Every single month, you’ll have $1000 additional money in your bank account. What would that sum of money mean to you personally?
Possibly, you’d be able to pay your mortgage, possibly, you’d be able to get a new automobile, perhaps, you’d be able to travel more frequently, or perhaps, you’d finally be able to make ends meet and stop living paycheck to paycheck while actually saving money.
According to the 2019 research of Freelancing in America, around 57 million Americans freelanced in 2018, accounting for approximately 35% of the total US workforce at the time.
Some of these individuals are employed by regular employers, but many of these individuals also have a part-time job to supplement their income each month. If you’re here, it’s because you want to be a part of it as well, and I’m thrilled to be able to assist you.
This post shows the greatest ways to make an extra $1000 a month from home that I’ve come up with over the course of years of working for myself from the comfort of my own home.
Apart from providing a comprehensive list of numerous jobs you can try, I also provide an example of someone who is already doing it successfully and explain how you can get started.
I strongly advise you to read this post from beginning to end and to let me know if you have any more suggestions in the comment section.
1. Blogging
You’ve probably heard of blogging before.
Most people don’t think of it as a job. Many simply think about it as an online diary or a place to ramble about random topics.
But, it might shock you to hear that every single blog you come across on a is nothing more than a business .
The blog that you’re reading right now? Yea, it makes around $8000 per month.
Can lines of text merged with a series of images and videos, immediately create income?
Not likely .
There is no magic switch that you can flip to roll out a blog that makes money online.
At the core of successful blogging is passion, patience, hard work, and determination. After years of being in the field, I think most people have a few of these characteristics, but not all of them.
To succeed as a blogger, you’ll need to have an interest in what you’re writing about, a desire to manage your own hours, you’ll need to be a hard worker, and you’ll need to enjoy learning new skills (because there is a LOT of that in this field).
Real-World Example: Myself
Like many other Americans, I have bills to pay and financial goals to conquer.
So, I decided to dive into blogging about 5 years ago.
After about two years, I was able to leave my job and focus on blogging as my full-time job, which eventually led me to creating my own online business (a portfolio of blogs) and hiring others to help.
As of now, I have 7 different blogs in my portfolio and each of them generates a significant income each month, often times over $1000 each and I work on my own schedule.
You can check my income reports for a detailed income analysis if you’d like. But last year I made just over $215,000 from my portfolio of blogs.
The screenshot below is a screenshot from my Adsense account. Keep in mind, the money I have made from Adsense is from my portfolio of blogs, not this website.
How to Get Started
The blogging journey starts with an idea about a topic that you want to write about.
This is the earliest make or break choice for your blog.
I feel that it’s best to blog about a topic you know from formal training or personal experience and have no problem talking or writing about it.
Next are the nuts and bolts of blogging; choosing your motivation, choosing a blog platform, selecting hosting and a domain name, picking a theme, claiming your brand across the internet, writing, and then making extra money by selling printables, affiliate marketing, creating online courses with platforms like Teachable, display ads, or more.
To be honest, there is a lot to unwrap here and as much as I’d love to explain it all in this post, it make more sense for me to send you over to sign up for my free course, IGNITION.
It’ll answer every question you have, and address many questions you didn’t even know you had.
2. Become a Virtual Assistant
Busy small business owners and professionals often lack enough office space or other resources to hire an on-site assistant.
This can be a great chance for you to make extra income by offering to help others with your organizational skills and competencies as a virtual assistant (VA).
A virtual assistant’s duties include basic clerical tasks, compiling reports, managing a client’s email or social media, managing e-commerce operations, bookkeeping, proofreading, and more. You can work for a few hours weekly or as a full-time virtual assistant. It really depends on the needs of your clients.
To be successful here, you’ll need effective communication skills, the ability to multitask, organizational skills are a must, and be able to quickly learn new things without repeating mistakes.
Real-World Example: Gina Horkey
Gina explains on her website how she started a virtual assistant service while working full-time and raising 2 toddlers and incredibly she quickly grew her business to over $4,000 per month. What did she do soon after that? Quit her job of course, and became a working stay at home mom.
