IF YOU’VE thought about quitting your day job, you might wonder how you can make money online afterward. The great resignation saw more people quit their full-time jobs than at any other time in history. Every month, almost 4 million people quit their jobs in 2021. In addition, the coronavirus pandemic also had a huge economic impact on small business.
The median firm with more than $10,000 in monthly expenses only had enough cash to last two weeks. The pandemic caused many temporary business closures, though many thought they would be open on December 31, 2020. This means that the people who were left without jobs because of the closures had to find other ways to support themselves. In this article, we’ll discuss how to quit your 9-5 and make money.
How to Quit Your 9-5 and Make Money
1. Affiliate Marketing
Many people start making money on the internet this way. It’s an easy way to avoid working your life away. You just must advertise other people’s products, and when someone clicks your affiliate link and buys, you earn a commission. Just sign up with a free program, choose your product, create a promotional link, and get started.
The hardest part is promoting, building trust, and reaching more people so they will take your advice. Depending on the company, commissions may vary. Some companies offer 5 to 100% commissions on digital products and services, while Amazon offers 4-10% commissions. It’s best to find products with high sales potential, or something with a large commission to make more money quicker.
Some affiliate networks you can join include:
- Commission Junction (aka CJ Affiliate)
- Clickbank
- Share A Sale
- Amazon
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Some Great Books on Starting a Business
This section contains affiliate links. If you choose to purchase after clicking a link, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.
The 4-Hour Workweek
by Tim Ferris
The $100 Startup
by Chris Guillebeleau
2. Online Courses
If you enjoy teaching, you may do better at creating and selling online courses. You can make anywhere from $50 to $3000 with an online course depending on what you’re teaching and which online course creator you choose. If you have the knowledge, organize and sell it in a package. Online course creators you can use include:
- Teachable
- Udemy
- Zippy Courses
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3. Freelancing
It takes a lot of courage to start your own business, but one of the best ways to become an online business owner is to start freelancing. It is possible to sell many skills on sites such as Upwork, Freelancer, or others. They include:
- Marketing and Social Media Management
- Writing and Blogging
- Graphic Design
- Web Design
- Teaching and Tutoring
- Translating or Interpreting
- Legal Work
- Accounting
- Virtual Assistant
- Photo Editing
- Video Editing
- Voiceover Work or Voice Acting
- SEO Services
- Fitness and Health Coach
- Skills that don’t require physical presence.
A few places to sell freelancer services include:
- Fiverr
- FlexJobs
- Freelancer
- Guru
- Moonlighting
- PeoplePerHour
- Toptal
- Upwork
However, running your own show will make you more money. Freelancing websites are a great way to get started, but you may not make enough money with the fees they take out of your earnings. Consider creating a website, joining social media, and chasing down business yourself. Get your name out there with some freebies, then charge referred clients.
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4. Consulting
Another good way to build an online business is through consulting. If you have a lot of expertise in a certain field and know how to use it to show others in the same field to improve their business, this may be a good choice.
You can sell your services on many of the same freelance sites we’ve already mentioned; you can also find government consulting contracts if you’re interested in working with the government. If none of the other options mentioned for how to be a digital entrepreneur appeal to you, this one just might. Check it out if you think your expertise could be useful.
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5. Blogging
You don’t have to be amazing to start blogging. Just pick a topic and start writing blog posts about it. The idea of starting a blog is to attract readers and give free, valuable content so that you can sell or advertise to them and make some money at the same time. Writing blog posts can be a good side hustle as you plan your 9-5 exit strategy.
There is a tendency for people to take recommendations or work with people they know and like, so start by getting to know your audience. Despite its long-term nature, it offers as much potential as any of the other ideas we mentioned so far. Among the possibilities are building your own business, selling other people’s products, placing ads on your site, or having sponsored posts.
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6. Virtual Assistant
There are lots of ways to find virtual assistant jobs online. You’ll find listings for virtual assistants on most freelance websites and sites like Indeed and LinkedIn. To work as a virtual assistant, start by taking courses from home, then figure out what kind of services you want to provide and advertise them.
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7. Sales
This is a great choice for the natural-born salesperson who loves to talk on the phone or through online chat. Many companies hire people to work from home doing sales work. These include companies like Dell, Grubhub, QVC, and American Express. When applying to these jobs, make sure you meet all their requirements as far as location – even if the job is remote, it may only be remote in certain states, so make sure your state is listed in the job description.
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Making Money After You Quit Your 9-5 Job
These are just a few ways to make money after quitting your job. When you quit your 9-5 job, what feels like the end is often the beginning of a new adventure as an entrepreneur. Being an entrepreneur is hard; you may not make a lot more right out of the gate, but you’ll have more free time, and once you find your niche and your favorite money-making venture, you will make more money than you did at your 9-5 job, and you won’t need an entrepreneurship coach.