Earn money from home during the COVID-19 Quarantine [9 Easy Ways]
How can we even begin to imagine what life is going to be like once the threat of COVID-19 subsides? The coronavirus has us all wondering, “What’s next?” Given these uncertain times, I wanted to do whatever I could to help. Therefore, I’m sharing these 9 easy ways to earn money from home during the COVID-19 quarantine. I mean, we could all use a financial infusion, and right now, we all have the time to peruse options. Moreover, even if things do return to some version of “normal” in a few months, implementing these strategies now can develop into long-term profits. Now is a good idea to set some goals and come up with a plan. Further, it’s always a good idea to diversify your income to increase financial security.
So, I won’t keep you in suspense. Here’s a quick list. Continue reading for details about each earning strategy.
- Teach a Class on Skillshare.
- Become an affiliate and sell products you can market online from home.
- Reimagine ways to market the skills you have.
- Start a Blog.
- Learn a new skill; use it to sell services online or secure a virtual job..
- Apply for virtual positions using skills you already have. (The sites where you can find virtual jobs are listed below.)
- Sell your stuff.
- Cancel unnecessary subscriptions or services.
- Open an online store.
9 Easy ways to earn money from home during the COVID-19 Quarantine
1. Teach a class on Skillshare.
Before I even broach this topic, let’s be clear about one thing: you DON’T need expensive recording equipment. You can use your computer or even your cell phone. In the same vein, teaching a class doesn’t mean you have to be in front of a camera. You’ll see how that’s true later. This is an easy way to make money from home because you only have to create and record your courses one time. After that, it’s just about promoting. And, Skillshare helps with that. All you need is a strong knowledge about a specific topic (or two, or more!).
Who are they?
Skillshare is an adult education online learning platform filled with classes crafted by working creatives, entrepreneurs, and industry leaders. Top earning teachers make $100,000+ each year. If you are an experienced pro in any area of expertise with tips, techniques, and skills to demonstrate, then you can host a class. Skillshare offers an extensive suite of resources and responsive support to help you create classes that inspire and educate learners. By teaching on Skillshare, you can grow your online following, give back, and earn money.
How does it work?
Teachers earn money based on subscriber watch times. Skillshare operates under a subscription model so students pay a monthly or annual fee for a Premium Membership. The $15 monthly fee (or $99 annual fee) includes unlimited access to the entire catalog of Premium classes, and other Premium features like offline viewing through their mobile app. Currently, Skillshare is offering 2 months free. So, right now you can start for zero dollars!
“On average, first time teachers earn $200 in their first month, with top teachers earning upwards of $3,000.”
Many teachers on SkillShare secure a healthy income on the platform. Everyone has a skill or talent that others would love to learn. On this platform professionals can teach anything from knitting to investment strategies. After reading this post, use this link to get two months of the premium membership completely free. Once you’re enrolled, you can click around the platform to browse through the wide variety of current classes.
How do I earn money from home with Skillshare?
Earning money from home is easy with this platform. Skillshare teachers earn revenue based on a royalty system. Each month, between 30% and 50% of Skillshare’s total Premium Membership revenue goes to a royalty pool for teachers. Subsequently. the remaining revenue goes towards marketing and promoting your classes, supporting and investing in the website and platform, and running the day-to-day operations of the business. Plus, you earn $10 for every student that enrolls in a Premium membership using your link.
With Skillshare, it’s Easy to Earn Money From Home During the COVID-19 Quarantine
Skillshare teachers earn revenue based on a royalty system. Each month, between 30% and 50% of Skillshare’s total Premium Membership revenue goes to a royalty pool for teachers. Subsequently. the remaining revenue goes towards marketing and promoting your classes, supporting and investing in the website and platform, and running the day-to-day operations of the business.
On average, first-time teachers earn $200 in their first month on Skillshare, with top teachers earning upwards of $3,000!
How Do I Start?
Do your research. Find out what makes for a good class. First, log in to check out the different courses. Pay attention to the number of students each class has had. Watch both high attendance classes and low attendance classes. Consider their thumbnail images, content, and presentation styles.
Attend A Variety of Classes
Next, attend a variety of these virtual classes. Most are around a half-hour. While watching, pay attention to presentation styles. Is a person standing in front of a camera talking to you? Are there slides with a voice-over explaining the lesson? If so, how detailed are the slides? How long is each section? How long is the overall class?