How to Get Started
There are plenty of places to get started as a VA. In terms of learning the skills that you need, I recommend that you learn from someone who’s already done it and that would be Gina (mentioned above).
She reached out directly to me and let me know she has this amazing free workbook that explains over 275+ services you can sell, how to determine what skills you have that are valuable, and where to find clients. I check it out myself, it’s extremely helpful.
3. Become a YouTuber (Without Recording Videos)
Being a YouTuber is a lucrative and fun profession.
All you need is to do is create videos on your favorite topics and make a lot of money, right?
Well, not quite. It’s easy…but not that easy.
Behind a successful YouTuber is a long journey of planning, patience, and hard work.
To be successful on YouTube, there are specific steps you need to follow, investments you should make, and skills you must have to launch and run a themed YouTube channel successfully.
As you already know, YouTube is all about video content. And, fortunately for you, there’s a lot of content on the platform that’s poorly done.
This is an opportunity .
Real-World Example: Matt Par
You probably don’t know Matt Par.
This dude runs nine YouTube channels and makes $30,000 a month from them. That’s right……he makes about $1000/day.
I’ll admit when I first found him I was very skeptical. But I’ve researched him extensively and have even spoken with him personally, he’s the real deal.
I believed in him so much, that I personally tried his course and though I’m not making $1000 a month yet, I’m about halfway there using the methods that he teaches.
How to Get Started
Starting on YouTube can be very easy, or it can be very difficult and whether you’re a college student or a seasoned professional, it can be a very lucrative endeavor.
The way I see it, there are two main types of channels.
Personality Driven : This is a channel like the one I own. You get in front of a camera and record videos that deliver value to your audience.
Themed Channel: This is a channel that (frankly) is a better YouTube channel to have if you don’t care about building your personal brand. With this channel, you find one theme you want to focus on and create content around that without recording your own videos.
An example of a themed channel is this one that my wife and I own.
This channel is in Portuguese and it’s target market is where my wife is originally from, Brazil.
This channel has a ton of makeup transformation videos and gets over 10,000 views per day .
If you ask me, this is the type of channel that most people should want to create for their own business. You source content, add a voiceover, publish videos, and make money from your YouTube channel.
Trust me when I say that it’s much easier to manage this channel than a personality-driven one.
But of course, there are a lot of things to learn.
As much as I’d love to say that this is all something I figured out myself, that’s just untrue and it’s still very much a part-time job for me. Everything I learned about this business model, I learned from Matt Par, who is the real-world example I mentioned above.
If you think this type of business might be for you, click here to watch his webinar.
I’ll warn you, his sales tactic were (for me) a bit annoying. If you can get beyond his sales tactics, the course he sells is worth it in my opinion.
4. Retail Arbitrage
This is the act of purchasing items from retail stores at a discounted price and selling them on platforms like Amazon or Ebay at a higher price. It’s like flipping a product for a profit.
You know how places like target and Walmart have all of those end caps that hold a bunch of discounted merchandise? Sometimes that can be a gold mine for retail arbitrage.
Unlike regular retail, you don’t need to buy products from manufacturers or wholesale suppliers. Instead, you can purchase items from other sellers or retailers at a steep discount and resell it.
If, for instance, a product costs $50 on Amazon, but you find it for $15, you can buy 10 units and then list those items on Amazon.
After shipping and Amazon fees, you’d make around $40 per unit, or $40×10 = $400 dollars in profit !
This probably sounds too good to be true, but there are a LOT of people who do this successfully and make good money in the process.
To succeed in this business, you must have a true entrepreneurial spirit, know how to handle losses (they’ll happen sometimes), communicate effectively, and be hardworking enough to find the right products to sell.
Real-World Example: Online Selling Experiment
Ryan Grant, the founder of Online Selling Experiment, starting selling with retail arbitrage over 10 years ago and has created a company that specializing in this and has made millions in the process.
How to Get Started
Getting started here sounds intimidating, but it’s really not. Your best place to start is to sign up for Ryan’s free course that explains how to begin and what it takes to scale your retail arbitrage business into something much bigger.
