It is easy to overlook talents or skills that we may have that can help us make some extra money or even earn a full-time income. Most likely, you possess knowledge or experience in something that others would gladly pay for to either learn from you or receive as a service.
What Are You Good At?
Start with doing some self-analysis if you are not sure about your talents. What are you good at? What skill do family and friends always commend you on? What do you love to do in your free time? If you still cannot come up with any answers, ask someone close to you what they think are your skills. You may be surprised to learn just how talented you are.
Although in this post I am using examples such as cooking and home organization, the money-making ideas can be applied to many different skills and niches such as:
- Hobbies and crafting
- Pregnancy and Babycare
- Do-It-Yourself (DIY)
- Finances and Budgeting
- Housecleaning
- Beauty and Body Care
- Hairstyles and Haircare
- Event Management
- Health and Fitness
- Gardening
- Canning and Preserving
- Homesteading
- …the list is endless!
So, here are some ideas to help you get started building your own empire. You can use one or more of the following to eventually produce multiple streams of income.
Start a Food Blog
Do you love to cook? Are you always the designated chef for family events, picnics and holiday gatherings? If you know how to ‘bubble a pot’, as we say here in Trinidad, then you should definitely start a food blog.
The food category on Pinterest is one of the most searched, viewed and pinned and has proven to bring in lots of valuable traffic to many food blogs.
Do not worry that other people may already be offering the types of recipes that you want to offer. Your version will be your own once you put your authentic spin and personality into it.
You may take for granted recipes native to your culture or lifestyle that others will want to try or incorporate into their diets for a variety of health reasons. For example, your staple vegetarian meals might be a blessing for someone wanting to add more plant-based dishes to family meals.
There are ways to monetize a food blog via affiliate marketing, advertising, sponsored posts and creating and selling your own products through your blog such as recipe books or online courses. Not to mention these could bring in lucrative offline offers to cater special events, weddings, birthday parties, Christmas events etc.
Start A YouTube Channel
Another way to share and teach a skill such as cooking is to start a YouTube channel. Videos are a popular medium for people looking for recipes because they get to see exactly how to make the dish from start to finish.
You do not even have to show your face if you do not want to. One of my favourite foodie YouTubers, Natasha from Trini Cooking With Natasha did not show her face for years earlier in her recipe videos and yet her channel was steadily growing. Only recently did she reveal herself and we all got to see the woman behind the mouthwatering recipes.
YouTube gives you the opportunity to monetize your content via advertising and you can also make money through sponsorships from food-related companies.
All you need is a good smartphone or camera, internet access, a computer and some dedicated time to create, edit and upload your creations.
Create A Course
Online learning is becoming one of the fastest-growing ways that people are using to learn new skills. It is possible to start immediately, most times students can learn at their own pace and have lifetime access to the learning material.
You can use a platform such as Teachable to create and sell your courses.
Again, do not underestimate your skill level either. You will have knowledge at a level that someone needs and is willing to pay for. Always ensure that you provide great value in your content, packed with goodies that will help your audience achieve a goal, whether it is to learn to cook, how to make soap, how to do bridal makeup, embroidery or knitting, etc.
In your course, you can also include various types of media such as videos, printable PDFs, worksheets, or anything else you think will benefit your customers.
Write a Book
Writing a book and self-publishing is one of the least expensive ways to create and sell a product that will bring in passive income while you sleep. Your greatest investment will be your time to sit down and put pen to paper or fingers to keyboard and get your ideas out. Again, use your skill to teach others what you know.
You can publish your book on Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing and have it available for purchase in as little as 24 hours on the biggest eCommerce platform in the world.
There is also the option to create paperback and audiobook versions of your book through CreateSpace on KDP and Audible ACX.
Here is some guidance on how to write and publish your book on Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing. where you can start earning royalties from the sales of your book.
Create a Product
You can create other digital products that can be sold through sites such as E-junkie or Sendowl.
An example of another digital product is printables for a home/family management binder.
If you are a boss at home management and organization I am sure someone needs to learn from your talent. You can create printables for cleaning schedules, budgets, meal plans, home maintenance etc, which will help to save a busy mom or dad lots of time and be a valuable resource in their day-to-day living.
Platforms like Canva, PicMonkey and Visme can help you to create awesome graphics and printables to sell to your customers.
Offer a Service
Although much of this article is focused on passive income streams you also can provide a service. If, for example, your talent is in social media, you can become a social media Virtual Assistant on your favourite social platform.
If you know Instagram like the back of your hand and can help someone build a professional profile and create strategic daily posts to help them grow their business, then this may be a great option for you to make money from the comfort of your home.
You can create a website for your business and/or use social media like Facebook and Instagram to build awareness of your services and products.
So, if you want to start making extra money from home, start from where you are and see what you can offer to help someone who needs your talent.