Evaluate the teacher. During your preview ask yourself a few questions. Are they engaging? If you’re bored, the answer is no. After, think about what you liked about the class. Did you particularly dislike anything? Finally, scrutinize details of the lessons. As a result, you should have a clear picture of whether or not you could do this (you can, anyone can). Moreover, you’ll see how you would do it. After that, once you’ve seen many examples of the final product, and gone through Skillshare’s training videos, it’s time to get started.
Learn EVERYTHING about the Platform To Increase Earn-From-Home Potential
What kind of tools are available for a newbie?
SkillShare offers a Teaching Academy which teaches newcomers exactly how to create, host, and execute classes. After logging in for the first time, be sure to click on the “Browse” and “Workshop” links to see what the platform is all about. Browse the classes for learning topic ideas. Next, you should explore the teacher handbook. Then, attend the eight-lesson, 21-minute Teaching Academy. After, you’ll be ready to record and upload your own lessons. The two free months gives new users ample time to get acquainted with the platform. Although, with this platform, It won’t take that long to start earning money from home during this COVID19 quarantine.
An Example to Consider
As a 20-year Las Vegas poker dealer and now, poker room manager, my husband has extensive knowledge on the subject. His expertise was developed by dealing tens of thousands of hands for poker powerhouses like MGM Grand (when it was in it’s prime) and now, the Wynn, Las Vegas. He has also played, and ranked, in the World Series of Poker. These are powerful credentials.
How Can He Earn Money from Home?
As a result, few would dispute that he is an expert in his field. He could create lessons for poker enthusiasts world wide. He could start with a 30-minute “Poker Basics: Learn Game Rules, Common Terms + Table Etiquette” class and follow up with “Leading the Game: 9 Expert Tips on Where to Find the Best Games Based on Your Experience”. There are so many options and extensions on this subject. He could have an entire curriculum with 30 hours of courses. Easily, he could be a 6-figure earner on this platform. I’ve tried convincing him to teach a poker class on Skillshare. He’ll never do it. But, a girl can dream.
2. Become an affiliate and sell products online to earn money from home.
What’s an Affiliate?
An affiliate is someone who promotes and sells products or services on behalf of a parent company. In turn, the parent company actually provides those products or services. Or, according to Wikipedia, “Affiliate marketing is a type of performance-based marketing in which a business rewards one or more affiliates for each visitor or customer brought by the affiliate’s own marketing efforts.”
How does an affiliate marketer get paid?
Although each company’s programs are different, generally affiliates earn either a percentage of the sales price of the product or service being sold, or a flat rate per unit sold.
Pro bloggers or high volume business sites can earn money each time visitors click on the company’s link from their website. These, PCP, or pay-per-click affiliate links generate tiny portions. However, they add up to a pretty penny when you have a million+ visitors clicking through your site each month.
Moreover, many companies encourage affiliates to recruit other affiliates. Again, company specific payment plans vary. However, in general, one can expect a flat-ish rate per recruit plus a percentage of their sales.
I have never seen an affiliate program offers a salary/hourly rate plus commissions. If you know of one, by all means, share it with us in the comments section.
The Two Types of Affiliate Marketing Companies
First let’s talk about earning “Sales” or “Pay Per Click”. In this case, you partner up with a company (usually for free) by joining their “affiliate program”. Upon joining, they provide you with links or digital tools that you can use to sell their product or service. Some will let just about anyone become an affiliate, while others (like those offering PPC) have a strict criteria which must be met before approval will be granted.
An Example
For example, just above you saw an ad for AWeber. I am an affiliate of this company. Therefore, they provided me with a special link which I use to promote their services. If one of my readers clicks on my link and purchases their services, then I earn a percentage of that sale at no cost to the customer. To clarify, in this case, it’s free for me to join and my readers never pay extra fees for using my link. As a result, the company gets a new customer, my reader gets a useful tool or service for a reasonable (and sometimes discounted rate), and I get a little seed money to fund the blog. I call it the Bloggers’ Food Chain; a beautiful digital ecosystem where everyone involved wins.
MLMs
Next, we have the Multilevel Marketing (MLM) affiliate programs. Now, I’m sure you’ve heard about these. If you haven’t, it’s okay. I’m here to fill you in.
