In this post, I’m going to share with you 7 foolproof streams of income that are 100% legitimate and will show you how to become financially independent.
I’ve always believed that we should all have multiple streams of income, as relying on just one stream of income to get you by in life is a dangerous game.
Because let’s face it.
After you’ve paid your rent or mortgage, food, your other household bills and any other expenses that sometimes creep up on you, you’re probably not left with that much money.
Unless of course, you have an enormous salary.
But given the current state of the economy and the uncertainty surrounding employment, I would say that even having an enormous salary isn’t enough.
Because I’m sure there are many employees who although have a generous take home, have struggled to get by in recent months, with some losing their jobs altogether.
On a Personal Note
On a personal note, I too, like many, have been affected by Covid-19, with the silver lining being me finally finding having the motivation to launch my business, my youtube channel and of course this blog.
I’ve also noticed that many others have started their own projects, businesses and side-hustles during this pandemic, with the aim of trying to create an income online and become financially secure.
Because by now, you should know that there isn’t really such thing as a ’safe job’ despite what your grandparents told your parents, and what your parents probably told you.
Although rare, coronavirus has proven this.
So, what’s the answer?
Well, having multiple streams of income is one of, if not the most essential financial strategies you can have.
Simply put…
More streams of income equal more financial security
And here’s a fact for you, it’s said that most millionaires have on average, 7 different income streams.
Many of them are passive too, meaning their money works for them, not the other way round. So if you are trying to find out how to become financially independent, this is the way.
So how does one create more income streams and learn how to become financially independent?
Well, that’s exactly what I’m going to help you with.
In fact, in this blog post, I’m going to talk about 7 amazing streams of income that you can do online, from anywhere in the world.
But before I do, I just want to remind you of two things.
- Success is a direct result of how hard you are willing to work
- Patience is key, there’s no such thing as ‘getting rich quick.
There are so many different ways to make money these days, with online opportunities being the most attractive, as they allow us to work remotely, from anywhere in the world.
So you could literally make money online whilst sitting on a beautiful beach in Bali, with a cocktail by your side.
Sounds like a dream right?
Well, this is a dream that can definitely come true if you are willing to roll up your sleeves and get to work, because as I said, your success is determined by you, and you alone.
So if you’re ready to make more money and become more financially secure, let’s get into it.
How to Become Financially Independent
1. Turning Your Passion Into Profit
The first income stream I’m going to talk about involves turning your passion into profit.
Because we all want to be able to do the things we love more often right?
And if you can create an income from the things you love, well that’s just an added bonus.
My passions, for example, are Health and Fitness, Online Business and General personal development.
So I created this blog, and a YouTube channel to express my passions and help others improve their lives.
What platform are you going to use?
Before you start making money with your passion you’ll need to decide what platforms you’re going to use.
Because depending on what your passion is, your platform will be different.
For example, if you are passionate about handmade items such as jewelry, then you could set up your own store using platforms such as Shopify or Etsy.
If on the other hand, you are passionate about something like fitness or anything health-related like me, you could set up a blog, Youtube channel or podcast and offer advice to your audience by creating helpful content.
Monetisation
Once you’ve decided on which platform to use, the next step is Monetising your passion.
By monetising, I mean making money.
Now obviously if you’ve set up a store on Shopify or Etsy and you’re selling physical products, then you’re all set.
If however, you’ve chosen to go down the road of ‘content creator’ and you’ve launched a blog, YouTube channel or podcast, making money this way can be a bit tricky, but you have more monetisation methods available.
Popular Monetisation Methods
Because of the amazing thing called technology, thankfully we have a plethora of ways to monetise content and make money. Check out the most popular ones below.
Affiliate Marketing
The first way and probably my favourite is Affiliate Marketing.
Affiliate marketing involves recommending other people’s products or services in exchange for a commission. This is actually one of the most popular ways content creators learn how to become financially independent.
The beauty of this is that it allows you to create a passive income, so you can earn money even when you’re not physically doing any work.
Don’t get me wrong though, affiliate marketing is difficult and many fail as they give up too soon.
Like any business model, it takes time, patience and lots of hard work.
But the rewards are so worth it and it’s 100% possible to become financially secure through this model.
There are content creators making literally thousands of pounds every month through affiliate marketing, and it’s all about their passions.
So it’s definitely achievable.
To get you started, here are a few of the most popular affiliate marketing platforms for you to have a look at it.
Advertisements
Another way you can make money is through Advertisements.
This is probably the most popular form of income as it’s fairly straightforward to set up, but like all income ideas, it’s not easy to accomplish.
