The Dough Roller » Earn Extra Income

How To Take Your Side Hustle Full-Time

Michal — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 13:00:01 +0000

Welcome to our week-long series on How to Earn Extra Income from a Side Hustle. In this final article, we look at how to turn your side hustle into a full time dream job.

Let’s assume you have successfully found a rewarding niche and financially profitable side hustle. That’s impressive! While your initial motivation may have been to save for a vacation, pay off college loans, crush your credit card debt, or pay off an unexpected bill, you have surpassed your expectations and have been thinking seriously about taking it full time. Let’s look at some steps to maximize your success.

What’s Your Number?

What will it take for you to say good bye to your full-time job? Setting a monthly income goal will be different for everyone. You may be single, a sole breadwinner in a marriage, or you may be in a two-income household. Basic to each unique situation is the need to calculate current monthly expenses. Don’t forget to figure the expense of replacing insurance benefits your employer is now providing. This information will allow you to set a target amount.

Assess the Consistency of Your Side Hustle Income

Once you’ve hit your magic number through side income, the next step is to honestly assess how likely you are to consistently achieve your income needs from your side business. If you rely on a single source for a significant portion of your revenue, how confident are that the revenue source will stay with you? What is the likelihood that the market for your goods or services will decline in the foreseeable future?

Diversifying your income streams is one way to address this uncertainty. Another approach is to keep your job until you’ve hit your magic number consistently over a period of months.

Save An Emergency Fund

We often stress the importance of having an emergency fund. But in the case of the self-employed or small business owner, the need is greater and the amount is substantially higher. In order to protect yourself against the unexpected, you should have an emergency fund equal to one year of expenses. Business trends can be unpredictable, so don’t kid yourself into thinking that you can build this fund after you set off on your own. This needs to be accomplished before you cut the cord.

Take care of Health Insurance

Don’t skip this one. Even if you are single, young, and in good health, you need coverage. A high deductible plan can offer reasonable coverage in the event it’s needed. If you have a family — shop around. The cost of these plans can be crazy and the coverage not so good. Consider joining your local Chamber of Commerce. They have group plans that offer savings for small business owners who are members. Although the Chamber doesn’t contribute in any financial way, joining as part of a group does mean lower premiums and more options including better benefits, more responsive customer service and rate stability. You can easily compare health insurance rates online. And HealthInsurance.org is another good resource providing free information on every aspect of purchasing individual plans.

Can you find reliable workers?

If the plan is to grow your business by adding staff to assist with the work load, consider conventional ads, internet sites (such as Craigslist), employment agencies, and your network of friends and colleagues. When your search turns up potential applicants, be sure to check them out thoroughly — including contacting references and testing their skill levels. If freelancers will fit the bill, consider Elance or oDesk and hire a “virtual employee.”

Save for Retirement

This will be a challenge considering you were having it regularly deducted from your guaranteed paycheck. But considering retirement can last 30 years or more, this is not something to put on a “to do” list. Set up a meeting with a financial planner and map out your retirement goals. Walk through the process of rolling over your 401K into an IRA and understanding tax advantages for both you and your business. If you go through a slowdown in cash flow, try to avoid the impulse to back off contributions. It’s hard to catch up at a later date.

One benefit of running your own business is opening a SEP IRA. I have one at Scottrade and can contribute up to $50,000 (subject to certain limitations).

Keep in Good Standing with the IRS

Taking it from a side hustle to full-time will change things a bit. Hopefully before now you put a priority on keeping accurate records and maintaining a separate bank account. These practices are imperative when running a small business. Contact a qualified tax accountant. Paying for this expert advice will keep you ahead of what the IRS requires of you. Your tax expert can help with your questions, make sure you have all the necessary licenses and permits, help you take advantage of all qualified tax deductions, and help with your tax filings.

Exit Strategy/Backup Plan

This may seem counterproductive, at least in terms of a positive gung-ho “let’s do it!” sense. While fear of the unknown can keep us from ever taking the first step toward achieving great things, you can feel confident about taking the plunge when you know you have covered all your bases. A back up plan is like keeping one foot on solid ground. It provides a certain sense of comfort. However, if you have taken your time, tracked the growth of your business, funded your emergency account, considered your insurance options, planned for retirement and tracked a course for future expenses (college for the kids maybe), then you have done a great job of hedging your bets.

Side Hustle Comic Strip [Infographic]

Rob Berger — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 17:00:41 +0000

Welcome to our week-long series on How to Earn Extra Income from a Side Hustle. Today we have a guest post and a comic strip infographic I know you’ll enjoy.

Want to earn more money? Of course you do—that’s a silly question. Whether you’re earning $0 or $200,000, everyone could always use a little extra cash flow, especially during this somewhat sticky time in our economy.

Aside from having some extra earnings to help you out with bills and the day-to-days of life, it is also important to have some money set aside for an emergency. In this economy, many people can’t afford to have an emergency fund at all, while experts recommend that you have one of at least $1,000—if not $3,000-$6,000.

Perhaps you’re working a full-time job right now and still struggling to just make ends meet, let alone start saving for emergencies. How can you earn a little extra income? Pick up a “side hustle.”

Use this graphic as your guide to 10 relatively simple side hustle ideas. Of course, feel free to use your imagination.

[Click Image to Enlarge]

So even if you’re strapped for time, you don’t have to be strapped for cash!

What’s your “side hustle?”

Natalie Grigson and Josh Ryan are bloggers for the MangoMoney blog, the official community for Mango Financial. MangoMoney is committed to educating and entertaining consumers on everything from living frugally to current economic events. Mango Financial, Inc. is an innovative consumer financial services company that seeks to empower underserved customers in the U.S. to achieve their financial goals. Mango offers services and products like their reloadable, prepaid card, both in retail and online at www.MangoMoney.com.

Sources: LoanAbles.com, FrugalDad.com, LearnVest.com, Fiverr.com, Etsy.com, EscapeFromCubicleNation.com, MysterShop.org, and BudgetsAreSexy.com.

75 Ways To Make Money On The Side

Rob Berger — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 12:12:48 +0000

Welcome to our week-long series on How to Earn Extra Income from a Side Hustle. In this third of five articles, we cover 75 ways to make a side income.

In yesterday’s article we looked a 5 resources for side hustle ideas. Today we have come up with a list of practical ways to make money on the side. Some of the ideas require specific skills, experience, maybe even a license, but others don’t. If you have the knowledge and drive you can turn your hobby, passion or expertise into dollars.

What side hustles have worked for you? Which side hustles haven’t worked out? Tell us what you have learned from your side hustle adventure in the comments below.

