There are plenty of little things you can do to make money online. We discuss them all the time on this site. But, if you get sucked in to all the agendas of the gurus, you can spend a LOT of money and waste a lot of time chasing down rabbit trails, but really accomplishing nothing at all. For example, how many of you have been blogging for months and not made any money…or have wasted countless hours commenting on the do-follow blogs of others, desperate for a backlink or the occasional visitor to follow it back to your site? What an exhausting way to go thru life!

But, this time…let’s talk about what’s REAL. What you probably CAN do, and why it’s the best approach to begin with. If you can do this successfully, it may give you enough to build on that you want to take another step and try something a little harder (and a little more potentially rewarding). But first…let’s talk about a realistic goal:

A BUCK A DAY

Yes, I know…there are plenty of folks out there (including some good people) who tell you that you can quickly and easily make five bucks, twenty bucks…a hundred bucks day. And, it’s true…people do it. Sometimes… though not all that often. And those that do usually have a heck of a lot of time on their hands…or they’ve sacrificed relationships in their lives to try to reach such a goal. Again, not everyone. But success is the exception here, not the rule.

I’ve spent enough time in this field to let you know that most people never make even a dollar a day. And why is that? Well, there are several reasons.

• First, many people are lazy. They don’t really want to do any work…and they’ve heard stories about people making money online with little-to-no work, and they want to get in on it. If that’s you…stop reading now. I don’t even want to waste my time with you…because that’s a patently dishonest position. You won’t find any help here.
• Second, lots of people lack imagination. Many people feel that they don’t have much value personally. They suffer from poor self-esteem or a pattern of failure. That’s OK. It’s an honest failing…and as long as you’re willing to challenge that preconception, you can work your way around it.
• Third, most folks lack education and experience in this area. My suggestion: Stop listening to so many people…and instead, buckle down and work on one thing at a time. And, get yourself some realistic expectations. Such as…? A buck a day.

What does a buck a day mean? It means that you’re honestly making a little money on the side. It means that you are accomplishing a goal. It means you are making several dollars a week, and enough for a movie and a snack for two each month.

But here’s the BEAUTY of this. If you build it the right way…it means you are making money (pennies though they may be…)

• while you sleep
• while you’re playing in the backyard with the kids
• while you’re working at your full-time job
• while you’re sick in bed

In other words, you’re making money while the rest of your life goes on. AND, you’re learning a valuable lesson…that it’s possible to do such a thing, and that you might want to do it a little more. Notice, I said, a LITTLE more. Nothing cheeses me off like people filling up the internet with crap and pretending they are doing something of value. So I’m taking about adding real value here…not junk that can be multiplied times a thousand you can retire next year. There are plenty of people out there who teach that. If that’s what you seek, this is your stop.

CONTEXT AND PERSPECTIVE

If you’re old enough (40 or more), you’ve watched the nature of business and work change. Employers and employees now no longer seem to have lifetime commitments to each other the way they used to. Companies, for the most part, have abandoned the sense of obligation that they used to have to take care of their employees’ needs while the employees were taking care of the company’s business. That may be right or wrong, but what’s important is that it’s a reality. The economy has had incredible ups and downs, and (especially with the advent and growth of the internet), the nature of how business gets done has been completely transformed. What this probably SHOULD mean to you is that just working 40 hours a week for one company may not be a wise long-term strategy.

BRASS TACKS

So, let’s talk about a couple specifics:

Task 1: Decide on a topic that interests you. Yes, of course…this is counter to all the info online that tells you to focus on teeth whitening, mortage loans and mesothelioma…high-paying keywords. Trouble is, you probably don’t know SQUAT about those topics. And, didn’t it ever occur to the gurus that ONLY SO MANY PEOPLE CAN MAKE MONEY WITH A CERTAIN KEYPHRASE? Yes, I know…long-tail keywords and all that. That’s fine. Go find another blog and follow their advice and spend your life building blog sites you don’t give a damn about and wait until someone with “madder skillz” comes along and puts you under. But certainly you have some interests in your life, right? You don’t need to be an expert on your chosen topic. You simply need to be conversant…i.e., it’s something you enjoy talking about.

Task 2: Consider which might be the most appropriate format for your online presence. Will you choose:

• a discussion forum
• a blog
• a news site
• an informational resource (articles, etc)
• a niche web directory
• or something even more creative?

The smart way to decide is to look first at what’s already out there (try Googling some terms relevant to your topic and visit those web site), taking some notes on what you see, what you lack, what you don’t like, and what might be lacking. Then decide what amount of time you want to invest. You’ll need to put in some time and money up front…but you want to keep your maintenance level appropriate for your lifestyle. A forum may be the most rewarding because of the constant involvement with people…but moderating a forum takes time and energy.

TAKE A DEEP BREATH

This is already a long blog post. So we’ll cap it for now and come back and focus on this topic again. Now that we’ve built the general argument, the next post on this topic will be much less on philosophy and much more on actually DOING something.

Feel free to comment on this post, and even share your personal experiences (successes or failures). But, for now…especially those of you who meet with constant frustration…take a deep breath and lower your expectations. Not everyone can make tens of thousands a year online. I do, but it’s taken me a long time and a lot of money to get there. It’s a road filled with potholes…and very few (especially those who want to conduct themselves in an honorable manner) of those who do get there quickly. For now, focus on something small. Something you can be proud of and an opportunity for which you can be grateful.