It essentially involves attracting a large audience and then partnering up with advertisers. You then get paid for the advertisements.
Although it sounds easy enough, attracting a large audience is difficult and will take a lot of time and dedication, the rewards, however, are very much worth it.
Take YouTube for example…
For many years YouTube has been the number 1 video sharing platform on the internet and the go-to place to procrastinate.
In fact, did you know that over 400 hours of content is uploaded every minute?
It’s because of this popularity that many YouTubers are able to earn an income online, generated by advertisements, usually placed before and sometimes in the middle of their videos.
Once the video has been uploaded and the advertisements put in place, there’s not much else to do.
It’s not uncommon for some to make thousands from their Youtube channels and live a very comfortable lifestyle, all from passive income.
There is, of course, a select few who have generated millions and leveraged their Youtube success to other areas in the media industry.
On the other hand, some people don’t even make enough to buy lunch.
Another way you can really utilise adverts is through having your own website, such as a blog.
If you’re able to attract people to your blog you can place relevant advertisements throughout your website and earn money.
There are however two downsides to ads...
Firstly, ads can be very unpredictable. Even with a large audience, there’s no way of knowing if that ad is going to perform or not.
Some days you may make some money, some days you may not…that’s just how it goes.
Secondly, it can take a long time to make any money at all because you first need to build an audience.
And as I’ve previously stated, building an audience is no easy feat.
Although many have done it, so you can too!
If you ask anyone who has created wealth online through content creation such as producing Youtube videos or blogging, they will always give you the same answer.
You must provide value, and be consistent with whatever it is you are doing.
You need to give your audience a reason to come back and a reason to share your content.
Only then, will you be able to make money.
Sell your own product
The final and probably best way to monetise your passion and become financially secure is by selling your own products, tools or services.
The reason I recommend this is that you don’t need a big following to be successful.
In fact, you only really need 1000 true fans to create a comfortable living for yourself.
Now you might be thinking to yourself, ‘who’s going to want to buy something off me’.
Well, by providing consistent and helpful content about a topic your audience is interested in, they will continue to seek your expertise more and more.
Whether you do this by writing blog posts, creating YouTube videos or launching a podcast, it doesn’t really matter.
What matters is that you produce content that solves a problem.
By doing this, you will begin to build trust with your audience and they will start to see you as an authority within your niche, or even better…an expert.
Once the trust is there, selling is easier.
I do recommend, however, that you start off experimenting with Affiliate Marketing for a while.
You’ll gain valuable insight into what sort of products and services your audience likes and dislikes, you’ll increase your authority and most importantly, if what you are promoting is actually helpful, you’ll gain the trust of your audience.
Which will be a massive help to you when you are finally ready to create and sell your own products or services.
eBooks
One of the most popular products that content creators like to sell on their platforms is eBooks.
If you have specialised knowledge about a certain topic and think you could create a helpful Ebook, why not use KDP, or Kindle Direct Publishing by Amazon and get yours published.
If you want to go that one step further, you could use a company called ACX, or Audio Creation Exchange to turn your Ebook into an audiobook. It can then be sold on platforms such as Audible, Amazon and iTunes.
2. Investing
Before I get into this I must say that I am not a financial expert or investment guru so I’m not going to tell you what to invest in.
I will, however, talk about some of my own investments and why I recommend them.
Warren Buffett, probably one of the greatest investors in the world, and who has a net worth of nearly 80 billion dollars says….
If you don’t find a way to make money while you sleep, you will work until you die”.
Warren Buffet
It’s a bit savage I know, but it’s also very true.
Because the thing about smart investing, and note how I’ve used the word ‘smart’ is that your money works for you
You don’t have to trade your time for money.
Index Funds
Buffet recommends that the majority of investors should have a low-cost index fund.
In Layman’s terms, an index fund involves investing in a market rather than just one company.
So for example, the S & P 500, which is 500 of the top companies in the US, has an average return rate of around 9.8% per year.
Most people would buy shares in one company – and although the rewards can be quicker and more lucrative, the risk is much, much higher.
By investing in an index fund, you’re essentially betting on whether the market is going to go up or down, which we know historically, is always rising.
Compound Interest
Index funds work so well due to the power of compound interest. It’s a little confusing to explain if you’ve never heard of it, and I’m still trying to get my head around it if I’m completely honest.
Essentially though, compound interest refers to the principle that when you invest money, as well as earning interest on the initial investment, you also earn interest on the interest itself.
Therefore, every year that the money is in your account you are earning interest on each previous year’s interest.
This means that not only are your investments growing over time but that the rate at which they grow gets faster as well.
