Are you dreaming of building your own business, or simply looking for ideas to make extra money on the side? With ecommerce advancing before our eyes, there are more ways than ever to make money on the web. Whether you’re selling your used clothes on a marketplace, creating merch for your TikTok shop, or turning your hobby into an online business, there are tools to help.
And if you don’t yet have an idea in mind, this list will spark ideas for making money online—no matter your skill level. Ahead, explore 23 creative money-making ideas, including everything from side hustles and passive income websites to advanced business models.
How to make money online
1. Sell print-on-demand products
Print on demand is a popular online business model that’s used by both individual sellers and large online brands. It lets you customize white-label products with original designs and sell them to customers, without needing to buy or hold inventory yourself. When a customer purchases one of your items, a print-on-demand company will print your design onto the product, package the order, and ship it to the customer. Common print-on-demand products include t-shirts, mugs, tote bags, and fan merch—but it’s also possible to add designs to unique items if you can find the right supplier.
Best for: If you want to test your ability to make money online, printing products on demand is a low-risk, low-investment way to get started. Print on demand is also a go-to model for influencers, artists, and brands selling merch.
Effort level: If you’re able to produce designs, it’s easy to start a print-on-demand store.
How to start:
2. Monetize a blog
Running a blog isn’t just about sharing your knowledge or experiences; it’s also a proven way to earn online. Whether it’s through ad revenue, affiliate marketing, sponsored posts, or direct product sales, a monetized blog can become a significant income source.
Best for: Great for writers, cultural commentators, or anyone with expertise to share with a niche audience.
Effort level: A regular publishing schedule is key to growing a successful blog and requires a sustained, ongoing effort.
How to start:
- Choose a blogging platform that supports monetization.
- Select a niche you are passionate about and can consistently write on, offering unique insights and value.
- Regularly create and post engaging content to build a loyal audience.
- Implement SEO strategies to increase organic traffic to your blog.
Jordan Ferney started Oh Happy Day as a blog, eventually opening her own online party supply store once she built a massive audience. Read Jordan’s story
3. Sell digital products
Selling digital products is a great way to earn cash online with minimal ongoing effort. These products range from ebooks and templates to music samples and online courses, all deliverable via download or secure portal access. Like print-on-demand products and blogging, digital products can become part of a multi-revenue stream business. For example, you might start a food blog before collecting the recipes you’ve shared into an ebook, and selling branded merch to support its launch.
Best for: From musicians to educators, digital products are ideal for creators and experts who want to monetize their skills and knowledge.
Effort level: Digital products are highly scalable. Once created, there’s no limit to how many times you can sell a digital item.
How to start:
- Create a store where customers can buy and access your digital content.
- Create your art, music, courses, templates, or other digital items. If your products include licensed material, ensure you comply with any laws.
- Use social media and content marketing to drive traffic to your store.
4. Become a reseller
Reselling products online is a straightforward way to earn money. This can involve anything from flipping vintage items to becoming a distributor for a well-known brand. You can also curate a selection of products from various brands to sell through your ecommerce store.
Best for: Ideal for entrepreneurs who want to start an ecommerce business quickly without developing products.
Effort level: While you won’t need to create products, running a reselling business does mean handling inventory, which can be time-consuming.
How to start:
- Decide on the type of products you want to resell. Consider markets you are familiar with or have a passion for.
- Source products from wholesalers or private sellers.
- Connect with interested shoppers on marketplaces or by creating a store.
5. Try affiliate marketing
Affiliate marketing is a tried-and-tested way to earn online income by promoting other brands’ products. As an affiliate, you earn a commission each time someone clicks your affiliate link and makes a purchase. Effective content marketing can significantly boost the performance of your affiliate links.
Best for: Affiliate marketing is a convenient business model for content creators, bloggers, and social media influencers with an established audience looking to monetize their reach.
Effort level: Building a loyal online audience is a challenge for any creator. But once your content is receiving traffic, maintenance is very low with affiliate marketing.
How to start:
- Apply for affiliate programs that are relevant to your niche.
- Integrate your affiliate links with your content.
- Ensure transparency with your audience by disclosing affiliate relationships.
Get paid by brands you love with Shopify Collabs
Shopify Collabs makes it easy to find brands that match your vibe, build affiliate relationships, get paid for what you sell, and track everything in one place. Learn about Shopify Collabs
6. Become an influencer
Influencer marketing is a dynamic field where you don’t necessarily need a huge following to secure lucrative brand deals. From an earning perspective, being a successful influencer is all about knowing how to engage with a valuable group of potential customers. For example, brands value influencers like Amanda Rach Lee, not just for their large followings, but for their ability to engage and influence future buyers.
Best for: Ideal for aspiring creators who can consistently produce engaging content and want to leverage their influence over a dedicated audience.
Effort level: Being an influencer is a full-time job. You’ll need to maintain and grow an engaged audience by continuously creating content and exploring new channels like Patreon and Twitch.
