All seem relatively easy. What’s more, it doesn’t take a lot of money to lower your financial stress. The exception, of course, is starting a side business. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, the average cost to start a microbusiness is $3,000, while the average cost to open a home-based franchise is $2,000 to $5,000.
However, what if you could earn money from home without spending a dime? It may sound too good to be true. But, here are 20 real ways to make money from home for free.
1. Sell your skills on Fiverr.
Even if you have a full-time job, using Fiverr, you can monetize your time and specialty skills. Basically, it’s a website where you can find micro-jobs. The purpose of such services is to facilitate the quick completion of standalone tasks for an individual, business, or employer. Depending on the task, you can earn $5 and up. Over time, though, there’s potential to earn several hundred dollars per month.
There is a wide range of tasks that can be performed, including writing letters, answering emails, performing minor graphic functions, and anything else that is similar. But, don’t let your intimidation get the better of you. The platform lets you choose which skills to offer.
As you browse Fiverr, you’ll find a lot of ideas to help you get started, as there are many success stories. Plus, this is an absolutely free way to earn money online without investing anything.
2. Work as a virtual assistant.
Are you good at organizing and planning? If so, becoming a virtual assistant can be an excellent way to earn extra income online. As a virtual assistant, you manage social media pages, respond to emails, and take phone calls for businesses.
In response to the increasing number of solopreneurs, virtual assistants are experiencing an increase in demand. Getting started is as simple as applying for jobs on Upwork, Indeed, or Virtual Assistant Jobs. According to Indeed.com, VAs earn an average of $23.89 per hour.
Average base salary
Virtual assistants have also found success by building their own personal brands and promoting them to entrepreneurs. Consider creating a Facebook Business page and filling it with content that promotes your business. Don’t worry. You can create one for free and share it anywhere online.
3. Become a JustAnswer expert.
For subscribers, it costs $74 per month to access unlimited expert answers with JustAnswer. Providing timely advice, the site seeks out experts such as veterinarians, mechanics, home repair specialists, and lawyers.
As such, it can be a sweet gig if you have expert knowledge. It’s simple. You answer questions and earn money helping others. In addition to talking, texting, and chatting, you can send documents and photos that might help solve the problem.
When you become a new expert, you’ll earn 20% of the user’s payment. It is possible to work your way up to 50% of the fee with enough consistently high ratings over time. The payouts are made through PayPal.
As well as the aforementioned expertise, you can also provide assistance with appraisals, pets, and teaching. In other words, there are many subcategories that make it accessible to individuals with varying levels of experience.
4. Write on Medium.
Experts and undiscovered writers can share their writing on any topic on Medium. You can use Medium instead of starting a blog from scratch. With Medium, you can begin earning money right away, as opposed to purchasing a domain and web hosting.
Also, using Medium as a platform for writing can be an excellent choice if you don’t want to spend months or years writing on a blog without making any money. Writers on Medium get paid for their stories based on how many people read them and interact with them.
Most writers on the platform make less than $100 per month, but the top earners make more than $10,000 per month. The best way to become a top earner is to post a daily article for a long period of time. Your earnings will increase as you write more articles and as they become more popular.
Another advantage of Medium? Instead of picking a niche straight away, you can develop your voice gradually. You might start writing on Medium and then start a blog once you find your sweet spot of readers’ interests and your own interests. The same content could be used for your blog and Medium site, but be careful not to ruin your search engine optimization. Whenever possible, post your writing to your blog first, followed by a Medium post, referencing the original post.
5. Join a focus group.
Do you enjoy expressing your thoughts and opinions? If yes, then why not participate in paid market research studies?
The purpose of focus groups is usually to determine the attitudes of people toward specific products, brands, or ideas. It may also be possible to ask participants about their opinions on competitors’ products or services. It depends on the focus group, but you can expect to get a salary of $30 to $150 for an hour for a focus group — although some very specific focus groups pay up to $450 for an hour.