20 Best Ways To Make Money from Home (in 2020)
20 BEST WAYS TO MAKE MONEY FROM HOME (IN 2020)
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YES, YOU CAN MAKE UP TO $100,000 A YEAR WORKING FROM HOME IF YOU START NOW
The Best Ways to Make Money from Home
Being able to quit my job and make money from home has always been one of my dreams.
We all have different reasons for wanting to work from home:
- creating your own business and be your own boss
- having more freedom to travel and explore the world
- wanting to spend time with your kids as a stay-at-home mum or dad
Whatever the reason, you don’t have to be an online expert or spend a lot of money training to make money from home.
All the ways to make money from home that you will find here cost little to no money to set up.
You will mostly only need:
- a computer
- internet access
- enthusiasm
The good news is that you will already have most of these things if you are reading this.
But if you really want to earn a substantial income, you need to make sure you treat the idea you choose as your own business: you will need to create a routine and establish your own schedule. Make sure you set aside time in your day and organize your calendar.
Not going to an office isn’t an excuse to neglect your home-based project!
The amazing thing when you set up your own business is that you will be in charge of your own success. And it’s really possible to start making up to $100,000 within a year or two. In this post, I will share with you real-life examples of people that, without previous experience, or a typical 9 to 5 job, manage to earn a 6-figure income, working from home!
If you are ready to make money without a “real” job, roll up your sleeves and let’s get started!
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How to Make Money From Home in 2020
Here I listed the best ideas to make money from home. These ideas will help you to start your own business and live the life of your dreams!
1. Proofreading
EQUIPMENT: Computer, internet access, word processing software
INCOME: $35,000-$59,000/year
INCOME: $35,000-$59,000/year
Catching errors can be a very profitable business!
If you are passionate about grammar, punctuation, and spelling, and have eagle eyes for mistakes this might be the perfect job for you!
Copy editors and proofreaders help others to check their written material for spelling, grammar, and readability. And with the average salary at around $36,000 per year, it’s a great way to make a living!
You can start a proofreading business from anywhere, so it’s perfect for making money at home or while traveling.
Caitlin, from Proofread Anywhere, is an amazing example of how successful proofreading can be. She made slightly over $43,000 as a freelance proofreader, while going on several amazing vacations. And now she teaches others how to become a professional proofreader in no time.
How to get started:
If you want to find out how Caitlin makes a full-time income as a freelance proofreader, you can sign up for her FREE 76-minute workshop. It’ll give you lots of useful information on becoming a freelance proofreader.
And if you are looking for the best places to find proofreading jobs online, check out this post.
2. Work as a freelance writer
EQUIPMENT: Computer, internet access
INCOME: $50,000-$85,000/year
INCOME: $50,000-$85,000/year
Do you love expressing yourself with words? Writing could be the perfect job for you!
The life of a writer allows you to work from home or anywhere, as long as you have a computer, internet access, and a phone.
There are tons of opportunities out there, whether it’s working for online magazines and websites or writing for companies creating their blog posts, branded content, newsletters or press releases.
The more experience you have, the more you will be able to earn. You can start your own blog to showcase your work and land your first paid opportunities.
How to get started:
If you want to find out more about making money writing and all the steps you need to take to get your first commission, check out my step-by-step guide to become a freelance writer.
And if you are not sure about what you can write, check out the 200+ freelance writing niches that are waiting for you!
3. Start a blog
EQUIPMENT: Computer, internet access, word processing software
INCOME: $25,000-$1,000,000/year (yes!)
INCOME: $25,000-$1,000,000/year (yes!)
I couldn’t really talk about how to make money from home without talking about blogging!
The great thing about blogging is that it requires a minimal initial investment (you just need to buy a domain and hosting for your website) and your time.
You can then generate income by adding ads to your blog, or you can generate money using affiliate marketing or by creating your own product. With affiliate marketing, every time people click on affiliate links on your site and make a purchase, you receive a small commission at no additional cost to them.
Michelle, the blogger of Making Sense of Cents, makes over 1 million dollars a year with her blog (yes, that’s right!).