5. Become a Freelance Writer
The content marketing industry has hit record high and is projected worth of $412 billion by 2021.
Beyond that, when asked if they’re using a content marketing approach, 91% of B2B marketers said, “Yes!”
This increasing demand for content marketing correlates to a growing demand for expert freelance content writers. Many businesses are looking for people that can craft engaging, authority-driven, and relevant content.
To succeed as a Freelance writer, you’ll need to have three primary characteristics. First, you’ll need to be a great researcher. Second, you’ll need to be a better than average writer with a willingness to get better. Third, you’ll need to be able to meet deadlines for the companies you’re working with.
Real-World Example: Kristin Wong and Alex Webb
Kristen and Alex have both been in the freelance writing business for over 10 years and have a firm grasp on what it takes to succeed. They’ve both made a career helping writers understand how to become freelance writers themselves.
How to Get Started
Before you dive into the freelance writing industry, the steps to get started are actually pretty simple. But before we dive into those, I have to recommend that you consider taking this course. This is by Kristin and Alex (mentioned above) and goes over all the steps to succeed as a writer such as…
- Build a writing resumé
- Learn to pitch publications
- Network with other writers
- Improve your current writing
- Make money with your writing
- Have fun with your writing
So, if you are serious about this potential career, make sure you check this course out before you do anything else.
Now, here’s some things to do if you want to become a writer.
First, understand that most writers never get rich . You’ll make money with this, but it’s usually a means to an end. Keep this in mind before you begin.
Second, it’s best to have a specialty as a writer. If you become a general writer with no subject matter focus, many people will be doubtful to hire you.
Third, if you’re looking for a platform to get started, I recommend the following:
- Fiverr
- Upwork
- Pro Blogger Job Board
- Craigslist (Look in the gigs section in your area)
6. Deliver Groceries, Food, or Items
If you’re sitting on a couch eating a fast-food burger and stressing about ways to make extra money, that opportunity to make that extra cash is right in front of you .
Actually, you’re eating it.
According to Forbes, the food delivery business is estimated to hit the $200 billion mark by 2025.
That’s unbelievable!
The entire food industry has been growing exponentially, making food delivery side hustles a super popular strategy to make extra money.
Keep in mind, delivering food is only part of the “gig” economy.
You can drive for Uber, Doordash, or Lyft.
You can deliver groceries to people in your free time. (If you’d like to do this one, click on this link and then select “careers” at the bottom of the website.)
You can help busy parents drive their kids to and from school or activities.
You can help people with random tasks that they have.
There is no shortage of opportunities in the gig economy.
To succeed as a provider in this field, you should be polite and prompt for anything that people need.
You also need to be detail oriented and make sure customer orders are perfectly executed. Other important aspects include your commitment to keeping customers safe and have a passion for offering outstanding customer experience.
Real-World Example: Vanessa Herron
Vanessa Herron, a news editor at iHeartMedia, knows the secret to make an extra $1000 a month. In addition to being a screenwriter, she delivers food for DoorDash. At 40 years old, she works up to 30 hours a week, making $20 to $25 an hour.
That’s $600 to $750 a week, or an extra $2400 to $3000 per month!
How to Get Started
Getting started with the food delivery business isn’t complicated.
Companies like Instacart allow you to shop and deliver groceries to clients. Side note, I use Instacart myself and absolutely love the service. Paying someone $15 to go and pick up all my groceries for me is some of the best money I’ve ever spent.
DoorDash offers similar opportunities to generate extra cash. It allows users to deliver food through a motorcycle, scooter, on foot, or car.
Postmates is another option and among the top takeaway food ordering and delivery services in the United States. It allows users to choose their preferred meals from the top restaurants nearby.
You can become the missing link between the customer and the meal or other items – deliver these items to the consumer.
7. Create a Personality Based YouTube Channel
YouTube is the second largest search engine on the internet and has 2 billion monthly users. if that seems like an opportunity to you, and it should, then you’re on the right track.