To begin with, joining most MLMs, comes at a cost. However, in return for this fee, they do provide you with training and resources to help you build your business. Since they do expect their brand to be your business, they work hard to set you up for success. Unlike, AWeber, who simply offers me the link and a few pieces of collateral, an MLM would give me my own dedicated web page, among other tools. Additionally, prospective MLM affiliates should expect a high degree of support and training.
Yep, You Need to Recruit
MLMs also encourage team building. This means they want you to recruit others to sell their product or service. They don’t require it. Again, it’s a choice. Although the monetary incentive for this extra task can be pretty generous, most systems have rigorous pre-set goal which needs to be met before any substantial money is paid.
Plus, many companies do like to suggest you start selling to people you know. Don’t do that. Unless you honestly believe your friend/mom/brother would benefit from your new venture, you should leave them alone. Once you’re successful, your family and friends will either come to you, or they won’t. Either way, you’ll do fine.
Time + Consistency Are Key
I think this is why MLMs get such a bad rap. But, it takes time and consistency to be successful in any kind of business. Who you sell to is a choice you make on your own. (Again – Choose to stay away from people you know, at least in the beginning). So, I don’t understand why MLMs are so widely frowned upon.
There is a TON of earning potential. If you find the right MLM for you, success can be limitless. I say, “for you” because you really do need to genuinely believe in whatever you’re selling when you join an MLM.
For instance, I’ve been with dōTERRA for at least 9 years. I don’t actively sell the product. Recruiting others to do so isn’t on my to-do list. I have a link on my website in case one of my readers would like to shop on my page. Other than that, I don’t spend time promoting dōTERRA. I like essential oils and I particularly love this brand. Each month, my facial cleanser autoships. Once in a while, I add a new oil to my oder, but that’s all. In other words, I only joined the program because, as a rep, I get free shipping and a discount on purchases I was already making. I’m just not a “beauty” salesperson. Showing pictures of myself and talking about my skin or the many other benefits of essential oils aren’t topics I’d navigate well. It’s just not me.
Do What Floats Your Boat
On the other hand, I love to travel. I wish that everyone could experience the joy and utter elation that I feel when I get to explore new destinations. So, for me, Evolution Travel fits like a glove. I’ve even built a team, which I never considered doing at first. But, it just came so naturally. My enthusiasm is authentic. As a result, I’m successful. And, the residual income certainly helps. Particularly recently when travel companies froze new bookings and flights were grounded due to the coronavirus.
Each multilevel marketing company has their own unique system for affiliate income generation. Some people despise this system. So if you choose to partner with an MLM, be prepared for at least a little push back. It might come from friends and family or even from strangers on social media. It’s crazy how negatively this system is viewed by some people. I have to say, I don’t get it.
One MLM Affiliate Example
dōTERRA
Selling dōTERRA‘s essential oils is, indeed, an easy way to earn money from home during this COVID-19 quarantine for many reasons. First, the act of starting up starts as low as $35. Second, you never have to carry any inventory, and, realistically, you never have to engage with others physically. However, to achieve the most monetary success, in the long run, you do need to purchase the product. dōTERRAis a strong brand with a wide range of essential-oil based health and beauty products.
Who are they?
dōTERRA is “An essential oil company changing the world one drop at a time.” These days, everyone sells essential oils. You can grab a bottle or even a variety pack at any local market or superstore. What sets dōTERRA apart is the brands’ purity and quality standards. dōTERRA sustainably and responsibly sources their oils. They boast a purity which allows users to reap the full benefits that nature has to offer. They’re socially responsible and have even created the Co-Impact Sourcing® Initiative which employs 8 key principles to ensure responsible practices in all their sourcing communities. You can read more about that here.
Selling dōTERRA‘s essential oils is, indeed, an easy way to earn money from home during this COVID-19 quarantine for many reasons. First, the act of starting up starts as low as $35. Second, you never have to carry any inventory, and, realistically, you never have to engage with others physically. However, to achieve the most monetary success, in the long run, you do need to purchase the product. dōTERRAis a strong brand with a wide range of essential-oil based health and beauty products.
dōTERRA offers a wide variety of essential oil products. These range from straight oils to infused health and beauty care. They provide natural dietary supplements for healthy skin, hair, and nail. Also available are nutritional gels and capsules which effectively support gastric wellness and weight management.