Sports/Recreation

Photo Credit: laffy4k

Shooting Lessons: I have a friend that makes great extra money offering kids basketball shooting lessons. You can make around 30 bucks an hour (maybe more) if you have the knowledge and skill set to teach. The main obstacle is finding gym time, so consider a rec center that offers cheap memberships. You could also partner with local coaches for help. If you have enough business, you could rent a court.
Hitting Lessons: If baseball or softball is your thing, then start signing kids up to take hitting lessons. Partnering with the local school coaches is a great way to develop business.
Referee / Umpire: Referees and umpires are always needed. You can stick with little league or go for adult leagues. It does require a class or two and you have to pass a written test. If you love sports, this is a great way to pocket some extra cash and it’s flexible because you choose when you work.
Coaching: There are plenty of coaching jobs that pay. Usually it’s at the middle school, high school or college level. But, if you love sports or you’re a former athlete, this can be an enjoyable and rewarding way to make some extra money.
Strength and Conditioning Training: This is a great side hustle for former athletes who have been through this type of training. You can connect with local school teams to get your name out there. Parents will pay for this type of training for their athlete and it’s a great way to be involved in the community.
Gun Permit Instructor: If this is an interest of yours then consider teaching the class and getting paid. The rules and regulations vary from state to state, so be sure to find out the process for your state.
Boot Camp Instructor: If you have a fitness background then try giving Boot Camp Classes. You can hold an outdoor class at a local park and not have any sort of overhead costs. Make the class fun and beneficial and people will be lining up to join.

Helpful Links:

Education

Tulane Public Relations

Substitute Teacher: Did you know in many states you only have to have a bachelors degree to be a sub? This would be a great thing to do if you have another job that allows you the flexibility to teach periodically. If you have a day or two off during the week, you can register with your local school system and let them know your availability.
Tutor: If you excel in Math, English, Science or any other subject, then try tutoring. Tutors are known to make between $25 – $35 an hour. You can give your name and number to local schools or your school districts central office as a way to get students. Also, college campuses are a great source of potential students.
Resume Writing: If you have a knack for writing resumes, you can make some money on the side. There are plenty of ways you can advertise your service such as Craigslist. Plus, this type of side hustle doesn’t have any start up cost.
Term Paper Editor: If you are a good writer and you can edit term papers, you will find lots of students willing to pay for your service. This too has little start up costs and just requires time and effort to get started.
Translator: If you are bi-lingual you be a translator. You don’t have to go through a company to get work, instead you can reach out to companies directly that may be in need of a translator.
Sign Language: You can sign for extra cash or teach a sign language class.
Music Lessons: Consider giving lessons for whatever instrument you excel at. Even if you aren’t an expert in the field you can give beginner lessons.

Helpful Links:

Labor

CarbonNYC

Movers: If you have moving experience or you are just willing to work hard, you can make good money on the side. I have friends who have used craigslist to find movers because they felt they could get a better deal than with a big company.
Painter: If you enjoy painting then you will enjoy getting paid for it even more. You can advertise on Craigslist or Facebook when getting started. Getting leads is your biggest obstacle. If you don’t have any experience giving estimates, you might want to consider partnering with a professional painter for some tips.
House Cleaner: It’s not easy work, but if you are dependable you can make some good cash. If you are good at this job then you will find regular clients that you can count on. You can also partner with real estate agents and investors who have the potential to send you a lot of work.
Hauling Service: Owning a truck can be very beneficial for a side hustle. For a fee you can haul off people’s junk.
Run Errands: Run errands for people while they are at work. Here are a few errands you could offer to complete: Dry Cleaning, Post Office, Grocery Shopping, Hardware Store, Office Store, Picking Up Supplies For Your Business, Garden Center, Walking Dogs, Giving Rides, Assembling Furniture (Desks, Beds, Tables, Chairs, Shelves), etc.
Delivery Person: Sometimes having the right type of automobile pays off – like a truck or van. I’ve seen many ads on Craigslist for folks who will delivery big items that can’t fit in a car. You could offer to deliver just about anything throughout your area or even state.
Power Washer: If you own a power washer you can make some quick money. My cousin struck a deal with an apartment complex and power washed all their awnings and made a few thousand dollars for a day’s work.

Helpful Links:

How To Get Painting Jobs

In The Home

Christopher_Hawkins

Babysitter: Babysitting isn’t just for teenagers anymore. As a matter of fact, there are many online sites, like Sitter City, that find sitters and perform background checks. You can sign up to be a babysitter and work when you want.
Sewing/Seamstress: Whether it’s altering school uniforms, making pillows or Halloween costumes, this is a side hustle to consider if you know how to use a sewing machine. You get to hustle from your own home and work while watching T.V.
Handy Man: Finding a good handy man isn’t always easy. If you have the skill then you might as well get rewarded for your abilities. Neighborhood newsletters are a great place to advertise for free.

Helpful Links:

We Love Our Pets

Danny McL

Pet Walker: This really requires no skill set, just a love for our furry friends and the willingness to clean up their mess.
Groomer: Being a professional groomer requires some classes, but it’s a nice way to make some money. If you love animals then consider setting up shop at your home and working on the side.
Pet Sitter: Start withing your community and offer to pet sit while people are out of town. There is a woman in my town who provides this service and as a bonus she picks up and drops off your pet.
Pet Training: If you have a way with animals and a successful training background, you could get paid for your talent. You can also take some classes that will sharpen your skills and your credentials.
Pet Photographer: If you are good a taking pictures then put an ad out there for pet photography. People spoil their pets and will pay for good pics.
Aquarium Service: If you have ever had an aquarium then you know what a pain they are to keep clean. If you are someone who has this type of knowledge then offer to clean aquariums for people.

Helpful Links:

Beauty

CelebfashionLA

Hair Stylist: If you are a former stylist that has another full-time gig, then consider picking your scissors back up and working from home on the weekends.
Hair Braiding: This is a talent that people will pay big bucks for. If you have this skill then try this for your side hustle.
Make-Up Services: If you are good at applying make-up then offer your services to the high school kids around prom time.
Modeling: If you have the desire to work in the modeling industry, now is the time to get started. Even local gigs pay very well and just imagine what your income will be should you sign with a national agency!

