Making Money Online And Coming Away From The Standard Nine To Five

Julie Starr • Jul 30, 2020



Years ago to earn an income, it meant you went out to work each day. You worked from nine till five and then you went home. That happened five days a week. You took home a paycheck, and that was that. Some people are still happy with this traditional method of working, but with recent changes in the world, and people having to diversify the way they operate such as allowing employees, perhaps like yourself to work from home or to change the way a business operates, it has opened up a whole new world of opportunity. 

As technology has advanced and the digital world has taken over, the opportunities for earning an income have changed a little. Many people can now consider;y work for themselves and from their homes to earn a living. Sure, you can still go out to earn a crust, but more and more people are considering money-making ventures online. It could give you that work and home life balance that you crave, or maybe even enable you to have greater flexibility with the way your day operates. So are there real big bucks to be made? With that question in mind, here are some of the ways you could earn some money online. 

Making more use of social media profiles

Social media is huge. There is no shying away from that. First, there were some of the major platforms like Facebook and Twitter. The introduction of Instagram, Snapchat, Pinterest, and Youtube to name a few. All of which can provide huge money-making opportunities for engaging profiles. There will be brands and companies that are keen to collaborate with individuals with excellent social media profiles. But sometimes it can be difficult to build up a following, especially on platforms like Instagram or Facebook. Which is why it may be worth it to consider other strategies to increase your following. In the long term, the investment could pay off. 

Social media is a great way to earn some money for the things that you share, the products that you may review, and many people have gone on to become an ‘influencer’ and earn big money.  There are many ways to make money from using affiliate links or even content monetization allowing followers to purchase from your brand and earn money without directing them to other retailers.  There have been huge rises in this line of work, and while it can feel like a saturated market, you have your own unique selling point. You. So work on what you might want to do and share and just start. Who knows where it might take you. 

A blog can be a money maker

It seems like everyone has a blog these days. But, while many monetize their blogs it is only a small percentage that earns huge amounts of money from their blogs . So how do they do that? With hard work and determination. It’s possible for anyone to have a successful blog. Advertising income through brand collaborations. Or being commissioned to write articles is just some of the ways you can. Other options include using affiliate links. While success may not happen overnight, with careful planning your blog could be a moneymaker. 

Blogs are a great way to flex your creative skills as you not only need to think about the visual aspects of the blog but also the content that you share. When it comes to some of that hard work mentioned, it is about thinking of keywords and ensuring that your blog is organically shown in search engine results, so that you get the website traffic generator that so many brands will be looking for. It is important as well to consider other avenues that a blog will enable you to monetize. Coaching courses, memberships, an e-commerce store selling goods. These are just some of the things successful bloggers have gone on to do to enhance and diversify their original blog business. 

Create a video blog

Youtube is a big one. Making videos for your own channel and allowing advertising to take place. As your subscribers increase so does your opportunity to earn. Brands are looking to work with real people these days and video is one of the ways that they want to reach out to new and potential customers. Much like a blog, it does take a lot of work and dedication to build up the reputation of your channel. But some people prefer the video editing options that YouTube can give them. When it comes to making your video blog stand out, you will need to consider how professional it looks. A thumbnail before the video starts, decent captions throughout the video to make it inclusive and considering things like YouTube end screen templates to ensure that you give your viewer a call to action to check out other videos or visit social media or online websites. A video blog, much like a blog, can enable you to not only make money with advertisements, but also things such as affiliate marketing, and even using YouTube ads for revenue.

Consider other online ventures

There are other online ventures to consider and many people who work from home have many different income streams to enable them to create a wage that they can comfortably live on. If you are just working for yourself, you may want to think about diverting income streams so that if one option isn’t making as much money as it had done the previous month, you have other revenue options that can pick up the slack and vice versa. Here are a few of the ones to consider:

  • Mystery shopping – Mystery shopping can take place online these days. You can get the option to mystery shop websites and make purchases, handle online conversations and communications, and then review feedback. Mystery shopping can also take place outside of the home, so you can click on the job online and then perform it within the deadline. This can not only give you a fee for the job but also money towards meals and products if the job requires purchases. 
  • Website testing – More companies want people to test out their websites and report back on how easy it is to use. It can be big business. 
  • Matched betting – this is another tax-free option to earn some income and there is a lot of information out there about it to help you get started with it. 
  • Filling out online surveys – last of all there are website platforms that will ask you to fill out online surveys and the money can vary from a couple of dollars for a few minutes’ work to ongoing surveys that will give you consistent revenue. 

All these little options add up and can help you to steady your income online as you navigate some of your bigger prospects and keep the income topped up as and when you need it. 

Starting up an online business with a website

Last of all, there is the obvious option of earning money online and that is to create an online business and start reading, selling or offering up online services . This means creating a website and marketing your product and service online only. It enables you to not have as many set-up costs as it would if you had a shop or business premises, and the cost of setting up a business online is cheaper than other avenues you could explore. Buying products to sell, or sourcing them to be manufactured can also be done through online communication. After the current pandemic we have just gone through, many people have had no alternative than to shop online. It was becoming more and popular anyway but as people have had no choice, the online world for making purchases and starting up new businesses is a fast market right now. Online shopping can be anything from big purchases of furniture to food and clothes. The options are endless and there is money to be made.

So what’s the verdict?