How to get started:
With my blog, I went from $0 to $3,800 after only 3 months. Read how I did it by clicking here! And if you are ready to start your own blog, follow my step-by-step tutorial here.
4. Become a virtual assistant
EQUIPMENT: Computer, internet access, word processing software
INCOME: $40,000-$60,000/year
INCOME: $40,000-$60,000/year
You can earn some great money working from home for a few hours a day by becoming a virtual assistant (up to $35-$50 per hour!).
The beauty of this job is that it can be done from home, and it can be done on a freelance basis — some gigs last a day, some can last for weeks or months.
Virtual assistants need to have strong administrative skills, be highly organized and can work across a number of fascinating industries, like blogging and social media, for example.
There are different types of tasks a virtual assistant can help a business with. Some businesses use a VA to keep up with emails, customer service online, calendars updates, arrange meetings, share blogging updates, manage social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Pinterest.
How to get started:
If you want to find out more about how to become a virtual assistant and all the tasks you can do and offer to potential clients, I strongly advise you to read my interview with Gina.
Gina has created an incredible VA business and within 6 months she was earning $4,000 on the side each month (while still working full time!). You can learn how to do the same in less than 30 days by clicking here!
5. Become a Transcriptionist
EQUIPMENT: Computer, headphones, internet access, word processing software
INCOME: $45,000-$60,000/year
INCOME: $45,000-$60,000/year
As a transcriptionist, you will convert recorded speech into a written electronic document. You need to be a fast and accurate typist, and you will also need basic computer skills to become a successful transcriptionist. This job can be done from home and has a lot of autonomy.
But before you consider this as an option you need to make sure you have these skills:
- Self-motivated and self-disciplined
- Strong organizational and time management skills
- Comfortable working alone
- Able to work independently with little to no supervision or feedback
- Flexible to changing routines to meet deadlines
Typing seems like an easy job, but it requires a lot of concentration and time. The faster you are, the more money you will be able to make.
You can also specialize in specific fields that pay much more and have a high demand. For example, legal transcriptionists can earn significantly more.
How to get started:
If you are serious about becoming a professional transcriptionist, the best way to get started is to enroll in Janet’s course. Janet has been a professional transcriptionist since 2007 and has now a successful transcription company.
She has created this incredible FREE 7-day mini-course that will give you a better understanding of what a transcriptionist does, and if it’s the perfect job for you!
6. Start a dropshipping business
EQUIPMENT: Computer, internet access
INCOME: $20,000-$100,000+/year
INCOME: $20,000-$100,000+/year
A few years ago I decided I wanted to sell tea online. But after a few months, I realized how painful holding stock (in my bedroom!) was. Guess what? There is a way to make money from home with an online store without having to worry about that at all.
Dropshipping allows you to sell products without ever seeing them or having to invest thousands of dollars in inventory. You work with a supplier who will ship items to your customers from their warehouse. You only pay for drop shipping when your product sells and you have received payment from the customer, which means you can start a business with very little money.
Your make money by selling the products to your customer at a higher price than what the drop shipping company charges you.
If you want to earn money from home without having to invest a fortune, dropshipping is a great business model:
- It’s easy to get started
- It has low overheads and set up costs
- You can offer a wide range of products from day one
- It’s easy to scale
But be mindful that you need to select the right product and a niche that isn’t oversaturated. There are very low margins and you need to be able to differentiate yourself through marketing.
When you chose a supplier, you’ll want to be mindful of factors like how long it will take them to ship items, how well the order is packed, and how their customer service will deal with your customers.
Dropshipping can be a great flexible work-from-home idea and with the right planning and research you could build a profitable business
How to get started:
You can set up your dropshipping store with several platforms, including Shopify, WooCommerce on WordPress and Magento. You then need to find a supplier for your products (Spocket on Shopify, AliExpress, and SaleHoo are great places to get started).
Theo McArthur has an incredible course that will teach you how to launch your first profitable dropship website in 14 days and grow your income to $10,000 per month in profits. You can also read this free guide on how to start a dropshipping business with WordPress.
7. Become a professional dog walker
EQUIPMENT: Leash, waste bags, dog treats
INCOME: $31,000+/year
INCOME: $31,000+/year
How about becoming a dog walker with Rover?