Creating and managing a YouTube channel successfully takes a lot of time , effort, and implementation of the right YouTube marketing techniques. But if you work hard and use strategy to beat out your competitors, there is no doubt that you can succeed on this platform.
Real-World Example: Me
In the beginning of 2020, I relaunched my YouTube channel (i.e. I started actively working on it) and have seen some pretty big profit numbers in a short time period.
To illustrate this, I included a screenshot of my YouTube revenue below . While the screenshot shows I make $558, I’d say with affiliate marketing I’m very close to that $1000/month threshold.
If you need another example, this guy makes just over $80,000 per MONTH on YouTube. Are those results typical? No, not at all, but it just shows how much can be made on YouTube with the right market and personality.
How to Get Started
Signing up for a YouTube channel is a straightforward process and takes a few minutes. Pair that with creating a great content strategy, uploading informative and high-quality videos, build and connecting with your audience, and finally, you can start monetizing your channel.
I personally love this course if you’re at the start of your journey and think it covers all of the questions you’ll have when starting out.
8. Create an Online Course
People go online for many reasons, but the internet is an insanely valuable place for information and offers users the ability to learn new skills from experts like no other time in history.
Not sure how to use a blender?
There’s a guide on YouTube.
Need to understand how to grow your Instagram followers?
There’s a course for that.
Want to prepare a dinner using specific ingredients?
You can find a recipe (with pictures) on Pinterest.
The need for ‘how-to’ guides and other forms of education has created an excellent opportunity to make extra income from your own knowledge.
In fact, the U.S online learning industry is likely to hit $243 billion by 2022.
To succeed as a course creator, you’ll need to have knowledge or skills you can teach people. the ability to promote to or grow your own audience, and the patience to learn and use online course platforms.
Real-World Example: Lee Wilson
Lee Wilson, A.K.A Coach Lee who runs MyExBackCoach, is the owner of a platform that offers a course on recovering a relationship with someone that you once had and lost. He launched his website and YouTube channel first to build an audience, and after gaining a following, he made $200,000 in the first year!
How to Get Started
Creating a course seems like a very daunting task for many folks out there. I get it, the whole process can be a bit intimidating.
That said, there are plenty of resources out there to help you with this process. The first step that you to complete is to find the right course platform, from there you’ll need to create an outline for the course, figure out the course objectives, and finally make the course materials.
Rome was not built in a single day, and neither is an income-generating online course. It takes time to figure this out, but once you do, it’s possible to sell courses for $1000 each.
Which, obviously, would help you easily make an extra $1000 a month.
9. Become a Pet Sitter or Dog Walker
Our furry buddies need a nice place to stay when we go to work.
If you have enough space in your house and a love for animals , you can start a pet “daycare” in your own home.
But before you do, ensure you understand everything that the job requires.
Rewarding and fun as it may be, pet daycare or pet sitting is a business unlike any other.
All successful pet sitters invest in insurance, local marketing, organized record-keeping, and relevant legal services (to reduce liability and manage contracts).
To succeed as a pet sitter, you’ll need to have a love for animals, patience, a place for the animals to play, and knowledge about whatever breeds you’re caring for.
Real-World Example: Rover Users
While it was difficult for me to find a news story dedicated solely to a successful pet sitter, I did find this forum on the Rover website.
In it, you’ll see that the individual who posted the quesiton is trying to understand how it’s possible to make extra money on the platform.
If you read her comment, and many other comments in the forum, you’ll see users making $945 – $1347 per month.
These earnings may vary depending on the client volume, geographic area, time, and effort you put into your business.
How to Get Started
Pet sitting business is incredibly easy to start. All you need is your love for pets, pet sitting insurance, and a place for furry friends to relax.
Pet sitting is a largely untapped market and is growing quickly. People in nearly every demographic have pets that need reliable care. These people need you to help them when they go on vacation or go to work each day.
If this sounds like something you’d enjoy, click right here to apply.
10. Become a Social Media Manager
Want to know something kind of crazy?
I’ll even admit this myself as I fall into this bucket.
Most people who own small or medium-sized businesses don’t utilize social media enough for their business.