Use Your Creative Side

vigo74

Photography: You don’t have to be considered a “professional” to be good at taking pictures. If you have an eye for capturing a special moment then start marketing yourself.
Logo Design: Those who have a creative side and can use programs like PhotoShop are in high demand on the web. Bloggers and businesses need logos designed and often have to hire someone for the job. Check out my favorite design site 99 Designs and choose your first project.
Video Production: You can produce and edit video’s for business or bloggers. There is a huge online market for video production. You can make online commercials or YouTube videos to name a few.
Freelance Writer: There are numerous websites that can help freelance writers find work. The truth is you don’t have to have a writing background to be a good writer or to make money as a freelance writer. Start by checking out a freelance site or reach out to some of your favorite blogs and ask to write a guest post.
Caricature Drawing: You will be nominated as “most popular” at all the birthday parties if you have this talent.
Face Painter: This is another great skill to have so you can market yourself for birthday parties, school events or fundraisers.

Helpful Links:

Computer Geeks

Rebecca and Bernhard

In-Home Computer Repair: Computers are foreign objects to many and having someone come to your home to make the repair is often worth the cost. Post an ad on Craigslist or even send a message out to all your FB friends offering your service.
Develop an iPhone game: If you are an iPhone and computer whiz, then take a crack at this because it can make you a quick fortune. Develop a game or application for the iPhone and sell it through the Apple store. You’ll receive payment for the license and royalties for each sale.

Helpful Links:

Events/Parties

Tonymadrid Photography

Party Planner: Party planning is something you can do all year long. There are many sites that can help you get started by getting your name out there, like Best Party Ever.
Catering: If you feel you are talented enough at baking and/or cooking, the market is always in need. Start small by supplying food or baked goods for intimate parties, events or office meetings. If your services are well received and demand increases, continue to grow. In this case, what begins as a side job could become a lucrative career.
Band/Singer: You might not be the next Bruce Springsteen, but don’t be afraid to take a chance and get paid for what you love to do.
DJ: Offer to DJ parties, events or school dances. When you are just getting started you can rent all the required equipment and build it into your cost.

Helpful Links:

Financial

File Taxes: With tax season here there is no better time to get started. If you are a former CPA or have the knowledge needed to help people file their taxes, then pick it up as a side hustle. You can even consider starting your own blog that offers this type of information to people.
Accounting Services: Sometimes if you are just good with numbers you can get a side gig helping a small business or an individual with their books.

Automotive Jobs

sunflowerdave (professional loungist)

Mechanic: My sister’s mechanic works on the side and he is completely dependable. So dependable, in fact, that he has even made house calls to make sure her car was safe to drive. He has picked up and dropped off her car for repairs, which is something you don’t get from the over-priced shops in her area.
Towing: If you’ve got the equipment then you might as well put it to go use. This doesn’t mean you have to own a tow truck, but there are many other things you can tow. Lawn equipment, boats, motorcycles, etc.
Car Audio Installation: The big stores like Best Buy charge a fortune for this type of service. Make yours affordable and you will beat out the competition. This would be a great side job for someone who used to do this type of work at one of the big stores.

Seasonal Work

eeems

Lawn Care: This is a great spring and summer gig and you have complete control over how much work you take on. Set it up so it’s a weekend or evening job. If you are a teacher, make it your full-time money maker in the summer.
Snow Plow: This is a nice way to make some money during the winter. It requires a truck and a plow, which can be costly, but can also bring in some good money.
Shovel Snow: It’s not easy work, but it’s cash in your pocket. This is a great side hustle for kids or college students who have the energy to get out there and shovel.
Lawn & Garden Clean Up: This doesn’t require much skill, which means anyone can give it a shot. With spring approaching this would be a good time to get an ad on Craigslist or a community bulletin.
Landscaping People pay big bucks to get their yard landscaped. This is a great weekend side job and you get to be outside and enjoy nice weather.
Clean Gutters: Cleaning gutters doesn’t take a special license or skill, just some hard work and no fear of heights. Homeowners pay good money to have their gutters cleaned by expensive roofing companies, so just make your service affordable and get paid for your work.
Tree Service: If you have the knowledge and equipment, then start up a basic Tree Service on the side. This would include things like trimming and deadwood removal.
Deliver/Remove Firewood: Deliver Firewood to folks or offer to remove wood they don’t want.

Helpful Links:

Skilled Trade

Electrician: If you’re a certified electrician there’s a great deal of work available for you. This can be a great way to make extra cash in the evenings and on the weekend.
Plumber: Licensed plumbers can make excellent money, too, but even if you aren’t certified you can still do side jobs. Just be sure you aren’t doing jobs that required you to be licensed.
Siding Repair: If you are handy and can repair siding then market yourself as such. Often the big company’s are too expensive and if you can work a deal out that is good for the homeowner and for yourself, then you’ve got a side hustle.
Brick Mason: This is a learned skill, but if it’s something you did at a previous job then consider making it your side hustle.
Bob Cat, Bulldozer, Backhoe Service: You don’t have to own this type of machinery, you just have to be able to operate it. You can offer your service and the client can pay you and the rental fee for the equipment.

Administrative Work

Social Media Guru: Not everyone knows how to connect with people/businesses on the social media sites, but everyone knows what powerful tools they are. If you know all the in’s and out’s of the social media sites, then offer your knowledge to businesses or bloggers to get them up and running. Social media presence creation, updating, and responding are a few skills you can suggest.
Internet Research: Being good at online research can pay off in a big way. If you can navigate the web then offer to do research for people or businesses.
PowerPoint Expert: Get paid to create and update PowerPoint presentations.
Write/Create Newsletters: Many bloggers, businesses and organizations would love to have a monthly or weekly newsletter, but might not have the time or man-power to get it going. Search for possible leads online and then pitch your idea. There are many free online sites you can use to create newsletters.
Virtual Administrative Assistant: If you are reliable and experienced then market yourself as someone businesses can partner with to get things done. Consider all the tasks you could do online like Schedule/Calendar Management, Manage & Sort Emails, CorrespondenceForms/Documents, Word Processing & Formatting, Writing/Proofreading/Editing, Article Writing/Marketing Press Release, Writing/DistributionDatabase, Creation/Management, Customer Relations/Contact Management, Internet Research, etc. Being a virtual assistant allows you to work from home, too.

Online Gigs

Jorge Quinteros

Sell Your Stuff on eBay or at Consignment: eBay is an ideal place to sell old or unwanted items. As the saying goes, “One man’s junk is another man’s treasure.” If you have some relatively unique items that are easy to ship, eBay is a great place to make some extra money. Consignment shops are also a great way to get rid of old or unwanted clothes.
Sell Other People’s Stuff: You can always sell your own stuff on eBay, but you can also sell things for others. I recently met a lady with an enormous amount of antiques (3 barns full) stacked away where nobody can see them. I am going to get her up and running with an eBay store so the right people can see this jackpot. If you have the know-how you can help someone who already has the goods make some money.
Create your own retail website: If you’re already computer literate, use this knowledge to create a website to sell products or services. There are plenty of free online hosting sites, cheap domain name registries and oodles of places willing to stock your virtual shelves with inventory. Or better yet, use your artist abilities to create your own products and sell them on eBay and Craigslist.