How can you earn money from home with dōTERRA?
As a dōTERRA representative, you have the opportunity to earn commissions as well as residual income from your downline. Your downline consists of the new members you bring into the business who also choose to sell the business in addition to buying the product.
Earning Commissions
Wellness Advocates earn a commission of 20% based on the PV of each product sold, not 20% of the dollar value of the order. The images below illustrate PV vs. monetary product vales. For most products, the values are the same. However, there are instances in which they differ slightly.
The illustration below shows how Lisa earns by enrolling Megan. Lisa sold Megan three different oils. Since each oil had its unique PV value, Lisa received 20% of each of those separate values. The item with a 132 PV value, earned Lisa $26.40. The 78 PV earned her $15.60, and the 147 PV earned her $29.40. So when you add the three-dollar amounts together, add up to $71.40. As a result, Lisa receives $71.40 from this sale. She also had 357 PV total, which counts toward her monthly 600 total PVs required to qualify for residual income.
Residual Income
(money paid monthly apart from PV commissions)
In addition to the commission on individual sales, Advocates earn extra bonuses for enrolling customers in the Loyalty Rewards program and teaching them to bring in new LRC members. dōTERRA values retention. Sure, you can sell essential oils to one-time customers, but the long game is what brings in the residual income. Although Wellness Advocates earn a favorable commission on each sale, residuals offer a fantastic financial growth opportunity. Residuals serve as a reliable and consistent source of passive income. These are guaranteed earnings each month as long as your members remain enrolled.
How Residual Income Works
$50: In order to receive this, a Wellness Advocate must have personally sponsored three new Wellness Advocates. Additionally, these new members much each maintain 100 PV Loyalty Rewards orders. Furthermore, as a team, a total of 600 PV Loyalty Rewards is required. This $50 monthly award is called the Power of 3 Bonus.
$250: To earn this, the three new frontline team members must each earn their $50 power of 3 bonus. As a result, they need to have three qualified, personally sponsored Wellness Advocates with a minimum of 600 Team Volume. See example image below.
$1,500: In this advanced stage, your three frontline members must earn their $250, which means you are helping them teach their three qualifying people to make their own $50. Your nine second-level qualified Wellness Advocates also must each have three qualified, personally sponsored Wellness Advocates enrolled with a minimum of 600 Team Volume.
LRP monthly orders of 50 PV or above, begin to earn reward points. Redeem points purchase dōTERRA product purchases. Points are redeemable after sixty (60) days of participating in the LRP. All LRP reward points have no cash redemption value, are non-transferable, and expire twelve (12) months from the date of issue. LRP monthly orders of 50 PV or above earn reward points and advance LRP loyalty rewards percentages, up to thirty (30%) percent. Maintaining a monthly one (1) PV or above order will preserve your reward points and reward point accrual percentage.
What kind of tools are available for a newbie?
Since a Wellness Advocate does need to sell dōTERRA in order to earn money from home, it’s important that advocates are able to explain the brands many benefits to potential customers. As a result, you need to become an expert on the product. dōTERRA offers full product training and brand certification through its Empowered Success and dōTERRA University programs.
Everything needed to earn money from home with dōTERRA is included.
Wellness Advocates are equipped with a variety of useful tools. Each serves to perpetuate success. First, your most important tool is your upline. This is the person who brought you on board. Turn to this person to help you get started. Further, you can continue to count on their support as you build your business. Next, use all the digital resources offered by dōTERRA.
Earning from home requires a strong digital presence.
dōTERRA provides each wellness advocate with a personalized website. Since it’s virtually identical to the corporate website, visiting shoppers experience consistency across branding, site security, and product options.
Wellness Advocates have access to everything from self-paced digital videos and classes to all the media needed to create social media ads. Additionally, a library of high-resolution digital images + paper brochures.
Potential Challenges + Solutions
Challenge 1: It can become costly to maintain the 100 PV required to secure your status.
Solution 1: Include your family members and close friends’ orders with your own. They’ll be getting a quality product at a discounted rate while helping you to maintain your 100 PV requirement. (See how they encourage you to involve your troop?!)
Challenge 2: It takes time to build your network.