Are you an animal lover? Walking dogs has always seemed like such a fun and relaxing job to me. It’s also a cool way to squeeze some exercise in.
Becoming a professional dog walker will help you to make money from home while you do something you enjoy.
How much you earn depends on how often you work. Offer a discount to your first clients and ask for referrals to get your business going. You want to prioritize locking in regular clientele who will need you for weekly walks at a minimum.
How to get started:
Use sites like Rover to market your services and find local clients. Or, you can put flyers up in the area or talk to neighbors to see if they need help walking their dogs. A lot of people travel for work or may just not have time or the ability to take their dog for walks often.
To increase your income, try offering pet sitting services. That way, you can keep other animals in addition to dogs and charge an overnight fee.
8. Work as a virtual bookkeeper
EQUIPMENT: Computer, internet access, bookkeeping software
INCOME: $41,000-$65,000/year
INCOME: $41,000-$65,000/year
Did you know that bookkeeping is one of the most profitable businesses on the planet, according to Forbes and Entrepreneur?
The average bookkeeper earns an average of $69 to $82 per hour. These earning potentials make bookkeeping a wonderful option if you want to start a virtual business or simply earn some extra money on the side, without having to work a ton of hours.
As a bookkeeper, you will document financial accounts including daily transactions, income, and overall cash flow for small business owners. This job requires some data entry as accounts and figures need to be organized.
The great thing about being a bookkeeper is that you can do a majority of your job from a computer, which means it’s perfect if you want to earn money working from home (or anywhere).
It might sound odd, but you don’t need any special certification or accounting experience to become a bookkeeper. And most clients won’t ask about whether you have any certifications or not. But you still need to know what you are doing!
How to get started:
Read my detailed article that goes through every step you need to follow to become a bookkeeper. And if you have no time to learn the trade by going to a local college, a great way to get started is through an online course. Ben’s bookkeeper course teaches you everything you need to know to be able to charge over $60 per hour to your clients.
Check out this free training to find out if bookkeeping is for you!
9. Teach Online
EQUIPMENT: Computer, internet access, webcam/microphone
INCOME: $25,000-$100,000/year
INCOME: $25,000-$100,000/year
Becoming an online teacher is a great way to make money from home. You will normally need to use a video-conferencing app like Skype, FaceTime or Google Hangouts.
There are 2 ways to teach online:
- Create your own course
- Become a tutor for a company
Create your Own Course
I am sure you are an expert on something. Or at least you know more about a subject than most people you know.
If that’s the case, think about how you can create an online course to share your knowledge.
The great thing about creating your own online course is that it can become a great resource of passive income: you have to do the hard work once when you initially create the course, and then you can sell it over and over again.
Mark Dawson, a self-publishing writer, after listening to a friend who was making a full-time income giving lessons on Teachable, decided to give it a go himself. He decided to put together a course about Facebook advertising for Indie writers, and within a few weeks, he made more than $100,000 from his lessons.
You can use Teachable to create videos, audio, PowerPoint presentations or anything else you need for your virtual course. Then, you just have to decide on a price and publish it. The more in-depth your course is, the more you will be able to charge.
How to get started:
If you are seriously interested in starting an online course, a great place to start is the Teachable free webinar. Teachable offers free live training to help you launch your online course in no time. You can claim your FREE spot by clicking here.
Become a Tutor
If you want to become a tutor, you don’t necessarily require a certification, but most companies will ask you for a bachelor’s degree and/or some experience teaching in the field. Most companies offer free training once you become a tutor for them.
This is an excellent way to make money from home, especially if you already have some experience.
How to get started:
Check out these great companies
Another fantastic way to become a tutor is by teaching English online to children in China.
VIP Kid is a great online platform for teaching English to Chinese students aged 5 to 12. You don’t need to know Chinese to teach as VIP Kid is a full English immersion class. The actual class provides a 1-on-1 full immersion experience to kids and you can earn up to $22 per hour.