Helpful Links:

Work For Someone Else

Mystery Shopper: People who do the mystery shopping thing seem to have fun doing it. It’s a nice way to make some dough on the side and it sounds like a way to have some fun too.
Wait Tables or Bartend: These are the ideal side jobs for nights and weekends. The hourly rate is not appealing, but you can make some nice tips over the weekend. Most of the time servers and bartenders are required to have some type of previous experience in the industry, particularly to work at higher end establishments.
Deliver Pizzas: This is a sure fire way to bring in some extra cash. You need a reliable car and a good driving record. Usually, pizza delivery drivers make minimum wage plus tips.
Paper Route: At first you might think a paper route is just part-time job for kids, but think again. One reader told us her husband brings in at least $800 a month. This is ideal for those who have their early mornings open and don’t mind getting up extremely early.

Helpful Links:

Additional Ideas

in addition to the ideas above, here are some articles where other bloggers have shared their ideas on how to make money with a side hustle:

5 Incredible Resources for ‘Side Hustle’ Ideas

Rob Berger — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 13:00:04 +0000

Welcome to our week-long series on How to Earn Extra Income from a Side Hustle. In this second of five articles, we look at some resources that can help you find the perfect side hustle for you.

Earlier in this series we talked about ways to supplement your income by finding a side hustle that didn’t necessarily involve working on a computer. They are great ideas and worthy of your consideration, but today we are looking at online resources. We have come a long way from looking to the classifieds, job fairs and postings as the only means to find work.

Whether you want to stick with a side hustle or grow to full-time home-based business, these resources will help you find ideas that will get you closer to your goals. Like any business (full-time or side), you have to make a decision and go for it. Hopefully these resources will help you brainstorm new ways to seek out interesting ideas for earning some extra money. These sites are sophisticated and offer a professional platform for marketing your skills and providing real opportunities that excite you.

Elance

Elance is a great site that offers opportunities for employers and freelancers to connect. We will stick to the opportunities for freelancers and save the “virtual employer” topic for another day. You can register for free and build a marketable profile within its impressive-looking site. You can also add a portfolio of your work for people to view, and you can promote your skills, experience, and areas of interest. Once you have registered (and also as a visitor) you can view positions that are available to freelancers in a multitude of areas.

All the job opportunities, regardless of category, are posted by their hourly rate or by the total amount per project. If you are interested in a posting, you prepare a proposal and bid on the job. With your free registration you are able to bid on up to 10 projects per month. If you determine that 10 bids are not sufficient for you, then you will have to consider purchasing a membership for a monthly fee. On the website you can also check out some of the freelancers who have been working through Elance. Although some have privacy settings that don’t allow you to see their incomes, others are listed.

For our purposes today, Elance is a great source of side business ideas. Let’s look at a sample work history of both a highly technical and a more creative (albeit business-minded) freelancer.

Devin, a Web Designer/Programmer — member of Elance since March 2009, worked 19 jobs this last 12 month period. He put in a total of 12 hours and made $10,380 for his efforts. That’s $865 an hour! His lifetime totals since 2009 indicate that he has worked 89 jobs for a total of 22 hours, earning him $32,372.

Marissa, A Creative Writer/PR Specialist listed with Elance since January 2009, worked 206 jobs in the last 12 months, putting in a total of 309 hours for a total of $67,062. Over her lifetime with Elance she has had 609 jobs, putting in 684 hours for a total of $207,656. We don’t know if this is her side hustle or full-time job, but at that rate it could be either.

When you consider that a regular full-time job is 40 hours a week, for a total of 2080 hours annually, you can see that it would be feasible to wedge in some freelance work to make a difference in your financial life. It’s worth spending some time on ELance to see how others are earning money. It offers a wealth of ideas.

oDesk

oDesk is another online resource for searching out employment opportunities. As with Elance, this site offers tools for linking employers with freelancers. I personally didn’t find it as appealing in appearance, but no big deal if it provides the same rewarding possibilities.

Looking through the categories they seem to be pretty much the same. I think there is more info available to the guest (before you register) which allows you to get many questions answered upfront. For instance, they explain how they protect intellectual property and explain that there is never a fee for applying for positions no matter how many times you apply. However, oDesk has a somewhat complex system where new freelancers can only apply to 3-5 positions at a time, but can earn a higher “quota” (number of applications you can make per month) based on number of jobs awarded, positive reviews, testing outcomes, and the like.

But regardless of whether you ever use oDesk to find work, it offers a lot of side hustle ideas.

eBay

eBay is great option for turning what you have into cash. I have several friends that regularly sell on eBay and love it. There’s very little that you CAN’T find on eBay, so look around and get some ideas. They provide a great tutorial that shows how to set up an account, take photos, list your item, get paid, and ship to your customers. They also explain their fees which will help you price your items (why not cover your fees). You can sell items you outgrow, don’t want, like to find at garage sales, or even new items that you make.

And many people have turned selling stuff on eBay into a full-time business. Check out this tutorial on building an eBay store. And here are some additional resources from eBay on building and marketing your store:

Even if starting an eBay store is not for you, seeing what other people are doing on eBay can be a great source of ideas.

Freelance Job Boards

One of the best ways to find ideas is to look at how other people are already making money. The flip side of this is to look at what businesses are in need of. We’ve covered this to some degree with Elance and oDesk above. But another great source of ideas come from online freelance job boards. Here are a few of my favorites:

Craigslist

We’ve all heard of Craigslist. We use it to buy used items. But Craigslist offers a lot more than that.

You’ll find people offering a variety of services and what Craigslist calls “gigs.” I spent some time on the DC page of Craislist and found all kinds of interesting side businesses. These side hustles ranged from Apple computer repair to soldering to “Audacity Mentor.”

You may have to spend some time sorting through a lot of garbage, but a site like Craigslist can be a wonderful source of ideas, too.

So I hope the above resources give you some great ideas for your next side hustle. Tomorrow we care going to take it one step further, and give you 75 Great Side Hustle Ideas.

What a Great Home Based Business Looks Like

Rob Berger — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 13:00:38 +0000

Welcome to our week-long series on How to Earn Extra Dough with a Home Based Business. In this first of five articles, we look at some factors you should consider when deciding on your next side-income-earning adventure.

Finding the perfect Side Hustle isn’t easy. In my case, blogging is how I make my extra income from home. But it wasn’t by design.

