it isn’t.
You don’t have time to waste trying to make money in ways that don’t work.
If you’re going to spend time trying to make money online, spend your energy on the things that are most likely to yield results for you.
6. Don’t try to do everything yourself
As a twenty-something with limited income, you may feel like you have to do everything from idea conception, content creation and day-to-day running of your site yourself—but this is a huge mistake.
While you may want or even need to do a lot of things yourself, remember that outsourcing allows you more time and energy to grow your site or create new sites in your niche.
7. Build a following
When you create and launch your own website, you should expect that not everyone will be on board. There are going to be some people who’ll like your work and some who won’t. And while you’re doing this—which will take time—you’ll want to keep working towards building a following.
Spend time honing your craft and improving your site so that all of your fans (and potential future clients) know and trust you as a designer or writer.
8. Create new products and services when needed
Even if you’re getting ready to quit your job, don’t let yourself run out of ideas.
If you’re working on a site in a very specific niche, and it’s not generating much traffic or money, you may want to consider a different and more profitable niche.
Don’t let the fear of changing careers or quitting your day job paralyze you and prevent you from doing what’s right for your future.
9. Get rid of all distractions
Staying focused is the key to making the most of your time. Whether it’s taking out time to work on your site every single day or finding a new way to brainstorm ideas as often as possible—it’s important that you take action every single day.
10. Learn to code
If you have a hard time finding an audience for your blog or web design and marketing skills are important to you, then learning how to become a web developer is probably the best option for you.
With minimal start-up costs and very little time commitment, it’s possible to learn the ins and outs of coding so that you can create your own websites with almost no start-up costs.
Summary:
There is nothing that can stop you from making money online as a twenty-something.
If you are willing to work hard and become strategic with your time and energy, then making money online for twenty-somethings is possible.
‘Only those who have the patience to do simple things perfectly ever acquire the skill to do difficult things easily.’ -Anonymous
If you are willing to be patient with your business, willing to learn new skills, and willing to take a big chance on yourself—then it’s possible for you to make money online as a twenty something.