Solution 2: Be consistent in your advertising and have patience. Understand that this is not a “get rich quick” scheme. Selling dōTERRA is a great option for building a consistent residual income. With such a low startup, it’s okay for it to happen over time. Just know that as you grow your customer base, you could easily secure monthly customers who earn you a passive $500 per month or much more.
Not interested in being a Wellness Advocate but you’d like to receive the Wholesale members discount? Or browse products or place an order? Visit my dōTERRA here. Just looking to shop as a guest, without member discounts? You can shop here.
Other companies who offer affiliate programs with low/no start up costs:
1. Evolution Travel
Earn commission selling travel, CDB products, or by recruiting a team of agents. $49 to start, then $69 per month.
Who are they? Remote travel agents who work under Archer travel. You are not employed by Evolution, instead, you are a travel business owner. Find out more by checking out my Become a Travel Agent page.As an agent, you would have access to over 130 travel service vendors such as Disney, Blue Sky Tours Contiki Travel, Gate1 Travel, and so many more.
How do I earn? Agents earn commision on travel services sold. Moreover, a plethora of training classes are offered online. Further, training classes are presented both live and via pre-recorded lessons. So, everyone can learn at the own pace. In addition, agents can sell CBD, through the E3Wellness side of the business. Finally, participants also have the option to recruit new agents and become sponsors. Sponsors earn consistent, residual income. All three parts are included and each are optional. A newbie can take part in all of them or any of them. So, even though it’s called Evolution Travel, you are not limited to only selling travel. Which makes it a perfect work from home opportunity during the COVID-19 quarantine.
2. Rodan Fields
Earn commission selling skin care products and recruiting agents. Enrollment kits can cost up to $995. However, the basic cost to start is $45.
Who are they? Rodan Fields offers a variety of skincare products. They offer a premium line of skincare products to suite a variety of skin care needs.Most importantly, they pride themselves on their innovative skin regimens. A Regimen is the core of your skincare routine, giving you precisely the products to address concerns such as signs of aging, dark spots and discoloration, dullness and dryness, visible redness and sensitivity, or acne.
How do I earn? Consultants earn commissions on sales. Just like Doterra, Rodan Fields offers a full (free) training program. Likewise, you have the opportunity to recruit consultants, build a team, and earn residual income.
3. Avon
Sell cosmetics, jewelry, clothing, and wellness products for commission. You can also recruit new Avon reps to increase earning potential. The minimum cost to start is $0 (free).
Who are they? Who hasn’t heard of Avon? They’ve been around for over 130 years, so they must be doing something right. The enrollment is $0 (free). Avon provides a full website, and a wide array of tools, including a full training program and marketing collateral. You have to keep your account active by placing.a personal order at least once every two weeks.
How do I earn? Avon claims that new reps can, “Earn up to $3,250 in commissions and bonuses in your first few months and lock in VIP earnings all year.” To begin with, Avon starts by paying sellers at the “Representative Level” 25% of beauty sles and 20% of all Home and Fashion sales. Avon U teaches you everything you need to know about getting started. They also encourage recruitment of other agents, so Avon affiliates can earn as sponsors. Earnings and commissions can be directly deposit into representative’s bank accounts.
Not interested in selling Avon but you’d like to browse products or shop? Click here to shop my store.
4. My Daily Choice / Hempworx CBD Oil
Earn commissions for selling CBD tinctures, CBD pet products, and CBD topicals. Affiliates earn $20 per 500mg CBD tincture sale.
Who are they? Hempworx is a product line within MyDailyChoice, which operates as a parent company. They have a no-risk free trial. Joining for free allows affiliates to earn weekly commissions of 20% on referrals, but doesn’t require a product purchase.
How do I earn? Affiliates receive discounted member pricing on all products and earn commission from MyDailyChoice’s compensation plan. Commissions are calculated on a tired incentive plan. This company also compensates its reps for team building.
Another easy way to earn money from home during the COVID-19 quarantine is to get creative.
3. Reimagine ways to market the skills you have.
Think about your skills. What do you do for work when you’re not quarantined? There have been several ingenious ways others have turned their hourly skills into entrepreneurial endeavors.
Here are some examples of what I mean:
In Racine, WI a random entrepreneur erected a drive-up movie popcorn hut. He is now earning money selling movie-style popcorn to those willing to venture out into the COVID-19 infected world without leaving the safe, isolated space of their car. He announced the service on Facebook, where excited residents shared it around.
In Las Vegas, NV. a local pastry chef (and personal friend) is making cupcake kits. She bakes the cupcakes, then packages them with a fancy (yet simple) tube of buttercream frosting along with an assortment of pre-packaged toppings. Orders are submitted via Facebook messenger, then paid via Zelle or Paypal. After, kits are delivered directly to customer homes. Not only do these serve as a delicious treat, but decorating cupcakes makes for a fun activity for the kiddos! It’s a brilliant idea. She’s charging $20 a kit and she gives her customers the choice of vanilla or chocolate. A Facebook live video was all she needed to sell out her first 20 kits. A Paypal or Zelle payment paired with quick notification text message after dropping orders at doors proves this business perfectly follows social distancing protocols.
Earn Money from Home During the COVID-19 Quarantine
4. Start a Blog
This is not a fast or immediate source of income. Building a blogging business is a marathon, not a race. You’ll have to be in it for the long game. The good news is, it’s moderately recession proof and many bloggers regularly earn $30,000+ per month. There are so many blogs out there today, so competition can be fierce. Many factors contribute to running a successful blog. It boils down to picking a highly specific topic or niche, crafting a powerful SEO strategy, and writing compelling content which serves your audience in a relevant and relatable way.
We’re talking about earning money from home during the COIV-19 Quarantine right? Except these strategies were successful before the pandemic. And, they’ll continue to work when the pandemic is over.
It’s also important to look at multiple monetization (money-earning) strategies when running a blogging business. For instance, selling things like ebooks or virtual courses could be one way to do this. Another significant blog income generator is affiliate marketing. Additionally, bloggers could also sell their services. For example, if you were to start a personal finance blog, you could sell tax preparation services on your site.
I sell travel.
I am a travel blogger, but I’m also a travel agent, so I sell the service of booking trips. In the same vein, I plan to add downloadable destination guides to my repertoire. A sales page will be added to my website for these, but I will also list them on Amazon to maximize exposure and (hopefully) generate more sales.
But that’s not all…
Working with affiliates is also a big part of my business, which you can see through the ads on this page. Some of the links are affiliate links, but some are not. My goal is to give you as much information as I can, so if I need to add a link in order for my readers to get more information and that link doesn’t come with a kick back, then that’s just fine. When it comes down to it, I want my readers to subscribe to my newsletter, pin or share my content on social media, and visit every so often. And, readers will only do this if I offer them a reason to; something of value. A good blogger should recognizes that they are in the service industry. Information posted should alway fill a need, answer a question, or solve a problem for our readers.
As you can see, there are a plethora of ways to monetize a blog. As a result, blogging can be an incredibly lucrative business – if you know what you’re doing. The only way to learn is to take a good, quality class. Taking multiple classes with specialized topics could be even more beneficial. A new blogger need to learn how to build the site. For example, using WiX or Weebly to build your site is highly discouraged for by pro bloggers.
There are plenty of resources – maybe too many!
There are several reputable and effective blogging courses out there. Choosing the right one can be a challenge, so here is a list with a few of my favorites. I’ve taken all of these classes. As a former teacher, I am a lifelong learner. Therefore, I felt compelled to soak up everything I could.
Different Blogging Schools Focus on Different Areas of the Business
Most of my teachers have specialized in travel blogging, but they teach strategies which can be implemented for any kind of blog. All three teach you how to set up a WordPress blog from scratch. Each teaches how to use SEO tools and other plug-ins to create a powerful backend which works for you. All talk about affiliate networks and the best ones to join.
Jessie on a Journey
Jessie Festa is solo female travel blogger with a focus on sustainable tourism. has a blog and a digital magazine called Epicurean Culture. She offers several blogging classes and courses. I like her classes because everything is actionable. She walks you through each task step-by-step. Her courses are easy to understand. Plus, they’re all in a video format. Jessie also hosts a podcast, which is jam packed with tips and tricks for building a successful blog. Travel Blog Prosperity is my ultimate favorite. I learned so much about SEO, building traffic, and social media strategies. Moreover, various blog monetization strategies aren’t just explained, but demonstrated in great detail. As an added bonus, she sends you emails with paid blogging opportunities each week.
Check out other resources from Jessie:
How To Work With Brands and Make Money
Profitable Travel Blogger Podcast
Nomadic Matt
Matt Kemp is a travel blogger who helps his readers to travel smarter, cheaper, and longer. His was another course I can’t say enough good things about! Since it’s a written course, expect to do a lot of reading. It’s well worth it, though. Matt walks you through setting up your blog from scratch. He even explains which plug you need. Matt is an avid reader and writer, so he goes into a lot of detail about the actual process of crafting blog posts. He also has a tech support guru who is always available (via email) to help with tech issues. Additionally, Matt’s team hosts LIVE monthly meetings designed specifically to answer any questions you have about YOUR blogging business. This includes tech questions, social media strategies, affiliate marketing, and even SEO talks. This has saved my site in so many ways! I knew nothing about using WordPress or writing code. Still, my knowledge is very minimal. As a blogger, how-to YouTube videos become your lifeline. With the support of Matt’s team, I have saved hours upon hours of searching for the information needed to overcome challenges.
Check out Matt’s Superstar Blogging Course.
It’s a Lovely Life
Heather + Peter Reese are luxury family travel bloggers. They are huge proponents of adding videos to your blog. They teach much of the same principles that Jessie teaches. Although, ironically, their class content is comprised of mostly articles rather than video lessons.
Heather and Peter are very focused on travel and do offer in-depth lessons on how to work with hotels, tourism boards, and resorts, among others. In this respect, they offer a lot of great advice and have useful resource lists. However, their information isn’t as actionable as Jessie’s or Matt’s. For example, Heather and Pete tell you that you can make money from writing content for others, but they don’t really explain how or give you contact resources. To get an idea of the topics being taught, you can visit the course to see the sections included in the Blogging Blastoff class.
Start with their free 5 Day Crash Course: Start a Blogging Business.
Since this is free, it’s totally worth signing up as it does help you to get started.
To Learn how to set up your WordPress Site: WP Fastlaunch
I know this is a lot of information. If you’re thinking about starting a blog (regardless of the topic) and on the fence about which class to take, hands down, go with Jessie. She over-delivers in an exceptional way.
Helpful Newbie (and experienced) blogger podcasts:
Brandon Gaille’s The Blogging Millionaire
Jessie Festa’s The Profitable Travel Blogger Podcast
Pat Flynn’s Smart Passive Income
Pat Flynn’s Ask Pat
Darren Rose’s ProBlogger Podcast
Kat Lee’s How They Blog Podcast
Digital Marketer’s The Perpetual Traffic Podcast
5. Learn a new skill; use it to sell services online or secure a virtual job..
The only upside to this COVID-19 quarantine is all the free time many of us now have on our hands. Use it to learn a new skill. Instead of teaching on Skillshare, take a class. Learn how to start a consulting business, take the “Build Your Freelance Business and Work From Home! Side Hustles and Top Freelance Jobs | UpWork Fiverr” . Ever considered selling on Etsy? Take the “Opening an Etsy Shop: Creating a Successful Etsy Shop From Start to Finish” class offered by Emily Cromwell. There are tons of options. Take a minute to browse courses and choose one that interests you.
Best Online Course Providers:
6. Apply for a virtual job using the skills you already have.
Many real companies offered work from home opportunities before the COVID-19 outbreak, but now, many more have jumped on the virtual bandwagon. As a result it’s possible to find hourly and even salaried positions in a variety of categories.
According to Forbes Magazine, the 10 Best Jobs Working from Home for 2020 are with the following companies:
- Appen
- Lionsbridge
- VIPKid (I had a teacher friend who worked for VIPKid and she loved it!)
- Liveops
- Working Solutions
- Kelly Services
- EF-Education First
- Sykes
- Concentrix
- Williams Sonoma
Here are some job search sites you can browse to find jobs and earn money from home, (some do have a fee):
1. Rat Race Rebellion
I love this site because their sole focus is work from home positions and they’re on a mission to get you hired. First, they have a fantastic pool of resources which offer tools, advice, and even free virtual classes to help you land the remote job you’ve been looking for. They’ll send you notifications when jobs open which meet your requested criteria. Moreover, subscribers are notified as soon as positions open in competitive highly-coveted positions, like the William Sonoma customer service position. There is no fee to use this site to see available jobs. Although, they do offer classes and other paid tools.