As I’ve discussed here before, I started a blog fun, not fortune. The income was a byproduct.

But if you are focused on making money, then there are some important factors to consider. While there are always exceptions, here’s a list of the factors that make a side hustle a Great Home Side Hustle.

Requires Little Money to get Started

When considering a side hustle, a big factor is your initial investment. First, assess how much money you absolutely must have to get started. This isn’t the “nice to have” type of expense. Rather, we’re talking about costs that you simply cannot avoid if you want to pursue a specific side business.

Some opportunities may cost a lot, some not much at all. If you want to work on cars as a side job, you’ll need tools. Of course, if you are into cars, you may already have the tools.

In my case, I had to pay for website hosting when I started the Dough Roller. Total cost–about $10 a month. Today I use Hosting Sesame for many of my sites, and the cost is even less. I also had to register the domain, www.doughroller.net. Total cost–$10 a year. And that was all I absolutely had to spend. That’s one of the reasons that so many great side hustles come from online businesses. The internet has created a growing market for bloggers, writers, web designers and others that can provide assistance for bloggers.

Second, don’t get pulled into something that promises you BIG money if you purchase their “special program.” I see these scams about making money online all the time. There are certainly things to learn about any business, and some eBooks and other programs can help. I recently signed up for Corbett Barr’s How to Start a Blog that Matters. Yes, I’ve been blogging for nearly five years, and much of the content of the program is not new to me. But you can always learn something.

But here’s the key. Don’t go into debt. We just spent a week with articles to help folks get out of credit card debt. The last thing you want is to go into debt chasing a dream. Besides, funding your side hustle without debt will make you work harder and appreciate and use what you already have.

A low initial investment is what makes a home based business so appealing. You don’t have the cost of setting up a physical building or, in many cases, hiring employees. So do everything you can to keep costs to a minimum.

Use the Skills You Have

With the right skills, you could provide sewing and alterations, teach music lessons, offer tutoring services, provide tax services, groom animals, do minor home repairs (keep it small and let people know if you are not licensed and bonded), offer computer repair services, or design webpages and contract for graphic design services. Painting is a good one and can be done on weekends. These are just a few services that require little investment and take advantage of the skills you have already developed.

Services requiring no skills, just willingness, include things like dog sitting (your home or theirs), dog walking, dog cleanup (think seriously about that one), child care – weekends only, cutting grass, yard cleanup and hauling junk away (truck necessary of course) and selling items on Ebay. You probably know someone who could teach you. Hey, there’s another one – teaching others to sell on Ebay. How about driving people to appointments or offering assistance for someone who is homebound. You could even do personal shopping – anything from groceries to executive gift buying.

One final thought on skills. Remember above we talked about not going into debt. One of the advantages of a low cost side hustle is that if there are skills to learn, you can take your time learning them. When I started this blog, I had some of the skills needed. I already knew a lot about finance and investing. But I was also missing some important skills. For example, I had no idea how to start a blog. But because I didn’t have to worry about paying back debt (remember, it costs virtually nothing to start a blog), I could take my time and day by day learn how to build a website.

Allows You Work on Your Schedule

With some sacrifice you can mold your side hustle to fit your current employment situation. If you don’t already have high demand on your after-work time, you have more options concerning what will work for you. This allows you to make your schedule fit the needs of your clients.

However, if you have a full-time job, a family, and maybe some community involvement, you will be limited in what you can do. This is where sacrifice comes in, but you’ll find the time if it’s a priority. You can keep things simple initially and work into a heavier schedule as you are able.

In my case, I blogged from 5 am to 7 am (I’m typing this sentence at 6:22 am), on the train to work, during lunch, and late at night after the kids went to bed. Nobody said a side hustle would be easy.

Something You Enjoy Doing

Enjoying what you do is always a bonus. How many people do you know that love their work? Seeking a great side hustle means you can pick and choose a little. You could consider a spinoff from your current career (if it’s fulfilling) or consider something you are enthusiastic about. Do you love to rock climb? You could teach others . Do you love animals? Do you enjoy providing care for people in need? How about working with your hands or working outside. Organizing? These can be indicators of the type of side hustle you’ll enjoy.

But transforming a hobby into full-time work can be tricky. Sometimes we don’t think objectively about things we love. And what is fun as a hobby can be a real bore as a business. That being said, enjoying what you do is a critical success factor in most side hustles.

There’s A Market For The Product or Service

With any business it’s important to understand the demand for your product or service and the competition. The best example I can give is in the online world. Picking the topic for a blog or website is one of the most important steps in creating a successful business. You can enter a competitive niche and succeed, but it will be much harder.

I’ve created blogs around topics that have little competition and within 6 months have been earning four figures a month from the site. I don’t want this to sound easy, it’s not. I’ve had a lot of failures, too. But the point is that a great side hustle will have plenty of demand and moderate to no competition.

Ideally Can Generate Full-Time Income

So you have planned for a great side hustle and you have based your decision on something for which you have a passion, interest, skill, or timely opportunity. That’s a great start. The other great thing about a side hustle is that you can gain experience, clients, and income at a rate that is manageable with your current schedule.

But things change. You may be frustrated in your current career. Perhaps you would love the freedom to work from home and supervise the kids. Or you may have lost your full-time job.

Wouldn’t it be great if you could turn your side hustle into a full-time career? The potential for full-time employment from a side hustle is certainly there. And it’s a factor to consider when deciding on your side business. As an example, check out Crystal’s motivating story of success.

So now what? These factors for a great side hustle may be all fine and well, but how do you actually come up with a great idea? Tomorrow we start to answer that very question when we look at resources to help you find the perfect side hustle home business.

How to Earn Extra Dough with a Home Based Business

Rob Berger — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 17:00:59 +0000

Blogging about personal finance for the past five years has taught me many things. But the most important lesson I’ve learned was completely unexpected–the power and freedom of earning extra income. Some call it a side hustle. Others call it a home based business. I call it life-changing.

A side hustle is anything that makes you money outside of your full-time job. It’s something you can do for extra money or even for your own enjoyment. It’s a way to experiment with business ideas, without all the risk because you still have a full-time income that pays the bills. You get to build a business around something you are passionate about while having the luxury of being your own boss and following your own schedule.

Side hustles create a parallel career track for you, giving you the potential to jump ship and make it your full-time job. In the current economic conditions, you can think of it as a back up in case things don’t go as planned with your career. In addition to the side income, a side hustle can even add to your resume and quite possibly help you land your next gig.