EF Education First is another great company to work for. It’s an English company that was founded in 1965 and now has classes available online. You can earn up to $20 per hour from the comfort of your own home! You must be a US or UK resident and hold a bachelor degree and by the start of your contract, you must have completed a 40 hour TEFL (or higher). Click here to quickly obtain your TEFL for an affordable price!
10. Become a virtual receptionist
EQUIPMENT: Computer, internet access, landline phone, headset (optional)
INCOME: $30,000-$60,000/year
INCOME: $30,000-$60,000/year
Yes, receptionists can work from home too. A virtual receptionist is similar to a VA although you typically handle traditional receptionist duties. This includes tasks like answering phone calls, handling inquiries from clients, providing customer service, managing contact lists, and booking meetings.
This job can still be flexible depending on when your client’s offices will be open and you will likely work closely with customers to provide them with a satisfactory experience.
To excel in this type of work, you’ll need excellent communication and interpersonal skills. It will also help to be organized, a proficient typer, and be able to catch on quickly when learning how to use new software systems that the company may have.
How to get started:
You can find great virtual receptionist opportunities on FlexJobs, a website that offers remote and flexible jobs.
Vicky Virtual is another company that pays virtual receptionists to work.
The base salary for receptionists ranges from $30,000 to $60,000 but you can earn more if you start your own virtual receptionist business, after you’ve gained some experience.
11. Become a virtual travel agent
EQUIPMENT: Computer, internet access, phone, travel agency software (optional)
INCOME: $37,000-$60,000/year
INCOME: $37,000-$60,000/year
Are you the person in your family that always plans vacations? If you enjoy organizing trips, becoming a virtual travel agent may be the perfect way for you to make money from home.
Travel agents have a super fun job: they get to shop around for the best deals on vacation packages and accommodations for their clients. You can help people plan family vacations, romantic honeymoon trips, and backpacking adventures. To assist you in the process, most travel agents partner with different companies so they can receive discounts to offer clients.
Working with a travel agent is usually free for the traveler, but you’d make your money from the hotels and travel companies that you work with. Whenever your client books through you and uses your partners, you’ll earn a commission from them. Plus, you can score discounted travel for yourself as well.
You don’t need any specific certification to become a travel agent. Ultimately, your knowledge of destinations, the capacity of planning, and booking software will be the crucial bits you need.
How to get started:
If you are completely green and have no experience at all, you may want to consider taking a course with The Travel Institute to learn more about the industry and your role. The class will teach you things like basic itinerary planning skills, along with important information about different cultures and how to make the experience better for your clients.
To top it off, The Travel Institute will also help you become a Certified Travel Agent and determine which business route you’d like to take.
12. Start an Amazon FBA business
EQUIPMENT: Computer, internet access, printer, boxes and tapes, shipping labels
INCOME: $30,000-$100,000/year
INCOME: $30,000-$100,000/year
We all know Amazon. Amazon is the largest online retailer in the US, UK and most of Europe.
FBA stands for ‘fulfillment by Amazon’. This means that Amazon looks after all of the seller’s stock. When a customer places an order, it by-passes the seller altogether and goes straight to the FBA warehouse. Amazon then picks out the order and delivers it to the customer.
The basic idea for an Amazon FBA business is this:
You purchase stock at a discounted price (either from clearance sales, or from stockists). You then set a price, ship your products to Amazon, and sell them for a profit, with Amazon handling the sale process. The idea is for you to create an online store, with Amazon handling customer service, returns, and queries.
This is a great business model as it has very low start-up costs and lots of flexibility. Ideally, you should set aside between $500 to $1,000 to jump-start your business, to buy the initial stock and basic tools. But you can start will less, if you are worried to invest too much too soon!
Jessica, from The Selling Family, is the real proof of how successful an Amazon FBA business can be. She managed to make over $100,000 in her first year with her Amazon FBA business.
How to get started:
If you want to find out more about making money with Amazon, you can click here to sign up for Jessica’s FREE 7-day email course for Amazon FBA and learn everything you need to know about how it all works and help you decide if it’s the right choice for you.
13. Flipping for profit
EQUIPMENT: Computer, word processing software, some storage space
INCOME: $40,000-$100,000/year
INCOME: $40,000-$100,000/year
Flipping means buying things for cheap and selling them for more.