The concept of compound interest is powerful because even if you do not add to your investments, they can continue to grow.
Over a long period, this can create a huge difference and explains why, when it comes to savings or investment advice, so many experts will tell you to start saving and start investing early.
If you want to get started with an Index Fund, I encourage you first to do some of your own research and make sure you know what you’re doing before you part with any money.
I personally use a platform called Hargeaves Lansdown and this is where I hold my investments.
Another great platform is Trading 212, as it’s very beginner-friendly and is very easy to buy stock and shares.
However, again, please make sure you do your own research about this.
These are just what I personally use, this isn’t advice.
All in all, if you want a surefire way to become financially secure and grow your wealth, then start investing your hard-earned money today.
3. Property
You’ve heard the saying ‘safe as houses’ right?
Well, there’s a simple reason for this.
Property is a very safe investment and a fantastic way to become financially secure, although you must make sure you do your due diligence.
Again, I must point out, that I’m not an expert and my knowledge about property is very basic, however, there is a very simple way you can earn money through property that I want to talk about.
And that’s using Air BnB.
If you have a spare room or even better, a whole property, you can use Air BNB to advertise and earn money in the form of rent.
You could then outsource any management, so you don’t have to lift a finger.
If you’re not yet in the position to do this and haven’t got your own property, then why not sign up for Airbnb experiences.
Go to https://www.airbnb.co.uk/host/experiences and you can sign up to become a host/travel guide, show people around your local city or organise activities.
Essentially, you can do the things you love and get paid for it.
4. Freelancing
Freelancing makes a great stream of income because you can work from anywhere in the world and get paid.
If you have a specialist online skill that’s in demand, you can earn a decent amount of money from freelancing, although competition is pretty fierce these days.
Nevertheless, there is plenty of room for everyone, as demand keeps growing.
In the past, I’ve used freelance platforms such as Fiverr, Upwork and People Per Hour to advertise my services, which included web design, writing, and social media marketing.
If you haven’t yet got a particular skill that you can make money online, but you want to learn, there are 2 platforms I recommend.
These are both amazing platforms where you can complete online courses, get accredited and become an expert in your chosen field.
5. FBA – Fulfilment by Amazon
Fulfillment by Amazon is incredibly popular and probably one of the best streams of income on this list, provided you know what you’re doing of course.
It works like this:
- You send your products to Amazon.
- They store them in their warehouses.
- When a customer orders one of your products, Amazon picks, packs, ships and tracks the order for you, and they also handle returns and refunds.
This does come at a price, as Amazon charges both storage fees and fulfillment fees.
However, those fees include 24/7 customer service, the cost of shipping goods to customers and access to one of the largest and most advanced fulfillment networks in the world.
If you want more info on this head over to FBA here.
6. Online Surveys
Filling out online surveys isn’t going to make you rich, but they require such little effort that they can be a great way to earn a few extra ££s without the elbow grease that’s required for other streams of income.
There are 4 that I Recommend:
- Inbox Pounds – UK sister company of the very popular survey company Inbox Dollars.
- Swagbucks – One of the most well-known survey companies.
- Prize Rebel – Has over 10 million members and has paid out over 20 million in cash and rewards since 2007.
- Survey Junkie – Popular survey site with over 3 million members.
7. Matched Betting
I must make this clear, Matched betting is NOT gambling, despite what many think.
It’s a method of turning free bets offered by online bookmakers into real cash.
We can do this by covering all of the potential outcomes of a sporting event by placing multiple bets.
By doing this, you can make a profit each time because it no longer matters which team won the sporting event.
This form of betting has become incredibly popular in the UK and in my opinion, one of the most fool-proof streams of income on the list and an amazing way to become financially secure.
Matched betting platforms I recommend
- Profit Accumulator – This is the largest matched betting platform where you can earn £45 by following the steps in the free trial.
- Odds Monkey – This is very similar to profit accumulator.
Profit Accumulator and Odds Monkey are two UK powerhouses when it comes to matched betting platforms.
According to Odds Monkey, matched betting is sustainable and profitable in the long-term.
Once you’ve opened all of your bookmaker accounts, you can make around £500–£700 a month by taking advantage of offers for existing customers.
That’ll take around 40 minutes per day.
Members in their forum regularly report making £900+ per month, so it is possible to make a living from matched betting.
Remember: you don’t need to pay any tax on matched betting earnings. That means you can make the equivalent of a £20,000+ salary by spending just a few hours a day!
Conclusion
And there you have it, that’s 7 different streams of income that can help you make more money and learn how to become financially independent.
But remember what I said.
Your success depends on how hard you are willing to work.
What other great streams of income can you think of?