Now, we’ve just hit some of the high points side hustles offer. But in all fairness you have to consider the entire picture. Once you find your perfect side hustle (we will get to that) it still involves work–a great deal of work if you want it to be successful. Here are a few things to consider:

You basically have two jobs.
It becomes even more difficult to create a balance between your work and life.
Depending on your hustle, it might require some out of pocket expenses.

If these realities haven’t scared you away, keep reading.

Over the next five days, we’ll publish a series of articles focused on Side Hustles. These articles are full of information, tips and resources to point you in the right direction so you can find a Side Hustle that works for you. Here’s the schedule of side-hustle awesomeness:

Monday: What A Great Side Hustle Looks Like – The first step is to consider what makes a side hustle worth perusing. For example, is it important to you that there is potential for taking it full-time? If so, that should be considered right from the beginning. In this article we highlight key points that can make a Side Hustle a great one for you.

Tuesday: How To Find Side Hustle Ideas – The web is packed full of blogs and websites that can help you find ideas, and this article reviews some of them. Of course, we could just give you some ideas (actually, we do on Thursday), but you know the old saying–”give a person a fish and you feed him for a day; teach him to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.”

Wednesday: 50 Resources for a Freelancer – Once you’re committed to your hustle then you are going to need some help. We’ve put together a list of 50 online freelance resources for you to reference.

Thursday: 100 Side Hustle Ideas – Coming up with ideas on your own can be difficult, so we came up with them for you. This article features our list of 100 (yes, 100) Side Hustle Ideas.

Friday: How To Take Your Side Hustle Full Time – If your Side Hustle takes off and you are thinking about making a career change we have a few ideas to help you plan your move.

And finally, we have a bit of surprise in store for you with this series. If things go as planned, we’ll end the series with a super cool infographic about side hustles. I’ve always enjoyed infographics, but never published one here at Dough Roller headquarters. It’s still being tweaked, and I’ve yet to even see it. But it’s in good hands and should be ready to roll by week’s end.

It’s my hope that this series will help you take your life, your finances, and your dreams one big step in the right direction. So if you ever have any questions, don’t hesitate to email me at dr [at] doughroller [dot] net.

Wanna Make More Money? Consider Getting Certified

Guest — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 12:00:26 +0000

Everyone seems to have an interest in earning more money. Most of us are continually looking for ways to boost our income and earn more for spending, saving and paying down debt. However, it’s not always easy to add a zero or two to the end of a paycheck. Aside from getting a second job or asking for a raise, increasing what’s in your savings account can be a pretty difficult task.

In many cases, you don’t have to work 60 hours a week or beg your boss for an increase in pay. Almost every job field offers some sort of certification and many will boost your pay scale and have you earning more in a matter of months. Here’s a look at some of the most popular job certifications and the difference adding an acronym next to your name can have on your monthly take home pay.

Common Job Certifications

It’s difficult to put a hard number on the value of becoming certified in your position because the actual benefits depend on your unique situation, but when deciding whether or not to pursue certification, make sure the increase in pay will more than make up for the money you spend getting there.

Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA)

A nursing assistant can become certified as a CNA fairly quickly. Doing so not only adds to your earning potential, but is also a step toward becoming a Registered Nurse, Licensed Practical Nurse or higher.

Requirements – CNA applicants must go through 75-hour, or about 3 month long training program and then pass a competency test.
Cost to Get Certified – If you don’t take any cost-cutting measures, the expenses related to gaining certification run about $1,000. However, many hospitals will cover part of all of your training if you’re an employee.
Pay Increase - The expected salary for a typical nursing assistant is $26,498, but a CNA certification bumps the range up to $28,000-$33,000.

Project Management Professional (PMP)

For anyone working as a project manager, becoming a PMP shows you really know your stuff. The great thing about project management and the PMP certification is that you can practice in a number of different fields like construction or IT. Further, obtaining certification as a PMP is pretty difficult and is a highly respected designation.

Requirements - Only project managers with extensive experience can take the PMP test. You must have a Bachelor’s degree, at least three years of experience and 35 hours of coursework, or a high school diploma and at least five years experience along with the 35 hours of education.
Cost to Get Certified: – There are a number of prep classes you can elect to take with varying associated costs, though they aren’t required. The exam itself is pretty inexpensive considering the payoff–members of the Project Management Institute pay $405 for the computer-based exam or $250 to take it on paper.
Pay Increase – Becoming a PMP can increase your salary up to 10 percent over non-credentialed project managers.

Certified Public Accountant (CPA)

Accountants are licensed and certified to practice in their state when they become a CPA. The CPA exam is considered by many to be even harder than the Bar for lawyers, but while it’s tough to pass, becoming a CPA opens a number of doors both professionally and financially. CPAs are allowed to perform a wider range of duties and enjoy the best job prospects.

Requirements – In order to take the exam, it’s required (in 46 states) that you first complete a total of 150 semester hours, including coursework in accounting and business along with what’s required for your Bachelor’s degree (basically, a 5-year degree). Then you must pass a four-part examination.
Cost to Get Certified – There’s a hefty educational requirement behind becoming a CPA. If you don’t already have a Bachelor’s, you’ll need one, and we all know how expensive college is. At the very least, you will an additional year or so of college. The actual examination fee varies from state to state, but generally, it’s between $500 and $800.
Pay Increase – According to PayScale.com, the median salary for an accountant ranges from about $37,000-$51,000. Alternatively, that of a CPA is between $48,000-$70,000. That’s a potential increase of over $10,000 to $20,00 a year. Not bad.

These are just a few examples out of the thousands of professional certifications available. Even if you haven’t been concerned with making more money, it doesn’t hurt to research your options within your industry and find out if there’s a way to get certified in your field. You may discover there’s a program you never knew existed that could take your career (and your income) to the next level.

This guest post was written by Casey Bond from Go Banking Rates, a website that brings you informative personal finance content and helpful tools, as well as the best interest rates on financial services nationwide. Follow them on Twitter at @GoBankingRates.

Best Side-Money Making Gigs on Craigslist

Guest — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 17:00:43 +0000

If you’re like most people, the idea of generating supplemental revenue for your household balance sheet is not a bad idea. Getting a second job is a very common way to make a little extra cash to help with bills, save money to reach your goals faster or pay off any outstanding debt. A good way to find these little side gigs is through Craigslist.org, the bulletin board of the internet.

Craigslist is made up of classified ads ranging in just about any and every category. You can post public messages in personal ads, look for housing, search for jobs and so on. One of the best uses for Craigslist, however, is for finding part-time or one-time jobs that pay decent money. Some jobs even offer a way to make residual income or opportunities to create passive income streams, which continues to pay you money based on performance but doesn’t require any additional work.