Having only just covered a small indication on how you can make money online I think the answer is it can be very lucrative. Making money online gives you great flexibility in terms of what you can do and how you can earn your money. You no longer have that one option and instead could try a few different ways to increase your money-making potential. One big focus is always going to be ideal, for example starting a blog or a business, but then having smaller income streams can help you to top up the money that you earn online. So many people have done this and found that they not only feel passion for the work they do, but the work-life balance gives them options for flexibility in their life. If you have the time, the patience and the know-how making money online could be an easy income for you.  As a reminder, keep sustainability in mind when building your business.  Business sustainability is a win-win for growing your business and supporting the environment. 

Let’s hope this has inspired you to look into alternative ways to boost your disposable income or to even replace your income with a job online and to start working for yourself in different ways. Who wants the standard nine to five these days anyway?

 

Simple Steps To Make Your Office Space More Eco-Friendly

By Julie Starr • 07 Oct, 2024
Becoming more eco-friendly and running a greener business is a responsibility that business owners really need to think more about. The good news is that if you spend a lot of time in your office, there are plenty of ways to make it more eco-friendly without having to overhaul everything and start again (which isn’t just disruptive, but expensive too). So, if you’re ready to get started, here are some simple steps to make your office space more eco-friendly; read on to find out more. Use Energy-Efficient Lighting This idea is a simple one that you can do no matter what else might be on your list of tasks - it’s quick, easy, and really makes a difference; change your light bulbs to something more energy efficient. If you’re still using traditional fluorescent bulbs, it’s time to upgrade to LED which doesn’t just last longer, but also uses a lot less energy. They’re easy to install and they’ll help you cut down on your office’s energy usage almost instantly. If possible, you should make the most of natural light too, so think about rearranging your workspace to let in more sunlight, which saves energy and can boost your mood - it’s a win-win that you can do right away. Prioritize Air Quality The air you breathe matters, and keeping it clean can do wonders for your health and the planet. One way to improve air quality is by adding plants to your workspace because plants are natural air purifiers, and as a bonus, they’ll make your office feel more inviting. Another great idea is to make sure your office’s HVAC system is working efficiently, and having air duct cleaning done by professionals is an easy step you can take to improve air quality and ensure your heating and cooling systems aren’t wasting energy. Clean air ducts mean cleaner air, less strain on your system, and even lower energy bills, so it’s a simple but really effective thing to do. Switch To Reusable Products If your office is still stocking up on single-use plastic items, it’s time for a change - swap your disposable cups, utensils, and plates for reusable ones and you’ll be surprised at how much waste to eliminate. And what about encouraging people to bring their own mugs and water bottles to work? Give them tea, coffee, and water to refill everything with, and you’ll be doing your bit to help the planet and have less waste to deal with as well. And don’t stop with these things either - there are loads of reusable products that could be useful in your office. You could have refillable pens and ink cartridges for your printer, for example. Go Paperless Speaking of your printer, is that an office machine you actually need? If you were to go digital and aim for a paperless office , you might be able to do away with the printer, which means less money spent on ink and paper, and less energy used altogether. You should be able to set up a system where documents can be shared online and stored electronically, and there are plenty of tools around to help you do exactly that (and much more). If you don’t need to print something and you don’t need a physical copy of a document, don’t make one - just use the digital version instead and you’ll be a lot more eco-friendly.

3 Most Unsustainable Industries & What They're Doing To Be More Eco-Conscious

By Julie Starr • 04 Oct, 2024
Sustainability often gets pushed on the common person. Joe Public is told to be more sustainable with their daily habits as the government pushes for more eco-friendly measures. This is all well and good - but does it really matter when 71% of greenhouse gas emissions come from just 100 companies around the world? Small business owners are desperate to prove their sustainability, but what are bigger companies in some of the most polluting industries doing to help? We’ve taken three of the least sustainable sectors on the planet and explored the unique ways they’re trying to cut down on emissions and be more eco-friendly. Mining Any industry revolving around drilling underground will not be very environmentally friendly! Mining causes a lot of pollution, but its unsustainability often comes from the way it damages local environments and ecosystems. So, what is this industry doing to change things? It’s largely focusing on more responsible mining practices to reduce waste and mitigate the impact on local environments. This is done through mining dust suppression systems to prevent airborne pollution, reforesting mining sites when they’re no longer in use, and recycling as many materials as possible. Is it perfect? No, but it’s a step in the right direction. Fossil Fuels Shock horror; the fossil fuels industry is the most damaging to our environment. Finding ways to change the scope of this sector is the key to ensuring a better future for all. Some companies in this industry are trying to do this through carbon capture and storage. This is a technique where CO2 emissions are captured before they’re released into the atmosphere and stored underground. Realistically, the main thing fossil fuel companies should be doing is pushing for more renewable energy sources. Many are doing this - though reports suggest they’re not investing as much as they should. If fossil fuel companies dumped more money into developing biofuels and other renewable sources, pollution from this industry would drop dramatically. Fashion The most unbelievable stat to take from this post is that the fashion industry is responsible for 10% of our global carbon footprint . That’s remarkable (and worrying), considering how most of us don’t view it as a “dangerous” industry. Fast fashion is the main problem; poorly-made goods are pumped out at a rapid rate, and consumers constantly buy new things. Fashion companies are trying their best to resolve this. Most big brands will now have sustainable lines using recyclable materials. Consumers also hold the key to solving this problem: stop buying new clothes all the time and wear yours for longer. Or buy pre-owned clothes to slow down the fashion production line. Companies can still do more as well: they are trying to adopt more eco-friendly production processes that use less water and energy. The moral of this post is that everyone can do their bit to fight for a more sustainable future. Keep this in mind for your small business . It doesn’t matter what industry you’re in; there will always be ways to promote eco-friendly practices.
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