How to start:
TikTok’s Plant Mom Spun Virality Into a Brand
Get inspired by Sonja Detrinidad, a mortgage professional turned succulent influencer who monetized her audience to start her plant business, Partly Sunny Projects. Read Sonja’s story
7. Offer transcription services
Transcribers convert live or recorded speech into a written document. Transcription services are in high demand among professionals like journalists, doctors, and lawyers who need accurate records of their audio communications. If you’re a fast typer or a person with multilingual skills, this can be a natural way to convert your abilities into online cash.
Best for: If you have fast typing skills and excellent listening abilities, transcription is a flexible, work-from-home opportunity.
Effort level: While transcription is a straightforward task, it requires skill and experience to become an expert transcriber. You may also need to invest in a specialist keyboard and tools.
How to start:
- Develop your typing and listening skills to ensure high-quality transcription.
- Register on platforms that connect transcribers with clients, such as Rev or TranscribeMe.
8. Sell photos online
Whether you’re shooting on the newest iPhone or the latest Canon DSLR, you can sell photos online as a photographer. One of the best money-making ideas for creatives, selling photos in your spare time is easy to start if you already have a body of work. Partner with a local printer to print your photos on specialty paper or other materials, or invest in a high-quality home printer. You can ship and sell numbered and signed versions of your photos directly to customers through your website.
Best for: Photographers and photography enthusiasts eager to transform their hobby into a profitable online business.
Effort level: Anyone can build a portfolio and set up an online presence. But making it as a popular photographer is a long and difficult journey.
How to start:
- Curate a strong portfolio that showcases your best work.
- Build awareness for your brand by growing your following on social media.
- Consider offering physical prints and licensing photos to stock sites.
9. Create and sell handmade or custom products
You’re already an expert at your craft, so why not sell your work? Making products by hand is a great way to turn a passion into a business. Hand-making goods gives you full control over product development and quality, but can be time-consuming. To attract interest, consider allowing customers to customize orders to their specifications.
Best for: Ideal for makers, crafters, and hobbyists—as well as entrepreneurs who partner with craftspeople to build a business.
Effort level: Running a successful online craft business requires significant effort, but can be simplified with the right selling tools.
How to start:
- Research your target market to develop products that meet a market need.
- Hone your brand story to differentiate your products from competitors.
- Create an online store that promotes a strong brand identity.
How a Crafter Scaled Her Eyewear Business
Kerin Rose Gold started designing her own sunglasses before being spotted by top celebs. Now she employs other artists as she grows her brand, A-Morir. Read Kerin’s story
10. Write and sell books or ebooks
In the same way that you can monetize your expertise with an online course or your influence as a YouTuber, you can also earn cash selling books or ebooks online. This approach suits a variety of formats and genres, from fiction and memoirs to self-help and instructional guides.
Best for: Best for writers, journalists, and experts in any field looking to share their knowledge or stories.
Effort level: Writing and editing a book is a high-effort activity. Once your book is published, the effort shifts to marketing your new title.
How to start:
- Ensure your book idea is framed in an original way or offers a new perspective on a topic.
- Build a relationship with a publishing house or use a print-on-demand publishing service to create your book.
How a YouTube Chef Became a Published Author
Serial entrepreneur and self-taught vegan chef Wil Yeung built his business with a YouTube content strategy. He now sells his recipes as books, ebooks, and courses online. Read Wil’s story
11. Start a dropshipping business
Dropshipping is a low-cost business model where products are shipped to customers directly from the vendor or manufacturer. This is a popular way to make money online for beginners, as there is no need to handle inventory or shipping—you’re simply responsible for making sales and supporting customers.
Best for: Dropshipping is a convenient model for anyone looking to start an online business with minimal upfront investment.
Effort level: To become a dropshipper, you need to source suppliers, build an online store, and generate customer orders.
How to start:
12. Sell services or consultancy
While it may be most common to think of selling physical products online, you can also sell services and expertise. Consider selling a virtual service like online personal shopping, home décor consulting, or one-to-one personal training.
Best for: This is perfect for experts in any field who want to monetize their skills, from surf instructors to cat psychologists.
Effort level: With selling services best suited to existing practitioners, the effort required to monetize your service online is very low.
How to start:
- Make it easy for customers to book appointments and schedule services by adding a booking app to your store.
- Social proof is a powerful marketing tool for service providers. Ask happy clients to write or record reviews and post them on your site.
13. Create online courses and workshops
Online courses and workshops are another form of digital product that you can create to earn income from your expertise. Selling courses online is made easier using a course platform, or via your own website. Add a digital course delivery app to your store to help you sell courses.
Best for: Online course and workshops are great for educators, experts, and those who can share their approach to a notable win (perhaps you’re an ultra runner who just completed a long race, or an illustrator whose work has appeared in major advertising campaigns, for example).
Effort level: Content creation for an online course can be an intensive, months-long process. Depending on whether a course contains live elements, running your program may be low-effort.
How to start:
- Perform a competitive analysis to ensure your courses offer unique value.
- Build your customer list with free samples and public content.