Craigslist Gigs

Not to be confused with the “Jobs” category, which is for people looking for full-time employment or contract jobs, the “Gigs” category lets you put your skills to use during the after hours when you’re not on the clock during your day job.

Listed gigs range from manual labor jobs and field work like set production or event promotion. You could also find jobs that can be done from the comfort of your own home, like written or creative work. If you don’t want to work outside but want more interaction with people, there are also gigs like being a pet sitter or household assistant.

What to Look for on Craigslist

The good thing about Craigslist is that anyone from anywhere can post on it. By the same token, the bad thing about Craigslist is that anyone from anywhere can post on it. So if you find a listing that may be too good to be true or sounds sketchy, make sure you do some research before showing up for the job.

Depending on what your preferences are, your list of criteria may differ from other people. If money is your top priority, ignore any jobs that only offer “great experience” or “exposure.” While that may be great for some people trying to get their foot in the door, that’s not why you’re here.

Another tip is to find multiple jobs that are similar so you can get a good idea of the going rate for that type of job. You can then compare the compensation, requirements and other details to figure out which one is best worth your time.

Best Gigs on Craigslist

Here are some of the most common ways people make money on the side through jobs listed on Craigslist. Some jobs larger in scope may pay very well but could demand more of your time and effort. Other jobs could pay less but may be just a one-time thing or very simplistic in nature so they can be completed at a higher volume to earn more money.

1. Writing and Editing Gigs

One of the easiest ways to make money on Craigslist is through writing or editing work. Whether you’re producing articles, posting on blogs, writing a script, editing college essays, translating copy or providing technical content, the best part is that you don’t need to leave your house to earn some decent dough. It’s a little harder to find paying jobs for content work though, because a lot of upstart publications tend to offer exposure and bylines in lieu of cash. On the other hand, some places offer the opportunity for revenue sharing, which is ideal for earning passive income.

2. Creative and Design Work

Just like writing jobs, the video editing and web design jobs can be done from home. However, other jobs in this category, like photographers, set designers or fashion stylists, may need you to be on location. Most jobs won’t list a pay rate, so you’ll have to provide your ballpark figure and negotiate with the person who listed the ad if they get back to you.

3. Technology and Computer Jobs

One area for lucrative side gigs, if you’re computer savvy enough to qualify, is providing your technological expertise to businesses and individuals in need. If you can find some ads looking for an IT or database management consultant, you could make pretty good money and maybe even start that up as a side business. Unlike the previous categories, these jobs typically pay well because they require a technical expertise and cannot be compensated through other means like exposure or experience.

4. Talent and Event Listings

If you have time on your hands and the skills required, talent jobs like modeling, acting, singing and playing musical instruments may be a good way to make some money on the side. You’ll most likely be working on for photo shoots, film sets or public events. Like writing gigs, the promise of exposure often comes in lieu of actual payment. On the other hand, some event jobs require you to promote products or raise money for a fundraiser. Some of these jobs pay a flat rate, while others offer a commission and residual revenue.

5. Crew, Labor and Domestic Work

For those who aren’t afraid to do a little manual labor for their extra income, you can find decent pay offering your time and services. Since this is actual physical labor, there’s no bones about what you want out of the job. In some cases, you can make around $600 for a weekend’s worth of hard work. Some of the crew work overlaps with event jobs, but that’s common on Craigslist. Also, if you have the time and the heart, you can provide your services as a caregiver or babysitter for domestic gigs.

Since Craigslist ads are separated geographically, be aware that different cities will vary in demand for certain job types and pay rates. Keep that in mind as you peruse for some of your own potential side gigs, but always remember that safety should come before earning potential.

This guest post was written by Henry Truc from Go Banking Rates, a website that brings you informative personal finance content and helpful tools, as well as the best interest rates on financial services nationwide. Follow them on Twitter at @GoBankingRates.

How to Make Money on eBay Selling Stuff You Don’t Own

Rob Berger — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 16:00:48 +0000

As we continue to slug through an abysmal economy, more and more people are looking for ways to earn extra income. Running this blog now for three years has taught me that there are literally thousands of ways you can make extra money online. One way to make money online is by selling other people’s stuff on eBay through the eBay Partner Network. And no, this isn’t an article about stealing.

Believe it or not, you can make extra money on eBay without selling your own stuff, without buying stuff to resell, without setting up eBay auctions, and without worrying about shipping products to winning bidders. This isn’t a get rich quick scheme, and it will take a lot of hard work. But if you are looking to make some extra income, eBay may just be the answer (or at least part of the answer).

This article will walk through step by step how to do it. You’ll also find links to helpful tools and resources, as well as a few examples of successful eBay sites. Before we begin, however, check out How to Buy a Refurbished iPhone, a simple article I wrote in about 20 minutes nearly two years ago. Last month alone it made $126.32 from eBay. Not life changing, to be sure, but not bad for one month from one article that took 20 minutes to write back in 2007.

How to Make Money with eBay – Overview

To put all of the information that follows in some context, here are the steps we’ll cover in this article:

Picking the types of products to sell
Setting up a website or blog
Integrating eBay into your site

If you already have a website or blog, you can skip steps one and two. Keep in mind that you can develop an entire site that is designed to sell items from eBay, or you can have a site or blog that sells eBay items as just one feature of many.

Before we get to the above steps, a brief overview of the eBay Partner Network is in order.

eBay Partner Network

The eBay Partner Network is eBay’s affiliate program. Bloggers and website owners that join the Partner Network can link to eBay auctions from their own site. If a visitor clicks through to eBay and wins the auction or buys a product, eBay will share its fee with the website or blog that referred the visitor. In fact, eBay shares 50% to 75% of the commission, depending on the total commission earned.

To get started, the first step is to register with the eBay Partner Network. Once registered, you’ll have access to various tools that will allow you to put banners, widgets and text links on your site to promote eBay auctions. We’ll talk about those tools more in a minute.

Picking eBay Products to Sell

This is really what makes selling eBay products so much fun. You can pick from just about anything. If you love golf, you can market golf equipment. If Creative Memories and scrap booking is your thing, which Mrs. Dough loves, you could create a scrap booking store. Maybe you love technology, and want to write about electronics. Or how about cars, scooters, boats, houses, CDs, furniture, or appliances. You get the idea.

