Side Hustles: Top 5 Ways to Make Money Quickly

byAJTrimble1

9.1K followers

5 years ago

A common question I see with new Starter members is how fast they can make money with Wealthy Affiliate. Indeed, many state they cannot afford the monthly membership fee to upgrade to Premium until they have a site that is generating income. This can make things challenging, of course, as we all know that starting a successful affiliate marketing business is generally not a quick process. A true catch-22 situation. Have members made money with a free site? Of course. But it is not the norm.

As such, I though I would suggest a few “side hustle” gigs that people can do to make money and pay for a Premium membership while they work on their sites for the long term. Granted, none of these will generate full-time income to replace your job — at least not in the immediate future — but they most certainly would provide the few dollars you might need to sign up for a Premium account and cover the entry-level expenses a new website might require.

So, without further ado, here are my top five favorite side hustle ideas:

Side Hustle Number 1: Domain Flipping

Use Google Trends to identify hot topics (or trending people) that are popular, then brainstorm and research available domains related to that topic and buy them at a low price. You can then turn around and sell them to interested parties at a higher price. For example, I once bought a certain domain for less than $15, and within 48 hours I had sold it for close to $300 to someone looking to brand their site.

By the way, you can even do this with things like Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. On the plus side, account names are free, so you have no up front investment, meaning your profit margin is infinite. On the downside, account names are free (see what I did there?), and someone can just as easily select a similar name and not bother with you. Still, if they want to brand a particular name, they may be willing to pay you to get it.

Side Hustle Number 2: Fiverr

Fiverr is an online marketplace where freelancers of all sorts sell their services. Whether you are an expert at bookkeeping, logo design, photo or video editing, writing, or dozens of other services, Fiverr is a great place to land a job fast. I have made boatloads of money on Fiverr working as both a copywriter and as an editor.

While there are people who freelance on Fiverr full-time, that can take years to build. In the short-term, there’s not a ton of money in it (it is named Fiverr after all, because most jobs pay in increments of $5). Still, several smaller gigs a week add up to pretty decent monthy income… say, enough to pay for your WA membership.

Side Hustle Number 3: Upwork

Not much to say here other than you can think of Upwork as Fiverr’s big brother. It works the same, but because it operates at a much higher professional level you can make more money. The catch is you really have to have mastered the service or skill you’re selling; it’s not exactly what one might call entry-level like Fiverr.

Side Hustle Number 4: Transcription Services

If you have the ability to type fast enough to not lose money in the process, transcribing is a great way to make some extra money. When we were short on cash a few years ago, my wife and I transcribed a series of video lectures for a marketing business who wanted to turn the “script” into a series of handouts and, eventually, a book. It only took us a few days to get through the entire event and we were paid over $1000.

Side Hustle Number 5: Online Tutoring

Tutoring students online is not only a great way to make a few extra dollars, but it makes you feel good, too, knowing that you are helping someone struggling with a topic you are interested in. Through sites such as Chegg and Wyzant, you might be surprised at the variety of topics people are looking for tutoring in. In other words, it ain’t all math, folks ;-)

Conclusion

So, there you are. Five of my most favorite ways to make a few extra dollars on the side.

With that, please never again let a new WA member feel like things are hopeless, or that they can’t pursue their dreams just because of tight financial circumstances. We’ve all been there and, yes, it can be very difficult and disheartening.

Therefore, if you come across anyone having trouble with the membership fee, please bookmark and refer them to this article; it might just be what they need to turn their life around and get them on the path to success so many of us enjoy.

Thank you.

P.S. If you have any suggestions for other forms of side hustle, please share with the rest of the community in the comments below. I’d love to see what else is out there. Take care.