I, for one, know that I need to use it to grow my business. Although I do a little bit of it, I know that I should do a lot more.
So, why am I slacking?
The same reason why most other business owners are. I personally would rather spend my time on other areas of my business as social media requires daily (and consistent) attention.
Frankly, I just don’t have time for it and it’s one of those things I’d rather hire out to someone else. And I’m not alone, many business owners feel this way if they can get someone at a reasonable price that shows a return .
To succeed as a social media manager, you’ll need to have a significant understanding of the ins and outs of various social media platforms. In addition, you’ll need to know how to help the brands grow on the respective social media platforms they desire.
Real-World Example: Tara from Introvert-Coach.com
Someone like Tara, over at Introvert-Coach.com does what I do and reports Income Reports every once in a while. She’s a little different than me though because she still does a lot of freelance work, primarily focused on social media services for small businesses.
As she reported in her March 2020 income report, she made a total of $12,000 from her freelance clients!
Simply put, there is a lot of money to be made in this area, you just need to be good at what you do and show a positive return on investment for the business owner.
How to Get Started
Becoming a social media manager requires more than what you learned while playing around on various social networks . Social media management is a dynamic subject.
Even after taking a course on this subject, you’ll need to stay current on trends and continually work hard to deliver a return for business owners.
If you’re at the start of your journey, it’s a good idea to check out these courses on Udemy before you do to learn the ins and outs.
Also, if you are worried about all of the tools you’ll need to be a successful freelancer, check this out.
In terms of where to find work, you can check out Fiverr, Upwork, and Craigslist. They are some of the freelance job platforms where you can find potential clients looking for social media management services.
11. Become a Video Editor
Video is arguably the most powerful medium today. It makes 82% of the total web traffic, and this could be the reason behind the exponential growth in the video editing job market. If you have a passion for video editing or are considering a career change, you can make a very nice living doing this, or a great side income.
To succeed in the video editing industry, you must pay attention to detail, have some knowledge in video editing and media production, have effective communication, and be creative. Also, you should have the necessary equipment, such as a computer with the right hardware and software.
Real-World Example: Jack Cole
In 2018, Jack Cole shared his own experiences in the video editing industry. At the time of the video, he was making $2000 a month. If you’re just starting out, don’t expect to make that amount. But, as you continue to get more clients and build up your portfolio, you’ll make more and more money in the process.
How to Get Starte d
In order to be a successful video editor, you’ll have to be very knowledgeable in the editing program that you’re going to use. If you think you have that understanding, check out some of the courses here to help you on your journey.
To find gigs, you can start looking for gigs on Fiverr, Upwork, and Craigslist. If you’re reasonably skilled and good at meeting deadlines, you should be able to make at least a thousand dollars a month in a short time.
12. Sell Goods on Etsy
If you’ve always wanted to open an online shop, now is the perfect time to do it . Etsy allows people to sell handmade products, vintage items, crafts, and other similar products.
To succeed as an Etsy seller, you’ll need to be focused on creating quality products, customer service, have marketing skills, and posting quality photos and descriptions of the products. If you find that you have a LOT of photo and you’re having a hard time keeping track of all of them, consider getting photo management software to help.
Real-World Example: An interview with a successful Etsy seller
Jacqueline, the founder of Mom Money Map, interviewed a successful Etsy seller. The seller disclosed that she was making $1,500 to $3,000 a month, and her earnings vary depending on many factors, such as the demand for the specific products she’s offering, external market factors, and more.
This interview covers many topics such as getting started on Etsy, whether or not you need a license, relevant charges, and more. You may want to check it out.
How to Get Started
Unlike other e-commerce platforms, you cannot just post products on Etsy and forget about them. An Etsy shop needs constant attention, and your sales depend on how many people find your items and the customer service that you provide. Frankly, there’s a lot to it and I found these courses that many people rave about to help you if you want to begin.
In addition, I also write a post explaining how to sell on Etsy that’s likely to help you as well.
13. Become a Home Personal Trainer
Are you a fitness enthusiast?
Do you intend to share your passion for physical fitness with the world and get paid?