- Consider offering live elements like instructor office hours or exclusive Q&A sessions.
14. Monetize a YouTube channel
Top YouTube influencers like Cassey Ho, Wil Yeung, and Katie Carson all started where you are: With an idea. Each of these YouTubers built audiences through authentic content before monetizing their channels. If you want to make money online by sharing your personality and unique outlook with the world, consider starting a YouTube channel.
Best for: This is a good way for individuals passionate about creating video content and building a community around their interests.
Effort level: It takes an hour or two to start a YouTube channel. From there, growing and maintaining your audience is a continuous process.
How to start:
When you reach 1,000 subscribers, monetize your channel through YouTube’s Partner Program.
Consider offering paid product placement in your videos or becoming a brand affiliate.
Start selling your products on YouTube from Shopify
Shopify comes with powerful tools that help you promote and sell products on YouTube. Sync your product catalog, tag or pin products in livestreams, and manage all your sales from Shopify. Start selling on YouTube
15. Livestream on Twitch (or other platforms)
While the first platform that comes to mind for livestreaming may be Twitch, a popular site for gamers and other content creators, platforms like YouTube and Instagram now offer native livestreaming. You can livestream everything from game play to recipe demos to bike tours. Hone in on a niche to build an audience around a particular interest or skill.
Best for: Livestreaming is ideal for gamers, creative content creators, and those who enjoy interacting live with an audience.
Effort level: Building and maintaining an audience requires consistent interaction. Many popular Twitch streamers are online for several hours every day.
How to start:
- Choose your platform, such as Twitch for gaming or YouTube for a variety of content.
- Set up your streaming environment. Invest in a good camera, microphone, and background.
- Develop a regular streaming schedule to build a loyal audience.
- Monetize your Twitch channel by selling products using the Shopify Starter Plan.
16. Become a social media consultant
Do you jump on every new social media platform? Have a knack for spotting trends, writing great copy, or attracting audiences? As a social media consultant, you could work with brands to brainstorm creative ideas, develop a content strategy, and produce posts.
Best for: This is a good avenue for social media savvy users who have successfully built a following.
Effort level: On top of your work for clients, you’ll need to invest in networking, client management, and staying on top of the latest social media trends.
How to start:
- Build a social following to demonstrate your ability.
- Set up social media accounts and a portfolio website to showcase your work.
- Become a Shopify partner to offer your skills to clients.
17. Start a podcast
By the end of 2024, the number of podcast listeners worldwide is predicted to grow to more than 500 million. This popular audio format for consuming stories, comedy, news, and opinions continues to grow. If you have a great voice, love to talk, and have a particular interest or talent to share, podcasting could be a great way to make more money.
Best for: Those who can tell a story, provoke discussion, or get a scoop from an interview participant.
Effort level: Once you have an audience, they will expect regular episodes to keep them engaged.
How to start:
- Set up an account with a podcast service like Spotify, Stitcher, or Apple Music.
- Once you’ve posted a few episodes, pay attention to feedback and make adjustments to your production quality.
Monetize your podcast through sponsorship deals and in-podcast ads.
18. Sell products through online marketplaces
Online marketplaces are launch points for many now-successful brands, because they provide access to motivated consumers. For example, Etsy is a go-to source for buyers looking for handmade and vintage items, while Amazon is a global destination for product discovery and research.
Best for: Entrepreneurs looking to enter ecommerce with minimal investment in marketing should consider using marketplaces.
Effort level: With marketplaces, you can get up and running quickly because there’s less pressure to drive traffic or build a brand.
How to start:
- Check marketplace guidelines around what you can sell and acceptable use of the platform.
- Consider selling products on marketplaces as well as through your own store. Syncing inventory is easy using a Marketplace Connector.
Old World Kitchen’s Leap From Etsy to Shopify
The Polder family started their handcrafted wooden spoon brand by selling door to door before launching on Etsy. Now, they sell both through the marketplace and a standalone ecommerce store. Read the Polder family’s story
19. Develop and sell a unique product
When you think of most direct-to-consumer brands, this is what comes to mind: original products that make meaningful improvements to well-known items. You too can develop and manufacture a unique product to sell—and make money online in the process. Consider designing a prototype for a product that solves a common problem, then finding a manufacturer to create it.
Best for: Aspiring product developers and designers might try making and selling unique products.
Effort level: It’s likely to take several months to move from design to prototype to manufacturing.
How to start:
- Research manufacturers to find the right fit for your product and brand.
- Consider private label manufacturers that can customize existing base products, allowing you to go to market quickly.
- Be sure to check labeling laws in every region where you plan to sell.
20. Become an online tutor
If you are knowledgeable in subjects like biology, math, or languages, you could earn income on the side with online tutoring. With sites like TutorMe and Fiverr, you can easily make money online by finding students who need your help. Or set up a simple website and use social media and peer recommendations to drive traffic and sign-ups.
Best for: Educators and experts in specific subject areas who enjoy teaching and want to use their knowledge to earn online income.
Effort level:
