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It’s likely you already understand some of the benefits and forms of passive income. Making money from something you created, without having to work eight hours a day for every cent is a dream many people have, because it promises to make life easier, more enjoyable, and more comfortable.
Let’s take a look at how you can work toward a more satisfying way to make a living by topping up your income, pursuing your hobbies professionally, and developing your skills.
Topping up your income
Perhaps the most obvious benefit of earning passive income is the opportunity to earn money on top of your salary or other income. The internet is full of stories of people who have turned their side hustles into lucrative careers.
The most practical advice regarding making a living from passive income is, however, to make the transition slowly. There are many ways to earn passive income, and they’re easier than ever before thanks to the tools available to creators to develop, market, and sell online from their websites. But it’s important to take time to develop your passive income strategies to make sure your side project is turning a consistent profit before relying on it as your main source of income.
One of the best things about passive income today is that, in some cases, you don’t have to invest a lot of money to make money. With a versatile web building tool like Squarespace, you can do everything from setting up an affiliate marketing blog to running a membership site for access to gated content with practically no other overhead than the cost of maintaining the website itself.
Pursuing your hobbies professionally
Apart from the commercial value of starting an online business, passive income activity can also be incredibly satisfying, especially if it’s built around a hobby you enjoy. Monetizing your hobbies can also help to build your confidence in business because your side project will be built around something you already do confidently.
Say you’re an avid soccer fan and coach your child’s team on the weekends. You might consider:
Starting a blog profiling the best pro players, including what kids can learn from them, to build a regular audience
Making a series of coaching videos, some of which are free to access on your site, but some of which are behind a paywall for members only
Writing some sponsored content for sports companies on your website or joining their affiliate marketing programs
Writing and selling an e-book on soccer tips for young athletes
When you choose the niche for your side project, if it’s something you’re interested in, the ideas will come naturally. Turning your side project into regular passive income is simply a case of following through with expertise, regularity, and consistent quality, as well as making sure people see your work by promoting it on your social media.
Developing your skills and business acumen
One of the best things about developing a passive income stream is that you’re sure to learn a lot, not only about your chosen activity, but about business in general. Whether your ambition is slow and steady or you want to set the business world on fire, by starting out small with a side project, you can develop a wealth of entrepreneurial skills at your own pace.
An entrepreneur who builds an online business will learn how to:
Design, manage, and maintain a website
Build a brand identity
Develop a customer service approach
Identify, test, and grow new business opportunities
Communicate with third party suppliers, clients, and/or affiliates
Budget and forecast
The skills you learn by engaging in a side project will not only help you to increase your passive income, but could also lead to opportunities in your existing career. If you succeed in online business, the evidence will be noticed by potential employers, especially if you point them to your strategy, metrics, and customer feedback.