Then a personal fitness business may be right for you and the good news? It only takes a small amount of clients to hit $1000/month.
The fitness training market is growing quickly and includes people of all body types, ages, and goals. Many personal trainers are aligned with sports teams, community centers, and fitness centers.
Contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to align yourself with these facilities. You can help people achieve their fitness goals from the comfort of your home with the different webinar platforms out there. This can be extremely satisfying but this business model requires experience, knowledge, necessary certifications, and a passion for physical fitness.
Real-World Example: Jordan Lark
Jordan Lark has been interviewed many times and has stated that he’s making six figures as a virtual home personal trainer. He’s been doing it for some time and has figured out many of the skills required to succeed, but it’s something you can aspire to.
How to Get Started
The first step in starting a home personal training side hustle is to get certified if you don’t have any certifications yet. Doing so will build trust with your customers and help them trust you quickly. From there, you’ll need to find some clients to achieve your thousand dollar a month goal.
If you’re looking to get started, it’s best to take one of the courses here to learn the entire process.
Once you have the knowledge, you’ll need to find clients. Aside from tapping into your personal network, you can try to post your services on Fiverr and you should also consider using social media platforms to find clients.
14. Become a Graphic Designer
In the past 10 years, there has been a surge in graphic design customers as the internet and content marketing has grown. As long as businesses need detailed illustrations, interesting graphics, and other similar content for marketing, graphic design will remain a hot market .
To succeed as a graphic designer, you’ll need to have a great understand of the tools you offer, be creative, hard-working, stay organized to deal with all of your clients, and good at meeting deadlines.
Real-World Example: Joana Galvao
At just 22 years old, Joana Galvão launched her graphics design business. Amazingly, she was able to make $100,000 within the first ten months. In her interviw, Joana advises other graphics designers to be courageous enough to seek counsel and guidance and to use in-person networking to succeed.
How to Get Started
Becoming a graphic designer seems like an easy thing to do on the surface. Most of your job will be to listen to what clients tell you and create graphics for their business. While that’s an important skill, there is a lot more to learn as well. For this, I recommend you check out Skillshare.
15. Become a Consultant
The last idea on this list is to become a consultant in an area where you have professional expertise that other businesses may seek out.
Freelance or at-home consulting is an amazing way to make extra money every month . You can be a part-time or full-time consultant, depending on your availability.
This is a great side-gig to have and the best part is that it may just take one or two clients to make the extra money you’re trying to. Just make sure you get a portion of the bill upfront so you don’t risk people not paying you.
To succeed in the consulting industry, you must pay attention to detail, be very focused on serving your clients, have a specialty in an area that the client needs, and an ability to convey best practices clearly and concisely.
Real-World Example: Mike Kerrison
Mike went on this podcast and did an interview explaining how he built his consulting practices from scratch. In the interview, he discusses how he grew his consulting practice and mae over six figures.
How to Get Started
Launching your at-home consulting business requires you to be comfortable with the idea of marketing yourself. Use your LinkedIn profile to emphasize your professional experience and consulting services. Also, you can check out these courses to learn a thing or two about the at-home consultancy business.
Summary
Some of these work-at-home opportunities generate passive income and may not turn into full-time businesses unless you scale them.
However, some of the other opportunities like freelance writing, graphics design, and social media management are readily scalable and can net you an extra $1000 rather quickly. And this list goes on from there.
For instance, you can also make money from Reddit too.
The point is, the internet has a crazy amount of ways to make money, you just have to find the one that works for you to have an impact on your personal finances.
While I didn’t include other opportunities like babysitting, becoming a transcriptionist, getting cash back on purchases with Swagbucks, investing in real estate and renting it on Airbnb, teaching English online at a place like Vipkid, or filling out online surveys on various survey sites, I wanted to focus on (what I think) are the most valid opportunities.
It’s up to you to choose a gig or two that can help generate the extra income. While I advise you to try to think long-term and find something you can eventually scale, choose whatever is best for you.
Am I missing an easy way to make an extra $1000 per month? Let me know in the comments below.