• blogging
• creating videos and posting Revver and other paid services
• answering questions in your areas of expertise for a fee…i.e., acting as a consultant
• ebay (sell products, services, drop shipping, etc)

He also covers general inspiration and idea creation, and actually executing some of your great ideas.

So…check it out!:

I’ll keep digging if you keep reading!

Mystery shopping vendors hire everyday people to go into stores, act like a shopper and report their findings.  The retailer then assesses the data and can train their employees based on the feedback.  Usually, when you’re hired by a mystery shopping vendor you get paid once you send them your report of your experience.  Sometimes, they may ask you to take pictures of a certain display or store shelving set-up to help them see if products are being displayed properly.

The good news is:  mystery shopping usually pays between $10 and $15 dollars per assignment and can provide easy income when you need extra cash.  The bad new is:  you need to be careful because there quite a few “scammers” out there who promise to pay and either never pay you or charge you a fee to become a member of their “service” promising big returns on your investment.

To steer you in the right direction here a few reputable mystery shopping companies that will pay you for your work:

BeyondHello.com
AboutFaceCorp.com

Also, check out mysteryshop.org—a very informative website dedicated to providing legitimate information about the mystery shopping industry.

Here’s a quick way to get some cash in your hands now:  Think Small!  That’s right, we suggest that you find just 3 things to sell today.  All of us have at least 3 things that we no longer use or need that can be sold on Ebay or Craig’s List today.  Just look around your house and you’ll be amazed at what it just sitting there waiting to be sold.  Here’s some suggestions:

Appliances You Don’t Use or Have Duplicates of (i.e. blenders, waffle makers, toaster ovens)

Partially Used Gift Cards (see our previous post on this)

Stereo Equipment that you no longer use

Household Items (lamps, fans, window A/C units)

Lawncare Items (mowers, weed eaters, garden tools)

Childcare Equipment (Strollers, Car Seats, Baby Clothes)

You get the drift!  Remember, with Ebay and CL you’re selling locally and internationally so there’s a market for almost everything–even if you don’t think it has much value.  Rather than just letting stuff you don’t care about or need collect dust–sell it today get some extra cash.

I’ll keep digging if you keep reading!

Again, be careful on which “freebie” site you use–some of them are scams.  But, zeropricetags.com is definitely legit.

I’ll keep digging if you keep reading!

Here’s where to start.  First, think of a few things you know something about like a hobby, an occupation or a sport.  It’s always better to write about what you know.  It’s more fun that way and easier to get motivated.   Once you’ve narrowed down a few topics you want to write about–go ahead and write about 350 words on the topic.  This “article” can be just facts, tips or your opinion on a matter.  Once that’s done you can start making some money by posting it to your own blog (don’t let that word scare you–it’s free and easy to set up) on sites like Squidoo or About.com.  They’ll pay you as people come to your article and click on the advertisements.  You won’t get rich quick doing this but it can definitely bring you in a little extra cash.

If you want to go a different route and write on demand, go ahead and pimp yourself out as an article writer on Digital Point Forum.  Website owners hire writers from Digital Point to write all kinds of articles and web content for their sites.  One well written article will usually get you about $8 a pop.  If you’re really ambitious you can offer ten articles for $75 or so.   This will gaurantee you a more sizeable stash of cash.  Usually, if you’re good, you’ll get a good reputation on DP and the work will start flowing in.  But, be careful!  The orders for articles can start piling up and you can find writing turn into a full-time “part-time” job if you’re not careful.  Good Luck!

I’ll keep digging if you keep reading!

I’ll keep digging if you keep reading!

I took a gander on EBAY to see what Mac Cards were selling for and in general they go for about 10% less than their face value.  So, I listed the cards for a buy it now price of $359.99 and they sold within an hour.  Now, some of you may be scoffing right now because I gave away about $40 of the $400 value.  But, I needed the money way more than I needed the Mac cards.  Needless to say, I started to peruse EBAY and found gift cards for sale for about every retail chain on the planet:  The Home Depot, Best Buy, Red Lobster, J. Crew, etc.  In general they were all selling at about 10-12% less than their face value.  It occurred to me that this is a great way to earn extra cash whether you’re a buyer or a seller.

If you’re a buyer and you’ve got a few days before you need to buy something at Home Depot or Best Buy…buy a gift card on EBAY and save 10% automatically.  As I said there are cards for sale for about every national retail outlet.  If you’re a seller and cold hard cash is more important to you than the gift card you possess which locks you in to a certain store:  then sell it on EBAY and ring the register.

I’ll keep digging if you need extra cash!

Let’s be realistic though.  Most of us will not be able to quit our jobs on the income from Google Adsense.  But, if you set your sites small, remain patient and work hard to build up traffic you can easily make $3-$5 a day on Adsense.  The key is building a site or blog that is a “niche” that people search for.  Don’t fool yourself, you are not going to start a social networking site and take out Facebook.  If that’s your ambition you’re probably not reading this blog anyways.  However, you can make some bucks on Adsense by picking a niche that will be easy for you to rank in the top 10 for.  This will get you on the first page of the Google rankings for your keywords and you’ll see the traffic come automatically.

There’s plenty of bloggers out there like Courtney Tuttle who can tell you how to pick a profitable, realistic niche and build up traffic.  That’s not my deal here.  I’m just letting you know that with a small amount of effort, some patience and a bit of luck you can easily earn extra cash with Google Adsense.

I’ll keep digging if you keep reading!

I’ll keep digging if you keep reading