Right now, they’re having a Social Distancing Sale on their “How to Find a Work From Home Job or Side Gig in 30 Days or Less“ course for only $9! It’s regularly $49.
2. Virtual Vocations
Virtual Vocations offers paid or unpaid access to their job search researchers. The free version grants you partial access to their database of new telecommuting job leads. Paid membership includes full access to telecommute jobs database, priority alerts for new telecommute job opportunities that match your interests, and application history to track jobs you’ve applied to through the site. Additionally, with the paid membership you can save jobs you are interested in and attach private notes to stay organized during your job search. As an additional bonus they give you their Telecommuting Handbook and Interview guide downloads to help you get started.
3. Flexjobs
7. Sell your stuff.
For me this one is tough. I’m a pack rat. However, with sites like Offer Up, Letgo, Poshmark, Depop and Mercari, it’s never been easier to list and sell our stuff. For these, it’s simple. Click and post.
8. Cancel unnecessary subscriptions or services.
This may sound silly, but it’s super simple and many people pay for stuff they no longer use. My son has been paying $24 per month to his gym for over three years. He works out at home. He hasn’t been to the gym in at least two and a half years. I had a $4.95 per-month membership to a craft site which I used one time. It forgot about it and paid $4.95 for over a year. For nothing. Seriously, check your credit card and bank statements. You may find some recurring charges that can be eliminated.
Additionally, sometimes, if you haven’t used the service in a while (and you ask really nicely) the company will give you more than one month’s credit. It’s worth taking the time to make the phone call.
9. Open an online store.
There are tons of easy ways to open an online store. The most popular is Etsy.
Etsy
In order to open an Etsy store, you do have to create something. If you knit, sew, paint, or like to work with wood, that’s a good start. However, they’re not so good for the long run. These types of products take a lot of time to create. Moreover, the materials to create them can get costly. Since I said this would be easy, I wouldn’t recommend that you make anything by hand.
Alternatively, you should create digital products or drop ship products. First, think about what you’d like to create. Check out Etsy. See what others are selling. You’ll find things like t-shirts, bibs, skirts, coffee cups, digital prints, and so much more.
Then, check out sites like Printify or Printed Mint to see which kind of products you’d like to design.
After that, experiment with a few fun designs in apps like Canva or Photoshop. Canva is free and a thousand times easier to use, so if you’ve never created a digital design before, I’d suggest you start there.
Next, you’ll save those designs with a transparent background. Remember to use your chosen products recommended image dimensions.
Finally, you’ll upload your design. Since both Printify and Printed Mint provide mock up images, all you need to do next is follow Etsy’s directions to open your new store,
Start up costs print on demand stores is $0. Therefore, you can create your mock up images for free. Etsy has very minimal fees to start up. Use YouTube to find step-by-step video tutorials.
Moreover, you’ll want to think about your brand and your store’s identity. The best advice I can give is, be yourself. For instance, if you’re relaxed but have a sharp, sarcastic sense of humor, let that come through in your designs. As a result, you’re branding might be kind of edgy with a little punk rock vibe. On the other hand, if you’re an animal lover, you might design pet products and have a cute and comfy store theme. Most importantly, be unique. When selling on Etsy, your personality really needs to come through. It’s the only way your troop to find you.
I’ll try to prepare a “How-To Start an Etsy Shop” post in the near future. In the meantime, turn to Google and YouTube. Plus, you can check out my other post, “25 Digital Etsy Products You Can Start Selling Today”.
Digital products like printables are one of the easiest and least expensive to sell on Etsy.
Nancy Badillo has made over $86,000 selling digital prints on Etsy. I’ve included her Her How-To YouTube video.
Nancy Badillo recommends 25 digital products you can start selling on Etsy. You can see this YouTube video below.
Other online platforms for starting a store:
Shopify – sell anything, hands down the easiest to use, but when it comes to promoting, you’re on your own.
Printify – You create designs, they manufacture and ship your products. Sell prints, mugs, clothes, home accessories, and more.
Smug Mug – sell photos
Take the plunge.
Even if you think, “Well, these are some good options, maybe I’ll try one later.” I’m here to tell you, don’t wait until ‘later’. Choose one or two you like best, and do a bit more research. Then, bite the bullet and start building the one which makes the most sense for you. Just get started. Diversifying your income sources is always a smart idea.
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