I think this side hustle is great because you can literally make money from anything! You just need to love shopping online or in charity shops and look for amazing bargains, that you can resell for a profit. You can start selling clothes, antiques, artwork or furniture.
Melissa and Rob managed to make over $42,000 a year by working on flipping less than 15 hours a week.
Some of the amazing deals they pulled off:
- Old radio: Bought for $15, Sold for $200
- Door handle: Bought for $8, sold for $200
- Patio set: Bought for $50, Sold for$2,100
One of the ways you can make money flipping is by upcycling old furniture and giving it a new life! Melissa and Rob’s workshop will teach you everything you need to know to profit from old furniture!
How to get started:
If you want to take your flipping game to the next level, join them at the Flipping University by clicking here. In this amazing course, Melissa and Rob will teach you how they went from $42,000 in 2015 to $133,000 in 2016 with their flipping business.
14. Graphic designer
EQUIPMENT: Computer, internet access, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Creative Cloud
INCOME: $45,000-$125,000/year
INCOME: $45,000-$125,000/year
If you are a creative person and you love to design different things, you can make money from home is by using your Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator skills.
Graphic designers do more than just design websites. They also design logos, flyers, promotional materials, business cards, and more. Graphic designers earn a median income of $46,900 per year but you can earn more if you take on bigger projects or work for yourself.
Think about it, if you design 8 websites per month (2 per week) for $500 each that’s $4,000 per month. Add in another $1,000 for miscellaneous design tasks and that’s $5,000 per month or $60,000 for the year.
How to get started:
You can start by creating an online portfolio with some samples of your work. Once you have your portfolio set up, you can check out job boards like FlexJobs and Upwork.
15. Social media manager
EQUIPMENT: Computer, internet access
INCOME: $50,000-$75,000/year
INCOME: $50,000-$75,000/year
If you love social media, but you are not keen to create your own brand or blog, you can become a social media marketing manager!
Pretty much every company under the sun has a social presence, but managing all these accounts can become time-consuming, especially for smaller brands.
And this is when they will need your help!
Running social media accounts, like Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram or Tweeter is a great way to make money from home.
How to get started:
The best way to find a job as a social media manager is to reach out to brands you love and admire and sell yourself!
You can also find great opportunities on websites like:
16. Become a photographer
EQUIPMENT: Camera, computer, photo editing software like Lightroom
INCOME: $30,000-$70,000/year
INCOME: $30,000-$70,000/year
If everyone wants you to take their pictures at family events, and you love playing with your camera, starting a photography business could be the perfect work from home business idea for you. You can set up an area in your home to take portraits and headshots or offer a photoshoot on location.
If you shoot weddings, you can earn hundreds of dollars in just one day which makes this a pretty good side hustle option for weekends as well.
How to get started:
Your most expensive piece of equipment will probably be your camera. You may want to consider investing in a photo editing program like Lightroom to perfect the images before sending them to your clients.
Also, factor in any other expenses you’ll need to cover the costs of prints and storing the photos digitally in your final prices. Dan and I use Backblaze to store all our photos.
To maximize your profit, you can sell some of your photos to stock photo sites like iStock or Depositphotos. Or use apps like Foap and EyeEm to make money.
Each time a user downloads your stock photo, you’ll earn a commission so this can be an extra stream of passive income.
17. Become an Airbnb host
EQUIPMENT: Computer, internet, space to rent out
INCOME: $15,000-$100,000/year
INCOME: $15,000-$100,000/year
Image courtesy of Homey oh my
Make money at home, with your home! I absolutely love using Airbnb when we travel. Airbnb has easily saved us hundreds of dollars in accommodations but I also like how we can help support local residents who are looking to make a part-time or full-time income from this site.
If you have an extra room or even a guest house that you’re not using, see if you can rent it out on Airbnb. Airbnb provides you with all the tools and resources needed to list your place and start booking visitors.
New hosts can even get their earnings estimated depending on where they live. If you live in a larger city near a lot of tourist spots, you may even be able to earn a full-time income with Airbnb.
