The idea of making money from anywhere you live seemed like a novel concept just a few years. Working from wherever you want, being your own boss, and having supreme flexibility sounded great. But it just wasn’t realistic for most people.
But things have changed. There are now more options than ever, making the Internet a viable source of income. In fact, 56.7 million Americans freelanced in 2018 — up from 3.7 million in 2014.
In this post, we’re going to take a deep dive into 5 proven strategies that fit people of all different interests levels and skill sets. We’ll discuss the specifics on how each method works, how to get started and provide helpful resources.
Now let’s get right down to it. Here’s how to make money from anywhere you live in no particular order.
#1. Virtual Assistant
This is a wide umbrella that consists of many different tasks. Virtual assistants (VAs) may:
- Handle customer support
- Process orders
- Perform data entry
- Work in project management
- Perform content research
- Proofread blog posts
- Format WordPress content
The list goes on.
And there’s a huge demand for VAs. Many business owners have a ton of work but don’t have the time to handle it in-house. So they outsource to VAs for extra help to keep the workflow moving.
You’ll usually need to have some level of experience in the niche you choose. So we recommend starting with something you’re familiar with. For instance, you may be adept at using WordPress and could target gigs that involve content formatting and adding media to WordPress posts.
Once you get a few projects under your belt and start to build relationships, you can move on and expand.
How to Find VA Jobs
There are three sites we suggest checking out initially:
You’ll need to sign up, create a profile and list your skills.
#2. Freelance Writer
Freelance writing has never been bigger. Peruse most major job boards, and you’ll inevitably find businesses seeking writers to handle a wide variety of content needs. So there are plenty of opportunities available.
And many people are making freelance writing a permanent, long-term profession. According to a 2017 survey by FreelanceWriting.com, “Over 83 percent of respondents reported they expect to continue to write for at least five years.”
As you might imagine, there’s a big disparity in terms of how much freelance writers earn, which involves several factors like experience, industry, content complexity and the number of hours worked per week.
But there’s certainly money to be made. With $25 free credit, I recommend you to check out Freelancer.com to either use for your own projects or sign up to help others and make money with your own skills. Build a nice portfolio of clients, and you can earn a nice living working completely remotely.
#3. Teach English Online
About 20 percent of the world’s population speaks English. And many more are looking to learn. Countries like China, South Korea and The Philippines in particular are looking to teach their students this language from a young age.
So there’s a good demand for English language instructors online.
There are two main criteria required for this type of work. First, you need to be fluent in English. Second, you’ll usually need to have a bachelor’s degree. Some companies may also require some type of certification such as TESOL, TEFL or CELTA as well.
In terms of earning potential, you’re usually looking at somewhere around $28 USD per hour. Schedules are flexible, but most companies will want you to commit to a set number of hours each week.
I recommend the following companies:
#4. Create an Online Course
This is another way to earn money through teaching — only it involves building your own online course around a topic you’re an expert in.
Here’s how it works.
You sign up with a company like Udemy — they’re one of the best — and check out their course development options. For instance, Udemy has a section called “Become an Instructor.”
From there, you’ll be able to plan your course and create videos and other educational content.
You can build a course around pretty much anything. Everything from business and marketing to photography to personal development — whatever you’re an expert at.
#5. Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate products are a common way authority site owners monetize their content.
This revolves around the practice of affiliate marketing, which Entrepreneur defines as, “A way for a company to sell its products by signing up individuals or companies (“affiliates”) who market the company’s product for a commission.”
As an affiliate, you’re basically referring people to another company’s products, and you make a commission for every product that’s purchased through you. It’s a win-win because you’re making money without having to create an actual product yourself and deal with all of the logistics of order fulfillment, and the company is increasing their sales volume.
Here’s how it works:
Say you have a website that focuses on specialty dieting like the Paleo and Ketogenic diets. You could sell cookbooks on recipes featuring these diets.
You would first sign up for an affiliate program, most common these days is Amazon of course, but there are plenty others to choose from. Once you submit your associate profile and get approved, you can start promoting links to products with your affiliate code to your site. Any time someone buys through your site or however you decide to promote your unique personal link, you receive a percentage of this sale plus everything else that’s purchased while shopping through your referral, sounds good?
Note that you don’t necessarily have to have a website, although if you decide to create your very own online presence, I highly vouch for Bluehost as your home base. You can also promote through your social media, guest blogging or anywhere you can feature an affiliate link. It’s just that having a site is nice because you’ve already got a built-in audience and trust, which tends to make it easier to convert.
Using Your Creativity and Skills to Make Money Online
As you’ve just learned, there are many ways to make money online. Some techniques can potentially provide a full-time income, while others are more of a side hustle. However, they’re all are legitimate and strategies that we can vouch for.
Crushing it with these techniques is all about figuring out what you’re good at and passionate about and aligning it with your personal business goals.
Can you think of any other ways to make money online from anywhere you live? Please let us know using the comment box below.