When you pick the focus of your web store, keep a few things in mind:

Higher cost does not mean more revenue: Many are tempted to focus on higher end items because the commissions are higher. But keep in mind that competition is usually stronger for more expensive items, and it can take a lot longer to get a sale. Sometimes volume beats price.
Pick something you love: If you set out to build a successful eBay store or section of your existing site, it will take a lot of time. And what will set your site apart from the rest is valuable content about the products you are marketing. Anybody can set up a site and list eBay products for sale. What separates the successful sites from all the rest is relevant, useful content about the products being sold. If you pick something you love or have an interest in, it will be much easier and more enjoyable to write valuable content about the products.
Think long-tail: Consider the range of products that you will market. Will you market all golf equipment, just golf clubs, just putters? The more narrow the focus of your store, the easier it will be to drive traffic to the store from search engines. Of course, once you’ve cornered the market on putters, you may want to expand. There’s no right or wrong answer here, it’s just something to keep in mind as you’re making your decision.
Think Beyond eBay: While the focus of this article is eBay, there are many other product affiliate programs available, including Amazon’s. This is an important consideration because not all visitors are comfortable with eBay auctions. They may prefer to buy through Amazon or some other non-auction website. So consider the other avenues of revenue for your product besides eBay.

Setting up a Website or Blog

If you are reading this and thinking you have no idea how to set up a website or blog, rest assured that it’s an easy thing to do. When I started Dough Roller, I didn’t have a clue what to do. Rather than repeat here the steps necessary to set up a well optimized site, here are a few links to articles that will walk you through the steps in detail:

How to start a money making WordPress blog
How To Start A Blog in 9 Easy Steps : Blogthority
Make Money Blogging: Setting Up a WordPress Blog in 3 Easy Steps

If these articles don’t answer your questions, leave a comment or contact me, and I’ll be happy to help you get started.

Integrating eBay into Your Site

Once you’ve picked the subject of your store and set up your website, it’s time to integrate eBay auctions into your site. Here is where you have to make an important decision. Do you want your site to look and feel like a store, or a blog?

A site that looks like a store usually has a home page with product listings and links to sub-pages with additional product listings. A site that looks like a blog usually has the most recent articles listed on the home page, with links that take readers to additional blog posts. Of course, you can integrate both into the home page, and in either case have links in the sidebar to product pages. But you want to give some thought to this question up front. Here’s why.

The eBay partner network comes with three tools to integrate eBay auctions into a website: Link Generator, Creatives Generator and Widgets. These tools, however, are most effective if you want to insert auctions into a blog post or sidebar.

All in all, starting a business will take a lot of research which will in-turn take a lot of time and energy. Make sure that if you do decide to start-up an eBay business, you know the potential risks and follow-up with their support staff as often as possible.

Making Money Online–5 Real Life Examples

Rob Berger — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 21:25:15 +0000

From time to time we’ve talked about how to make money online. And the fact is that anybody can earn money with an online business. I know many folks, for example, who not only make money blogging, but make enough to quit their regular jobs.

So today I thought we’d look at 5 real-life examples of sites started by individuals (not huge companies) that make good money online. Each site is very different from the others, and how they make money differs, too. But that’s what is so exciting about the online world. There are literally thousands of ways to start an online business. So let’s get started.

Blogussion

Blogussion is a blog about blogging started by Alex Frais, a 16 year old high school student. He was 14 when he started the site, and we interviewed Alex about one year ago. Alex designed an incredible website at Blogussion, and he earns money online in several ways. Most notably, he designed a WordPress theme that he sells for $44.95. While creating your own product to sell online is just one approach to making money, it can be extremely profitable. Alex’s theme is designed around another WordPress theme called Thesis, which is what Dough Roller runs on. Thesis is itself another example of how to make money online, but it would take far more coding experience than most of us have.

Art of Non-Conformity

Chris Guillebeau is the personality behind the Art of Non-Conformity. In his words,

I write, travel, and help people take over the world. This site hosts the Art of Non-Conformity blog and the diary of my travel adventures in 100 countries and counting. If you’re dissatisfied with conventional beliefs and want to do something remarkable with your life, I’d love to welcome you to the revolution.

And his revolution includes some highly successful ebooks on everything from travel, freelancing, and most recently, empire building. His Empire Building Kit, for example, is designed to teach you how to build your own small business. I confess I’ve not read the material, but I’ve heard good things about it. Regardless, like Alex of blogussion, Chris has built a business around products he’s created. The difference is that Chris sells informational products.

Prepaid Reviews

With Prepaid Reviews, we move away from sites that have created their own products. Instead, Prepaid Reviews and the two sites that follow make money promoting products for other companies. In the case of Prepaid Reviews, the site promotes prepaid cell phones offered by the likes of AT&T, Verizon Wireless, and Cricket. These companies offer what are called affiliate programs. Sign up for the program and you are given a special link to their site that tracks visitors from your site. If a visitor you sent to AT&T, for example, buys a prepaid phone, the referring site get a small commission. With enough traffic, these small commissions can really add up.

Prepaid Reviews is part of MFE Interactive, which runs numerous affiliate websites. Rae Hoffman runs MFE Interactive and blogs about affiliate marketing at Sugarrae. Her site is definitely worth following. One article I highly recommend was written all the way back in June of 2007: The Affiliate Evolution. The article is as relevant today as it was when Rae wrote it.

Digital Photograph School

One of the things that I like about Digital Photography School is that it’s a great example of making money from a hobby. DPS is run by Darren Rowse, how is the blogger behind Problogger.net. Through DPS, Darren has done a great job of building a community of folks that love photography. There is an active forum and DPS sends out one of the best weekly newsletters I’ve ever seen. But what about making money?

DPS makes money a couple of ways. First, Darren publishes reviews of cameras and camera equipment, with links to Amazon where the products can be purchases. Amazon has an affiliate program, and DPS makes money each time a reader clicks a link to Amazon and makes a purchase. Like Art of Non-Conformity, DPS also sells eBooks focused (pun intended) on photography tips. While I don’t think all hobbies are great candidates for making money online, many are. DPS is a great example of a hobby that has been very profitable for Darren.

Coolest-Gadgets

Our last example of a money making site shows that you can make money selling just about anything. Unlike DPS, which is much more than a product review site, Coolest Gadgets sticks to one thing and one thing only–gadget reviews. Most gadget reviews include links to various online websites where you can buy the gadget. For each sale, Coolest Gadget earns a small percentage of the sale price. The folks at Coolest Gadget also monetize the site using Google Adsense and Chitika.

So how much do these sites make? Truth is I don’t know. But from what I can tell, several of them certainly make 6 figures a year. If you have a great idea and want to try you hand at making money online, here are a few articles and web hosting discounts to get you started:

How to Pick a Money Making Blog Topic
DreamHost Promo Codes and Coupons (Special discount for Dough Roller readers).
BlueHost Promo Codes and Coupons (The web hosting service I used when Dough Roller first launched).
GoDaddy Promo Codes and Coupons