What I like about Airbnb is that it allows hosts to be pretty hands-off if they wish. You can communicate with guest via the app’s texting feature and you can also set up your own check-in process with a lockbox or similar set up if you won’t be around.
How to get started:
You can create your listing on Airbnb for free here.
Be sure to take clear pictures of your place and be specific when describing it. Think about which features help it stand out and what is included. Put yourself in the shoes of someone who’s traveling. What would they like or need? Go the extra mile in terms of hospitality and you’ll get positive reviews which can lead to more bookings.
18. Design and sell your products and crafts
EQUIPMENT: Varies depending on what you want to sell
INCOME: $25,000+/year
INCOME: $25,000+/year
Image courtesy of Fall For DIY
How about monetizing your creativity by selling your own products and crafts? If you love to create and DIY, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t take a shot a selling your creations online.
The challenging part may be figuring out what you want to create and sell at first. Start by considering what you’re good at making. Then, think about what others would like and research the market for certain items. Do you regularly get compliments on certain things you own or have made personally?
You don’t have to be super crafty to make money from home with your own products. You can design your own products and commission someone else to make them for you, like my friend Chloe does.
How to get started:
Choose a site like Etsy to start selling your crafts or digital goods like printables, posters, and other materials. And if you are ready to create your own online shop, think about setting up a Shopify store. It’s one of the easiest and most affordable ways to set up a robust and professional looking website for your e-commerce business.
19. Online personal trainer
EQUIPMENT: Computer, exercise mat, adjustable weights, portable bench or step up bench
INCOME: $42,000-$72,000/year
INCOME: $42,000-$72,000/year
Personal training doesn’t just have to be something you do at the gym. Lots of people exercise from home these days so becoming an online personal trainer is a great way to earn money working from home
These days most clients love the flexibility that online coaching provides. They can follow a personalized fitness plan but are able to fit that plan into their weekly routine without the stress of having to go to the gym.
How to get started:
You should try to get experience by coaching clients in-person first. Once you learn all the basic skills (create the best exercises, keep your clients motivated, etc.), you can easily translate them into the role of an online coach.
Once you are ready to start, you should create your own website. And if you love the idea of creating videos, you should think about setting up your own YouTube channel. Not only you can find clients through it, but you can also create your own online fitness training programs to sell to your followers.
20. Selling clothes online
EQUIPMENT: Computer, internet access, clothing inventory
INCOME: $6,000+/year
INCOME: $6,000+/year
Have some old clothes lying around that you can sell for extra money? There are so many things you can sell online but selling clothes can be pretty profitable long term.
Don’t underestimate the unused clothes that are hanging in your closet or packed away in storage. Consider listing those items for sale on sites like Poshmark or eBay.
And if you find that you enjoy selling clothes online, you can think about starting your own reselling business.
Unlike a dropshipping business, you will need to accumulate and maintain some inventory but you will also have more freedom over what your prices (and therefore profits) are like.
Consider selling your clothes on different platforms to test them out. Be sure to take quality photos and be specific when you describe the item so buyers know exactly what they’re going to get.
You can also run an e-commerce store where you sell new clothes online from suppliers. This will allow you to create your own brand and connect better with a specific type of customer.
How to get started:
Check out this comprehensive guide on how to sell clothes online for a profit.
Ready to make money working from home?
Here you have them: the best easy ways to make money from home!
Starting this blog was the best decision I took in a long time, and I couldn’t be happier to have found the freedom and satisfaction to have my own business.
I hope some of these money-making ideas will inspire you to create your own future!
READ ABOUT MORE GENIUS WORK FROM HOME IDEAS:
If you are interested in starting your own blog, have a look at my step-by-step guide! I will show you everything you need to do to start a successful money-making blog!
Check out all the best resources for your blog! I find all these resources so valuable and I am sure they will help you as much as they helped me.![]()
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Another 5k from social media management
I am glad that you enjoyed it. And it means even more because you are an expert and are already doing it 🙂
You could start a blog or become a virtual assistant. Virtual assistants can work from anywhere in the world! I think another great job could be becoming a social media manager. Every company these days needs someone to manage their social media accounts. I hope this helps 🙂